Pretty Baby by Mary Kubica
Pretty Baby
Synopsis:
A chance encounter sparks an unrelenting web of lies in this stunning new psychological thriller from national bestselling author Mary Kubica
She sees the teenage girl on the train platform, standing in the pouring rain, clutching an infant in her arms. She boards a train and is whisked away. But she can't get the girl out of her head...
Heidi Wood has always been a charitable woman: she works for a nonprofit, takes in stray cats. Still, her husband and daughter are horrified when Heidi returns home one day with a young woman named Willow and her four-month-old baby in tow. Disheveled and apparently homeless, this girl could be a criminal—or worse. But despite her family's objections, Heidi invites Willow and the baby to take refuge in their home.
Heidi spends the next few days helping Willow get back on her feet, but as clues into Willow's past begin to surface, Heidi is forced to decide how far she's willing to go to help a stranger. What starts as an act of kindness quickly spirals into a story far more twisted than anyone could have anticipated.
Review:
Pretty Baby started off interesting, but quickly became tedious. I got so tired of reading Heidi go on and on about the same thing. I did enjoy the beginning and the end, but the middle was hard for me to get through. **slight spoilers about ahead**
Heidi is this woman who tries to help everyone. She is like a social worker who helps immigrants. She sees a girl and a baby waiting for the train one rainy day and she can't stop thinking about them. She sees them a few times before she decides she must act and try to help them.
Willow is guarded when Heidi first tries to help her. She has the baby to think of and is just trying to survive. Heidi has a husband and daughter at home, but she can't help bringing Willow to stay for a few days. Really she doesn't know anything about the girl, but she must help. Willow won't go to a shelter so I guess Heidi's house is the only option. Right from the start that didn't make a lot of sense. Heidi and her husband both think how they could get arrested for harbouring a run away girl. She says she is old enough, but she is obviously still a kid. I don't know how the husband put up with Heidi and everything she does. And Heidi should know of more resources, more ways to help Willow, than she did. If she does this for countless other people why can't she figure out a way to help her that is not bringing her into her own home? Especially when the rest of your family is not very happy about it?
The story is told from the point of view of Willow, Heidi, and her husband. The husband was my favorite to read just because he seemed sane. He knew what was going on, he loved his wife, he has a sexy coworker who his wife thinks he will have an affair with, but he really only wants Heidi. He was usually the voice of reason in the story.
Heidi quickly finds out some things about Willow that should make her a little wary, but she just ignores them. When she asks Willow she has some answers, but they are obviously not true. But if Heidi were to listen to the truth then she wouldn't have the baby in her house. This is where the story became tedious for me. Heidi always wanted more kids. She goes on and on how she lost her second daughter (she assumes since they had to abort before they could even tell the sex to save Heidi's life). She is no longer able to have children, but she misses her daughter she never got to hold. She goes on and on about it, about how she is not able to have all of the kids she was supposed to, how she never wanted to adopt because she had to physically have the kids herself, how it is just so sad for her. I got tired of it eventually. I just wanted to be like lady, you need help. You are going seriously crazy. It was just...she bonds with the baby and then things really get out of control. I did enjoy the end, how she is really crazy, but leading up to that was hard to read.
Willow has not had the best life, but the things she does...she does not always think clearly. I don't really understand why she did some of the things she did, but she was interesting to read. She gets kind of pushed into the background though as the story seems to focus on Heidi and her not being able to have any more kids. Maybe if Willow would have been more of a focus it would have been a better read.
Overall not my favroite. I did enjoy it at first, but then got tired of Heidi's voice. The end was fun, I enjoyed what happened, but the middle of the book was just hard to get through.
Rating: ★ ★1/2
Heidi is this woman who tries to help everyone. She is like a social worker who helps immigrants. She sees a girl and a baby waiting for the train one rainy day and she can't stop thinking about them. She sees them a few times before she decides she must act and try to help them.
Willow is guarded when Heidi first tries to help her. She has the baby to think of and is just trying to survive. Heidi has a husband and daughter at home, but she can't help bringing Willow to stay for a few days. Really she doesn't know anything about the girl, but she must help. Willow won't go to a shelter so I guess Heidi's house is the only option. Right from the start that didn't make a lot of sense. Heidi and her husband both think how they could get arrested for harbouring a run away girl. She says she is old enough, but she is obviously still a kid. I don't know how the husband put up with Heidi and everything she does. And Heidi should know of more resources, more ways to help Willow, than she did. If she does this for countless other people why can't she figure out a way to help her that is not bringing her into her own home? Especially when the rest of your family is not very happy about it?
The story is told from the point of view of Willow, Heidi, and her husband. The husband was my favorite to read just because he seemed sane. He knew what was going on, he loved his wife, he has a sexy coworker who his wife thinks he will have an affair with, but he really only wants Heidi. He was usually the voice of reason in the story.
Heidi quickly finds out some things about Willow that should make her a little wary, but she just ignores them. When she asks Willow she has some answers, but they are obviously not true. But if Heidi were to listen to the truth then she wouldn't have the baby in her house. This is where the story became tedious for me. Heidi always wanted more kids. She goes on and on how she lost her second daughter (she assumes since they had to abort before they could even tell the sex to save Heidi's life). She is no longer able to have children, but she misses her daughter she never got to hold. She goes on and on about it, about how she is not able to have all of the kids she was supposed to, how she never wanted to adopt because she had to physically have the kids herself, how it is just so sad for her. I got tired of it eventually. I just wanted to be like lady, you need help. You are going seriously crazy. It was just...she bonds with the baby and then things really get out of control. I did enjoy the end, how she is really crazy, but leading up to that was hard to read.
Willow has not had the best life, but the things she does...she does not always think clearly. I don't really understand why she did some of the things she did, but she was interesting to read. She gets kind of pushed into the background though as the story seems to focus on Heidi and her not being able to have any more kids. Maybe if Willow would have been more of a focus it would have been a better read.
Overall not my favroite. I did enjoy it at first, but then got tired of Heidi's voice. The end was fun, I enjoyed what happened, but the middle of the book was just hard to get through.
Rating: ★ ★1/2
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