(116) Such A Pretty Face by Cathy Lamb

If you have not read anything by Cathy Lamb, you are truly depriving yourself of some wonderful woman's fiction. I can not call it Chick Lit, because it is not. Cathy Lamb's books always have some heavy hitting topics, no way can it be called Chick Lit.

Such A Pretty Face is her newest book. Stevie Barrett is a whole new person. After having a life saving surgery, Stevie has lost 170 pounds. Even though her whole world has changed, Stevie still has some dark clouds from her past overshadowing her new found self. When things go from bad to worse for Stevie's loved ones, she finds the strength to confront those demons head on and prove to the whole world that she is no longer the shy, cowering woman she once was.

I love Cathy Lamb. Her novels are thought provoking and engaging. She knows how to write characters that we love and characters that we despise. Such A Pretty Face has some of both. In fact a couple of characters (Elaine & Herbert) are so despicable I personally wanted to tear them apart. It was hard for me to see the way they treated Stevie. And for a great portion of the book, Stevie sat back and took their verbal abuse, which had me disliking Stevie. But, as the story goes on, you see Stevie transform from this shy, meek woman into this strong, forceful woman who decides to stand up to the abuse she has suffered at the hands of others. Great book!! Very empowering for those of us who have struggled with weight issues, self esteem issues, or even dysfunctional family issues!