Pretty Things by Janelle Brown

Today I am sharing our reviews for a book that Norma and I picked up on some different things and went down two different paths with this one, each thinking differently about who was in that prologue.  

Pretty Things by Janelle Brown is available on April 21, 2020

Norma’s review

Stunning cover, twisty, and clever!

The cover of PRETTY THINGS by JANELLE BROWN is initially what attracted me to read this book, isn’t it pretty?

JANELLE BROWN delivers a slow-burning, character-driven, compelling, and well-written read here that really intrigued, engaged, and entertained me. It was a little bit slow going at times but the author’s fabulous writing definitely captured my attention and drew me right in keeping me fully absorbed in this deceitful and cunning tale. Plus there were some pretty surprising and thrilling reveals that definitely got my adrenaline pumping moving this story forward for me.

The story is told in alternating perspectives between our two main sinister characters here, Nina our con artist and Vanessa an Instagram influencer. The connections and dynamics between these two women really surprised, intrigued & captivated me. I never really knew who to trust or believe. Each of these women brought their own unique and distinct voice to the narrative which I was equally invested in. I was really surprised with the direction this book took and had me questioning multiple plot points in the end.

I’m not sure if my perception of what was going on in the end with a certain character was all wrong or if my deliberations were correct. I can hardly believe that I am saying this because I am not a deep reader at all, I’m more surface but this one totally had me digging deep and discussing it in our Traveling Sisters group. Brenda thinks I was overthinking things! I’d love to have a conversation with the author!

Brenda’s review

Nina is working her most dangerous scam here and Vanessa, an heiress, is her mark. They are two very different women who have something in common and things are not so pretty here for them. They are not very likable at all, but each had an interesting back story to them, that had me feeling a bit of sympathy for them both.

The pace was slow for me in parts and then fast in other parts. At times some parts of the story felt like those packing peanuts that are used for filler and surround that anticipated package you are waiting for. You have to weed through some filler to get to the good stuff and that weighted down the story for me. I think that is where Norma and I went in different directions with not sure what was a clue or important to the story or not, or maybe were red herrings to throw us off.

The thing I loved about the story the most was Vanessa’s connection to her brother Benny, and I would have liked him to have filled up some of that filler space instead of what felt like packing peanuts to me.

There are some surprising twists here, some interesting ones and some that I figured out along the way. Overall I was entertained by them all, and in the end, it’s all about the good stuff, and I like the way the story wrapped up, and it all worked for me.

We received copies from the publisher