Member Reviews
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, for this free review copy.
This is classic suspense that you just can't put down! It's also the type of book that you wish you had more of once you finish. It's a bit like a soap opera mixed with Instagram or social media drama levels and revenge. I enjoyed everything about this book - the pacing, the characters, the plot. Definitely looking forward to reading more from Emily Liebert.
Let’s just say this is definitely not a thriller, but rather chick lit! Pretty Revenge by Emily Liebert is a fast read but very predictable and shouldn’t be taken too seriously!
Kerrie O’Malley is currently unemployed and her relationship with her boyfriend is fizzling out. So what does one do when life is getting you down? Kerrie packs up her entire life and moves to New York City. There she decides to plot her revenge on a girl who wronged her twenty years ago, Jordana Pierson.
Once in the Big Apple, Kerrie, now known as Olivia, decides to become Jordana’s personal assistant at her wedding planning business. Fortunately for Kerrie/Olivia, Jordana doesn’t recognise her. And just like that, Kerrie/Olivia finally gets to plot her revenge and destroy everything Jordana has worked so hard for.
The only thing this book really had going for it was the pace. I read this in one sitting and in less than three hours. It is however not a thriller. There are no big plot twists and no suspense. It unfolds exactly as you’d expect. There was some random romantic subplot that felt strangely out of place and distracting from the revenge theme.
I guess my love and passion for dark thrillers pitted me against this book. I wanted more dark plot twists, violence, and even death. But what I got was a rather flat and predictable chick lit book with no twists or suspense.
I really don’t like writing negative reviews, but Pretty Revenge by Emily Liebert didn’t have much going for it. From being too predictable, having unrealistic characters and absolutely no plot twists or suspense, this was extremely disappointing. Like I said though, this was a fast enough read, so if you’re into crazy ladies going after each other over a decade long feud, this book is totally for you!
Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery Books and Emily Liebert for an ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
This book was really good and goes to show u don’t judge a book by it cover.. what comes around goes around but u can over come and be a better person..Jordana an Olivia are awesome and the writing is perfect.. easy read with just the right amount of description
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, for this free review copy.
I should have read this one sooner! What a wonderful suspense novel that was so hard to put down. And of course once I was done, I wish I had more to read. I enjoyed most of the characters, and really enjoyed the plot of this book!
This will remain one of those books I try to get everyone to read. Can't wait to read more from Emily Liebert!
Kerrie O’Malley, age 30, has recently decided to make a big change in her life. This happened when she was mindlessly watching some TV and suddenly she sees Jordana Pierson Wedding Concierge being interviewed. Shocked to see her, Kerrie thinks of Jordana as the bitch who ruined her life. Currently, Jordana has been doing her wedding business by herself but announces that she needs to hire and assistant. That’s when Kerrie decides to apply for the position under the name Olivia Lewis.
Jordana has worked hard to perfect the way people see her. She caters to the super rich and spoiled of the upper ranks of New York. She is delighted at the note from Olivia applying for the job as she sounds like a real administrative assistant and that’s what Jordana wants.
Kerrie knew her as Jordan years ago when the took everything from her and her family. Now, Olivia is going to destroy her.
Jordana is married to a very wealthy, self-centered man who is always chasing other women. But, she doesn’t care because when she makes enough money on her own, she will divorce him.
Olivia settles in well helping Jordana streamline the office via up-to-date computer technology. She proves how good she is for the job, fielding many items to ensure a wedding will go off perfectly. But when the groom of an upcoming wedding takes a liking to her, things get a bit dicey.
Reading this book was like munching on a yummy bowl of popcorn. I couldn’t eat it fast enough. I loved the characters and laughed out loud at all of them. The author did a brilliant job of creating them and the storyline itself. I’m betting readers will love this one!
Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I am not the right reader for this book. I am having a really hard time believing in the main characters - particularly Jordana. I can enjoy an unlikable character but hers goes so far beyond that I am cringing through all of her chapters. Ultimately I am stopping here because I’m not invested to see how it ends.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the free copy.
I feel like this year I have tried out a few mysteries that had a lot o hype and praise but didn’t live up to that hype. Pretty revenge was not something I had heard a lot about and when I read the description was sure it would be to my taste but thought I would give it a shot. I am so happy I did, it was just the book I was looking for. I really enjoyed Emily Liebert’s writing style and found myself quickly drawn in and didn’t want to put this down. I think the back and forth of Kerrie and Jordana’s perspectives was done well and both characters where more then meets the eye. Overall I enjoyed how this revenge story played out but did think the end was a little weak, not bad but perhaps could have been a little more dramatic. All in all this was a really really enjoyable book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books for the ARC.
WOW. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the drama that was created by the 2 Points of View! I loved getting to know the characters and digging in deep to find out what makes them tick and what *really* happened between them. Also the goings on behind the scenes of high end NYC marriages was a fun addition and I believe a great scene for this showdown!!
I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own. :-)
Emily Lieberman delivers a great suspenseful story with twists and turns that kept the pages turning. Can you trace back the moment in your life that changed everything? Kerrie at a difficult point in life with no job and at the end of her rope comes across Jordana - the person responsible for all the wrong turns in her plans. Jordana is not to thrilled to see Kerrie, the one person who knows her whole past and darker side. I highly recommend Pretty Revenge. I received an ARC of this book, all opinions are my own.
How long could you hold a grudge against someone who wronged you? Pretty Revenge is the story of Kerrie (Olivia)'s plan for revenge against Jordana who she blames for her nana's death when she was twelve years old. Eighteen years later, Kerrie is watching TV one day and sees her nemesis, Jordana and decides to ingrain herself into Jordana's life and take everything away from her, like she did to Kerrie so many years ago. Kerrie uses her given name, Olivia, changes her appearance quite drastically and picks up and moves to NYC overnight to achieve her goals. As she gets to know Jordana, Olivia finds it hard to continue to hate her and wonders if she should go through with her plan. With both women hiding dark secrets from their past, which one will crack and reveal themselves first?
The author's writing style, which was sarcastically funny and told from both Olivia and Jordan's points of view, hooked me immediately. Although I wanted to hate Jordana for the trouble she caused Kerrie/Olivia, I found myself understanding her and liking her immensely. And I related to the pain that propelled Olivia forward in her project. If you enjoy chit lit with a bit of suspense and romance, pick this one up today.
I received an advance copy. All opinions are honest and my own.
This was just a soap opera in a book for the most part. It's nothing spectacular, but it was a fun summer read--I kind of admired Kerrie/Olivia for her revenge plot, I'm not 100% sure I bought in to why she needed to do it, but in the end it all tied together in a satisfying way.
I did enjoy my time reading, but it's more of a revenge drama than a psychological thriller. I've read a couple of Liebert's other books, and those tended to skew toward women's fiction, so I liked this departure to a bit of a darker undertone.
Recommended for some deck or poolside summer reading.
I enjoyed reading this ebook, it's not a story you should take as a serious physiological thriller. It has some fun character and I just went with it to see where things would come out. Whether a person would go to the lengths Olivia was willing to just for revenge, I'm not so sure. But it was a quick read and I liked it!
Reading “thrillers” can get hard because there’s a lot to live up to in terms of plot events to keep readers interested. So with all that to say, Pretty Revenge started off SO strong for me. The story definitely draws you in and I liked how the characters stories were playing out. BUT about 3/4 of the way through, it started falling a little flat for me and everything was tied up and ended too “neatly” for the way the story was going. Overall, I liked the story and think it’s an enjoyable, quick read- but no major 😵😮 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ what did you think if you’ve read this?!
Kerrie wants revenge on Jordan. She took away everything from her when they were young. It changed Kerrie but it also changed Jordan. Kerrie is now Olivia and she is going to work for Jordana (once Jordan) (Got it?) Jordana owns one of the biggest wedding planning companies for all the ritzy weddings. She is the go-to woman. Olivia makes herself indispensable to Jordana while she slowly starts to bring her down.
This was not at all what I was expecting. I thought it was going to be more of a psychological thriller but it was not a disappointment at all! I loved how we learned more about these two women and just what they would do to get what they needed out of life. I loved the progression we saw in their relationship and in their relationships with others. You could not hate Jordana and yet you could still feel sorry for Olivia. I absolutely loved the ending. It was perfect.
Thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Books for a copy of this book.
Emily Liebert is an author who has been on my extremely long list of authors to check out for quite some time, so I was pleased to see Pretty Revenge, her latest thriller, available for review. It's a fast-paced and gritty revenge novel, and I'm so glad I decided to give it a try.
Kerrie O'Malley can tell you exactly when her life veered off course. She can also tell you who is to blame for it, but for eighteen years, she hasn't known how to get back on track. Then, while watching TV one afternoon, inspiration strikes, setting Kerrie on a quest for the vengeance she's been waiting so long to enact against the person she holds responsible for every bad thing that's happened to her since the long ago night when everything she loved went up in flames.
It all started with Kerrie deciding to help a neighborhood girl out by offering her a place to stay after what seemed to be just another fight with her parents. Kerrie and Jordan aren't friends, but Kerrie has admired Jordan's grace, beauty, and popularity with both boys and girls for a couple of years, and wants nothing more than to be noticed by the older girl. But that night ends in tragedy, and the two girls don't have contact with one another until that fateful afternoon when Kerrie sees Jordan's face on TV and knows the time has finally come to get even.
Jordan seems to be living the good life. She's left her humble beginnings behind, and is married to a wealthy banker in New York City. She now goes by the name Jordana Pierson, and has recently opened a wedding planning business, responsible for putting together some of the city's most extravagant wedding receptions. Her life is everything Kerrie has always dreamed of having for herself, and now, she has devised a plan to bring Jordana to her knees.
Kerrie moves to New York and begins a new life for herself under the name Olivia Lewis. She manages to get hired as Jordana's assistant, putting her in the perfect position to sabotage the life the other woman has worked so hard to build. Of course, this doesn't end up being quite as easy to pull off as Kerrie expects, but she's nothing if not resourceful. She's waited far too long to get even with Jordana, and she's determined that nothing will get in her way.
I love the way Ms. Liebert allows the reader to get to know both women. The story is told in alternating chapters, so we're able to see things from both points of view. When I first started the book, I was expecting to really dislike Jordana. After all, she ruined Kerrie's life and then left without a backward glance, but as the story progressed, I realized things weren't nearly so cut and dried. Both Kerrie and Jordana are complex women with secrets they'll do almost anything to protect, and it was impossible to know who the villain really was.
As is often the case with revenge-based thrillers, Kerrie's plan isn't completely believable, and I found myself needing to suspend my disbelief during certain key scenes. It's not that things couldn't play out the way the author wrote them, but some aspects of the plot felt a little too convenient, so I'm guessing your ability to enjoy the story as a whole depends on your willingness to sit back and enjoy the flow of the narrative without taking it too seriously.
Pretty Revenge may not be the best thriller I've read this summer, but neither is it the weakest. Its compelling characters and snappy dialog make it a great companion for a lazy afternoon at the beach, and I'm happy to recommend it to those looking for a quick, engrossing read.
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We all want to get revenge on someone we feel has treated us poorly but most of us never do anything about it. In this novel, the need for revenge had grown for so long that the main character had to follow through. The novel is told in both character's voices so we get both sides of the story.
Kerrie has had a rough life. She's out of work and has few friends. When she sees Jordana on television living the good life, she knows that her time for revenge has arrived. How far will Kerrie go for revenge on Jordana for past wrongs? Read this twisted novel of revenge to find out if there is a winner and a loser and to see how far a person will go to take revenge on someone who was once a friend.
Revenge isn't pretty...or is it? Pretty Revenge is a twisty tale of one woman's quest to ruthlessly avenge a family member's death. Kerri takes a job as an assistant to Jordana, a up and coming wedding concierge. Kerri also believes that Jordana is responsible for the death of her grandmother 18 years ago. Jordana wants to escape her childhood and a rich but narcissistic husband and make a name for herself. Kerri wants to destroy Jordana. Both women are relentless in getting what they want. I have to say that I didn't really like either character but Emily Liebert's fast paced writing kept me furiously turning the pages til the end!
Revenge at its finest. A great summer read that you can breeze by in a day or two and find some fulfillment out of the revenge story at play.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
Pretty Revenge by Emily Liebert ended up being not at all what I expected, but that was no problem because I really enjoyed it!
What it's about: Kerrie O'Malley can remember exactly when her life took a turn for the worse, and it was when the older girl she looked up to stole everything she had left. So when Kerrie sees her former idol on TV seemingly with everything she lacks, she decides it is time to exact her revenge...
I loved the pacing of Pretty Revenge, and I read it incredibly quickly since it only took me just shy of 3 hours and 49 minutes. I also loved the switches between Kerrie and Jordana's point of views because I thought it helped the pacing, which already seemed fast due to the short chapters.
I wouldn't say I particularly loved either Kerrie or Jordana, but I did become more endeared to both of them by the time the book ended. Both of them are dealing with some pretty heavy issues and you can't help but feel sorry for them as the truth comes out.
I thought the beginning chapter endings repeated themselves a little in Kerrie's viewpoint, but that quickly stopped and I didn't feel like anything else was repetitive.
Song/s the book brought to mind: A mix of Better Than Revenge and Speak Now, both by Taylor Swift.
Final Thought: I wanted to keep this review short and sweet which were my exact feelings about this book. If you are looking for a quick, binge-worthy read that focuses on retribution then I highly recommend reading Pretty Revenge. I loved Liebert's writing style and while this might be my first time reading her novels, it definitely will not be my last!
Fantastic thrill ride! This is a great psychological thriller that grabs you from page 1~
I loved the story and the characters. The story is told in alternating perspectives which I really enjoy.
Definitely not to be missed. I