Pretty as a Peach is a dramatic contemporary novel so captivating, I couldn’t put it down! With a perfect blend of strong friendships, mid-life crises, and the struggle to find purpose and discover the truth, this novel kept me hooked until the final page.
Main Themes
Delilah has never fit into her posh family or a town that expect everyone to make something spectacular of themselves. She is perfectly content to teach her preschool class and sell homemade soap at the farmer’s market, while relying on her close-knit group of childhood friends for a sense of community. But when a MLM cosmetic company, Peach Pit) pops up in town, it threats the success of her soap company and starts to divide her friends into those who support (and profit off of) Peach Pit and those who don’t trust the shady company.
When people start having bad reactions to the Peach Pit products, Delilah is torn between confronting her friends about the dangers of continuing to sell the products and staying quiet to keep the peace. As the situation escalates and battle lines are drawn, she has to decide what is worth fighting for as she slowly realizes she is stronger than she thinks.
There are themes of staying loyal to friends, setting healthy boundaries with manipulative people, taking a stand against injustice, and having the courage to saying the truth, even if it’s unpopular and no one wants to hear it.
Faith Elements
There are no overt faith elements in Pretty as a Peach, although many of the main themes demonstrate biblical attributes such as honestly, loyalty, forgiveness, second chances, and courage.
Family Friendly Considerations
This is a clean novel and a very fun, dramatic read. For more sensitive readers, however, there is quite a bit of family dysfunction, with Delilah’s family not treating her well and another character has a strained marriage. The characters frequently have a glass of wine with their meals, although no one ever gets drunk, and there is some mild swearing near the end of the book. The few romantic scenes are squeaky clean, with brief kissing/hugging only.
Interested in Similar Reads?
If you enjoy Southern fiction, you might want to check out these novels as well!
- South of Somewhere by T.I. Lowe
- Appalachian Song by Michelle Shocklee
- This Promised Land by Cathy Gohlke
