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All Out of Pretty
How do you know who to trust? Can you even trust yourself, your own instincts, and choices? Andrea, or "Bones" as her mom calls her, thinks of herself as smart, but intelligence only gets you so far and she finds herself nowhere near as smart or as tough as she thought.
"All Out of Pretty" is a gripping, thoughtful look at one girl's journey to figuring out what really matters to her and how to take care of herself in a world where there are no responsible adults for her to rely on. Do you use your looks or your brains? Your stubbornness or flexibility? How do you survive a drug-addict mother and her dealer boyfriend? Andrea's voice will pull you along from the first sentence of this emotional roller-coaster of a book.
"All Out of Pretty" is a gripping, thoughtful look at one girl's journey to figuring out what really matters to her and how to take care of herself in a world where there are no responsible adults for her to rely on. Do you use your looks or your brains? Your stubbornness or flexibility? How do you survive a drug-addict mother and her dealer boyfriend? Andrea's voice will pull you along from the first sentence of this emotional roller-coaster of a book.
350 pages, Hardcover
First published April 3, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
May 24, 2018
I could not put this down. Such an amazing, sad story about a young girl in a horrible life situation. It was hard to read due to the hopelessness but I kept rooting for her.
February 13, 2020
This book really hit home with me.
April 30, 2018
Rating: 3.5 Stars
This book took me into a world of drugs and violence, and chronicled one girl's attempt to maintain those things she valued, while trying to survive her circumstances.
•Pro: Andrea was one of the greatest strengths of this book. Even when she was making poor choices, and I was shouting for her to STOP!, I still couldn't abandon her, because I understood that it was desperation driving her decisions, and it made me sad, filled me with rage, and appealed to my empathetic side.
•Pro: Gram was a wonderful and beautiful person, and I was so brokenhearted when Andrea lost her, because when she lost Gram, she lost her world and the future she was determined to hold onto.
•Con: This as a really tough read. Maybe it wouldn't be as realistic, but I wish there had been a few more bright spots to even out all the darkness.
•Pro/Con: Andrea's mother was the most deplorable and selfish person. I absolutely detested her. So, I guess Palmer did a great job creating that hot mess of a character.
•Pro: There are some scenes, which had my heart pounding. I was really invested in Andrea, and it was harrowing to read some of the passages, and helplessly stand by as she was forced to suffer though some harrowing situations.
•Con: We DID get some closure with the ending, and I was left feeling like things were moving in the right direction, but I would have liked a bigger jump ahead or something. I really wanted to know how Andrea made out.
•Pro: One super bright spot in this book was the Masterson family. They offered some comfort for Andrea, became her allies, and I just loved them.
•Pro: I mean this in an "I can't look away" type of thing - this book reminded me of one of those Lifetime movies. You know the ones, where you are looking at the dark side of things, and thanking your lucky stars that it's not your life. It's disturbing, but at the same time, so compelling.
Overall: An emotional, dark, and gritty look at the affects of addiction, and the lengths some must go to in order to survive that world.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
This book took me into a world of drugs and violence, and chronicled one girl's attempt to maintain those things she valued, while trying to survive her circumstances.
•Pro: Andrea was one of the greatest strengths of this book. Even when she was making poor choices, and I was shouting for her to STOP!, I still couldn't abandon her, because I understood that it was desperation driving her decisions, and it made me sad, filled me with rage, and appealed to my empathetic side.
•Pro: Gram was a wonderful and beautiful person, and I was so brokenhearted when Andrea lost her, because when she lost Gram, she lost her world and the future she was determined to hold onto.
•Con: This as a really tough read. Maybe it wouldn't be as realistic, but I wish there had been a few more bright spots to even out all the darkness.
•Pro/Con: Andrea's mother was the most deplorable and selfish person. I absolutely detested her. So, I guess Palmer did a great job creating that hot mess of a character.
•Pro: There are some scenes, which had my heart pounding. I was really invested in Andrea, and it was harrowing to read some of the passages, and helplessly stand by as she was forced to suffer though some harrowing situations.
•Con: We DID get some closure with the ending, and I was left feeling like things were moving in the right direction, but I would have liked a bigger jump ahead or something. I really wanted to know how Andrea made out.
•Pro: One super bright spot in this book was the Masterson family. They offered some comfort for Andrea, became her allies, and I just loved them.
•Pro: I mean this in an "I can't look away" type of thing - this book reminded me of one of those Lifetime movies. You know the ones, where you are looking at the dark side of things, and thanking your lucky stars that it's not your life. It's disturbing, but at the same time, so compelling.
Overall: An emotional, dark, and gritty look at the affects of addiction, and the lengths some must go to in order to survive that world.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
April 19, 2019
Andrea's life shattered with the death of her grandmother. Now having to live with her drug addict of a mother, Ayla, and her drug dealer boyfriend, Andrea must fend for herself. With school as her only solace, Andrea hides the tragedies of her life from everybody and hurts those she really care about.
In this heartbreakingly tragic novel, Andrea must learn to let in people when she needs it the most.
Such an impactful novel. I loved it. It was a beautifully written novel with intense meaning behind every word.
Throughout reading this novel, I kept thinking what would I do in this situation. I also realized that my life is pretty good. I have parents who love me and take care of me. I have a nice, warm house. I am always fed 3 meals a day. Andrea's mother did not take care of her and probably does love her because there's evidence of love from her mother to her in the novel, but it is a different kind of love than what my parents have for me. Before living at Judd's, her mother's boyfriend's house, Andrea was not always guaranteed a house to sleep and often times slept in the car. Andrea was also not guaranteed 3 meals a day even while living at Judd's house. Some people's lives are like Andrea's: messy, and not because they want them to be, but because they have no choice on the circumstances of their lives. I want to help these people, but I don't know how.
READ THIS BOOK!
In this heartbreakingly tragic novel, Andrea must learn to let in people when she needs it the most.
Such an impactful novel. I loved it. It was a beautifully written novel with intense meaning behind every word.
Throughout reading this novel, I kept thinking what would I do in this situation. I also realized that my life is pretty good. I have parents who love me and take care of me. I have a nice, warm house. I am always fed 3 meals a day. Andrea's mother did not take care of her and probably does love her because there's evidence of love from her mother to her in the novel, but it is a different kind of love than what my parents have for me. Before living at Judd's, her mother's boyfriend's house, Andrea was not always guaranteed a house to sleep and often times slept in the car. Andrea was also not guaranteed 3 meals a day even while living at Judd's house. Some people's lives are like Andrea's: messy, and not because they want them to be, but because they have no choice on the circumstances of their lives. I want to help these people, but I don't know how.
READ THIS BOOK!
July 25, 2018
I only gave this book four stars because of my level of enjoyment. I didn't enjoy it five stars worth, but I did enjoy it a great deal. But as far as books go, it's probably worth five stars. Very well written, very well paced and structured. Great amount of momentum. It was a sad book, which is why I was avoiding reading it, because I've been in this phase of reading happy, love books.
But, anyway, what I mostly took away from this book was the, uh, way Palmer manipulated my feelings. Rather than telling a story, she dropped the reader in a situation, that just kept getting worse, and the reader had to figure out how we'd get out of it. Can this girl get out of it?
She dropped us in, pulled us out, put us back in, stirred us around, gave us attachments, threatened those attachments. It was a very manipulative book. Different from regular old story telling. I think, writing a book like this, the situation draws most of your energy. Then you just kind of play around with it, dropping a character in said situation and think of ways out.
But, anyway, what I mostly took away from this book was the, uh, way Palmer manipulated my feelings. Rather than telling a story, she dropped the reader in a situation, that just kept getting worse, and the reader had to figure out how we'd get out of it. Can this girl get out of it?
She dropped us in, pulled us out, put us back in, stirred us around, gave us attachments, threatened those attachments. It was a very manipulative book. Different from regular old story telling. I think, writing a book like this, the situation draws most of your energy. Then you just kind of play around with it, dropping a character in said situation and think of ways out.
June 6, 2019
The book itself is not at ALL out of pretty, with a slick cover that needs no dust jacket, a cloth spine, and pages so crisply white it will make you question what imposter color you used to think white was -- all the better to sucker you in.
Because make no mistake, the story is wrenching. For the first 50-75 pages, I questioned whether I even had the stomach to finish it. I had keep "antidote books" on hand the whole time, middle grade novels and fluff that I could switch off with, to keep from being swallowed up by despair.
Friends might remember me raging about Now Is Everything, and how dumb it was that the abused girl didn't touch any of her million resources for help. But Andrea here truly doesn't have any lifelines, at least not reliable ones. She has no family except an unknown father and the addiction-riddled mother who got her into this mess. No close friends or boyfriend, because she always focused on schoolwork. No neighbors. Not even any teachers close enough to confide in, because by the time things start getting bad, she's changing schools too often to keep track.
When the novel opens, they're living in their car -- so things are already on a downward slope -- but she figures she'll be able to stick it out. The situation has to be temporary, has to be manageable. It probably would have been, but by the time she's with Judd, it's too late.
The drug world is a WHOLE different universe of scary. A guy says you work for him, you owe him for your existence? You don't have an out, not as long as he wants you around. Murder is a credible threat, and it extends to anyone you visibly care about. Scary as he is, he also knows plenty of people, potentially including law enforcement members, reducing his risk of being punished and upping your own risk of harm.
So once she more or less figures out how to keep the heat off herself, even if it means being a drug runner, you understand that that's the best she can hope for, combined with his promise to release her on her 18th birthday. Andrea's already had experience with a Creepy Foster Dad that's justifiably made her unwilling to surrender the devil she knows for one she doesn't, not when she's so close to aging out. At least Judd doesn't seem interested in underage girls, nor in farming them out.
But that doesn't mean it doesn't shred your heart in half to watch this girl -- this perfect, straight-A student who has done nothing wrong in her life ever, who has grown up loved and cherished by her grandmother in spite of being birthed by the world's worst mother (whom she accurately identified as toxic from a young age), given as many tools for success as any other middle class suburban girl and using them all appropriately -- be dropped like a stone into such a seedy world that mere homelessness starts to look like a good life circumstance. It's like she's been trafficked in her own backyard. I understood absolutely every decision she made, every painful choice she had to rationalize to herself, because I saw for myself how much punishment she got when she tried to rebel or run.
The simultaneously best and worst thing is that even then, she doesn't let it drag her down. She doesn't give up and say, "Well, being perfect got me nowhere, so I might as well just give up and try some drugs / get drunk to escape, like Mommie Dearest." No. She never, ever loses sight of the goal that is getting through school, getting accepted to college, making her own independent way.
So somehow, I kept going too -- even past the point where her beloved books are burned as punishment, the worst thing you could do to me! -- until this book FINALLY took its foot off my neck and let her make friends of the neighbors, sweet and innocent Chloe (14, about to start high school, and one of the best representations of the clearly-still-mostly-a-middle-schooler freshman I've ever seen) and her older cousin Brick, whose name I would totally mock if he had not turned out to be the kindest, most unassuming young gentleman I have ever seen, and who made my fingers curl with relish from his first scene to his last. Though her home situation continues to worsen, the time she's allowed with him and Chloe is the sweetest reprieve.
(Speaking of Brick and sweetness: this author knows what she is doing, because there is no faster way to make me swoon than
This book doesn't end all neatly wrapped in a bow, but it ends in a satisfying way nevertheless. Will I ever have the strength to read it again? Probably not, at least not in full. But you should.
Because make no mistake, the story is wrenching. For the first 50-75 pages, I questioned whether I even had the stomach to finish it. I had keep "antidote books" on hand the whole time, middle grade novels and fluff that I could switch off with, to keep from being swallowed up by despair.
Friends might remember me raging about Now Is Everything, and how dumb it was that the abused girl didn't touch any of her million resources for help. But Andrea here truly doesn't have any lifelines, at least not reliable ones. She has no family except an unknown father and the addiction-riddled mother who got her into this mess. No close friends or boyfriend, because she always focused on schoolwork. No neighbors. Not even any teachers close enough to confide in, because by the time things start getting bad, she's changing schools too often to keep track.
When the novel opens, they're living in their car -- so things are already on a downward slope -- but she figures she'll be able to stick it out. The situation has to be temporary, has to be manageable. It probably would have been, but by the time she's with Judd, it's too late.
The drug world is a WHOLE different universe of scary. A guy says you work for him, you owe him for your existence? You don't have an out, not as long as he wants you around. Murder is a credible threat, and it extends to anyone you visibly care about. Scary as he is, he also knows plenty of people, potentially including law enforcement members, reducing his risk of being punished and upping your own risk of harm.
So once she more or less figures out how to keep the heat off herself, even if it means being a drug runner, you understand that that's the best she can hope for, combined with his promise to release her on her 18th birthday. Andrea's already had experience with a Creepy Foster Dad that's justifiably made her unwilling to surrender the devil she knows for one she doesn't, not when she's so close to aging out. At least Judd doesn't seem interested in underage girls, nor in farming them out.
But that doesn't mean it doesn't shred your heart in half to watch this girl -- this perfect, straight-A student who has done nothing wrong in her life ever, who has grown up loved and cherished by her grandmother in spite of being birthed by the world's worst mother (whom she accurately identified as toxic from a young age), given as many tools for success as any other middle class suburban girl and using them all appropriately -- be dropped like a stone into such a seedy world that mere homelessness starts to look like a good life circumstance. It's like she's been trafficked in her own backyard. I understood absolutely every decision she made, every painful choice she had to rationalize to herself, because I saw for myself how much punishment she got when she tried to rebel or run.
The simultaneously best and worst thing is that even then, she doesn't let it drag her down. She doesn't give up and say, "Well, being perfect got me nowhere, so I might as well just give up and try some drugs / get drunk to escape, like Mommie Dearest." No. She never, ever loses sight of the goal that is getting through school, getting accepted to college, making her own independent way.
So somehow, I kept going too -- even past the point where her beloved books are burned as punishment, the worst thing you could do to me! -- until this book FINALLY took its foot off my neck and let her make friends of the neighbors, sweet and innocent Chloe (14, about to start high school, and one of the best representations of the clearly-still-mostly-a-middle-schooler freshman I've ever seen) and her older cousin Brick, whose name I would totally mock if he had not turned out to be the kindest, most unassuming young gentleman I have ever seen, and who made my fingers curl with relish from his first scene to his last. Though her home situation continues to worsen, the time she's allowed with him and Chloe is the sweetest reprieve.
(Speaking of Brick and sweetness: this author knows what she is doing, because there is no faster way to make me swoon than
This book doesn't end all neatly wrapped in a bow, but it ends in a satisfying way nevertheless. Will I ever have the strength to read it again? Probably not, at least not in full. But you should.
April 7, 2019
This book follows the story of Andrea, whose already difficult life is turned upside down when she is forced to live with her mother, who is a long-time drug addict, and her mother's boyfriend, who is her mother's supplier and who enlists Andrea in his enterprise. The book has been criticized for having "too few bright spots," but then those same reviewers admit that people who believe they are trapped in this lifestyle DON'T have many bright spots in their lives. I certainly wouldn't say this book is easy to digesr, but I do feel it's a valuable keyhole view into a world that people outside this lifestyle cannot begin to comprehend.
November 10, 2017
ALL OUT OF PRETTY sneaks up on you unexpectedly. Unflinching in its depiction of a smart, yet vulnerable girl's descent into a back-woods world of violence, drugs, manipulation and control, Andrea's story never strays too far from hope. It is this hope whether through unexpected friendships, memories of a loving grandmother or the survival instincts of a smart, yet vulnerable girl that make this book so compelling. Readers won't be able to put this book down for wanting to know what happens next.
December 18, 2017
All Out of Pretty is a remarkable book. The main character Andrea, a.k.a. Bones, has an intelligence and level of grit that shines through no matter how desperate her situation gets. It's a blunt, forceful, and fearless story, written beautifully and with a suspense that always feels earned. Put it on your TBR.
August 10, 2018
This was a stunning book. I believe it completely captured the hopelessness of Andrea who unexpectedly falls into the life of drugs and domestic violence. It was a heartbreaking beautiful story about what can make you unbreakable and what truly makes one pretty.
August 22, 2018
This book was heart rending and probably far too true to life for some children and teens. Andrea is a very smart girl who ends up in an absolutely deplorable situation...and she just doesn't know how to get out of it. My heart ached for her. I was quickly drawn into the book and cared about Andrea...and felt so frustrated and worried for her. I look forward to our discussion at book club.
August 1, 2024
Absolutely incredible. I read it in one day almost in one sitting. It had me terrified and excited in the same twenty minutes. Definitely a new fav
December 1, 2025
I hate men
May 3, 2018
I feel like the book was really brought into depth about what she had to go through in her life. Also she had a lot of family problems like her dad leaving her and her mom on drugs and being involved into bad things. I enjoyed how the beginning chapters were like then and now talking about how her life was then and now.
August 2, 2018
I could not put this book down! It's amazing to me how strong young people can be. Andrea is amazing!
May 27, 2020
Just a very well done book
Just beautifully done, I wish I could just hug Andrea and tell her it’s going to be ok
Just beautifully done, I wish I could just hug Andrea and tell her it’s going to be ok
May 11, 2019
This book was probably the hardest book I've ever read, and that surprises me, considering the realism class I just finished was filled with tons of books about really harsh realities. But this book just takes the cake. So be sure to be in the right mindset when you read it, and have tissues nearby.
That being said, it's a great book. It reads fast--I finished it the same day I started it. It's fast-paced, and grips you, drags you into Andrea's world with no respite.
In this book is drug-running, addiction, abuse, desperation, and PTSD. Andrea makes friends. She betrays them. She begins school. She has to quit it. Her life is all about survival, and for the time being, she has to survive for at least the next two years, especially since her mother is too busy begging for drugs to do anything about it.
Even with the horrors this book shares, it allows for a truly intriguing discussion on the topics of motherhood, addiction, survival, and men's need for power. It's made clear to us that this is not the lowest Andrea could be--after all, a drug runner, in comparison to other stations, is pretty good. Which is terrifying to think about. More terrifying when you realize that this must be someone's lived reality out there in the world.
It's a hell of a debut book. It takes no short cuts, it does not shy away from violence. It's a sucker punch, the contraction of a stomach ache, a hitch in your breath. And it's worth it.
Review cross-listed here!
That being said, it's a great book. It reads fast--I finished it the same day I started it. It's fast-paced, and grips you, drags you into Andrea's world with no respite.
In this book is drug-running, addiction, abuse, desperation, and PTSD. Andrea makes friends. She betrays them. She begins school. She has to quit it. Her life is all about survival, and for the time being, she has to survive for at least the next two years, especially since her mother is too busy begging for drugs to do anything about it.
Even with the horrors this book shares, it allows for a truly intriguing discussion on the topics of motherhood, addiction, survival, and men's need for power. It's made clear to us that this is not the lowest Andrea could be--after all, a drug runner, in comparison to other stations, is pretty good. Which is terrifying to think about. More terrifying when you realize that this must be someone's lived reality out there in the world.
It's a hell of a debut book. It takes no short cuts, it does not shy away from violence. It's a sucker punch, the contraction of a stomach ache, a hitch in your breath. And it's worth it.
Review cross-listed here!
April 19, 2018
All Out of Pretty by Ingrid Palmer
Thanks to the @kidlitexchange network for the review copy of this book — all opinions are my own.
All Out of Pretty will melt, tear, and fill your heart. Repeatedly. I will be honest, I was fortunate enough to grow up with two parents who loved and protected me. As a result, I spent the first quarter of Andrea’s story thinking, “That would never happen in real life. Someone would help a girl like Andrea.” Finally, it dawned on me that this story is probably way too close to the stories of hundreds, even thousands, of girls in the United States (and so many more outside of the country). Realizing this, I found myself devouring every bit of Andrea’s journey, from her mother’s crippling addiction, to the abusive and dangerous men surrounding them.
Every time I thought Andrea was finally free and could not possibly take any more…there was more. I found myself needing to put this book down, walk away, listen to a happy song, and come back to Andrea’s heartbreaking tale; HOWEVER, Andrea’s story, no matter how dark or discouraging it became, never strayed far from HOPE. Andrea is a new kind of strong, and I think every student, teacher, and parent should read her story.
#KidLitExchange
Thanks to the @kidlitexchange network for the review copy of this book — all opinions are my own.
All Out of Pretty will melt, tear, and fill your heart. Repeatedly. I will be honest, I was fortunate enough to grow up with two parents who loved and protected me. As a result, I spent the first quarter of Andrea’s story thinking, “That would never happen in real life. Someone would help a girl like Andrea.” Finally, it dawned on me that this story is probably way too close to the stories of hundreds, even thousands, of girls in the United States (and so many more outside of the country). Realizing this, I found myself devouring every bit of Andrea’s journey, from her mother’s crippling addiction, to the abusive and dangerous men surrounding them.
Every time I thought Andrea was finally free and could not possibly take any more…there was more. I found myself needing to put this book down, walk away, listen to a happy song, and come back to Andrea’s heartbreaking tale; HOWEVER, Andrea’s story, no matter how dark or discouraging it became, never strayed far from HOPE. Andrea is a new kind of strong, and I think every student, teacher, and parent should read her story.
#KidLitExchange
January 16, 2021
Well that took a long freaking time. There are things I loved about this and things I didn’t. I’ve been in similar shoes before so I thought this book would really resonate in that way and it did but ours had never been like that. It’s not an easy situation and it’s not one you typically like to talk about either. Just never be afraid to speak up. For you. For yourself. For the people you love. It could save their life. If you keep it in even for a day, you could be too late and be putting you all in more danger. So please. Speak up. You’ll feel so much better that you did.
August 21, 2018
Well written and compelling to the end, this was a hard read about a very hard life. I feel so bad that children seem to slip through the cracks and no one notices that they need help. Andrea's tolerance for the bad she knows vs the possible bad that is unknown was so incredibly depressing because I am sure that is a very true to life sentiment for so many kids.
August 28, 2018
Wow. This book was spectacular. The main character, Andrea, went though so much. And even after everything that happened, she got to the bright side of life. It was so touching and it makes you think about other peoples lives. You wish you had the forest to run into. You wish you could help her. That you could stop her from stealing the jewelry. But, it was amazing all the same.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 9, 2018
Harrowing....the only word I can use to describe this book. It's soul crushing because it feels so real. It's a total page turner and, though I felt tortured reading it (again that gritty realism), I'm glad I read it.
June 1, 2018
Teen girl is caught in a nightmare situation thanks to her addict mother. Andrea lived with her grandmother for years, with her mother lurching in and out thanks to her addictions. But when her grandmother dies, mom shows up and snatches her away, not even letting her stay for the funeral.
She soon discovers that mom is only back so that she can get her mitts on Andrea's trust fund until she reaches 18. Luckily it is only doled out in 6 month increments and requires proof that she's enrolled and doing well in school before mom gets the money or things would have gotten even worse for her.
Mom straightens up for a while, getting a decent apartment for them and enrolling Andrea in a private school. She's dreaming of college when the deputies show up with the eviction notice and she learns mom has blown through their money because she's using again.
Forced to live in their car, mom goes into a bar to hoodwink some guy into taking them in for a night or two. Unfortunately, she runs into 'old friend' Judd and plunges Andrea into a nightmare. Judd takes them in but she pays the price.
Judd lives out in the woods with no neighbors within shouting distance. He's a mid-level drug supplier; he keeps mom stoned just enough to keep her compliant not wanting to lose her next fix. But he puts Andrea to work, measuring the drugs and then sewing them into products like teddy bears and jacket liners. And then she has to help make deliveries, in addition to cleaning the house and catering to his every whim.
He brutalizes her to break her resistance, smacking her head, kicking her, slamming her against walls, pushing her down stairs, whipping her with a belt, and threatening her mother and to turn her over to associates that run a prostitution ring. So she's forced to comply, biding her time and trying to convince her mother they need to get away.
But mom is happily stoned and uninterested.He tells Andrea she only has to endure it for two years until she's 18; by then he'll have made enough money that he and mom can move to the islands and she can do what she wants. But because of an abortive escape attempt he decides she must come up with $700 to pay back her expenses if she wants to buy her freedom first. He keeps her penniless and obviously won't let her get a paying job so its an impossible requirement to meet. Andrea isn't an idiot and quickly figures out that Judd is keeping them around so that he can get his paws on her trust fund payouts as they come available.
As the summer goes on he allows her some freedom to roam the woods when he doesn't need her to work, but proves that his threat that he has a network of associates that will spy on her in town is true. Anything she tries to do will get back to him. She crosses paths with a girl and her cousin but tries to keep them at arms length, not wanting them to know her true circumstances.
Judd would keep her out of school altogether if proof of her attendance wasn't required, so she now goes to the local high school. But he gives her a cell phone and expects her to reply to every call or text within two minutes or else, regardless of whether she's in class, and to leave to handle deliveries. And when he finds out about the girl and cousin he adds them to the consequences if Andrea tries to cross him.
Extracting herself from this mess is long and painful, almost costing Andrea her life and forcing her to betray the only people who've cared for her. Meanwhile her mother double-crosses her so she can contentedly sits around watching Andrea being brutalized and doing nothing as long as her drugs kept coming.
She soon discovers that mom is only back so that she can get her mitts on Andrea's trust fund until she reaches 18. Luckily it is only doled out in 6 month increments and requires proof that she's enrolled and doing well in school before mom gets the money or things would have gotten even worse for her.
Mom straightens up for a while, getting a decent apartment for them and enrolling Andrea in a private school. She's dreaming of college when the deputies show up with the eviction notice and she learns mom has blown through their money because she's using again.
Forced to live in their car, mom goes into a bar to hoodwink some guy into taking them in for a night or two. Unfortunately, she runs into 'old friend' Judd and plunges Andrea into a nightmare. Judd takes them in but she pays the price.
Judd lives out in the woods with no neighbors within shouting distance. He's a mid-level drug supplier; he keeps mom stoned just enough to keep her compliant not wanting to lose her next fix. But he puts Andrea to work, measuring the drugs and then sewing them into products like teddy bears and jacket liners. And then she has to help make deliveries, in addition to cleaning the house and catering to his every whim.
He brutalizes her to break her resistance, smacking her head, kicking her, slamming her against walls, pushing her down stairs, whipping her with a belt, and threatening her mother and to turn her over to associates that run a prostitution ring. So she's forced to comply, biding her time and trying to convince her mother they need to get away.
But mom is happily stoned and uninterested.He tells Andrea she only has to endure it for two years until she's 18; by then he'll have made enough money that he and mom can move to the islands and she can do what she wants. But because of an abortive escape attempt he decides she must come up with $700 to pay back her expenses if she wants to buy her freedom first. He keeps her penniless and obviously won't let her get a paying job so its an impossible requirement to meet. Andrea isn't an idiot and quickly figures out that Judd is keeping them around so that he can get his paws on her trust fund payouts as they come available.
As the summer goes on he allows her some freedom to roam the woods when he doesn't need her to work, but proves that his threat that he has a network of associates that will spy on her in town is true. Anything she tries to do will get back to him. She crosses paths with a girl and her cousin but tries to keep them at arms length, not wanting them to know her true circumstances.
Judd would keep her out of school altogether if proof of her attendance wasn't required, so she now goes to the local high school. But he gives her a cell phone and expects her to reply to every call or text within two minutes or else, regardless of whether she's in class, and to leave to handle deliveries. And when he finds out about the girl and cousin he adds them to the consequences if Andrea tries to cross him.
Extracting herself from this mess is long and painful, almost costing Andrea her life and forcing her to betray the only people who've cared for her. Meanwhile her mother double-crosses her so she can contentedly sits around watching Andrea being brutalized and doing nothing as long as her drugs kept coming.
August 30, 2018
Words cannot even begin to describe how raw and real this book was. When I first picked it up I didn’t read the summary, just the first page and it pulled me in. I didn’t know why, didn’t even know the plot, but I knew I had to read it . Boy I didn’t know the ride of pain and heart break I was in for. This book is a masterpiece. This book is about a girl named Andrea who has a mother named Alya who is a drug addict. All her life her mom has been in and out as she lived with her grandma leading a normal safe life. Once day her grandma passes away and after living in foster care with an abusive father, her mom ends up getting custody. Things aren’t great from the start but they aren’t as bad as they get. Her mom lives in a house with her and she attends school and all is alright, until she gets evicted. After they get evicted her mom uses her looks to get guys to let them in and they go through many people and houses until they land at Alya (her moms) old friend Judd. Judd is a drug dealer, he’s also abusive and manipulative and uses Andrea to help sell drugs and even though he abuses Andrea, her mom, Alya, is too high and messed up to care. As their story continues you read about their escape the abuse and even get to see Andrea find true friends but have to hide so much from them.
*spoilers ahead*
Once Andrea finally tells the police or tries to, her plan gets spoiled and she gets hurt and her friends who she’s slowly revealed the truth to more and more help her in and get the whole truth in the end. After she escapes she gets a hearing and the end result is all very realistic not all all your happy fairy tale ending. The author makes a case so real with a result so real. Andrea gets probation and community service since while she was in danger she was still selling and dealing drugs. Then she gets sent off to a home for girls to stay until she becomes an adult and is given time to heal. The book doesn’t end with her with a family or happy but it ends with her on the road to being okay. One of her best friends, Brick, who she thought was mad at her for past reasons comes and visits and gives her a gift and the book ends with her accepting her fate and where she is.
I love this book because it isnt a sugar coat, the romance isn’t some insta love, it’s mostly raw friendship, realistic friendship. I love that the character doesn’t just escape and get to stay with her friends, she has to face consequences as unfair as it is, and she has to go where she dreaded to go, a home for girls. I love that the book doesn’t end with her completely healed but gives the clear path that she will be okay.
Overall this book is a masterpiece, it is harsh, it is beautiful, and it breaks your heart page by page. If you see this book, pick it up, it’s a must.
*spoilers ahead*
Once Andrea finally tells the police or tries to, her plan gets spoiled and she gets hurt and her friends who she’s slowly revealed the truth to more and more help her in and get the whole truth in the end. After she escapes she gets a hearing and the end result is all very realistic not all all your happy fairy tale ending. The author makes a case so real with a result so real. Andrea gets probation and community service since while she was in danger she was still selling and dealing drugs. Then she gets sent off to a home for girls to stay until she becomes an adult and is given time to heal. The book doesn’t end with her with a family or happy but it ends with her on the road to being okay. One of her best friends, Brick, who she thought was mad at her for past reasons comes and visits and gives her a gift and the book ends with her accepting her fate and where she is.
I love this book because it isnt a sugar coat, the romance isn’t some insta love, it’s mostly raw friendship, realistic friendship. I love that the character doesn’t just escape and get to stay with her friends, she has to face consequences as unfair as it is, and she has to go where she dreaded to go, a home for girls. I love that the book doesn’t end with her completely healed but gives the clear path that she will be okay.
Overall this book is a masterpiece, it is harsh, it is beautiful, and it breaks your heart page by page. If you see this book, pick it up, it’s a must.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 24, 2018
Disclaimer: I was provided this book for free from KidLitExchange and Creston Books. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Rating: 4/5
Genre: YA Contemporary
Recommended Age: 16+ (drugs, violence, mature content)
Pages: 350
Author Website
Amazon Link
Synopsis: How do you know who to trust? Can you even trust yourself, your own instincts, and choices? Andrea, or "Bones" as her mom calls her, thinks of herself as smart, but intelligence only gets you so far and she finds herself nowhere near as smart or as tough as she thought.
"All Out of Pretty" is a gripping, thoughtful look at one girl's journey to figuring out what really matters to her and how to take care of herself in a world where there are no responsible adults for her to rely on. Do you use your looks or your brains? Your stubbornness or flexibility? How do you survive a drug-addict mother and her dealer boyfriend? Andrea's voice will pull you along from the first sentence of this emotional roller-coaster of a book.
I’ve never felt for someone’s struggles as much as I did Andrea. I felt that her character development was very well done and that the book did very well making the reader feel for Andrea and all of these characters. The character development for all of the characters was so well done! I also felt that the book was a very fast read.
However, I did feel that the ending really didn’t resolve anything and that this book might be a bit too tough of a read for some younger YA readers.
Verdict: A realistic look at the harsh realities of life.
Rating: 4/5
Genre: YA Contemporary
Recommended Age: 16+ (drugs, violence, mature content)
Pages: 350
Author Website
Amazon Link
Synopsis: How do you know who to trust? Can you even trust yourself, your own instincts, and choices? Andrea, or "Bones" as her mom calls her, thinks of herself as smart, but intelligence only gets you so far and she finds herself nowhere near as smart or as tough as she thought.
"All Out of Pretty" is a gripping, thoughtful look at one girl's journey to figuring out what really matters to her and how to take care of herself in a world where there are no responsible adults for her to rely on. Do you use your looks or your brains? Your stubbornness or flexibility? How do you survive a drug-addict mother and her dealer boyfriend? Andrea's voice will pull you along from the first sentence of this emotional roller-coaster of a book.
I’ve never felt for someone’s struggles as much as I did Andrea. I felt that her character development was very well done and that the book did very well making the reader feel for Andrea and all of these characters. The character development for all of the characters was so well done! I also felt that the book was a very fast read.
However, I did feel that the ending really didn’t resolve anything and that this book might be a bit too tough of a read for some younger YA readers.
Verdict: A realistic look at the harsh realities of life.
October 23, 2020
I have no doubt that this book will appeal to many teen readers who have lost their joy of reading - or maybe never really have tapped into that feeling - through a story that is slings out one tough scenario after another in an effort to try to break Andrea, or "Bones". A child of an absent and drug-addicted mother, she is forced to live with her after her beloved grandmother dies, ejecting Andrea from her life of studies, school, and safely - as if through a trap door - into a sordid underworld full of terribly violent men, drug dealing, human trafficking, and horrific abuse.
Ingrid Palmer paces this story with alternating chapters of Andrea's traumatic and dangerous present with her past, compelling readers to keep turning the pages. And keep turning, I predict, is what they will do. This book was recommended to me by a student, forever urging me to read it. Now that I have, I can see why. It's a tough book for tough young women, especially, and I will recommend it to readers who might know of some of this hardship themselves and, through their heart-breaking resilience, are survivors.
Ingrid Palmer paces this story with alternating chapters of Andrea's traumatic and dangerous present with her past, compelling readers to keep turning the pages. And keep turning, I predict, is what they will do. This book was recommended to me by a student, forever urging me to read it. Now that I have, I can see why. It's a tough book for tough young women, especially, and I will recommend it to readers who might know of some of this hardship themselves and, through their heart-breaking resilience, are survivors.
July 16, 2018
As I've mentioned before, I don't read a ton of contemporary YA because there aren't enough castles and men in chainmail roaming about them, but this book made me want to dive into the genre more. It is not a comfortable read, it is brutal and intense and that is what made it so incredible. I cared about the main character, Bones, deeply and the way that Palmer made things go from bad to worse to catastrophic to nuclear kept me turning the pages. The book deals with lies, addiction, and poverty, so it's not a light read, but the way Bones keeps fighting her way through the crappy cards she's been dealt keeps you hoping.
I so wanted a strapping knight in shining armor to scoop Bones up and carry her away. But that's not this genre, and I'm glad. There aren't any biceps waiting around the corner to rescue her, this is real life and it's complicated, messy, and tragic but you'll keep hoping until the very end that someday the sun will shine on Bones.
I so wanted a strapping knight in shining armor to scoop Bones up and carry her away. But that's not this genre, and I'm glad. There aren't any biceps waiting around the corner to rescue her, this is real life and it's complicated, messy, and tragic but you'll keep hoping until the very end that someday the sun will shine on Bones.
March 15, 2021
“All Out of Pretty” by Ingrid Palmer is heart-wrenching, but it is a book that you can not pull your nose out of! Andrea is an intelligent, sophomore girl who has always lived under the roof of her Gram’s house. She has friends, good grades, and a great place to sleep. Andrea knows how unstable her mother, Alya, is, but she never had to deal with her full time. Soon, this all ends for her when everything came falling apart after the death of her Gram. Now she’s forced to live with her drug addicted mother that doesn’t seem to mind her, her mother’s drug dealing boyfriend, who can not seem to release his deathly grip on Andrea. As Andrea struggles to find herself while she goes through the abuse, struggles, violence, drugs, and troubles, she still fights her way out.
This book turned my emotions into one big roller coaster! I never knew whether to be mad, sad or confused while reading this, but either way it kept me interested in the entire time. I have read some excellent books, but I think this might be my favorite by far! I feel so bad for Andrea during this because I know she just must have been so confused and crushed. Even though I did not agree with every one of her decisions, I understand she was in a hard place and she was doing whatever she could to pull herself out. I admire her tenacious behavior. It truly showed me that no matter how bad I think I have it, it could be so much worse. I highly recommend this book, you will not regret it!
This book turned my emotions into one big roller coaster! I never knew whether to be mad, sad or confused while reading this, but either way it kept me interested in the entire time. I have read some excellent books, but I think this might be my favorite by far! I feel so bad for Andrea during this because I know she just must have been so confused and crushed. Even though I did not agree with every one of her decisions, I understand she was in a hard place and she was doing whatever she could to pull herself out. I admire her tenacious behavior. It truly showed me that no matter how bad I think I have it, it could be so much worse. I highly recommend this book, you will not regret it!
February 28, 2018
This is a terrific book, though not an easy read. The teenage protagonist, Andrea, begins the novel in a bad situation which steadily gets worse as the story progresses. It's not an easy read because of the realism of Andrea's situation. Palmer does not flinch from portraying the brutal sides of poverty, desperation, abuse, and drug addiction. There were times reading it I wanted to reach into the book and protect this young girl who suffers so much. Palmer manages to sustain my sympathy for Andrea, even as the teen makes choices which make her situation worse, because she creates a vivid interior life for Andrea that allows those choices to make sense within the context of the story and the character's motivation. A moving and eventually redemptive story that takes no easy ways out.
August 7, 2024
Books like these are not super easy to read, in my opinion. Not because the writings necessarily difficult, but seeing these situations that characters are in and knowing that people out there actually go through this. But I think that's what makes these books even more needed. I loved All Out of Pretty a lot more than I thought I would. My sister has been begging me to read it for years but I have never picked it up before now. I finished it the same day I started it. I had to put it down several times because a lot of it's extremely stressful and honestly hard to read, but it's an accurate depiction of a horrible situation that happens all too often. It was good at times and heartbreaking at others. Overall, it was well worth my sisters constant stream of praise.
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