heykellyjensen's review
2.0
I thought the voices of Paisley and Beau were great, but then they got to be over-the-top. I kinda felt the whole thing tried a little too hard to be edgy and unique, but it flopped for me as a reader.
I didn't find myself all that compelled to care about the characters or their story in the end.
I didn't find myself all that compelled to care about the characters or their story in the end.
missymouse's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really fun read aimed for older teenagers. Good plot, the characters were fantastic, flawed and seemed real. The ending felt slightly rushed and was a tad disappointing but it still was a good fast read.
dairyqueen84's review
1.0
The characters were cardboard figures with no real depth to them. Paisley had no redeeming qualities and I found her violent behavior and vulgar language offensive, even though bad language doesn't usully bother me in YA novels.
trikaratops's review
5.0
This novel was a bright story about a couple of siblings that chase after the ways of the infamous Bonnie and Clyde. They hit up Las Vegas while looking for their father and discover something about themselves in the mix. Go here for my full review: http://epicbooknerd.blogspot.com/2011/08/pretty-bad-things-by-cj-skuse.html
aprilbooksandwine's review
3.0
Twins are so cool. No, really, they are. Especially ones who are on the wrong side of the law. Pretty Bad Things by CJ Skuse hits my list for what is cool and what is not, when it comes to twins. If you are looking for a fast read that just begs you to keep flipping the pages, you’ve come to the right book. Pretty Bad Things is one of those white knuckle books. Although it has it’s fair share of flaws, I ended up liking CJ Skuse’s young adult contemporary book about teenage criminals on the whole.
Read the rest of my review here
Note: Review and link will work on February 4, 2014
Read the rest of my review here
Note: Review and link will work on February 4, 2014
foreveryoungadult's review against another edition
Graded By: Poshdeluxe
Cover Story: Double Brown Bag It
BFF Charm: Yay & Nay
Swoonworthy Scale: 1
Talky Talk: Talk Dirty To Me
Bonus Factors: Legend of Billie Jean, Las Vegas
Relationship Status: Innocent Bystander
Read the full book report here.
Cover Story: Double Brown Bag It
BFF Charm: Yay & Nay
Swoonworthy Scale: 1
Talky Talk: Talk Dirty To Me
Bonus Factors: Legend of Billie Jean, Las Vegas
Relationship Status: Innocent Bystander
Read the full book report here.
hummusnchill's review
2.0
I was actually disappointed with this book. It started out bad, but I thought it would get better. It picked up around the middle, but the ending was just lame. I hated Pais's character - I honestly wanted to punch her through most of the book - but I liked Beau - he made the story better. Some of the things that went on were funny, but most of it was unrealistic - you couldn't help but think, where are the cops? during most of this. Anyway - great cover. I'll give it 2 1/2 of five stars.
onceuponabookcase's review against another edition
3.0
Originally posted on Once Upon a Bookcase.
When I picked up Pretty Bad Things, I was expecting something completely different to what I got. The blurb on the book is completely different to the description above, it barely skims the surface. Because they were going off looking for their Dad, I thought it might have been a road trip story. It's not. I got past that quite quickly, deciding to just read the book for what it is. However, unfortunately, I didn't really enjoy it.
This is not to say it's a bad story. It's actually pretty good. It's pretty clear that Skuse can write; Pretty Bad Things has an intriguing plot that keeps you turning the pages. It's addictive, you want - need - to know what happens with Paisley and Beau. Theirs action, there's danger, and there's more than one adrenaline rush inside it's pages waiting for readers. It's really quite exciting!
So why didn't I like it? Because it's not my kind of story. I'm not really that interested in crime. Though, saying that, this is not a dark, gritty crime novel for teens, it's light crime, made amusing because of the crimes they commit. But I'm not really into crime, in any form. Generally, I don't like it, and unfortunately, Pretty Bad Things didn't change my mind about this. As I said, the blurb on the back of the book is different to the description above, but it does say "Twins in a candy-store crime spree", so maybe that, along with the gun on the cover and the title should have made me realise exactly what type of novel I was getting, but I believed I was getting something more along the lines of an issue novel, what with looking for their Dad who hasn't been around. I was wrong.
But that's not the only reason I didn't like it. I couldn't stand Paisley. She was reckless and wild, and just not my kind of character. She was so immature at times and I just wanted to shake her. Regular readers may know that I'm not a massive fan of swearing in books, but I can accept it. But Paisley swear like a trooper, and it was just excessive. It's clear from how Beau talks, for example, that the swearing is all Paisley, part of her character, and not Skuse using it for the sake of it. But it grates on me. I can understand her wanting to escape the clutches of her money-obsessed grandmother, and wanting to find her Dad, but the choices she makes and actions she takes are just so ridiculously reckless and seem idiotic to me. I just couldn't warm to her. Beau is a different story, but Paisley takes half the book.
Pretty Bad Things wasn't my cup of tea, but I enjoyed Skuse's writing enough to pick up her other novels, and I'm looking forward to them!
When I picked up Pretty Bad Things, I was expecting something completely different to what I got. The blurb on the book is completely different to the description above, it barely skims the surface. Because they were going off looking for their Dad, I thought it might have been a road trip story. It's not. I got past that quite quickly, deciding to just read the book for what it is. However, unfortunately, I didn't really enjoy it.
This is not to say it's a bad story. It's actually pretty good. It's pretty clear that Skuse can write; Pretty Bad Things has an intriguing plot that keeps you turning the pages. It's addictive, you want - need - to know what happens with Paisley and Beau. Theirs action, there's danger, and there's more than one adrenaline rush inside it's pages waiting for readers. It's really quite exciting!
So why didn't I like it? Because it's not my kind of story. I'm not really that interested in crime. Though, saying that, this is not a dark, gritty crime novel for teens, it's light crime, made amusing because of the crimes they commit. But I'm not really into crime, in any form. Generally, I don't like it, and unfortunately, Pretty Bad Things didn't change my mind about this. As I said, the blurb on the back of the book is different to the description above, but it does say "Twins in a candy-store crime spree", so maybe that, along with the gun on the cover and the title should have made me realise exactly what type of novel I was getting, but I believed I was getting something more along the lines of an issue novel, what with looking for their Dad who hasn't been around. I was wrong.
But that's not the only reason I didn't like it. I couldn't stand Paisley. She was reckless and wild, and just not my kind of character. She was so immature at times and I just wanted to shake her. Regular readers may know that I'm not a massive fan of swearing in books, but I can accept it. But Paisley swear like a trooper, and it was just excessive. It's clear from how Beau talks, for example, that the swearing is all Paisley, part of her character, and not Skuse using it for the sake of it. But it grates on me. I can understand her wanting to escape the clutches of her money-obsessed grandmother, and wanting to find her Dad, but the choices she makes and actions she takes are just so ridiculously reckless and seem idiotic to me. I just couldn't warm to her. Beau is a different story, but Paisley takes half the book.
Pretty Bad Things wasn't my cup of tea, but I enjoyed Skuse's writing enough to pick up her other novels, and I'm looking forward to them!
anyaatawfullotofreading's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't really know much going into it, apart from the normal expectations that comes with CJ's writing. What I found was a dual narrative between the twins as they ditched their botox-ed grandmother and went on the road to find their dad.
As I've come to expect from CJ's books, this was funny and touching at the same time, plus full of ridiculous dramatic acts of violence and arson. Yeah, that makes sense once you know Paisley's character. CJ did really well in writing completely opposing personalities; Paisley was the wild child, school drop-out, fighter and tough skinned; Beau was cautious and quiet, used to letting Paisley take the lead. They couldn't be more different but being twins, they had that connection and only had each other to lean on.
Semi-famous from the time they were found in the woods after three days of being lost, it doesn't take long for Paisley's evil brain to use this to speed up the search for their dad, by robbing sweet shops along the Strip in Vegas! Las Vegas was just... wow. The madness of the rides, the hotels, the grand lights really came through on the page and matched their frantic search perfectly. I just hoped it worked out for them, because if anyone needs a happy ending, it was these two.
I absolutely loved this, from Paisley's sharp wit to the weird turn their search took; it became more than just them finding their dad, they practically became national heroes for any child cut from their parents. It was very sweet and completely unexpected that they had all this support. A fantastic and very funny read that has everything I love about CJ's books.
As I've come to expect from CJ's books, this was funny and touching at the same time, plus full of ridiculous dramatic acts of violence and arson. Yeah, that makes sense once you know Paisley's character. CJ did really well in writing completely opposing personalities; Paisley was the wild child, school drop-out, fighter and tough skinned; Beau was cautious and quiet, used to letting Paisley take the lead. They couldn't be more different but being twins, they had that connection and only had each other to lean on.
Semi-famous from the time they were found in the woods after three days of being lost, it doesn't take long for Paisley's evil brain to use this to speed up the search for their dad, by robbing sweet shops along the Strip in Vegas! Las Vegas was just... wow. The madness of the rides, the hotels, the grand lights really came through on the page and matched their frantic search perfectly. I just hoped it worked out for them, because if anyone needs a happy ending, it was these two.
I absolutely loved this, from Paisley's sharp wit to the weird turn their search took; it became more than just them finding their dad, they practically became national heroes for any child cut from their parents. It was very sweet and completely unexpected that they had all this support. A fantastic and very funny read that has everything I love about CJ's books.
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