Pretty Lies

Astrid Scott Series 1

De: Blake Blessing

Narrado por: Chris Chambers, Lauren Sweet

New town. New school. Same lies.

This is my senior year, and not only have my parents moved me to a new place where I know nothing and no one, they are determined to make me fall in line with the life they want me to have.

Not the life that I want. But what fits perfectly into their world.

I'm looking for any possible way to escape this prison and leave them behind. Which has been harder than I thought.

An opportunity to escape appears. And I'm going to take it. I'm going to use four so-called perfect guys in this new town to make it happen. The ones that have it all, or so everyone thinks.

And they're going to be my ticket out.

©2019 Blake Blessing (P)2020 Tantor

decent story but...

This series is pretty good unfortunately not all the books are on audiobook. The series is pretty long and I'm disappointed I won't get to find out the ending. Some thing's came out at the end of book 3 but not everything. I don't have time to sit and read books so I listen while driving cleaning ect... I wish I would've known before starting I wouldn't get the ending.

Great start, catches your interest

Strong start to digging into the characters and watching their relationship started. I like that they're strong but still vulnerable.

I'm sure "Rhys" is supposed to sound like "Reece"?

Hearing the narrators say "Rice" when they said Rhy's name was jarring to my ears so it kind of got me out of the storytelling a bit. I also wish this was performed in duet style since neither Lauren Sweet or Chris Chambers voices felt completely right as Astrid and the boys. They both talk slow and take deep breaths inbetween so I had to speed them up. Since it couldn't be in duet style then we needed to hear Chris Chambers more than the 3 short chapters we heard him for.

All my disappointments aside, I still found this first installment of the Astrid Scott series compelling enough to continue into the next book; this is a sign to me that Blake Blessing is a talented writer so even if I had simply read the book instead of listened to it I still would have really enjoyed it. I love that it's not insta-love but TBH, I need a bit more steam when I engage in anything romance related in literature and if it's in the RH world I really, really almost expect it. We didn't get much in this one, and I am sure it's because we mostly got Astrid's POV and she isn't boy crazy (like 99.5% of other books similar) and her mind is on other things instead of getting a boyfriend. Strangely, I found this....refreshing. The idea of 4 guys becoming friends to protect the girl they all feel drawn to seemed a bit realistic - well as realistic as it can be for a RH. Loved the representation: The Artist, the Jock, the Rock star and....the Intellectual. I say Intellectual be because nothing about Jonah makes me think of a "Nerd". I REALLY LOVE that Astrid handled those "twitch Bitches" on her own instead of having her men handle them. Well... "her men" is a bit too strong since I am nearing 20 min till the end of this title and there hasn't been any passionate kissing. AND scene with Rhy's dad and Astrid's dad was...OMG 😱.

I want to continue this series (especially since it's free in the audible catalogue) but I am concerned; the a 3rd book "Busted Dreams is not in audible so it will suck to go from listening to reading. The last one was released in 2020 so if it hasn't been released by now, it probably won't.

4 starz - worthy of a repeat listen

love love love

it's a really good thought to listen to it's a really good storyline I really enjoyed it

Pretty lies

Pretty Lies was an outstanding first book in a new series. I love plots like this, where the actual relationship development starts with the characters being friends first. This is not an instalove-story, the author really builds the atmosphere and characters first and this is exactly how I like my books. While this book flowed at a steady, slower pace, it never felt like it was boring. The emphasis was on Astrid's character and the friendship she slowly develops with each boy, as well as some sneak peeks into their backgrounds. 


Astrid is a very layered character. She has to keep up pretenses being raised by very conservative parents. She comes across as timid and sheltered at times, but at other moments she shows her strength. She is determined to break free from the life her parents have planned out for her and shows she has a backbone when necessary. I'm really curious to what will happen after this book! 


I loved the audio-narration too. The female narrator really nailed Astrid's personality in the intonation she used. 

Loved this book!

I had read the book before, but the narrators really brought the characters to life. I can't wait to hear more.

I really liked it

This book was great it’s what I would say is like a regular,slightly cliche, but lovable book. The narrators were nice, although I do wish I heard the guys voice more but the lady narrator carried just fine though.


But, yeah I really liked the story, Astrid wasn’t actually that annoying; like most FMC are. She had a rough family, but they all did which surprisingly wasn’t an extreme bonding point. That was something I liked. They liked each other because of the way they met and then got to know each other more.
But this seems kinda pointless, I don’t feel like writing any more ;but yeah def recommend

Could not put down

The kind of great story that you can’t stop listening to until it’s done, and then you are angry with yourself because you finished it too fast!

It was a good start to the series

Blake Blessing has a way of writing that pulls you in and doesn’t let go—and Pretty Lies is no exception. This book had me fully invested from page one. The characters are raw, complicated, and so beautifully flawed that you can’t help but root for them, even when the truth gets messy.

The pacing was perfect—equal parts emotional tension and unexpected twists. The dynamic between the main characters is intense in the best way, and the emotional growth throughout felt honest and earned.

If you love dark romance with depth, grit, and a story that lingers long after you close the book, Pretty Lies delivers. Blake Blessing proves once again that she’s not afraid to dive into the shadows and find something beautiful.

Booo!

4 hours in and I couldn’t do it anymore. What I know so far: our FMC is an only child that just turned 18 and is a PK (preacher’s kid) and freshly moved to CO. She thinks her parents are apathetic at best and wants to get away. She whines a lot. Decides she likes photography and wants a full ride scholarship to get away from said parents. Her parents are having sketchy meetings with questionable ppl that she can’t determine if it’s for the church or not. She also wants to take secret photos to 1) expose certain students from school 2) complete her portfolio for the chance at the scholarship.

About the time where she’s caught taking photos of someone at a party and leaves with boys she’s didn’t go with, I questioned why I cared. It was at this point I DNF’d.

It’s boring. It’s juvenile. It’s not for me and I don’t know how it has so many good ratings.

Also, the voices are terrible 😬 the first male voice done is with a sultry feminine purr. It was incredibly off putting.