Pretty Guilty Women is a brilliant suspense fiction novel about four women, each confessing to the same murder. This book was a real page turner; a fast paced murder mystery that explores secrets, mistakes, forgiveness, friendships, infertility, heartache and much more. I couldn’t determine who had died and which of the women was responsible for the murder until the end. This was a Intense, powerful, and wholly original novel that I absolutely loved and highly recommend. An advance reader copy was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I was first attracted to Pretty Guilty Women on NetGalley because I thought it was a Liane Moriarty novel, Truly Madly Guilty, so I shouldn’t have been too surprised by lots of similarities to Liane Moriarty novels. Pretty Guilty Women is broken up with conversations with a detective investigating a murder, just like in Big Little Lies, and the identity of the murder victim is obfuscated for most of the novel, just like in Big Little Lies (but don’t worry he’s a total jerk, just like in Big Little Lies, so it’s ok for all the ladies to lie to the cops,  just like in Big Little Lies).

But where Big Little Lies has readers rooting for the women from the start, allowing readers to overlook some of the goofier plotpoints, Pretty Guilty Women seemed like it was checking the female character Tragic Backstory boxes. (High-powered Career Woman Secretly Struggling With Infertility is prob my least favorite archetype, and if a novel's just gotta use it, at least throw me a lifestyle-porn bone here, and give me some handbags, shoes, and Manhattan real estate.)  The novel has shifting third-person perspective, which can be difficult if the characters are so similar that I had trouble remembering who was who. This was compounded by every character's desire to strike up friendships with strangers at pre-wedding festivities, offer personal favors, and drop big hints to her Secret Tragic Backstory. Characters all seemed to know the same things and draw the same conclusions, which didn't help me differentiate them between them.

The women as a whole also managed to be blindsided by things that were super definitely coming. Kate's interior monologue about how Max is about to dump her is interrupted when Max dumps her, and she's surprised? Very surprised?  (I really did appreciate naming the rich jerk Max Banks, I got a kick out of it every time Kate charged something else to his room.)

The book's about a murder and false confessions, but the really memorable moment for me was when Ginger fondly looked over at her husband, noting lovingly that although she was always primarily responsible for looking after kids, house, logistics and holding down her own job, dear Frank would step in, just before she lost it completely. Ugh, a husband who takes the kids on occasion, as his wife's about to break down? Please spare me from that love story.  But since the other men were flatly evil (Henry, Daniel, Max), this was a rare moment of nuance.

I usually love stories about women's friendships, so it's interesting to unpack why this fell so incredibly flat for me. I just didn't believe in the college friendships on any level,  and the insta-bonding with Lulu and Sydney felt forced.  To feel like there's a real friendship, I need to see the characters reference the same jokes/songs/movie quotes, or maybe just see the casual intimacy of ordering a friend's usual. These women shared almost no group memories, and the new friendships didn't feel like they were based on a connection.

This book was a real page turner! I couldn't wait to discover what each woman;s secrets were! The way the book was written was interesting and i loved how it played out.

This was a fun quick read that would be perfect for the beach. The characters are well fleshed-out and generally likable / relatable (with the exception of Emily, who is at times relatable, but also frustrating and a total Debbie Downer). I also liked how the author represented female friendships. It felt so true to life with the slight undertone of competitiveness / judgment that they were all radiating onto each other.

Took off a star because I didn't find the ending as satisfying as I would have liked, but would still recommend this as a fun beach read for anyone that likes suspense fiction.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I kept hearing about this book.
I kept seeing on the "The books to Read" lists everywhere.
I was thrilled to read the ARC, and then I started reading and was thrilled for the entire book.
She (1) did it!
No she (2) did it!
No- She (3) did it!
No--SHE (4) did it!!
WHO did it??!!

5 college friends -4 of who shared an apartment since Sophomore year
and then became inseparable- reunite for a wedding week.
Old stories are told and relived, secrets are shared, and someone dies.

Good read!

I found this book to be intriguing enough but did not keep me on the edge of my seat. Although the premise is different, the narration, the interviews and the story focusing on women of different ages and classes was very similar to Big Little Lies. That being said I thouroughly enjoyed the author’s writing style and would not hesitate to pick up another one of her books in this genre. It was an easy read and it did offer some twists that I didn’t see coming. I enjoyed the epilogue which left me satisfied with the story’s conclusion.

Three women reunite at the wedding of their friend from college. From the outside, it appears each woman is living the “perfect” life but things aren’t always what they seem. At the wedding these three women are drawn to two new friends and end up being questioned in the death of a man at the resort where the wedding is being held and four of the women claim to be responsible.

Gina LaManna crafted an engaging tale of past mistakes, longing, and forgiveness in this book. The story was fast paced and kept me wondering who had died and which of the ladies were responsible until the end. I have never read anything by this author but will definitely be catching up on her works in the very near future.

Thank you NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I loved this book. For me it was a real page turner and I couldn’t wait to uncover the truth and everyone’s secrets. The layout of the book where each chapter began by police questioning and then the chapter unfolded with more information about that character, was very creative and not something I have seen before.

The characters were well developed and believable and spanned the spectrum on age, class, and background. A really enjoyable read.

This is the most addictive novel I’ve read in a long time!! Pretty Guilty Women starts out with a woman confessing to police that she murdered someone!! And eventually another woman confesses to murdering that same person, and another woman, and another woman!!! That’s right, four women confess to single-handedly murdering the same person...so what exactly is the truth!?!?! I was on the edge of my seat to find out!

Pretty Guilty Women twisted my thoughts and mind and I loved every page of it! I think it’s an understatement to say this novel will shock you with it’s unexpected twists and turns! Trust me when I say you will not see the ending coming—love that! I really enjoyed how Gina LaManna combined the women’s fiction and mystery genres perfectly. I recommend this 5 star read to EVERYONE! This is the first novel I’ve read from Gina LaManna and I am really looking forward to reading more from her in the future!

Four women all confess to the murder that occurred during the rehearsal dinner. The detective is trying to figure out who actually killed this man and why all four women would confess. Kate, Ginger, Lulu, and Emily all have a motivation to confess, but why would they lie?

Pretty Guilty Women was full of entertainment value and deeper meaning. While it has its light hearted moments and some even comedic relief, it really dives into the depths of four women trying to get the most out of their lives while not comparing their lives to others. It explores love, relationships, friendships, motherhood, infertility, loss, and heartache. It is much deeper than I expected going into it. 4 stars

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

I like the premise of this book. A week-long wedding attended by college best friends who have lost touch for a variety of reasons, with a side of murder. And here's the kicker, they all admit to it.

Honestly, I found this book to be a little dull. At well over the half way point, we still barely knew about the murder, it is mostly the women's problems, it was very slow paced for a suspense/mystery.

This book takes place at a resort during week long festivities for a wedding and alternates between different characters' points of view. I quite enjoyed this book and thought the format allowed the reader to get to know each character a little better than they would had it only been written from one character's point of view. The murder storyline was well done and kept my interest. The plot moved along nicely with the exception of maybe a little in the middle and I did wonder if the epilogue was entirely necessary, but it was well written overall and I would definitely recommend it. It's the perfect vacation read when you have some uninterrupted reading time because you will not want to put it down!

Definitely heavily leans on the "domestic" part of domestic thriller. I found it quite dull, as despite the intriguing concept, the vast majority of the text was focused on the characters' vanilla problems. The end fell flat for me.

Pretty Guilty Women is the perfect beach read and it is a shame it is not coming out until September.

4 Women all admit to a crime. Now instead of figuring out who is the guilty party, the cops are left to find out who is the innocent. Who is telling a lie. This is not only a story about crime and murder, it is also a great story about friendship and what you would do to protect the ones that you love. Family is not always blood. Family is those that you chose to risk your life for.

This book had me hooked instantly wanting me to read more, but once I got to the middle of the book it seemed as though the author was trying to throw as many confusing twists and turns and revelations as possible, making the book difficult to follow. The characters were entertaining with the exception of Emily who I felt was a random person within the story with little reasoning as to why she was in the friendship. Her story was the least engaging.

In the end I felt that the book was worth the read but not worth a second glance.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book

So so entertaining wonderful characters terrific story line twists and turns kept me turning the pages well past my bedtime.#netgalley #sourcebookslandmark,

Circumstances bring five women together for a wedding at a luxurious spa. Lulu is older and has a host of former husbands. But, she’s afraid that she’s losing her true love. Ginger is a frazzles mom who is afraid of losing her fifteen-year-old daughter. Kate is successful and struggling with infertility. Emily is hiding a dark past and unable to move on. Sydney is a young, struggling, single mom who is running from something. When four women all claim to be the murderer, the Detective knows that that they are all lying. But, who is dead and who did it?

The host of intriguing characters will make it so that you can’t put this book down. There is a character for everyone to relate to. The story is well put together and the writing is gripping. Gina LaManna’s latest book will keep you reading just to figure out the answers. This is a great read for fans of cozy murder mysteries. Review copy provided by NetGalley and Source Books.

Book Court - Where I'm the Judge and Jury

CHARGE (What is the author trying to say?): To solve a murder after four women confess to the killing.

FACTS: A society wedding party books an exclusive spa and resort for a week of festivities. The action switches back and forth from the perspective of four wedding guests who ultimately confess to the same murder. Old college rivalries, family dysfunction, abuse, and financial crimes all contribute to the mystery. Expected solutions are derailed as the facts fall into place. It’s not great literature, but it is a pleasant read.

VERDICT (Was the author successful?): Guilty, as charged. Imaginative twists and turns.

#PrettyGuiltyWomen #NetGalley

I was provided an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Fans of "Big Little Lies" will find a large similarity between these two books. The ladies in this book were enjoyable to get to know, although I did struggle with Emily as the book progressed.

Maybe because the plot was so familiar, but this didn't have a strong suspense feel to me. It was an okay read.

This is supposed to be a suspenseful murder mystery, but, sadly, I found that to be a bit lacking. I would've liked a lot more suspense. The characters were okay, with the exception of Emily, who was just plain annoying. This book had the feel of a quick beach read, even though it's releasing in September. There was a bit of a twist, so the ending wasn't quite as I'd expected. I found this book to just be "okay" overall.

I read the book in 3 hours. Easy read, stories of women that link together later on. Twisted and unexpected ending. I definitely recommend that book.