This book pulled me in from the beginning, lost me for a bit in the middle (Vanessa's first section was too long) and was so fast-paced and twisty in the last third. I thought there were so many great twists, some I guessed and some that completely surprised me. The ending was done really well, too. I will definitely be reading more from Janelle Brown.

I'm surprised to see so many mediocre reviews for this book. I appreciated how everything unfolded, both the journey and the way everything wrapped up in the end.
The two perspectives of Vanessa and Nina gave such unique points of view to every situation. For most of the book we get to see the same events from each viewpoint and the results weren't always what the other assumed they were thinking or doing.
There is beautiful phrasing and wording throughout, the introspection really hit home with me and caused me to think about my own life and things I've done from other sides. The author has a great way with sarcasm and humor with stellar timing that propels the narrative.
The book is a bit long, some parts are a bit drawn out, but overall I really liked it and was fascinated throughout. I listened to it as an audio book and the dual narrators made the story come to life with their individual personalities. I did speed up the narration so that helped me experience the book more at my own pace rather than as a meandering tale.

This book had all the feels of a modern-day con-artist tale. It was a twisty thriller that incorporated an instagram obsession and family drama. ⁣⁣

Thank you to Janelle Brown and Netgalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Nina is a grifter, Vanessa is an heiress. Their lives have crossed before and now they will cross again, only this time it's serious Told from the alternating perspectives of Nina and Vanessa Pretty Things weaves an intricate web of lies, revenge and pretty faces.

The writing in this novel was so good! There are so many delicious twists and turns perfectly placed throughout it. The two main characters are both bad ass women. It's hard to decide who you want to cheer for. While you could say that it starts off a little slow, the ending is certainly one worth continuing for.

Overall, I thought this was a great read. I'd definitely recommend any thriller lovers giving this one a shot.

In this novel we have a grifter and her handsome but sketchy boyfriend running a con on a rich, vacuous Instagram influencer—such a fun setup! The opening chapters completely captivated me. After that, however, we had pages and pages and PAGES of extensive backstory and it slowed the pace for me. Ditto the alternating chapters between our two main characters—those often felt repetitive as we saw the same scenes from each of their perspectives. Luckily, the story and the writing were strong enough that I persevered, and I’m glad I did! This had some nice twists and turns and a satisfying ending. Overall, a fun read with solid writing, intriguing characters, and a lightly suspenseful mystery. (Many thanks to @Netgalley and @randomhouse for the free digital copy in exchange for an honest review)

DNF @25%. There is nothing really "wrong" with this book... I could tell it was just going to be a 3-star "good enough" type read, and so decided to move on. I think there is a wide market for this book and had I picked it up at a different time, I think it would have worked better for me.

I think this book is overrated. I didn't enjoy reading it, had thought of DNF-ing it but then last night picked it up and just rushed through it. You know when you read a thriller or suspense novel it all about the feels that the book gives you, this book lacked that.

Plus the second half felt rushed and I finished it only for the sake of it. It came highly recommended by a lot of people on instagram and I am quite disappointed with the read.

"Pretty Things" is told from the perspectives of two desperate women - the con and the conned. It allllmost tips into a psychological thriller in the second half or so of the book, definitely some anxious suspense, at least. Nina has always resented, even hated, Vanessa's family for what they did to her as a teenager. Now, desperate for money to pay for her mother's medical bills, she sets out with her con artist boyfriend to steal a small slice of her fortune. Little does she know, Vanessa is wrestling with her own demons and all is not as it seems. Vanessa must discover her own strength and Nina must find the truths that have been buried beneath more layer of deceit than she could have imagined.
One of my favorite things about this book was how, in the telling from dual perspectives, the same scenes are told just slightly differently - the dialogue, the emotions, the responses - based on which of the two women is telling the story. It's a wonderfully realistic reminder of how there's always more to a moment than meets the eye, and indeed it depends on whose eye it is anyways!
Highly recommend for fans of strong women and winding psychological stories.

This psychological thriller was a compulsive read full of lies, secrets, deceits and misdirection through unreliable narrating. The twists kept me going, and the book didn’t go in the direction I thought it was which was a plus.

What do you get when an heiress and a con-artist's paths collide? Pretty Things. Nina is a dreamer turned grifter who hustles to provide for her ailing mother. Vanessa is an heiress with a tragic past. When they wind up tangled on the shores of Lake Tahoe together in a wily plot, things start getting wild. A fast-paced tale of two women determined to not just survive this life, but thrive in it, will have you on your toes.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity for letting me read Pretty Things! I thought this was a very well written and excellent book! It took me awhile to read this but it was worth it. Lots of great details and the author did a great job writing this one. You get two perspectives of the story, one from Nina, and one from Vanessa. I really enjoyed this twisted story.with lots of revenge! Definitely a page turner for sure!

This book took me a little while to get into but when I did, I couldn't put it down! I just had to learn the outcome of Nina/Ashley, Lachlan/Michael, and their deceit that involves Vanessa and Benny. There were twists and turns and suspense and overall it was a great mystery!

Janelle Brown was a new to me author but I will definitely look for more of her books. If you're in the mood for a mystery, check out Pretty Things.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review.

This was a pretty interesting read with a fairly original plot line. I enjoyed reading the story through the two different POV; the author played really well on the "two sides to every story" trope.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this title in exchnage for an honest review.*

My review can be found here: https://aubreysangle8.home.blog/2020/08/03/review-pretty-things-by-janelle-brown/

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary advance reader copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

Nina Ross, is a second generation grifter who doesn’t really see herself as one, she feels more like a modern day Robin Hood, she needs a new mark and goes back to right a wrong she feels courted to her when she was a teen. Vanessa Leibling is a rich heiress and social networking influencer, who feels alone and lost. When these women’s paths cross, it sets a set of events in place that I did not see coming.

This was my first book by this author, It was a good summer beach read, lots of twists and an ending I didn’t quite see coming.

I listened to the first half of this on Audible (excellent narration) and then finished it up on "paper". I went into this novel blind and I'm really glad I didn't read any reviews. I honestly didn't notice "too many adjectives" or "flowery language" or whatever the most common complaints are.

I thought it was excellent. And it was something different in the end (vs what it was at the beginning) and I enjoyed that. This was a solid four for me. Excellent storytelling and character growth and I really found myself immersed in the setting, which is always nice.

This was a thriller that was similar to others I have read in which you don't know who is good and bad and who is scheming against someone else. I would call it a cat and mouse story. I think this book was good but like I said, there are a lot of books like this right now. I did like the ending of this one and I won't say why, because it would be a spoiler!

This novel has a cover that draws you in - just gorgeous! The book itself will not be for everyone. It was a enjoyable with great characters, nice twists, and an engaging story. However, it is long and that will turn some readers off.

An exciting read with elements of mystery/romance and a little bit of revenge. Very well-written and hard to put down!

I absolutely loved the alternating POV’s that revealed key parts of the story in the perfect order. Brown’s writing is so smart and clever and left me guessing until the end. This story was unlike anything I’ve read before definitely had twists I didn’t expect. I seriously couldn’t put it down (I shoved my face into its pages every available moment I had!)

For the book being so fast-paced and thrilling, some parts fell flat for me, but overall I really liked this book and loved the journey to the end.