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daniellepriebe's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
horsley123's review against another edition
2.0
It's fine. It's an easy read, alright for a sun lounger. You're brain will be gently entertained but not taxed. If I had read this book in a literary vacuum I would probably be a bit more effusive, however if you have been slightly aware of Liane Moriarty you may, like me, catch a whiff of hero worship, I wouldn't want to go as far as calling it plagiarism.
Let us examine the evidence.
1. The title
'Pretty Guilty Women' quite close to 'Truly Madly Guilty' and 'Big Little Lies'.
2. The Plot
Anyone read or watched 'Big Little Lies'? Oh, you mean the build up to a murder when we don't know who did it or indeed who was murdered, but the group of women present hatch a story to tell the police? hmmm.
3. The blurb
'For fans of Liane Moriarty'
So it is not accident then, the publishers are fully aware of what they have published.
I find this all a bit odd as Gina LaManna is not a newcomer, she has written many other books (granted I haven't read any) so why has she released a book which already exists in a better form?
Let us examine the evidence.
1. The title
'Pretty Guilty Women' quite close to 'Truly Madly Guilty' and 'Big Little Lies'.
2. The Plot
Anyone read or watched 'Big Little Lies'? Oh, you mean the build up to a murder when we don't know who did it or indeed who was murdered, but the group of women present hatch a story to tell the police? hmmm.
3. The blurb
'For fans of Liane Moriarty'
So it is not accident then, the publishers are fully aware of what they have published.
I find this all a bit odd as Gina LaManna is not a newcomer, she has written many other books (granted I haven't read any) so why has she released a book which already exists in a better form?
laurenisallbooked's review against another edition
2.0
A lot of this book was vague just to move the plot along. It lacks the mystery and suspense necessary to make this a fun, page-turning thriller. This book tried to do too much, and as a result, didn't do anything particularly well.
zoer03's review against another edition
4.0
Its a pretty decent thriller. I especially liked all the back biting between the friends... though I did find the continual American... ideology of a high earning, beautiful and brilliant mother a bit too much for my taste... I also felt that the ending was a bit of a let down.. it kind of just petered out as though the author just got a bit bored. But overall its probably one of the best thrillers I have read and enjoyed. I would definitely recommend this to anyone.
kezerus's review against another edition
dark
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
College friends meeting up = one doesn't talk in the book at all, besides a tiny phone call at the start to give context + random ladies added to group. Murder mystery = there wasn't one. For the first 80% of the book there was a mention at the start of each chapter to manufacture suspense, and that's the only reminder what this book was promised to be about. The novel is actually about sad women meeting other women and realising everyone is sad with their own problems so let's be friends and talk about them and think in our head most of the time because nothing happens at all. That's the book, honestly. When everything suddenly comes to head with the murder...the mystery that the whole book led up to instantly solves itself. I expected a trashy read, but I'm not the target audience of older women. I didn't have mothers relation of wanting two different college friends I re-met yesterday to have intimate talks with my teenage daughter, and couldn't understand why these nearly forty year old women were comparing and lowkey shaming when all of them first had sex?
It just isn't a well written book - people would say bye to each other (when just meeting after decades / first time ever) for a valid reason to then instantly offer to go somewhere else with them, the problems in the women own life's either didn't exist or it would be them flip flopping how they felt towards the thing the whole time, since there wasn't actually a plot. One time, the ladies are all sitting together and one randomly blurts a worry she thought of for the first time right that second, another lady responds saying she should make a life changing phone call that second, the first lady goes away and does just that RIGHT THEN, to then rejoin the group where they are talking about the same thing as before (like the group was frozen in time) and then no one asks the woman about the phone call AT ALL. EVER. Yeah, that example sums up what the book consists of.
It just isn't a well written book - people would say bye to each other (when just meeting after decades / first time ever) for a valid reason to then instantly offer to go somewhere else with them, the problems in the women own life's either didn't exist or it would be them flip flopping how they felt towards the thing the whole time, since there wasn't actually a plot. One time, the ladies are all sitting together and one randomly blurts a worry she thought of for the first time right that second, another lady responds saying she should make a life changing phone call that second, the first lady goes away and does just that RIGHT THEN, to then rejoin the group where they are talking about the same thing as before (like the group was frozen in time) and then no one asks the woman about the phone call AT ALL. EVER. Yeah, that example sums up what the book consists of.
missdaniboo's review against another edition
3.0
This was an easy book club type read that was enjoyable tho some eye roll moments. If you liked Big Little Lies, this plot tries to frame it like that in the sense that the story is a mystery to the reader as the cast recounts to a detective what happened at a party they were all at, but there’s no mystery that needs resolving really.
I’ve read a few of these stories enough to ignore red herrings that try to mislead you, and they’re some what annoying to weed through. However, I started the book expecting it to be as enjoyable as those airplane movies and I was pretty satisfied with it.
I’ve read a few of these stories enough to ignore red herrings that try to mislead you, and they’re some what annoying to weed through. However, I started the book expecting it to be as enjoyable as those airplane movies and I was pretty satisfied with it.
loreopoly's review against another edition
2.0
the writing itself wasn't bad but the characters were all vapid, selfish, rich white women minus one of them. i just didn't like the premise of the book though the format was interesting.
gabby_mitchell's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
kt15's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75