Review: Broken Beauty by Chloe Adams
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 7, 2013
I received an e-copy of this book from the publishers at NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.NetGalley has almost become a 1-click request obsession with me. I find all these assorted books that intrigue and perplex me so I request them and then end up with so many I don't know how I will ever read them all. This book was one of those impulsive requests. I had heard good things about Lizzy Ford and was curious to see what her hard-hitting novella about such a tragic subject would be like. As someone who has dealt with such issues on a personal basis, I am impulsively drawn to read Mia's story.Mia's life is what dreams are made of. Rich, powerful, and adored by many, how could anything bad ever touch her? But, of course, bad things can effect even those from privileged stations. Mia attends a party with a fake ID and a hope of cutting loose and having fun. What she gets instead is a traumatic event in which she is beaten, raped and left in a garden like garbage. Mia's night is a blur of agony and devastation.The officers that find her are her only saving graces when her family is less than thrilled (or even concerned) about Mia's attack. Her political father seems more concerned with damage control and twisting the story for his own gain than whether his damaged daughter is well. Mia is left feeling utterly alone.The situation only gets worse as Mia struggles to understand what happened to her and how she can find justice for herself and other victims of her attackers while still abiding by her family's wishes. If she stays quiet can she stand to look in the mirror? If she speaks up will she lose the only family she has ever known?I was in tears almost the entire 78 pages of this book. Mia's experiences and lack of empathy from the people who are predestined to love her, makes me feel sick inside. How could people who are your blood and even the man who gave you life be more concerned with image and social standing than with the sanity and mental fortitude of someone like Mia? There is no way anyone in Mia's situation would be able to deal with that sort of issue without any sort of support. And to top it off? Being told to choose between standing by your family or seeking justice against your attacker? Who gives a young girl that sort of ultimatum?To say I enjoyed the book would not feel right to me. It was beautifully written, the characters were believable, and the subject, albeit a bit touchy, is something a lot of women can relate to. Rape is a horridly tragic crime to which no one should ever have to experience. I think this book is a wonderful fictional account of how rape victims deal with life afterwards. Not many people give much though to how a rape victim adjusts and lives in constant fear after they are violated. I think Broken Beauty should be read by women worldwide. It helps to understand that it DOES happen to other people.Broken Beauty is designed to make it's reader's hearts ache with sorrow and empathy for it's young protagonist, Mia. It is a poignant tale of violence, emotional trauma, and the struggle to hold it all together and heal physically, mentally and emotionally.Review Posted on: [...]