Author: Liz Coley
Published by: Harper Collins
Publication date: 28th February 2013
Pages: 304
Genres: Young Adult/Paranormal Thriller
Format: Paperback
Source: Review copy from the publisher.
When sixteen-year-old Angie Chapman walks in the front door of her house, everything looks the same.
The same, but not quite.
Why is her handsome father's black hair completely grey?
Why does her mother collapse in tears? Then they tell her: she has been missing, presumed dead, for three years.
But while Angie can't recall a single detail of where she has been or how long she's been gone, there are people who do remember. People who can tell her everything. If only they weren't locked inside her mind.
Is she ready to learn the truth about Pretty Girl Thirteen?
The same, but not quite.
Why is her handsome father's black hair completely grey?
Why does her mother collapse in tears? Then they tell her: she has been missing, presumed dead, for three years.
But while Angie can't recall a single detail of where she has been or how long she's been gone, there are people who do remember. People who can tell her everything. If only they weren't locked inside her mind.
Is she ready to learn the truth about Pretty Girl Thirteen?
When I first received this book, I had no idea what to expect. I had never heard about this book before, and from reading the press release that came with it, I didn't think it would be my kind of book. Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised!
The story starts with a thirteen-year-old girl called Angie, who is in the woods on a girl scout camping trip. Early one morning, she goes into the woods to pee. One moment she's innocently crouching amongst the leaves, and then suddenly she is three years older, on her own street walking towards her house. Through DNA tests and assessments, she finds out that she has been violently and sexually abused. However, she doesn't remember anything about what happened in the three year gap in her life. That's when she finds out she has developed Disassociative Identity Disorder, meaning her brain has created multiple identities that she constantly switches between, much to the confusion of her family and friends.
I think this is the only psychological thriller I've ever read, but I'll certainly try to read more of those from now on. This book didn't disappoint!
The only fault I found was that I didn't feel very connected to Angie. For someone who is meant to be confused, overwhelmed and emotional she didn't say much about how she was feeling. It was hard to feel empathy for her - actually, I felt quite detached. However, this isn't a huge problem for me as the plot was fantastic and unique!
I know I would have read this book in one sitting if that was possible (school gets in the way of everything...). It's such a gripping book and I could hardly bear to put it down!
One thing about this book: there are a LOT of twists. Some of them seemed pretty unnecessary to me, but they didn't really do any harm to the story. Some of them were predictable, and some of them added just the right amount of drama.
'Pretty Girl Thirteen' is a very enjoyable read - although it's really creepy in some places, but that adds to the excitement of it all! I recommend this to everyone. Mysterious, poignant, exciting and sinister - not to be missed! 5/5.