Who’s the real con? Pretty Things makes it difficult to answer this question. Nina hails from a long line of con artists, and she’s forced to grift as her mother becomes ill and legally lucrative prospects fail to materialize. Vanessa is an heiress turned Instagram Influencer who’s returned to her Lake Tahoe vacation home Stonehaven to lick her wounds from a broken engagement. The two have a link from the past and Nina uses this link to pull the ultimate scam and to also avenge the wrongs from her past. However, the path there is twisty and unpredictable, and there are dormant secrets laying like land mines for both Nina and Vanessa.

Pretty Things is riveting just for the con within a con plot that barrels forward with both a well paced momentum as well as a captivating backstory. However, it ends up being much more than just the Con; it observes classism, the long lasting damage wrought by family, and what I found most interesting - the Con that is social media, the lack of authenticity & the elevation of presenting everything but the reality. Vanessa is a con as much as Nina, both damaged from emotionally distant families, both clutching to what isn’t real to feel loved. I wouldn’t consider it a deeply meaningful social commentary, but Pretty Things is still an incisive and unforgiving look at the con we’re all both being duped by and duping in our social media driven world.

I anticipate that this will touted in 2020 as a must read. A solid 4 stars for the depth I didn’t expect to find, and thought provoking despite being a thriller at heart.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for this ARC.

I have to say first - wow. This was such a solid piece. The writing was strong. So wonderfully strong. There was so much thought and detail packed into this book, that it threw me a little. I read a lot, and it has been quite a while since I have read anything with such substance. Things I’ve enjoyed, yes, but not quite like this one. Pretty Things will be great. Every time I thought I found the twist, Brown threw me for another loop. I loved the characters and their complexity, and I LOVED the plot. Everything ended, tied in a tidy bow. This was my first from the author, but it definitely will not be my last. I highly recommend this one.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader's copy in exchange for my opinion/review. Pretty things was a fast and fun read. Current with the times, and protagonists was relatable with her choices. It's crazy to how real it is where shared trauma can bring two people together. Even through scamming ways!

Pretty Things was a great read! Really enjoyed the plot and Janelle Brown's writing. Couldn't put this book down until the end!

'Two wildly different women--one a grifter, the other an heiress--are brought together by the scam of a lifetime.'

Just the above sentence was enough to hook me in and excite me into wanting to read the book. I love a good con story. Cons, revelations, intrigue, deceptions, twists and turns, double cross et al... Count me in. I'm a sucker for such books.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's a smart, compelling and makes for a bloody engaging story.
I love the pacing of the story, the writing style and the characters. Both Nina and Vanessa were well fleshed out characters. I liked that the author took time to flesh them out making them real, believable and fun. I was hooked from page one and couldn't stop reading to know more.

Told in alternate timelines and perspectives 'Pretty Things' is an engaging and an entertaining book. It is a tad long and I think it could have been a 100 pages shorter.
Having said that I must reiterate that I really enjoyed this thriller and can't wait to read more from this author.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending me a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the differences in background of the two main characters. Brown did a great job crafting a story that was engaging and mysterious for the readers. The writing was enjoyable and gripping.

Janelle Brown has crafted an engaging, fast-paced story that will keep readers entertained from start to finish.

This story about two women from very different backgrounds grabs the reader right away. Nina, a grifter, seeks revenge on the family that she believes ruined her life. Vanessa, a high society Instagram influencer, is one of the last remaining members of that family, so she becomes Nina's target. These two women's lives become intertwined in ways they do not see coming. There are twists and turns in this plot that keep the reader guessing and take the main characters down unexpected paths.

The plot of this book involves a con and a heist. By writing from both the grifter's and the target's perspectives, Brown is successful at making the reader sympathize with both and struggle to decide whose side to take. Both women have their good and bad traits. Each has a well-developed backstory that offers insight into their character. The secondary characters are all interesting and add layers to the story. The reader is never quite sure who to trust, and that makes for a fun read.

After reading this book, I am very interested in reading other works by Janelle Brown. She is a talented storyteller, and I would highly recommend this book.

Nina is in a desperate situation and agrees to a con with her boyfriend Lachlan. Their target is Vanessa, a rich influencer who has ties with Nina. Nina's story is told in flashbacks when she was a teenager. They all come together in the winter at Lake Tahoe but who is conning who? The story is a page turner and a bit of a mystery.

I received an ARC in exchange for honest review. I really enjoyed this novel - especially the perspectives from two different main characters. The story was easy to follow but the plot had enough twists to keep you engaged. A great, light thriller read.

What happens when personal histories, family fortunes, and con artists collide? Add mystery and social commentary and you've got Pretty Things. It's a doozy.

Good lord! This book! It has been a long time since I stayed up way past my bedtime reading, and I did it more than once with this page-turner. I couldn't put it down. It came everywhere with me. Riveting, juicy, and fun. Every time I thought I knew where it was going, I was wrong. I am a sucker for a heist-y plot and social commentary, and this has it all. Mystery, intrigue, people doing crimes, and that thing were all the characters are so human, you relate to them and love them despite knowing they’re terrible (or are they?). And while a lot about this is maybe not necessarily suuuuper realistic, there was nothing that ever really took me out of the story and the moment. I devoured it whole. Mark my words, Pretty Things is going to be the hot book of the summer. If you have a vacation coming up or some free time, bookmark this one. And if you read it, I'd love to hear about it!

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House for the advance review copy!

My review will be published on my blog on Friday, January 7:
http://www.caitlinhannah.com/blog/book-review-pretty-things

My review on Goodreads is available now:
https://www.goodreads.com/thecopycait

I really really liked this one - until the end when it felt a little overplayed...

There's just something about con artists... I think a part of the fascination is how easy it is to imagine ourselves falling for someone who has so carefully crafted a story to deliver exactly what we need to hear when we need to hear it. It makes us realize how vulnerable we are to the people around us, and how the only way we could truly protect ourselves would be to cut ourselves off from everyone and everything.

Brown does a fantastic job with the set up here. Her characters are well-developed and each neurotic in their own way. It makes them relatable even when their lives are so very different from your own. She does a nice job pacing the revelations and red herrings early on, and a couple of times the flips and turnarounds caught me by surprise. There's a tremendous slow build that goes on for the vast majority of this book, with secrets and lies building layer upon layer. The back and forth narration really helps build that tension and offered multiple first person perspectives in a way that I found engaging and entertaining.

That said, I thought the ending felt a little forced, and it lost me a little. I can't exactly pinpoint how or why the shift happened, but at some point as the revelations began flowing fast and furious, I started to feel a disconnect from the characters. I don't know what that was about exactly - I've tried to figure it out, but can't put my finger on it. It was still a thoroughly enjoyable read, but my attention did start to wander a little at the end and I thought things fell into place a little too tightly. Still, this was a solid read and I will definitely look for more from Janelle Brown.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my review copy.

I can't put my finger on why, but I did not enjoy this book as much as I had hoped to. I found the story somewhat tedious and predictable. I didn't connect with any of the characters. I was disappointed in the resolution of a few storylines. I could see lots of people liking this book though; it just wasn't for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for granting access to this book. I will post this review to my Bookstagram and companion Facebook page, @thatreadingrealtor, by February 3rd.

Ooh this was a fantastic read to start off 2019 with!

Told in differing perspective and timelines, Pretty Things tells us the stories of Nina, a grifter, and Vanessa, a woman who comes from a family with old money and who has paved the way as an influencer.

When I began this book I had no idea what to expect and believe me, it takes you on some twists and turns. It tells you why Nina hates Vanessa and wants revenge and why Vanessa isn’t too keen on Nina. Who exactly will up who? The answer may surprise you. Secrets are exposed, lines are crossed, lies are told, and this twisting, turning thrilled is going to have you up late into the night.

Although this book is a bit longer than most thrillers the writing was so good that I got through it quickly, mostly because I needed to know what was going to happen next.

If you want to start off 2020 on the right foot then this is the book for you!

Pretty Things by Janelle Brown is a must read for 2020!

Nina is a professional con artist who steals from the incredibly wealthy; she targets the trust fund kind of young adults that make it easy with their constant social media postings. Nina is hoping to start somewhere fresh and get out of the illegal business, but her life starts to fall apart, and she is forced to come up with another scam. Nina’s newest scam involves Vanessa, a young socialite media influencer. Vanessa is a chance at revenge, but Nina reminds herself not to get emotionally involved. Past mistakes cannot be undone.

I think Pretty Things will be very popular. It will have you how social media affects how we live our lives. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good thriller.

The first half was much stronger than the second half and started off very strong.

There were two main POVs: Vanessa’s and Nina’s but I didn't enjoy the story telling of reading the same event with slightly different details.

I ended up DNF-ing this because the story really did not appeal to me.

This is a an unputdownable novel with great character development and a rip roaring story. Nina has struggled to get an education and change the trajectory of her life, but still she ends up grifting with a handsome friend of her mother's. Their latest mark is from a family that disparaged Nina in the past in a way that marked her for life. Vanessa is a glittering Instagram star who is living the #Vlife, being whisked all over the world by brands so that she can post wearing them. For some reason, she has returned to her family's freezing stone pile of a mansion on the shores of Lake Tahoe, hunkered down, renting out the caretaker's cottage on AirBnB.

There's a lot of juicy backstory and good twists. You'll learn about grifting, which seems like a lot of work for little return. I wish there'd been more about the fencing and resale of historic furniture (think about that one for a minute) but I'm glad there was as much as there was.

The problem with grifting is that it is possible for the deception to seep in to unexpected corners of one's life. This happens to Nina, and to Vanessa. Janelle Brown has the craft of the relatable but unreliable narrator down pat.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the nod to read and review "Pretty Things." While you're waiting for this novel to be published, read Brown's "Watch Me Disappear," a similarly entrancing read.

~Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader

Expect the unexpected in Janelle Brown’s latest novel, “Pretty Things.”

Nina is a con-artist who tricks less deserving individuals out of their money. She focuses on “pretty individuals” who happily post all they have on social media. Nina uses those posts to stalk and catch her prey.

Nina’s mother is out of remission for cancer and insurance will not pay the cost of her mother’s much needed treatment. Nina needs money fast at the same time that Los Angeles area cops are appearing at her door. As a result, she and her boyfriend, Lachlan, flee to Lake Tahoe for their biggest con yet, against Liebling family social media star Vanessa.

Yet, this is not Nina’s first exposure to the Liebling family and in flashbacks, the reader learns why this con is personal. Nina developed a friendship with Vanessa's little brother, Benny, but when the friendship turned to first love, his dad sent Nina and her mom packing, worried about Nina's "bad influence."

This story hops along at a fast pace and is told ithe point of views of Nina and Vanessa. Lake Tahoe and the Stonehaven estate are characters themselves. Readers love novels that take place in creepy mansions, no? I had not heard the term of "social media influencer" before reading this novel and I was intrigued with what makes someone like Vanessa share every moment of her life online. For the most part, Brown keeps her reader engaged without losing him/her. Nor does Brown sacrifice character growth for plot, though there are plenty of twists and turns with the latter. I especially appreciate that Brown does not resort to stereotypes--Vanessa is not the poor little rich girl nor is Nina necessary the one you always feel sorry for. If you are looking for a thriller that will keep you guessing throughout its almost 500 pages, I highly recommend this book.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. My thanks also to Random House Publishing and the author, Janelle Brown.

Really enjoyed this thriller! Fast paced and gripping, it captured my attention right from the first page. I think the blurb captures the plot pretty well, so won't say much about that. The story is told from the perspective of the female leads, Nina and Vanessa and moves seamlessly between past and present. Both characters are pretty fleshed out, Nina particularly. Her teenage romance was especially bittersweet. I loved all the various con details and the Lake Tahoe setting (from having visited a few times). The ending, when we get there, does seem to be a bit of a let down after all the twists and turns so far. But, it doesn't take away from how good the story is overall. Recommended!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing the ARC.

Pretty Things was one of those books where I thought the first 50% was much better than the last 50%, despite loving the epilogue.

This book felt so smart in the beginning, with Nina/Ashley and Lachlan planning what they wanted to do and where the money they were looking for could be in Vanessa’s house at Lake Tahoe and Stonehaven.

It started off really well, but I gave this book 3 stars because it suffered a lot in the last 50% which killed my enjoyment for a while. There were two main POVs: Vanessa’s and Nina’s. Initially, I liked both their POVs because it introduced us to their lives. Nina was a grifter, who learned to be one from both her mother (another grifter) and Lachlan (also another grifter).

After the first few chapters, I grew tired of reading about the same events. I’d be reading one long chapter about an event in Nina’s POV, then read the same event just with different details here and there in Vanessa’s POV. I know that the author wanted to show how both women had their own thoughts and didn’t view events in the same way as each other, but I wish most of the POVs were about different events instead to keep the plot moving forward.

Except for the epilogue, the last 50% was awful. The best way I can describe it was like watching a long-drawn-out catfight going down between Vanessa and Nina. It was probably the author’s intention to have Vanessa’s POV be like this, but Vanessa was overly obnoxious and superficial, not knowing what she wanted to do with her life. It didn’t help that her POV dominated the last 50% and that I hated how her chapters were stylized.

Vanessa’s thoughts often went like this:

I’m so glad Ashley’s here (Actually, I'm not!)

I hope he was imagining us together (because I definitely was!)

The style was cute and funny at first but became annoying after a few times. I couldn’t wait for everything to end already. It felt so slow and long for a book with a plot that you’d usually think would be fast-paced.

I loved the epilogue though! It was the shining point of the last 50% and extremely satisfying with what it does for the main relationships of the book, such as Vanessa and Nina. All the questions were answered by the end without any confusion, and you get a good idea of what’ll happen to the characters in the future.

Pretty Things told a tight, at first intriguing story about Vanessa, Nina, and Lachlan, but it couldn’t hold up, losing the qualities that initially made the story so intriguing. I’d still recommend it because author Janelle Brown did amazingly at describing the grifter lifestyle and Nina’s background. There were twists I didn’t predict, and the epilogue made up for a lot of what the book suffered from.

Note: I received an advanced readers' copy in exchange for my honest review of this book!

What a fabulous book! I do not want to give away too much, but this book has already lit up bookstagram for good reason! This is my first read by Janelle Brown, but certainly not my last!!!