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BOOK TOUR STOP x RANDOM THINGS TOURS: So Pretty by Ronnie Turner


The town of Rye is quiet and quaint - but it holds secrets. The secrets of the people who lived there, the people who died there, the people who disappeared there, the people who've escape there - and now those secrets and threatening to destroy everything. 

Teddy moved to Rye to escape the life he'd been desperately trying to leave behind, but finds himself drawn to a mysterious antique shop that everyone has warned him to stay away from. Everyone is scared of Berry & Vincent and it's skeletal owner, but Teddy can't stay away and needs to know more. Ada and her young son are came to Rye to escape from the troubles of their own lives too, looking for a place to belong. But even here, she finds herself once again on the outside looking in. 

Teddy and Ada are both searching for something they don't quite understand, and in places they definitely shouldn't be looking. Soon enough, this pretty little town they call home is anything but, and the dark depraved ghosts of the past are coming for them in ways they could never expect. 

"There are no monsters, Ted. Monsters are imagination. But humans are life. And isn't that worse?"

Devilishly dark and wickedly clever, this contemporary gothic tale is a terrifying portrait of obsession, fate and death. 

Teddy and Ada, as well as every other character were eerily real - so human but always just out of reach. We get to know them instantly, the understanding growing deeper with every page as we learn about the secrets they brought to Rye with them, the painful and violent memories they've been trying to outrun. They were undeniably troubled and invoked a weird desire to protect them with every new thing we learn about them and their fractured lives. I guessed a few things about the characters and where their paths would take them, but I definitely still enjoyed the depraved and dark journey we took together. 

The town is like the third main character of this tale - so richly described and almost alive and anthropomorphic. It carefully sets the tone for the entire story, creating an enthralling backdrop for our tale to be told by weaving itself into the lives of every person who passes through. It's suffocating and tense, hypnotic in its own terrible beauty. The people who live in the town are a mystery of their own, vaguely reminiscent of Sleepy Hollow (Or creepy Hot Fuzz?) - everyone was scared of something but even more scared of leaving. 

Time moved weirdly - it jumps around but fluidly, like a strange daydream as it moves easily from one moment to another as though it was all in your imagination. The chapters are short and easily readable, with clear, conversational language and obvious POV changes that made it so simple to read while still finding time for delicately crafted world building that makes this book something very special indeed. 

There were no shocking reveals - they all grew slowly and even though terrifying, they revealed themselves in a hauntingly quiet way in their own time. Even at the end of this book, I was left with this odd sense of unfinished dread that lingered on past the last page. 

"Secrets belong to God, the Devil and the Dead."


About the author:

Ronnie Turner grew up in Cornwall, the youngest in a large family. At an early age, she discovered a love of literature and dreamed of being a published author, and works as a senior bookseller in Waterstones. Ronnie now lives in Dorset with her family and three dogs. In her spare time, she reviews books on her blog and enjoys long walks on the coast.  Ronnie's debut novel, Lies Between Us, was published by HQ Digital in October 2018.


Twitter: @Ronnie_ _Turner

Facebook: @RonnieTurnerAuthor

Instagram: @ronnieturner8702

Website: www.ronnieturner.wordpress.com


Thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours and Karen at Orenda Books for inviting me to take part in this tour. I was gifted an advanced reviewers copy of this title in return for an honest review.

CW: references to child abuse, assault, violence, blood, death, stalking, murder. 

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