What do you think?
Rate this book
Kultakutri, sinisilmä
Julia Carroll tietää, että tämä on aivan liian tavanomainen alku jollekin kammottavalle. Kauniina ja älykkäänä 19-vuotiaana collegeopiskelijana hänellä ei pitäisi olla juurikaan mitään huolia. Mutta kyllä hänellä on. Hän tuntee sisällään pelkoa, koska tyttöjä on alkanut kadota.
Julian opiskelutoveri, Beatrice Oliver, on kadonnut. Ja koditon nainen, joka tunnetaan nimellä Mona, on myös kadonnut. Molemmat ovat kadonneet kuin tuhka tuuleen.
Julia päättää ottaa selville, miksi he ovat kadonneet; kuka tai mikä on katoamisten taustalla. Jottei hänestä itsestään tule seuraavaa uhria!
Novelli Kultakutri, sinisilmä toimii alkutahtina Karin Slaughterin psykologiselle trillerille Kaunokaiset, joka ilmestyy HarperCollins Nordicin julkaisemana maaliskuussa 2016.
Julian opiskelutoveri, Beatrice Oliver, on kadonnut. Ja koditon nainen, joka tunnetaan nimellä Mona, on myös kadonnut. Molemmat ovat kadonneet kuin tuhka tuuleen.
Julia päättää ottaa selville, miksi he ovat kadonneet; kuka tai mikä on katoamisten taustalla. Jottei hänestä itsestään tule seuraavaa uhria!
Novelli Kultakutri, sinisilmä toimii alkutahtina Karin Slaughterin psykologiselle trillerille Kaunokaiset, joka ilmestyy HarperCollins Nordicin julkaisemana maaliskuussa 2016.
58 pages, ebook
First published June 4, 2015
1556 people are currently reading
11123 people want to read
About the author
Karin Slaughter
120 books87.6k followersKarin Slaughter is one of the world’s most popular storytellers. She is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty- five novels, including the Edgar nominated COP TOWN and standalone novels PRETTY GIRLS and FALSE WITNESS. An international bestseller, Slaughter is published in 120 countries with more than 40 million copies sold across the globe. PIECES OF HER, based on her novel, debuted at #1 worldwide on Netflix as an original series in 2022. Her bestselling thriller series, Will Trent, is now a television and streaming sensation in its 4th season. THE GOOD DAUGHTER will soon be a limited series starring Rose Byrne and Meghann Fahy, and further projects are currently in development for film/TV. Karin Slaughter is the founder of the Save the Libraries project—a nonprofit organization established to support libraries and library programming. A native of Georgia, she lives in Atlanta.
Facebook: Facebook.com/AuthorKarinSlaughter
Website: http://www.karinslaughter.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karinslaugh...
Facebook: Facebook.com/AuthorKarinSlaughter
Website: http://www.karinslaughter.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karinslaugh...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 29 of 2,361 reviews
January 30, 2026
Julia Carroll sees the news everywhere - young women go missing at a steady rate.
"The only reason my daughter has not come home is because someone is keeping her. Keeping her."
And she knows, statistically, it's likely to happen again.
As it bothers her - the fact that no one is talking about what's happening to all these pretty, blond haired, blue-eyed women.
It feels like someone is sweeping this under the rug.
She manages to convince her professor to let her write an article about it.. .but gets far more than she bargained for.
So. I get that this was 67 pages and it's meant to be a short story...and a lot of short stories end on a brief note...
But it bugged me so much that there was build, build, build and then zip. Nothing. No payout.
It cut off right as the story picked up.
It felt frustrating and annoying. I wish it would've at least had a page or two epilogue. Ah well.
YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads
June 14, 2018
Original Review: October 2015
Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes is a short-story prequel to Karin Slaughter's September 2015 novel Pretty Girls. It is a brief look at Julia's life before she went missing. In my opinion, I don't feel that it is necessary for readers of Pretty Girls to read this but it provided interesting insight into local crime at the time, Julia's character, some family dynamics, and of course her abduction.
I read Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes after reading Pretty Girls and it did feel more haunting than I think it would have vice versa. Regardless, it does bring awareness to the many young people who go missing every year. Like Julia, they have a last event, a last conversation, a last thought, a last everything before being taken. Truly horrific.
Statistics provided by Karin Slaughter:
In America in 2013, a woman was raped every 6.6 minutes. An estimated 80% of all rapes go unreported. Get help if you or someone you know has been assaulted. You are not alone!
Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes is a short-story prequel to Karin Slaughter's September 2015 novel Pretty Girls. It is a brief look at Julia's life before she went missing. In my opinion, I don't feel that it is necessary for readers of Pretty Girls to read this but it provided interesting insight into local crime at the time, Julia's character, some family dynamics, and of course her abduction.
I read Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes after reading Pretty Girls and it did feel more haunting than I think it would have vice versa. Regardless, it does bring awareness to the many young people who go missing every year. Like Julia, they have a last event, a last conversation, a last thought, a last everything before being taken. Truly horrific.
Statistics provided by Karin Slaughter:
In America in 2013, a woman was raped every 6.6 minutes. An estimated 80% of all rapes go unreported. Get help if you or someone you know has been assaulted. You are not alone!
January 20, 2024
Re Read via audiobook January 2024
Story 3.5 stars**⬆️
Audio 4 stars**
Narrator Kathleen Early
I’m glad I read this prequel to Pretty Girls second, because after reading pretty girls I feel like I got to know Julia and what her state of mind was prior to her gone missing. Julia was just normal teenage girl whom, even though was physically beautiful she had insecurities and actually hated the attention she got. I found this read hauntingly eerie, and sad knowing what happened to her and even though it was a short read I felt like I knew her and saw how protective she was of her sisters. ♥️
Story 3.5 stars**⬆️
Audio 4 stars**
Narrator Kathleen Early
I’m glad I read this prequel to Pretty Girls second, because after reading pretty girls I feel like I got to know Julia and what her state of mind was prior to her gone missing. Julia was just normal teenage girl whom, even though was physically beautiful she had insecurities and actually hated the attention she got. I found this read hauntingly eerie, and sad knowing what happened to her and even though it was a short read I felt like I knew her and saw how protective she was of her sisters. ♥️
May 24, 2017
This was a just a short little story used as a prelude to her upcoming novel, Pretty Girls, due out soon and which many already have read courtesy of Netgalley. It is set in the very early 90's on the University of Georgia campus in Athens and told by a very beautiful blue eyed, blond haired girl. We are told often, very often, how incredibly beautiful she is. This repetitiveness is partially the reason for my lower rating. That, and while I understand that this was always meant to be a short story, I still expect some substance in these types of tales. Think John Steinbeck, Flannery O'Connor, Truman Capote - a lot of writers sink their teeth into short stories. This was just a throw-away. Which is sad because I LOVE Karin Slaughter and her writing, especially when she goes back in time like she did in Cop Town.
So, in my opinion I wouldn't even bother to download this. It's short, wouldn't take you but an hour to read but it's a hour you could spend doing something more worth with your time.
So, in my opinion I wouldn't even bother to download this. It's short, wouldn't take you but an hour to read but it's a hour you could spend doing something more worth with your time.
February 16, 2016
3.5 stars
This is a prequel short story to Pretty Girls. Of course I read them in reverse order, but in this instance it really didn't seem to matter.
Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes introduces us to Julia, oldest sister of 3, who is a big focal point in Pretty Girls. It is essentially her backstory-going to school, helping at a homeless shelter, working on a story for the school paper about a local missing girl...
Again, not much to this (60 some pages) and I'm not sure why it was needed, but in true Slaughter style it's easy to follow and well written.
This is a prequel short story to Pretty Girls. Of course I read them in reverse order, but in this instance it really didn't seem to matter.
Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes introduces us to Julia, oldest sister of 3, who is a big focal point in Pretty Girls. It is essentially her backstory-going to school, helping at a homeless shelter, working on a story for the school paper about a local missing girl...
Again, not much to this (60 some pages) and I'm not sure why it was needed, but in true Slaughter style it's easy to follow and well written.
October 14, 2015
Julia Carroll was a beautiful nineteen year old, with blonde hair and blue eyes. Studying at the local college, not far from her family’s home, she also worked and wrote articles for the college paper, which she loved. Another missing girl led Julia to do some research on missing girls and what she found horrified her. As she pitched her idea to her editor, she was stunned at the comments from a colleague – and also the results.
Julia had a happy family life – she was the eldest of the siblings and in part felt responsible for her sisters’ wellbeing. But living at the college dormitory gave her a sense of independence – she and her roommate had been best friends for a long time. Was Julia about to put herself in danger with her relentless and paranoid pursuit into the unsolved cases?
Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes is a short story by author Karin Slaughter and is the prequel to Pretty Girls – both of which were released in 2015. Not as tension filled as Slaughter’s usual work, nonetheless this novella was fast paced, gripping and a quick, easy read. I’ve already read Pretty Girls and it blew me away. I thoroughly enjoy everything written by this author, and definitely recommend Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes to all fans plus lovers of the thriller genre.
Julia had a happy family life – she was the eldest of the siblings and in part felt responsible for her sisters’ wellbeing. But living at the college dormitory gave her a sense of independence – she and her roommate had been best friends for a long time. Was Julia about to put herself in danger with her relentless and paranoid pursuit into the unsolved cases?
Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes is a short story by author Karin Slaughter and is the prequel to Pretty Girls – both of which were released in 2015. Not as tension filled as Slaughter’s usual work, nonetheless this novella was fast paced, gripping and a quick, easy read. I’ve already read Pretty Girls and it blew me away. I thoroughly enjoy everything written by this author, and definitely recommend Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes to all fans plus lovers of the thriller genre.
July 11, 2015
While it’s listed as a short story, Karin Slaughter’s Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes is more of a prologue to her latest novel, Pretty Girls. It’s just sold separately for some reason (coughmoneycough!).
Set in 1991, Julia’s a pretty 19 year old college student studying journalism. There’s been a spate of attractive young women being abducted in the area and it’s worrying everyone. Guess what happens to Julia at the end of this story?
It’s not just the predictability of the narrative, it’s how absolutely nothing happens that annoyed the crap out of me. Sure Slaughter can write a convincing portrayal of a young woman’s life but give us a reason to care about what we’re reading!
She goes to classes where her teacher’s a birruva perv. Her roommate’s a bitch. She feels marginalised as a woman when pitching stories to her editor in a male-dominated newsroom. She goes dancing. The cute boy she likes asks her out and they do it. She has irritating sisters.
That’s it? After reading Three Twisted Stories which were fast paced, imaginative short stories, reading Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes was like reading a totally different writer. This Karin Slaughter was ponderous and dreary, content to subject the reader with page after page of uninteresting rubbish. If this had been my first exposure to the writer, I wouldn’t have bothered with any of her other works and would’ve missed out on the brilliant fiction of Three Twisted Stories.
After reading just Slaughter’s short stories, I’ma gonna give her novel, Pretty Girls, a shot. If it’s anywhere near as brutally boring as Blonde Hair was though, I’m giving up on this novelist. Also, given that Pretty Girls is being marketed as a standalone book, you could probably skip Blonde Hair entirely without missing anything important - definitely do that and read Three Twisted Stories instead for much better short fiction!
Set in 1991, Julia’s a pretty 19 year old college student studying journalism. There’s been a spate of attractive young women being abducted in the area and it’s worrying everyone. Guess what happens to Julia at the end of this story?
It’s not just the predictability of the narrative, it’s how absolutely nothing happens that annoyed the crap out of me. Sure Slaughter can write a convincing portrayal of a young woman’s life but give us a reason to care about what we’re reading!
She goes to classes where her teacher’s a birruva perv. Her roommate’s a bitch. She feels marginalised as a woman when pitching stories to her editor in a male-dominated newsroom. She goes dancing. The cute boy she likes asks her out and they do it. She has irritating sisters.
That’s it? After reading Three Twisted Stories which were fast paced, imaginative short stories, reading Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes was like reading a totally different writer. This Karin Slaughter was ponderous and dreary, content to subject the reader with page after page of uninteresting rubbish. If this had been my first exposure to the writer, I wouldn’t have bothered with any of her other works and would’ve missed out on the brilliant fiction of Three Twisted Stories.
After reading just Slaughter’s short stories, I’ma gonna give her novel, Pretty Girls, a shot. If it’s anywhere near as brutally boring as Blonde Hair was though, I’m giving up on this novelist. Also, given that Pretty Girls is being marketed as a standalone book, you could probably skip Blonde Hair entirely without missing anything important - definitely do that and read Three Twisted Stories instead for much better short fiction!
August 27, 2024
It’s been three years since I read Pretty Girls, and I still remember how it made me feel.
Reading about Julia’s backstory, her fierce determination to dig deeper and write about missing young women fascinated me. She’s such a strong character, and this prequel made me feel even more connected to her. I only had a glimpse of her life in Pretty Girls, so this short story made all the difference.
Kudos to Karin for putting this out—always a fan.
Reading about Julia’s backstory, her fierce determination to dig deeper and write about missing young women fascinated me. She’s such a strong character, and this prequel made me feel even more connected to her. I only had a glimpse of her life in Pretty Girls, so this short story made all the difference.
Kudos to Karin for putting this out—always a fan.
February 10, 2022
Short story published 2015
4 stars for a short but salutary story.
A short story on what should be a woman’s inalienable right to go about their lives feeling safe and secure. This is a right that most men take for granted but unfortunately this is not the case for a lot of women.
A young 19 year old female uni student, who works part time in a local paper, wants to investigate the disappearance an other young woman about the same age as the student.
Whilst doing background research the student is staggered by the reality that the statistics on sexual assault of women reveals. She soon finds herself living in a world that no longer feels safe and secure.
This was written in 2015, 7 years ago, and you would think that the world would have become a better place for women. But after watching Grace Tame and Brittany Higgins bleed in front of The National Press Club and the nation I would be wrong in thinking anything has changed.
This might be light on pages but not content.
4 stars for a short but salutary story.
A short story on what should be a woman’s inalienable right to go about their lives feeling safe and secure. This is a right that most men take for granted but unfortunately this is not the case for a lot of women.
A young 19 year old female uni student, who works part time in a local paper, wants to investigate the disappearance an other young woman about the same age as the student.
Whilst doing background research the student is staggered by the reality that the statistics on sexual assault of women reveals. She soon finds herself living in a world that no longer feels safe and secure.
This was written in 2015, 7 years ago, and you would think that the world would have become a better place for women. But after watching Grace Tame and Brittany Higgins bleed in front of The National Press Club and the nation I would be wrong in thinking anything has changed.
This might be light on pages but not content.
December 9, 2020
3.5/5. Wow - This is (I think) the first time I've gone into a book knowing that the protagonist is dead. This wasn't what I anticipated and is really more of a character study, and I'm glad that the murder was not shown in any way.
August 6, 2023
Precuela de la novela Flores cortadas, que transcurre mucho antes, unos 20 años, en la que nos van a contar como era la vida de las 3 hermanas de una familia, pero sobre todo de Julie, la mayor y de lo que le sucedió. Es un relato que da para solamente conocer el origen de la novela antes citada.
Valoración: 6/10 (esta bien escrita).
Sinopsis: Julia Carroll sabe que muchas historias comienzan así. Bella e inteligente, a sus diecinueve años, recién llegada a la universidad, debería vivir despreocupadamente. Pero tiene miedo. Porque en su ciudad están desapareciendo chicas muy jóvenes. Primero fue Beatrice Oliver, una estudiante. Luego Mona Sin Apellido, una joven sin techo. Las dos desaparecidas en plena calle. Las dos sin dejar rastro.
Julia está decidida a averiguar los motivos que se ocultan detrás de las desapariciones. Y no quiere ser la siguiente...
Valoración: 6/10 (esta bien escrita).
Sinopsis: Julia Carroll sabe que muchas historias comienzan así. Bella e inteligente, a sus diecinueve años, recién llegada a la universidad, debería vivir despreocupadamente. Pero tiene miedo. Porque en su ciudad están desapareciendo chicas muy jóvenes. Primero fue Beatrice Oliver, una estudiante. Luego Mona Sin Apellido, una joven sin techo. Las dos desaparecidas en plena calle. Las dos sin dejar rastro.
Julia está decidida a averiguar los motivos que se ocultan detrás de las desapariciones. Y no quiere ser la siguiente...
July 1, 2015
Blonde Hair Blue Eyes is a short story prelude, which gives you the back story for Karin Slaughter’s new novel Pretty Girls. Now I am enjoying Pretty Girls a lot more than this short, I really didn’t like it that much at all. The prime reason was the main character Julia – I hated her and by the end of the read I just wanted to punch her lights out. She is self absorbed, selfish, mean, spiteful and nasty and I couldn’t find a single nice thing to say about her.
In addition she is described as being beautiful but finding her beauty a burden. Really? Come on, that is probably one of the most stupid things I have ever read. How many beautiful women do you really think would say “Oh I hate being beautiful, it is such a burden”.Absolute Rubbish. Although this gives you the back story, I would skip it and go straight to Pretty Girls, as you won’t really miss anything.
Many thanks to the publisher for the review copy.
In addition she is described as being beautiful but finding her beauty a burden. Really? Come on, that is probably one of the most stupid things I have ever read. How many beautiful women do you really think would say “Oh I hate being beautiful, it is such a burden”.Absolute Rubbish. Although this gives you the back story, I would skip it and go straight to Pretty Girls, as you won’t really miss anything.
Many thanks to the publisher for the review copy.
December 7, 2024
Julia Carroll is a nineteen-year-old journalism student who works on the University newspaper. After hearing about the disappearance of Beatrice Oliver, a fellow student at the University, Julie follows the case closely. After all, if one girl can disappear from the campus, what is to stop someone from abducting another? When a homeless woman called Mona-No-Name goes missing from the streets, Julia believes she may be able to write a story for the paper about the abductions. She wants to find out the reason behind these disappearances in hopes that another woman isn't abducted off of the streets.
This is a short (76 pages) prequel to "Pretty Girls". I liked how we got to know Julia and her sisters in this story. The ending makes me want to jump right into the next book. Hopefully I'll get to it shortly. My rating: 4 Stars.
This is a short (76 pages) prequel to "Pretty Girls". I liked how we got to know Julia and her sisters in this story. The ending makes me want to jump right into the next book. Hopefully I'll get to it shortly. My rating: 4 Stars.
April 6, 2025
The only reason my daughter has not come home is because someone is keeping her.” Keeping her.
Julia Carroll knows that too many stories start that way. Beautiful, intelligent, a nineteen-year-old college freshman, she should be carefree. But instead, she is frightened. Because girls are disappearing.
I dont know why I read this prequel to her book. Pretty girls were disasters, and I hated it. I was just curious I don't know about the writing style. I hated it. I keep reading about the same paragraph The characters were dull, especially Julia, for a girl who disappeared in the first book she was so annoying, she was sallow and narcissistic, also she was stupid I know I am supposed to feel bad for because what happens to her in pretty girls but I can't she knows girls are being kidnapped yet she goes alone in the dark in a drunk state and I don't have anything more to say this was underwhelming and anticlimactic and full of tropes also why does her Friend just let her go like that this felt useless filter to fill in the main storyline which I again hated it adds nothing to it other then being repeatedly boring
Julia Carroll knows that too many stories start that way. Beautiful, intelligent, a nineteen-year-old college freshman, she should be carefree. But instead, she is frightened. Because girls are disappearing.
I dont know why I read this prequel to her book. Pretty girls were disasters, and I hated it. I was just curious I don't know about the writing style. I hated it. I keep reading about the same paragraph The characters were dull, especially Julia, for a girl who disappeared in the first book she was so annoying, she was sallow and narcissistic, also she was stupid I know I am supposed to feel bad for because what happens to her in pretty girls but I can't she knows girls are being kidnapped yet she goes alone in the dark in a drunk state and I don't have anything more to say this was underwhelming and anticlimactic and full of tropes also why does her Friend just let her go like that this felt useless filter to fill in the main storyline which I again hated it adds nothing to it other then being repeatedly boring
August 19, 2015
Julia is a 19 year old finding her way in the world, making that journey away from her parents and family, trying to be independent, sometimes being an adult. She thinks she is in love for the first time. She is a journalism student writing for the campus newspaper and is given the opportunity to write a front page story. She is increasingly becoming aware of the terrible things men can do to women and has an idea to write about rape.
Karin Slaughter packs a lot into this short story, and I found it interesting. Every woman should think, "That could be me."
Karin Slaughter packs a lot into this short story, and I found it interesting. Every woman should think, "That could be me."
February 17, 2020
This is a prequel to Pretty Girls. I did not know that(like who doesn't know that?) so I read it after and was thinking that I just read about these girls, lol. It really didn't matter; I enjoyed it just the same. It's an introduction and a little background on the characters. It's very short and a nice hook at the end that will have you anxious to read Pretty Girls ASAP.
September 30, 2024
5 Stars for Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes (audiobook) by Karin Slaughter read by Kathleen Early.
College freshman Julia Carroll, is concerned about all of the missing girls in her community. She really wants to get to the bottom of what’s happening but maybe she should be more concerned about her own safety.
College freshman Julia Carroll, is concerned about all of the missing girls in her community. She really wants to get to the bottom of what’s happening but maybe she should be more concerned about her own safety.
March 12, 2017
It was good, the ending really makes you want to read the book, Pretty Girls.
December 1, 2019
Audio...5 Stars
Story...3 Stars
Story...3 Stars
August 26, 2015
I have always loved Karin Slaughter’s writing. It is heart-pounding, nerve-wracking suspense – usually. In “Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes,” Slaughter’s novella prequel to her newest novel, Pretty Girls, a nineteen-year-old college girl becomes fascinated – obsessed, really – with the disappearance of a young woman much like herself. She was blond, beautiful, and had her whole life ahead of her. Or so it seemed. She was last seen when she left her parents’ home to go buy ice cream for her dad. She never returned.
Now Julia Carroll, a feature writer on the college newspaper, hears footsteps behind her at every turn, yet she hopes to write a front-page story about young women who have disappeared. Julia is an interesting character. She’s the oldest girl in the family, and although she lives in the dormitory, she lives minutes away from her childhood home. At the start of the story, she is a virgin, but she is falling in love with a twenty-two-year-old guy and hoping for her first sexual experience.
Perhaps I have been spoiled by Slaughter’s electrifying thrillers where a shocking crime occurs on the opening pages, and then the tension continues to fill the pages until the very end. This was a very different kind of story. The introduction to Julia is slow, filled with details of everyday relationships and the thoughts of a college-age girl (and numerous parenthetical phrases – that’s different for Slaughter). I do have to admit that while the pace bothered me, I feel that the constant references to Julia’s inexperience with males, dating, and her obsession with what may have happened to the missing women was very important. However, nothing happens. I suspected something would happen, but there wasn’t the usual “spooky music feeling” I get when I know the author is building toward the moment.
Until just before it happens. Suddenly, something happens, and the book ends.
As a fan of Karin Slaughter’s thriller novels, I was disappointed in this novella, but that doesn’t deter me at all from wanting to read Pretty Girls. I am glad that I read “Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes” so that I have the back-story going in. One positive that I always find in
Ms. Slaughter’s writing is that she always finds a social issue to champion, be it racism, sexual discrimination, homophobia, or child abuse. In this book, the spotlight is on sexual harassment and rape, the subject that Julia planned to feature in her article. So I am still glad that I gave this book a chance. Not all books are 5 stars, and that’s okay.
3 stars.
Now Julia Carroll, a feature writer on the college newspaper, hears footsteps behind her at every turn, yet she hopes to write a front-page story about young women who have disappeared. Julia is an interesting character. She’s the oldest girl in the family, and although she lives in the dormitory, she lives minutes away from her childhood home. At the start of the story, she is a virgin, but she is falling in love with a twenty-two-year-old guy and hoping for her first sexual experience.
Perhaps I have been spoiled by Slaughter’s electrifying thrillers where a shocking crime occurs on the opening pages, and then the tension continues to fill the pages until the very end. This was a very different kind of story. The introduction to Julia is slow, filled with details of everyday relationships and the thoughts of a college-age girl (and numerous parenthetical phrases – that’s different for Slaughter). I do have to admit that while the pace bothered me, I feel that the constant references to Julia’s inexperience with males, dating, and her obsession with what may have happened to the missing women was very important. However, nothing happens. I suspected something would happen, but there wasn’t the usual “spooky music feeling” I get when I know the author is building toward the moment.
Until just before it happens. Suddenly, something happens, and the book ends.
As a fan of Karin Slaughter’s thriller novels, I was disappointed in this novella, but that doesn’t deter me at all from wanting to read Pretty Girls. I am glad that I read “Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes” so that I have the back-story going in. One positive that I always find in
Ms. Slaughter’s writing is that she always finds a social issue to champion, be it racism, sexual discrimination, homophobia, or child abuse. In this book, the spotlight is on sexual harassment and rape, the subject that Julia planned to feature in her article. So I am still glad that I gave this book a chance. Not all books are 5 stars, and that’s okay.
3 stars.
May 22, 2016
This takes us back to 1991, before Pretty Girls, setting up the character Julia, missing and presumed dead in P.G., getting abducted here. It's very short but packs a wallop in that Julia is trying to get a story printed in her college paper about a series of young pretty women gone missing. She has done her research on rape statistics and meets some resistance with her male counterparts disputing her facts and figures as known in 1991. More recent stats are reeled off at the very end in the Author's Note:
"According to the latest FBI crime clock data, in America in 2013, a woman was raped every 6.6 minutes. The CDC estimates that roughly 80% of all rapes go unreported." What would that 6.6 minutes become if 50% of rapes were reported; if 25% were reported? Very thought provoking.
"According to the latest FBI crime clock data, in America in 2013, a woman was raped every 6.6 minutes. The CDC estimates that roughly 80% of all rapes go unreported." What would that 6.6 minutes become if 50% of rapes were reported; if 25% were reported? Very thought provoking.
August 10, 2015
After reading a few reviews, I realised this probably wasn't the best introduction I could've had to Karin Slaughter. The short story is set in 1991 and focuses solely on Julia Carroll and her growing obsession with a girl who has recently gone missing. Julia was quite narcissistic and her whole life focus seemed to be on sex and the burden of being attractive (such a burden...). I didn't really like her much. The story develops slowly and it isn't until the last page that the real action occurs. Overall, it was ok and easy to read, just nothing much happened. What I liked most about it was the preview chapters of 'Pretty Girls' thrown in at the end. I think I will definitely be reading that one.
September 20, 2015
Julia Carroll can't stop thinking about Beatrice Oliver, a young girl that recently went missing. Was Beatrice Oliver kidnapped and could other young girls be a risk to be kidnapped?
I haven't read anything by Karin Slaughter before I read Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes and even though I found this short story well written and interesting is it just a teaser for her latest book Pretty Girls. She could just as easily just have used it as a prologue for her new book instead of making a short story of it.
I also made the mistake of reading the real prologue and the first chapter of that's included. Now I really want to read the book. I usually don't read first chapters included in books like this because I just find it annoying to not being able to read more...
I received this copy from Witness Impulse through Edelweiss in return for an honest review! Thank you!
I haven't read anything by Karin Slaughter before I read Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes and even though I found this short story well written and interesting is it just a teaser for her latest book Pretty Girls. She could just as easily just have used it as a prologue for her new book instead of making a short story of it.
I also made the mistake of reading the real prologue and the first chapter of that's included. Now I really want to read the book. I usually don't read first chapters included in books like this because I just find it annoying to not being able to read more...
I received this copy from Witness Impulse through Edelweiss in return for an honest review! Thank you!
January 8, 2022
such a great prequel just kinda wish i read it first. knowing the backstory of Julia while reading pretty girls would’ve been very helpful 😂
July 2, 2023
نویسنده حرفای نزدشو اینجا زده انگار.
June 27, 2015
Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes is a kindle short story by popular American author, Karin Slaughter. It details the events of a fateful spring day in the life of nineteen-year-old Julia Carroll, an attractive (blonde hair, blue eyes) student of journalism at University of Georgia, Athens. Her attention has been caught by the report of a college student, also nineteen, also blonde-haired, blue-eyed, now missing for five weeks: Julia may be a features writer for the UGA campus newspaper, but she wants to write a news story drawing attention to this possible abduction, and others like it.
This short story allows the reader to get to know a character who is conspicuous by her absence in Slaughter’s latest book, Pretty Girls, and witness some of the family dynamics before tragedy struck. The events of this story dovetail neatly with those related in Pretty Girls, and enhance that reading experience. It can be read as a stand-alone (without spoilers) before or after Pretty Girls, and is the perfect complement to that book. Excellent!
This short story allows the reader to get to know a character who is conspicuous by her absence in Slaughter’s latest book, Pretty Girls, and witness some of the family dynamics before tragedy struck. The events of this story dovetail neatly with those related in Pretty Girls, and enhance that reading experience. It can be read as a stand-alone (without spoilers) before or after Pretty Girls, and is the perfect complement to that book. Excellent!
June 2, 2017
This didn't feel like a Karin Slaughter book...
I don't know how to say it otherwise, it didn't had the normal enchantment or the usual grip all her other novels have.
Hopefully Pretty Girls are not as disappointing.
I don't know how to say it otherwise, it didn't had the normal enchantment or the usual grip all her other novels have.
Hopefully Pretty Girls are not as disappointing.
March 20, 2016
Currently Reading
February 11, 2025
This added no value to the story, and actually just irritated me. The entire story made a point of "not all men" while showing us that every man, save one, that Julia encountered was bad in some type of way. I think this detracted from the point. Also, by adding in more missing girls, it made me realize how many women went missing in the area without anyone noticing or doing anything about it. Like we know a lot of it was covered up, but this made it more obvious to me that the snatching wasn't well thought out considering patterns will eventually, or should eventually, get noticed by someone.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 2,361 reviews