I am thrilled to be part of the book tour for Pretty Is As Pretty Does. Read on to find out more about the book and read my thoughts on it.
Title: Pretty Is As Pretty Does (Class Reunion #1)
Author: Debby Mayne
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Published: June 1 2013
Pages: 304
Format: Paperback
Source: Received in exchange for an honest review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Synopsis:
Priscilla Slater goes to her ten-year high school reunion with equal parts dread and eager anticipation. Even though she s a successful owner of a chain of hair salons and no longer has the mousy brown hair, crooked teeth, and discount-store wardrobe, she still feels like the ugly duckling. But when she arrives at the reunion, Priscilla soon realizes that her old classmates aren't exactly as she remembers them. With humor and a just a touch of sassiness, Priscilla finds herself facing her own truth and she may be surprised at what she discovers
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Melissa's Musings:
Reunions are supposed to be nostalgic, in a way. A chance for you to relive your high school memories, meet up with old friends, compare lives. That's what happens here. But, with a bit of a twist, so to speak. Throughout the planning and preparation for the reunion, old feelings, and old rivalries and even old crushes are brought to the surface.
At times, you might even think the characters were back in high school all over again with the way they behaved. But, as the novel progresses, so do each of the characters. They learn from their mistakes, realize they aren't in high school anymore, and start to grow up and move forward.
The book is told from multiple perspectives, with labeled chapters, which works really well here. You get to see the reunion from people from different "cliques" perspective. And also from Tim's (who's an outsider to the graduating class) so that makes it really interesting. It reminded me of The Breakfast Club as I was reading it.
All of the characters were really well developed and had distinct personalities, even the secondary characters. And they all experienced growth, even just in small ways. Priscilla is a strong main character. She's determined, knows what she wants and goes after it. She's not without her weak moments, especially when it comes to Maurice, but she is also one smart girl so she's able to see through the haze of his good looks and charm and recognize what he really is before he ends up hurting her.
I felt the most for Tim, as he's so smitten with Priscilla and would do anything to be in her good graces. She doesn't really give him much in return though. She's a good friend, but that's all she wants to be, and he wants more. Since this is a series, there may be more that happens between them, which I'm interested to see.
There are some religious undertones to the story, so if that isn't your cup of tea, be forewarned. They are very subtle, and light.
The antics of this group make me glad that I didn't have to go to my ten year reunion (which was supposed to be this year, but I don't think anyone planned anything.) After reading this, it seems like more stress than it's worth. While it would be fun to reminisce with some people I haven't seen in a while, I don't think I'd like the pressure of having to prove myself, or feeling small when those same popular, successful people walk into the room.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. If your looking for a cast of unique characters, complete with Southern charm and hospitality, this is the book for you. I'm glad this is a series, because I can't wait to see what all of these characters get up to next.
Did you go to your ten year high school (or college) reunion? Or, do you plan to?
About the Author:
Debby Mayne has published more than 30 books and novellas, 400 print short stories and articles, more than 1,000 web articles, and a slew of devotions for women. She has also worked as managing editor of a national health magazine, product information writer for HSN, a creative writing instructor for Long Ridge Writers Group, and a copy editor and proofreader for several book publishers. For the past eight years, she has judged the Writers Digest Annual Competition, Short-Short Contest, and Self-Published Book Competition. Three of Debby’s books have been top ten favorites by the Heartsong Presents book club. Love Finds You in Treasure Island, Florida received 4-1/2 stars from Romantic Times Magazine, and was named a Top Pick for the month of July 2009.
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3 comments:
Thank you for posting this! I got so involved with the characters' lives I had a hard time forgetting about them after I finished writing the last book in the series. They still seem very real in my mind.
Things sounds interesting, and how quickly we turn back into our teenage selves..LOL I can handle religious overtones as long as they aren't preachy, lovely review Melissa:)
@Debby: I can only imagine how real they must be after becoming so involved in their lives, while you were writing about them. I'm so glad to have been a part of the tour.
@Kimba: It only takes one quick memory to make me nostalgic sometimes, LOL.
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