Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Perfect Life by Nuala Ellwood

2 reviews

outsmartyourshelf's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Vanessa seems to be at the happiest point of her life: her career is on the up, & her relationship with boyfriend Connor is going from strength to strength. So why is Vanessa pretending to be other people & viewing houses she cannot afford under false names? It started as an escape from reality but things go badly wrong when one of the home owners is found dead & Vanessa was the last one to see him alive. 

This is a really really good read. It starts off slowly but by a third of the way in I was hooked. There are several timelines in the book & the chapters move between them. I picked up the sense that everything was not as it seemed straight away & it was intriguing to see the events that led up to the murder slowly unfold. If you enjoy psychological thrillers, I recommend this one.

TW: sexual assault, abortion, gaslighting/toxic relationships.

Thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Penguin General UK, for the opportunity to read an ARC. I am voluntarily giving an honest review.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Sexual assault

readingbetweenthenotes's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abortion, Infidelity, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Suicidal thoughts