I loved this book. I knew it would be different from Ms. LaManna’s other books, but I wasn’t sure what to expect. It caught my interest from the very beginning. I throughly enjoyed delving into the lives of these characters. It reminded me of my college days and how different people were drawn to each other. I couldn’t understand why several people would admit to the same crime. I loved when it all came together at the end. If you enjoy reading about how old friendships, experiences and perceived relationships can affect current circumstances, then you will enjoy delving into these women’s stories.

The DeBleu - Banks wedding is being held at the Serenity Spa and Resort in California. A lavish weekend of entertainment is planned.
Three college friends are attending the nuptials of bride-to-be Whitney, though they haven't been close since their school days over fifteen years ago.
Ginger Adler, married to Frank, with three kids. Her teenage daughter Elsie is growing apart from her.
Emily Brown was caught drunkenly making out with Frank years ago, which ruined her friendship with Ginger. She is still drowning her problems with alcohol, and ends up having sex on the plane with Henry, the attractive man she is seated next to.
Kate Cross is a glamorous, rich attorney, who seems to have it all, but is struggling with infertility.
They meet LuLu Franc, the cultivated, aging aunt, attending with her fifth husband Pierce.
Also present is young mother Sydney Banks and her baby daughter Lydia. A distant cousin of the Banks family, separated from her husband.
When a man is murdered, four women confess to it, each insisting they acted alone.
The detectives interview the guests and suspects, trying find out what really happened and why they are all confessing.
A delightful and engaging mystery, reminiscent of Secrets and Lies by Liane Moriarty.
A suspenseful, humorous look at some serious issues, the story kept me fascinated all the way through to the unexpected ending.
Thank you to Sourcebooks for the e-ARC via NetGalley .

Four women confess to the murder of one man. Three say they his him over the head with a bottle, while the other says she shot him. The police are interrogating everyone involved, including staff at the luxurious spa where it all happens. He has a job on his hands, because each woman is sticking to her story. Along the way we learn about the four women, their lives, and their love interests. An absolute page turner, with an ending, I sure didn't see coming. Not a scary keep you on the edge of your seat book, but one that will keep you turning the pages, faster and faster. Fun, fun book.

Wonderful book! It took me awhile to get used to the format of how the book was written but once I did I couldn't put it down! I kept trying to figure out who was murdered and why and who did it throughout the book. It had me guessing until close to the end and then still some things surprised me at the end. Great book and would highly recommend it!

Thank you to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I found the format of this book a bit confusing and annoying. Know that there is a murder and these four women all admit to committing it. We don't know who is murdered, and in the end that seems to be the mystery rather than the "who did it". Slowly the story comes together as we learn more about the characters in the book and the back stories. I enjoyed all of the characters and found it well written and tied up neatly with a bow. As I feel with many slow developing books, the beginning dragged for me and about halfway through it picked up speed. I was happy with the ending and felt it was a neat and different story, though the time jumping does make me a little cuckoo as it's commonplace these days.
Definitely recommend to those fans of Mystery, psychological thrillers and wedding bridezillas!

Four women all confess to the murder of the same man and they each insist they acted alone, so which one is telling the truth?
If you love Big Little Lies or Liane Moriarty’s style of writing then you will love this book too. Though this book deserves its own credit.
Ginger, Kate and Emily are headed to a fellow college friends wedding, the only problem is they’ve grown apart and had falling outs since college and this is the first time they will have seen each other in years. The three women along with extravagant and much older Lulu are all at very different stages of their lives and they reconnect over many wines at the hotel bar. By the end of the weekend a man is dead, which one is responsible?
The story is fast paced and a multi narrative. LaManna draws you into a character’s story line and then leaves a nice little cliffhanger at the end of each chapter which means you can’t possibly put the book down there, you have to keep reading until the character comes around again and you can find out what happens. This little writing trick happens with each character so before you know it you’ve finished the book and it’s well after midnight.

EXCERPT: Ginger's shoulders stiffened with resistance at the horribleness of her voice. This wasn't like her. Ginger was fun and patient and exuberant. She wasn't a nag, and more importantly, she loved Frank. She loved his silly hobbies and stupid projects. His very zest for life was one of the reasons she'd fallen head over heels for him in the first place.

But then life had happened, and kids, and finances, and insurance, and lost pink shoes. And somewhere in the mess of suburbia and second jobs and the monotony of daily life, love just seemed so hard sometimes.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: Four Women. Four Confessions. One Murder.

Something has gone terribly wrong at the Banks wedding. A man is dead. Four different women rush to offer confessions, each insisting that they committed the crime -- alone.

Ginger is holding her family together by a thread, and this wedding weekend is not the fabulous getaway she anticipated.

Kate has enough money to buy her way out of anything. Well, almost anything.

Emily can't shake her reputation or her memories, and she's planning to drown this whole vacation in a bottle.

Lulu's got ex-husbands to spare, and another on the way -- as soon as she figures out what the devil the current husband is up to behind her back.

Why would they confess to the same murder? Only they know -- and they're not telling. This page-turning novel explores the depths of friendship and the truths we love to ignore.

MY THOUGHTS: This was a fun read with a slightly darker side to it. The women's relationships are complicated, but common; resentment, envy, and holding onto old grudges has taken the place of their once close friendship. But when the chips are down, will they let these petty feelings get in the way of having each others backs?

I enjoyed the way this book was written, in a light-hearted vein while covering some pretty serious subjects including physical abuse and infertility. Pretty Guilty women made me think, and smile. I also liked the fact that we don't actually who was killed until almost the end of the book. Did Lulu kill Pierce in a fit of jealousy? Did Ginger kill Frank in sheer frustration? Did Kate kill Max for dumping her rather publicly? Did Emily kill Henry while she was drunk? All these quetions were rattling around my brain as I read.

We get segments of the women's stories, interspersed with police interviews - this is definitely NOT a police procedural; these guys couldn't find their way out of a paper bag....

My favorite quote - 'If Lulu didn't believe in romance, she wouldn't have gotten married five times.'

Love the cover.

:) :) :) .75 and I'm still smiling

THE AUTHOR: Originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, Gina LaManna has also called Italy and Los Angeles home. After studying numbers and equations in college, she realized multiple choice tests were “just not for her” and began writing books instead. She loves cappuccino foam and whipped cream and would subsist solely on sprinkles if possible. She currently lives in St. Paul with her wonderful husband and family.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Sourcebooks, Landmark for providing a digital ARC of Pretty Guilty Women by Gina La Manna for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

I am a loyal fan of Gina's so I was really excited to read my first stand alone novel by her. The synopsis of the book had me really excited as well as I love a good murder mystery. I did enjoy the book and found it to be entertaining and a quick read. The formatting of the book jumped around a little too much for me. The story was solid, but I almost felt like it was over too soon and I really wanted to know more instead of just the quick version. Overall, it was an enjoyable quick read and would be good for a beach trip or a rainy weekend.

I started this book, thinking this was going to be something in the same vain as Liane Moriarty. Unfortunately this felt like a not so great version of Big Little Lies. It was tired and I did not feel there was anything unique with this story. I was disappointed with this one, especially with the some of they hype I have been seeing on this.

This was my first LaManna book and wanted to wowed. It sounded like a great mystery with women protecting someone important. What I got was an o.k. mystery with women in different phases of a midlife crisis. A detective interviewing suspects is the only interaction with the bride we get. The murder happens in a posh resort where friends have gathered for a college buddy's wedding. It's more of a reunion than wedding, a confessing of life's problems and a lot of champagne. While I finished the book, it never really had me that intrigued about who was dead. I received my copy through Netgalley.

Four Friends and a Wedding.

This book is more than a classic whodunnit murder mystery, it’s about friendships, motherhood and relationships as well. Four college roommates reunite for ones wedding after being estranged for a decade. Tensions are high and it’s not all about what happened back in college to make them go their separate ways. A lot has happened to each and every one of them and it’s told to us in the third person narrative. We get to know the these women by their own reminiscence and flashbacks and also via a detective conducting interviews for his murder investigation. They are all pretty complex with flaws together with aptitude to give them depth.

I enjoyed this book once I got a feel for who the characters were. A few plot issues that didn’t quite make sense to me and I was disappointed in how the men in this book were depicted. Even poor Frank was made to look like a goof at times but a lovable one. The story line was good and will keep you wanting to know more about these women, the mystery dead man and who actually pulled the trigger so to say. Well worth the read.

This was a pretty quick read for me.

A story full of secrets, lies and dramas surrounding four women who have all confessed to a murder if the same man.

The multiple view points from the women and police interview excerpts made it all the more interesting. I liked the characters who each had their own story, their own problems. There was a lot of drama throughout and a nice twist of an ending. The build up, the storyline and the pace were all good too.

I found this an entertaining read, with a good plot. An enjoyable read.

When old college friends reunite after being estranged for years for one of their own's wedding, it should be a very joyous, happy occasion. But that certainly was not in the cards. A murder has been committed and it seems they have all confessed. But it can only be one of them.

These college friends who are now somewhat strangers to each other all believe the other's lives are perfect. But all is not as it seems.

The gathering includes Kate, who is fashion model beautiful, wealthy and does not have a care in the world, but unbeknownst to her friends is in the middle of a horrific mid-life crisis.

Emily is a preschool teacher who drinks a bit. She had a falling out years ago with one of her college roommates which she has regretted for years. She also regrets the secrets she has been keeping and how they have been eating away at her.

Ginger is now a harried mother of three. She and her husband whom she met in college barely make ends meet. Her teenage daughter will be the death of her if her two younger children don't kill each other first.
Then there is Lula an elderly woman they meet and befriend at the wedding who has been married "a few" times. She thinks her latest husband is cheating on her and she will go to great lengths to figure out if this is true.

So, back to the murder...why would they each risk all they have to go to prison. How did this situation get so out of control? Who really committed the crime and why?

Some friendships, both old and new can be meaningful, dependable and supportive regardless of their length or their history. But when push comes to shove these women will do anything and everything to protect each other. This is the lesson they learned.

Quite the page turner, Pretty Guilty Women is cleverly told via the detective's interrogation's of the women and then we have the women's back story chapters. There is comic relief as well with of course a few shocking twists at the end.

Thank you #NetGalley #SourcebooksLandmark #PrettyGuiltyWomen #GinaLamanna for the advanced copy. It was terrific!

This book is very different from any of the author's other series! I started the book and was grabbed by the first pages. The format was very interesting and different. Whitney, one of four college roommates who used to be best friends was getting married in an over the top wedding venue. With the 4 old college friends going their separate ways, Whitney decided they should all be invited to her wedding. Each of them was carrying their own baggage and they had a strained reunion when they all saw each other at the bar. There they also met Lulu, a classy older woman who was on her 5 marriage who joined the group. In between chapters, we have a detective interviewing these women about the murder of a man who they all thought was a guest. But Why? Things are really strange when we find the 3 college friends and Lulu all confess to the murder. Put all that together with a young secretive girl, Sydney, who is at the wedding because she is distantly related and her baby Lydia and you have a very strange set of circumstances as well as grudges, jealousies, an obstinate15 year old teenage daughter with her helicopter mother, who is one of the 4 college women and you are treated to a page turning mystery. Once I began this book, I couldn't put it down because I couldn't wait to see what happens next! I received and ARC from Netgalley and the author, but the opinions expressed here are strictly my own!

Four women confess to the same murder at a luxury resort during an extravagant wedding week celebration. Each woman says she acted alone. But who actually killed whom? And why is each woman willing to confess?

In order to keep this review spoiler free, I will keep it short and sweet.

From the first chapter of Pretty Guilty Women, I was hooked. I wanted to know who died, and why. I loved seeing the four women, who do not appear to be close friends, ban together. The story was intricately weaved together, and I enjoyed the unique approach. Overall, the book felt fresh and original. I found some of the characters (ahem Ginger) a bit more challenging to connect to than others, but that is one of the beauties of this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I greatly appreciate the opportunity!

Pretty Guilty Women is a unique story. Four old friends are in attendance at a wedding when a man is found murdered. Shockingly, all four women claim to have committed the murder. Why would four women confess to one murder? It's so bizarre! I liked the format of the narrative, told in police interviews and the perspective of each woman. Every woman had a distinct voice, and I liked all of them. It was fascinating to see the different threads weave together to the end. This story is different and fun to read. I highly recommend!

This is a story of four friends who all claim to be guilty, three who are part of an old foursome from college and one who bonds with them over drinks at the fourth (of the old group)'s wedding. At this wedding, something quite unexpected happens.

I actually enjoyed the pattern of the narrative, one chapter is the dialogue between the investigating officer and one of the numerous cast and the other is the actual story as it unfolded. I was actually hooked trying to predict what the chapter following a sudden announcement from the Inspector would consist of. I got quite a few things wrong which in itself delighted me. The plot was not intricate, and the narration is deceptively simple but the joy in the book was this simplicity. I know friendships between women are usually the central plot to a lot of books but this seemed realistic to an extent, two friends are closer to each other and all four were a team. Then life came in the way and they grew up. This growth is measured differently for everyone while holding on to the realistic possibility that in the future they might actually enjoy each other's company again. Lulu( the new friend) is a strange character and personally, I do not think she brought much to the story except for an extra bit of guesswork as to what her secret might be. I also would have liked it more if we got to see the bride speak for herself after all the other impressions that were scattered around by others who knew her.

Overall a good tale that I would give 3.5 stars out of 5 but since hardly any website allows that I have to round it up to a 4.

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is completely based on my own reading experience.

This was a fun, quick read! I enjoyed the character development and the premise in general, though I wanted to know more about a few of the characters mentioned, to be honest - more backstory :) Still enjoyable, and I'd recommend!

Four women. Four confessions. One Murder... if you think this sounds messy you haven’t read anything yet 🍸 ⁣
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Happy Pub day to @ginalamanna’s Pretty Guilty Women! Shout out to @netgalley and @sourcebooks for the advanced copy!⁣
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I spent my Labor Day flying through this one and it was totally worth it! If you enjoy some drama in your life ala Big Little Lies, was The Real Housewives than I have just the read for you.⁣
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Pretty Guilty Women is about four college friends that reunite at a fancy spa and resort for one of the women’s weddings (the wedding is the backdrop for the book but not the focus). The story is told in alternating perspectives with police interviews thrown in that lead up to the wedding. I really enjoyed that each woman had a voice and I found something I liked about each of them. ⁣
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The suspense builds with every chapter and overall I was satisfied with the ending. This book read like a movie to me as Lamanna flawlessly described every last detail so I could really picture it all! As far as thrillers go this is a lighter one perfect for sitting poolside at a fancy resort perhaps 🤷🏽‍♀️ ⁣
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This book comes out today so if you’re looking for a book to hold onto summer with, look no further! ⁣
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#partner #prettyguiltywomen #netgalley

(Also posted on my GR account!)

Pretty Guilty Women came close to its more famous counterpart. And if you're a fan of this kinda genre, you'll know what I mean.

However, I can assure you that PGW stands tall on its own. It was raw and intriguing book to me and I loved every bits of it. I usually moan about a book with multiple (more than three) povs because they usually hard to read and just too much. With PGW, I didn't find the same problem.

My only problem with PGW is that it took too long to get to the mystery part. By 60% mark I already forgot the prolog and its existence and surprised when some characters reminisced that part again. And then, the actual 'crime' happened on 80-90% mark, which, really stretching it out. Should be cut like 10-15% off but as it is, I don't mind.