Member Reviews
When author Beckett Ryan’s parents die within a week of one another she returns to her home town after 10 years away. With Beckett having very few memories of her childhood she is surprised when Leanne introduces herself as her childhood best friend, especially when the rest of the town are being hostile towards her. The residents have a very high opinion of her family, especially her father , headteacher Harold.
There is plenty of suspense and plot twists in this book, it’s quite atmospheric and it kept me intrigued from the first pages. This is an easy read which I easily flew through, I especially enjoyed the chapters reverting back to Becketts childhood and the mystery surrounding her suppressed memories. The ending really let this book down for me but would still recommend.
Thanks to NetGalley, publisher and author for my eARC
This is just right up my alley. Can't read this book fast enough and I enjoyed guessing who the mystery person is. I did not guess the twist and that is good. Def recommend this!
What a great read. I couldn't put it down. Read in less than a day. Thanks for the opportunity to review
I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Omg! Creepy ending. I enjoyed this novel, but I don't recommend night time reading,
A psychological thriller with twists and turns up until the very last page. This was a very quick read - perfect for a weekend binge. The material was fast paced and intriguing enough to keep the pages turning.
When renowned author, Beckett Ryan returns to her small hometown after the deaths of both her parents, she gets more than she bargained for. Beckett’s parents were pillars of their community and loved by all. However, Beckett’s life at home behind closed doors didn’t leave her with the same feelings of affection. Being home unearths dark memories from her past and brings people into her life that may not have her best interests at heart.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer Publishing for the ARC - all opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed the pace and some of the charecter development in the book. I enjoyed the twists and turns and it left me on the edge of my seat. The ending left me desiring either a bonus chapter or a sequal
After being away for years, Beckett returns home due to her parent’s death. Her best friend arrives which should be a comfort but the problem is Beckett doesn’t remember her. What?!
That was just the beginning of the unexpected, the twists and the turns.
Set some time aside because you won’t want to put this one down.
Bravo to this debut author.
I found this book a little heavy going to start with. The descriptions, though beautifully done, felt quite laboured. However, once the story got going, it did grip me.
The book follows the story of Beckett Ryan heading home to deal with the aftermath of her estranged parents' deaths. In an intricately woven tale of deception and darkness, she confronts past secrets that threaten to destroy her present.
I have deducted a star as I felt the book went on too long and I'm not quite sure about the ending. But overall it was a really enjoyable read and I would definitely check out more of this author's work.
A good psychological thriller with all the twists that I needed.
Unique plot and grat characters.
Highly recommend
Deliciously creepy, I loved it!
If you are a fan of twisty books then you’ll enjoy this one. The book intrigued me from the first chapter and the pacing continued to be fast throughout the entire book.
I had a few guesses but they weren’t 100% accurate and I kept being surprised with new revelations.
A fun entertaining thriller read with a touch of spooky and creepy scenes.
I also enjoyed the personal growth of the main character Beckett. She came a long way and over came a lot of her Demons whilst facing persecution and judgement from the people of her home town.
Thank you to Kit Duffield for the EARC!
I really enjoyed the writing and can tell that the author is a horror fan! I liked the horror elements entwined within the story and there were enough twists and turns to keep me turning the pages. The only thing I'll say is that there are quite a few parts of the plot that don't make much sense or are a little too far-fetched, which took me out of the story sometimes. However, it was a very original story and a fresh take on the psychological thriller genre. Looking forward to what the author comes up with next!
I was really happy to have picked the is one up! I have been in a thriller slump for. A while and yes, this got me out of it. It had all the attributes of a good thriller, with a touch of dark and twisted, which I love. The characters all made sense, and so did the plot. Definitely a recommendation!
Pretty little thing by Kit Duffield with sit me for a while. First of all - 3.5 (rounded down to 3) ⭐ It was really quite spooky and intriguing.
A thriller about Beckett Ryan who comes back to her childhood home after many years to settle the affairs of her parents who recently passed away. The local community despises her for shutting out her parents and her hometown for so many years as her father especially was a local hero.
Beckett struggles with her messy memories from her childhood which are not at all aligned with the picture her parents portrayed. Nobody knew them like she did but who will believe her?
I really quite liked this book, it was quite unusual and very unsettling. The descriptions are very athmospheric, vivid and slowly become very claustrobhobic. It’s an interesting take on gaslighting but I had some issues with the end. It was quite far-fetched.
Many thanks to NetGalley for my copy of the book.
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This was a great psychological thriller and thought the story worked well in this genre. I was hooked from start to finish and was enjoying the concept and characters. It had that twist that I wanted and worked overall. Kit Duffield was able to create a interesting concept and left me wanting more.
Pretty Little Thing is a dark, atmospheric psychological thriller that hooks you from the start. It follows Beckett, a writer haunted by her past, as she returns to her creepy hometown after her parents’ deaths. The book weaves between timelines, revealing childhood trauma, guilt, and an unsettling sense that not everything is as it seems.
Duffield's writing is moody and full of suspense, making you question what’s real and what’s all in Beckett’s head. The slow-burn pacing might not be for everyone, but it pays off with its eerie twists and a protagonist you’ll root for, even as she spirals.
If you're into character-driven thrillers with a strong psychological edge, Pretty Little Thing will keep you turning the pages late into the night.
Loved this eerie and twisted novel!
It has been over a decade since Beckett has set foot in her hometown. She is now a renowned author living in London. After the death of her estranged parents, Beckett is forced to return to her small childhood English coastal town. The locals are not happy to see Beckett. They all loved hr parents, especially her father. In the sea of hate, an old friendly face emerges - Leanne, Beckett's childhood bestie. Except Beckett has zero memory of Leanne. Leanne might be the only nice thing in this town as Beckett's childhood memories reemerge and hostile locals make living in the town anything but easy.
A very chilling read with tons of twists and turns! I didn't see a lot of them coming. I was on edge of my seat for most of the book. Every time I thought I had things figured out, the author had another twist. The author did an excellent job at creating a sense of unease.
Beckett's flashbacks to her childhood created a really creepy atmosphere. The relationships are really disturbing, contributing to the overall eeriness of this novel. It is definitely one of those books where you do not know who to trust and the author does a great job at throwing some misdirections in.
Some of the book is a little far fetched, but it works. You have to suspend your beliefs a little, but not to the point that the book is so "out there" or sill
Thank you Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
A fantastically satisfying thriller. Beckett returns to her bleak hometown after the death of both her parents. Beckett;s childhood at the hand of her parents was very different to what the hostile locals imagined it was.
The novel is bleak, chilling and atmospheric and the plotting and unfolding of toxic relationships are beautifully drawn. It's an engrossing read and the characters are developed very well and are multi-dimensional. A layered plot and multiple twists and turns will keep you turning that pages. The final revelation made me gasp out loud! All in all , a great read, very immersive and disturbing. a must-read for fans of psychological thriller.
I admit it, I slept with my light on after finishing this book! I really believed I knew who was to blame, then a twist followed. I definitely did not see that ending coming either. This book kept me wondering what would happen next and if Beck would survive to return to her life or if the past would find a way to ruin it. A good book to read (in daylight hours)!!
'" Of course we've met Beckett. I'm your best friend"'
Well, that was quite the thrill. I picked up Pretty Little Thing on a bit of a whim, liked the title, loved the creepy cover, and was looking for a bit of a psychological thriller for an afternoon of entertainment, and that, I got. In Pretty Little Thing, we meet Beckett Ryan, as she goes back to her sleepy little hometown after both her parents die and she needs to handle the estate. We quickly learn that the town has turned Beckett's dad into a bit of a hero, and blames Beckett for the deaths of her parents as she left them alone and never looked back. As Beckett stays in town to handle her affairs, the town seems to be against her at every turn, except for the strange Leanne, who claims to be her best friend, and her boyfriend Kai, who appears to have a strangely comforting effect on Beckett. As memories of her own past start to surface, Beckett needs to figure out who is friend, and who is foe.
So, the first part of the book was a little slow, but my goodness did it have all the creepy vibes. Creepy in a very real sense, with Beckett reliving some of her childhood trauma and nightmares in the old, creaky mansion on the edge of the town she grew up in, cliffs crumbling at just a few steps away. The (to me somewhat more than I usually like) freaky nightmares, visions and occurrences, made me think of a movie I once watched: El Orfanato, similarly dark and mysterious. Another thing that made the beginning interesting was the character of Leanne, as it is so hard to place her. Similarly, the omnipresent threat of the neighbours and 'mob' of the village, adds to the atmosphere.
It is the second part of the book where the pace really picks up and as reader you are thrown from following one line of thinking to another, never quite sure who you should believe, who you can trust, and honestly, who is who. I liked the rollercoaster it presented, but I feel more time could have been spent on certain details to make things just ever so slightly more believable and less reliant on convenient happenstance. All in all, I would recommend this one for someone who is looking for a quick and easy read that will keep them guessing, even after the book is finished.
This book once again proved to me it's more fun to dive into a story without previously reading the synopsis. I was expecting a supernatura story but the reality is much worse. The biggest evil in this story are people. The author leads you somewhere but then presents you with unexpected twists which always fit into the story well but always keeps you on edge.
Beckett has just lost both of her parents unexpectedly. She returns to the small-town she grew up in to deal with everything and attend the funeral. She reunites with her childhood best friend Leanne, who Beckett forgot about and who is kind of a stalker. Beckett also meets Kai, Leanne's boyfriend, and the baroness, who helps Beckett. There are many side characters but most of them not that significant. Beckett has a hard time trusting anyone and it is justified. Are all the people really who they truly are? Or not? As Beckett discovers new and long lost secrets, she also has one to hide about her father. He is believed to be sort of hero who dedicated his life to running the school while in reality, he was abusive. But only a handful of people knew.
Now adult and known book author, Beckett has a lot of trauma to deal with - from abuse to nightmares and being sure her childhood home is haunted. The story is really griping and tense. It deals with some heavy and very real themes. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for some mystery.
The writing was smooth and easy to read. There weren't any typos or grammatical mistakes. The book seemed to be quite well written and edited.