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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
I wanted to like this more than I actually did. I felt like it could have been about three quarters of its actual length— the author was overly descriptive in her world-building and with the characters’ internal monologues. It was an interesting enough character study overall, but I found both of our main characters pretty frustrating. Definitely a slow burn, but the last quarter of the novel wrapped things up nicely. 2.5 stars.
Audiobook. Actually enjoyed it more than I thought. Definitely like the ending.
Another example of how sometimes one traumatic moment can affect the trajectory of your life significantly and it is by understanding it and even confronting it that she can move on and make choices that are not shadowed by her pain.
Another example of how sometimes one traumatic moment can affect the trajectory of your life significantly and it is by understanding it and even confronting it that she can move on and make choices that are not shadowed by her pain.
Like many books, this one had a very promising start. It has a very Wuthering Heights feel, what with the looming gothic mansion that’s almost a character of its own and the revenge storyline.
I really like the variety of family dynamics it portrays: the easy child and difficult child, the irresponsible mother, the misguided dictatorial rich father, the “unstable” upperclass mother trapped by society’s expectations.
The writing itself is great, both in tonal and stylistic choices. The shift from first person to omniscient third person for narrating important events is one that really works, at least for me. Each character had her own, distinct voice. In fact, that’s also one thing I like about this book: It took its sweet, sweet time establishing the backstories and motivations of each of the protagonists. The backstory setup took almost half of the book, but I say it’s worth it if it’s all in the noble pursuit of good characterization!
Unfortunately, the story itself started to drag at about the halfway mark. We got to see the same events from both POVs, which can get repetitive and boring, if I’m being honest. The twists were okay, but nothing mind blowing. This isn’t exactly the thriller that the blurb implies it is. It’s more of a character study, I guess. An exploration of how class divide affects people and their thought processes.
I don’t know why, but I was under the impression that this would be a sapphic romance. I’m sure I read that somewhere, I swear! So I was pretty disappointed when it not only turned out to not be a romance at all, but also had the protagonists fight and be vicious with each other over a man.
I really like the variety of family dynamics it portrays: the easy child and difficult child, the irresponsible mother, the misguided dictatorial rich father, the “unstable” upperclass mother trapped by society’s expectations.
The writing itself is great, both in tonal and stylistic choices. The shift from first person to omniscient third person for narrating important events is one that really works, at least for me. Each character had her own, distinct voice. In fact, that’s also one thing I like about this book: It took its sweet, sweet time establishing the backstories and motivations of each of the protagonists. The backstory setup took almost half of the book, but I say it’s worth it if it’s all in the noble pursuit of good characterization!
Unfortunately, the story itself started to drag at about the halfway mark. We got to see the same events from both POVs, which can get repetitive and boring, if I’m being honest. The twists were okay, but nothing mind blowing. This isn’t exactly the thriller that the blurb implies it is. It’s more of a character study, I guess. An exploration of how class divide affects people and their thought processes.
I don’t know why, but I was under the impression that this would be a sapphic romance. I’m sure I read that somewhere, I swear! So I was pretty disappointed when it not only turned out to not be a romance at all, but also had the protagonists fight and be vicious with each other over a man.
4.75 stars
This was a great book to close out my reading year. I found myself pleasantly surprised multiple times throughout, but mainly with the quality of the writing. While I believe this is classified as a thriller, I'd call it more of a character-driven mystery. Even so, the writing exceeded my expectations for this genre, and I devoured it in just a few long chunks because Janelle Brown does such a great job of drawing in the reader.
I'm not going into plot at all because I think it's best to go in with as little knowledge as possible—the book jacket is plenty (without spoiling anything). I loved how she wove in themes of privilege, social media, and mental illness in an impactful yet easily digestible way. The characters were developed so well, but I loved that she gives reasons to love and hate almost all of them.
The only negative thing I can say is that Pretty Things is nearly 500 pages, and I didn't feel the ending got enough of that space. The length didn't feel overwhelming because the writing was so good, but I didn't expect the end to feel quite as rushed as it did to me, especially as she spent so much time on other aspects. Overall, I definitely recommend this one!
*Huge thank you to Goodreads and Random House for my giveaway copy!*
This was a great book to close out my reading year. I found myself pleasantly surprised multiple times throughout, but mainly with the quality of the writing. While I believe this is classified as a thriller, I'd call it more of a character-driven mystery. Even so, the writing exceeded my expectations for this genre, and I devoured it in just a few long chunks because Janelle Brown does such a great job of drawing in the reader.
I'm not going into plot at all because I think it's best to go in with as little knowledge as possible—the book jacket is plenty (without spoiling anything). I loved how she wove in themes of privilege, social media, and mental illness in an impactful yet easily digestible way. The characters were developed so well, but I loved that she gives reasons to love and hate almost all of them.
The only negative thing I can say is that Pretty Things is nearly 500 pages, and I didn't feel the ending got enough of that space. The length didn't feel overwhelming because the writing was so good, but I didn't expect the end to feel quite as rushed as it did to me, especially as she spent so much time on other aspects. Overall, I definitely recommend this one!
*Huge thank you to Goodreads and Random House for my giveaway copy!*
would have been 4 stars had it not taken to so long to get there
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
For me, this book was more enjoyable as an audiobook due to the first person narration style. I DNF’d it a few years ago and ultimately am glad I circled back to it.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not deep. But very entertaining. Kept me paying attention.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced