I love a good con-artist story. There’s a strange thrill that comes with being in the mind of someone who can get away with anything - fraud, theft… even murder.

Pretty Things is a great addition to the con artist-thriller genre and an absolute page-turner. Despite it being nearly 500 pages, I flew through it in only two nights.

The story follows Nina, a Robin Hood type of con-artist who takes from the rich and give to… well, herself mostly. She is a great protagonist who is super fun to root for. Vanessa (Nina's mark) is more complicated. At first glance, she’s a shallow and privileged mean-girl, but her family’s history gives her depth and purpose.

This is not a good v. evil story. This is a chess game between uniquely formidable opponents, where everything is more complicated than it appears - which I think really sets it apart from other books in the thriller genre. I also appreciated its thoughtful incorporation of social issues like mental health, wealth inequality, and social media, which made the book feel very timely and relevant.

Pretty Things is a rollercoaster, but there is a lot of backstory and set up, so it did take a bit to really get going. I also did see some of the twists and turns coming, but it was fun to see all of the pieces fall into place and I enjoyed it all nonetheless.

I think Pretty Things is a great pick for thriller book clubs because it gives readers so much to think and talk about!

This book is a slow burn overall; however it did pick up speed towards the end. I saw some of the twists coming but others were a surprise. Because this is a character driven thriller, I did find it a little slow at times. While I did enjoy this, there were times that I wanted more. A faster pace, more excitement. It didn’t leave me completely floored but I did enjoy it.

“Pretty Things” by Janelle Brown opens with a puzzle, Lake Tahoe, veiled in the background, awaiting its purpose. The book is about a con, an enormous swindle. To be a truly great confidence set up, the victim cannot know it is a scam. However what happens if the scammer is being scammed as well? In “Pretty Things,” the lines drawn between the mark and perpetrator are blurred or even missing. This is also the story of a house, that house, that Stonehaven, that changed everything and everyone.

Brown presents this deception to readers in a series of alternating first person narratives so readers get impressions of people, places, and events from both perspectives. Nina is a con artist, a thief who watches the people who have things and want the whole world to know, the “Influencers.” They have things, so many pretty things, and they share it all on social media, begging Nina take inventory. Readers follow Nina into her world, get to know her, and understand how and why she got to her current place and situation. Nina also shares everything, her dreams, her fears, her plans, and her past. Vanessa, a spoiled rich girl, a Liebling, gives readers a view from the other side through her first person commentary. She talks directly to readers, lamenting her situation, living all alone in that great big house. To Nina, Vanessa presents as the perfect target. But in this set-up, nothing goes as planned, and unexpected events complicate the plan. Things go right and go wrong, very, very wrong.

“Pretty Things” keeps readers guessing what is the unexpected and what is a calculated diversion. I received a review copy of “Pretty Things” from Janelle Brown, and Random House Publishing Group. I found it compelling, deceptive, and entertaining.

Ok haters, hate me, but I gave this book A 3.. It was way too long and I almost put it down halfway through the book and then picked up again. Do I think A good 150 pages could've been shaved off? Yes. If I hear the word Stanhope one more time, I'll go nuts.

It's not that the book was bad, I was just expecting A lot more. I have to say the cover drew me in and I like when people have A con or A grift. It always has been A fascination of mine. But unfortunately, the ending was blah. I think it will make a good movie series though and if Nicole Kidman is in it, I'm in. I have to say the title and cover fooled me because the cover was magnificent. I just think it was too long and I didn't hate the characters and I'm all for making money for mama, did you hear that oh daughter of mine.?

I can sit here and tell you about the book, but I was A little late in reading it, so I'm sure you know it's about a thief, her boyfriend Lachlan (love that Ide-ish (Irish) name and an Instagram star, best job in the world. I would recommend this book to some but actually I was quite bored A good percent of the time. Sorry maybe I'm just reading too many of the same types of books. Or just in A bad mood bc it was sooo long I found myself skimming. I hate to skim.

A special thanks to NetGalley and Random House for my ARC review of this book.

I throughly enjoyed the concept of this book, and the first paragraph sucked me right in. Reading about con artists and how they select their marks as well as their unstable psychological states was very intriguing. The middle of the book began to drag a bit for me and I almost DNF’d it, I found myself skimming quite a bit. While the end was predictable, there were a few twists I didn’t see coming. Overall I enjoyed this book and would rate it 3.5-4 stars.

Two wildly different women - one a grifter, the other an heiress - are brought together by the scam of a lifetime in a page-turner from the New York Times bestselling author of Watch Me Disappear.

Nina, a liberal arts graduate whose dreams of dealing antique art are dashed by the reality of working for rich New Yorkers for minimum wage, is called back to Los Angeles when her mother becomes ill. With the weight of hefty medical bills crushing Nina and her mother, she turns to stealing from the rich in Los Angeles to pay for a life for herself and her mother. Her Irish boyfriend, Lachlan, teaches her the skills of the con artist trade, and together, they scam all over L.A., until the police show up at Nina’s house one day. When Nina’s mother’s health takes a turn for the worse, Nina decides to risk everything to get her mom the best treatment, planning her most risky and unbelievable scam so far.

Vanessa is a rich, young heiress who became an Instagram influencer in New York. After her engagement is called off, she moves back to her family’s Tahoe estate, Stonehaven, presumably to seek refuge from the prying eyes surrounding her in New York and online. Readers will soon find that the mansion holds secrets from Vanessa’s past, as well as Nina’s... which is why Nina has set her sights on conning Vanessa for her biggest and final scam - and the ultimate revenge.

Pretty Things is filled with family secrets and some secrets so deep that they are hidden even from the characters themselves. This book will make you wonder if anyone is really who they seem.


*Disclaimer* I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

While I'm not typically huge on thrillers, Janelle Brown's Pretty Things had me hooked from the start. Without using gratuitous violence or gore, Janelle Brown used suspense and the power of secrecy to keep readers at the edge of their seats.

The two main women in this story, Nina Ross and Vanessa Liebling, were utterly fascinating to read about. Nina Ross is probably the last person you would expect to make a living by stealing. But she doesn’t just steal — she specifically only steals from the rich, those who “deserve it.” As the story progresses, it becomes clear that Nina has had a difficult past, particularly with the wealthy elite class, and it has wholly influenced her outlook on life. Vanessa, on the other hand, comes from an extravagantly wealthy, but deeply troubled family. I thought Vanessa was the most interesting character to read about because of how different she was outwardly (for instance, in Nina's perspective) versus in her own mind, which you could see in her inner dialogue and narrative.

While this novel was about crime and secrets, I think the real focus here was upon the dangers of social media. Vanessa’s whole life was documented online—but none of it was real. It was all a hoax, a carefully crafted version of reality that reflected Vanessa’s perceived notion of happiness and success. And from that, she put forth this image of herself that completely contradicted what Nina had experienced, and left Nina feeling so apathetic and vengeful towards the girl who had everything.

Without giving away too much about the story, I will say that it’s hard to trust any character. Every character is unreliable, their actions very suspicious. It’s hard to decide who you want to believe, what version of the same story you think is correct, and even harder, where you think the characters will end up.

Overall, this is a fast-paced novel, with incredible character development and a shocking—but not gruesome—plot. And I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I absolutely loved this read! I loved how you never knew who the "bad guy" was, and how the interpretations the women had of one another were so spoiled, but ended up tying them together to take out a common enemy. It was engulfing, and I really loved it!

The introduction is excellent, I felt the foreshadowing and mystery around Lake Tahoe. The story seemed to wander a little, in a good way. Made me feel like following the rabbit hole.

Fast paced and loved the characters! I will be recommending this one for friends looking for a good summer read. I love a book that is easy to pick up and read a few pages, but that stays on my mind. I kept thinking about this and couldn’t wait time come back - quite a feat in the quarantine time were in! Bookstagram review coming soon!

This is a fantastic book! I breezed through these 500 pages at an incredible pace. This is one of those page turning thrillers that will keep you wanting more, so be sure to read this when you have lots of time on your hands.

It took me a while to get into this book but I think the story is really solid. I love when a thriller actually surprises me with a good plot twist and there were two good ones in this book. I love the play on how perception isn't always reality especially in this social media-crazed generation. It was very relative. Love the author's use of vocabulary in this novel. There were so many words that I added to learn and add to my own vocab. Overall, this book was solid but if you find yourself unable to get into it...keep going!

The story is told from the points of view of Nina Ross, who followed in her mother Lily’s footsteps as a con artist after discovering that being an art history major didn’t lead to a lucrative career, and Vanessa Liebling, an heiress who dropped out of college and makes her own money as an influencer who frolics for the camera while wearing expensive stuff. Nina robs rich people in partnership with the handsome Irish immigrant Lachlan and they zero in on Nina.

This book is full of long cons, secret relationships and valuable objects. While I enjoyed the twisty nature of this book, I thought it took too long to get to the con. The first 40% or so of the book was comprised of Nina and Vanessa telling their life stories and rehashing their grievances. The book could easily have lost 75 pages. The two women were the blandest in the group of four. Lily and Lachlan were much more intriguing and I’m sorry that their points of view were not included. Nevertheless, I liked the plot and would be willing to read more by this author.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Pretty Things was slow-burn mystery thriller that revolved around two women from different background, one a con with plan of heist and other rich heiress spending her time in loneliness. It was about grift, con, gap between rich and poor and their mindset about it, social media and its illusion, pretty things and its not-so-pretty reality, dysfunctional family, friendship, love, deceit and betrayal.

Writing was beautiful, descriptive and often lyrical. I love it when there’s more than just story and characters. Deep, thought provoking and meaningful messages and quote worthy line are something I always appreciate it most in book and this had it in abundance.

Plot was interesting. Story was first person narrative from Nina and Vanessa’s perspective. They were given few chapters each sharing their view points on their present situation, telling their life story, how their path collided and what happened after that.

Pretty Things had intriguing beginning with Nina swindling a young rich Russian along with her Irish boyfriend, Lachlan. Nina conned rich people to pay her mother’s medical bill, but had set of rules- “Don’t take too much and only con those who deserve it and can afford to replace things they stole”. But when police came knocking at her door and sending her on run, they had to break the rules for one last big grift with more than enough cash that can help her mother’s treatment and give her new start. So, they decided to con Vanessa Liebling, young privileged heiress of Liebling estate, Stonehaven at Lake Tahoe. Now Nina has history with this place and she hated Lieblings. I was curious to find out what was the history, why she hated the rich and specially Lieblings so much, what they did to Nina?

This was character driven story. Most part of the book was character building and development. First 50% of the book told about present life of characters, their childhood, past, what happened in their lives that shaped their present and their mindset. This was slowest part and long chapters didn’t help in speeding the story.

All characters were flawed, complex and complicated. It was interesting to read their life stories, their mindset, insecurities and strength. The story was written in such way that my likeness scale kept tipping from left to right.

At first I didn’t like Nina. She was presumptuous, judgmental and selfish. She saw the world in only two shades, poor and rich and defined life based on that. Her judgement was fractured once she got involved with Vanessa in real life, living with her at Stonehaven with her.

The cold judgement she formed based on Vanessa’s Instagram v-life warmed eventually and she saw the reality of Vanessa’s life, her pain and emotions. I liked her development from this point onward. After major turning point she discovered many secrets that shattered the definition of world she created. I loved her for trying to do right thing at the end, taking decision that was hard for her. It steered her away from what she did whole life. At the end I loved her.

Vanessa was vulnerable, lonely woman desperate for love and appreciation. She was privileged and she knew she could get everything with money and looks. She used it to hide her flaws, her insecurities and lack of any talent. Circumstances lead her towards Instagram influencer life that gave her fame and illusion of world where people loved her and appreciated what she did, until it was shattered by one tragedy after other. She believed what her parents said and taught and one of those thing was Nina Ross ruined her brother- Benny’s life.

It was easy to like her and empathize with her. Her only flaw was she had low self-esteem and lot of self-doubt. She was naïve and stupid. Maybe not totally but I didn’t like how she turned blind eye to all the signs. But then again I liked her once the fog of naivety was cleared and she started using her brain.

Benny was diagnosed schizophrenic but he was most smart and sane person in the book. I felt for him. I wish he stood up against his dad all those years ago but at the same time I could see he was just boy whose parents didn’t understand him.

I blame adults for everything wrong happened to Vanessa, Benny and Nina. Liebling family was typical rich dysfunctional family and had major impact on Benny’s mental condition and Vanessa’s self-esteem, while Nina’s mother was no better.

What I liked most was characters’ background and development and description of Lake Tahoe. It was both beautiful and atmospheric setting. Along with the luminous water of the lake, beautiful peaks of mountains, there lurked the darkness and coldness of Stonehaven. I liked the descriptions of Stonehaven and all the antiques there.

Another thing I loved was deep insights on social media and rich life, how people view it from outside and how the reality of pretty things are so different when you get close to it, and how actions of parents causes horrible consequences for their children.

Second half was brilliant, fast paced with surprises and twists that made me appreciate that slow first half. I liked character development and redemption arc in this part. The way Vanessa and Nina realized their mistakes and cleared misunderstanding was amazing. Turning points, surprises and twists were well written without giving away true intentions of characters and what they were going to plan next, and how they will come out of the mess they created.

Climax was tense, surprising and brilliant. At this point I knew what they were going to do and what will be the end. End was good. I like it when characters get what they deserved. Epilogue was best, I liked how characters pulled their life together and tried to form a bridge over their differences.

Why 4.25 star-

First half was too slow. It took me more than 1 hour to read 10% of the book. I thought I would rate this book 3 or 3.5 at 50% of the book but then I loved second half and I could see how important the first half was, it helped in understanding characters and what was going on in their mind. I appreciated all those back stories. But then there was a little repetitiveness in first half which was, I think, because of narration style.

Overall, Pretty Things was impressive, deceitful, and twisted tale of two women with lots of secrets. I recommend this to fans of this genre, specifically those who don’t mind slow pace and descriptive, philosophical writing.

Bestselling author Janelle Brown follows up Watch Me Disappear with a saga of two women spanning more than a decade that features numerous unexpected revelations, shocking plot twists, and endlessly intriguing characters.

Nina was raised by a single mother with big aspirations for her brilliant only child, but no motivation to settle down and earn an honest living. Instead, because her mother was pretty and knowledgeable about how to use her appearance, she pulled off con jobs that paid the rent for a time, always on the verge of a really big payday. When the marks got wise or the police began investigating, they moved on.

After college, Nina's dreamed-of big career in the New York art world never became a reality. So when she learned her mother was alone in Los Angeles, stricken with cancer and in need of expensive treatment not covered by insurance, Nina gave up her job as a third assistant to an interior designer specializing in redecorating luxurious vacation homes in the Hamptons. Now she's in Los Angeles, running scams with her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Lachlan, a charming Irishman. She maintains a store where she poses as an antiques dealer but, in reality, she works with a fence who takes most of the proceeds from the sale of the goods Nina steals.

Vanessa Liebling comes from West Coast old money. Her father ran the family business -- a San Francisco real estate investment firm. Her brother, Benny, was the worrisome child. Their father feared that Benny inherited their mother's mental illness, a disability that she was never able to manage. They came to the family home, Stonehaven, in Lake Tahoe, a sprawling, medieval-like house filled with antiques and massive portraits of the Liebling ancestors, so that Benny could attend a prep school there after being expelled from a Bay Area school. There, Benny met Nina, who was also enrolled because a teacher recognized her potential and arranged for her to receive financial aid. Her mother secured a job in a casino and put forth the pretense of working a regular, steady job, as Benny and Nina's relationship blossomed. The school was known for launching its graduates into ivy league colleges and big careers. But for Nina, it was another chapter that ended with heartbreak, disappointment, and graduation with a liberal arts degree from an ordinary college, accompanied by a six-figure student loan balance. Nina has always blamed Benny's family, especially his father.

It's twelve years later. Benny's parents are both dead, Nina hasn't seen Benny since she and her mother left Lake Tahoe so long ago, and Vanessa has moved back to Stonehaven after being dumped by her fiancee because he feared she would not make the right kind of wife for an up-and-coming politician. Vanessa became an Instagram influencer with half a million followers and a photographer she employed to ensure that her pictures perfectly illustrated her glamorous life. Her father did not hold back his disappointment, expressing his opinion that her activities did not constitute a career. Vanessa has very little money left and is transitioning the focus of her Instagram posts to more natural and spiritual pursuits. She has to decide what to do about the estate and all of its contents. In the interim, she decides to rent the caretaker's cottage to tourists to bring in some much-needed cash.

Nina has kept track of Vanessa's social media presence and recalls that her father kept a million dollars in a safe situated within Stonehaven because Benny used to pilfer money from his father's stash. She also knows that Benny's birthday was the safe's combination. If she can gain access to the safe and the cash is still there, she will have enough money to pay for her mother's cancer treatment, make a fresh start . . . and evade arrest. No matter what, she has to get out of Los Angeles if she wants to remain free.

Brown relates Nina's story via a first-person narrative with a voice that is compelling, credible, and infuriating. Because Nina is self-aware. She knows that she has made bad choices and is solely responsible for them, as well as the consequences. Yet she is emotionally stuck because, in her mind, the Lieblings stole her future from her and she has never forgiven them. She wants to finally get revenge. She and her mother were forced to leave town. Their unceremonious exit from Lake Tahoe and her inability to complete high school there signify the beginning of the end of the glorious future her mother envisioned for her. She and her mother returned to Las Vegas and her mother resumed grifting. The time they spent in Lake Tahoe destroyed Nina's self-confidence and self-concept. Now that Vanessa is back at Stonehaven and Nina needs money, the time is right. Lachlan signs on and they rent the caretaker's cottage from Vanessa, adopting fictitious identities and histories in order to befriend Vanessa and, hopefully, find that the Liebling safe still holds enough cash to solve Nina's problems . . . and make the Lieblings pay for their treatment of her and her mother.

Nina's narration alternates with Vanessa's who, like Nina, is self-aware in many respects, but also deeply flawed. Vanessa recognizes that she is capable of leading a life that is far more substantial than posting a series of staged photos on a social media platform, but she is self-absorbed and accustomed to a comfortable lifestyle, and uncertain about how to make her own way in the world now that her parents are gone, her trust fund is nearly depleted, and she is responsible for her brother. She has a love-hate relationship with Stonehaven, and is quite lonely and at loose ends in familiar surroundings under the current circumstances.

Pretty Things is an inventive, creative story about hope, regret, grudges, and stunning betrayals. Her development of the characters of Nina and Vanessa is mesmerizing, and Brown ramps up the dramatic tension as the two are reunited, gradually revealing what each knows about the other. Brown's telling of her intricately-plotted story is masterful, the subject matter timely and contemporary. She capitalizes on her settings, evocatively establishing her characters' moods and intentions, and utilizing Stonehaven especially effectively. The estate practically serves as an additional character in the story. Her rich prose grants readers an intimate look into the lives and psyches of Nina and Vanessa, keeping readers on edge as they ponder which they should root for. Or, perhaps, if they should cheer neither of them on. Because the characters are fully formed and multi-dimensional, neither woman fully good or fully bad, the story resonates emotionally, especially with respect to Benny, the troubled young man that Nina never forget. Brown delivers one unexpected development after another, ramping up the story's pace until it culminates with a jaw-dropping finale that most readers will never see coming.

Acclaimed author Harlan Coben says that Brown is "your new must-read author" and he's right. Pretty Things is a smart, entertaining thriller that is thoroughly un-put-down-able.

This book was a great distraction from the world we are living in! A daughter that will do whatever she has to to keep her mother safe. This is a twisty thrill ride if a book. Nina has her next mark on Vanessa. What plays out is getting to know each character as chapters change point of view. And your left each time wanting to keep going! This had a satisfying ending where lessons are learned and trust and friendships are formed. Thanks for giving me the chance to read this. I really enjoyed it!

“There is no one path in life that is set before you, I’m starting to realize; no one is making your decisions for you. Instead of looking out at the world to find a cause, it’s time for me to start looking inward.”
~Janelle Brown, Pretty Things

Whoa. This book was PHENOMENAL. It’s been a while since I’ve been absorbed in a story this rich, this captivating, this perfectly atmospheric and well told. The writing was incredible, and the way Brown weaved this story together was nothing short of genius. This is easily one of my favorite suspense books of the year.

A near perfect character-driven thriller! WOW!

It has been awhile since I’ve read a book that has felt as fresh and new as PRETTY THINGS. With alternating POV, Vanessa (the rich girl) and Nina (the grifter) have ties to their past, but their lives really become intertwined as Nina inserts herself into Vanessa’s life. The alternating chapters are what made this book! Every chapter was toying with me!

The middle and towards the end dragged a bit for me only because I think there was a LOT that needed to be wrapped up. The suspense here is between the characters, not necessarily the twists (even though there are some good ones!!). The storyline of social media and being an “influencer” honestly isn’t my favorite to read about, but in PRETTY THINGS I think it worked. (I feel like this been a go-to subject for quite a few books I’ve read lately).

If you’re looking for a new suspense that isn’t like anything else, PRETTY THINGS is the book for you.

Nina’s aspirations of using her hard-earned college degree have fallen away as she finds herself following in the footsteps of her con artist mother. Nina sets her sights on Vanessa, an old money heiress turned social media influencer who recently relocated to Lake Tahoe. Nina has long buried personal ties to Vanessa’s family, and a vendetta she’s hiding from her boyfriend and partner in crime. Everyone has their own motivations and secrets, causing this carefully laid plan to quickly go off the rails.

WOWOWOW! This wasn’t at all what I expected, and I ended up really liking it. I’m usually not super into the con artist storyline but the twists and turns and unreliable characters and interwoven backstories kept me completely hooked and 100% entertained. I’d recommend this as a fun quarantine romp. I’d give a million dollars to anyone who could accurately predict every twist.

Pretty Things by Janelle Brown is a whopper of a novel. Coming in at 496 pages, it is a slow burn story with lots of backstory and overlapping chapters, focusing on character development rather than bursts of enthralling action scenes. Told in two parts, part one establishes the characters and setting while part two delves into the suspense plot noted in the synopsis. Even though the overall build was quite slow for my liking, the author threaded some unexpected twists into the story--much to my appreciation. The characters are so believable in their scams, even I had a trouble deciphering their deception. Overall, Pretty Things is smartly written with fantastic themes relevant to today's times, including social media, female friendships, and family ties. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys literary suspense novels.