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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
Lily Atwood has the perfect life, or so it seems. The TV News star has cultivated the perfect image and managed to keep her daughter out of the spotlight, but she is hiding a painful past, one where her older sister Cassie went missing which ultimately tore her family apart.
Lily’s last seems to be catching up to her and her producer Greer is trying to protect her image but just ends up tangled in Lily’s web of deceit too.
Is Cassie still alive? And if she is, why has she stayed hidden all these years? It’s the perfect mystery where it’s hard to know who to trust. Such a fantastic bingeable read.
Lily’s last seems to be catching up to her and her producer Greer is trying to protect her image but just ends up tangled in Lily’s web of deceit too.
Is Cassie still alive? And if she is, why has she stayed hidden all these years? It’s the perfect mystery where it’s hard to know who to trust. Such a fantastic bingeable read.
I knew, just from the cover, that I had to get my hands on Hank Philippi Ryan’s new book, Her Perfect Life. I had seen it on Bookstagram a couple times and the description was intriguing, and to be honest I needed a good psychological thriller, and Ryan did not disappoint. Thank you Netgalley and Forge book for the review copy. I seriously loved the twists and turns of this book.
The Premise:
Lily Atwood is a well known television reporter known for her ability to report on high profile, news breaking stories, earning herself several Emmy’s and her face known in every home. That’s part of the problem, everyone thinks they know her. Her personality, and life with her daughter seem simply perfect on the outside, but her secrets are about to catch up with her in the form of an anonymous source that’s getting a little too personal.
My Thoughts:
I loved the complex character arcs that Ryan created for this story. Lily takes the main stage, but it's the secondary characters that make the plot line move and the complex relationships between all of them is intense, dynamic, and oh so dramatic! There were so many secrets, lies and betrayals happening throughout the entire story that it was easy to eat up this story, flipping the pages fast to see what happens next. Ryan did an amazing job with this story, her writing style didn’t bore you with overdone details, and it wasn’t so edgy that you were left confused all the time. I loved that each chapter left me thinking about what I thought I knew, and kept me guessing on how the drama would resolve, which honestly was a bit of a surprise.
I liked that the characters each had their own deep set personalities, complexities, and insecurities. Adding the rotating point of view, made the connections you formed with each of the characters unique and watching them interact, I felt like I knew each one personally. It also made it really hard to decipher who was reliable and who wasn’t, who was a good friend and who was not, and I didn’t see the villain coming, not at all.
The underlying story of Lily’s past was a unique add on to the story. Making her older sister go missing early on, but continuing to always feel her missing presence gave Lily’s character depth. I really liked that she struggled with the need to find her sister and the desire to keep her missing, it made Lily human. She wanted what was best for her daughter, which was the lifestyle they lived thanks to her high profile job, but she also hated being in the spotlight all the time and having to make this perfect persona a reality. Cassie’s story unfolds bit by bit as the book progresses, and she comes off as incredibly naive, which also makes her overly paranoid for her age. It makes you really question her decisions and side with Lily that it would be better if she never reappeared, but you also couldn’t help but root for the long lost sisters reunited story.
My favorite character was Greer. Greer was written in a way that you could tell she lacked self confidence and rarely stuck up for herself. She had these internal monologues where you could clearly see the envy she had for Lily, but also the admiration. A lot of times, when the story was in her point of view she was often talking herself out of her feelings. She would make a negative comment about Lily, but then follow up with an “I don’t really mind” comment. You get the impression that she would do anything for Lily because her career depends on it, but you also wonder how quickly she would betray that relationship.
Overall, if you love twisty, psychological thrillers, this book is definitely worth the read. It kept me guessing right until the end, and even then, when I finished the book I was completely surprised. I loved the diverse set of characters and the dynamic each of them brought to the story. The rotating point of view and the past story line gave the whole book a lot of depth, mystery, and thrill. The story moved through time in a manner where you had to keep reading to find out what happened next. I gave this one a four star rating, it wasn’t, “oh my god I can’t put this down good” but it was a pretty amazing read.
The Premise:
Lily Atwood is a well known television reporter known for her ability to report on high profile, news breaking stories, earning herself several Emmy’s and her face known in every home. That’s part of the problem, everyone thinks they know her. Her personality, and life with her daughter seem simply perfect on the outside, but her secrets are about to catch up with her in the form of an anonymous source that’s getting a little too personal.
My Thoughts:
I loved the complex character arcs that Ryan created for this story. Lily takes the main stage, but it's the secondary characters that make the plot line move and the complex relationships between all of them is intense, dynamic, and oh so dramatic! There were so many secrets, lies and betrayals happening throughout the entire story that it was easy to eat up this story, flipping the pages fast to see what happens next. Ryan did an amazing job with this story, her writing style didn’t bore you with overdone details, and it wasn’t so edgy that you were left confused all the time. I loved that each chapter left me thinking about what I thought I knew, and kept me guessing on how the drama would resolve, which honestly was a bit of a surprise.
I liked that the characters each had their own deep set personalities, complexities, and insecurities. Adding the rotating point of view, made the connections you formed with each of the characters unique and watching them interact, I felt like I knew each one personally. It also made it really hard to decipher who was reliable and who wasn’t, who was a good friend and who was not, and I didn’t see the villain coming, not at all.
The underlying story of Lily’s past was a unique add on to the story. Making her older sister go missing early on, but continuing to always feel her missing presence gave Lily’s character depth. I really liked that she struggled with the need to find her sister and the desire to keep her missing, it made Lily human. She wanted what was best for her daughter, which was the lifestyle they lived thanks to her high profile job, but she also hated being in the spotlight all the time and having to make this perfect persona a reality. Cassie’s story unfolds bit by bit as the book progresses, and she comes off as incredibly naive, which also makes her overly paranoid for her age. It makes you really question her decisions and side with Lily that it would be better if she never reappeared, but you also couldn’t help but root for the long lost sisters reunited story.
My favorite character was Greer. Greer was written in a way that you could tell she lacked self confidence and rarely stuck up for herself. She had these internal monologues where you could clearly see the envy she had for Lily, but also the admiration. A lot of times, when the story was in her point of view she was often talking herself out of her feelings. She would make a negative comment about Lily, but then follow up with an “I don’t really mind” comment. You get the impression that she would do anything for Lily because her career depends on it, but you also wonder how quickly she would betray that relationship.
Overall, if you love twisty, psychological thrillers, this book is definitely worth the read. It kept me guessing right until the end, and even then, when I finished the book I was completely surprised. I loved the diverse set of characters and the dynamic each of them brought to the story. The rotating point of view and the past story line gave the whole book a lot of depth, mystery, and thrill. The story moved through time in a manner where you had to keep reading to find out what happened next. I gave this one a four star rating, it wasn’t, “oh my god I can’t put this down good” but it was a pretty amazing read.
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What could have been better?
I couldn’t stand almost any of the characters and usually I’m all for “unlikable” characters, but there was just nothing redeeming about any of them. And they were all so dumb, except maybe Lily…but only sometimes.
Going on, the MCs are SUPPOSEDLY investigative journalists with social media and the internet and all that jazz…and just what?! How? How in the world…how in the world did the things happen that happened? It just didn’t make sense.
Which, brings me to my final point, so many questions, so many things that didn’t make sense, and the more I reflect on this book the more I realize how much it infuriates me.
What I enjoyed?
The narrator for this audiobook is the same one who did Finlay Donovan Is Killing It and she’s great! Also, if you don’t think too hard about the plot logically it can be entertaining.
There’s supposed to be a sequel…so maybe all the holes are just things that the author wants to be put there? But yeah, was not blown away my friends.
I couldn’t stand almost any of the characters and usually I’m all for “unlikable” characters, but there was just nothing redeeming about any of them. And they were all so dumb, except maybe Lily…but only sometimes.
Going on, the MCs are SUPPOSEDLY investigative journalists with social media and the internet and all that jazz…and just what?! How? How in the world…how in the world did the things happen that happened? It just didn’t make sense.
Which, brings me to my final point, so many questions, so many things that didn’t make sense, and the more I reflect on this book the more I realize how much it infuriates me.
What I enjoyed?
The narrator for this audiobook is the same one who did Finlay Donovan Is Killing It and she’s great! Also, if you don’t think too hard about the plot logically it can be entertaining.
There’s supposed to be a sequel…so maybe all the holes are just things that the author wants to be put there? But yeah, was not blown away my friends.
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
After some so-so thrillers and less than spectacular books this was exactly what I needed! Hank Phillippi Ryan always brings plenty of suspense and you can always count on well-developed characters and an intricate plot. HER PERFECT LIFE was no different. I think the synopsis gives a good amount of information without spoiling anything so I don’t want to accidentally ruin parts of the plot. The pacing was perfect and after each short chapter I needed to continue to see what was going to happen next – my “one more chapter” turned into 10 before I even realized it. If you’re looking for a quick thriller that will keep you glued from start to finish, then I highly recommend picking this one up!
I loved [a:Hank Phillippi Ryan|526376|Hank Phillippi Ryan|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1335745244p2/526376.jpg] [b:The First to Lie|52378568|The First to Lie|Hank Phillippi Ryan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1572996235l/52378568._SX50_.jpg|73056697], so I was so excited to be on the book tour for this newest book. It did not disappoint. I like a slow burn story, which this definitely is. We have three different POV, we see Lily (the “perfect” reporter) in there day to day life, Greer, her assistant, and we also see a past POV from Lily’s sister who went missing when she Lily was a child. While there are some thinks that may make you go hmmmm, that is sometimes the point in domestic thrillers, you have to wonder why the people make the choices they do and what secrets they are trying to hide (because there are always secrets). So sit back and enjoy. I know I did.
Thank you to Suzy’s Approved Book Tours, Hank Phillips Ryan, and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the review copy of this book. I give it 4 of 5 stars and look forward to Ms. Ryan’s next book!
Thank you to Suzy’s Approved Book Tours, Hank Phillips Ryan, and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the review copy of this book. I give it 4 of 5 stars and look forward to Ms. Ryan’s next book!
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
In “Her Perfect Life”, we meet Lily, a seemingly perfect and put together TV journalist and her producer, Greer, when an event from the past threatens to upend Lily’s perfectly cultivated life, how will she and Greer respond? As more about Lily’s family life and her relationship with Greer is revealed through multiple POV chapters, I found myself trying to figure out what would happen next and how certain events occurred. I don’t want to say much more for fear of spoilers, but this was a fast-paced book that kept me guessing until the end!
*Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review”
*Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review”