Pretty as a Peach ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pretty as a Peach by Grace Helena Walz

NetGalley About Summary

When a new beauty company threatens everything she holds dear, Delilah must find the courage to speak up and reveal the truth.

Delilah Thomas has a stellar track record of avoiding conflict. Her life mantra? Keep the peace. Born to a family she has never fit in, Delilah learned early that no matter what it costs her, it's best to keep quiet, nod, and agree. Now in her late thirties, she has mastered the art and employs it daily with the preschoolers she teaches.

Then Peach Pit sets up shop in her small hometown and infiltrates every female relationship, including Delilah's lifelong best-friend group. A direct sales business, Peach Pit claims its beauty products are organic and all-natural and recruits women to become "Darlings" who host parties to sell products to friends and family. Delilah's friend Betsy is ecstatic to join, drawn by promises of sisterhood and easy income. But something seems off to Delilah.

When customers, including her pregnant friend Eliza, start reporting rashes, Peach Pit refuses to take responsibility. Then Betsy lets an unsettling secret slip, and Delilah can't hold her tongue any longer. With the help of her retired neighbor, Mrs. Chopra, and travel journalist Jasper--Delilah's longtime pen pal and childhood crush, finally in town for a visit--Delilah investigates the company and uncovers the grim truth. She is faced with a choice: Stop pushing and keep the peace, or find her courage and expose Peach Pit's shady business practices, even if it costs her the unthinkable.

A story about enduring friendship, Pretty as a Peach paints a vivid portrait of choosing bravery in the midst of uncertainty and reminds us that the sweetest things in life are worth fighting for.

Genre: General Fiction, Romance, Women's Fiction
Goodreads added Chick Lit

The How/Why: NetGalley

⭐⭐⭐✯ 3.75 rounded up to 4

🎉 Overall Storytelling? 🎉🎉🎉🎉

🎣 Did it grab and keep my attention? 🎣🎣🎣🎏

🗣️Would I recommend it to anyone? Yes ➕Great for a getaway vacay

🕮 Would I want a sequel? No ➖ Not necessary.

📚 Would I want to read more books by this author? Yes ➕

💣💥 📢 Content Warnings? Google says Financial Exploitation & Predatory $cams

🌶 Spice? No

🌪 Plot Twist? Yes

👟 Pace? Good

💻 Tidbits ~ Just Peachy.🍑🍑🍑🍑
In a nutshell, or shall I say in a peach pit?
The downside of Multi-Level Marketing.
The upside of supporting small local businesses. 
The value of friendship over all else. 

When MLM The Peach Pit entices one of the FIVE besties with their overpowering campaign to attract Darlings (sales people), things start to go south. Promises of wealth and beauty turn to financial problems when it's revealed there are Monthly Minimum Purchases to be made, regardless of your sales.
Then one of the Five, who happens to be pregnant, ends up the hospital due to a rash. More reports of rashes and reactions such as lips on fire. How can that be when they are "All Natural Products"? The company refuses to take responsibility for your sensitive nature. Eyebrows have been raised.
I think we all know by now that "all natural" does not mean zero allergens. People are allergic to natural things all the time. 

Delilah's sassy elderly retired neighbor Mrs. Chopra teams up with Delilah to help investigate. She signs up to be a Darling. Opps! Forgot to sign the Non Disclosure Statement. 🤷

I deducted one star because the pen pal romance seemed a little out of place with the rest of the storyline. It was cute but felt like a diversion from the heart of the story: female friendships. 

This was a sweet read (listen) about friendships mixed with family drama. 

🎧 Narrator: Brittany Goodwin 👍

🎧11.11 hours 🕮 384 pages

Not yet published. Expected July 24-2026

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the free ALC in exchange for my honest review.

25 and counting

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