So Much Pretty is the debut novel

Debut novel

A debut novel is the first novel an author publishes. Debut novels are the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to publish in the future...

 of Cara Hoffman

Cara Hoffman

Cara Hoffman is a New York City based novelist and journalist. Simon & Schuster published So Much Pretty, her first novel, on March 15, 2011. She was born in rural New York State and has one son.- Early years :...

, published by Simon and Schuster and released on March 15, 2011.

Plot

So Much Pretty is about a young woman, Wendy White, who goes missing from her small town and is found murdered several months later. The novel then focuses on the investigation into her life, disappearance, and death by reporter Stacey Flynn.

Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Publishers Weekly

Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...

 gave the novel a starred review, calling it a "remarkable debut". Booklist

Booklist

Booklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...

 compared it to a mixture of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is an award-winning crime novel by Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larsson. It is the first book in the trilogy known as the "Millennium series"....

and The Lovely Bones

The Lovely Bones

The Lovely Bones is a 2002 novel by Alice Sebold. It is the story of a teenage girl who, after being raped and murdered, watches from her personal Heaven as her family and friends struggle to move on with their lives while she comes to terms with her own death. The novel received much critical...

, and said Hoffman was a "talented new writer". The LA Times

Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....

said it was a "skillful, psychologically acute tale", concluding that "... the payoff is more than worth the slow-building suspense".