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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
⭐⭐
I am having trouble putting my finger on why this one was just okay for me. I just found it difficult to get into. The characters seemed flat. The dialogue awkward. Everyone seemed so gullible and annoying. Not much else to say, really. Sometimes a book just doesn't work, and that is okay. On to the next read...
**ARC Via NetGalley**
I am having trouble putting my finger on why this one was just okay for me. I just found it difficult to get into. The characters seemed flat. The dialogue awkward. Everyone seemed so gullible and annoying. Not much else to say, really. Sometimes a book just doesn't work, and that is okay. On to the next read...
**ARC Via NetGalley**
This review is provided by NetGalley access.
Hank P. Ryan does it again with Her Perfect Life. She's created a domestic mystery that's two-fold and intertwines a timeline of the past with the present. Forgiveness, redemption, and revenge are soaked in the bones of the characters Lily, Cassie, Greer, Sam, and the mysterious Banning.
Readers get to see the fine details of Lily Atwood's privileged life as a TV reporter and single mother. She has a full-time au pair to care for her daughter Rowen. She can live without financial worries in her house and pay for the nanny and private school. But the only reason Lily's life seems so perfect on the glossy exterior is because of her producer Greer and because she keeps everything about her past and personal life secret.
As her producer, Greer has more than one job. She has to wrangle the stories, interviews, and research while at the same time being Lily's servant for just about any chore. Yet, they are not friends. That becomes clear and it's a hard truth Greer has to swallow. If Lily were to decide that Greer was getting too nosy, too personal -- she could be out on her ass looking for a new job. Greer is just as much of an investigative reporter though and her boss is hiding things that could ruin their livelihoods. It's a relationship that's difficult to define. Playing a personal assistant but credited as a TV producer, Greer deserves better. Along comes this man first calling himself Smith then changes to Banning, who blackmails her into helping his alleged client, Sam Prescott.
In today's world would it really blow up the reputations of Greer and Lily if the paternity of Lily's child were suddenly known? What about if Lily's sister who disappeared 20 years ago, Cassie, ended up being responsible for someone's death? Where would the public place Lily? Someone to look up to as a person that rose to the top given her history or as a bitch related to a possible drug-dealing murderer?
The consequences of everyone's decisions over twenty years is what makes Her Perfect Life such a prime example of human behavior for today's audiences. It reminds me of the line in the first Sam Raimi Spider-Man movie when the Green Goblin says, "The one thing they love more than a hero is to see a hero fail, fall, die trying." That's how we treat our celebrities and author Ryan would know since she is one just like Lily Atwood.
After every character is manipulated to doubt people they trust and their own decisions at every single turn, makes the payoff of the foreshadowing that it will be all right so satisfying. Lily finally puts pieces together in a way that fits and she gets to reveal what's really been going on and why. It's a climax where the key characters are all confused except for Lily. Even the villain can't believe what's happening.
The hashtag within the book #HerPerfectLife is among a few that Lily has seen in reference to her. None of those people who believe it's perfect know that every single day, she struggles with insecurity, bitterness, and tension that worms through her core. Use the hashtag when talking about the book too.
"The detective tapped his pen against his notebook. It made a pocking sound, like a clock ticking out his thoughts."
Fluid prose that comingles the poetically descriptive with straight-forward action like expert dance partners is one of Ryan's many talents.
Summary:
Her Perfect Life continues to build Ryan's catalog with a compound of characters and intertwining plots.
Rating: 5 stars
Hank P. Ryan does it again with Her Perfect Life. She's created a domestic mystery that's two-fold and intertwines a timeline of the past with the present. Forgiveness, redemption, and revenge are soaked in the bones of the characters Lily, Cassie, Greer, Sam, and the mysterious Banning.
Readers get to see the fine details of Lily Atwood's privileged life as a TV reporter and single mother. She has a full-time au pair to care for her daughter Rowen. She can live without financial worries in her house and pay for the nanny and private school. But the only reason Lily's life seems so perfect on the glossy exterior is because of her producer Greer and because she keeps everything about her past and personal life secret.
As her producer, Greer has more than one job. She has to wrangle the stories, interviews, and research while at the same time being Lily's servant for just about any chore. Yet, they are not friends. That becomes clear and it's a hard truth Greer has to swallow. If Lily were to decide that Greer was getting too nosy, too personal -- she could be out on her ass looking for a new job. Greer is just as much of an investigative reporter though and her boss is hiding things that could ruin their livelihoods. It's a relationship that's difficult to define. Playing a personal assistant but credited as a TV producer, Greer deserves better. Along comes this man first calling himself Smith then changes to Banning, who blackmails her into helping his alleged client, Sam Prescott.
In today's world would it really blow up the reputations of Greer and Lily if the paternity of Lily's child were suddenly known? What about if Lily's sister who disappeared 20 years ago, Cassie, ended up being responsible for someone's death? Where would the public place Lily? Someone to look up to as a person that rose to the top given her history or as a bitch related to a possible drug-dealing murderer?
The consequences of everyone's decisions over twenty years is what makes Her Perfect Life such a prime example of human behavior for today's audiences. It reminds me of the line in the first Sam Raimi Spider-Man movie when the Green Goblin says, "The one thing they love more than a hero is to see a hero fail, fall, die trying." That's how we treat our celebrities and author Ryan would know since she is one just like Lily Atwood.
After every character is manipulated to doubt people they trust and their own decisions at every single turn, makes the payoff of the foreshadowing that it will be all right so satisfying. Lily finally puts pieces together in a way that fits and she gets to reveal what's really been going on and why. It's a climax where the key characters are all confused except for Lily. Even the villain can't believe what's happening.
The hashtag within the book #HerPerfectLife is among a few that Lily has seen in reference to her. None of those people who believe it's perfect know that every single day, she struggles with insecurity, bitterness, and tension that worms through her core. Use the hashtag when talking about the book too.
"The detective tapped his pen against his notebook. It made a pocking sound, like a clock ticking out his thoughts."
Fluid prose that comingles the poetically descriptive with straight-forward action like expert dance partners is one of Ryan's many talents.
Summary:
Her Perfect Life continues to build Ryan's catalog with a compound of characters and intertwining plots.
Rating: 5 stars
This started out good, but the way it ended felt very random. I felt like my brain was buffering.
It's a good book. Worth the time to read it. I just didn't like the way it ended
It's a good book. Worth the time to read it. I just didn't like the way it ended
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Frustrating read. This book had an interesting premise and setup with switching between POVs of three different characters. It had a strong start; however, about halfway through it disappointingly degenerated into a mass of logistical confusion with where people were, why they were there, who they were, people walking with other people then stepping a few feet away to call their cell phone as a different persona, people lying to other people for unclear reasons, people pulling the old "I can't tell you. You just have to come with me," and then taking a long drive with a stranger to an unknown location with no explanation. It also pulled the Where-the-Crawdads-Sing-style-gimmick with having POV characters who have "secrets" from the audience. We're supposed to be shocked by these great spoilers, but then we're like -- we were in this characters head, we should have known this. Cheap and lazy. In the last quarter of the book, I was looking at how many pages were left, knowing they couldn't possibly wrap everything up, and just wanting the book to end. Unfortunately, Her Perfect Life ended up being an overly convoluted and ultimately unsatisfying experience.
Spoiler
It's implied that Lily's ex was abusive and dangerous, or at the very least incredibly shady, but then he shows up and he's nice, actually? Or is he? Most of all, I never understood why Cassie got herself into her situation in the first place. She went to some guy's apartment she had just met and saw that he had drugs in the cabinet, and so was afraid to call 911 when he starting dying (or she thought he was). What was she so afraid of? She was a cute, well-off 18-year-old white girl--I really don't think she was going to get into much trouble for seeing that drugs were in a random apartment. Through more confusing logistics she goes into witness protection, but when the cop who was helping her dies, she says she's "stuck" and doesn't have any more connection to the witness protection program. Is that really how it works? There's not like a file on people in Witness Protection, or more than one person who knows about the case? Someone who takes over managing witnesses when the other person dies? I don't know much about witness protection, but that cannot possibly be how it works. And then Cassie doesn't recognize Jem, the man who turned her life upside down and whom she says she's mourned every day of her life? Cassie decides to come out of hiding for no reason, then decides to go back into hiding for no reason. Greer resents Lily and everything she does for her, and that never gets resolved or worked on. Lily hated her ex and cut him off for unclear reasons, then reconciles with him off-screen for equally unclear reasons.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I have loved Hank Philippi Ryan since she came for a signing at the indie bookstore I worked at over ten years ago. Her books have gotten better and better each time and I’m happy to find that this one keeps up the trend. I almost didn’t get past the prologue - but I’m really glad I did! When you read this one please don’t give up if you don’t like ur writing style in the prologue. The rest of the book is different and great. My favorite of her books is still The Murder List but I think you’ll get sucked into this one and look for time to find a few minutes to read.
2 stars ⭐️⭐️
Lily Atwood is a popular television reporter with an anonymous source who provides her with juicy tips and stories. All is fine and dandy until the source begins telling Lily her own secrets... how does he or she know? And how far will Lily go to keep her secrets safe?
I DNF this book at about 30%. I just didn't connect with the characters or the story. I usually skim read to at least get a little closure but to be honest I didn't find it thrilling and wasn't really interested.
Lily Atwood is a popular television reporter with an anonymous source who provides her with juicy tips and stories. All is fine and dandy until the source begins telling Lily her own secrets... how does he or she know? And how far will Lily go to keep her secrets safe?
I DNF this book at about 30%. I just didn't connect with the characters or the story. I usually skim read to at least get a little closure but to be honest I didn't find it thrilling and wasn't really interested.
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
That plot twist made me SCREAM! It was one of those perfect twists that, when it happens, you can’t help but think “how did I not see that coming?!” The book was good! Was it a perfect 5 star read? Not particularly. Maybe a 3.5, but still a good read that keeps you on the edge. The jumping back and forth between third person and first person point of view between Greer and Lily didn’t really make much sense. I wish there had just been one point of view for both of them, or had a connection to the plot of why we had Greer in 1st and Lily in 3rd. Maybe I just missed it’s purpose. The plot dwindled a little in the middle after a strong start, but pulled me back in with more revelations. Overall, a good read.