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Review: Pretty Bad Things by CJ Skuse



"Wonder Twins" on the run--and running amok--in Vegas. Road Trip!

Paisley and Beau are boldface names again. Last time, paparazzi called them the "Wonder Twins," two kids found alone but alive in the woods of exotic New Jersey. Three days after their mom's death -- and before their dad's criminal misdeeds.

Flash-forward to now: Their so-called lives? Suck out loud: Hating on their cougarized, Botoxic grandma, they're totally clueless about the location of ex-con Daddy. Till they discover a stash of old letters. That's when they decide to jack the Pontiac and hit the road. Holding up donut shops in Sin City might seem extreme, but if they can just get their pretty bad faces back on TV -- or TMZ -- they might wrap up their whole gaga saga with an Oprah-worthy reunion already!


My thoughts

Words to describe pretty bad things: original, quirky, hilarious and generally quite fabulous. Yes that just about covers it.

I've been meaning to read this book for ages and I knew before even reading it I would like it because I loved CJ Skuse's humour and writing in Rockaholic and the premise of this one looked just as good.

Pretty bad things is the story of the wonder twins paisley and beau. They are a fab pair of characters to follow, Paisley to kick ass girl who isn't scared of no one and with an attitude big enough to defend the both of them. Beau is the quieter more laid back twin who is happy to stand back and let his sister take the led most of the time. The twins have been thrown it all over previous years after the death of their mother and imprisonment of their father and have spent the last years of their childhood and teenage years under the guardianship of a grandmother who uses their fame after an incident to get money for herself. Beau being the quieter twin has spent that time living with said grandmother where Paisley has been shipped off to whichever boarding school can cope with her before the eventually kick her out at which which she has been shipped off to another.

The story starts with the twins living apart. Beau at home and Paisley at school when Beau stumbles upon a revelation. He finds a stack of letters addressed to the twins that have been withheld from them for years from their father who has recently been released from prison. The twins made the news in their younger years after getting lost in the woods for several days trying to find their father and had thought he didn't want anything to do with them. This news is enough incentive for Paisley to kick off and head back home to pick up Beau and start on an insane road trip to track their father down.

I won't go to too much detail on the plot but I will say that is it hilarious. The whole adventure is almost bonnie and Clyde esque as the two find themselves in increasingly more ludicrous situations as they try to find their father (involving a gun, a whole lot of candy, a giant M&M and their own flash mob fan base). I won't even know where to start with telling you about it all but be rest assured it is so funny and thoroughly entertaining.

A fab read I really enjoyed.

Comments

Jesse Owen said…
I really should read this - I loved Rockaholic too. Need to read soon!

Fantastic review!
Jess said…
Glad you enjoyed this one! I loved Rockaholic it's one of my all time favourites so I really need to read this and Dead Romantic.