“Pretty Things” by Janelle Brown is a psychological thriller set in Lake Tahoe.
The book alternates between two narrators: Nina, a grifter who is always searching for the next con, and Vanessa, an naive heiress who moonlights as an Instagram influencer.

Initially, the plot seemed somewhat silly, but the writing was really good and I quickly found myself immersed in the story and unable to put it down. I really enjoyed the characters and the battle of wits between Nina and Vanessa.

I really enjoyed this book. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Pretty Things by Janelle Brown is a twisting, turning psychological thriller. Nina is determined to exact revenge on Vanessa, who she blames for the way her life has turned out. Lochlan, while not exactly Nina’s boyfriend, is in in the con with her. But Vanessa isn’t quite as clueless as they think she is. Add in Nina’s mother, who has always told Nina that they can only really trust each other and the threads of this story weave in an out, creating a can’t-put-it-down book. Kudos to Janelle Brown!

This book is an interesting combination of a modern day spin on both Oliver Twist and My Fair Lady. Nina’s plans for a high paying job crash and burn and she takes to stealing with her grifter boyfriend. After all, Nina’s mother was the ultimate con artist, but when she becomes ill, Nina will do whatever it takes to save her mom. This is when Nina and her boyfriend meet Vanessa, a poor little rich girl and the story really takes off. This is a diamond sharp, twisted tale of revenge and the lust for money

A great female 2-hander that feels like GRIFTERS meets INGRID GOES WEST. It’s wicked and sharp in a way that reminded me of Riley Sager's THE LAST TIME I LIED with two flawed complex female characters one-upping each other with deceit. I though it was sharp and complicated and deliciously fun. A great story of family and inheritance.