Her Pretty Face by Robyn Harding

The author of the bestselling novel The Party—lauded as “tense and riveting” by New York Times bestselling author Megan Miranda—returns with a chilling new domestic drama about two women whose deep friendship is threatened by dark, long-buried secrets.
Frances Metcalfe is struggling to stay afloat.
A stay-at-home mom whose troubled son is her full-time job, she thought that the day he got accepted into the elite Forrester Academy would be the day she started living her life. Overweight, insecure, and lonely, she is desperate to fit into Forrester’s world. But after a disturbing incident at the school leads the other children and their families to ostracize the Metcalfes, she feels more alone than ever before.
Until she meets Kate Randolph.
Kate is everything Frances is not: beautiful, wealthy, powerful, and confident. And for some reason, she’s not interested in being friends with any of the other Forrester moms—only Frances. As the two bond over their disdain of the Forrester snobs and the fierce love they have for their sons, a startling secret threatens to tear them apart…because one of these women is not who she seems. Her real name is Amber Kunick. And she’s a murderer.
In her masterful follow-up to The Party, Robyn Harding spins a web of lies, deceit, and betrayal, asking the question: Can people ever change? And even if they can, is it possible to forgive the past?
Oh, wow.
This book was something else. Absolutely not what I expected – it was so much more. This was my first Robyn Harding read and it will not be my last.
The story is told via 3 multiple, ambiguous story lines – Frances, Daisy & DJ. Frances Metcalfe is an outsider in the private school world of “perfect” moms. Enter Kate Randolph who is beautiful, funny, chic and the kind of woman all the moms want to be friends with. Surprisingly, Kate snubs the elite moms and befriends Frances. The women forge an immediate friendship. Too good to be true, right? Of course it is! Both women are hiding secrets about their past and one of them is a murdering sociopath.
I found the story entertaining and it was a quick read. Probably so quick because I couldn’t put it down!
The twists and turns, some predictable, kept the story moving. We had a glimpse into the mind of a sociopath and it was quite chilling!
We are left to ponder if people can really change. If they should be forgiven for the wrongs they have committed and paid for.
Fantastic read.
Thank you, NetGalley for the review copy.
Great review.