This has proved a pleasant read. I felt that there could’ve been more depth to the storyline but that didn’t deter me from wanting to find out how the story resolved. There were sections that I thought were very well written but too many areas which I felt lacked depth.

Thank you to the author, Rebecca Taylor, the publishing company, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Netgalley for an early electronic copy for an honest review.

This was such an unexpected, great read. I wasn't anticipating on buzzing through this book as quickly as I did, and I truly was disappointed when I finished it. This book shows that no one really knows the people that they are in contact with, as everyone holds things back, and doesn't show all of their cards to anyone.

This genre is one of my favorites, and as stated above, this did not disappoint.

Perhaps I picked this book up at an inconvenient time in life, but I had a very hard time finishing this novel. I'm very much over the shitty husband angle; it is overdone. Give me ONE successfully married couple in this genre and I will be so happy. I didn't care for any of the characters, so the mystery around Clare's death didn't appeal to me. I was sorry she died, but was content to leave it at that, if that makes sense.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Eileen's sister, Claire, a best-selling novelist, is found dead from an apparent suicide, and now Eileen must head off to her house to work with her husband to figure out why. As Eileen reads her sister's newest novel, and her journals, she begins to find out more and more about her sister's past and mindset, which makes this one a very intriguing and page-turning book. There is also some of Eileen's own drama added in, making it double fun.

The writing flows and isn't repetitive, and even though there is a small twist that you may see coming, it doesn't stop you from being totally engulfed in the story and each page!

There are multiple trigger warnings in this one, and at times, I did have to skip over some pages, but other than that, I thought this was a great debut and a fun one to read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rebecca Taylor, and Sourcebooks Landmark for this eARC. Looking forward to more from this author!

Her Perfect Life was an amazing book! I read through the whole book waiting for one person to confess to murdering her and in the end... Claire's reason for writing what she wrote, I felt that and I could actually see myself going through what she went through. Amazing story!

4.5 stars
This is a story about two sisters who could not be any more different from each other. Their paths cross again, when sucessfull writer Claire commits suicide which her sister Eileen would not accept. She embarks on a journey to discover what really went on in Claires life. A life that was not as perfect as it seemed to be.
Thank you netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this reading copy

i thought when i started this book that it was going to be a mystery/thriller but i feel more like it was fiction. yes, there was a mystery why did Claire end up dead on a beach after her book was released? But there was more to it
it has some surprising elements of twists that make you want to continue to read it.
the story was told in 3 different point of views and i think that is what kept me coming back to it each time. i wanted to know more about the story of each character
i look forward to reading more from this author

This is a debut author and she have woven together a great story. I love family stories so I was interested in this book that revolves around two sisters. Eileen is struggling with her part time job, raising a family, and a disconnect from her husband when she learns her sister has committed suicide. Claire has lived a charmed life or so it seems. She is a successful novelist, lives in a mansion, and has a husband that adores her. As Eileen is at the airport heading to help her brother in law she receives a shock that upends her own life and future. I really enjoyed this book and found the multi layered story fascinating as Eileen and her brother in law retrace Claire’s life to find out why she would have committed suicide. I also was impressed with Eileen’s personal growth as she faced the problems in her own life. I enjoyed learning more about these two women and I was engaged in this story from the beginning. I will definitely read more from this author.

This book covers some sensitive topics and has moments that will have you in tears. However, it is a beautifully written story with many touching parts. It was intriguing and captured my attention. I really enjoyed it!

#herperfectlife #rebeccataylor oh #booklovers I adored this book so much. I think Miss Rebecca Taylor is going to be one of my new favorite authors ❤️ #swooning. We have two sisters. One is your run of the mill wife, mother of three. The other. Well. She is an author. I imagined a Danielle Steele type famous, romance author. The story takes us through the lives of the sisters. Before and after. It flowed so smoothly that you didn't get confused. It was perfection. Grab this. Take it to the #poolside or #beachread go get lost with these two sisters. Fill your hearts with love. And lost. Finding yourself. The truth. #netgalleyreview #Netgalley #booksofinstagram #bookreview #bookstagram ✨✨✨✨✨ 5/5 stars for me. This was exactly what I needed. A perfect blend 💘 #booknerd #booknerdigans #bookstagram

Elaine and Clare are sisters, who over the years have grown apart. Elaine is busy with her husband Eric and their three kids. While Clare is a world famous author who is loved all over. Elaine’s day to day life is hectic with minimal help from her husband. Elaine’s only excitement is taking portraits for families, which is a far cry from the photography career she thought she would have. When Elaine receives a call from Clare’s husband Simon telling her that Clare has killed herself, Elaine is not only shocked, but also confused as to why one of the richest, most famous women on earth would kill herself. To top it all Elaine has received some photographs on Eric’s car that show he is clearly cheating on her with his co-worker. Elaine rushes to San Francisco to not only help Simon, but to also see if she can find clues to Clare’s suicide.

Clare seems to have it all, but has never recovered from the death of her high school sweetheart Adam right before graduation. Simon is a good husband and Literary Agent to Clare, but she can never love him the way she loved Adam. Clare struggles to confront her true feelings and answer the questions about what really happened the night Adam died.

I really enjoyed this book. The storytelling was interesting and even though the book skips back and forth through time periods, each era captivated me. I wanted to know what happened in all stages of Clare’s life and try to figure out for myself where the story was going. The story held me to the end on Clare’s story, but also on what Elaine was going to do with her life now that she is armed with proof of Eric’s cheating. I was really happy with the ending for Elaine, was rooting for her as a character. I would definitely recommend this book. Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for this ARC.

I absolutely loved this book. It was hard to put down as it drew me in immediately and I wanted to know more and more.
The character depth was amazing! I loved Eileen...how strong yet how vulnerable she was & I enjoyed that she had a story as well...she wasn’t just “the sister.”
Clare was hard to like but I think that was the point? I did feel for the teenage Clare as I think everyone can relate to a first love slipping away.
I did see the twists coming but the many layers of the story kept me engaged .
Overall a very captivating debut! Well done!

Eileen hasn’t seen her sister Clare in a while but she is stunned when Clare commits suicide. Clare is a famous novelist residing in a home she had built to her specifications and Eileen envisioned her life to be perfect, so why would she kill herself? I was drawn into this story very quickly and enjoyed it right up until the end.

The driving force in this novel is a secret held by a woman who has lost her memory. A fact we learn later in the story. Clare Collins world renowned,sister to Eileen was brought up by a fiercely protective mom. So protective she hides the facts of an accident that nearly cost her a daughter. Adam and Clare were always together in each other’s lives until that fateful night. Betrayal ,hurt and anguish are all parts of this puzzle. When a suicide at the height of her sister’s career pushes Eileen to discover truths not only about Clare but Eileens own life as well.

Eileen is surprised when she gets the call from her brother-in-law, Simon, that her sister, Claire, was found dead on the beach from an apparent suicide. The news comes after the release of Claire’s latest book, A Perfect Life. Eileen flies to California to help Simon with the funeral details. Eileen has been jealous of Claire’s fame so hadn’t read many of her latest novels, but is there something hidden in the new one that will help her understand why Claire did what she did?

I thought this book was done really well. It is told from three different perspectives – Eileen in the present day and Simon and Claire in the past. I enjoyed all three points of views and liked learning about what lead to Claire’s suicide. The author did a great job of showing Eileen and Simon’s grief without making it cheesy. It was a very thoughtfully written book, and I look forward to reading more from this author.

This book is tagged as a mystery/thriller, but it’s really not that at all so don’t go into it expecting some big mystery. There is a small mystery that is pretty easy to figure out, but it does not take away from the story at all. I would consider this more of a literary or contemporary fiction novel. This was an easy read, and I highly recommend it.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review - -
What an awesome book - I devoured it! Two sisters leading very different lives, with the good and bad that goes with relationships.
Their mother a cop, there father an addict. Claire has always kept journals and when she finally writes a novel and it becomes a success her world changes, money, an awesome house, and a husband who is her agent....
And then she is found with a self-inflicted gunshot on the beach. Why would she kill herself?
Her sister Eileen picks up her last book she wrote to try to find the reason why? and discovers the painful secret.
This is a must read!! I can't wait for this authors next book!!!

3 ⭐⭐⭐

Eileen’s sister Clare has the perfect life, or so it seems to Eileen. Clare is a famous author. Her life is full of success and money. So when Eileen gets the shocking phone call from Clare's husband, Simon that Clare is dead, found on a beach with self-inflicted gun shot wounds the morning after the release of her newest novel, Eileen is determined to find out why!

Eileen travels to Clare's home where the truth starts to unravel as Eileen reads Clare's latest novel and journals, kept since she was eleven years old. It becomes apparent that despite her success and everything she had, Clare didn’t have the perfect life Eileen envisioned at all.

The story had a good pace and it was an easy read however I went into this one expecting it to more of a thriller full of twists and turns. It didn’t quite hit the mark for me and I feel things could have connected better in the end. The major plot twist was predictable and fell flat for me but overall still an enjoyable read.
I would recommend more as a general/women fiction rather than thriller/suspense so if that’s what you are looking for definitely add this one to your tbr pile.

Thank you Netgalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and Rebecca Taylor for the ARC in return for my honest review.

Although you can see many of the surprises coming from pages away, it doesn't change the fact that "Her Perfect Life" is an interesting thriller that makes you wonder if you ever really know your loved ones.

Taylor does a great job crafting dynamic characters - You will find yourself wondering about them and their futures long after you're done.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to enjoy this great book!

Book blurb...
Do we ever really know the ones we love? Reclusive Clare Collins crafts her novels like she crafts her life: perfectly. So the world is stunned when the famous author is found dead on a beach from a self-inflicted gunshot -- the morning after her latest book hits the shelves. Her sister, Eileen, is at a loss. Clare led a charmed life: success, mansions, money... Why would she throw it all away? But while reading through her sister’s latest -- and greatest -- novel, Eileen discovers a clue that unravels the fiction and reveals the painful truth. Suddenly, the life that Eileen had envied doesn’t seem so sparkling... Her Perfect Life is a page-turning debut that reminds us that no matter the success, everyone has secrets. And some are more devastating than others.

My thoughts…

PLOT
While the overall story was engaging, I found the plot a little underwhelming. Perhaps the blame is more laid with the publisher blurb as I was expecting intrigue. Ultimately however, the conflict was simply the discovery of something from the past which had little or no affect on Eileen’s life story in the novel.

PACE
Well-paced and easy to read but the plot lacked connectivity between the threads. I expected things to weave together in the end, but it remained two stories and both came to their own end.

CHARACTERS
The story was predominantly about two sisters, Eileen and Clare; both living very different lives.

OVERALL FEELINGS ABOUT THE STORY
Re the plot? A little underwhelming. That said, I did enjoy the story, but more detail around Clare and Eileen’s lives growing up, as well as the accident, may have created more intrigue.

Another excellent book to add to your must-read list! 2020 has been a year (so far) of craziness, yes- but also of great books! Thank goodness, we really need books at this time, don’t we?

Her Perfect Life by Rebecca Taylor caught my attention right away. Clare Collins is a novelist with secrets. She lives her life out of the spotlight and when she is discovered dead on the beach, the first question is WHY?

Clare’s sister Eileen is confounded. Why would Clare kill herself after all of her success? The two sisters weren’t close but Eileen takes it upon herself to look for the truth behind what happened to her sister. What kind of secrets did Clare harbor?

Synopsis:

Do we ever really know the ones we love? Reclusive Clare Collins crafts her novels like she crafts her life: perfectly. So the world is stunned when the famous author is found dead on a beach from a self-inflicted gunshot — the morning after her latest book hits the shelves. Her sister, Eileen, is at a loss. Clare led a charmed life: success, mansions, money… Why would she throw it all away? But while reading through her sister’s latest — and greatest — novel, Eileen discovers a clue that unravels the fiction and reveals the painful truth. Suddenly, the life that Eileen had envied doesn’t seem so sparkling… Her Perfect Life is a page-turning debut that reminds us that no matter the success, everyone has secrets. And some are more devastating than others.

Flawed characters, infidelity, secrets, family… it’s all here in this book. Her Perfect Life is out now so you can get it here and start reading.