Pretty Things

Two wildly different women—one a grifter, the other an heiress—are brought together by the scam of a lifetime.

Nina once bought into the idea that her fancy liberal arts degree would lead to a fulfilling career in New York City. 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, Vanessa, 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.

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PRAISE FOR PRETTY THINGS

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“Brown offers a glittering, high-stakes drama, stacking childhood nostalgia against the power to reinvent oneself in the age of social media…. Packed with plot twists.”—Booklist (starred review)

“With flawless suspense, masterly storytelling, and a plot that hits all the notes of our Instagram world perfectly, this novel is a must-read.”—Library Journal

“Fiendishly clever.” — Kirkus

“It’s Dynasty meets Patricia Highsmith. …Duplicity abounds when two messed-up clans collide, and Brown’s final multiple twists are doozies.” — Washington Post

“A thriller made for the modern era.” - InStyle

“Full of tantalizing twists and shocking deceptions, this is an intelligent commentary that is also deliciously fun to read.” - The Week

“Janelle Brown’s latest tome, Pretty Things, is set to be her biggest yet..” - Entertainment Weekly

“The author leaves no stone unturned in her inquisitive prodding of social media identities, and draws many important questions about perspective. While that alone might be enough to call this book a must-read, it is Nina and Vanessa who make it unforgettable. It is rare for an author to present hero and victim so equally, but here Brown reminds us that we are all complicated, layered and flawed, and the pace at which she reveals her characters’ motives is breakneck and endlessly compelling.” - Bookreporter

“Splendidly assured” - Daily Mail

“Pretty Things kept my eyes glued to the pages… Brown spins her who’s-conning-whom tale appealingly, playing the author’s shell game of keeping our loyalties shifting, depending on who’s doing the narration” - The Seattle Times

“Impossible to put down, Pretty Things is smart, seductive, and utterly captivating.” - Popsugar

“Pretty Things is awesome. Simple as that. Janelle Brown is your new must-read author.” — Harlan Coben, NYT bestselling author

"Hungry, sexy, and packed with twists, this latest novel from Janelle Brown exposes what's hidden behind the stone walls of the elite's mansions and the slick facades of con artists' scams. Money, family, and Instagram collide to make a book you won't be able to put down." — Julia Phillips, bestselling author of Disappearing Earth

"I love a good con story—especially when I can’t tell who’s the actual mark and who’s the real con artist. In Janelle Brown’s compulsively readable Pretty Things, the good girls and the bad girls keep switching places in a story that will keep you turning pages till the end. Even more richly told than Watch Me Disappear, Brown’s latest novel has the same sharp observations that are her trademark—about shifting identities and the secrets we all keep." — Attica Locke, Edgar-award wining author of Heaven, My Home

“I devoured this book - an incredible read!” - Jessica Knoll, NYT-bestselling author of Luckiest Girl Alive

“Part psychological thriller and part morality tale, Janelle Brown’s PRETTY THINGS is literary suspense at its best. Gorgeous prose, complex characters inhabiting the fascinating worlds of elite Instagram influencer and high-stakes scam artist, a thought-provoking dual narrative, a twisty plot with a shocking, never-saw-that-coming ending—this brilliant novel has it all! I read it in one day in one sitting, mesmerized, and I loved every moment.” — Angie Kim, bestselling author of Miracle Creek

"A can't-look-away story of and for our generation, Pretty Things combines a spellbinding setting with dark, slippery secrets to expose what we've always known--or maybe just hoped--to be true about the gilded lives presented in our social media feeds. Janelle Brown is a literary powerhouse." — Chandler Baker, NYT bestselling author of Whisper Network

“I drank down Janelle Brown's Pretty Things in one greedy gulp, speeding through the pages even as the sharp, insightful writing made me feel compassion for each narrator. Mesmerizing, provocative, surprising and thoughtful - a must- read.” — Jean Kwok, NYT bestselling author of Searching for Sylvie Lee