Member Reviews
Enjoyed her other book and enjoyed this one more. Kept me guessing throughout the book! A little more time on character development would have added to the book but overall an intriguing and interesting read.
After reading All the Missing Girls, I couldn't wait to get into this one. This is about a former journalist named Leah who becomes involved in an investigation into an assault case. She is also looking into her missing roommate, who doesn't appear to actually exist. It is one of the most captivating stories I've read. Highly recommended this book. I think Megan Miranda is my new favorite author.
Another excellent page-turner from Megan Miranda! Huge thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the preview copy.
Leah, a disgraced journalist, and her friend Emmy move to an isolated house in the woods of Pennsylvania, each running from less than ideal circumstances. Leah has taken a high school teaching job, and she is paranoid that her students will find out why she left her newspaper position in Boston. On the way to school one morning, Leah discovers that a young woman who looks eerily like herself has been badly beaten and left to die. The journalist in her can't resist investigating this crime, and the suspense gets even thicker when her roommate, Emmy, disappears. Leah tries to help the police solve both cases without revealing her own background, but soon the police start to wonder if Emmy ever existed. A fantastic read with lots of twists! Highly recommended for fans of psychological suspense.
Hands down, this is an awesome book and I couldn’t put it down because I needed to know what was going to happen. It is a tale that is woven and overpowered by secrets and lies, and is likely to have readers pulling at their hair and yelling WHAT. THE. F#@K. Seriously. This book is downright devious! But also so engrossing that readers will read it from beginning to end without looking up from the pages -that’s what I did-. With that being said, I am so glad that I read this one before reading the authors previous novel – All the Missing Girls – because I have heard that this one isn’t necessarily as good as that one. So, seeing that I really enjoyed this one I know for a fact that I can go into to All the Missing Girls and find more greatness! SQUEE!
Without giving the plot away, this book is about lies, secrets, and a little bit or murder thrown in to keep readers on their toes. The characters come off as slightly unreliable though (well, in some aspects) because readers may have a hard time figuring out if things are REAL or a figment of an overactive imagination. On the other hand, the characters seem quite real and honest. It’s just mind boggling I suppose and very hard to explain without giving away important plot points and details. I did like them all for the story though and found them to be very fitting.
The only negative aspect of this book (and this is just personal preference and nothing more) is that there is so much going on within the story that it becomes a little hard to follow. For example, within the story there is mention of suicides and a murderer (yes, the author has valid points here and they fit well into the overall story), but it has almost nothing to do with the “problem” at hand. Even more, there are other things going on within the story (without having a lot to do with the “problem” again) that are sort of left unresolved at the end. Unfortunately, I can’t go into details further than this because it will spoil the book. But my point is, there is a LOT going on within the story and it can easily become confusing to some readers. That’s the only drawback I found while reading.
Other than this, the book is great! I would definitely recommend it to fans of Megan Miranda and those who love a good mystery.
Investigative journalist Leah Stevens has submitted a story about four young women, all students at the same college, who had committed suicide, and the implications she makes about one of their professors could easily be construed as libel. The newspaper insists that she quit, and Leah finds herself sitting in a bar, alone and unemployed. She is surprised to see Emmy, a former roommate, leaving the bar, and the two women begin catching up on the past eight years. Emmy is also at loose ends; she is in hiding from an abusive relationship and suggests they both leave Boston for a small town in western Pennsylvania, where Leah can teach and Emmy can start her life over again.
They settle into a furnished cabin, and into a daily routine with Leah working days and Emmy working nights. There are unsettling phone calls with only breathing on the line, strange emails that imply Leah is being watched, and the persistent advances of the high school basketball coach all keep Leah on edge. Emmy’s disappearance has Leah back in journalist mode, determined to find out what has happened to her, and she is forced to realize she doesn’t really know Emmy at all.
Wow. Just…wow. Leah was so fragile underneath her professional exterior, and I had to applaud her for continuing to move forward. Emmy’s resourcefulness absolutely fascinated me, and her ability to be what the other person needed at any given time really served her well. This was my first experience with Megan Miranda’s work, and I am in awe. The plot twists and attention to detail caught my attention from the beginning, and I am hooked. I admit it. Now I need to read All the Missing Girls. Right now.
Leah Stevens has just moved to a cabin in the woods near a sparse community in rural Pennsylvania. She leaves her job as a journalist in Boston under a dark cloud of libel and questionable mental stability. But she feels sure she did the right thing and plans to pick up on her journalistic skills in her new surroundings. In the meantime, she takes a job in a teaching position.
Leah’s roommate Emmy is the quiet elusive type, bragging about how she never leaves a trail behind her and travels lightly. She disappears the same day a woman is found unconscious by the lake, and Leah can’t help but think Emmy is also in trouble. She works with the handsome police investigator, Kyle and as most plots go, she beds him. Repeatedly.
The book starts off really well. I want to figure out Leah and her friend Emmy. Something is just not quite right. Is Emmy a friend or a lover? Does Emmy even actually exist? But about 2/3’s of the way through, some ends begin to come apart and there are more unanswered questions than spellbinding mysteries. It started off with all the required traits but ended too loosely. I imagine people who like quick and simple mysteries may enjoy this book. I don’t dislike it by any means; it just didn’t follow thru on the intrigue.
(I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for making it available.)
Leah Stevens is a journalist. She lives in Boston. She writes a story that gets her into quite a lot of trouble. She is fired, her boyfriend dumps her, and there is talk of a civil suit. She needs to leave town and start over. She runs into her old friend Emmy Grey and they decide to live together in Pennsylvania. Leah gets a teaching job and she and Emmy settle into their new lives. Then a woman who looks just like Leah is assaulted down by the lake and left for dead and then Emmy disappears. Leah must work with the police to try and figure what is going on. Leah and police detective Kyle Donovan start seeing each other. But as clues surface about Emmy, will Kyle believe her or will he think she is making up a story similar to Boston? So many twists and turns and a book you can't put down until you finish reading it! The Perfect Stranger is a thrilling, page turning, keeps you guessing until the end book! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read an ARC of this book for an honest review.
THE PERFECT STRANGER BY MEGAN MIRANDA
This follow up to the first book "All the Missing Girls" was a much anticipated book that I have been Looking forward to reading. Sadly, this one didn't live up to all its hype. The reason is because the conclusion of the book was just too long and dragged out. I really am disappointed because the first book was so good. This needed some serious editing out the second half of the book.
Leah is set up by her friend Emmy who steals her identity. Basically that's it. Leah used to work for a news paper in Boston. Because of her reporting about her friend's husband causing suicides she runs away with Emmy to Pennsylvania. Emmy disappears without a trace. The remainder of the book is Leah trying to find Emmy. The story could have more to the plot and the character's could have been better developed. Emmy isn't developed at all.
I know Author's put a lot of labor into writing a book. I am sorry this one was so simplistic and rushed.
Thank you to Net Galley, Megan Miranda and Simon & Schuster for my digital Copy in exchange for an honest and fair review.
Unfortunately this was not as good as her last book. I could not relate to the main character and I felt this book just dragged and took to long to get to the end. The main character Leah is lost as she doesn't know what she wants with her life anymore. Things end bad in Boston and thinking an old friend has come to help her, she moves. Her life spirals more out of control once she moves and her old friend goes missing. The real question through this whole book is who is Emmy and is she real. By the end you find out who Emmy really is but really I didn't care then or earlier in the book. I really loved All the Missing Girls and was really disappointed with this book.
*Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this for my honest opinion*
I received a copy of The Perfect Stranger through NetGalley for an honest review. Many thanks to Simon & Schuster and Megan Miranda for the opportunity.
I absolutely loved Megan Miranda's last book All the Missing Girls so I had very high hopes for this one. All the Missing Girls was so unique and at the top of my favorites list for 2016. I was not at all disappointed with The Perfect Stranger. This book is great!
How well can you ever really know another person? This becomes a question of life and death when Leah Stevens, a disgraced reporter, leaves Boston, seemingly on a whim, with long-lost friend Emmy Grey and takes on a teaching position at a high school in western Pennsylvania. Miranda does a great job of uncovering the true and very dark story one tiny piece at a time through many different characters.
I was left guessing with every turn of the page. The characters are not the normal thriller type characters who you dislike. You felt for Leah and you were rooting for her to figure out what on earth was going on! The Perfect Stranger will definitely keep you guessing until the end.. A must read for all Megan Miranda fans!
Thank you so much NetGalley for the ARC of this book. Thank you Simon & Schuster.
Megan Miranda does this again! This is a follow up to All the Missing Girls.
Leah Stevens needs to get away from the city. She reconnects with an old friend and moves to a rural town to become a teacher. There's an eerie crime committed where the victim resembles Leah, and at the same time, her roommate disappears. Leah, using her journalist instincts, begins to dig deeper. Everyone in the town has something to hide. Leah starts to uncover secrets about Emmy and wonders if she is who she has claimed to be.
What I loved about this book was how the mystery was subtle, yet it still left me on the age of my seat. That's not easy to do. It was not overpowering like some suspenseful novels can be and this had me hooked.
I looked back at my review for All the Missing Girls, and I liked this book so much more. Let yourself soak into the story and don't force it. The mystery will come along.
I thoroughly enjoyed Megan Miranda's newest twisty turny new psychological thriller, in fact, I liked it more than the first. There were times I was so confused that I had to go back and re-read portions of this book. Amazingly, it didn't deter or take away from my enjoyment of the novel. It was like piecing together a puzzle right along with our protagonist, Leah Stevens.
Leah can't seem to find a place where trouble doesn't follow her. She has run away from a sticky situation in Boston as her life as a journalist comes to a disheartening end. Leah tries to pick up the pieces in a new town by starting a new life with an old friend, and beginning a new career. But, trouble isn't far behind, and once again Leah's life takes a terrible turn.
Who can she trust when she can't even trust yourself? Who can she run to when she is not even sure of her own memories? Who will believe her when she is not even sure she believes herself? Will her skills as a journalist help her uncover the truth(s) or will they end up shunning her from yet another community and career? Or, will the truth unveiled be the end of the road for Leah?
Great read with a satisfying ending.
Definitely recommended.
I really enjoyed this book! It kept me guessing until the end. The characters were well developed and it read this within a couple of days because I wanted to see what happened! I would recommend this to friends for sure. Thank you for letting me read it!
I enjoyed this book although I was not totally convinced that the 'willo the wisp' character would exist in this day and age. It was a necessarily confusing plot that become unraveled slowly. I did not understand the logic of the character and because of this I did not believe in her.
Her first book was my favorite book of 2016. Did this one compare???? Pretty close let me tell ya. This story is so twisty and fiendishly plotted,it really genuinely messes with your head.When I finished reading it I was totally blown away and confused. (but in a good way)
Meh.
All the Missing Girls proved Megan Miranda was a brilliant writer, but Perfect Stranger felt undeveloped and forced. The pieces were all there; inspiring characters, an intriguing plot, well developed voice, but the parts simply didn't come together to make a cohesive whole.... It was like making a cake and forgetting the eggs. I will continue to watch this author because I bejeebees she had the talent to write another spectacular novel. This one just wasn't it.
I'm going to need to start this review off by telling you that I read this book this morning while I was in church. Now, I'm not normally one to slack off on my churchin', but Megan had me hooked and I needed to know the things!
I was a huge, huge fan of All the Missing Girls, and was really excited to get this one through NetGalley. Leah Stevens is starting over. After being pushed out of her last job for writing an article that ended in disaster she moved to a small Pennsylvania town with a roommate she hadn't seen in eight years.
From my perspective, Leah is kind of a loner. She's got some demons to live with but she's also got a lot of goodness in her. She wants to see the best in others, which is probably a huge flaw in her character. Leah trusts Emmy enough to leave her life behind and not to ask any questions about, well, anything. Okay, maybe Leah is kind of blind to people around her sometimes.
When Emmy disappears, things get weirder. A girl in town has been assaulted, Leah is being stalked by someone, and Emmy is gone, so enter Kyle Donovan. Kyle is also trying to make a name for himself as a detective and the lead on a case that now involves Leah. Things definitely get heated between them, but while Kyle tries to keep things professional Leah begins an investigation of her own.
This story definitely kept me guessing that's for damn sure. I wanted to know what was going on inside Leah's head and I kept wondering if she had secrets to tell, as Kyle wondered the same thing. I liked the rollercoaster of their relationship and just the cleverness of Leah. She'd lost everything and was on the verge of having everything taken from her and she fought for what she wanted. I loved that. Leah didn't back down from anything and, in the end, everyone got what they deserved.
Megan Miranda is quickly becoming one of my favorites.
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC.
Thank you Netgalley for an advance copy of The Perfect Stranger in exchange for am honest review. I read All the Missing Girls first thinking it was the first in a series. Wrong. Two stand alone books. I loved All the Missing Girls. The reverse plot was wonderfully suspenseful and creative. So, back to this review. I was disappointed in the plot that was convoluted and at times a confusing read. The character development was not strong enough to pull me through the pages and I felt the ending was forced. I will stick with the author and continue to read and recommend her books.
I just loved this book! It's very well plotted and intriguing. It is written from an interesting concept, in reverse chronological order - just like her previous book ' All the Missing Girls'.
The main character, Leah is endearing in that she's very humaine and real. Her only fault was being ambitious, but also too trusting and having her own problems. The book is well written. The language is clear and convincing. You can relate to the main character and you move along in the flow of the story.
There were enough suspense to keep the book afloat and bravo for the ending! I did not see that coming!
I would highly recommend this book! Definitely 5 stars. Thank you to the author, Megan Miranda and the publisher, Simon & Schuster, and not forgetting Nicole McArdle for letting me read this book in advance.