“Nothing is ever as pure as it seems at first glance; there is always something more complicated to be found if you peel back the unmarried surface of pretty things.”

Thank you Random House for gifting me a copy of PRETTY THINGS by Janelle Brown.

“Nina once bought into the idea that her fancy liberal arts degree would lead to a fulfilling career. When that dream crashed, she turned to stealing from rich kids in L.A. alongside her wily Irish boyfriend, Lachlan. Nina learned from the best: Her mother was the original con artist, hustling to give her daughter a decent childhood despite their wayward life. But when her mom gets sick, Nina puts everything on the line to help her, even if it means running her most audacious, dangerous scam yet.

Vanessa is a privileged young heiress who wanted to make her mark in the world. Instead, she becomes an Instagram influencer—traveling the globe, receiving free clothes and products, and posing for pictures in exotic locales. But behind the covetable façade is a life marked by tragedy. After a broken engagement, Vanessa retreats to her family’s sprawling mountain estate, Stonehaven: a mansion of dark secrets not just from Vanessa’s past, but from that of a lost and troubled girl named Nina.

Nina’s, Vanessa’s, and Lachlan’s paths collide here, on the cold shores of Lake Tahoe, where their intertwined lives give way to a winter of aspiration and desire, duplicity and revenge.

This dazzling, twisty, mesmerizing novel showcases acclaimed author Janelle Brown at her best, as two brilliant, damaged women try to survive the greatest game of deceit and destruction they will ever play.”

Oh my word, this book was fantastic. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a story that the author had me hanging off of every word they wrote and that is exactly what Janelle Brown achieved. I inhaled this book. For 48 hours, I lived for what was written within the pages. Brown’s writing style seemed almost poetic to me; I was utterly enamored with her tact in describing the most mundane of details.

PRETTY THINGS was a slow burn that I could have watched smolder for hours and hours. Although described as a thriller/mystery, I would venture to say that it was more of a character study on what occurs when two vastly different people cross paths with devious intentions in store for one another. It was an exceptional plot.

“Oh, I’m sure you’ve already figured it out by now. I wanted to be loved. Don’t we all? Some of us just choose more visible ways to seek it than others.”

I loved how Brown wrote the alternating perspectives of both Nina and Vanessa. After each chapter, I was left with even more questions about who the real con artist was and what was going to occur as all roads began to converge. It was perfectly written and I wouldn’t change anything about the storyline.

Thank you, Janelle Brown and Random House for gifting me this fantastic book.

PRETTY THINGS is being released on April 21, 2020, and can be purchased through your local bookstore!