Pretty Things by Janelle Brown

Star rating: 4.5/5

"For most people not born into privilege, the playing field is a steep incline and you are at the bottom with boulders tied to your ankles." 

Summary:

Nina is the daughter of a con artist, and a con artist herself. Their life has always been a struggle. Leaving her abusive father, moving from place to place, watching her mother work con after con in order to keep them housed and fed. Nina loves her mother fiercely, despite her flaws. But now her mother is sick, and it's up to Nina to provide. 

Vanessa Liebling has lived a life of wealth and privilege, has always had things handed to her on a silver platter. She has no reason to remember Nina, but Nina remembers her. She knows exactly where to find her, where her money is kept, and how to access her safe. And so Vanessa becomes Nina's next target. But when things don't go as planned, things become far more complicated than Nina could have imagined. 

Review:

This book has mixed reviews, and I honestly have no idea why. I absolutely loved it. Maybe I'm just a sucker for a good con story (a female-led con story, for that matter - think Oceans 8 and Hustlers). Maybe I also over-identified with the underlying theme of complicated mother-daughter relationships. Regardless, this story is well-written, exciting from page one, and had me dying to see how it would end. The only reason this isn't 5 stars for me is because I found the parts from Vanessa's POV pretty uninteresting and unnecessary. I was much more excited by Nina's parts. That said, both Vanessa and Nina are complex, well-developed characters. I would love to read more by Janelle Brown in the future! If you enjoyed The Last Mrs. Parrish, you'll love Pretty Things!