I was thinking of rating this four stars, but with a day to sit on it, I think that's too generous. It's likely a three for some people and a did not finish for others.

The synopsis was really promising, a mix of The Bling Ring and The Talented Mr Ripley, and the opening grift was really good, but then it gets super introspective. We go between the viewpoints of Nina and Vanessa and they each spend a lot of time exploring their inner lives and desires and motivations, which can be interesting, but combined with the odd pacing, made this drag. There's just not enough con artist hijinks for my taste, instead it is an exploration of legacy, both in blood and in money, and escaping what our parents give us. Again, could be interesting, but not what I came for.

The pacing is awkward, other reviewers mentioned how just as they were getting into it, the extended flashback happens and lost their interest. I don't disagree, but it didn't bother me as much as the constant revisiting of the same events from each point of view. I get it, neither of them are quite as good at hiding emotions as they think they are, we don't need to rehash every single little scene. There are a couple small twists that were interesting, and I liked that the dialogue changed in the viewpoints, as if the scenes were more from their memory than an immutable truth, but it wasn't enough to sustain the number of pages of rehashed material.

I did like [ that the theme of "everyone is sympathetic if you get in their head and see their story" extended to Lachlan/Michael. He likely had a backstory and a reason for his actions and we aren't supposed to sympathize with him (especially after he so casually is willing to murder Vanessa for the house) but we aren't given the opportunity in the text, and it seemed pretty purposeful. It is why Nina isn't as comfortable with what happened as Vanessa. (hide spoiler)]

I think if most of the rehashed material had been trimmed and more grifts/cons/capers had been added, I would have enjoyed it a lot more.

First of all, I listened to this on audio so I want to talk about that a little bit. Audiobooks have not always been my thing because I find it hard to focus, but Pretty Things was an exception for me. (And it also happened to be the audiobook that really turned things around as well.) Between the gripping story and the fantastic performance by both narrators, this audiobook was hard to turn off!

The story follows two women from very different backgrounds. Nina is a grifter, scamming millionaires, stealing their high end pieces from their homes and then selling them. She is coupled with a fellow grifter Lachlan, and Irish man 10 years her senior. Vanessa is an heiress and an Instagram influencer. She has been living off her trust fund and traveling around the world, sharing photos of her wonderful life for the ‘gram.

Nina’s mother has been battling cancer and gets news that the cancer has returned requiring loads more money in treatment and medication. Nina has been waiting to get out of the grifting game, but has to do at least one more big job to get the money to care for her mother. Nina and Lachlan decide to target Vanessa, part of a family from Nina’s past. She lives on Lake Tahoe in a family mansion called Stonehaven and Nina and Lachlan create new identities and rent the caretaker’s cottage on Stonehaven’s property.

However, as Nina and Vanessa spend time together, Nina begins having flashbacks of her time at Lake Tahoe when she was a teenager and her priorities begin shifting. She feels empathy for Vanessa and starts second guessing all of her choices.

The story is told in alternating perspectives between Nina and Vanessa, sometimes showing the same scene but rom the eyes of each woman and we get to see how the change in perspective changes the story. It’s a really great thriller that had me listening in rapt attention the whole way through.

At the beginning of this review I mentioned that this was the audiobook that changed it all for me. I have been absolutely hooked on audiobooks since and have even listened to another story read by Julia Whelan, which I inhaled in much the same way. This book is wonderful no matter how you consume it, but if you have the chance to listen to the audio, I highly recommend it!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Random House, and Libro.fm for the chance to read/listen to this book!

It's the type of book that takes a minute to set things up but once it gets going, you can't stop reading it. At one point I was muttering "Mmm" every few minutes at the character interactions and the twists. The characters aren't likeable but they're not meant to be. This is the type of book where you love it so much because you can judge everyone and shake your head at their antics. Loved a few of twists. The author does a great job of planting them and using Instagram and other things to make this such a modern story. It makes me want to read more of her work pronto to see if her previous books are as fun as this one.

I was very pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this one. It kept my attention and I finished it in two days, which I was not expecting! Start was a bit slow but then it picked up and kept my interest throughout. I will say no truly big surprises but still quite enjoyable. 3.5 rounded up to a 4

This one started out slow for me, but once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. I loved it! I love a good revenge story, and switching between the two characters each chapter keeps it interesting.

I just wasn't able to get into this one. I felt that the beginning was very slow and I had trouble getting past that in order to get into the story. I have seen it all over Bookstagram, with rave reviews, so I think that this one just didn't work for me.

A grifter, an heiress and Lake Tahoe - who's the villain and who's the victim? Be prepared to ask that question throughout as the story twists and turns. Loved it.

Wow what a fun read this is ! Great charcter development and plot . I loved everything about this book.
Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinion is my own.

This is the story of two women. One a wealthy heiress with a large Instagram following that is her entire life focus other then spending money. Under the surface she has a hidden sad life that she covers up. The other a con artist, a thief, well trained by her own Mother who was also a thief and long time con. When their worlds connect at Lake Tahoe the consequences become a wonderful melody of interwoven manipulations. The con decides to take what she considers hers and what she believes the heiress has denied her . Let the fireworks begin.

I loved the charcter development as well as the well woven plot . The writing is so well crafted the author captures the reader and you will find yourself unable to put this book done until conclusion. Very well done to the author.

This took me a while to get into but them it really took off and I could not wait finish it. Having the two characters switch off in each chapter really made the story more enjoyable. Who knew that revenge could be so satisfying.

Wow! I was so blown away by this story! I thought i knew what this was going to be about and I was totally wrong!

I loved the way the author told the story. We're given information from two perspectives, so we see what happens through one person's eyes, then the other. I could not stop reading this! I highly recommend!!

This one has been a struggle. It's long, and easy to put down, so just getting through it is a journey. It's not a bad read, just a slow burn. I do look forward to the Netflix series, as the show should certainly pick up the pace.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for a review.

This multiple perspective book goes back and forth between Nina and Vanessa. This book will keep you guessing throughout,

Pretty Darlings may be my favorite book I read this year. I knew that once I read the beautiful prologue describing Lake Tahoe. I know Lake Tahoe only from The Godfather, and so already thought it was a menacing, depressing but beautiful place. And Pretty Things elevated that notion. Etched the image of this impenetrable, deep, black, foreboding, and mysterious lake in my mind forever. I spend this summer biking around Loch Ness, and that lake was a colossal disappointment. When I read the prologue, it made up for that day. It transported me instantly, like the best books can do, to this dark, dangerous, alluring locale. I could feel the breeze coming off the water, chilling your bones. I saw myself standing in the shadow of the pine trees—what a perfect stay at home book.
Two girls face-off, one, Vanessa, is the spoiled instafamous daughter of an old moneyed dynasty, the other, Nina, is the brilliant and unsuccessful daughter of a grifter. Many years ago, Vanessa's brother was Nina's best friend. A love story developed. Till it blew up, and the fallout took Nina's promising future down with it. Hardened, an adult Nina is now following in her mother's footsteps. Seeing the chance to take revenge on the family that ruined her life, she partners up with her mother's partner to scam Vanessa. This a grifters story, contorted; dark, tender, devastating.
This could easily have been a trashy soap opera. It has all the elements: money, a dynasty, adultery, rich people messing up other people's lives, mental illness, but the tone is darker, pitch-black like the depths of Lake Tahoe. The self-assured tone elated Pretty Things from a trashy family saga to an entertaining, juicy, heartfelt, gritty, compelling, and contemporary story. The voices are sparkly, authentic. Nina and Vanessa are both likable. The style is hard-boiled, contorted, gorgeous, inevitable, in line with a writer like Megan Abbott: The relationship between mother and daughter reminded me of White Oleander.
So well-plotted and structured. Not one false note. Steely, tender, human. It mixes those hard-boiled sensitivities with a satire on the Instagram famous; it gives a wild beating heart to what would have been caricatures. Twists are earned—a genuinely satisfying book.

Social media can be both terrifying & superficial nowadays. This book shows just one of the many ways. Janelle Brown did a great job of telling the story from both of the main characters' points of view & showing that what is on the surface is sometimes just a smoke show. The fast pace kept me reading quickly & I finished the whole book in just a couple of days. This is my first book by Janelle Brown, & I really enjoyed it.

**Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for sharing this ARC in exchange my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Janelle Brown's Pretty Things! It's entertaining, fast-paced and will have readers hooked from the beginning. The story is told in alternating views and timelines, and revolves around a con artist and a wealthy influencer. Nina, the con artist, was taught how to con by her mother. Vanessa, the wealthy influencer, lives a glamorous life, but things aren't always what they seem. With two flawed yet complex characters, this story is deliciously fun and will take you from Lake Tahoe to LA. Highly recommend.

A grifter, an heiress and Lake Tahoe. What can go wrong? Well, turns out a lot can go wrong! Interesting characters a hold on tight plot and explosive finale! I loved it! Well written and a gorgeous cover to boot!

I was really excited to read this book after seeing all the praise (and that beautiful cover!).

It's like "Ingrid Goes West" meets "The Good Liar."

Our two main characters - Nina and Vanessa - couldn't be more different. One is a grifter with a Robin hood complex who's never really had a stable family or home life. The other is an heiress who's never wanted for anything a day in her life - except for 'likes' and validation from her social media followers. When Nina's mom gets sick and money gets tight, her path collides with Vanessa's to pull off the ultimate scam, but everything is not as it seems. When you have two narrators that are both complex and damaged in their own, not-totally-dissimilar ways, who do you root for? That's the thrilling fun of 'Pretty Things!'

Overall, I enjoyed this dark and twisting story and give it 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

Thank you to Random House and #NetGalley for the digital copy of this book!

I really liked the first 75% of the book, but then things fell flat from there. I really liked Nina's backstory and really empathized with her childhood, but everyone else was really unlikable. Vanessa's character was so loathsome for such a long part of the book that I almost quit reading a few times. The ending was okay...I won't give anything away, but I saw it coming.

This was my first foray into Ms. Brown's books, and I have to say...I really enjoyed it! The characters were interesting, the plot moved along at a fast clip, which made this into a fun page turner. Definitely will be reading more from her in the future!

Barely making it in under the archive but hot damn this was a great book! Twisty, turning psychological thriller that kept me guessing the whole time. One of my favorites for 2020!