I do not like rating memoirs because it is a persons life story, not a made up work of art. This was an interesting read!

The abuses that children endure by those who are supposed to love and protect them is heartbreaking. Such a pretty picture follows Andrea from early childhood through adulthood. Starting at the age of 4 and continuing for over a decade Andrea is abused by her father while her mother knowingly allows it to continue. The resulting shame and emotional turmoil profoundly effect her future relationships. Her long journey of healing and recovery speak to her resilience and determination to overcome her circumstances and use her experiences to benefit others. Thank you to NetGalley and She Writes Press for the ARC of the is book .

I received a free copy of, Such a Pretty Picture, by Andrea Leeb, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This was a very hard read, I cant imagine being sexually abused by my father, and having such a cold hearted mother. This is a touching and heavy memoir. It seemed like all the adults in her life failed her, so sad.

Such a heartbreaking story. I was well written but hard read because the subject. It very brave of her to write her story. I would recommend this memoir.

This was such a sad book. I loved how the author reconciled with her mother before her mother's death but the story itself was so sad. I could feel for the author and her childhood, and her sister as well. It was incredibly heartbreaking and very realistic.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from netgalley. All opinions were my own. I was not obligated to write a review.

This memoir broke my heart into million pieces and i can’t put it back together. I will never understand how people can do such horrible things to one another and be okay with it. Andrea’s story was heartbreaking but so necessary to read. You never know what’s happening behind closed doors. And too many people close their eyes and pretend not to the abuse that’s happening in front of them.

Thank you NetGalley & the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review..

**Thank you NetGalley & the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This author was incredibly brave to publish this memoir, and I give her so much credit for taking the huge steps it took to get here today. Thank you for sharing your words with the world because they are powerful & might be just what someone needs to hear to start their own healing journey.

This story was powerful and at times hard to read, but we know that going into it. Make sure to check trigger warnings before opening a book about childhood rape trauma and incest. I feel like an asshole saying that I expected it to be more detailed and graphic. There really were maybe two scenes that she put the details into, but she still did not get overly graphic. I was a little afraid that the whole entire book would be too graphic or too hard to read…almost like Lolita without all the fluff. This book was not written to disturb the reader with details, but it was more written to share the author’s life experiences…how her life revolved around the abuse and the ways in which it defined her as a person.

The opening story was shocking because she was only four and a half years old in the bath scene. The details of exactly what happened here were just not there. Her father had his hand on her privates, but we aren’t sure exactly what he was doing outside the tub. We are left to assume his penis was out of his pants because her mother “went blind” from whatever it was that she saw. This scene is referenced so many times throughout the book, but we never actually find out the details of what happened. The abuse from her father is never really mentioned in detail throughout the book (except for the one time where she mentions his fingers inside of her), but she went into pretty graphic detail on the rape scene in the woods. I’m not sure if that was to save the feelings of her sister reading the story, or if that was done for any other reason…it was just something I noticed while reading. All of the rape scenes were disturbing, obviously, but it’s something I noticed while reading and was curious about.

The only reason I chose to leave four stars instead of five for this memoir is because at times the story seemed very unorganized. The ending was all about healing, and that seemed like it was organized better…the epilogue was fantastic, moving, and brought tears to my eyes. I just hope the editor can help with the organization of the first 3/4 of the book. This may have been the first arc I have read with so many typos and editing errors, but I assume all of that will be fixed before the book gets published…of course.



Spoilers?! Not sure if you know how this book ends or not…







Overall, I would commend this author for coming out with her story. Some of it was very hard to read, but books like these can seriously help someone struggling in the same manner. Her bravery and healing can be someone else’s saving grace. I’m happy she finally found peace, but her continuing to have a relationship with her parents through healing greatly confused and angered me. I understand her mother was very important to her, but I do not understand how it was more important than her healing. I am just happy that it all worked out for her in the end.

I typically don't provide star-ratings for memoirs, but since this is an ARC I will be providing a rating. Andrea's story is heartbreaking and what her and her sister went through is something children should ever have to experience. While reading this, I wanted to scream for her and I wanted to yell at her mother for pretending nothing was happening.

This book brought out so many emotions and the number of adults that let Andrea down in her life was painful to read about.

Thank you to NetGalley and She Writes Press for an eARC of this memoir in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly a big thank you for my opportunity to read and review .
This is a powerful hard hitting emotive read that offers the reader an insight into a deeply troubling and traumatic childhood . As a result this impacted her later years to a great extent .
It’s articulated in a raw and profound way that will definitely leave its mark.
A excellent book that captures the inner strength. And bravery people go through to live .

I knew when I requested this book it was going to be heartbreaking to get through and it was. It's written in a spare or clinical manner which really serves to reinforce the distance the victim places between herself and the abuser in order to survive. Although the author pursues therapy, it's evident that sexual abuse trauma never really goes away. I am glad the author was able to write this book. I'll never understand how a parent could commit such acts nor a mother enable the abuse of her child by pretending not to see it. My only complaint, and it is understandable, is that the abuser seems to not be held accountable. I wanted to know more of what he said when confronted. I notice we never were given his name even though we knew the mother's full name.

Thank you to NetGalley and She Writes Press for an advance copy.

This was a deeply touching, raw, and emotional memoir. Although hard to read at times, it was also hard to put down. I don’t normally post trigger warnings in my reviews, but I feel that this book may be too triggering for some. The major triggers in this memoir are: incest, SA, self-harm, and betrayal.

This memoir is broken down into Three Parts. In Part One (1962-1969), at only 4 1/2 years old, Andrea’s father gives her a bath for the first time. Her mother walks in and catches her father doing something very bad. Andrea’s mother then faints, and wakes up blind. Her mother is admitted to a hospital for two weeks, and still cannot see due to “hysterical blindness”. However. Andrea’s mother (Marlene) thinks this happened because her husband was giving their daughter a cold bath… In the meantime, it is to be just Andrea and her father’s ‘secret’ as to what happened.

In Part Two (1969-1981), Andrea was going through her teenage years learning that she had no boundaries. She was taken advantage of by boys, and could not form a healthy, meaningful relationship with a boyfriend. As Andrea went away to college she was achieving everything she wanted academically, yet she was falling apart physically and emotionally. She began to have recurring flashbacks from her childhood and her times with her father (and the ‘secrets’ they shared together). Andrea sees a psychiatrist for the second time in her life, and he fails to believe her and makes her question her reality.

Part Three (1989-1992), an incident happens to Andrea on the subway in NY, which once again triggers her past. She finds a new female therapist, one she can finally open up to. She then goes to a 12 day recovery/grief program, where she is able to open up for the first time in her life. This was heartbreaking as no one had ever believed her in the past, and she was betrayed by the people who were supposed to protect her.

The Epilogue along with the rest of the book was just phenomenal. This is one memoir that I highly recommend reading. The author also indicates that 25% of all royalties will be donated to RAINN (The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network). Absolutely remarkable!!

Many thanks to NetGalley, She Writes Press, and the author for an advanced digital copy of this book, in which I had the pleasure of reading.
Publication date: October 14, 2025
Genre~ Biographies & Memoirs, Nonfiction (adult)

Andrea Leeb did a phenomenal job in writing and sharing her life with us readers. This is such an emotional read, and I have to say I had to step away a few times because it was too hard to read. As a mother myself, I can not phathom not believing my child or worse, turn a blind eye!

She went through so many hardships in her life, and I felt devastated for her when no one believed her. So many people failed her! I felt upset with her father (a monster if you ask me) and her mother for not protecting her child. For putting a man before her children.

I am so happy Andrea was able to free herself from that prison and broke free of those chains. She is a very resilient woman, and I am so honored to have read about her life.

I hope she keeps thriving and living her best life 🫶🫶

This is absolutely a 5 🌟 🌟🌟🌟🌟 read for me!! If I could give it more, I would!!!

Thank you to NetGalley, and She Writes Press for this phenomenally written ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I found this to be a brave and heartfelt memoir that was easy to read. I enjoyed the author's writing style and vulnerability in sharing her story. While difficult to read at times due to the nature of the author's experience, I find the topics important for empathy and greater understanding. Generally I enjoy this genre, and appreciate real, raw stories like this.

Reading this book is an absolutely crushing experience. Not because of the writing, it's excellent. Andrea's book is an amazing memoir, but because of the story itself. The way her parents failed her and brutalized her is bad enough. But what they did to her essentially groomed her to be a victim to every abusive male she encountered, from early teenager through adulthood.

The fact that she managed to overcome this through therapy is a testament to her strength and resilience. No child deserves a tenth of what she went through.

Everyone should read this book, not only because of its excellence, but because it might give them the tools to detect if this is happening to anyone in their circle and, hopefully, take action accordingly. Andrea deserved a savior that she never got.

Kudos to Andrea for surviving, first of all, and more importantly, for sharing all this, which must have been incredibly painful. May her parents be in the place they so richly deserve to be in for eternity.

The horrors and the shame that this author was forced to endure is unimaginable. She remembers & shares the sexual abuse she endured at the hands of her father beginning at age 4. She discusses her mother's failure to protect her from the ongoing abuse, or even acknowledge her suffering. Andrea suffers from multiple issues & insecurities throughout her life. Her nightmares, panic attacks, self-harming, and suicidal tendencies all seem to stem from her childhood abuse. She does not seem to know how to trust or develop any real intimacy in her life. She learned to stuff all her feeling down & hide her pain.

As an adult, when she truly delves into therapy and then inpatient treatment program, she finally begins to pour out those memories and begin to live.

I don't know how to rate this book. The author worked through those horrors and is sharing her soul with the reader. Awarding stars seems disrespectful and crude, but I do believe this is a powerful story that makes me appreciate my life and parents more.

Beware if you have ANY TRIGGERS, but this is absolutely a story that should be shared.

Thank you to She Writes Press & netgalley for the advanced reader copy. Thank you to Andrea Leeb for being brave enough to share your story!

absolutely heartbreaking.....
I love memoirs so when this one came up on Netgalley I jumped at it not knowing what it was about. And then I started reading and put it down. I did not want to know about this. It's uncomfortable and horrible and a blaring reminder of all the evil in the world.
Which, ironically is the reason why stories like these need to be told and read and used to bring awareness so other victims can come forward and get the help they need. So I picked up my phone and kept reading.

This is hard material to read, especially the first quarter of the book. Andrea Leeb tells the story of her childhood and how at 4 years old she's given a bath by her father, something he's never done before as her mother is the one to do it but he starts touching her inappropriately and her mother walks in and screams, falling to the floor and becomes blind. Turns out it's a real condition that can happen from a traumatic experience, it's called hysterical blindness. This is all in the beginning of the book so it's not spoiling anything and you should know what you're getting into when you read this.

The mother goes away to the hospital and after a month her vision returns but she says nothing about the incident and any hint of it, her mother ignores. Her father continues to come to her room at night regularly and abuses her and threatens her not to say anything.

I cannot imagine what this is like nor do I want to but Andrea's detailing of her life living with that abuse for several years and the damage it does to her emotionally and how it all but ruins her mental stability is what I got out of it. It's amazing how resilient the human body is, but we are not meant to live life in our own little bubble. The story goes on from her abusive childhood and details her life as a teenager and what happens in her young adult life. It's truly not for the faint of heart but she survived and thank God for that. And I pray that others who find this story and haven't been able to get the help they need find the strength and the right person to talk to.

Wow, what a memoir. For readers of “I’m Glad My Mom Died” by Jenette McCurdy and “The Glass Castle” by Jeanette Walls, this gut-wrenching story follows Andrea starting at age four-and-a-half — the first time her father touched her. Her mother walked in, fainted, and woke up blind. Andrea’s childhood continues, rife with abuse and secrets. This abuse affects Andrea long into adulthood and, eventually forced to confront her past, she begins to heal.

This was such a painful but important read. It is also extremely well-written; you can see how the smart, precocious, avid-reader child turned into the adult who put pen to paper here. The author did an excellent job at reflecting while not attributing age-inappropriate thoughts to her younger self, which can be very difficult when writing a memoir about childhood abuse.

Thank you to NetGalley and She Writes Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. Thank you, Andrea, for your vulnerability and trusting the world with your story.

Such a Pretty Picture is a hard, sad, and good read. Andrea Leeb’s memoir details years of sexual abuse at the hand of her father, which was wholly ignored and denied by her mother. The opening scene is horrifying and dramatic, and while the magnitude of shock lessens throughout Such a Pretty Picture, the sadness and trauma do not.

Above all, Leeb is a survivor. More of the memoir is spent unpacking her abuse than her recovery, but the journey of Leeb’s suffering was far longer than her time of healing. Leeb tried to find peace sooner, but came up against closed doors and denials. It’s maddening to know how many people can provide excuses and rationales for abuse not existing, being in someone’s head.

Such a Pretty Picture is well-written and, even though I always have a hard time saying this about books like this, I liked it. Recommended. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Whew….Firstly thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. Thank you to the author for your courage and bravery. I had to remind myself often that this was someone’s real life and I’m sure is a reality for more people than I could ever imagine. All of the trigger warnings. If you are interested in novels like A Stolen Life by Jaycee Duggard, I would recommend Such A Pretty Picture.

Thank you to Net Galley for sharing this ARC with me.

When first starting the book I thought the writing style felt somewhat “clinical”. This made perfect sense once I began to understand the childhood trauma the author had been through. It highlighted how Andrea really was just a young girl, explaining in basic terms, the abuse she was subjected to.

I was happy to see Andrea pursue therapy throughout the book, despite having had the situation blamed on herself.

Overall this a well written memoir which I would recommend to others to read.