This book was all right...It started off slow and picked up as "Ashley" (Nina) and "Michael" (Lachlan) try to hoodwink the older sister of Nina's former flame to steal millions of dollars...but somewhere it felt like the story lost its way. I'd say about 75% was compelling but the beginning 10% and end were somewhat lackluster, as if the author needed to somehow wrap it up and just threw it together. Overall, it wasn't a bad read.

This is a great thriller. It has all the things that you would want in one. So many plot twist and shockers. So many hidden pasts stories. I wasn't sure how I felt about the dual narrative because it just around in the timeline so much but it really does work well once the story progresses and you learn what is really going on and what each of the character's motive are. With each person having their own secrets it is hard to distinguish who the bad guy is.

Highly recommend!

Review Coming Soon. Just finished and kept me interested. I will update shortly with critique of book overall a good read

Holy cow!! Wow, what a book! This is such a great book, that is truly original, realistic, and had so many important topics weaved throughout! One of my top reads this year, so many layers, like peeling an artichoke to get to the heart and enjoying it so much! I highly, highly recommend, especially if you love those books revolving around those on opposite ends of social spectrums with some past they hope to avenge! Don’t delay, preorder today!! This is one you WILL NOT WANT TO MISS! Mind blowing good, unputdownable, riveting, only behinds to describe it!
Will be sure to rave this book up everywhere I can!

This novel could not be more relevant for our time, as it explores the topics of financial strain, the 1%, social media, our deception and disconnection with each other. I especially enjoyed the Rashomon type switching of POVs, which lent insight into the characters' psyche and motivations and highlights the fact that we all experience the same situations entirely differently based off of our own psychology. The plot and pacing keep you racing through the novel, and upon the final twist and completion, you'll find yourself looking up the author's other works.

**Advanced Readers Copy provided in exchange for an honest review**

This psychological thriller is EASILY poised to be one of the best books of 2020! What lengths would you go to to save a life — and settle the score of past transgressions? Janelle Brown offers up a juicy, twisted tale about revenge and redemption, with flawed, complex characters who couldn’t be more opposite of each other: an elite Instagram influencer and a high-stakes scam artist. You definitely need to add this book to your must-read list!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A wonderful book ! Nina who is attending a school on scholarship meets her first love, a wealthy young boy and has dreams of attending a prestigious college . These dreams are crushed when her con artist mother abruptly moves them. Nina does attend college an earns an art degree . She returns home when her Mother is diagnosed with cance. Unfortunately, Nina does not have the money to pay for her mothers treatment. Her Mother introduces her to Lachlan and Nina and Lachlan team up together to steal from wealthy individuals so that Nina can pay for her Mothers treatments.
They choose Vanessa who is the sister of her first boyfriend. Vanessa is a heires who is an instagram influencer. When Nina and Lachlan begin to scam Vanessa the plot becomes very interesting with several twists and a good ending.
I enjoyed reading this book very much. And cannot wait to read another book by this author.. a book you do not want to put down.
I received this book from Netgalley for a review.

Mark my words - Pretty Things will be a hugely popular book in 2020 - it has all the trappings of a buzz book right now - social media influencers & backstabbing relationships - BUT, the key factor here is the writing. Janelle Brown has crafted a story that will hook readers from page one and entertain and engage them through the absolute final page.

Told in alternating perspectives and timelines, we meet Nina and Vanessa - a con artist and a rich influencer. But the connections these two have might surprise you and at a minimum, will intrigue & captivate you. Each woman is so finely written that they offer their own voices and becoming truly distinct individuals.

Upon finishing Pretty Things, I immediately ran to check out all of Brown's backlist and will be eager to see what she does next!

I was expecting a thriller, and it certainly had those elements, but at the root it was really a story about two women, Nina and Vanessa, struggling to make sense of their families and pasts and heal from their pain. Nina is a grifter, moving from city to city ripping off the wealthy of their excess, and Vanessa is an Instagram influencer who, shocking, is deeply miserable and dealing with a lot of family trauma. It's no surprise how these two connect, but it was really so much more than that. I was in constant state of oscillation between theories of who is the victim, who to root for, and how things will turn out for these characters. Even though the first chapter opens up with a body being dumped into the lake, it was a little slow in the beginning, but by the time the plot picked up I was very invested in these characters. Also, most of the novel is set in my beloved Lake Tahoe, so reading this one almost felt like taking a vacation to one of my favorite places. You know, without the murder and scams.

Honestly I didn't like this one as well as Watch Me Disappear. The characters didn't seem quite as well developed, and although we get a reasonable amount of info on Nina's background, I never feel like we get to know her, really. Which maybe is the point given her background and "occupation." This seemed to move pretty slowly up until about 2/3 of the way through the book, but then the rest moves quickly to a pretty satisfying conclusion. I would definitely read her next book but would hope for better characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
I thought this book was a very well written, original, twisty and addictive novel.
I will definitely be reading more books by this author.

This was my first book by this author and I was hooked ! Such a great story and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough,
Thank you to Netgalley, and the publisher for my advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest review

PRETTY THINGShin JANELLE BROWN
A beautiful
"Pretty Things," written by Janelle Brown is her fourth novel and will be published on April 21, 2020. This is marketed as literary adult general fiction and is a beautiful story with suspense slow burning about grifters, con-artists and social media. I would have loved to insert the quote by George Orwell in its epitaph from the very beginning. The setting mostly takes place in Lake Tahoe in a multi-generational mansion with over forty something rooms filled with antiques collected over centuries of the Liebling family. Vanessa Liebling is an Instagram influencers who posts everything she does by having a professional photographer following her around taking her pictures over the tiniest details. Vanessa is a cash poor heiress who owns the mansion at Lake Tahoe with every room filinnto d to Vanessa with antiques. Nina who is a clltyoyafrienon-artist who partners with Lachlan to opull off the riskiest theft of her life target bas e Vanessa Liebling.

Nina whoase alias name is Ashley and Lachlan whose a alias is Michael move into the care takers cottage to steal one million dollars from the Liebling safe. Nina/Ashley and Lachlan/Michael have worked together before stealing from other millennials The reason they are going into this con is because Nina/Ashley need the money to pay for her mother's expensive cancer drug treatments. They charm their way into Vanessa Liebling's life by posing as a coupinle as a yoga instructor and an Irish royalty.'e
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Nobody he ingeiof tof his entire novel is who they seebeitterm exts cmcaept Benny, Vanessa's eubleuyofrounger brother. This was an extremely .ng novel that I have come to happreciateee it only after finishing it. Often thw sthiroe e-iv Author retells the same scene from Nina/Ashley's and Vanessa Liebling's point of view. Janelle Brown writes some very descriptive scenes so I really enjoyed the flow of her writing style. However, just under five hundred pages I was getting bogged down and I think if this story could be more streamlined into closer to three hundred pages the book would be better. For purposes of editing out the many double narratives from both women's point of view telling the same story Where this novel succeeds is by shining a light about how dangerous over sharing on social media is very relevant to today's issues. The premise of this story was excellent and I really liked the ending very much also. I would recommend this story with cutting it down and editing out the repetition.

Thank you to Net Galley, Janelle Brown and Random House Publishing for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.
Told in alternating narratives, this is a beautifully written book that turns out a solid plot.
Some parts take you to unexpected places, but overall it was a good thriller.

Took me quite some time to get into this one. I found the overlapping scenes (from Vanessa and Nina’s alternating perspectives) annoying in the beginning. It really picked up at about 50%, though, and then I pored over the remainder.

I’ve never read anything by Janelle Brown before, but I think she must have studied psychology or human nature. Her glimpses into people’s behaviors when they’re seeking attention or validation are just brilliant.

Vanessa and Nina are both fucked up in vastly different ways, and it really makes you wonder if anyone is who they are on social media.

Nina Ross has the chance for the con of a lifetime. With her Irish boyfriend Lachlan, she travels to Lake Tahoe to scam Vanessa Liebling, a wealthy heiress, out of millions. But it's not all about the money for Nina, though she desperately needs it to pay for her mother's illness. Revenge is also on the table; revenge against the Liebling family who never considered her good enough for their son and drove her family out of town. As both Nina and Vanessa's past is revealed, you begin to wonder, Who is conning whom?

I though it was a really fun and suspenseful read, but the ending fell a little short compared to the rest of the book but I still really enjoyed it!

This book shines on every level: sentence after sentence is beautiful and precise. The characters are complicated and sympathetic, the ideas are sweeping and profound, but are never too overt. It’s a rare novel that is as accomplished in its meaning as it is in its storytelling while also succeeding wildly on the language level as well! A novel to lose yourself in and then reflect upon again and again.

This was entertaining but all of the characters were horrible people and the ending was just okay.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48342832

Absolutely loved this book!
The author did a great job of creating and bringing the characters to life. I do not know if it was her intention or not, but I honestly felt a bit more inspired to become a better person after reading this.

**I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

This book was a lot of fun and hard to put down. Told from the points of view of two very different women, it's part psychological thriller and part social commentary about the downside of social media and oversharing. Lily, a grifter, and Vanessa an Instagram heiress cross paths when Lily and her boyfriend rent the cottage on Vanessa's expansive Lake Tahoe estate, Stonehaven. Pretty Things is a cat-and-mouse story where the main players are constantly changing roles.

Though the book makes class divides clear and does a good job of detailing Nina's tough background. Vanessa's parents--rich and unhappily married--are a bit stereotypical and two dimensional, but this doesn't detract too much from the story. I wanted to see her brother make an earlier reapperance in the story, for reasons you might agree with if you read Pretty Things. I would call it a great beach read because you can just fly through it, but a good deal of it takes place in the winter, which highlights the chilliness of Stonehaven and the climax of the story. I'll be surprised if I don't hear/see/read more about this book in the coming months before its publication.