Review of Pretty Crooked by Elisa Ludwig

Title: Pretty Crooked
Author: Elisa Ludwig
Published by: Katherine Tegen Books         
Pages: 368
Source: Library
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 2.5 stars

Summary from Goodreads: 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 “friends”-known 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” side of town, is way more fun than she’d expected.

The complication Willa didn’t expect, though, is Aidan Murphy, Valley Prep’s most notorious (and gorgeous) ace-degenerate. His mere existence is distracting Willa from what matters most to her-evening the social playing field between the have and have-nots. There’s no time for crushes and flirting with boys, especially conceited and obnoxious trust-funders like Aidan.

But when the cops start investigating the string of burglaries at Valley Prep and the Glitterati begin to seek revenge, could he wind up being the person that Willa trusts most?

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 frustrated, 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.