Published in 2007, Such A Pretty Girl by Laura Weiss is a suspenseful drama packed into a young adult novel. Triggering themes include child and sexual abuse, gaslighting, PTSD and lack of self-care, neglect, and erasure of abuse; other themes include (consensual) sexual, car accidents related to drunk driving, and religious beliefs of the Christian/Catholic faith. This story may be too dark or complex for preteen readers! I suggest that readers as young as 14-15 can try this out if they’ve had sex education and are mature enough to handle reading about such a heavy topic. There are no explicit descriptions of abuse or consensual sexual situations, but it is heavily implied.

I came across my copy of Laura Wiess’s Such A Pretty Girl at a local secondhand store, its’ faded and wrinkled facade a match to its cover art. I became quickly and deeply invested in the main character’s physical and mental wellbeing.