Little Pretty Things audiobook

I have a special fondness for stories about far from perfect, less than amazing characters. Throw in an insular small town setting and I’m generally hooked--which certainly proved true with mystery thriller Little Pretty Things; I could barely put the book down to get on with my own life. Juliet Townsend was a promising track star in high school, but she always took second place because her best friend Maddy ran just a little bit faster. Never coming in first meant no scholarships to prestigious schools and when her father died suddenly Juliet dropped out of college and returned home, which is where she still is ten years after high school graduation. She works cleaning rooms in a dive hotel, barely supporting herself and her mentally fragile mother and compulsively pocketing random items left behind by guests. After a decade of no contact, her former best friend shows up with a huge diamond engagement ring and the desire to reconnect, but Juliet, full of resentment, brushes Maddy off. By the next morning Maddy is dead, and Juliet is a suspect in her murder. Of course Juliet investigates, partly to clear her name but also to find out what happened to the friend she regrets rebuffing. This takes her back into the world of high school, this time as a substitute gym teacher coaching girls on the current track team, and being there gives Juliet new perspectives about her own participation in the sport. Juliet also spends time sneaking around in the dark, going after possible clues, and though I had a fairly good idea of who the murderer would turn out to be the story is highly suspenseful. Without being didactic Little Pretty Things addresses some important issues, racial prejudice and teenage sexulity among them. The well drawn characters really made the story for me--I especially enjoyed the relationships between Juliet and Lu, the slightly older Hispanic woman who also cleans rooms at the hotel, and Juliet and the female cop investigating the murder, a testy former high school classmate Juliet had ignored when she and Maddy were track team celebrities. I’ll be looking for the next book from Lori Rader-Day.

4.5 Stars rounded to 4. Very good, fast paced read. I recommend to people who have been out of high school for a few years and are open to high school reflection.The plot itself is straight forward. A high school friend returns to town and is killed. A who dunn-it.The central part of the story is about two girls who were track stars/competitors/ always first and second place finishers. The first place star (Maddy) is the one killed and her friend second placer(Jules) wants to find out who did it. The memories/feelings that go with a friendship created through competition are brought back to Jules; Jealousy, discipline, failure, embarrassment, success, popularity, all those fun things of high school. These memories played out during the story turn out to be relevant to solving Maddys murder. The book's rather low rating (3.6stars) had me waiting for a fall off the cliff moment that would have me throw the book to the curb. Pleasantly, this never happened. The ending came the closest but it really wasn't significant, the story was more than a who-dunnit. The story brought back high school memories good and not so good, complicated but needed friendships, how high school memories can stay with you even if have temporarily forgotten them, and the emotions remembering high school can bring.P.S. Pretty little things are those strange trinkets you keep, you don’t know why you keep them but you do. Maybe if you brought them to your shrink he could tell a lot about you:)

Last year I read and LOVED Lori Rader-Day’s debut novel The Black Hour (which I reviewed over on WatchPlayRead), so when Lori said she would send me an ARC of Little Pretty Things, I was SO excited! Lori’s second novel was just as thrilling, suspenseful, and well-written as her first.I was immediately drawn into Juliet’s world – her job as a cleaning lady in a dive hotel in a small town, her compulsive desire to take the “little pretty things” left behind by her customers, her friendship with Lu, the slightly older Mexican woman who cleans at the hotel too, and her decade-old, but not forgotten rivalry with her best friend from high school, Maddy. Juliet and Maddy haven’t spoken in ten years, but Juliet hasn’t forgotten always trailing behind Maddy during all their track races, so when Maddy comes into town, Juliet brushes her off. But then Maddy gets murdered, Juliet is a suspect, and a lot of secrets come to light.I am a big fan of books with flawed, far from perfect characters. They feel more human and more believable to me. This is a big reason in why I loved Little Pretty Things so much; Juliet is pretty messed up, she struggles with her compulsions, with her relationships, with her future, and I found myself rooting for her the whole time. She was stronger and more independent than she thought, and I liked seeing her realize who she could be. All of the characters in the book had their own problems and were all well-rounded and three-dimensional. I especially enjoyed the friendship between Juliet and Lu.Lori did a great job at subtly hinting at who the real murderer was. I will say that I figured out who the murderer was pretty early on (I read and watch a lot of crime fiction), but it did not hinder my enjoyment of the story in the least. In fact, I was on the edge of my seat, racing through the book to see everyone figure it out. Lori does suspense SO well with pacing that reminded me of Maddy’s and Juliet’s races, fast and powerful.The bottom line: While the story revolves around murder, this is a story of self-discovery and it questions how much our past can affect and shape us. It’s full of flawed, interesting, human characters that will pull you into the story immediately. Little Pretty Things is the best kind of mystery, and it’s not one you want to miss.NOTE: I was provided with an ARC of this book from the publisher and author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much, Lori and Seventh Street Books!!

I haven't escaped small towns with the success of Maddy Bell, the high school golden girl who seemed to move on to even bigger and better things in Lori Rader-Day's second novel, Little Pretty Things, but I have escaped. Maybe that's what roped me in to the book from the beginning--the sense of place, places you don't want to be but can't look away from either. I've always had a fascination for roadside motels, too, particularly the midcentury type that hold out the sunny, forward-thinking promise of that time, even as the weeds grow up from cracks in the asphalt. Little Pretty Things is a little rougher around the edges compared to Rader-Day's debut, The Black Hour. Not in writing certainly, but setting and character: the rarified air of an exclusive lakeside college vs. a small town and its public high school and low-rent motel surrounded by cornfields, a feisty college professor protecting what she's achieved vs. a floundering motel maid still trying to find her feet ten years on from high school graduation. These differences and other elements lend the book a noir-ish edge that I really liked. Some common themes carry over though: women and their place and power in society, haves and have nots, and an interesting twist on the influence of the media. The story tightly wraps around these and yet flows naturally.The theme of desire seems to be what carries Little Pretty Things forward; everybody wants something, everybody is reaching for something, no one more so than the main character and narrator, Juliet Townsend. In the beginning, she's almost given up reaching for the big things and instead pockets little things, mostly discarded, from the motel where she works. When her old friend and rival Maddy shows up in style, one can't imagine that she wants for anything, that there is a desire she can't fulfill, but then why has she returned to Midway anyway? Maddy's murder spurs Juliet into reaching for bigger things again: clues and reasons for the death, yes, but also lost ambitions. Along the way we meet others reaching out: the other motel maid hopes for better things for her family and a real estate license for herself; a town cop and former classmate wants a big case that will get her work noticed; a bank teller and small town power broker trades in gossip and control. We meet people who grasp at darker desires, too.There are a lot of tense moments and a lot of heart in Little Pretty Things. It's an odd feeling to grow to care for the same characters you also grow to suspect. This is a satisfying read full of twists and turns, on the page and in the gut--I recommend it.

I couldn't wait to read the second book by Lori Rader-Day, being such a HUGE fan of her first book, The Black Hour. Little Pretty Things has everything a reader could want... murder, crime, love, forgiveness and that feeling, that everyone has, of just wanting a little bit more out of life than they've been offered. I want more of these characters, I hope they all come back again in another book. :)

Another suspenseful tale from Lori Rader-Day. The Black Hour was set in the world of academia, but Little Pretty Things takes us back to high school through the memories of the narrator, Juliet, as she tries to process the murder of her former best friend.

LITTLE PRETTY THINGS is a gripping story of life in a small town. The pace of the plot builds intensity and intrigue as readers turn each page. Readers experience murder, betrayal, illegal activities, and manipulations of young women. Lori Rader-Day introduces LITTLE PRETTY THINGS ‘main character, Juliet Townsend along with the demons she has been dealing with since graduating from high school ten years earlier. The author places readers inside Townsend’s head so they know what she thinking and see her life in a small town through her eyes. The author provides her readers with Townsend’s backstory and continues to provide additional information on her history as the story progresses. Readers are given each support characters backstory and their role in Rader-Day’s story. The author skillfully provides her readers clues to the identity of the antagonists creating an intense interest to find the last clue as to who murdered Townsend’s classmate. The author keeps everyone guessing as to what is going to happen next in this breathtaking thriller. Lori Rader-Day shows Townsend in a holding pattern for ten years, dealing low self-esteem and it takes the murder of her classmate to force her to decide it is time to take charge of her life. Townsend takes advantage of her love of running to discover and uncover secrets of her painful past. She has been beaten down by events of her past and it doesn’t surprise her when the police pursue her as a suspect in the murder of her classmate and one time close friend. Then she discovers the painful details of events leading to the murder and decides she is going to prove the police wrong and find the real killer. Readers find the social issues Rader-Day exposes in Townsend’s investigation are important . Townsends unveils deadly actions and events leading up to an ending to rival all endings. LITTLE PRETTY THINGS masterfully delivers a serious message within a gripping story. Rader-Day’s book is a must read and earn a five star ranking.

Rader-Day's first novel, THE BLACK HOUR, was wonderful. So is this book, but in quite a different way. LITTLE PRETTY THINGS starts out feeling a lot like one of Laura Lippman's standalone crime novels, such as WHAT THE DEAD KNOW-- two women in a marginal, unstable situation, with hints of a disturbing past. One of the things I love about LITTLE PRETTY THINGS is that the present is very dynamic. Rather than giving you the feeling you are just waiting around to find out who did what in the past, you have various characters with complex motivation in the present, not to mention the actual murder. Maybe that is why people are comparing Rader-Day to authors like Gillian Flynn and Megan Abbott, who write sort of hybrid mystery-thrillers, which have the depth of a secret story in the past, but the excitement of a present one. But also as with those authors, Rader-Day's writing is steeped with true-crime details and atmosphere. Where this book really differs from THE BLACK HOUR, to me, is that it has a dimension of epicness. There's a mythic quality to the pairing of the two running girls-- fairytale warrior princesses from the past. Early in the book, it's like the spell shatters. Among her other strengths, Rader-Day knows how to rock a title. I love what she does with the phrase "little pretty things-- " not entirely what you think.

I wasn't sure Lori Rader-Day could match the achievement of her remarkable debut, THE BLACK HOUR, but I'm happy to say that LITTLE PRETTY THINGS is an extraordinary success. It's hard to compare two different books, but I confess that I enjoyed LITTLE PRETTY THINGS even more than I did THE BLACK HOUR. And that's saying a lot, because I loved THE BLACK HOUR.Old scars, broken friendships, and past and present failures. And possible redemption. Juliet struggles with all of these and more. This book is brilliant in its plotting, characterization, and emotional portraits. This you must read. Five stars.

The beautiful cover art captures the mood of the seedy hotel and the author captures the desperation of the people in a small town who feel like they got "stuck" in the one place that they never felt they would end up in. The reader is always a step ahead of Juliet, the narrator, but that is part of the fun of getting to the end. Finally, a book where the clues add up and the resolution makes sense.

If I was basing this review on the first 3/4 of the book, it likely would only have gotten 3 stars, but I felt the ending came together nicely. The writing was good but not amazing, and while I did enjoy the story a lot, there were some sections that dragged on unnecessarily. THE GOOD: My favourite show in the universe is Law and Order SVU and this reads just like an episode. Since I’m a crime buff I guessed what happened within the first few chapters, and I was hoping to be proven wrong with some good twists but I wasn’t. Despite this though I found the characters compelling enough that I still really enjoyed the story and watching troubled Juliet try to reconcile her past. The whole thing plays out like a small town noir with secrets and sinister intentions building slowly to a dramatic finish. THE BAD: The fact that I guessed the ending long before it happened made it a little less enjoyable as a mystery. I also found the dialogue to be a little stilted, like it was trying to be realistic but came off as awkward. Apart from that I really enjoyed it. TL;DR: A good read, even if you guess the ending. Perfect for SVU fans or fans of small town drama

This is another taut, compelling novel by Rader-Day. I had a hard time putting it down even though I pretty much knew where the story was going from the start. I still wanted to know exactly what had happened to Maddy because I did care about the characters. It's a sad, depressing story, but it definitely kept me reading. I'd give it a B- or so.

It's a tough subject if you're a cozy fan, but for hard-boiled fans this is a padded thrill ride through the dark side. Lori Rader-Day does a great job of digging deep into character while avoiding explication and keeping the heat turned up. A skilled writer makes a masterful turn.

Solid thriller about two friends-one whose life is stuck and the other, the one who is killed, spurs the other on to figure out what happened. Topical, and the overarching theme of the book is one that resonates.

Little Pretty Things by Lori Rader-Day focuses on a high school rivalry between best friends, Maddy and Juliet. In high school, Juliet lost every track race to Maddy. Which led Maddy to have opportunities (like scholarships and college) that Juliet never got. Years later, her life still bears the scars of coming in second place. She’s still living in her small hometown, has a dead-end job at a seedy motel and hasn’t seen her former best friend in years. Then one night that changes when Maddy checks into the motel. Dressed in designer clothes and expensive jewelry, she seems to have it all together and Juliet is extremely jealous. But when Maddy ends up dead the next morning, Juliet is the only suspect in her murder. She is willing to do whatever it takes to prove her innocence. She begins her own investigation talking to anyone who knew Maddy in hopes of discovering someone who might have a motivation to kill her. In the process, secrets from the past come to light and Juliet realizes that she may not have known Maddy at all. Its too late to save Maddy but will Juliet be able to clear her name and make sure that justice is served not just for her friend’s death but also the events of the past?This book deals with some heavy topics but I thought the author handled them well. It was a very interesting, suspenseful read. I enjoyed the strong character development and the story ended up being more than just a murder mystery which took me by surprise. Overall, a good read!