Ugly

This story was fairly predictable. There seemed to be a lot of filler so the story kind of dragged a bit. The author should also be aware of the overuse of words. For example the phrase my tummy was hungry was alright for a child, but when used by an adult it just doesn't sound right. I have given this 3 starts because the story itself shows promise, but the author just needs to be more aware of her phrasing and mindful of the amount of filler that just seems to bog the story down. I sometimes felt that there was no respect for the intelligence of the reader. A bit more character development wouldn't hurt either. For example, more on what made Trent act the way he did.....

Five stars! I was warned that I would need tissues and I almost needed them. An excellent example of fighting your way through hell and making it to the light at the end of the tunnel. An amazing job done and I recommend it to anyone who wants an emotional read with a happy ending.

This book is full of emotions, it has very explicit language and scenes but its a story worth reading. I think many people happy a to go through this mine of situations and really don't give theirself the chance to go above it

I don't even know where to start..... READ. THIS. BOOK. This story sucked me in and I couldn't put it down. Lily's story of struggle and triumph was so beautifully written. And to think, I one-clicked this on a whim.

This book was awesome but needed to be edited - desperately. Multiple times I was pulled out of the story. It was a page turner but I can only imagine how amazing it would've been with adequate editing. Seriously.

This book was just absolutely amazing I could not put it down! I'm not going to lie I did a lot of crying! I never write a review but this book was that spectacular that I had to say something! It opens up your eyes about how people that are abused not just abused physically ... But mentally as well ... I did not want it to end!

Overall Opinion: I think this had some potential, but sadly failed. I like a good angsty read every once and I while, and I couldn't connect enough with the characters to get emotional. I was bored. I had so many unanswered questions at the end, but at that point I was ready to be done because I had put off putting it on my dnf shelf for a while. For a positive -- the epilogue was cute.

**See goodreads.com/NMmomof4 for complete review with spoilers**

Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Lily's (and Max) story. We meet Lilly when she is a senior in high school. She is living with her physically and verbally abusive Dad. She meets Trent and he seems like a white knight for her, but starting as early as their first date some things just don't seem right with him. She gets trapped into being with him, and eventually marries him. He is a monster. His family (minus his mother) are monsters. There are some time jumps, and we see Lily when she is really struggling in her marriage and meets Max. Max has a personal history with domestic violence, and they form a friendship of sorts. They eventually fall in love and get their HEA.

POV: This was told in Lily's POV.

Overall Pace of Story: Not so great. I skimmed a good bit at some parts. I'm used to the book format of having there be some drama here and there and then BOOM you have your big conflict at about 75% in the book that has the rest of the 25% to get resolution -- and it wasn't in that type of format. I do like things mixed up once in a while by authors, but I felt like we hit the ground running and then we slowed down to a crawl. I get it -- the h needed to heal from all her past trauma. But I almost put it on my dnf shelf at about 80% which I HATE to do, and it didn't get much better.

Instalove: No, though the H claims it was pretty instant later on.

H rating: 3 stars. Max. I liked how patient he was, but he was kind of boring tbh.

h rating: 3 stars. Lily. She's had a crap hand in life, but she still has a nice personality that works hard to earn better for herself. I did feel bad for her circumstances, but otherwise she was kind of meh.

Sadness level: Moderate. I didn't feel all that connected with our h, so I think that Preventted me from getting too emotional on her behalf. I can see where someone might though.

Heat level: Low. Not a sexy book.

Descriptive sex: No. I wouldn't necessarily call it "fade to black", but it just has basic descriptions instead of detailed accounts.

Safe sex: Some mentions of birth control, and some interactions that don't mention it.

OW/OM drama: The h is married to an abusive jerk when she meets the H.

Closure: The ending did have a cute epilogue with some closure that gave the couple a HEA ending.

How I got it: I paid $3.99 on the store for it.

I found this hard to take. Its not very realistic to have such extreme situations on both ends of the spectrum. Beaten, beaten, beaten, ugly, ugly, ugly. Then, out of nowhere appears amazing bosses that want to buy you a vehicle when you happen to work at a GROCERY STORE (uh, ok?) and a secret millionaire boyfriend who appears out of nowhere and then gives you a ritzy apartment that he happens to own for cheap?? I'm sorry, but i breathed a sigh of relief when it was over. Way too harsh and painful then leapt to sticky sweet and nauseating.

** Review written by Gayle from Bloggers From Down Under **

Meet Lily.
Young, just twelve years old.
She should be enjoying life, going to school, socialising with friends. just simply being a young girl.
But she isn’t.
She’s living in hell.
She’s living with a monster.
Each day is the same.
Always hungry, always fearful that he’ll come for her.
She lives in fear.
Death would be so much better.
Lily prays for it, the darkness, the stillness to take her pain away.
But it never comes.

This is the life of a girl abused at a level so many suffer from each and every single day.

This is Lily’s story.
This is her voice.

Ugly…Guys this hurt….And I mean hurt beyond hurt. My chest ached, I ugly cried, it hurt to breathe.
And I absolutely loved every minute of it.

It’s extremely rare and unique that a novel can capture you and take you hostage just by reading the prologue, but Ugly did.
From the first word to the very last I was transfixed, I honestly couldn’t put it down.

The emotion.
The subject matter.
The rawness.
The grittiness.
The detail.
Ugly had it all.

At times I’ll be honest I found some scenes distressing, but I pushed through and why?
Because Ugly is a perfect example of so many women and men in this world that are affected by domestic abuse. A real problem in the real world that I personally don’t believe is addressed enough.
So many victims are unheard, left to deal with the trauma on their own, suffering each and every single day because the fear grips them so tightly that they cannot see a way to claw themselves out of it. And yes although Ugly is fictional of sorts, this novel brings the subject of abuse to the forefront and shows us how people can survive and no longer be a victim.

Ugly is perfection on the highest of levels.
An absolute heart crushing read that will leave you just……Speechless because right now I have no words….You can’t put a label on brilliance.

An outstanding 5 star read.

A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley

Where do I even begin with this one? You think you're prepared, when you read a novel like this one. Then you start reading and realize that you completely underestimated the impact it would have on you.

I think that unless you are in the position that Lily is in, you just don't know how you'll handle it. Here is a girl who has been abused for YEARS and YEARS. She honestly believes that she'll never amount to anything and she's ugly. She has a father who thinks she should be dead. I'm sorry, but that just does something to a person... a parent thinking you'll be better off dead. So put your preconceptions away and go in with an open mind.

This is a long story, but I wouldn't change any of it. It depicts Lily's life as she suffers, struggles, makes a LOT of mistakes, but eventually learns from them and learns to love herself. It's not an easy journey. She faces mountains along the way that she must climb in order to garner even the slightest victory. Two steps forward and one step back.

This is NOT a feel good read. You'll go through a whole range of emotions and just get very angry at parts. If you read all the way until the end, you'll be happy you stuck with it. The message in this one is hard to ignore.

Be Strong.

This book is fantastic. It is so emotional and terrifying to know that some people actually grow up like this. I spent the first half up the book angry, sad, pissed, and feeling so many other emotions. Then the book took a turn and I could have been happier. This book is emotionally draining and you will want to have some tissues around if you are a crier and maybe even if you aren’t a crier. I felt for the main character Lily. So goes through so much during the book. I couldn’t imagine how Margaret must have felt while writing this book. I was emotionally spent at the end of the book even though it ended on a good note. The main characters Lily has been told basically her whole life that she is ugly, stupid, good for nothing, and other similar things. It has been like this for as long as she can remember and only got worse once her mother died. Lily learned how to blend in and not be noticed by anyone. She went to school every day and got good grades. Then one day she meets a boy named Trent. He seems nice at first and is giving her the attention that she can’t ever remember getting before. But Trent isn’t the nice guy he seems to be. Lily learns to late and because of how she has always been treated begins to think her father was right all along. Well Lily finally realize she is smart, beautiful, and deserves the world or will she continue to believe these horrible people in her life? I could go on and on about this book but I would probably give too much away. I was so mad at Margaret for the first half of this book. How could she write such a beautiful character like Lily but put her through so much HELL? I wanted to jump into the book and beat up Trent so many times for so many different reasons. Lily’s best friend Shayne is crazy and great. Really all the characters where great and had so much personality even if it was one I didn’t like. I was happy that in the end Lily did what she did and found her self-worth. Again I can’t even put into words how much this book moved me and how much it made me feel. Fantastic job Margaret. I have read some of the books Margaret has written and look forward to reading more in the future.
***Reviewing for Steamy book momma book blog***

*** Gifted via NetGalley I voluntarily reviewed this book, I gained no monetary incentives nor was I specifically requested to review the book, these are my honest ramblings and I hope you enjoy reading them - kat***

I will admit this has been a difficult book to get into, I do know that some women will gravitate towards what they know, so I pushed on and tried not to get too frustrated at Lilys decisions.

If I were dead, I wouldn't be able to see.
If I were dead, I wouldn't be able to feel.
If I were dead, he'd never raise his hand to me again.
If I were dead, his words wouldn't cut as deep as they do.
If I were dead, I'd be beautiful and I wouldn't be so...ugly.
I'm not dead...but I wish I was.

This is a strong statement, and I am sure there are many women who feel like this in the world, which is a shame because - UGLY is someone elses point of view... it took me years to realise this.

I do have an idea of how peoples harsh words can define a person, as a child/teenager I was bullied and called 'Ugly' 'Stick' and 'Frigid' - I changed from the outgoing child to a shy introverted girl who had few friends and was glad she had her horse to love.

It took the love of my life years to convince me that I was beautiful, but anyway, this experience meant that I could understand how Lily could not pull herself out of this cycle easily.

This book is not an easy read, I found the first half to be very difficult, as I posted part way through the book, but as Lily finally finds the courage to think for herself, to take that first TERRIFYING step to removing herself from the abuse you begin to cheer for each scary step she makes.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

**This is a dark YA/NA stand-alone, full-length novel. Contains violence**

Ugly is based on a touchy and sensitive subject and should be read with caution.
I've seen this book around for a while. The cover is unique and the blurb peaked my curiosity.

This is the first book I have read from Margaret and honestly I don't think It would be my last. This right here showed why I love doing what I do. I love reading and getting lost in the pages. I always enjoy feeling as If I am lost in the moment with the characters and feeling their pain. Ugly had me captivated for the first couple % but after a while I felt that the story was a little slow.

As the story progressed I wanted to hold Lily by the hand and shake her. I understood why she did not leave her situation but it still hurt to see that she noticed certain things and choose to ignore them. At times I was not sure if I should be mad with her or sad for her. Anyway, I will stop rambling.........

Lily's story was sad, heart wrenching, tragic and most of all hopeful. I kept hoping that she would open her eyes. Maybe I got my wish, maybe I didn't. You will have to pick up this book to find out and live through the journey the author takes you on.

Overall, I love the imperfections with each character(Max, Trent, Shayne) and I was happy with the ending of the book (even though I wanted the author to continue the story a little lol). Women in Lily's situation exists and I was happy that the author was able to put it all on paper perfectly.

This is a story that contained some very heart breaking subject material. The first at least 40% was violent, cruel and almost too unbearable to read. If you're a reader who has is triggered by domestic violence, rape (though not graphic it's insinuated), cheating, and harmful hate shaming of a person I suggest you skip out on this one. Lily is abused from the age of 6-25. The story is told shortly In her early years of her father physically hitting her and calling her ugly, stupid, dumb. Personally I almost didn't finish it since I felt I myself was being abused...you read so much hate for someone and the same names being called and after awhile I just felt completely battered liked I'd taken all the abuse myself. She meets this boy at 17 who you thinks a nice kid until the next chapter and you read signs of him having massive control and anger issues. So I was like "Are you serious! She's never getting a break. I'm never getting a break." But I trucked through... And let me tell you the crazy train sailed far. I'm not going to spoil the book too bad so I just want to say if you can handle it do it. Because the end makes it better, I was soooo happy when her spine was growing and she was learning to live and that special friend finally came. It almost made all the pain in the first half ok. For me this is a solid 4 thanks for the heartbreak stars.

My, my, my... This book was EVERYTHING! It gave you everything good, bad, and oh so ugly about the human condition. Domestic violence is all so very real for many. It is a daily norm, a common occurrence, that for anyone who has never experienced a taste of it can not possibly understand the psychological warfare at play in these situations. Ugly by Margaret McHeyzer told the twisted ugly tale of domestic violence and how it transforms a person into thinking right is all wrong and how all the wrong is distorted into being right. This story is told form the point of view of the main character Lily as she goes from adolescent, to teen, and to an adult victim and eventual survivor of domestic violence.

This story was difficult to read at times. The story begins with a 12-year old Lily and the physical and verbal abuse her father is afflicting on her. As a teen Lily meets Trent, who appears to be her savior and his family takes her in and you quickly see that things are slightly off in this new environment. With Trent's mom having random umps and bruises and Trent's father treating his mother like she is a second-class citizen. But please, don't get me started on Trent's creepy uncle, who can't seem to keep his hands to himself and his mean-spirited aunts. There is no wonder why Trent is the way he is, because being abusive to women is like breathing in his family.

I found myself yelling at my reader, because I could not believe what Lily was going through and allowing herself to go through. I could not believe how someone could think so lowly of themselves and quite frankly, be so stupid. But Ms, McHeyzer set the scene perfectly for these things happen and continue to happen every day for some people. She narrated a tale that showed how people grow up in a bad situation and escape to a sometimes even worst situation, as if their lives are no longer their own. She also showed how there are genuine people out there like Lily's best friend Shayne and her husband Liam, her bosses Peter and Dale, and Max, to help her start all over again. However, in this story, I think this support system of her helped her start to begin to live for the very first time in her life.

Overall, I would give this novel, 5-stars and recommend that you run out and read Ugly by, Margaret McHeyzer. It was well written and did a beautiful job of telling the dark, secretive tale of domestic violence that occur in various degrees and across familial units. This tale also depicts the vicious cycle of abuse and the silence that perpetuates such violence and leaves lasting effects through generations for perpetrators and survivors.

Thanks for sharing Lily's story Ms. McHeyzer!

Full review can be found @ http://www.clockworkorigin.com/2015/12/review-ugly.html
Thanks to NetGalley for providing this copy in exchange for an honest review.

When I requested this book on NetGalley, I was intrigued by the summary and the fact that it is a dark YA/NA book. I love dark tales regardless of the subject, but as someone who has never read anything pertaining to the well-known subject of domestic violence, I didn't really know what to expect. If I had any expectations to begin with, they would have been absolutely blown away.

I was angry. Really angry. Not at the book itself and not at the main character. I was angry at the author. WHY WOULD YOU MAKE YOUR CHARACTER SUFFER SO HARSHLY? I was angry that I was reading a book that pertains to things that happen to people in real life -- not just women, but men, too. I was angry because... (more via website)

WARNING: This book is DARK! Also, the main character had no one in her life to show her love, care for her, and help her. Her reasoning for sticking with Trent is because she feels like she's to blame. She thinks she's too stupid and ugly. It's what everyone tells her so it sticks. Please do NOT go into this book thinking she is dense.

5 'Snowflake' stars

Lily is mentally, physically, and emotionally abused by her father at a very young age and it doesn't stop. His words and his actions are so cruel and violent, they've stuck with her ever since. And it doesn't help that she's now 17 and still being treated this way. It's disgusting and no one should ever have to feel guilty to think it's what they deserve. No one deserves to be abused. I wish all the people who are scared would understand that.

Very early on, we meet Trent, the boy who waits at the bus stop and starts talking to Lily as the days pass. I immediately felt something off about him and he proved me right. I've never in my life felt so much rage towards so many characters in a book before. Almost everyone was blind to the fact that Trent's family is truly awful. No one could see past it and ask Lily if something was wrong. Because she needed that. She needed someone to help her understand that he doesn't love her. He's hurting her. I've got a lot to say about that poor excuse for a human being but I'll keep it to myself. No one has time for that rant.

Shayne, Lily's new best friend, was the first person I wanted to reach in through my kindle and hug for saying something. She noticed that something wasn't right and she kept pushing Lily for info.

Max. Max is the rainbow you see after the most devastating storm. I couldn't have loved him more.

This story is intense and real and truly heartbreaking. Please be advised that there is some violence and it could be considered a trigger warning for some.

Complimentary copy provided by the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

As I have mentioned before, this was such a heart wrenchingly difficult novel for me to read. The main character , lily, has been so broken down by life and the people around her that she lost all sense of self-worth and identity.

I wasn't planning to read Ugly until I finished some of the other novels I have on my reading list. I decided to read a couple of chapters to get the gist of the novel since the blurb doesn't give much away, other than the fact that the main character's been told she's ugly all her life. I actually ended up reading almost half of the novel into the wee hours of the night! I just wanted to find what happens next and what horrible thing people are going throw at her.

All I have to say is that we all have agency to change our lives. Everyone talks about free will and some believe if you are not being enslaved or being physically imprisoned by your captors, you are free to get away from your wretched life. Many don't realize that brain washing is a powerful tool manipulators use to keep their victims captive and make sure they know they don't deserve any better. So the victims continue to live a life that is not worth living.

Lily deserved so much more and has so much potential that she doesn't see until the very end. Her good friends had to continue to tell her she's worthy in order for her to believe it. It was almost smooth sailing for her once she managed to get away from her manipulative husband. We have to realize that many abused woman don't have the resources or the overwhelming support that lily gets throughout her recovery process. it is important to note what happened to her after is not the norm - most women who lived such a life become so broken their life continue to spiral out of control. She was extremely lucky or her abuser would have eventually killed her or she would have died emotionally from all the abuse. Since abuse/controlling behaviour is sometimes disguised as protective/loving concern for a loved one, it becomes invisible or even seen as normal behaviour by others. Most of the time, the victim believes it's their fault that they are experiencing pain in the hands of their loved ones -that is why Lily's abuse went on for so long.

I highly recommend this novel. A word of warning: this is a mature/dark NA that would take you to some very dark places. It was hard for me to stomach some of the scenes because they speak of the most extreme of the physical and emotional abuse. It would have been nice if the author broken up this novel into two books - the first about the abuse and the second about the recovery process. I would have liked to read more about how Lily worked through her issues with her therapist. Nevertheless, this is a strong novel that is unlike anything I have read before.

****I received a copy of this novel through NetGalley****

Reviewed by Sharon Thérèse Nuttall

The first sentence of the prologue worried me. However, I was encouraged to read on by my morbid curiosity. Anxious to turn the pages, I found myself picking the book up, putting it down, thinking about it while getting on with other things. I lost sleep and even fell into a slumber with book in hand only to wake up startled. This has to be one of the most difficult and disturbing reads for me yet, so therefore I feel it necessary to warn you that the Lily Anderson's story is one of child abuse. Strong language and vividly described scenes which literally horrified me, are rife.

One thing is the harsh storyline and another is the author's writing style which I really liked. Told in first person and present, the linearly fashion used gives the book a continuity. Some parts are Lily's flashbacks though and this extension of the plot gives the book even more strength if that were ever possible. I loved how her sentences were clipped and precise. I loved how she developed Lily's character from a six year old to a woman in her midtwenties. I hated what she had to go through to become a person in her own right. Despite so much despair and so little hope, I had every faith in the author's storytelling abilities. And she didn't disappoint.

Lily's father is nothing less than an ogre. It is hard to image what he put her through, how cruel and to what extremes he would go to, to make his daughter suffer. His constant insults and repression form his daughter's personality which in turn, makes her believe that she is ugly and worthless. She has no friends and no wish for them either. All she wants is to disappear off the face of the earth. Not being noticed means no explanations are called for. Intelligent, she does well at school, but she has never had anyone to value her worth. The reverse.

Quote: Lily's father ~ “Don't look at her, she's a retard. She deserves everything she gets.”

Lily jumps out of the frying pan and into an inferno when she meets a lad who has had his eye on her. Sly, he weaves his way into her life with dishonest intentions. She can't see further than her nose as this is the first time in her life that someone has lavished her with compliments. She believes in him regardless of the change in his behaviour simply because she doesn't know any better.

Quote: Trent ~ “Just get on your knees and I'll do the rest.”

Therefore there are two sides to every story where abuse is concerned; the abused and the abuser. Trent rose my hackles from the very beginning of his relationship with Lily. He quickly susses out all her weaknesses and takes advantage for his own warped benefits. I asked myself where he had learnt to orchestrate such evil and the answer is quite simple. A classic case of like father, like son. Trent inherited all his father's traits and not one of them was positive.

Quote: Lily ~ “Sometimes it's better to stay with the devil you know, instead of risking it all on the devil you don't. Isn't it?”

It takes a friend Lily makes as a teenager for her to realise that she's not ugly and far from stupid. Bubbly, generous of spirit and sensible, Shayne was for me, a godsend. Whether or not Lily will take all Shayne's advice you will only find out by reading this book, but I can assure you that she'll do her utmost to help her. Another friend that has Lily's back is Max. Despite having a speech impairment, she understands him perfectly. Indefinitely kind, patient and loving, I couldn't help but fall for him. As the story unravelled, I also discovered he'd had his demons to cope with. An angel. That's the only way I can describe him.

“Quote: Max ~ “You're my snowflake. I'd do anything for you.”

To conclude this full length novel standalone, the secondary characters' personalities are really well-developed. I adored Lily's bosses, Shayne's boyfriend, Liam, although I can't say thing about Trent's father, or his father's brother who disgusted me. When the story reaches one of its most critical point and a hard hand is dealt, I cheered out loud. Another important detail for me was the banter. It is plentiful, disturbing most of the time, beautiful in others. To say the epilogue was made in heaven for Lily and Max would be putting it mildly. I am really looking forward to reading more of your works Ms McHeyser. Bravo!

Last word. Have heaps of man-sized handkerchieves at hand. You'll need them!

I loved this book! I was living inside the pages of this novel when the book was closed and my mind should have been elsewhere. I could not turn this book off and even now as the final pages have been turned, I am still thinking of the characters and the road that they traveled. Lily’s journey amazed me, many times I was screaming at the novel as I got carried away with the predicament that she was facing and the choices that she was making. I wanted perfection and she was choosing survival. Her journey began when she was 12 when her father began to verbally and physically abuse her. What she remembers of her mother were not happy memories that a child should recall but negative recollections of insults. The story is painful to read because Lily believes the words her parent’s spoke about her. Lily: ugly, stupid and useless. It made me feel as if Lily had a ball and chain around her leg for if anything was off, her father would come at her and Lily always felt on edge. His words and beatings were relentless, harsh and consistent and I cringed every time he even looked at her. Lily sees hope in Trent but his actions started to creep me out after about the first couple pages. So many times in this book, I was an emotional wreck; the character of Lily was pulling at me and dragging me all over the place. Lily was reacting exactly how I would expect someone in her situation to behave, I applaud the author on a job well done. Lily tries to get her life together with positive influences but it becomes hard, as her past keeps interfering with her future. It’s hard to undo years of negative thoughts when it’s been rooted deep inside for years. Lily finds a few friends and their journeys are quite incredible also. There are ups and downs, it’s a roller coaster of emotions and I am not ready to unbuckle my seatbelt and get off yet as Lily attempts to see who she really is and what she is capable of doing.
Thank you NetGalley and Book Enthusiast Promotions for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.