Pretty Things: A Novel Paperback – April 6, 2021

I enjoyed this book. I learned to like many of the characters, and dislike some as well. It took some unexpected twists and turns, which I always enjoy in a good book. I will look for more books written by Janelle Brown.

I really loved this <b>4.5 Star</b> thriller!! In the beginning I thought it would be a fun <i>caper</i> type of thriller, maybe along the lines of <i>Oceans 11</i> or the true story of those people who hung out with the Hollywood starlets and robbed them, but as the characters were further developed, is became more than that.<b>SUMMARY</b>Nina and Lachlan are literally partners in crime. They have a well organized system which includes choosing a very specific <i>mark</i>, using Nina as bait and Lachlan picks up the <i>inventory</i> at a later date. Things were going along fine until the police begin poking around, forcing Nina and Lachlan to lay low. They decide to leave LA for a couple months until the police lost interest and moved on to the next case. When they are deciding where to lay low, Nina remembers a huge antique filled mansion on Lake Tahoe she had visited as a child. Should that be their next target? What could possibly go wrong???I'm trying to be vague because this book is much more fun to read if you don't know a lot about the plot. Unfortunately, my vagueness is not doing the story justice but, trust me, this is a FUN book to read!!!<b>WHAT I LOVED</b>The twists were what made the book!!! So many times I thought I had an idea where the plot was headed and it would change. I always liked the change more than the story like I was napping out in my head.I LOVED the characters!! As soon as I would think I've figured out a character, a new side to them is revealed. Literally down to the very end. Although several of the characters were professional criminals, they were still likeable, not just black and white. Even the ones I thought I was going to not like at all had some redeeming qualities. Toward the end, some of the characters began to evolve into better people, at least better than I thought they were going to be, and some of them turned out much worse than I imagined.I really loved the plot. It was never boring and not what I was expecting from the first chapter. There are several chapters which revisit Nina's past and explain her connection to the Tahoe mansion. Through these chapters we learn about Nina, who she is and her motivations.The story is told from two points of view, Nina and the owner of the Lake Tahoe mansion, Vanessa. It was such a great way to tell the story because their points of view were so very different. I loved hearing their takes of the same events and their opinions of each other.In addition to the plot, this book is a warning story about how impressions, even long held, firmly established impressions, of a person or situation can be wrong and harmful. It also talks about accepting blame for ones own mistakes and owning one's choices.I loved the Lake Tahoe setting. I've visited Lake Tahoe once and always thought it was one of the most beautiful places in the US. Now, I want to go back again!!<b>WHAT I DIDN'T LOVE</b>There wasn't a lot to not love. Although I really cannot think of any specific things I didn't like but I cannot give it my rare 5 Star rating. To be a five star for me, a book has to be very special. It must be unique, make me see some aspect of the world or myself differently, it must have no plot holes and it must stand the test of time- to be as relevant in ten years, fifty years or one hundred years as it is today. I really love this book, but in my opinion, it does not quite meet that criteria.<b>OVERALL</b>If you're looking for a book that will keep you entertained, make you feel like you've been on a trip to Lake Tahoe and distract you from the annoyances in your life, I highly recommend reading this book! It's way better than suspenseful thriller needs to be!

I like a good mystery novel as much as the next person but when you're plunking down good money on an unknown author (to me anyway) even in spite of good reviews you never know if you're going to like it because sometimes they just fall short on some aspect or another. There might be a great plot but not-so-great character development. It might all just be a big yawn in the middle chapters that test your interest until the big ending. The story might be full of inconsistencies and details that force you to suspend disbelief. After all, it's fiction, right? For me, there was none of that in Janelle Brown's Pretty Things which is a smart, well-written, and believable novel. Normally a story is told from the same first-person point of view however Ms. Brown chose to have two of the three main characters point-of-view story told, alternating from one chapter to the next. What was neat though was how their stories would overlap a bit at first, a sort of a rewind of a few minutes of what the previous character had already been through but now we get to see it from the other person's perspective. She never seemed to leave anything undone that previously seemed so obvious. For example, at one point I was thinking, "Well, what about his driver's license?", but she did get to that later on.Pretty Things was an unexpectedly enjoyable page-turner for me and if her other books are anything like it, I'm a fan.

This was a really good read a little confusing at times and a little repetitive. I also think it did not need to be as long as it was. Other than that really good read

What would you do if your mom fell ill and you realized that there were few options available to cover her medical expenses? How far would you go to ensure she got the treatment she needed? Would you lie for her? Would you go so far as to steal for her? That is exactly what Nina Ross decides to do when she realizes her liberal arts degree will not be enough to provide a legitimate income to cover the cost of treatment. Now she finds herself face to face with her past as she takes on her most risky scam yet. Enter Vanessa Liebling, the heiress turned Instagram influencer, who is struggling to cope with her family’s difficult past. As these two protagonists collide and weave their stories among once another, they quickly realize that everything is not always as it seems.Brown immediately captures the reader’s attention within those first few pages and as soon as I finished the first chapter, I knew I was hooked. The story is told through both Nina’s and Vanessa’s point of views, often taking the reader through the same event twice so that you are seeing what each woman thought and felt during these exchanges. This kept me going back and forth with how I felt about each character and I often found my feelings about each of the protagonists changing and evolving throughout the novel. At times, I even felt conflicted, wanting desperately to dislike one of the characters, but realizing that there was more beneath the surface. This type of dynamic character development is an aspect of Brown’s writing style that I enjoyed with her previous novels, like Watch Me Disappear. The way she switches between each woman’s point of view kept me engaged and craving more from the storyline.With any type of thriller, I always find myself trying to predict what happens in the end. Funny enough, if I can correctly guess the ending, then I am usually disappointed because it was too predictable. There were none of those feelings with Pretty Things. Just when I thought I knew where the story was heading, there would be a twist that had me going back to reread a section because I was so shocked. Any time a novel makes me gasp or say, “Oh my god!” out loud, I know it is a fantastic read. I loved how many plot twists and surprises Brown managed to pack into this novel; I was on the edge of my seat until the very end.Overall, I would recommend Pretty Things to any of my fellow readers who love a good thriller and strong female characters. I was very excited to read this new novel and it certainly did not disappoint. I would rate this novel 4/5 stars and look forward to reading more novels by Brown in the future!

A Exciting read! Dragged on a bit toward the middle but really enjoyed the ending. Would make a great movie!

"Nicole Kidman To Star In & Produce Series Adaptation Of Janelle Brown’s ‘Pretty Things’ For Amazon With Reed Morano Attached To Direct". This book is the perfect choice for a series. Developing the characters over many hours will help in their portrayal. The location, Lake Tahoe, is great. The ending will also be exciting. I enjoyed the surprises and twists, not really knowing how it would all turn out. I found myself switching sides frequently, not certain as to who to root for as they exposed their flaws. They dynamic between mother and child is an underlying theme which propels the women into their choices and finally, the action they ultimately take.

Chacun voit les choses de sa fenêtre mais chacun voit aussi les choses sous différents angles notre vie peut virer au cauchemar selon nôtre regard…et nos désirs pas toujours très clairs…

Gripping and full of suspense from the first page, Janelle Brown’s ‘Pretty Things’, is dark, gritty and sinister.Written from the perspective of two central protagonists, Nina and Vanessa, in alternating sections, Brown creates believable and endearing characters. Whilst not immediately likeable, particularly Nina who you discover early in the novel is a con artist... the novel progressed I found myself developing a level of understanding and empathy for both women and their motivations, and was completely invested in their stories.There were a lot of references to current culture, social media, trends and hashtags, which I enjoyed and made the novel more relatable for those who choose to read it now, but I’m not too sure that they will stand the test of time.Whilst possibly best described as a thriller, the novel has other depths, with Brown introducing strong themes of loneliness, emptiness, ambition, deceit, revenge and self-worth that you find yourself reflecting on throughout the novel. With money, wealth and superficiality being a central focus of the novel, Brown causes you to question what it means to be wealthy, what lies beneath what we choose to reveal about ourselves and how we influence the perception of others. I should add trigger warnings here of both mental illness and mental abuse, which feature strongly within the novel.Brown strikes a balance between dialogue and description, using suspense but allowing the novel to drive forward to a conclusion. My only criticism is that the plot itself was a little too predictable and I found myself guessing the twists and turns before they happened.I’ve seen that there are plans to adapt this novel into a Netflix series, and very excited to see the result of this!!

I picked this book on seeing that it was one of Amazon's top books of the year and it was a worthy choice.The story has good twists and surprises and kept me guessing. Scenic descriptions of Lake Tahoe, the claustrophobic ancestral home, the obsession with social media esp. Instagram, art and antiques, the vividly etched characters make for a great read.