What a gut punch! Pamela Crane perfectly captures the anguish that all moms feel at various times in their lives. From the feeling that something was their fault (when it was not even in their control), to the pressures of keeping a house without a lot of support and from wanting to feel attractive again to being ignored by one’s own kids and husband…she really hit the points squarely. I liked the way she wove the four women’s stories together, while giving each woman her own voice. The mystery that opens the story is cleverly alluded to and keeps the reader guessing. I never highlight passages in books, and I highlighted at least five or six, because I could have written the same words. “Stay-at-home moms don’t own the luxury of free time” hit especially close to home. I should have it put on a t-shirt. This was a very well-written book that kept me interested…and made me glad to know that others have the same thoughts sometimes. Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, Pamela Crane and Bloodhound Books for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This novel follows four different mothers as they try to balance motherhood and the dreams that they gave up for their families. The novel begins with a disturbing murder scene that shows the impact of putting everyone else before yourself. All these women live in the same neighborhood and have more in common than they realize. Jo’s daughter is abducted from the park, Ellie’s dealing with a betrayal and struggling to keep her family together, Shayla is being confronted by a life changing decision and June is suffering and trying to keep it hidden.

I don’t usually read many domestic dramas, but this one had me hooked after the first chapter. I did find it a bit confusing at first to keep all the women straight and remember what was going on with each household, but as we get further into the story, it’s much easier to keep everything straight and you almost feel like you know these women. I enjoyed the story line and the different type of novel and I found the writing to be superb! I felt bad for all the women in this novel, even though some of them put themselves into these positions. I imagine there are a lot of mothers out there that feel unwanted and underappreciated by their families every once in a while.

The ending on this one shocked me, I thought I knew which woman it was that killed her family, but I was so very off. It just shows that there is a point to which people can’t handle anymore. This is also a story of female friendships and how they try to support each other and help each other cope when life gets tough. Overall, it was a quick and enjoyable read.

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The story flicks between the four woman so we get an insight into each of their lives. Each woman is quite different so was interesting trying to work out how the whole story line was going to pan out.

From the very first page the author ensured they had me hooked. How could any woman kill their children, never mind their man. Those first few pages though do make you reflect on your own family life and the relationship we have with our husband and children and how we can take each other for granted.

If anything this story goes to show what goes on behind closed doors and also how well we really know people. It actually gives you a lot of food for thought and I think these women's lives will have an impact on the reader. 

Pretty Ugly Lies is a gripping and thought provoking read. I think it will make many of us feel normal in how we think about our own family life. The blurb suggests that readers who have enjoyed Laine Moriarty's books would enjoy this book and I whole heartedly agree. A domestic noir story that readers certainly do not want to miss. 

My thanks to Bloodhound Books and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.

Pretty Ugly Lies is filled with secrets and suspense. . This is my first book to read by Pamela Crane and I loved it. She keeps the reader completely engaged in the storyline. I couldn’t put this book down. I will be anxiously awaiting her next book.

This book was a trip into the thought provoking. It makes you think about the lives of everyone around you. How they live their lives, what makes them happy, angry? Or even dare I say, crazy? This book takes these questions and throws them in your face. Crane basically screams LOOK! NOONE IS NORMAL. I enjoyed the realness of these stories and how it makes you believe that anything can happen to anyone if the right circumstances arise.

2.5
**Thank you to Netgalley and Bloodhound books for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an unbiased review.**
I dont know how to review this book without spoilers but I’m going to try. I was very involved with the book up to a certain point. But after that I just couldnt relate any more. The 4 women around whom the story revolves are busy harrowed mothers. But they are not unique or different from every other parent you know. They are very whiny at times. I found them shallow sometimes and down right annoying at other times. Thechnically they have it all...they are entitled. Barring June they all could have easily addressed their need for personal time very easily. But they don’t choose to do that. They choose to cry and complain instead. I was hopeful that the book would cover the mental health issues, post partum depression and stresses of motherhood more realistically. But it was all just glossed over. I could understand their situation but not one of them did anything to change that despite having the resources at their disposal. Instead they chose to behave badly, complain, keep secrets and not address the true problems. They have choices that they could make to have better lives but they don’t even acknowledge these options! The kidnappig story lacked the depth for sure. How can it. be handled so cool? It was just not believable. Same with June’s story. Shay is just making a bad decisions and is suggesting once that she’s bipolar. I can’t underatand how a rape accusation is handled so easily and she’s not questioned again. Too many loopholes in this one made me feel like I was wasting my time. The premise of the book was really good but it lacked the development it needed. Maybe the story did not need 4 unhappy whinny mom’s. Just 2 would suffice.

A woman kills her husband and . She calls the police. Just as they arrive, she is prepared to tell the story of the day her soul died...


Jo Trubeau: Her 3 year old daughter, Amelia, is kidnapped. The police are called to the scene.


Ellie Harper: Resents her husband particularly because she had to give up a career for him.


June Merrigan: A waitress with 4 children. One of them is a 5 year old autistic boy. She feels as if her life is self-sacrifice and poverty.

Shayla Kensington: House-rich and cash poor. Her son is constantly bullied. She is bi-polar - also unhappy with life but has no idea what would make her happy.


These four women act and interact with each other in a well written narrative fashion. All of them have marital discord and problems with their children. However, their lives are distinctly different. Yet, there is somewhat of a commonality amongst them. Amazing story with powerful emotions. And the conclusion... you never see it coming. Superb read!!!

Many thanks to Bloodhound Books and NetGalley for an emotion-packed read !

I am in the minority, book just not for me. The four main characters telling their story were whiny, selfish, entitled and annoying. I did not like them, I did not sympathize with them or feel any kind of empathy for them. Mental illness is washed over in the book and the kidnapping of a child was so farfetched the book just fell flat for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book.

Four women, four happy families- or are they? From the outside all is tickety-boo. On the inside, however, is a very different matter. One woman has an autistic son whom she struggles to get through to. Another has discovered via a lipstick stain so thinks that her husband is seemingly having an affair. One is having an affair of her own- with consequences. Another has just had her daughter taken from under her nose whilst out at a family game. All are trying to live “normal” lives but behind closed doors there are secrets- ones that change lives. The book begins with a woman at a murder scene- that of her husband and children. We don’t know which one it is. This book knows how to grab you, throw your emotions around and then some. Short, snappy chapters for each of the four lives. Lives thrown so easily. Stories we see in the media and don’t think too much about the fall out unless you have ever been close. The gamut of emotions- hope to hopelessness, frustration, relief and everything in between. A book to make you think, a book to make you appreciate what you have in life and how fragile things can be. Stunningly written, this will remain with me for a long time. Wow.
(rest of links on publication day)

Wow! This book was intense. I could relate a little to all four women. I think any mother probably could. This book contains a lot of hard truths. At times it was hard reading. This book had deep, dark angst. Pamela Crane is an amazing writer. I could not put the book down. I received an advance review copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! Just wow. That was something! This is so dark and some people will not be able to handle it. But it really sucked me right in!

The book alternates it’s chapters with the life story of the four characters and it was a bit confusing at first. After a while it clicks.

Each character is really at a crossroad. Outwardly they all appear to have the American dream. Quickly we realize this isn’t the case.

The prologue sits in the background throughout all this horror. Each time I felt I would know how it would wrap up I was wrong. I surely didn’t see that coming!

This one will keep me thinking for a long time! I highly recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley, Bloodhound Books, and the author for a copy in exchange for a review. The opinions expressed are my own.

I recommend checking out this new thriller. It has a interesting plot and is well-written. I will be checking out more from this author in the future!

Wow, Just wow! This is my first book from Netgalley, so thank you for my first book. This book was GREAT! I knew from the first chapter, I was hooked. Its a story of 4 women who live the perfect life on the outside, Shayla. Jo, Ellie, and June who try and balance motherhood with a lot of secrets, lies and twists and turns. I could not put this book down! The writing was awesome, just flowed so well, (kind of reminded me of Liane Moriarty) kept me engaged the entire time. This was honestly the best book I have read in a long time.!!! I think I will reread it. 5 Plus stars to Pamela Crane!!!!!!

Four women all live in the same road. They all have secrets which will destroy them and their families.
JO- has the perfect life, beautiful home, husband and kids. One day her daughter is abducted and the only way to find her is to delve into her past.
ELLIE- is a devoted wife until she is betrayed, she is hanging by a thread. Revenge is in her heart.
SHAYLA- no longer feels loved until she has an affair. Now she has a live threatening choice to make.
JUNE- has regrets, she just wants to turn the clock back.
These four women all have demons, but which one will kill to get what she wants?
This book was a page turner. Once I started reading I could not put it down. It was heart wrenching, tears for Jo when her daughter was abducted. This book was thought provoking, heart wrenching and the ending I was completely stunned. What are you prepared to do for love?
I would like to thank the author Pamela Crane, Bloodhound books and Net.galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for giving an honest review.

Four women with seemingly ordinary lives are on a collision course that will end in disaster. Shayla hides her sadness in a haze of parties and booze, June keeps her secrets well hidden, Ellie discovers she can trust no one and Jo’s daughter has been kidnapped. What could make an ordinary woman go mad? Make her destroy all she has been taught to hold sacred?

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley, first off, for allowing me to read and review this book. What a book it was! This is one of the best books I've read in a while. The characters were dynamic, flawed, and human, which in fiction is imperative. No one is perfect all the time, even if they try to keep up appearances that they are.

This book is about four women that appear to have the perfect life, but underneath the varnish of the great neighborhood, there are deep, dark secrets that threaten their families, and even lives. At its heart, it's also about the struggles of being a mother, and I loved how it wasn't sugarcoated with the usual platitudes. Crane didn't shy away from the loneliness, or the frustration, or the darkness that can come with being a stay at home mom. I could relate to some of these themes, being a SAHM myself. This book shows the sides of motherhood that aren't often talked about, or written about.

As the main characters struggle with varying factors from mental illness, autism, infidelity, and so on, you can feel the darkness creeping closer. The pace of the book is consistent, and the twist at the end is a good one! I wasn't expecting it, but in the context of the whole novel, it made sense. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that loves a good thriller!

Pretty Ugly Lies dangles the first chapter of this book out there like a worm on a hook. A quick snag and the reader is on the hook for the rest of the story. The intro, a mother has killed her kids and her husband and is dealing with the emotions of the aftermath. The author spends the rest of the book introducing four mothers who are all possibly the murderess. Each mother is at the end of her rope, angry, depressed, or feeling unappreciated or unfulfilled. Motherhood has transformed their lives in such a way that they do not recognize themselves anymore. Each seem to be haunted by lies, some current and some by the past. Throw in some infidelity, depression, and even a kidnapping and you have a whopper of a story that you cannot put down. The suspense drags the reader along waiting for the other shoe to drop that turns a mother into a murderess. The author does not disappoint as unexpected twist are tossed in for a really good read. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

What a treat this book was an honest account of how we are not all suited to being a perfect example of an earth mother. Some of the characters really didn’t like their children or liked themselves more but the consequences were dire and there were no winners. Fabulous book read in one mammoth session during a very hot day can’t recommend highly enough

"My children had become my prison, my husband my jailer, and my life the executioner of my soul."

Pretty Ugly Lies is a domestic drama that begins with a woman awaiting the arrival of the police to the scene of the murder of her husband and children. Definitely an attention grabbing beginning. What follows is the story of 4 women that live in the same neighborhood. Each woman tells her own reality in alternating chapters, which is hard to keep up with at first but it gets easier. This is not a butterflies and rainbows story but I do think it's more relatable than most women are willing to admit. I know I certainly relate to these women and perhaps that is why I enjoyed the book as much as I did. It certainly gives you pause for a moment to reflect on your own life and the choices you made that led you to that life...and would you change it if you could. A thought provoking look at what being a wife and a mother feels like when you realize you've lost yourself along the way.

I was provided an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A moving, incredible book for every woman who has ever felt a moment of unappreciation, exhaustion or of just never being enough. Not for the weak of heart, we get a glimpse into the lives on Oleander Way... Following four different women throughout each of their own daily private struggles to be a wife and mother, providing for their families while getting so little in return - all while upholding the image they have created about their perfect lives. Jo, Ellie, Shayla, and June, each dealing with their own private turmoil, never finding a moments peace or an outlet for the growing pain inside them.

I can't imagine there isn't a woman or mother alive who could not connect with this story on some personal level. We get a glimpse into four not-so-perfect lives and witness the heartbreak of a woman finally losing it. Incredibly painful yet such a beautiful story, I was brought to tears at not only the struggle and loss but of the strength of those who held on and found the good in their lives.

Highly recommended ~ First book by this author and can't wait to see what's next!