Thank you to Netgalley and Janelle Brown for my copy of Pretty Things, in return for an honest review. This book has been on my radar, from Instagram, so I was excited to get my chance to read it. Two woman, from totally different walks of life, are brought together in this thriller. One a thief and one a trust fund girl.. meet twice in life. Two times is not a charm in this book. Nina comes from the wrong side of the tracks and Vanessa comes from a very wealthy family... the twists and turns of this story are excellent.. the one person who keeps these woman, connected makes things even more interesting. The setting is perfect and the characters are developed very well.. Without giving anything away, I would recommend you get your own copy. This was a four star read for me and I have recommended it to many friends and family..

I really loved this book! I asked for an ARC copy based on a review from a friend and I am so glad that I did! I think this is going to be a book you recommend to friends and family and give as gifts! Thank you so much for the ARC copy and I can't wait to read more of Brown's books!

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My Thoughts: I’m sorry to say that for me there was little special about Pretty Things. It was a usual kind of story of a scam with a twist. I was initially drawn to the book because it was a thriller set in Lake Tahoe and it had dual narrators which I always like. It delivered all that, but with no real surprises and it was at least 100 pages too long. The story was told by Nina, the grifter, involved in a scam on Vanessa, a vapid Instagram influencer who came from a wealthy California family. Vanessa was the stories other narrator. It was a great set up, but there was far too much of the two telling the same events from their individual perspectives. Skimming began in those parts and that’s never good! Pretty Things reminded me why I often have a hard time with thrillers!

Note: I received a copy of this book from Random House (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This was the first book I read by Janelle Brown, so I didn’t know what to expect. While the book started off very slow for me, about a quarter of the way through when it really started to pick up, the twists and turns kept me entertained. Nina and Vanessa are both very flawed characters and it’s hard to really root for either one of them throughout this story. I liked that they both knew they weren’t the best versions of themselves and owned up to it. The twists at the end made up for the slow start, it will feel so worthwhile when you finish the book!

Hmmm...I wavered between a 3 and a 5 so I went with a 4. I loved both Nina and Vanessa! I loved the glitz and glamour! I loved the who's conning who storyline! 5 stars! It did slow way down in the middle and I have been known to put a book down and not pick it back up.........but I kept on and I was SO glad I did!! It picks up speed again and races to an awesome ending! This has EVERYTHING a thriller should!!! Dark, twisty, 2 unreliable narrators and a great story!! I am definitely reading more from Janelle brown!

Thank you to NetGalley, Janelle Brown and Random House for this ARC!

"The world can be divided into two kinds of people: those who wait to have things given to them and those who take what they want." This book was a nice change to the usual thrillers I read and I loved how it was full of complicated and messed-up family relationships. Although I knew pretty early on one of the plot twists, I did not guess the other one at all! That to me always makes a book so much better and more enjoyable for me to get immersed in. I really grew to like both the main characters in this story, Nina and Vanessa. Their background stories really drew me into the storyline, and I really enjoyed the different POVs. Even though the storylines are completely different, it really gave me "The Last Mrs. Parrish" vibes which is one of my top favorite books.

**Thank you @netgalley , @janellebrownie and @randomhouse for this free copy** 📚Book Review: Pretty Things by Janelle Brown📚 Book Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Synopsis: Nina once bought into the idea that her fancy liberal arts degree would lead to a fulfilling career. When that dream crashed, she turned to stealing from rich kids in L.A. alongside her wily Irish boyfriend, Lachlan. Nina learned from the best: Her mother was the original con artist, hustling to give her daughter a decent childhood despite their wayward life. But when her mom gets sick, Nina puts everything on the line to help her, even if it means running her most audacious, dangerous scam yet.
Vanessa is a privileged young heiress who wanted to make her mark in the world. Instead she becomes an Instagram influencer—traveling the globe, receiving free clothes and products, and posing for pictures in exotic locales. But behind the covetable façade is a life marked by tragedy. After a broken engagement, Vanessa retreats to her family’s sprawling mountain estate, Stonehaven: a mansion of dark secrets not just from Vanessa’s past, but from that of a lost and troubled girl named Nina.

My Review: “You’re going to have to forgive me someday. Remember that all we have in the end is each other.” This book! I can’t even count how many times my mouth dropped open reading this book. Everything you think you know, you don’t. This book has so many twists and turns, it’ll give you whiplash!

This one is definitely an engaging book, keeps you wanting more. My ONLY complaint was how long it was. There was a lot of “setting the scene” and for a thriller I thought it was a bit much. BUT it all comes to a beautiful ending so it’s worth it to power through some of the longer parts.

This one is available now so make sure you get your hands on it! This one is going to be one I always recommend to people!

Grifter Nina sets her sights on a figure from her past, heiress come Instagram influencer Vanessa for “the con of the century”. This book is so much more than I expected. I thought it was going to be a classic con story but it ended up being so much more than that! It’s the perfect combination of a character driven mystery which is full of twists and turns. It’s told from the alternating perspectives of Nina and Vanessa which adds so much character development and it’s so interesting to see them through each other’s eyes. I was hooked from the first few pages!

This book is definitely a thriller based in our current social media era. The two main heroines, if you want to call them that, come from vastly different worlds and social economic statuses. The author does a wonderful job of showing us the point of you of each character and how you really can’t understand another person’s journey unless you’ve been on that journey with them. The book was pretty fast paced but took time to lay the groundwork for the thrilling finale. The author really showed us an insight into what social media can do for and often times against a person.

I loved the twists and turns throughout this book. What I would classify as a compulsive thriller. I also loved both female characters and their complexity. Definitely a smart thriller, which is hard to come by these days.

“Oh what a tangled web we weave when at first we start to deceive”

Vanessa welcomes Ashley and Michael to Stonehaven to stay in the guest cottage. She is in need of validation. They are in need of the supposed money in the safe. Ashley and Michael are not who they seem. (Newsflash, either is Vanessa) Ashley is really Nina. She has been to Stonehaven before. She was there as a teen when she started dating Benny, Vanessa’s younger brother. But as in any plan, things tend to go awry. Nina wants one last score to help pay her mother’s medical bills and the police seem to be after her. Michael is one smooth criminal. There will be a twist and then you will turn and then you will be twisted again.

I really enjoyed the realizations that Nina and Vanessa undergo. There is just something about women finding their footing that makes me want to cheer. There was a twist that I felt in my gut and was hoping I was wrong. I wasn’t and that broke my heart. Every twist was perfect for the story. It fueled the eventual outcome perfectly. It is definitely a book you can’t put down because you will want to know just where it is going.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for my advance copy.

What a ride this was. From the first when Nina watches Alexi in the nightclub frequented by the Uber rich and uses his vices to drug and rob him in the night. We see the world of classic grifters from the inside. Lachlan, and Nina have an easy alliance just as long as the money flows all is good. It’s when the police come with questions about her last job that her life takes a turn she can’t ignore. Forced into isolation they answer an ad for a “cottage” in Tahoe. Nina is no stranger to the place or the grounds of Stonehaven the site of the cottage they occupy. Intrigue follows as the past catches up to Nina and secrets are revealed to both Nina and Vanessa the heir to this huge place. It is the betrayal but those she holds dear that brings the truth to light,and puts the three of them on a collusion course few will see coming. Happy Reading

Well written psychological thriller - the twists were smart and well thought out.
The backstory of each character, especially Nina, the protagonist, was well done.

The story did seem a little long, but the narrative was so interesting, I wanted to keep reading.
I loved the family history and the historical information about the antiques really made the book come alive for me, as well as how all the characters interacted.

What made this book more facinating and interesting was the changing allegiances and dynamics of each character - wow, some of that stuff I didn't see coming!

The only criticism I have is the title seems kind of trite - it should have been more substantial, like Valuable Objects.

I loved the ending - that is the way it had to be, I won't say any more.

Um, a con woman and an heiress brought together by the scam of a lifetime??
I. am. totally. in.

Pretty things is an excellent read, switching up between Nina’s and Vanessa’s points of view so well that you are left wondering who exactly is telling the truth....until the ending, that is.

I loved the author’s use of wit and sarcasm, the perfect tone for her characters. The pacing of the story was good, moving you toward the finish in an “I cannot stop reading this now” way.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my review.

Nina and her mom have always only had each other to count on. Strive as she might to leave her mother’s grifter lifestyle behind her and forge a new path with a degree in Art History and a job in interior design, Nina finds herself back in the grifter life when her mother becomes ill. She has her eyes set on one last big job, one that will bring her enough money to pay for her mother’s life saving treatments while allowing her revenge on the Lieblings, a family that did her and her mother wrong.
Once in love with Benny Liebling, Nina can never forgive his parents for running Nina and mother out of Lake Tahoe, dashing her dreams of being accepted to the Stanford Art program offered though the local school. She can never forgive Benny for not fighting for her and she can never forgive his sister Vanessa for looking down on her. Keeping tabs on the family from afar, Nina learns of Benny’s mental illness and the death of both of his parents. When she finds an opportunity to get close to Vanessa and plot her revenge, Nina jumps at the chance.

This story is packed with twists and turns, slights of hand and outright deception. There is a lot of character development throughout this book. It seems to be more about the main character and what she learns about herself and the people she is closest to as she unravels her past and her future than about the con.
The pacing was very slow in the first half of the book, laying back story and detail on in a very thick coat. I was not a fan of how Vanessa was characterized, nor of her passion and entanglement with Michael. While I know it was a necessary vehicle to move the plot along, I did not enjoy it.
All is explained and wrapped up in a semi-satisfying, if semi-predicable way the end.

Thank you to the Publisher and to NetGallley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A grifter,, Nina, and a Social influencer, Vanessa, are our narrators telling their stories in alternating sections. It becomes difficult to figure out who has the advantage. I really liked the development of these characters and the twists and turns as the story unfolds. My only complaint is many long chapters. I had fun trying to figure out what would really happen. This book would make a great movie! I can see bookclubs having fun deciding on the cast! Thank you Random House and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

This book started out great but seemed to get bogged down and went on too long with yawn-inducing slowness. The premise was interesting enough but I could see where it was going long before it actually got there so there was no real surprise or gotcha moment. I didn't really like any of the characters (mom-Lily was especially despicable IMO). I guess of all of them, Benny was the only innocent.

I didn't hate this book - it was ok - I was just disappointed it wasn't better.

Wow! This was the first book from Janelle Brown that I've read, and now I have to go read her previous works. I loved everything about this book. The first chapter had me hooked - and I love the ensemble of character, as well as their back stories. My top 5 book of the year!

Pretty Things is the story of two women from very different backgrounds who form an unlikely friendship. Nina grew up moving from place to place with a single mother who conned people for a living. She went to college thinking that she could escape that life, but when that failed partnered with her mother's friend Lachlan to steal from the rich. Vanessa is an heiress to the Leibling fortune. She always had everything she wanted, except for the perfect family. When her life turns upside down, she moves to her family's Lake Tahoe estate.

This novel was definitely a slow burner. Around the halfway mark, I was starting to wonder what the point of this novel was. But then things took a very interesting turn, and I couldn't put it down. Pretty Things is both dark and suspenseful. I loved that the story was told through both Nina's and Vanessa's points of view, allowing me to really get to know and develop empathy for each woman. I would highly recommend Pretty Things.

Do not let the page count dissuade you from reading this book! Sure it is almost 500 pages, but you get three really good stories in one book! The story of Nina, brought up by a con artist mother who gets dragged into a life of crime to pay for her mom's medical bills. The story of Vanessa, the daughter of a privileged family who takes to social media to get the validation she didn't get at home. And finally, the story of the great con that brings them together. This was one of those books I didn't want to put down! I read until I couldn't keep my eyes open. Both the character development and the twists and turns in the book were terrific! And, with most of the story taking place in Lake Tahoe, it felt like a little vacation all at the same time!