Take Advantage Of Such A Pretty Face Conceived By Cathy Lamb Produced In Digital Format

mother was mentally ill and did a bad thing when Stevie was still a child that I dont want to give away in my review, even though we found out at the beginning what happened there.
Stevies grandparents had done their best to take care of Helen their daughter Stevies mother and protect her, while also taking care of Stevie and her sister, Sunshine.
As an adult, the events of the book take place some months after Stevie had bariatric surgery she has since lostlbs.


She is trying to figure out who the new skinnier Stevie is, as she tries to deal with the lawyers where she works and the case she hates helping defend her best friend who is still very overweight seems to have changed toward Stevie the neighbour down the street, Jake who only moved in just after Stevies surgery, is just way too goodlooking and Stevie is completely tonguetied around him, so she tries to avoid him altogether and Stevie is trying to help her cousins plan her horrible unclesth wedding anniversary

There is a lot going on in this book, and a lot of characters, but I really liked it.
There is also a huge mix of very “weighty” pun not intended initially, but when I realized it was punny, I decided to leave it! issues in book: mental illness, obesity, abuse, and so much more, but mixed in with the occasional bit of humour.
I found myself being horrified by Helen, Stevies uncle, her “friend”, and the lawyer defending that case, but then the author would turn around and put Stevie in some ridiculous situation usually trying to avoid Jake!, and Id be laughing.
I thought she did that very well, II think a bunch of very quirky characters made it “easy” to throw in the humour, At the same time, the author did a good job of showing the struggle that Helen went through with her schizophrenia.


I was surprised at the lower ratings, but on reading the reviews, I can see why they rated it what they did, but it wasnt enough to bring my rating or enjoyment of the book down although some of the quirky characters were a bit too quirky for me!.
I think all the emotions were in this book there was also a lot of love, I don't know how a book can be heartwarming, funny, and cringe worthy all at the same time.
But, yet Such A Pretty Face managed it without losing any of the elements of the story, In fact, the description doesn't even paint an accurate picture of what this story truly entails,

I completely loved Stevie from the first pages of this novel, It's absolutely amazing that she's able to stand up on her own two feet after what she has endured at the hand's of her schizophrenic mother during childhood.
And then after the horrific circumstances surrounding her mother's death, she placed into the hands of an uncle who treats her no better than the rest of his family.
She's belittled and constantly told she isn't good enough even into her adulthood, But, she finds herself after her life altering surgery, She discovers she is good enough and deserves more than she has been given in life,

It sounds like a heartbreaking story, but really it isn't, Because Stevie has some awesome friends and one that isn't, Her cousins know just how hard it is because they're living in the same shadows she is, Her friends from work help her realize her potential and that she can do anything she wants too.
She's even got a love interest who wins your heart as well, Granted the first part of the book, Stevie hides behind bushes, etc whenever Jake appears, It's makes for some definite laugh out loud moments,

In the end Stevie is able to stand up to her uncle, comes to terms with her past, and open up to Jake.
The entire novel was a pleasure to read, I'll be looking for something else by Cathy Lamb because this one was outstanding! This book had a great plot, but I kept getting distracted by the bad writing.
. . and I'll be the first to admit that I read a lot of mind candy/chicklit garbage, so when I object to writing, I've really found some flaws.


That said this book definitely had a great story, The characters were a little twodimensional, and she told us who they were instead of letting us get to know them through their actions, but there was enough there to enjoy them when the writing didn't get in the way.
Except her romantic male lead, . . he was as flat as something you'd find in a Harlequin novel,

If bad writing doesn't bother you, if you're a fan of Dan Brown, . . then you'll love this book since you won't want to gag everytime dialogue is used to deliver information.
Like I did. I wanted to be someone who likes Cathy Lamb, I've heard her writing is a little 'different' and she's supposed to be funny, Guess I just don't get her writing style and didn't find her amusing, The book was really bizarre a cousin selling blowup dolls! and hard to believe, I don't see what everyone liked about this book I was losing interest fast and afterpages decided it's just not for me.
I'm probably the only one who didn't enjoy/appreciate this book, but it's time to move on to something that can keep my attention.
Amazing grace. To truly heal we need to forgive ourselves and others, and move on from the people who hold us back.
This was a very dramatic read with a BIG emphasis on "dramatic", There were parts of this book that made me want to cry and laugh at the same time.
And while there were instances where I felt this way, I feel that most the characters were hugely unrealistic and extremely cliché.
Everything was so overexaggerated. I will say that Helen's struggle with schizophrenia and the relationship between Stevie's grandparents are what kept me interested enough to complete this novel.
I could actually feel the attachment between the grandparents and their struggle to help their daughter who was mentally declining from this disease.
But unfortunately, this was yet another book that left me with unanswered questions and more than slightly disappointed.
.Stars

The phrase that comes to mind when I think about this book is "eh it was okay".
I had very high hopes for this book, I really thought I would love it based on the description, I actually started reading it last year and didn't even realize I hadn't finished it, I picked it up again a few weeks ago and decided to give it another go,

I felt that most characters in the book seemed to be all or nothing types, . . I mean it seemed as though they were either really REALLY good or really REALLY evil, I found it to

be a quite stereotypical in a lot of ways, The flow felt a little unnatural, . . there was a lot of dialog and way too much overexplaining,

However, I did find there were some important issues brought up such as anorexia, compulsive eating, selfesteem, abuse and mental illness.
Some focus on finding out who you are at whatever age you are regardless of what you look like.
For Stevie Barrett who has been heavy most of her life, gastric bypass surgery seems like a life saver.
It does in fact help her losepounds, However, having not dealt with some of her underlying issues before surgery she is suddenly realizing that being thin isn't the answer to all of life's problems.


So while it definitely wasn't my favorite book it did have some redeeming qualities, I really felt for Stevie and wanted her to succeed, There were also some pretty funny parts where I had a good laugh,



Found this on a book exchange shelf, and took it to possibly register for BookCrossing.
After reading, I noticed the book had a Charleston County Public Library inventory sticker and no "discard" stamp, which was odd for something on a book giveaway shelf.
So, good citizen and sometimeslibrary volunteer that I am, I checked with circulation, Sure enough, the book has been marked "lost" since, and the loseee has already paid to replace it.
It's a little tattered and battered, with indications that it may have been to the beach or stuffed in a backpack since going missing, but all pages were intact.
I wonder what adventures it had while on walkabout,

As to the story itself, I liked it, Lamb has chosen to explore a number of illnesses of the mind, and done it in a loving and thoughtful manner.
Almost all central characters are wounded, but not in a "poor pitiful me" way, The exploration of coming back to health for the main character after PTSD and after a gastric bypass and other health issues was so beautifully handled.
What also resonated with me was the artistic expression of so many of the characters, growing into self through art, whether it be knitting, drawing, making chairs, or planting a garden.
It's not often that I get teary reading a book, but there was a moment in this one, where the author had me laughing, and my eyes tearing up as my heart swelled, at the same moment.
Nice. .