Prettier if She Smiled More

As the eldest child in a single-parent family, Kylie's always had more important things on her mind than smiling for random strangers. Controlling her job, her home, her romantic life and - most importantly - her family takes all her concentration. She's always succeeded, though, because that's just who Kylie is.

When her fiercely independent mother breaks an ankle and needs help, it's up to Kylie, as usual, to fix things. She reluctantly packs her bags and moves in, but back in her childhood home, things start to unravel. Could it be that Kylie's carefully curated life is not so perfect after all?

Prettier if She Smiled More will make you laugh and make you cry. Is it too late to start over?

'Taps into the humour and pathos of ordinary life in a way that has you nodding with recognition . . . while at the same time laughing out loud' PIP WILLIAMS

'I just loved this very smart, very funny and at times moving novel' SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM

Toni Jordan has worked as a molecular biologist, quality control chemist, TAB operator and door-to-door aluminium siding salesperson. She is the author of six novels including the international bestseller Addition, which was longlisted for the Miles Franklin Award, Nine Days, which was awarded Best Fiction at the 2012 Indie Awards and was named in Kirkus Review's top 10 Historical Novels of 2013, and Our Tiny, Useless Hearts, which was longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award. Toni has been published widely in newspapers and magazines. She holds a Bachelor of Science in physiology and a PhD in Creative Arts. Toni lives in Melbourne.

All her life, Kylie has been told that she'd be prettier if she smiled more. But it's not always easy to be nice when you're surrounded by chaos. The brand-new novel about family by the bestselling, acclaimed and beloved author 'Cheer up, love, it'll probably never happen!' Kylie Schnabel is having a terrible week. Her boyfriend, Colin, is ignoring her calls, the local pharmacy where she works is being hijacked by a global corporation, and she's been landed with a dog-sitting job she never asked for.Then, when her fiercely independent mother breaks an ankle and needs help, the task falls to Kylie (as eldest daughter) to move in with Gloria, and she reluctantly packs her bags.Back in her childhood home, things start to unravel: Gloria's demands are impossible, opening the floodgates of a lifetime of resentment that Kylie feels from being considered the 'sensible and reliable' member of the family - the one nobody thinks is much fun.This hilarious midlife crisis novel will make you laugh and cry with empathy and recognition. It asks the ultimate question: who are we without our family, and can we ever escape their influence on who we are destined to become?Praise for Dinner with the Schnabels :'I loved every page of this funny, warm, delightful novel!' LIANE MORIARTY 'Told with great humour and pathos. It is a tonic and a delight' PIP WILLIAMS 'A smart, funny novel about love, marriage and family' Weekend Australian 'A contemporary comic masterpiece. Practically every page boasts lines redolent of humour, wit and sarcasm that will make you snigger if not laugh out loud' ArtsHub

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