As a survivor of sexual abuse myself, I approached Such a Pretty Picture with both curiosity and hesitation. I wasn’t sure how deeply it would resonate—or how much it might stir within me. But I committed to the journey and read the book from cover to cover.
About Such a Pretty Picture Book
📖 Book Description
Note: This story briefly touches on a sensitive or triggering topic. While they’re handled with care and subtlety, readers should be aware before diving in.
For readers of I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy and The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls, a candid and heart-wrenching memoir about child abuse, family secrets, and the healing that begins once the truth is revealed and the past is confronted.
Andrea is four and a half the first time her father, David, gives her a bath. Although she is young, she knows there is something strange about the way he is touching her. When her mother, Marlene, walks in to check on them, she howls and crumples to the floor—and when she opens her eyes, she is blind. Marlene’s hysterical blindness lasts for weeks, but her willful blindness lasts decades. The abuse continues, and Andrea spends a childhood living with a secret she can’t tell and a shame she is too afraid to name.
Despite it, she survives. She builds a life and tells herself she is fine. But at age thirty-three, an unwanted grope on a New York City subway triggers her past. Suddenly unable to remember how to forget, Andrea is forced to confront her past—and finally begin to heal.
This brave debut offers honest insight into a survivor’s journey. Readers will feel Andrea’s pain, her fear, and her shame—yet they will also feel her hope. And like Andrea, they will come to understand an important truth: though healing is complicated, it is possible to find joy and even grace in the wake of the most profound betrayals.
Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
📝 My Review
It’s hard not to reveal too much about the Such a Pretty Picture book, because Andrea’s story struck such a deep chord with me. So many parts mirrored my own experiences, it felt like she was telling my story. Her words pulled me back to long-suppressed memories I had buried for survival. Still, I don’t regret reading it.
Reading Such a Pretty Picture reminded me why I began blogging in the first place on my first blog; sharing my story helped me process pain, and in doing so, I connected with others who were quietly carrying similar wounds. Writing about my struggles, my path toward healing, and the coping tools I’ve learned along the way was not only therapeutic, but it seemed to help others, too.
This book is more than a memoir; it’s a powerful account of surviving childhood trauma and reclaiming your voice. The Such a Pretty Picture book deserves far more attention. It’s raw, honest, and at times hard to digest, but that’s what makes it important. It confronts the truth that many survivors live with daily.
The statistics behind these stories are staggering. According to RAINN, “every nine minutes, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted; every nine minutes that someone is a child.” They also report that 1 in 9 girls and 1 in 53 boys under 18 experience sexual abuse.
I still wrestle with unanswered questions. Why did my abusers do what they did? I may never know. Forgiveness has been one of the hardest parts of healing—complex, painful, and ongoing. While I’ve tried to forgive, I haven’t forgotten. And outside of a courtroom confrontation, I’ve never directly faced those who hurt me.
(Read more: The Power of Learning to Forgive)
Reading the Such a Pretty Picture book stirred something in me to finally write my own story. I can only hope that one day, my memoir empowers others the way Andrea’s book has empowered me.
🔗 Where to Get It
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About the Author
Andrea Leeb is a writer living in Venice Beach, California. She has an MFA from Bennington Writing Seminars, and her work has been published in numerous literary journals, including Litro Magazine, the Potomac Review, The Readers Post Journal, TPT Magazine, and Her Stry Literary Magazine. Previously, Andrea has worked as an attorney, a registered nurse, and a scuba
instructor. She currently spends her time writing, practicing yoga, mentoring young women, and volunteering with local and global non-profits.
Connect with Andrea Leeb Online
Her Website |Instagram |Threads
💬 Let’s Chat!
Have you read the book Such a Pretty Picture? What did you think?
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Oh that does sound like such a powerful memoir. I’ll never forget when I was in college and we had a professor that talked about the statistics of sexual abuse and he put it in terms of numbers of people in our class then went on to add that we really think those numbers are even higher since we base those numbers on reported cases and we know far more go unreported. It’s sobering and staggering.
I agree a lot more instances have gone unreported. I know a few people personally who have not reported it, but have suffered in silence. I have a long history of abuse, and it’s truly impacted me even to this day.
Oh my, that sounds so powerful.
I appreciate you sharing this review.
This is one of those books that will stay with you. I wish I saw it mentioned far more!!