My Rating ~ Four stars
RELEASE DATE: 8 April 2021
Publisher: Penguin Australia
Format: Paperback
Pages: 368
Blurb
Winter. The sky is dark. It is cold enough to crack bones.
Jack Morton has nothing left. Except his younger brother, Matty, who he’d do anything for. Even die for. Now with their mother gone, and their funds quickly dwindling, Jack needs to make a choice: lose his brother to foster care, or find the drug money that sent his father to prison. He chooses the money.
Ava Bardem lives in isolation, a life of silence. For seventeen years her father has controlled her fate. He has taught her to love no one. Trust no one. Now Victor Bardem is stalking the same money as Jack. When he picks up Jack’s trail, Ava must make her own wrenching choice: remain silent or help the brothers survive.
Choices. They come at a price.
Review
Thankyou to Penguin Books Australia for providing me with a copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
When Jack’s mother dies, he knows there’s only a few dollars in the money jar and social services will be coming for him and his little brother, Matty. Their father is in prison and Jack remembers seeing the briefcase full of money before he went away. If he can find it, he and Matty might be able to survive a life on the run.
Ava meets Jack at school, but he doesn’t know her father is the one who did the job with his dad that landed him in prison. Her father is after the money too. Ava is desperate to help the brothers, but she knows just how dangerous her father really is.
What Beauty There Is was an intense and desperate ride. A brilliant thriller, focusing on dysfunctional families and the children they leave behind. The snowy setting really set the atmosphere for this book and added an extra layer of danger to the already frightening side characters. It wasn’t perfect for me, I didn’t quite resonate with the writing style at the beginning of some of the chapters, but that’s just a personal preference. The actual story was gripping until the very end and I’d definitely recommend it for mystery and family drama lovers!
