NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Who’s really following you on social media? The scam of a lifetime brings together two wildly different women in this page-turning thriller about greed, legacy, and betrayal from the New York Times bestselling author of Watch Me Disappear.An ID Book Club Selection • “It’s Dynasty meets Patricia Highsmith.”—The Washington Post Nina once bought into the idea that her … Highsmith.”—The Washington Post
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.
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There are some authors that seem to follow a predictable pattern when they write. That’s not always a bad thing. Sometimes a plot twist might be thrown in to keep things interesting. I’m not complaining. Depending on what is going on in my world, predictability can be comforting.
And then there is Janelle Brown. Completely unpredictable, with amazing plot twists, uncomfortable storylines, and endings you won’t see coming, Brown holds you in a tight grip until the last line. Pretty Things does not disappoint. The only predictable aspect of Pretty Things is you can’t book the darned book down!
Pretty Things guides us through the world of social media. How easy it is to be someone else and live in a fantasy world. Social media can give you power or make you a target. Pretty Things drops us smack in the middle of both worlds. Follow along with Vanessa and Nina. Their stories run parallel throughout the book. Reading first one perspective and then reading the same story from a different perspective creates a wild ride! Just when I start to sympathize or become irritated with the characters, Brown throws in a twist. Can anybody really be trusted? Is anyone who they say they are? All I know is I will tread lightly with my social media footprint.
This is one of Brown’s best! Don’t try to figure out what happens next while reading Pretty Things. You’ll just give yourself a headache.
I voluntarily received a copy of this book from NetGalley.
Nina is a grifter with a conscience and has a very good reason for why she does what she does. Vanessa is your typical privileged kid turned social media influencer or is she? I did enjoy the story especially how the two main characters are connected to one another but I felt the book was about 100 pages too long. There were some twists at the end that I didn’t see coming which was exciting. The ending was wrapped up nicely and I would definitely read another book by this author.
Excellent story with well-crafted characters and emotional angles that were were believable and entertaining. I couldn’t put it down.