Pretty Things: A Novel

I loved the detail and intricacies in the writing of this book! Nina has grifting in her blood. After obtaining a college degree and making an honest go of a career that's going nowhere, Nina gets a call that her mother is sick and needs her at home. When she gets home she meets Lachlan, her mother's fellow grifter friend who soon becomes her lover and partner in crime. Vanessa comes from old money and is an Instagram influencer. After questioning her life choices when her fiance calls off the wedding, she decides to move to the Lake Tahoe family mansion she's recently inherited. Nina and Vanessa's lives crossed paths in their youth and things didn't turn out well for Nina. Now years later and in need of money to help with her mother's medical costs, Nina and Lachlan devise the perfect, one last con, with Vanessa as their "mark". Told in alternating sections from the POV's of Nina and Vanessa with some of the scenes overlapping as they are told from each of their perspectives, this very well written story grabbed my attention and held it throughout. The characters are wholly realized and believable, and the situations are totally plausible and leave you with an intimate view of their worlds. Near the end your left questioning who's conning who and the conclusion is very satisfying and I'd dare say the perfect ending for this story. I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend this intriguing and compelling novel.

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 enjoyed this book and after getting into it I had trouble putting it down. There were several twists that I wasn’t expecting. I thought the idea of the book was unique and it was interesting to have the main character committing crimes, rather than solving them like other books. The descriptions of the places and people were detailed and I found myself imagining the scenes. I’m definitely in the mood to go back to Lake Tahoe. I also appreciate the large incorporation of mental health and mental illness in this book. I think it was portrayed very well. The story also illustrates how people may view things differently and how there are multiple sides to a story. In the end, maybe people aren’t trying to be as bad as they’re made out to be from assumptions or misunderstandings, and we’re all just trying to find our way, to survive and be loved.

It was okay. The beginning starts out awesome and really grabs your attention for many chapters and pages. The book is written from the 2 main characters perspectives. What I didn’t care for is how some of the same scenes will be written out twice from the perspectives so you are then re reading something you already read. This makes the middle of the book very, very slow moving and at times kind of boring. The end does pick up and has a really good twist and because of that it makes the fairly dull whole middle of the book worth the 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!

Well, this book ruined five days of my life. In a good way. The twists and turns of the story, the insights into the dark and light aspects of human nature. I could say more and will certainly have more thoughts about this as I digest it further … but to the aspiring reader I will say … this was incredible.

The world of con artists is fascinating to me, and this book did not disappoint. The author gives enough detail for us to learn how Nina and her boyfriend Lachlan pull off their cons, focusing more on Nina and her backstory, allowing us to get attached to her as a character and not see her as a criminal. Most con artists feel they ‘deserve’ it, and this becomes a key theme when Nina gets into trouble and is desperate to get the next big take so she can finally end this lifestyle once and for all. Vanessa is an heiress who has it all, everything at her fingertips, and as one does, decides to become an Instagram influencer. It appears outwardly that she has the best life, but little does everyone know, that is not the case. Her family has quite the mountain of secrets, and they have managed to keep them fairly well hidden all of these years. She has set off to her family’s estate, Stonehaven, on the shores of Lake Tahoe to deal with a broken engagement, and is losing a lot of her followers. Stonehaven is where the three characters connect paths, and the book really picks up the pace. There are lies, deceptions, and twists galore. Some I never saw coming, some I did. Overall, I was thoroughly entertained and could not wait to find out what would happen and figure out how this could possibly end. I loved how there were some good lessons in here, the main one being that things are most definitely not always how we think they seem. I really enjoyed this book, it was my first read by this author, it will not be my last.

This is the first book I read by this author and I am thrilled that I followed my friend’s recommendation to read it! It was so so so good! I was absolutely captivated by the suspense in this book! It was full of surprise twists and moments that left me stunned, exactly the kind of book I am always searching for but rarely find! It is by far one of the best suspense books I have ever read! I am looking forward to reading more from this amazing writer!