“A riveting tale of subterfuge, betrayal, and retribution set among the glittering world of New York’s elite.” –Liv Constantine, bestselling author of The Last Mrs. Parrish The name of the game is revenge–no matter the cost–in this emotionally charged thriller reminiscent of The Wife Between Us and The Perfect Nanny. Kerrie O’Malley, jobless and in an unfulfilling relationship, can isolate … O’Malley, jobless and in an unfulfilling relationship, can isolate the exact moment in her life when things veered off course–the night she was irrevocably wronged by someone she looked up to. Eighteen years later, when Kerrie sees the very woman who destroyed her life on television, a fire ignites inside her. The stakes are high. The risks are perilous. But she’ll stop at nothing to achieve the retribution she deserves.
Jordana Pierson is a gilded New Yorker who appears to have it all: wealth, glamour, a successful and handsome husband, and a thriving wedding concierge business. Her record is spotless. Her business is flourishing. No one knows the truth about her and the dark shadows of her past.
No one, that is, except Kerrie.
Exploring just how far someone will go for vengeance, Pretty Revenge is “a fun, twisty thrill ride about the dark side of female friendship” (PopSugar).
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Two female anti-heroines struggling to shed their pasts, seek revenge and recreate themselves against the backdrop of the obnoxiously rich of New York. Juicy and delicious fun. You really don’t know which woman to pull for, since no character is just one thing.
A riveting tale of subterfuge, betrayal, and retribution set among the glittering world of New York’s elite.
Excellent writer and a really, really good revenge story that kept my interest from start to finish.
In this story of revenge, you might be surprised who you end up rooting for. Pretty Revenge is a fast-paced, fun summer read. I enjoyed Emily Liebert’s writing style.
This is the first book I’ve read of this author’s. I’m not usually a fan of revenge books. They tend to be over the top and induce eye rolls from me. I can honestly say I enjoyed this one.
I wasn’t keen on the start of this one. I thought for sure that it would just be a bunch of poor me from the main character. I was pleased that the author didn’t drone on too much in hopes to get the reader to feel sorry for the main character. I can’t say that I liked her character, but I didn’t want to punch her in the throat. There’s always that.
The slow, methodical plot of revenge was set at a good pace. I felt myself curious to how it all played out in the end. I wasn’t even sure how I wanted it to end. Once I got to know the characters, I wasn’t so sure who I wanted to come out on top.
I will say, I wouldn’t classify this as a thriller. It’s more of a domestic drama with a bit of a sinister undertone to it. But most certainly not a full-on thriller. Even with that, I enjoyed this book all the way to the end.
I really enjoyed this book and cared about the characters and what would become of them. It had a little suspense, romance and intrigue. I highly recommend it for an easy, page turning read!
I loved this story! It was a fast paced, quick read and not really a psychological thriller so I was pleasantly surprised. Olivia, also known as Kerrie, is out for revenge against the one person who she believes ruined her life. Jordana, also known as Jordan, is this person and she has issues of her own. The story is set within the wedding world of the rich and richer so you just have to laugh at the lengths these brides and their mothers go to for the perfect wedding! It was a great ending!
I need a little grit with my lit, if ya know what I mean, and this wasn’t that
Without the snappy dialogue and hilarious observations, I wouldn’t have even been able to give 3 stars.
Two big problems, in my opinion:
When you finally learn what Jordana did, it’s underwhelming.
If I’m gonna read a 300 page book about revenge, someone had better get stabby, hmmmmkay?
I hung in there, waiting for something to happen and pfffffft….
A twisted tale of revenge and ambition that’s anything but typical. As the story unfolds, you recognize that things aren’t as simple as they appear.
I’ve enjoyed all of Emily Liebert’s books, but this is my new favorite. I read it in two evenings! A great, slow unveiling of two women, their current struggles and secret pasts. I felt empathy for both characters and felt the tension throughout the book of “there is no way for this to end well.” And yet Liebert weaves a realistic and ultimately satisfying ending. Five stars!
Let’s just say this is definitely not a thriller, but rather chick lit! Pretty Revenge by Emily Liebert is a fast read but very predictable and shouldn’t be taken too seriously!
Kerrie O’Malley is currently unemployed and her relationship with her boyfriend is fizzling out. So what does one do when life is getting you down? Kerrie packs up her entire life and moves to New York City. There she decides to plot her revenge on a girl who wronged her twenty years ago, Jordana Pierson.
Once in the Big Apple, Kerrie, now known as Olivia, decides to become Jordana’s personal assistant at her wedding planning business. Fortunately for Kerrie/Olivia, Jordana doesn’t recognise her. And just like that, Kerrie/Olivia finally gets to plot her revenge and destroy everything Jordana has worked so hard for.
The only thing this book really had going for it was the pace. I read this in one sitting and in less than three hours. It is however not a thriller. There are no big plot twists and no suspense. It unfolds exactly as you’d expect. There was some random romantic subplot that felt strangely out of place and distracting from the revenge theme.
I guess my love and passion for dark thrillers pitted me against this book. I wanted more dark plot twists, violence, and even death. But what I got was a rather flat and predictable chick lit book with no twists or suspense.
I really don’t like writing negative reviews, but Pretty Revenge by Emily Liebert didn’t have much going for it. From being too predictable, having unrealistic characters and absolutely no plot twists or suspense, this was extremely disappointing. Like I said though, this was a fast enough read, so if you’re into crazy ladies going after each other over a decade long feud, this book is totally for you!
Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery Books and Emily Liebert for an ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
Check out my review here: https://bit.ly/2KxZK8U
Enjoyable read, a little mystery and a surprise ending. I enjoyed this book and recommend it
Revenge isn’t pretty…or is it? Pretty Revenge is a twisty tale of one woman’s quest to ruthlessly avenge a family member’s death. Kerri takes a job as an assistant to Jordana, a up and coming wedding concierge. Kerri also believes that Jordana is responsible for the death of her grandmother 18 years ago. Jordana wants to escape her childhood and a rich but narcissistic husband and make a name for herself. Kerri wants to destroy Jordana. Both women are relentless in getting what they want. I have to say that I didn’t really like either character but Emily Liebert’s fast paced writing kept me furiously turning the pages til the end!
/ 5
Pretty Revenge by Emily Liebert ended up being not at all what I expected, but that was no problem because I really enjoyed it!
What it’s about: Kerrie O’Malley can remember exactly when her life took a turn for the worse, and it was when the older girl she looked up to stole everything she had left. So when Kerrie sees her former idol on TV seemingly with everything she lacks, she decides it is time to exact her revenge…
I loved the pacing of Pretty Revenge, and I read it incredibly quickly since it only took me just shy of 3 hours and 49 minutes. I also loved the switches between Kerrie and Jordana’s point of views because I thought it helped the pacing, which already seemed fast due to the short chapters.
I wouldn’t say I particularly loved either Kerrie or Jordana, but I did become more endeared to both of them by the time the book ended. Both of them are dealing with some pretty heavy issues and you can’t help but feel sorry for them as the truth comes out.
I thought the beginning chapter endings repeated themselves a little in Kerrie’s viewpoint, but that quickly stopped and I didn’t feel like anything else was repetitive.
Song/s the book brought to mind: A mix of Better Than Revenge and Speak Now, both by Taylor Swift.
Final Thought: I wanted to keep this review short and sweet which were my exact feelings about this book. If you are looking for a quick, binge-worthy read that focuses on retribution then I highly recommend reading Pretty Revenge. I loved Liebert’s writing style and while this might be my first time reading her novels, it definitely will not be my last!
I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Linda’ Book Obsession Reviews “Pretty Revenge” by Emily Liebert, July 2, 2019
Emily Liebert, Author of “Pretty Revenge” has written an intense, captivating, suspenseful, intriguing, edgy and thrilling novel. The Genres for this novel are Psychological Fiction, Suspense, Fiction and Women’s Fiction. The timeline for this story spans 18 years. The author describes her characters as obsessive, vengeful, complex, dysfunctional and complicated.
As a noun, “revenge ( Google definition) the action of infliction hurt or harm on someone for an injury or wrong suffered at their hands.” As a verb, “inflict hurt or harm on someone for an injury or wrong done to (someone else)” Google definition
I have heard that revenge has been referred to as payback, an eye for an eye, and retaliation. How far should one person go to get revenge? What motivations or goals should that person expect?
Kerrie O’Malley has lost her job, and is living what she feels is a mundane life. She turns on the television and sees someone that she feels is responsible for her greatest losses and is determined to get her “just desserts” or revenge.
Jordana Pierson is wealthy and seems very together with a successful Wedding Consultant Business. If you only knew what really is going on.
This is an intense page-turning, riveting story with twists and turns, betrayals, secrets, and lies. I would highly recommend this edgy novel!
Revenge can be all consuming, and once Kerrie saw Jordana on the news, she decided to move to New York and take back what Jordana took from her all those years ago.
Out of work and with some money from her grandmother, Kerrie, using her new name – Olivia, makes the move and lands an interview with Jordana who owns a wedding planner business that caters to the wealthy and important.
Kerrie – the new Olivia – gets the job in a quick and easy interview. Was it too easy? Did Jordana really not know who Kerrie was?
After Kerrie was successful at obtaining the job, the excitement wore off almost immediately, and she was worried she didn’t make the right decision.
We follow both women as they play their roles and we wonder what had happened between them that made Olivia want to ruin Jordana.
Learning about their pasts and their childhoods gave insight into what happened eighteen years ago and what made them who they were today.
I actually liked both Jordana and Olivia even though they both were pretending to be someone they were not.
I also liked the light story line and learning the ins and outs and stresses of a wedding-planning business for the rich and famous.
It took a chapter or two to get me hooked, but PRETTY REVENGE was an enjoyable read despite what I thought was a sinister-sounding title and sinister-looking cover. I didn’t think it was going to be as tame as it was.
This book actually was on the delightful side.
If you are a fashionista, love New York, wonder how friendships go wrong, believe that you can be happy, and find characters you can love and hate at the same time, you won’t want to miss PRETTY REVENGE. 5/5
This book was given to me as an ARC by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I’ve been a fan of Emily Liebert’s writing since I picked up her touching debut novel, You Knew Me When, a few years ago. She has an amazing talent for crafting complex female characters and engaging plots.
Pretty Revenge follows two women in alternating first person narratives. We first meet Kerrie O’Malley, a twenty something woman who has just lost her job and is living with a boyfriend she finds more than faintly repulsive. When she turns on the TV and sees Jordana Pierson, an acquaintance from childhood who did Kerrie wrong in some way, Kerrie is shocked. Now a Manhattan wedding planner to the rich and famous, Jordana announces that she is looking for an assistant and Kerrie’s life changes in an instant. After moving to New York and undergoing an extensive makeover to change her appearance, Kerrie applies for the job under the name Olivia Lewis. The two women develop an efficient working relationship which soon deepens to a trusted friendship. Once that trust is established, Olivia is free to exact revenge on the women who ruined her life so many years ago.
“Jordana took everything from me, and now I’m going to take everything from her.”
Meanwhile, Liebert expertly doles out information from both of their pasts in small delicious parcels. The interweaving of the present and past narratives is seamless and enviable and that’s no easy feat! The reader gets just the right amount of information at the right time to keep the pages flying all the way up to the perfect conclusion. Both Olivia and Jordana are real women—complex and flawed, and I completely understand and believe both of their motivations.
One of the most compelling characters, Olivia’s Nana, full of sage advice and clever quips, never even appears on the page. Nana’s favorite saying, “Senseless revenge will whip its neck and snap you on the bottom,” runs through Olivia’s head several times, but she always dismisses it. She knows without a doubt that her revenge is justified and makes complete sense. Is her revenge pretty? You’ll have to read this delicious novel to decide for yourself. This is a perfect one day beach read—put it in your beach bag and thank me later
I really enjoyed the book. Just enough suspense of why the revenge seeker needed to even a score from the time she was 12. The relationship that developed between them was interesting and kept the story going. It made me want to see them be friends and forget about revenge. Nicely wrapped up at the end with an ending I didn’t expect. Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC
I thought this was a great book of revenge! Kerrie feels Jodana betrayed her when she was 12 years old and when the opportunity presents itself to fix this wrong, Kerrie jumps on it. This novel is told by Kerrie/Olivia and Jordana/Jordan and I love how it is told. You find out the past of both plus how their lives have been in the years after the betrayal. Both characters have major character flaws but also have hope of being better people. The story had plenty of twists and turns that keep you reading happily until the end. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.
Pretty Revenge is a very good read. It focuses on Kerrie and Jordana and their shared history. We get a view of how far someone may go to get revenge for something that happened long ago, but in certain places that revenge seemed a little petty to me. Most of the “revenge” seemed to be things that could easily be fixed, thus rendering the acts fairly worthless.
I was immediately pulled into this story though and enjoyed the characters very much. The big reveal of revenge fell a little flat to me, especially Jordana’s reaction, but it was interesting how everyone got to that point.
The back story was quite the story and one I really enjoyed. I definitely would recommend this book, primarily because it caught and held my interest. I really wanted to know what would happen and overall, I was glad I read it. I would buy it for a friend or family member and do recommend it. Emily Liebert always provides great descriptions and dialogue and Pretty Revenge is true to form for her.
Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publishers for providing an ARC at my request. My thoughts in this review are my own and freely given.