The Pretty Place

Ivy Marshall wasn’t expecting the summer before starting high school to end the way it did. She had so many plans, from exploring the sprawling back fields of her town with her best friend, Robyn, to swimming in the muddy waters of Lake Scugog. Becoming the neighbourhood outcast when her mother became ill didn’t quite fit into her itinerary. Ivy hadn’t anticipated that the summer would bring death—so somewhere along the way, she decided it never had. 

Almost two decades later, Ivy’s buried secret still follows her around everywhere she goes, affecting every misguided decision she makes as an adult, silently weighing down each step she takes away from her little town. The Pretty Place, her childhood refuge, harbours tragedy just beneath the surface, but only there can she unearth the truth. 

The Pretty Place is a dark, comedic, coming-of-age novel that illuminates the importance of mental health awareness and acceptance while reminding us all of how powerful the mind can be—even in the absence of remembrance.