Author: Jennifer Nadel
Published: 5th February 2015
Publisher: Corsair
Review
The cover for Pretty Thing is so striking. It instantly caught my eye and made me want to read it.
Pretty Thing is the ultimate coming of age novel. It's true to life, making it gritty and raw. It's a brutally honest read. It deals with the loss of innocence and trying to grow up too fast and how the world isn't a protective bubble. No detail, no matter how small is left untouched. There is one scene involving a slightly gone off tin of dog food that has really stuck with me. It really enhances how first times are not always so special and are actually a little scary. First love isn't always smooth running and magical as we want it to be and Jennifer has written this honestly, which is what makes this stand out so much from other coming of age novels.
Rebecca is a character that I think a lot of us can relate to. The want of fitting in at school and having a boyfriend being top priorities for girls even today. Jennifer really shows us Rebecca's vulnerable side and that even though she wants to grow up, she is still so young and naive. It's the realisticness and honesty that make Rebecca so easy to empathise with and show exactly what it is like growing up as a teenager.
What I particularly liked about this was that it was set in the summer of the 1970's. Despite not growing up in this era, I felt almost transported there with the songs from the likes of David Bowie, that are still played today.
Although this is a Young Adult novel, this is definitely a book for all ages as you can relate back to your own time as a teenager.
The only thing I wasn't so sure about was the ending. It leaves you to make up your own mind as to what you want to happen, which in itself is a good idea, but for me I would have liked it to have been wrapped up.
Overall though, an honest, gritty and raw coming of age novel.
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