Review: A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty

A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty
by Joshilyn Jackson
Read by Joshilyn Jackson
Produced by Hachette Audio
Audible.com

From Goodreads:


A GROWN-UP KIND OF PRETTY is a powerful saga of three generations of women, plagued by hardships and torn by a devastating secret, yet inextricably joined by the bonds of family. Fifteen-year-old Mosey Slocumb-spirited, sassy, and on the cusp of womanhood-is shaken when a small grave is unearthed in the backyard, and determined to figure out why it's there. Liza, her stroke-ravaged mother, is haunted by choices she made as a teenager. But it is Jenny, Mosey's strong and big-hearted grandmother, whose maternal love braids together the strands of the women's shared past--and who will stop at nothing to defend their future.

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book. Part of that enjoyment was the rich southern backdrop. Growing up in a small town I felt like I could completely stick myself somewhere in this novel and understand the dynamics. I think that Joshilyn Jackson did a great job of showing the complicated hierarchy of southern popularity. Everyone is better or worse off than someone else but few people see themselves as being equal.

Jenny is strong woman who had a hard time raising her daughter, and now is raising her granddaughter. Liza seems to have been a real handful before her stroke and now tries so hard to communicate and come back to her family. Mosey is a really unique kid. Once the remains are found in her back yard she goes through a lot of emotions and gets herself into some tight spots trying to find out the truth.

There are some aspects of this ending that are unrealistic, I think. But I didn't mind over-looking some of that for the sake of the story. I really enjoyed this book. It was southern, humorous, and heartwarming.