3.5 ⭐️
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the gifted ALC.
If you’ve ever watched a Southern beauty pageant and thought, there is no way all that hairspray, sequins, and “bless your heart” politeness isn’t hiding some dark secrets, then Pretty Dead Things is probably for you.
Twenty-five years ago, Kennedy Claire won a local beauty pageant. That same night, a murder occurred that was never solved. Now, Kennedy’s daughter, Sara Lynn, is competing in the very same pageant alongside the daughters of two other contestants from that fateful year. As the competition unfolds, old rivalries, buried secrets, and unanswered questions resurface.
The pageant setting was easily my favorite part of the book. Kelsey Cox captures the culture perfectly—the competitiveness, the performative charm, the family dynamics, and all the Southern drama that simmers just beneath the surface. The atmosphere felt authentic, and there were several moments that were genuinely funny in that uniquely Southern way.
I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the narration. One of my biggest pet peeves is when Southern characters don’t sound Southern, and thankfully that wasn’t the case here. The performance added a lot of personality and helped bring the story to life.
My biggest challenge was keeping everyone straight. With multiple timelines, several families, and a large cast of characters, I found myself getting confused early on. In fact, I restarted the audiobook after getting about halfway through because I realized I was losing track of who belonged to which family. Once I started sketching out family trees and keeping notes, I enjoyed the story much more. Hopefully the finished print edition includes a character list or family tree because I think that would be incredibly helpful.
I also thought some characters were stronger than others. A few felt somewhat one-dimensional, but I really enjoyed Iggy and Izzy and found myself especially invested in their storylines.
What kept this from being a higher-rated read for me was that, at times, the book seemed to lean a little too heavily into shock value. Without getting into spoilers, there were a few moments that felt more designed to provoke a reaction than to serve the story. Those elements occasionally pulled me out of what was otherwise a very entertaining mystery.
That said, the short chapters, juicy secrets, family drama, and decades-old murder mystery kept me turning pages. Fans of Kelsey Cox’s Party of Liars will find a lot to enjoy here, as the two books share a similar spirit. Readers who enjoy Southern Gothic-flavored mysteries and the salacious family drama of May Cobb’s novels should definitely give this one a look.
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