Pretty Crooked

Nothing about Pretty Crooked really works for me. Let’s do this list style:

1) Willa: At first she can see no fault in her new friends and refuses to believe they’d do anything bad, but when she finally sees the light she just turns a complete 180. I know she was taking from those who “didn’t deserve it” to give to those who did, but it got rather tedious listening to her rationalizing I over and over again. And I still don’t understand why she spent so long hating Aiden. Sure, there were some mentions that he was a player but we’re never actually shown that so the whole “no, I can’t! But I can’t stop thinking about him!” routine got old fast. And then the end? She goes from “I’ll never do anything wrong again” to “I’m ready to exact revenge and ignore the laws” in an absurdly short amount of time.

2) (This’ll be vague because I don’t want to spoil.) Why the heck did nobody turn them in when they found out who ran the stupid gossip site? I mean, you have proof and everything!

3) Glitterati. Can anyone really say that with a straight face?

4) Willa’s mom. What the heck is up with that?! Frankly, that mystery was just more annoying than intriguing. And considering how close Willa and her mom seemed to be I found it a little out of character for her mom to be so terrible in the end. I mean, who says they could “actually kill” their own daughter?

The Nutshell: While it was kind of fun to read about Willa’s thieving that’s pretty much where my interest ends. Willa was too wishy-washy and neither her nor her mom really seemed to stay in character. As always, everyone’s tastes vary but this isn’t one I’ll be recommending.

Miss

The first half of the story was laugh-out-loud, smile-at-that-cuteness light, and fun. The author easily introduces us to a town filled with designer clothes, jewelry, expensive cars, and rich, rich people. At first, Willa’s entranced by the life of the rich and famous – kind of like a deer in headlights. But once she starts settling in, she begins to see the other not-so-pleasant things, mainly the bullying of the scholarship kids.

And from there, the story went downhill for me. This story was supposed to be a loose Robin Hood retelling. So what’s Willa’s solution to the bullying problems? Steal money from the rich kids (mainly the girls she hangs out with/her so called ‘friends’) and buy designer clothes to give to the bullied girls.

The idea alone is headdesk-worthy. People kill themselves because of problems like this; because of bullying. Every year, people die because of these problems, and it isn’t something superficially. What Willa’s doing is basically slinging a few cute designer outfits at the problem. But it isn’t going to help. Just because their target looks prettier doesn’t mean they’re no longer a target of bullying. Does Willa honestly thing what she’s doing is going to solve anything? It makes me wonder if the author still remembers what it was like in high school. Because this? It isn’t it.

And what’s up with Aidan? He’s so blegh and meh. He’s snobbish, arrogant to the point in which you just feel like throwing something at him, practically radiates the fact that he’s Mr. Player, and yet I feel as if he as as much charm as a dead fish: none. None. At. All.

Like I said earlier, the first half of Pretty Crooked was cute, fun, and light. The last half… not so much. I wouldn’t agree with the Robin Hood comparisons. If any, this story seems to mock Robin Hood rather than retell it.

But I think I’ll give Pretty Sly (Pretty Crooked #2) a try. It isn’t really the writing that has problems, but rather the plot. Ludwig’s writing is fun and quirky, and I’m willing to give her another shot.