Kelly Gunderman

“The older I became, the more convinced I was that no one escaped this earth unscathed by human suffering.”

Our main character, Angela, has such a good life - her husband is very successful, she has a beautiful house, and all the money she could possibly want.

However, not everything is as it seems - in fact, things below the surface are darker.

Her husband has a difficult time keeping his hands to himself when they argue, which is what prompts the beginning of the story - after a particularly bad fight, Angela drives to the grocery store, where she meets Ben Landry - her literal dream guy.

After their brief encounter, Angela follows him home and learns things about his life, wishing that she could be the one he was going home to.

When she gets home, she eventually confesses to her abusive husband how she is no longer attracted to him, and how she has feelings for another guy - Ben. Determined to become everything Angela loves so that he can turn her away, he begins the horrifying descent into the world of back alley plastic surgery - and she finds herself paying the price.

Soon Angela is in way over her head, trapped in the world of plastic surgery and underground adult films. She finds herself doing things she never thought she would do, and spending time with people she normally would never have glanced at.

This novella is completely bizarre - and it goes from a suburban drama to a really dark and unsavory place, and fast. This is the kind of novella I read in a single sitting - I couldn't put it down. I absolutely was engrossed in the lives of the characters and the setting - even the themes. I devoured this one. And it left me wanting more. Like, I wish this had been a full novel-length book.

If you don't care much for adult themes or really dark plot lines, this might not be the right book for you. If this kind of thing really draws you in (like it does for me), then this is one that you definitely should not miss. It's dark, but it's oh-so-good - almost like a forbidden good, if you know what I mean?

I cannot wait to read more by this author!