Prettier If She Smiled More - Paperback

by Toni Jordan (Author)

'Jordan is a kind of Australian Marian Keyes, combining pace and humour with a razor intelligence' Sydney Morning Herald

'A funny and smart family drama' Weekend Australian

'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

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?

'Jordan is a kind of Australian Marian Keyes, combining overdrive pace and throwaway humour with a razor intelligence and a deft, illuminating touch on darker subjects and themes . . . A sharp-eyed, engaging, endearing, ultimately optimistic story' Sydney Morning Herald

'Hilarious . . . Told with Toni's signature observational humour and wit on ordinary life' Woman's Day

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

'No one does smart-funny quite as well as Toni Jordan' ArtsHub

'Fabulous' Who Weekly

'A magic mix of domestic drama, self-doubt, self-discovery and learning to laugh in the face of mayhem' Adelaide Advertiser

'Such a clever book . . . Prettier if She Smiled More is a life manual for us all' Living Arts Canberra

'Pitch perfect with just the right amount of humour . . . Jordan brings all her well-honed creative skills to the fore with this delightful tale' Good Reading

Author Biography

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 the international bestseller Addition, which was longlisted for the Miles Franklin Award and has been adapted into a feature film which premiered in cinemas in 2026. Her novel Nine Days was awarded Best Fiction at the 2012 Indie Awards and was named in Kirkus Reviews' top 10 Historical Novels of 2013; Our Tiny, Useless Hearts, was longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award; and her two Schnabel family novels, Dinner with the Schnabels and Prettier if She Smiled More, were critically acclaimed. Tenderfoot, her eighth novel, has been longlisted for the 2026 Miles Franklin Award, and shortlisted for the 2026 Indie Book Award for Fiction, the 2026 ABIA Literary Fiction Book of the Year and the 2026 ABA Adult Fiction Book of the Year. Toni has been published widely in newspapers and magazines. She holds a Bachelor of Science in physiology and a PhD in Creative Arts and lives in Melbourne.