I loved this book! It was the perfect thriller! This is a story about con artists and it took some very fun twists and turns. I love a thriller that keeps me guessing while also staying realistic and not moving into ridiculous, over-the-top territory, and this book absolutely delivered. I enjoyed the setting (Lake Tahoe) and the role that social media played into the story. This is a really fun novel and it will definitely appeal to a wide-audience. I will definitely be recommending this book to friends!

Pretty Things by Janelle Brown started off quickly and really sucked me in. This novel centers around two different women, a drifter and an heiress, who get caught up in a game filled with lies and deceit. You find yourself not knowing who to cheer on or if things really are as they seem. Definitely worth a read!

Thank you to Netgalley and Rand House for the advance copy of Pretty Things by Janelle Brown. This was my first Janelle Brown book and I flew through it.

This book tells the side by side stories of Nina Ross, a scrappy grifter who learned the hustle from her own mother, and Vanessa Leibling, heiress and Instagram influencer who returns to her family’s Tahoe estate after the tragic deaths of her parents. The story goes back in time to the girls’ teenage years when Nina was best friends with Vanessa’s troubled brother Benny and tells the story of how Benny and Vanessa’s powerful family ran Nina and her mother out of town. Harboring deep-seated resentment for 12 years, when Nina needs cash, she decides to run a con, the biggest of her “career” on Vanessa and infiltrates her life once more.

I liked how this story was told in one girl’s perspective and then it would back up and start it again from the other’s POV because you quickly learn that what both hold to be true, is not always so straightforward. I both liked and disliked these characters in turn and the book makes clear that there is no obvious hero nor villain in this novel. Well there is a villain, but not the person you expect at first...this was quite the juicy page-turner and I’ll be reading more Janelle Brown after this introduction. I expect to see this book everywhere once it’s released on April 21st and I hear Nicole Kidman is already signed on for the TV adaptation!

I've been excited about this book since I first heard about it, and it did not disappoint. The characters sucked you into the story and the story kept you turning pages as fast as you could. I devoured it in a day. I loved it.

I can't wait to see this book appear as a limited series! It will be my obsession. Although on the longer side, this twisty thriller is paced perfectly and the setting is broody and will be gorgeous to watch.

The story is portrayed as the intersection of a grifter and a socialite. I feel like it is so much deeper than that. The path weaves though parental relationships, self identity, young romance, mental health and ultimately betrayal.

The reader is drawn to both Vanessa AND Nina. They are complex characters and the author gives the reader just enough back story before the point of view changes. At some points, the characters speak directly to the reader. I found this late addition a fun draw.

In a landscape flooded with domestic thrillers; this one stands out. I promise you will want to see the house on your screen - All those antiques, the yacht, the lake, the cottage......

Buy this one and share it with your friends!

#NetGalley #PrettyThings

Thank you NetGalley and Janelle Brown and Random House Publishing Group - Random House, for the opportunity to read Pretty Things. I absolutely loved this book, it kept me reading, I did not want to put it down and even more so towards the end, The twists and turns just kept getting better! You can bet I'll be watching for Janelle's next book.
This book was written from two characters perspectives and sometimes doubled back over time but not in a repetitive way that sometimes happens. Nina and Vanessa are the two main characters along with family members of both these women. Nina steals from the rich and only just enough to make a living and to help her mother out who also used to be a con artist to try to support her daughter as she raised her on her own. Vanessa comes from money and lots of it, living in the family estate home now on her own as she has lots both parents and her brother is in a mental institution. Lachlan is an acquaintance of Nina and they formulate a plan that will make them both a lot of money as Nina has found out that her mother's cancer is back and the cost of treatments is incredibly high.
This is a real page turner and a must read, the first of Janelle's books that I have read, i will certainly be reading more of her novels.

This was actually far more interesting than I expected it to be. I will say that I didn't love the way mental illness (specifically bipolar disorder and schizophrenia) were portrayed as a burden and as a way to take autonomy away from characters. It's 2020, I thought we were over that by now? But, the story as a whole was quite interesting, our female characters were really dynamic and multifaceted. I love a good morally grey protagonist. And then ultimately, I found the ending really satisfying. Definitely worth a read for anyone who likes a good heist gone wrong.

I love Janelle Brown, and her clever twisted novels. She always pulls a fast one, and the latest is no exception.

Bravo for another entertaining weekend read, and I’m happy to cheer to all!

A grifter. A heiress. A con. This is a book about wanting what you can't have.

Social media is a son of a bitch.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I thought the premise of this book was very interesting, original, and a little terrifying. A team of con artists targets wealthy people who are influencers on Instagram, walk into their lives, and steal their stuff. Throughout the book there are many twists and turns that I did not expect. It kept me guessing right up until the end. I received an advance copy from the publisher through Netgalley.

This was a real page turner for me! I was fully engaged from the start. I cant say which character was my favorite because the author developed them all so well. Especially the main two women Vanessa and Nina.

Nina was called by her mother one day who was an ex con artist taking money from rich men. Her mother was sick with cancer and needed her daughter to care for her during treatment. Nina quickly realized she also needed her for more than that as the cancer treatments were expensive. Her mother introduced her to Lachland an man she had worked with to work cons with. Lachland took a liking to Nina and trained her to work cons to help pay the cancer treatment bills

Vanessa is a rich entitled young woman who lives in a mansion , and her father was hustled by Nina's mother years ago. Nina herself has been treated poorly by that family and has resentment towards them

They cross paths again when Lochland/Michael offers Nina an opportunity for revenge and a mark for more money

Here is where things get interesting and surprises are revealed. This is a very twisty roller coaster ride that will surprise you at every turn.
I really loved this book. I give this ***** .

This was a tough one for me. It is the story of two women, Nina and Vanessa, a grifter named Michael, and a long con game. And I do mean looooong. As in 496 pages long. On one hand, the writing is fantastic: deep character development, beautiful syntax, thoughtful themes of privilege and destiny. On the other hand, it was about 150 pages too long for me, with too many extraneous details and a great deal of repetition (due to both women telling their side of events). Ultimately, I saw through the con before I was supposed to so it also wasn't much of a thriller to me. I know many people have loved this book, but the length just wasn't worth the underwhelming feelings I had when I turned the final page.

This book was loaded to the brim with surprises. It was SO well written and sucker punched me with unexpected twists. It comes out April 21 and you should do yourself a favour and pre-order it NOW. A Friday night with @janellebrownie might be the best TGIF you’ve had since beginning social distancing.




Nina is a con-artist who works with her Irish boyfriend, Lachlan, to steal from those too rich to notice in LA. When Nina’s mom gets sick, she needs to step up her marks from Rolex watches and Prada purses. She needs the biggest con yet to cover her mother’s astronomical medical bills.




Enter Vanessa, an heiress, who spends her days as an Instagram influencer documenting her day through a series of filters and hashtags. Vanessa has moved back to her family estate, Stonehaven, on Lake Tahoe. But Nina is no stranger to Stonehaven. It is home to many secrets and painful memories for both women. Vanessa’s family hurt Nina in her youth and she’s never been able to properly move forward. Let’s just say that there is no love lost between them, making her the perfect victim to Nina’s biggest dupe yet.



Oh. And did I mention - it’s being adapted into a series on Netflix with none other than @nicolekidman. Yah. It’s that good. Another reason 1543786537 to order now. Read it before you watch it. There’s no other way.

This book reads like a Liane Moriarty story. Each character takes their turn to tell their past as they lead the reader to a present that will explode, leaving us to try and figure out where we missed the clue that sets the whole mystery/thriller on it's ear! I love reading books so skillfully written. Janelle Brown has now joined my must read list.

The first thing that drew me into this book was the cover. It is just brilliant. The blurb was just the icing on the cake and I knew I must read it.

This book is written so meticulously and detailed and in that vein sometimes a little too detailed and at times repetitiously so. It starts off very strong and then there is a point where it drags a bit. Not enough to make me want to stop, just enough to distract from the story. After this it picks up with a bang and I just could not put it down!!! I stayed up past midnight because I needed to know where all the twists, turns and conning would take this intriguing tale.

I feel that this book is going to be one of the big "IT" books this year. It is a very compelling read that will have readers captivated and entranced within its pages.

**Received ARC through NetGalley. Voluntarily reviewed**

Favorite Character: Nina Ross

She has a spunk and a fighting spirit. Even though some of her choices are not the best, desperate times call for extreme measures. I found myself empathizing with her even when I didn’t agree with what she was doing. Nina’s story is a bittersweet tale of life constantly derailed by a mother with a disreputable character and a lack of a moral compass.

What I Loved

Pretty Things is a masterfully woven tale interlaced slowly and methodically with intrigue and suspense. I loved that the story kept me glued to the pages while telling me a tale that spanned 12 years and the lives of 2 families. There were not any surprises as the story unfolds, but still, there were twists and turns that created a satisfying level of suspense and kept the pages quickly turning.

I loved the theme of “I see you.” In a world where everyone hides their innermost selves and puts on a public face, it’s essential to see them – to see their insecurities and failings – to understand who they indeed are. A con-man who changes his identity as often as most people change their clothes was the character who opens our eyes to see what everyone else is missing. All the characters are so well-developed that you can truly understand them and love them for their successes as well as their failings.

Usually, I prefer one narrator, whether it is an omniscient 3rd person or a limited first-person tale-teller. In Pretty Things, I discovered that dual narrators could also offer a fascinating perspective. Vanessa and Nina told their own stories in alternating segments of the novel, and it is as compelling as reading two separate stories that happen to connect at various points. I wanted to know what was happening with each of them and was happy that I had the opportunity to see the story from both of their perspectives.

To Read or Not to Read

If you, like me, love a suspenseful tale with con-artist characters and a good, solid, relevant theme, then Pretty Thing is a book you won’t want to miss.

This is a fantastic book! I breezed through these 400 pages at an incredible pace. This is one of those page turning thrillers that will keep you wanting more, so be sure to read this when you have lots of time on your hands.

Superb plot building and very intriguing characters. A must read for those a fan of thrillers and plot twists.

PRETTY THINGS is a super fun, twisty and dark thriller that you will have trouble putting down. Set in Lake Tahoe, we follow LA grifter Nina who returns to the small lakeside town she spent a year at during high school to do one big shakedown of a rich family she got entangled with. Vanessa, her mark, is an Instagram celebrity with secrets of her own. As their lives collide, we learn more about the women and their backstories as the plot barrels forward in fun and modern ways.

I have to admit I picked this book up because of the setting of Lake Tahoe, a place where my family and I spent most of our vacations when I was growing up. Brown nails the vibe and feel of Tahoe, and that was my favorite part of the book. However, I am never disappointed in immersing myself in a good thriller as well. I gobbled this one up in 3 days (and it's a pretty long, substantive book!) I loved the twists (actual gasps where had), and it played out like a movie in my head. If you need escapist fiction right now, this is a perfect read to get you through.

The characters, setting and story are delightfully woven to form a compelling and entertaining thriller.

SUMMARY
Nina watches and waits. She studies social media to find what people have and where they have it. When the time is right, she and her boyfriend, Lachlan take what they want. Nina learned grifting from the best. Her mother was a con artist, hustling where she could to give her daughter a decent childhood. But now her mother is has cancer, and Nina is running her most audacious, dangerous scam yet to pay for her medical care.

Vanessa is a an Instagram influencer with half a million followers. She is traveling the world, receiving free clothes and products, and posing for pictures in exotic locales. But in real life Vanessa is struggling. Her life has been marked by tragedy. After the death of her father and a broken engagement, Vanessa retreats to her family’s sprawling mountain estate, Stonehaven. It’s a mansion on a Lake Tahoe full of dark family secrets. It is here that Nina, Vanessa, and Lachlan’s paths collide and nothing goes as planned.


REVIE
PRETTY THINGS is a clever and compelling novel. The writing is fast paced and the story keeps your head in the book. It’s interestingly structured alternating between Nina and Vanessa’s viewpoints. It also ricochets between Los Angeles and Lake Tahoe.

My favorite part were the innumerable twists, and the various side stories, like Vanessa’s brother and Nina’s mother, and the impact they had on the story. I really liked the development and uniqueness of all the characters, they really brought the story to life. I also appreciated the setting in Lake Tahoe and learning more about the lake. It’s a place I have never been, but would love to visit one day. The characters, setting and story blended well to form a satisfying and entertaining book.

Author JANELLE BROWN is the author of Watch Me Disappear, All We Ever Wanted Was Everything and This is Where We Live. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher Random House
Published April 21, 2020
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

Other than the story hitting a slow part in the beginning, I really enjoyed reading this thriller. It did have several twists thrown in, which was expected. However, a couple of them didn’t really seem necessary by themselves, but the author had to input something in to advance the story the way she did. Which I totally understand.

Brown’s writing really brought Nina and Vanessa to life in addition to the story being a dual POV, which helped make the twists even more interesting. Sometimes we learn something from Vanessa’s POV that wasn’t really shown in Nina’s. What’s even more interesting is that the way they’re written shows that one is not better than the other; this is not a story of good vs. bad. They are both very realistic though annoying in their own way. Nina thinks she’s morally superior or maybe just superior to Vanessa whereas Vanessa doesn’t know how to function without constant validation and attention. But they both have good hearts and care about others, specifically Nina’s mother and Vanessa’s little brother.

What I found intriguing, but also a little frustrating, was that Lachlan is a big character in the story, but we don’t ever know what he’s thinking or planning because he doesn’t get his own POV. I thought that that was a smart play on the building of the characters and the plot.

Speaking of the plot, I can’t figure out if I think the plot is the strongest point or the characters. I guess they kind of go hand in hand, at least for this book. I thought Brown did a great job using the characters to drive the plot while at the same time having a clear direction for the story to go in. And while there are plenty of twists, I enjoyed having time to savor those moments instead of the story advancing too quickly.

I enjoyed this book enough to look into picking up another Janelle Brown book.