Girl Without a Face

Laura is struggling in the aftermath of a chemical attack. It's been months and the police still haven't caught the 4 boys that did this to her. But then one of the boys involved writes her a letter and the secrets Laura keeps from her mother start adding up. As she makes a plan for the boys that did this to her, she finds herself out of the house more, around people who seem generally supportive, and starts to find acceptance and so much more.

Spoilers in this paragraph: This was a slow read for me and Laura made some really questionable choices. She doesn't want Jake as a boyfriend, so he tries to kill himself, and then she tells him she does want him for a boyfriend, all in the span of an hour. Sometimes the plot was all over the place and I wasn't sure where the author was going. The ending was really weird, she can't say I love you until Jake publicly speaks out about his abuse. Why? Just because it worked for her, doesn't mean that is the way to go, and it's manipulative.

I thought that her coming to a place of acceptance was a good thing, though it did happen really fast. She went from shut away to out and about virtually overnight. But it was good the author talked about this happening because it isn't all that uncommon. Overall this was just an okay read.

Laura Danes is just an average teen girl with ambitions and dreams of becoming a successful filmmaker. Then one night, outside a secluded train station, everything changed forever and her life nearly came to an abrupt end. A gang of boys threw acid into her face snd severely burned and disfigured her.
It’s been three months since the attack’s and Laura is still struggling to make sense of the incident. Things like that just don’t happen in a small town and to random people. Laura’s her mom tries and does support her, but life no longer seems to hold any promise, meaning or hope. Then she receives s letter from a member of the gang begging her forgiveness.

He even signs his name to the hand written letter. Jake, who is extremely remorseful for his part in the attack, strangely opens up a new world for her, Laura finds the old spark of filmmaking as she learns about the gang culture Jake comes from. With life slowly moving forward, Laura learns again to take risks, find courage and show others that one horrible event should not have the power to control your life.

This is a good story with a good message. I wasn’t a fan of the writing style, and although the book only 145 pages long , I struggled to finish.

The concept of this book is fantastic and very relevant as it features Laura who is slowly recovering from an unprovoked acid attack. That in itself is a very strong basis for a book, throw in Jake who was part of the gang that attacked her and is suffering extreme remorse and you have two very complex characters, The premise of this book is that they team up to make a documentary about gang crime however I don’t think that reflects on the reality of the story as you don’t feel they are a team in any sense and the documentary is very much Laura’s baby.

I thought this book started strongly and overall the first half was good with original ideas however the second half was rather fractured and meandering and to be honest lost the plot, not to mention the non ending. If the author had expanded the first half and especially focused on the relationship between Laura and Jake this would have been a powerful novel, I think the editing has let it down.

3 months after a gang threw acid on her face Laura is still trying to make sense of what happened and why. Her mom and friends are doing their best to support her but nothing seems to help. Until one of the gang members reaches out and not only begs Laura for her forgiveness, but, also helps her get her life moving towards the future again.

After seeing the few reviews on Goodreads I was a little nervous to read this book. But, I am glad that I didn't let that cause me to push it back and start on another book because I really enjoyed this book. I was able to finish it in a day even though I was reading on my Kindle (I read slower on a screen than on actual paper). I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and will continue to use that website to find new titles to read. This book follows Laura after her attack while she is trying to get her life put back together while continuing to be supportive to her mom and her best friend who seem to be moving on with their lives at a faster pace than she is. She gets a letter in the mail shortly after her attack from one of the men that were involved with her attack causing her to put aside her pride and regain her confidence very quickly. Before she knows it she is no longer keeping herself inside of her bedroom and feeling sorry for herself; instead she turns into a type of vigilante doing her part in trying to stop the gang members from causing anyone else harm.

On Goodreads I rated this book a 3/5 because, although, I enjoyed the book I did not like how it ended. I'm not one to enjoy open endings and this book definitely has one. I feel like there are so many things that we're left unanswered. I also was a little thrown off by how quickly everything happens in this story. It is a good book but I don't feel like it is as realistic as I wanted it to be. It is a very positive and uplifting read but I feel like it's too positive and uplifting for the content that the story surrounds itself (violent attacks and disfiguration). However, if you're looking for a quick read that will give you happy feelings about the world I recommend this book to you.

What would you do if you were the victim of an acid attack? How would you go about your life if either you were the victim or the offender? It's an interesting premise to say, however in reading this there is such a disconnect that I felt with the heroine of the story, Laura. She wants to put herself out there, move on and in so doing, receives a letter from a witness, Jake, who was there while his brother-Martin, poured the acid on Laura's face. What seems like an opportunity for healing felt quite awkward and toxic to the point that I could neither feel any sympathy for the characters and that is something I never hoped to experience while reading this book.
I will however say that any reader who picks up this book will pick a thing or two from it, some might even like the whole story, others, not so much, but all in all, the writer did say their piece.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

Laura has been horribly scarred in an acid attack, her life (and looks) are in pieces. We meet her as all of the mirrors are removed from her house and we learn that the 4 who attacked her have not been found.
Through the book, Laura (and her family) try to come to terms with their "new normal" as she finds herself unexpectedly drawn into the story behind those who attacked her. Were they really as evil as she first thought?
I really enjoyed this book and there were a few twists that had me guessing.

Girl Without a Face was a beautiful coming of age novel about overcoming adversity, and moving on from a place of darkness into the light. Laura is attacked by a gang one night, simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. She is left with life-changing injuries after having acid thrown in her face. The story begins with Laura and her Mum Sheila removing all the mirrors from their house as Laura can't bear to see her reflection. She is haunted by the attack and lives with panic attacks. But an unlikely friendship develops between her and Jake who was present at the night of the attack. Together they help one another find hope again:

'We might be two damaged souls but the power of that healing is limitless'.

Laura has the support of her best friend Sophie and her Mum Sheila, and she refuses to be defined by her ordeal. She makes a documentary film about the gang and the night of the attack, which not only helps secure their convictions, but also gives her a new focus when she forms a production company with Sophie. Girl Without a Face proves that love will always win over hate, and that even when life changes in the blink of an eye, it is how you deal with those changes that truly defines you. Laura was a hero in her own life, and the developing love between her and Jake was truly heart-warming, without ever becoming sickly sweet. A truly inspiring and heartfelt story.

This was a beautifully written book, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and felt bad for Laura. I look forward to more from the author

This was so good! Really dark read but I couldn't put it down. It wasnt an easy read but it was really interesting