Pretty Crooked (Pretty Crooked, #1)

Feb 27, 2012 Wendy Darling rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, realistic-fiction, 2012-publication, read-2012, huge-disappointments

This first half of this book was pretty entertaining. Willa moves to new town, tries to fit in with the wealthy crowd now that her mom's made it big, meets new friends and cute boys. I was enjoying it for the brain candy kind of a book it was and I thought the concept of her somehow playing Robin Hood in this new school would be fun. But then we hit the wall of the impossibly shallow way she decides to do it, and the book lost me.

How does Willa try to help those who are less fortunate? (view spo ...more This first half of this book was pretty entertaining. Willa moves to new town, tries to fit in with the wealthy crowd now that her mom's made it big, meets new friends and cute boys. I was enjoying it for the brain candy kind of a book it was and I thought the concept of her somehow playing Robin Hood in this new school would be fun. But then we hit the wall of the impossibly shallow way she decides to do it, and the book lost me.

How does Willa try to help those who are less fortunate? (view spoiler) Can it get much sillier than that? The gigantic eyeroll when this happened nearly pulled my eyeballs right out of their sockets. The stealing got more and more ridiculous (view spoiler), Willa makes incredibly stupid and short-sighted decisions, the risks got bigger and bigger (view spoiler)...and for what? Did she really think what she was doing would make such a huge difference? I would like to think that most teens have a lot more common sense and judgment than this character exhibited, especially when they have the opportunities that she is afforded. The story got more and more convoluted with a side story involving her mom, a boy with a troubled past, the FBI, and various other plot points that never got resolved, because apparently there are going to be four more books in this planned series.

While I'm not in the camp that thinks every YA book needs to teach lessons or be morally sound, the basic set-up just felt so pointless and farfetched to me that I just couldn't get past it. It probably wouldn't bother me so much if the whole book was more of a lighthearted caper or a more fantastical sort of adventure, but being that this was all set up for altruistic reasons, this "solution" seemed very misguided overall. I did like the humor and the easy writing style in the first half, and I think readers who don't have a problem with the basic scenario will enjoy this book much more than I did. But for me, this promise of the Robin Hood concept just wasn't fulfilled (view spoiler), as I just couldn't get past the superficial nature of where the story went.

An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.(less)

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Dec 03, 2011 Sam rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: other-favourites, arc-or-galley, realistic-or-contemporary

Pretty Crooked is a hilarious YA debut novel which has all the right ingredients to satisfy a craving for high school drama and glitz and glammer. Elisa Ludwig has delivered a wonderfully fun read which I'm sure will be one of the books of 2012. Full of witty humor, hot characters, and a crazy story line, this book was everything I was hoping it would be and more.

If you happen to be looking for a modern day twist on the legend of Robin Hood – and why wouldn’t you be? – then this here is the book...more

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Mar 12, 2012 Giselle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, ebook

Ever since enjoying Elisa's self-published novel June of Rock, I've been looking forward Pretty Crooked; with its fun, quirky cover and synopsis, I had high hopes for it. I wasn't expecting such a fluffy story, but I was glad to find it an enjoyable, quick read, nonetheless, that reminded me a tad of Mean Girls.

Willa only wants to even out the score by stealing from her rich friends, and giving to her poorer ones. Although a bit far fetch, the plot is pretty amusing. Coming from a small town wh...more Ever since enjoying Elisa's self-published novel June of Rock, I've been looking forward Pretty Crooked; with its fun, quirky cover and synopsis, I had high hopes for it. I wasn't expecting such a fluffy story, but I was glad to find it an enjoyable, quick read, nonetheless, that reminded me a tad of Mean Girls.

Willa only wants to even out the score by stealing from her rich friends, and giving to her poorer ones. Although a bit far fetch, the plot is pretty amusing. Coming from a small town where there are no private schools or "higher society", I'm always captivated by their inner workings. Grand living situations, unlimited shopping, privileged attitude; it's so much fun to read about! Even though I can't say Willa is particularly smart in her proceedings, I really liked her and could easily understand where she was coming from by wanting to even the playing field. In between her mischief, Aidan is the main male character that Willa is crushing on. No doubt he's charming, but I simply didn't see it. He is the definition of a player, plus he's so incredibly snobbish I couldn't root for him at all. I much preferred Tre, and I don't know why Willa doesn't feel the same. A bit too naive maybe? Either way, the romance didn't convince me, fortunately its presence in the book is scarce.

In addition to the teenage Robin Hood storyline, we've got suspicious parental behavior by Willa's mother; late nights and strange meetings. I was deeply curious to find out what exactly was going on. It feels ominous, as well as more interesting than your cliché "affair" or "re-appearing father" scenario. Sadly, this is left greatly unresolved since, unbeknownst to me, Pretty Crooked is the start of a series. I guess I should have taken notice, regardless, I still feel like we should have gotten some kind of answers, at the very least an elaboration. Instead it's merely floating in the background bugging like a constant itch that, ultimately, never gets scratched. It surely tugs on my love of mystery, though, leaving me craving for book 2!

If I had to pick I would recommend June of Rock over this one, but Pretty Crooked is, nevertheless, a fun little quirky tale that is perfect for a light read.

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For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads (less)

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Mar 12, 2012 Heidi rated it 2 of 5 stars

“Two and a half stars: A modern day, reinvented Robin Hood that doesn't quite work.

Willa is used to being the perennial, new girl. She and her single mother, an artist, have bounced around from place to place Willa's entire life. Finally, her mother has a stroke of good luck and sells some of her paintings for a phenomenal price. With their new, found fortune the pair settle into the wealthy community of Paradise Valley, Arizona. Willa is enrolled in Valley Prep, a prestigious private school. On...more

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Feb 27, 2012 Charlotte rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-challenge, 2012-releases, young-adult, march-2012-releases, netgalley, feburary-2012

I was really looking forward to reading this story, as the premise is pretty cute and I really liked the cover. I loved the idea of a modern day, female Robin Hood stealing from the rich, obnoxious kids at her school and giving back to the underprivileged scholarship kids that are tormented by the populars.

I was very curious how the author was going to manage to have the MC stealing, literally breaking the law, and getting away with it. (Or so I hoped.) I thought she might cook up some kind of...more I was really looking forward to reading this story, as the premise is pretty cute and I really liked the cover. I loved the idea of a modern day, female Robin Hood stealing from the rich, obnoxious kids at her school and giving back to the underprivileged scholarship kids that are tormented by the populars.

I was very curious how the author was going to manage to have the MC stealing, literally breaking the law, and getting away with it. (Or so I hoped.) I thought she might cook up some kind of cute twist where the horrible kids get their just desserts or something. Not very original, I know, but can be fun when done right. However, this story went in a whole other direction. A much darker direction than the cute cover implies.

I guess I'm guilty of the old adage of judging a book by it's cover, because this was not the book I thought it would be. But that did not deter me because I was hooked right from the beginning. I enjoyed Willa's voice and fresh perspective. She had a great attitude and I loved her dynamic with everyone she met at school. I loved her banter with Aiden and how she shut him down, yet could not stop thinking about him. I liked the characters that Ludwig surrounded Willa with and thought she did a great job of letting us get to know everyone.

There were definitely some fun parts to the story and some characters that I truly enjoyed and want to get to know better, especially Tre and Aiden and even Chelsea. Ludwig does a great job of setting up Willa's desire to balance the playing field. But at this point in the story things sort of went sideways for me. Then, the last quarter of the book, while intense and fast paced, just had me frustrated. Lots of plot twists that had me wondering...what the heck! Where did that come from?

I don't mind being surprised....not at all. I actually love it, but it has to fit, and I'm not sure the last part of this book fit with the first part. Ludwig got us pretty dang invested in the characters from school and that whole environment, and it seems as though that part of the story just disappeared. (Maybe it will come back in book 2??)

The last quarter of the book definitely sets you up for book 2 though. (And I can not for the life of me figure out where she is going to go with it.) The ending had me swiping my screen like a crazy person thinking there is NO WAY she is going to end this here. While that can be insanely frustrating, it does definitely leave you hungry for more.

As I read, the feeling that it was really written for young teens kept creeping into my thoughts. I got irritated over some of the language and thought a young teen would feel right at home reading words slipped in here and there like, 'skillz' and 'seks'. There are also a lot of popular culture references that would appeal to a younger teen audience.

So this is where this book really becomes a conundrum for me. Some of the party scenes were a bit mature for a young teen reader, yet the language and content are definitely aimed younger. That makes this hard for me to recommend to the age group I think it's directed at, as well as difficult for me to recommend to the older YA readers that might not be satisfied with the direction the story took.

What to do....what to do...SO, I gave it a 3, which could be almost a 4 for the younger YA reader and definitely a 3 or less for the older YA reader.

If I had to compare this to another series I would say maybe Pretty Little Liars? Or House of Night? I tried House of Night books but found them to be written too young for me. If you liked those, this one might be just right for you.

An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.(less)

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Nov 23, 2011 Mari rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley

Willa is a new student at an exclusive prep school where there is a clear division among the haves and have-nots. And even if Willa was accepted to the fold of the most popular girls in school, she hates that some of her new friends have been ragging on the scholarship girls. That's when she develops this brilliant plan to be ala-Robin Hood - she's going to steal from the rich and give to the poor. But at what consequence?

I wanted to like Willa more but she came off too naive. As she was doing h...more

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Sep 24, 2012 Mickey (I'm A Book Shark) rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: YA contemp readers

Shelves: 2012, arc, ereader, netgalley

See full review here!

I received this book on Net Galley. Here is my honest review:

This book is such a fantastic combination of Mean Girls and Robin Hood! I'm not the first to say that, but it's exactly how to describe this book. Willa Fox starts at a fancy shmancy college prep high school in Paradise Valley, AZ. She gets friendly with the "in" crowd, hilariously and cleverly called the Glitterati. Soon Willa finds out how mean these girls are and wants to put a stop to it. She comes up with a pl...more

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Mar 13, 2012 Valia Lind rated it 4 of 5 stars

Such a cute book! Totally left me hanging. Full review to come :-)

As soon as I saw the cover and synopsis for Pretty Crooked I had to get my hands on it. I love Robin Hood type of stories and Pretty Crooked didn’t disappoint.

The story starts out with Willa running for her life and thinking about everything she’s done. Then we flashback to her first day of school and that’s where the story begins. Willa is a fun character to read and explore with. She has many tough decisions in front of her a...more

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Mar 05, 2012 Sara (of the Page Sage) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

The Page Sage

Won from First Reads

Pretty Crooked is such a fun read, especially since Willa is a modern-day Robin Hood. Parts of it are kind of ridiculous, I'll admit it, but I was enjoying it so much that I didn't care. Willa is a great, quirky narrator and I love the supporting characters, especially Aidan. He's cute and just a little mysterious, not to mention a bit of a rebel. Then there's Willa's best friend, Cherise, who's torn- does she stand up for what's right and throw away her hard-ear...more

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Feb 27, 2012 the golden witch. rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, teenage-shennanigans, net-galley, ebook, fairy-tales-retold, dnf, what-is-this-i-dont-even, reviewed

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Warning. There are going to be spoilers in this review, but I’ll try to keep them below the cut. While this story is pretty solid in the technical areas of writing, personally, there are some things that really, really bothered me about this story that I just have to get out there. I will admit to being a huge fan of the Robin Hood myth, but this story doesn’t only just use it as an excuse for bad behavior, but makes a total mockery of the original tale (yeah, I know this is a really loose retel...more Warning. There are going to be spoilers in this review, but I’ll try to keep them below the cut. While this story is pretty solid in the technical areas of writing, personally, there are some things that really, really bothered me about this story that I just have to get out there. I will admit to being a huge fan of the Robin Hood myth, but this story doesn’t only just use it as an excuse for bad behavior, but makes a total mockery of the original tale (yeah, I know this is a really loose retelling, but the original story has a ton of meaning that this book kind of mocks, whether it’s aware it’s doing so or not). While this story can be entertaining, it left a rather unpleasant aftertaste that had me struggling to finish the book in its entirety.

That being said, this book gets the one extra star I was originally going to give it because of the soild technical areas that I really couldn’t nit-pick too much, even if there were some heavy cliches in there (especially re: Aidan’s character). It’s entertaining in the beginning and got a few chuckles out of me, until the whole bullying issue came up and it all kind of went downhill from there.

While I had to give it to Willa for not going along with the bullying of the Busteds and even raising the subject to the rest of the Glitteratti, I was really kind of dismayed that she didn’t take it farther than that. This is why kids kill themselves – because other kids standby and do nothing OR they don’t do enough/half-ass it. Willa really should have taken it farther, but she didn’t. Her growing addiction to shopping and lack of honesty about it with herself also disturbed me, because the solution to pull a Robin Hood and steal from her Glitteratti friends just facilitated the ability to keep shopping and get the Busteds some nice clothes just kind of dressed (no pun intended) the whole idea of the original noble act of feeding the poor with the rich’s money into a complete mocking charade.

All while still NOT saying anything/pushing the matter about the bullying any further, by the way.

Here’s the biggest part that bothered me the most – who does she go to to ask her on how to steal things? Tre. One of the other few kids of color, self-described as having his own “Prince of Bel-Air” story (I did chuckle at that as it was charming as a self-description), but who also has a criminal record. Funny. None of the other kids, presumably white, have a record that she can go to.

Guys, if you’ve been reading the blog for a bit, you know I’m really not one for YA books with a moral at the end of the story. Messages are fine, but they’re also different. Not only does this try to do a “moral of the story” (though it was so convoluted I was struggling to see what that moral was – I think it was something like “stick up for the bullied kids”?), it also carries the message that it’s cool to steal from your friends if they’re cruel and mean to others in order to do “noble” things like buy the scholarship kids clothes, and it’s cool to do the absolute minimum when the end result might be someone killing themselves. Though that doesn’t happen in this story, kids killing themselves from bullying DOES happen in real life, as we’ve seen in the huge rash of suicides over the past few years – or maybe we’re just noticing it more as a culture? It’s hard to say.

Not to mention that if you’re caught stealing that much money, you’re definitely going to be someone’s girlfriend in jail sometime soon. But I won’t even go there, because it’s obvious enough on its own. The longer the story went on, the more convoluted and confusing it became as to what Willa’s real motives were, and as with all unreliable narrators, was so disorienting (and infuriating) that it was getting more and more difficult to finish the story.

Final verdict? This book had a lot of promise for the first half, and I did enjoy that first half. But once the points above hit as arcs and mini-arcs of the story, I just couldn’t in good conscience finish it – and I’m not really that much of a moral person. Perhaps this is a good example of what not to do in all of these situations, but the execution could have been much better to say the very least. However, this is just what I thought of it – if you want to read it, I urge you to do so, so we can talk about the points that are so problematic. Books like this, if good for little else, are good conversation starters for societal problems portrayed in it. So let’s talk about these issues, shall we? “Pretty Crooked” hits stores on March 13th, 2012 in North America, so be sure to go and read it and come to your own conclusions.

(posted to goodreads, shelfari, and witchoftheatregoing.wordpress.com)(less)

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Feb 03, 2012 Angela rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: net-galley

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for providing the ARC.

I started this book at midnight because I couldnt sleep, and then I didn't want to sleep, I just had to know where the whole modern-day-teenage-girl-as-Robin-Hood premise was going to end up. So when I finished the book several hours later, I lay in bed still trying to decide what exactly it was about this book that hooked me and kept me up all night.

A guilty pleasure read? Definitely. There were parts of the book I had problems...more

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Dec 09, 2011 Katy rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was a cute read but nothing really special. Usually I don't mind stories being cliche or predictable, but there wasn't anything about this one that really stood out. Still, it wasn't a bad read and kept me entertained.

The whole concept of Robin Hood had potential. But it wasn't almost halfway through the book before we even begin seeing any of that. Up til that point, it was mostly about a new girl at school, somehow being scooped up by the in-crowd and the typical situation of mean girls b...more

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Dec 26, 2011 Krista Ashe rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-111-of-2011

Quick and cute read! Loved Willa. She had a lot of spunk and fire about her. A great MC to want to root for! Would have liked a little more Robin Hood crime spree scenes. I'll be interested to see what the sequel is like.

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Dec 19, 2011 Mimi Valentine rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 5-star, boys-i-wish-were-real, pure-awesomeness, gorgeous-covers, best-of-2012, arc, adorable-favourites, authors-i-want-to-meet, reviewed

I LOVED THIS BOOK. I can't even begin to explain how much! I thought it'd just be a cute novel that would keep me highly entertained — and it was, but it was also so much more. Pretty Crooked was book that I could gush about for weeks and still have things to say!

Robin Hood had always been one of my favourite stories, and Pretty Crooked only increased my love for it! This was more than just a modern re-telling of a classic. Elisa Ludwig created an extremely fun story that had lovable characters...more

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Mar 20, 2012 Dyanna rated it 3 of 5 stars

I loved this book

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Dec 12, 2011 Megan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: advanced-reads-for-work

So smart, so fun--PRETTY CROOKED is realistic YA fiction at its best. Willa Fox has just transferred to a super-rich private high school in Arizona when she's only know public schools her whole life. Her artist mom has just hit it big, scoring them a gorgeously extravagant house and a life far removed from their usual routine of subsisting on noodles. Willa instantly becomes friends with the "Glitterati," beautiful, rich girls who own the school. But Willa comes to learn that all that glitters i...more So smart, so fun--PRETTY CROOKED is realistic YA fiction at its best. Willa Fox has just transferred to a super-rich private high school in Arizona when she's only know public schools her whole life. Her artist mom has just hit it big, scoring them a gorgeously extravagant house and a life far removed from their usual routine of subsisting on noodles. Willa instantly becomes friends with the "Glitterati," beautiful, rich girls who own the school. But Willa comes to learn that all that glitters is not gold--there is some serious inequality and bullying going on at her school, targeting scholarship students. In a completely believable and sympathetic arc, Willa struggles with doing the right thing, determining what exactly that means, and determining whether that right thing is worth it. Is standing up for the right thing worth her leaving the friends and fun she's never had otherwise? If she doesn't actively participate in bringing down the scholarship students, is she at fault at all? Even if she does fight for the right thing, will it make any real difference?

Willa decides to go for it, stealing money from her rich classmates to finance purchases of designer clothes for the poor kids at school. And while Willa knows those clothes are superficial, she also sees the very real effects they have on the scholarship kids' confidence and how they are perceived at school. Maybe she can succeed in showing everyone at Valley Prep that what makes people popular and not popular is completely arbitrary--really just a bunch of sparkles. But just because Willa has good intentions doesn't mean her actions don't have consequences. The author doesn't shy from complexity, making PRETTY CROOKED incredibly realistic and complex while still having a fast-paced plot that got me so wrapped up, I almost missed my subway stop.

And I haven't even mentioned the hot love interest, the well-developed secondary characters (the Glitterati is Mean Girls-type crew that I loved), the mystery surrounding Willa's mom, the luscious descriptions of insane mansions and prep schools that sound like they're straight from a movie. This book was so much fun to read, had such a great story, and showcased really, really good writing. Usually when I love a book this much, I cringe when I hear it's part of a series--I think, how could a follow-up be better? I think, this book was so good as one unit, I don't want more. But instead, Ludwig writes an entire story and crafts an ending that leaves the perfect amount of stones unturned. I can't wait for Book 2!

If you like a good realistic fiction (seriously, my number one comp is the movie "Mean Girls,") you will love PRETTY CROOKED.(less)

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Apr 04, 2012 Nina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Pretty Crooked is equal parts fun, action and awesome. I haven’t read much of this kind of YA contemporary; I mostly tend to read the darker, depressing stuff, but Pretty Crooked showed me that some times I just need to read something that’s purely entertaining as well.

Willa was a great character with lots of spunk and attitude. She’s always moved around a lot with her mom, never stayed in one place for long, never had much money, never had many friends, but she was always happy enough. Now all...more

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Feb 21, 2012 Danny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: imm-nov

Read Review at Bewitched Bookworms

What a fun?!?! When I read the synopsis I knew this book would be something to read when in the mood for something light and fun! Also, I’m a big big fan of Robin Hood so the synopsis really sold me!

Modern Robin Hood Tale – with a twist and .. fun!
At Willa’s new school everything is about appearance, about wearing the right clothes and about who to talk to. The typical rich school, right? But, Willa was never used to be “rich” and didn’t grow up with that much...more Read Review at Bewitched Bookworms

What a fun?!?! When I read the synopsis I knew this book would be something to read when in the mood for something light and fun! Also, I’m a big big fan of Robin Hood so the synopsis really sold me!

Modern Robin Hood Tale – with a twist and .. fun!
At Willa’s new school everything is about appearance, about wearing the right clothes and about who to talk to. The typical rich school, right? But, Willa was never used to be “rich” and didn’t grow up with that much money which is why she cannot accept and tolerate the bullying the “mean” girls do. Which is why at some point decides to ..act! First on impulse, then systematically planning! She goes deeper and deeper into the “Robin Hood” mood and … suddenly she’s too deep to get out! In the middle of all this there is also another mystery that takes part of the plot which I’m so eager to find out more about! That’s all I’m going to say – I don’t want to spoil the mystery for you!

Will a protagonist which is part naive part heroic
I still cannot decide if Willa is just way to naive or totally heroic. Anyway, I did love her!! Her heart most definitely is at the right place and she only wanted to right some wrongs. Of course, I cannot agree with how she went about this, but.. truthfully it was tons of fun following her journey to become a criminal. Willa is a wonderful young girl who hates how her new rich friends treat the “poor” ones and she realizes how wrong this is. And, it takes a lot of her to step up and do something instead of just tolerating!

Mean Girls, Bullying and some cute boys!
Seriously! What else do you need to make a story round and fun? The mean girls are really mean and they way they treated the unfortunate kids was harsh and horrible! Elisa Ludwig did a wonderful job portraying the very important issue of bullying and I loved to see that apart from Will also other girls started to open their eyes!
Then of course we have the cute boys! Oh how we need them! And, we get them!! Aidan is awesome! I loved him so much! He was one of the super rich crowd, yet he didn’t care – on the contrary he wanted to be different and did everything he could to appear as the trouble maker and the bad boy. Yet, in his heart he wasn’t the bad boy at all!! He’s a wonderful deep character which we only begun here to understand and I hope to see more of him!

Bottom Line
I had so much fun with this book! It was a page turner which addresses the important topic of bullying in a funny but also very heart warming way. I had so much fun with this book! It was a page turner which addresses the important topic of bullying in a funny but also very heart warming way.There are kids who see that there is something truly wrong with the way underprivileged kids are treated and instead of just watching – they decided to do some something. Willa was a beautiful character, I love her and her values! Fantastic debut in refreshing new series about values and kids that try to work on changes instead of watching!(less)

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Feb 07, 2012 Rachel Harris rated it 5 of 5 stars

PRETTY CROOKED is a fun ride. A mixture of Robin Hood, Mean Girls, Wendy Toliver’s LIFTED and a splash of Simone Elkeles’s LEAVING PARADISE series, Elisa Ludwig’s tale of the have and have-not’s keeps the action coming and the mysteries at every corner.

While I admit the prologue was a little hard for me to get through, once I got into the heart of the story I was completely hooked. The voice is fresh and witty, making it an easy page-turner, and the main character Willa was extremely likable. Wi...more PRETTY CROOKED is a fun ride. A mixture of Robin Hood, Mean Girls, Wendy Toliver’s LIFTED and a splash of Simone Elkeles’s LEAVING PARADISE series, Elisa Ludwig’s tale of the have and have-not’s keeps the action coming and the mysteries at every corner.

While I admit the prologue was a little hard for me to get through, once I got into the heart of the story I was completely hooked. The voice is fresh and witty, making it an easy page-turner, and the main character Willa was extremely likable. Without giving spoilers, I’ll say straight away that one major concern I had reading proved fruitless—in no way does this story glorify crime or justify it. Crimes are dealt with in a very real and believable way. But so is the hard and EXTREMELY relevant topic of cyber bullying. As if kids don’t have enough problems with popularity, grades, hormones, acne, and whatnot, now they have the World Wide Web filled with anonymous blogs and Facebook, allowing gossip to be spread in the blink of an eye. Can I just say how glad I am this wasn’t a concern when I was growing up!?! Kudos to Elisa Ludwig for tackling this tough issue—that’s probably an unfortunate reality for far too many young adult readers—and presenting it with good advice (okay that the main character ignores but still LOL) and real thought.

The focus and main conflict of Willa’s story is navigating new friendships and the slippery social order, but there is also romance and hot boys simmering around the edges. PRETTY CROOKED is the first in what I hear will be a trilogy, and I believe Ludwig has set herself up for some hot future guy action (I can’t decide who I’m rooting more for, Aiden or Tre!). Book Two promises to be filled with swoony moments along with realistic portrayals of all the characters living with the consequences of their actions. The cliffhanger leaves us with a several mysteries left to solve, and I have no doubt even more will pop up.

For fans of LIFTED, LEAVING PARADISE, and Contemporary YA that deal with real issues with wit and heart, PRETTY CROOKED will not disappoint.
(less)

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Feb 28, 2012 Sarah (The Book Life) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, contemporary

I absolutely love the premise of PRETTY CROOKED, I mean how can you not be intrigued by a girl who goes all Robin Hood on the bitchy, rich kids at her school? Fortunately, this one wasn't a disappointment for me. It was a little slow for me in the beginning, but that was mostly my own impatience. She spends the first part of the book introducing characters and building the relationships between Willa and her new friends. This was done well, but since I knew what was coming, I just wanted to get...more I absolutely love the premise of PRETTY CROOKED, I mean how can you not be intrigued by a girl who goes all Robin Hood on the bitchy, rich kids at her school? Fortunately, this one wasn't a disappointment for me. It was a little slow for me in the beginning, but that was mostly my own impatience. She spends the first part of the book introducing characters and building the relationships between Willa and her new friends. This was done well, but since I knew what was coming, I just wanted to get to the good stuff and wanted to rush through the beginning part. I'm glad I stayed steady, because the background and build up, with some of the characters, helped the story later on. Even though her form of justice was misguided, I really felt like her heart was in the right place and I had a very hard time feeling bad for the kids that she was stealing from. Once you read it, you will understand why they deserved what they got.

Once the story picks up, and Willa gets to thieving, it goes along at such a great pace and I couldn't put it down. There were definitely some times that I had to suspend a little disbelief. I would think that the school, and maybe even the authorities, would work a lot harder to get the cruel websites taken down. There were so many cruel, innappropriate, and derogatory things being posted freely about students. It was straight up bullying. There is also a secondary story going on with Willa and her mom. They were always super close, like Loralei and Rory close, but ever since they moved to this town her mom has been distant and won't talk to her. Willa spends a good amount of time, when not learning out to be a thief, trying to find out why her mom is being so weird. I actually really liked this part of the book and I wish we found out more about what was really going on.

I feel like I can't really say enough about what was so great in this story, because I don't want to give anything away, but it's definitely worth a read. It's got the excellent premise going for it, but it also has humor, designer clothes, cute boys and a little romance. I just found out from the author that it is part of a trilogy, which is good, because even though the ending wasn't a cliffhanger it left a lot of unanswered questions. So grab a copy, pull on a black stocking cap and get ready for an adventure :0)(less)

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Nov 03, 2012 Rachel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, retellings, screwed-up-families

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Dec 03, 2012 Tammy Jo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Willa is fifteen and lives with her free-spirit artist mom. She has been to a dozen schools in her young life and is about to make the move again from Colorado to Paradise Valley, Arizona. Paradise Valley is like no place they have ever been before. It is a town where wealth is a way of life -- for everyone. Willa's mom enrolls her in Paradise Valley Prep - an exclusive preparatory academy. For the first time, Willa is accepted into the "in crowd" known as the "Glitterati". Willa begins doing th...more Willa is fifteen and lives with her free-spirit artist mom. She has been to a dozen schools in her young life and is about to make the move again from Colorado to Paradise Valley, Arizona. Paradise Valley is like no place they have ever been before. It is a town where wealth is a way of life -- for everyone. Willa's mom enrolls her in Paradise Valley Prep - an exclusive preparatory academy. For the first time, Willa is accepted into the "in crowd" known as the "Glitterati". Willa begins doing things she has never done before, like spending outrageous amounts of money on clothes to keep up with her new friends.

Life is good until Willa begins to read a school gossip blog trashing some new girls at school. They call them the "Busteds" because they are brought into the school from another district and are attending PV Prep on scholarship. Willa is even more upset when she overhears some of her new friends trashing these girls. Deciding to help them out, Willa takes on the persona of Robin Hood (after some training from a friend). All of the sudden the Busteds are a hit and the Glitterati are mad. When Willa finds out that one of her Glitterati buddies is the author of the gossip blog, she sees red and becomes reckless.

Willa's life spirals out of control when she is caught breaking into a friend's house and is forced to spend the night in Juvie. She is given community service which she serves with Aidan, a boy that annoys and intrigues her from PV Prep. She also finds out that half the school hates her and half the school considers her a hero and have even nicknamed her the "Sly Fox". Aidan drives her home from her first day of community service to find her house being ransacked by a mystery man. This is not the first mystery man in her life. Her mother has been meeting one and will tell Willa nothing about him. Willa and Aidan give chase to the man, but he gets away. When she comes back home, it is to see mom's mystery man driving off and a business card from an FBI agent under the doormat. Mom's mystery man?! And did I mention Aidan and the big kiss that makes her forget everything bad that has happened to her?

Cute read that girls grade 7+ will enjoy. There is some references to major parties and the drinking that goes on (for that reason might do a disclaimer to the younger girls). Otherwise cute and can't wait to see what happens in Pretty Sly with Willa and Aidan, her mom and the mystery FBI agent!(less)

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Oct 31, 2012 Paula Phillips rated it 4 of 5 stars

When I saw this book advertised on Amazon in the recommended reads, I was drawn to the cover and thought OMG that looks like something I would like and as I opened up the page of the book on my Kindle, I realised right then and there that I was in for what seemed like a modern rendition of Robin Hood but in this case it was set in Arizona not Nottingham , Robin Hood was in fact a female named Willa and she was not an adult but a high school new girl. The story starts when Willa's mum lands into...more

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Aug 16, 2012 Bibliojunkies added it

Willa’s secret plan seems all too simple: take from the rich kids at Valley Prep and give to the poor ones.

Yet Willa’s turn as Robin Hood at her ultra-exclusive high school is anything but. Bilking her “friend” – know to everyone as the Glitterati – without them suspecting a thing, is far from easy. Learning how to pick pockets and break into lockers is as difficult as she’d thought it’d be. Delivering care packages to the scholarship girls. Who are ostracized just for being from the “wrong” sid...more

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Jul 04, 2012 Amy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own

This attempt at bringing a Robin Hood–esque plot into modern day succeeded in making me very ticked off at the main character, while still appreciating her kind heart.

Although this was an entertaining and funny book, the main character made a thousand idiotic mistakes in her attempts at “evening out the playing field.” I understand wanting to help those who are bullied. It’s a serious problem, and this book’s insight into the online bullying world was very depressing (I don’t understand people w...more This attempt at bringing a Robin Hood–esque plot into modern day succeeded in making me very ticked off at the main character, while still appreciating her kind heart.

Although this was an entertaining and funny book, the main character made a thousand idiotic mistakes in her attempts at “evening out the playing field.” I understand wanting to help those who are bullied. It’s a serious problem, and this book’s insight into the online bullying world was very depressing (I don’t understand people who want to hurt others…). However, I’m pretty sure that the way Willa went about it wasn’t very helpful at all. Instead of actually standing up to the BULLY, she just went about making the targets even bigger targets by giving them suspiciously expensive clothes. I mean, it was nice to think of them, and I’m sure the girls appreciated looking nice, but it didn’t accomplish much in the long run. Also, it took half the book before Willa decided to steal anything. The beginning was all her making friends with the rich kids and spending too much money while trying to keep up with their lifestyle. I kept getting mad at her through this portion because her mom had trusted her. Although I thought Willa was sweet to be so legitimately concerned with helping those who had less, she mostly got on my nerves for being so stupid in her plans. It was less “mischief” and more plain old “crime.”

I do not blame her one bit though for wondering about her mom. Seriously, what is up with that woman??? I need that to be resolved quickly in the next book.

Elisa Ludwig has a very firm grasp on the social world of high-schoolers. Willa’s one real friend, Cherise, is an example of girls who do things they don’t agree with just to stay friends with the popular kids. I kept wanting Cherise to REALLY stand up for what she believed in, instead of saying a few words to Kellie and Nikki, the bullies. Aidan Murphy was the love interest and I did like him. Although I never could see how he was drop-dead attractive based on the physical descriptions of him, his conversations with Willa made me like him. He was all flirtation (I never did see how he had that HUGE reputation though…) mixed with the insecurities and problems of all teenage guys. My absolute favorite character is Tre. I loved his friendship with Willa and the way he was there for her even though he didn’t agree with her (probably a lot like most of the readers actually).

The plotline just got more and more confusing and frustrating as Willa’s mom was very secretive and there was curiosity about Aidan that was never resolved. Actually, nothing was resolved in the end except Willa’s “fate” (which by the way worked out WAY too easily). It was all very ambiguous and annoying.

So bottom line: I enjoyed the perspective the author gave me and good heart of the main character, but I was rather put off by the unrealistic-ness and the stupid decisions of the main character. It was fun, and I will read the second book, Pretty Sly, which comes out May 2012, in hopes that Willa has changed a bit and the character mysteries are resolved.

Content Warnings: Language, bullying, kissing

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Jun 21, 2012 Galini rated it 4 of 5 stars

Willa is a regular girl -with a dangerous secret, a hopeful intention, and a bunch of fake friends. Add a blond hot boy and you’ve got the infamous life of Willa. If you think your secret is deadly enough, Willa’s will surely have you surprised.

When Willa’s mother earns a lot of money from her work as an artist, she knows from now on she won’t be the same poor Willa everyone knew. She moves to a big house, attends her school year in an expensive private school, and makes sure that this year wil...more Willa is a regular girl -with a dangerous secret, a hopeful intention, and a bunch of fake friends. Add a blond hot boy and you’ve got the infamous life of Willa. If you think your secret is deadly enough, Willa’s will surely have you surprised.

When Willa’s mother earns a lot of money from her work as an artist, she knows from now on she won’t be the same poor Willa everyone knew. She moves to a big house, attends her school year in an expensive private school, and makes sure that this year will be her best one. Surprisingly enough, in her first day at her new school, she meets a nice enough girl, who turns out to be in the popular crowed, best-friends with the two most hot and popular girls at school, Nikky and Hanna. Being, for the first time ever, a known person at school is more than Willa wanted. She loves her life –shopping, parties, boys. But when she finds about a school site, by an unknown user, who writes rumors about less-popular and well known girls at school, she knows that she needs to change things, and give the "busteds" what they deserve. Having already known who the maker of the site is –who happens to be one of her so-called best friends-, she takes advantage of the thing the other girls don’t have. Money. Things aren’t always that easy though, and when her mother’s drastically decision on giving a certain amount of money to Willa makes her plan going downfall, she knows she needs to find money from somewhere -even if that means doing a desperate movement to earn the money that will be enough to buy some expensive clothes for the underdogs at her school. Stealing. And who’s a better for a teacher than an old rebel, knowing the stealing department, dear Tre? And when Willa finds herself unable to trust anyone, can she truly believe sarcastic and popular Aidan, who seems already to be stuck like a glue in her mind? Soon enough, though, Willa’s gonna figure that good intentions are the deadliest in a world of wealth and illusion.

Gods, I sound so dramatic while writing the summary. I am impressed, though, at how much the plot of the book cautch my attention. I had a downfall, unfortunately, which I’m not very proud of –I wanted Willa to end up with Tre, which, of course, didn’t happen. Meaning that she ended up with Aidan, whom I really loved by his flirting and bad-boy character, but considering that Tre’s a hottie AND prof at stealing makes me go drooling at the pages. Sadly, of course, that was too much to ask.

This sucks.

But hey, at least the whole idea is pretty awesome. Plus Willa managed to get to be infamous all over the world. Do not gonna spoil that for you, but I’m gonna include that afterwards she spent a very cozy night at the police-station’s holding cell (that’s random, but I remember I once walked around one, and I saw this very creepy guy looking at me in one of them... sadly, I couldn’t compare him with Willa. Damn.).
Being the judgmental person I am, I shall admit I was waiting more from it. Final, in spite of this fact, I will give it a 4.8 rating, taking into account that I liked the idea, and for finally reading a book with a character who’s not all the time “Omg, I never lied to my parents, stealing is bloody horrible, not gonna kiss a guy until marriage...”. Am I being paranoid or just cautious about the fact that kick-ass girls are lacking in the book dormitory lately?

Back to the main point, I shall recommend this to every person who likes reading teen-fiction books with characters who are not afraid to take risks and break rules (yes, that part was surely the best), while of course, being a bit compared to Mean Girls by some reviewers, having self-absorbed girls on it(and no, the main character is not one). I will also include that if you don’t like shopping, bikes, or money at all, you should not read this. Just be aware.

A funny read with a center to the lacking of needs some girls do not have and the attempts of a hopeful girl to change their lifestyle.
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Jun 09, 2012 Majibookshelf Juhina & Farah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Who here is a big fan of Robin Hood? I was super excited when I found out that a young adult novel is inspired by Robin Hood! A modern day Robin Hood but with style! I couldn't wait to start reading Pretty Crooked! But while this was cute, I really did not like the protagonist, Willa, at all! The first fifty pages showed me her spunk and how she was a total rebel at heart. Living the poor life, her mother finally gets a lucky break with her paintings and they move states to a luxuries neighborho...more Who here is a big fan of Robin Hood? I was super excited when I found out that a young adult novel is inspired by Robin Hood! A modern day Robin Hood but with style! I couldn't wait to start reading Pretty Crooked! But while this was cute, I really did not like the protagonist, Willa, at all! The first fifty pages showed me her spunk and how she was a total rebel at heart. Living the poor life, her mother finally gets a lucky break with her paintings and they move states to a luxuries neighborhood and gets enrolled in a top notch private school.
Unfortunately as soon as she steps inside the school and gets accepted into the Glitterati (think the mean girls in the movie Mean Girls) her whole attitude changed. She seemed so desperate to me at times, just to gain their approval. She even witnessed straight on bullying and barely said anything to the girls, afraid to lose her status, to me, that is really cowardly and I just couldn't stand her anymore!
When Willa finally takes her eyes off all those designer clothes she's been buying and finally thinks for a minute, she finally admits to herself that what the Glitteratis are doing needs to be stopped. She gets an idea, and it is to rob the rich and buy DESIGNER CLOTHES to the scholarship girls at the school to even out the score. CLOTHES? and DESIGNER at that? REALLY? what a genius idea *sarcastic tone*. I just found that idea absurd, and wanted to smack her to reality, because that is one of the stupidest ideas I have ever heard. So I laughed, I totally enjoyed reading how she learnt to steal and to try and "even out the playing field" and the writing is definitely superb which is why I stuck through it, even with the absurd plot. Add in a hot boy in the mix, Aidan, and i'm happy; though I hoped he had more page time (screen time but in book language), I still really loved his charm. I'm a sucker for guys with the witty charm.
While I might have had some major problems with the protagonist and idea, i did enjoy the book, it was funny, cute, and a great contemporary. This is only the first book, so make sure to check out the second book because this one ended in a cliffhanger! (less)

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May 26, 2012 cecilia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Pretty Crooked falls between Heist Society and Populazzi – it has a cute story concept with fluffy adorability, but I wanted a little more finished business at the end of the book and less of a traitorous cliffhanger. Granted, I am definitely on board for the sequel to find out what happens – but I felt that Pretty Crooked could have gone a little differently. I think it was trying to set up enough background for a sequel as she introduced Willa, Aiden, Glitterati, and company in the current Rob...more

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May 20, 2012 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars

When life is unfair, what is the first thing you want to do? Well if you are me then you'd probably start crying because you'd feel so sad and frusterated, but I'm sure most other people would answer that they'd get upset and want to set the wrong right. That is exactly what Willa decides to do when she realises the Glitterati are purposefully harassing the scholarship students. This storyline is super cute. Who doesn't want to swoop in and be a hero? I know Willa's intentions were in the right...more When life is unfair, what is the first thing you want to do? Well if you are me then you'd probably start crying because you'd feel so sad and frusterated, but I'm sure most other people would answer that they'd get upset and want to set the wrong right. That is exactly what Willa decides to do when she realises the Glitterati are purposefully harassing the scholarship students. This storyline is super cute. Who doesn't want to swoop in and be a hero? I know Willa's intentions were in the right place, but her execution was not thought out very well.

I had a hard time believing Willa to be true. She wanted to fit in and by doing that went against what she knew and her upbringing. She started to overspending and she knew it was wrong but still did it anyways. She liked being popular and all the "perks" that went with it. I did like her, but she just seemed so spacey. First she doesn't want to believe her new friends are not nice people even after seeing all this evidence and then when she finally does admit they are mean people she comes up with this crazy plan. Did she really think stealing from her rich classmates and giving anonymous gifts to the scholarship kids was a great plan? Seriously?

During with Willa's "Robin Hooding", she somehow caught the attention of Valley Prep's resident hottie. Aidan comes with a lot of mystery surrounding him. I thought you'd find more out about him at the end, but that was not the case. I'm guessing I'll have to wait until book 2 to figure him out some more. Aidan seemed like a genuinely nice guy. I love when we meet nice guys in books...they seem more real to me. I wish we would have learned a little more about him and for the romance between him and Willa to be stepped up a notch. There relationship was really mild and innocent with just a touch flirtation.

Along with not finding out about Aidan, I felt that Pretty Crooked just kind of ends. While it does wrap some things up, there is still a ton of loose ends. I understand this is a series, but I'd like a little more resolution at the end of the book. I know some people like big cliffhangers or for one storyline to be continuous completely throughout all of the series. If that is your fancy, then this book if for you.
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Apr 21, 2012 dontouchmychocolate rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Rich kids, mean girls, social pecking orders, a protagonist who is younger than what I like, but I came to learn later on that her age wasn’t affecting my enjoyment of the book....To say that I wouldn't have given this book a go from it's synopsis.

It was quite lovely to read.

Although some of the language was for the younger crowd, like "seks" which I guess means 'sexy'(??), or something along those lines, the author didn't lose me completely. I liked that Pretty Crooked had a good amount of the...more

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