TW: Abuse, corporal punishment.

This book is so well-written! I loved it. Even though parts of it were about really horrific stuff, it's handled well and the descriptions mostly get very graphic in metaphorical dream sequences.

This had so many well thought out twists and turns, I am rarely surprised by thrillers or mysteries unless there is an unreliable narrator that is well hidden, but this book didn't need that. It takes you on a journey, and just when you feel like you can take a deep breath there's more.

This book is great for those who like a solid psychological thriller, or even just a darker story.

This was a good book full of twists and turns looking back on things that happened in the past. I enjoyed following Beckett as she tried to put the pieces together.

This was a good quick read. I enjoyed the pacing and the story. I wish there was a bit more suspense but still loved it

Beckett went through the ringer in this novel… so many twists and turns. I felt like I knew the major twists but did not guess them right 100%. I was invested in Beckett and knowing the ending to this novel! I loved the way it was written and learning bits and pieces of the past as the story went on!

Pretty little thing by Kit Duffield

Beckett has to return home for the funeral. Both her mother and father die within a week of each other. Beckett didn’t have a happy childhood and returning to a place who revered her father makes her sick to her stomach but things she had forgotten start to reemerge but a woman who claims to have been her best friend…. Isn’t someone she remembers at all.

This one wasn’t brilliant. I don’t know but I kinda felt like the storyline missed its mark. I feel like the author let her father off with its aha moment and that didn’t sit well for me. I didn’t find the story very believable either and I think had the ending been different, it could have been a great thriller but it made a huge mistake at the end and I can’t unsee that.

It has the atmosphere presence and the creep vibes in spades but it tried to force something I couldn’t buy and that is a real shame. The stuff with her parents too…. HMMM yeah I didn’t like how it unfolded. It was a shame because it could have been epic. The characters were solid and all the elements were there.

3.5 stars

As a huge fan of thrillers and psychological dramas, I was drawn to “Pretty Little Thing” by Kit Duffield. The premise—a renowned author returning to her small hometown after her estranged parents' deaths, only to find herself embroiled in a chilling mystery and a tangle of forgotten memories—promised so much potential. I was excited to dive into this listening experience, and while it had its moments of suspense and atmosphere, I ultimately found it fell a bit short of its promise.
To begin with, the audiobook was narrated beautifully by Eilidh Beaton and Ell Potter. Their English accents added an authenticity that I adored, setting a captivating stage for the dark, gothic tones of the story. The atmosphere was palpable from the start—Duffield does an excellent job crafting a spooky setting that puts me on edge. The descriptions of Beckett's childhood home, with its dark corners and eerie noises, had me gripping my headphones a little tighter, especially in those moments when the narrative turned genuinely creepy. If you’re a fan of atmospheric tension, you’ll appreciate this aspect of the book.
However, while I was hooked on the aesthetics of the storytelling, the pacing in the first half felt sluggish. It was like wading through molasses, and I found myself anxiously waiting for something—anything—to happen. Once the plot began to pick up, the story delivered some thrills, complete with twists that kept me guessing, but the pacing issues did detract from the overall experience.
I pride myself on being a keen observer when it comes to thrillers, and I was genuinely surprised by one big reveal. That was a definite highlight! However, the final twist felt like it was thrown in just for shock value, which left me rolling my eyes. Rather than enhancing the story, it came across as exaggerated, somewhat undermining the groundwork that led to it. It felt less like a resolution and more like a last-minute plot twist designed to keep readers on their toes, whether it made sense or not.
As for the characters, Beckett left me frustrated. Her naivety often bordered on exasperating rather than endearing, and I wanted her to exhibit more awareness and complexity. I found myself shouting at the book during her interactions, urging her to trust her instincts. Leanne, the supposed ally from her past, lacked depth, and their chemistry was underwhelming—what could have been a captivating re-connection instead felt flat and, at times, forced. This diminished the unsettling tension that their relationship could have introduced.
While I enjoyed the horror elements and the initial creepy vibes, repetition dulled their impact. Beckett’s continual encounters with her childhood fears and the “something lurking” trope wore thin as the story progressed. By the tenth “bump in the night,” my concern had transformed into mild bemusement.
In conclusion, “Pretty Little Thing” has moments of brilliance, particularly in the atmosphere and suspenseful setup. While the characters and some plot twists fell short, I still found the experience engaging enough to make me curious about Kit Duffield's future works. Just be prepared for a rollercoaster that has a few twists which might leave you questioning the ride.

This book started out really good. It had a woman who was abused as a child, a town that hated her, and she couldn't remember much about what happened. It seemed like a great thriller! But then it got worse.

The main character, Leanne, was too sad all the time. It was hard to believe someone could be that unhappy. The other people in the book also felt fake. Leanne's boyfriend, the bullies, even the rich guy who helped her - they all seemed too perfect or too bad to be real. And the big surprises at the end were just too much. They didn't make sense.

The woman was hurt, and I didn't like what she did to Leanne's boyfriend. But I couldn't really blame her because she was so damaged. No one else seemed to care much about her either.

“Hell is empty, all the devils are here.”

The story centres on Beckett, a troubled bestselling author who returns to her childhood home after her estranged parents’ deaths. And what a homecoming it is! Imagine a town filled with locals who hate you for leaving, and a family home that could give The Addams Family a run for their money. Beckett also reconnects with Leanne, her childhood best friend… well, sort of best friend.. Beckett can’t quite remember Leanne clearly—just another memory lost in the fog of her past. But hey, why let a few forgotten details stand in the way of rekindling a friendship? Cue spooky music...

The plot absolutely brims with potential. The small-town setting, strained relationships, and the slow unveiling of Beckett’s forgotten memories are all ingredients for a suspenseful story. The first thing that stood out to me was how well Duffield establishes atmosphere. The creepy, gothic tones are strong from the get-go, and I was immediately drawn into this world of secrets and shadows. You can practically feel the chill in the air as Beckett navigates her old family home, with dark corners and ominous noises filling every creak of the floorboards. The horror elements early on were great—those initial spooky scenes had me wanting to keep the light on at night. (There’s nothing quite like a good "something’s watching you from the dark" moment to set the mood.)

That said, the pacing was slow in the first half of the book, and I found myself waiting for something to happen. The buildup felt like a slow march rather than a steady crescendo, and I was eager for the plot to pick up speed. But once it did, the story had more of the thrilling momentum I’d been craving. The twists, while sometimes improbable, kept me hooked and guessing.

Oh, the twists. I usually pride myself on being a twist detective, but there was one big reveal that genuinely surprised me—a huge plus for any thriller! But then...there was the twist at the VERY end, and let’s just say I almost snorted my tea. Did we need that one? Nope. I think it was there just to mess with me. I think that the author was trying to shock the audience as much as possible, rather than focusing on whether it logically made sense.

As for the characters, Beckett—bless her heart—comes across as painfully naive, and not in a cute, endearing way. You know the type. The type that makes you want to yell at the book, "Don't trust that person!"—but, of course, she does. She fell into that all-too-familiar trope of the unaware female lead in a thriller and I found myself wanting a bit more complexity from her. Leanne, too, I felt like her character was underdeveloped, but her presence added a layer of mystery to the story. The chemistry between the two could have been more dynamic, but their interactions did contribute to the eerie, unsettling tone of the novel.

Next up, the horror. I love a good scare—I’m all about creeping myself out. I was definitely on edge and got goosebumps the first few times something went bump in the night. But when the same things kept bumping, and by the tenth time, I was like, "Oh, we’re doing this again? Cool, cool." I wanted to be shaking in my boots, but instead, I was just mildly concerned.

On the positive side, the narrator for the audiobook did a fab job. The English accent? Chef’s kiss. It added a bit of charm and I found myself at least enjoying the way the story was told, so at least my ears had a good time even when the story wasn't storying.

In the end, Pretty Little Thing is a debut that shows real promise. Kit Duffield has a knack for creating a spooky, gothic vibe that I’d love to see explored even further in his future works. While this book didn’t fully deliver on its potential for me, the intriguing plot and creepy moments kept me engaged. And even with its faults, it was the kind of thriller that makes me curious to see what Duffield will come up with next. I have a feeling his storytelling will only get stronger.

Thank you to NetGalley, Brilliance Publishing/Brilliance Audio and author Kit Duffield, for an advance copy of this audiobook.

This book had a lot of potential. You have an adult survivor of child abuse, a town that revered the abuser and came to loathe the victim, and PTSD with memory loss about the childhood she tries to forget. Excellent beginning for a psychological thriller! Enter all the other characters and it kept going downhill.

Leanne felt fake from the very beginning -- there is such a thing as too much of a wet blanket to be believed. And that was pretty much how all the characters felt. Leanne's boyfriend seemed fake, the town bullies seemed fake, the rich benefactor was too good to be real, and Beckett's story about her mother was just too much. And the twists were just too much. Way overboard. Implausible. Validated all my distrust throughout. Beckett was damaged, and while I might have hated her for her actions with Leanne's boyfriend, I just couldn't really blame her for the level of damage she was functioning with, and no one seemed to care all that much.

All in all, strong concept, but it just went way too far.

Thanks to NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for this ARC.

This book is truly unsettling and I loved it. The author's style is easy to read and very good at delivering the details on the story in a non-infodumpy way. The twists the story took were not easily predictable. It is great in creating a spooky atmosphere by twisting seemingly normal things sooo much. I legit put it down a couple of times as it was giving me the creeps. The morally gray characters are nicely written and feel very real.
I loved every minute of this book (I was listening to the audio version). The narrators Eilidh Beaton; Ell Potter were enjoyable and did a good job bringing this story into life.

I enjoyed this book. I didn’t see a lot of the twists coming and the storyline was interesting. The setting was spooky and the narration was great. And Im glad there was a good ending. 😊