This is the story of Ryan and her mother Fiona, and their mother daughter relationship.
Ryan’s childhood is dictated by her mother, and this continues into her adulthood.
Fiona is an aspiring actress and is furious when her daughter get noticed by a modelling agent, she pushes Ryan to do modelling, commercials
and the films, she is neglectful and manipulative, she always has her own selfish agenda.

Now Ryan is a mother and she learns of more lies and deceit when the FBI suspect her mother was part of a paedophilic group when Ryan was a young actress.

As a child Ryan was neglected, always on alert to her mothers mood, never felt she was good enough, or that she was loved. Fiona was her mother but it was Fiona’s friends who looked out for Ryan. Ryan can show her own daughter unconditional love an support and allow her daughter to be herself as she spreads her wings.

I enjoyed the book, some interesting characters, in particular Henri the photographer.

The book reads between and the present

Thanks to Net Galley and Kensington Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
This is my first book by this author - will definitely be reading more.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of Such a Pretty Girl. I had high hopes... but was somewhat let down.This book did a lot of "telling" and the pacing was off/weird. I was not in love with any of the characters (in fact, I hated most of them). I have loved all of T Greenwood's books in the past, but this is the first book of hers that I've read that I'm "eh" about.

This book was just ok for me. The pacing and the character development were lacking. It would have been a much more engaging story if the author had really developed theose characters. And did less telling.

What are some of the themes explore? Did the stories have me think deeply, challenge my thoughts, and see something different?

Through themes that explore Mothers/Daughters, ambition vs. exploitation, and artist expression vs. obscenity, I began to see many things differently. T. Greenwood explores the often-flickering line between woman and girl. The story challenged my thoughts while seeing how ambition can turn to or be exploitation, how there is a fine line between expression and how it can be perceived as obscenity.

When a controversial photo emerges of former child actress Ryan taken on the night of NYC blackouts on July 13-14, 1977 is found, Ryan is forced to examine her childhood.

Sense of place and time

This is one of the strongest elements of the story. T. Greenwood captures place and time well. The story is set in a West Village artist's community in 1970s New York, a time when young actresses were exploited and commodified by the entertainment industry. The story opened my eyes to how it was a time when it was tolerated, accepted, or dismissed, and I saw how different things are now. However, it is timely with how our world could change and also reminded me how easy it is to dismiss the danger in the truths we don't accept, ignore, or let happen.

The characters: Are the characters easy to connect and relate to? Was I able to step into their shoes?

Yes. While exploring the complicated relationship between Ryan and her mother, I could step into both their shoes and see/decide for myself how I felt about how Ryan was exploited and commodified.

The story's heart is the relationships Ryan formed while living in the artist's community and her bond with her daughter. A bond that contrasts her own with her mother.

The story wrap up well and was I satisfied with the outcome for the characters. I highly recommend it

Someone described this as Brooke Shields’ childhood career meets Jeffrey Epstein/Ghislaine Maxwell and I 100% can get on board with that description. The story is told in a single POV but with dual timelines (1970 & 2019). Ryan Flannigan is 10 years old when she is discovered and her career quickly takes off. After years in the spotlight, Ryan returned to her roots in Vermont to live a quiet life and raise her daughter. In 2019, an old photo resurfaces during a pedophilia investigation, showing Ryan in a vulnerable position. On the back of this photo is an inscription from Ryan’s mother. Soon after this photo is discovered and published on countless news outlets, Ryan’s friend and surrogate father commits suicide and her mother is wanted by the FBI for questioning. Ryan returns to NYC not only for the memorial, but to get answers from her mother. The story was raw, well-written and fast paced. This was my first experience with T.Greenwood, but I’m thinking it won’t be the last.

I enjoyed this book a lot, I haven’t heard of the author in the past but found this novel hard to put down. I loved the characters and the mystery. It seems like great timing as I found this book so
Kale to I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone as I thought it was well timed and related to a lot of current events.

Such a Pretty Girl by T. Greenwood is a timely, haunting novel. At the root of this story is mother/daughter relationships and how the relationship with your mother can shape your life. I felt for Ryan and her determination to have a different type of relationship with her daughter than she had with her own mother. There were parts that were hard to read because of the content but everything was beautifully written. I will definitely read another book by T. Greenwood.

Ryan Flannigan has been living in Vermont when she learns about an article about her from her oldest friend about an article that a photo of her as a preteen was found in the possession of a wealthy investor. This wealthy investor has been recently found out as a pedophile and sex trafficking. It’s discover that the photo has an inscription to him from her now estranged mother. Going from Ryan’s childhood to the present, the mystery of what happened to Ryan then starts to come back to her. The relationship with her mother comes back too on that night when everything changed. Interest in Ryan and her mother Fiona are now the object of speculation when the public became aware of the photo. Ryan must come to grips about the past and their painful relationship.

The novel 'Such a Pretty Girl,' deals in heavy themes and a troubled mother-daughter relationship. It is rich with details. It is well written, fast paced dramatic fiction. It is told over a dual time line. It includes tragedy, trauma, strength, resilience, and hope. It’s a story that made me wondered how a mother can expect her to overlook the past. It’s a novel of a mother-daughter relationship. The suspense held my interest and Ryan’s strength dealing with her past.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Such a Pretty Girl.

I read the author's first book, Rust & Stardust, so I was intrigued about her followup.

This is the second book I've read in a row where the premise has a #MeToo theme, and I'm getting tired of these plots.

Ryan Flannigan is a former child star forced to return to the West Village community she grew up in when a controversial photo of hers is found at the home of a convicted pedophile (think Jeffrey Epstein).

Now, Ryan must revisit painful memories of her past, her relationship with her mother, and the person she's become, an independent woman and mother of a self sufficient 18-year-old young lady, to face her past and move on with her future.

What I liked: the description of the West Village artists community; the diversity, the artists, the children, the community and family the people built together.

The supportive and loving people in this community; the diversity of the neighbors, how everyone comes together and watches each other.

The gritty, seedy New York of the 1970s. Son of Sam. Homophobia.

How children ran free and wild with little to no supervision in the community. It was a different time.

What I didn't like: another story about a young girl taken unfairly advantage of and the reckoning she must contend with when the photos resurface.

Ryan was, surprisingly, not likable. I didn't dislike or hate her, but I didn't relate to her.

Her mother was a one dimensional stage mom; an alcoholic, living vicariously through her child, achieving the fame and stardom she will never have.

Usually, I'm not a fan of dual timelines, but it worked here. Exposition was needed to offer insight into how Ryan became famous, met the people she did, and how her relationship with her mother developed, or never really did.

For the most part, I wasn't that interested in how Ryan was discovered, how she enjoyed acting and not photo shoots.

I enjoyed her interactions with Gilly and Henri the best, how their friendships developed and strengthened, and her daughter, Sasha, who is a mature, talented and strong young woman.

Ryan's relationship with her mother is never really delved upon. It's quite superficial since her mother is barely around, except when shepherding her to the movie set.

The ending is positive, though vague on what happens to her mother, but that makes sense since Ryan has finally let go of her past, including her mother.

This was a decent read and I enjoyed the author's writing style.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

This book is as timely as today's headlines. We learn about a sexual predator of young girls and the woman who finds the girls for him.

The story is told in two time-frames: the 1970s as Ryan is becoming a child star and the present time while she is living a quiet life in Vermont. Currently, a questionable photograph of Ryan as a young girl turns up in the apartment of the predator. The photo is inscribed on the back by her mother, Fiona, who is an aspiring actress. The photographer, Henri, who has been a friend and protector of Ryan commits suicide.

The writing was rich in this novel. And the characters I wanted to love unfortunately for me that is where the novel falls flat. There was nothing special about them. Thank you netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this novel.

I was very disappointed in this book-I expected great things based on the author and the hype but it was flat.

This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

Gripping, disturbing historical fiction that rang true. And the depiction of NYC in the 1970's was delightful.

As soon as I read the title and synopsis of this book I knew it was a must read although it is outside my normal genres. It covered such an important topic concerning exploitation of stars both old and young although this novel covered an additional perspective of parent involvement in the scandal.This novel quickly drew me in and kept me entertained as we uncovered the past of what happened to Ryan. I would definitely recommend this book to those who are able to read it!

Set between the 1979s and today, Ryan Flannigan is forced to deal with memories she has kept buried for decades and explore what her past and present means for her relationship with her mother.
Good read. Recommended.

* I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from NetGalley and Kensington Books in exchange for my honest review

Such a Pretty Girl is one of those books that you’re both horrified to read, but can’t put down. Ryan had come of age while acting, and whispers about her mother’s lack of supervision abounded. An inappropriate picture of her as a girl has been discovered during the bust of millionaire pedophile. The events of how that picture came to be is slowly revealed throughout the book.
Although this is story is heartbreaking, I couldn’t stop reading it. It’s a quick and satisfying read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest novel by T. Greenwood - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Ryan Flannigan is living a quiet, peaceful life in Vermont with her daughter Sasha. But that peace is shattered when she learns that a photo taken of her in 1977 during the blackout in NYC was found in the possession of a pedophile and sex trafficker. The photo was inscribed on the back by her own mother. Then Henri, the photographer, is found dead by suicide. Ryan goes back to the West Village with Sasha to attend his memorial and is forced to confront her past. Her mother, Fiona, took Ryan to live in an artist apartment building so that Fiona could realize her dream of becoming an actress. But it was Ryan who became successful.

Told from Ryan's point of view both in the 1970s and 2019, this was a wonderfully-written introspective of mother and daughter relationships. This is a look at stage moms who will sell their young daughters to get close to their own dreams. It's the selling out of young girls, putting them in films way too old for them and much worse. The grittiness of NYC in the past becomes almost another character and you can feel, taste and smell the city. I loved how Ryan found her family in Gilly, his family, and Henri - people that would always be there for her when her own mother wasn't. This is heartbreaking in its realism and I loved it.

Interesting read--feels "ripped from the headlines" with allusion to the people who prey upon those who want to seek fame and fortune in the entertainment industry. Although I enjoyed the writing and found it compelling, I wouldn't recommend for a teen audience.

I didn't know this author, and this was a pleasant surprise. The book has a well developed story, characters that we engage with, and care about, and a pace that was just right. We see the story unfolding in the past and the present, and both are compelling.

This was a difficult subject to write about, and the author handled it with elegance. Recommend it to all of those that like a good story!

A more complete review will appear next week on my blog

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