Really enjoyed this. I felt like it was long but very well paced, my interest was maintained throughout.
The characters were strong and it all felt very visual, it was not hard to imagine particular scenes or characters.

What a great book filled with twists
I really enjoyed the writing style
This book was a slow burn and it felt too long

I was so nervous going into this one because someone said it was a slow burn and I’m not a fan of those. But… I didn’t feel like it was slow at all! I loved the pace and I loved the alternating POV between Nina and Vanessa. The character development is one of the best I’ve ever read and I’m so here for it! The pace is perfection! And the ending… I’m left with a sly grin on my face and you can take that however you want!

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this one! Definitely wasn't expecting to be so sucked in by it.
It's quite a bit longer than other books within the same genre and there were times where it dragged a tad, but I enjoyed the pacing and the plot itself. I liked how it shed light on people's lives not being as perfect as what their social media profiles make out. These are lessons that are always meaningful in my eyes - especially with how much people share (or seem to share!).

An enjoyable read that kept me thoroughly entertained.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Really enjoyed this
Its a real page turner with alot of twists and turns, but also a very interesting character assessment.

Nina was the easier to identify with, which is a surprise with her being a criminal. However moral a criminal she is...it doesn't detract from that!

Its a very sad look at the American health care system...no one should have to go to those lengths to get treatment and I feel so lucky to live in the UK and hope that it never comes to this.
Really not right that a first world country denies treatment to their own people.

Meeting Nina first and seeing her struggles does give us an advantage of being Team Nina rather than Team Vanessa.

When we finally get Vanessa's perspective ..it is quite far into the story and we have spent alot of time with Nina and understanding her view point.

However, I think if we had met Vanessa first it would have been much harder for readers. I am guessing more people understand money struggles than poor little rich girl and Vanessa is so very poor emotionally.

This does throw you a bit off balance though as suddenly we are reading Vanessa's side which goes over alot of the same events only from her perspective and I did find myself rushing these a bit to get back to Nina.

Vanessa is a really hard sell.. her thoughts and views are so alien. Especially what she blames Nina for. How can you have so little understanding and knowledge of your own life and your own family? Then blame everyone else for it.

Despite this I was always enthralled regarding where the story would go.
This would have been a 5 star book had I liked the ending better. It just felt a little twee and one sided given what had happened before.

This book is a really good read and I really enjoyed it.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for approve me for this title

The plot and narrative of this novel was really good but it just wasn’t for me unfortunately

Oh, how I wish there could be a page length on NetGalley before I request a book.
This could have been so much shorter, the repetitive length just made it drag and it took way too long to make things happen!
I don't mind long books, as long as they don't drag, repeat themselves, and the extra pages are needed to the plot. I don't feel like that's the case here, it was slow and repetitive and just detracted from my enjoyment when things started happening.

I have bought this book so that I can read it in my own time and in a proper book format. I am very excited to read this and I have heard very good thing about jt. I am excited to try

Pretty Things is an intriguing, glamorous thriller sure to keep readers on their toes. Soon to be a limited series starring Nicole Kidman, this novel is sure to make a splash. The story alternates between the perspectives of Nina and Vanessa. Nina gets by by stealing from the rich with her Irish boyfriend Lachlan. Only she gets desperate when her mother falls ill. Vanessa is a privileged heiress, instagram influencer - also Nina's latest mark. What happens when the two cross paths and the greedy get desperate? Highly recommended to anyone looking for a fun thriller with realistic, stylish characters.

A modern day thriller, following two female narrators, Nina and Vanessa, both unlikeable in so many ways yet somehow I found myself understanding them. The tension ratchets up throughout the book and the ending doesn’t disappoint.

Palpable Edge Of Sinister Suspense....
Wholly entertaining, fast moving read with a palpable edge of very sinister suspense from first to last page. Credible characters with plenty of twists that you may not see coming.

My first Janelle Brown book and I enjoyed it immensely. The characters are well drawn and the plot is gripping, keeping me in suspense right to the end, a real page-turner.
The main characters are Nina, the daughter of a grifter, who has been unable to succeed in the better life she envisioned for herself, and Vanessa, an heiress and social media influencer who is finding her glamorous life unfulfilling. The two are brought together in a scheme intended to bring riches and revenge, but turning out in a way that none of the characters, or the reader, envisioned.
I saw some reviews where the readers thought the plot too slow-moving, but I loved the way the author developed the characters and their backgrounds to the point where you feel that you know them and get emotionally invested when the plot gets dramatic.
This is a great read and I´ll be looking out for the other works by Janelle Brown.

Thanks to Netgalley and Janelle Brown for an advanced copy of this book for my honest review.

This is my first novel by Janelle Brown and I really enjoyed reading it. I absolutely loved the descriptions about the scenery and the people and the plot was really good. Quite different to what I normally read but I did enjoy it nonetheless.

We follow scammers Nina and Lachlan who steal from the rich and thus we meet Vanessa. I did find the novel quite hard going at times and not the easiest to read, but with perseverance I did enjoy this book.

I loved this book! It was very well written and I became so involved with the characters who were well drawn and very convincing. The plot works so well relying on misconceptions, preconceptions and characters who do not believe in their own self-worth.
I will definitely be looking to read more by this author.
Four solid stars!
Many thanks to Netgalley/Janelle Brown/Orion Publishing Group for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

loved it - light, wicked writing, with drama and intrigue on every page. Cunning kids and clever actions, page turning wonderful=ness!

Just when you think you have got to grips with this book it turns again.
Nina is a con artist, following her Mums footsteps she hits the wealthy to get what she wants. When her mum becomes ill she has to find a way to pay for her hospital bills and medication, so she does what she knows best, travels to find her next mark.
Next come in Vanessa, a socialite, and a rich one at that, she is the perfect mark for Nina.
Nothing is as it seems, people are not who you think they are and worlds collide.
I enjoyed this book, I found it was a good pace and easy to read, perfect holiday read.

3,5 Stars

„Pretty Things“ is cleverly plotted, filled with unreliable characters which are also not very likable. Its only flaw is that it is way too long and in large parts repetitive.

Nina hoped for a better life when she finally finishes college. She grew up with a mother who is a con artist and they moved places frequently. She only felt at home in Tahoe City. There she found a friend who turned also into her first love and school is going great. Her mother promised her that this is it. No more moving around. But Nina’s friend is the son of a very wealthy man and he does not approve of Nina. She and her mother had to leave Tahoe City. Nina is sure that the father forced her mother to leave and with that ruined her life. But years later her college degree gets her nowhere and when her mother got cancer and needed money for treatment she falls into the trap of being a con artist herself. She steals from the rich, only a little bit. Things they won’t miss and maybe won’t even notice that they are gone. But the cancer is back and when her mother needs even more money for doctors she decided that she will do one big coup. She will go back to Lake Tahoe and steel from the family that costs her so much.

This is just a rough sketching of the story because it is much more complex. But telling more would ruin the fun for you. After a very interesting start the book slows down as soon as Nina gets to Tahoe City. She is doing this job with a partner who is also her lover and they are going to befriend Vanessa who is the sister of Nina’s first love. Here starts what is in my opinion the greatest flaw of the book. Whole passages are being told from Nina’s POV first and later from Vanessa’s again. Seeing a scene from different POVs could be a fun and interesting thing. But here the sequences are too long and they are of course similar. So prepare yourself to read everything what happens at Lake Tahoe twice. It is interesting but it is also repetitive. You see a different side and see what the other part hid and that is cool but it also slows the pace down and you have to go through the same stuff again. It brings a new twist to the story and it is still interesting but it still it is too long, too much. I think these parts should have been cut a bit shorter.

It still is a good story. I am not sure if I liked any of the characters, maybe Nina a little bit. They are all interesting but troubled. Nina and Vanessa both have problems to find their place in life. Nina thinks she is doomed to end like her mother because there still is no other option. Vanessa is sure she is only someone because of her name and when she gets enough likes on her Instagram account. My only criticism is that it is a quite long and that is mostly because of the way it is told through the retelling thing. But it is still entertaining enough to keep you through the many pages.

What a book!! Simply loved this one!

From the very first page I was hooked. The characters in this book are fabulous, you take an immediate liking to all of them, being drawn into the individual´s life and the consequences that follow certain events. You find yourself turning each page in anticipation of what is going to happen next.

Very clever, certainly very believable, you can definitely see this type of scenario happening in the real world.

Thoroughly enjoyed this. First time I have read something by this author but it certainly won´t be the last!

My thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for giving me the opportunity to read and review honestly, an advanced copy.

I’ve noticed some previous reviewers felt this book was too long, I felt it was just the right length and was a fast paced, page turner. Have read that Nicole Kidman is to star in a tv adaptation of this book and I think it will have viewers hooked from the start. It opens with us meeting one of the main characters Nina who is a con artist (or grifter in the US). She’s dressed up for a night out in a glamorous LA nightclub and has a target in her sights. All her life Nina has tried to escape her legacy - a life of crime predetermined by her career criminal mother. Unfortunately Nina’s mother has cancer so due to a series of events Nina has to leave LA to find her next victim who can pay the medical bills and potentially fund an escape route . She takes with her Lachlan, a smooth charismatic conman and soon they find themselves in Lake Tahoe one of Nina’s many childhood homes. Part of the story is told in flashback and we see how and why Nina has turned to crime. The other main character is Vanessa Liebling an Instagram influencer who has inherited Stonehaven a historic mansion on the shores of Lake Tahoe. She has had a troubled family life and although from a wealthy background lacks confidence and any idea of what to do with her life. On the face of it she’s the perfect victim for Nina and Lachlan. However, appearances can be deceptive and no one in this novel is really who they appear to be. It’s all about perception and deception. There are plenty of twists and turns and whilst some of the events seemed a bit contrived and unlikely, you don’t read these types of thrillers for realism.
I found the portrayal of all the female characters to be strong and even though Nina’s lifestyle was not to be admired, I felt a lot of sympathy towards her. The shallowness of the Instagram influencer’s life and her constant need to be at the latest place, wearing the latest outfit was well described. Mental health features heavily in this book and I felt it was handled sensitively. Overall I enjoyed it and did predict the outcome but there were plenty of surprises along the way. What really appealed to me was the way that the story unfolded and that it was told alternately from Nina and Vanessa’s perspective.
If you liked Gone Girl or Girl on the Train I think this book will appeal to you.
Thanks to Net Galley and Random House Publishing for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pretty Things is a twisty tale which will keep you guessing right until the end. Quite simply. Trust no one.

Nina has fallen into the family business of grifting; helping herself to the chattels of the ultra wealthy, things they will never miss. When circumstances require that she engage in a con with potential incredible dividends, our true adventure begins.

As the story unfolds things get a little far fetched but it is fun at every turn. My only wrinkle was the length. A good edit to avoid duplicated POVs would lighten the load. A solid 3.5*

With many thanks to Netgalley, Orion and Hachette for an advanced copy.