For the best is a fast-paced thriller that follows Jules whose wallet is found next to a dead man's body. The dead man is Terrance who is the honorary grant recipient from a foundation that Jules is a CEO of. The story moves quickly and as a reader, I loved how you were never really sure if Jules was sober enough to give you enough information. I love the unpredictable narration and the ending was a nice touch. I did wish we heard more from Jules husband Ethan as I'm sure his side would be very different from what Jules experienced. Overall great suspense and thriller. Would recommend to fans of domestic thrillers. Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for my advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Jules Worthington-Smith wakes up one morning to the police at her door telling her that her wallet has been found next a dead man's body. And that he was murdered. And that she was with that man the night before.

But, she can't remember any of it.

Why?

Well, Jules like her friend, Mr. Alcohol, a little too much.

Okay, a lot. She was so drunk the night before, that she can't even remember how she got home. Which is pretty typical for Jules. I lost track of how many times she had a drink in this story.

Jules doesn't believe she did it, so she starts her own investigation with a video blog--and the results may just be shocking.

This is a great follow-up read to the author's first book. It was well written with characters you love to hate. I didn't particularly like Jules, but I didn't hate her either. I did think she had an amazing husband, though. It was a fast paced story and I appreciated the twists throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my digital advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. I will definitely be reading this author's next books.

"For the Best" by Vanessa Lillie follows Jules Worthington-Smith after her wallet is found next to a dead body. Jules was on the rise in her company, but all of that shatters as she becomes the primary suspect in the investigation. To make matters worse, Jules doesn't remember enough to corroborate her story because she was drunk. Unwilling to go down without a fight, Jules begins researching the night on her own, recording her findings on her vlog. But the question remains, who is the killer?

This book feels exciting because you are highly invested in the research of the killer. Being shot as a vlog, allows readers to see full transcripts of different events. This shows all perspectives and gives the reader a less bias moment, being outside of Jules head for split moments.

Jules is a force to be reckoned with, BUT her drinking streak may be her downfall. Childhood memories mixed with family dynamics make Jules interesting, but also makes her mildly easier to blame. As she reaches for evidence, she also reaches for the bottle. Is she a reliable narrator? Or is her vision clouded by one too many drinks?

I gave this book 4 stars. It was interesting and the perspective was proactive. I think I wished for a little more thrill, the most thrill comes from the last few minutes when the true crime is revealed, but overall I enjoyed this book. I would love to read more by this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas &amp; Mercer for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!</p>

"I have a temper. I drink too much sometimes to deal with emotions I'd rather ignore. Am I some kind of loaded weapon? The trigger springing loose with the sip of one too many?"

Juliet Worthington-Smith has it all - the perfect husband, a terrific kid, a big new house, her dream job as CEO of the company her father built... oh, and a bit of a drinking problem. Which wouldn't be the end of the world if her latest blackout hadn't occurred while the person she was last seen with was being murdered. As the only suspect, Jules will do anything to clear her name, including investigating the crime herself. She starts a true-crime vlog where she tracks leads and posts new evidence that soon goes viral. But in searching for the truth, old secrets come out and what Juliet uncovers isn't what she expected.

I could not put this book down. I love an amnesia story and Juliet's vlogs were an interesting way to explore the investigation. She's a frustrating character who's selfish and not very self-aware but over the course of the book, the author does a great job of revealing why she's the become the woman she has.

A fun aspect of For the Best for me was that it's set in Rhode Island where both Vanessa Lillie and I live. The state and city of Providence are almost characters in the book, and there are lots of familiar locations and references to life in RI, one of my favorites being "Yes, Rhode Island is the smallest state, but that is not just geography; that's a mentality." This is so very true and gives a good sense of the place where this story and investigation unfolds.

There are several big twists that I didn't expect and the reveal of the killer also surprised me in a good way. It's not the typical ending to a whodunit like this and looking back, Lillie perfectly laid all of the pieces for it to pay off. If you're looking for a unique, fast-paced thriller, you'll love For the Best.

Thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and the author for an advanced ecopy of this book to review.

The only way you could possibly know how this story will end is if you read the last chapter first. Please, please don’t do that. From the first sentence when you learn that “Drunk Me” doesn’t negotiate, you will be completely caught up in a mesmerizing, totally original and very unputdownable dark thriller.

Soon after Juliet Worthington-Smith, CEO of the Poe Foundation, awakens from a drunken sleep, she and her husband Ethan are visited by the police. Her wallet was found next to the dead body of Terrance Castle, honored by the Poe Foundation the previous evening. Juliet is now the primary suspect. However, she can’t defend herself. She has no alibi. She was blackout drunk that night.

Juliet is determined to clear her name and discover the identity of the killer. She creates a vlog and films herself interviewing Terrance Castle’s acquaintances and visits different sites around the city that might relate to the crime. Almost immediately, she has many followers and tips pour in to the email address for the vlog. She is on her way to solving the case. However, Juliet definitely has a drinking problem that affects her investigation. Although her friends and family urge her to seek help, she is unwilling to do so until her vlog collides with a long repressed memory from her past.

For the Best is unique and unforgettable. Juliet is a deeply flawed character but she is also intensely likable. Vanessa Lillie has created three dimensional, relatable characters and developed an absolutely twisted, unpredictable plot. And the ending…just wow! 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and Vanessa Lillie for this ARC.

Sadly, I had to DNF this one. The few chapters didn't reel me in at all.
Thank you Netgalley for the free eArc in exchange for an honest review.

For The Best is a slow burn, darker read about a CEO who finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation of a well-known advocate of restorative justice. The story is told using the POV of the main character Jules, who is an unreliable narrator due to her alcohol addiction.

The story has a bit of an insular feel to it because it has only a handful of characters and a limited number of settings. Readers are tempted to keep turning the pages with an interesting premise, a few well-placed red herrings and Jules' unreliable narration.

But while I enjoyed the brief look at restorative justice, I didn't connect with the book as much as I would have liked. My main issue is Jules. She's a hard character to like due to her repeated indulgence of her obviously crippling demons, her sense of entitlement and her selfish, unpleasant personality. And since the only POV is Jules', readers are stuck in her booze-influenced view of things which is equally frustrating and depressing. I love complicated main characters and I don't feel that I have to like them, but I don't enjoy a book if they're completely off-putting. I would have liked to understand Jules better, particularly more focus on her addiction, her husband's obvious enabling of her demons, and how that toxic home life affected their young son. I felt for wee Fitz.

Overall, this was a quick read with an interesting but brief social commentary on restorative justice, enough twists to keep me engaged and a twist at the end that I didn't see coming. But I would have enjoyed it more with better developed characters and POVs from the people around Jules.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Thomas and Mercer for my advanced digital copy of this title via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first Vanessa Lillie novel ... a fast paced read I couldn't put down. Now I really need to read Little Voices.

Jules is the prime suspect of a murder investigation after her wallet is found next to a dead man in an alley. Frustrated with the lack of progress and zero suspects from the police, Jules decides to take things into her own hands with an investigative vlog. As she makes her way through her list of suspects she discovers secrets that have her questioning everything.

Overall this was a solid read. Jules made me crazy though and I didn't enjoy her character at all. And that was OK!! It didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story ... I just felt like smacking her upside the head often. But, that's what alcoholism is like and I felt her character was portrayed well.

Huge thank you to Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for my review copy.

**3.5 stars**

What else could I, as a mystery/thriller addict ask for? I’ve never read any of Vanessa Lillie’s works before but this book may have brought me to a new author. Her debut novel, Little Voices is now on my wishlist and I will definitely be picking it up sometime soon.

In For the Best we follow the life of Jules Worthington, a CEO, wife and mother as she wakes up the day after an event, completely hungover after her blackout the night before only to find that she has been connected to and suspected of a murder. Rough way to wake up if you ask me.

Sure of her innocence and not liking the pressure of the police as they zero in on Jules as their only suspect she begins to investigate on her own. The further she digs into that night, and everything that lead to it, the more chaotic things get as Jules learns things that were maybe better off buried.

Vanessa Lillie earned me as a fan for all the successful red herrings, surprises and smooth, enjoyable writing style. I will say that I couldn’t fully connect to Jules but I still wanted the truth that she was hunting for so I was happy to see the story from her point of view, even when things took dark and unexpected turns.

If you like suspense, mystery, thrillers and seeing characters go deeper into their own struggles, face their own past and refusing to give up you should check out For the Best which is available on September 8th, 2020.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and Vanessa Lillie for the chance to read the ARC!

I have not disliked a main character this much since The Girl on the Train. The plot of this book held a lot of promise but when you begin with a woman so unappealing a reader really doesn't care what happens. Add to that, a husband with no spine. The author gives no explanation why Ethan stays with Juliet, excuses her behavior and enables her further. She is also a mother who shows no real warmth or affection to her son. No matter what happens to Juliet by the end, I'm left with a very intense feeling of "meh".

2.5 Stars

This book gets the dreaded OK from me. The concept is a good one, and the story could have been gripping. Unfortunately, the pacing is dreadfully slow and repetitive— characters go around and around the same topics until they reach a resolution. The climactic ending isn’t terribly climactic — the reader has guessed it long before it’s written. This reader wishes Ms. Lillie had done a better job developing multi dimensional characters and dialogue that went somewhere. It was surprising to feel such a disconnect from the characters since the subjects at hand were so solemn and emotional.

Vanessa Lillie has done it again! I loved her debut novel, Little Voices and her latest book is another winner. One thing I really love about her writing is that she creates female characters that are complex and damaged, but still strong. And compulsively readable. ⁣
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Jules Worthington-Smith is accused of murder. But she can’t remember what happened that night. As she investigates the crime, she learns things about her family and herself and her own introspection and exploration of restorative justice adds a really interesting layer to the story. ⁣
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Similar to Little Voices, Lillie expertly creates a thriller that is also a story about family and relationships. There are lots of twists and they all feel authentic to the world she’s created and not just there for the shock value. I also loved seeing Phillip Hale appear in both books. ⁣
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I speed through this read, needing to know what happened the night in question and let me just say that the ending delivered!⁣
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I highly recommend this one to all thriller lovers. Check out my stories to read my review of Little Voices. Definitely recommend it if you haven’t read it yet! ⁣
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Thank you to Thomas & Mercer, Netgalley and the author for an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Jules Worthington-Smith wakes up with a massive hangover. She can't piece together all the events from the night before. The police knock on her door and want to question her about her wallet being found next to murdered body. This book starts off from the ground running! Jules can not remember what happened so she must try and figure out what did happen before she is arrested for murder. I enjoyed this fast paced thriller and trying to figure out all the twists and turns. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

Jules has some big problems, not the least of which is her drinking. Now, though, she's forced to face her demons and her past because her wallet has been found in an alley- next to the corpse of Terrence, a man she worked with. They had an argument the night before, she knows, at the gala, but she can't remember anything else. In a topical move, she starts a vlog to help her get answers- and it does but they aren't the ones she expected. Jules is not a likable character by any means but you, like she,. know she didn't kill Terrence. It's a fast past read with a twisty plot. thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I can’t say I loved or hated this book. I’m actually not sure how I feel about. I hated the characters. Jules was just... too much. I figured she was guilty in some ways but did not see the twist to her guilt.

I feel like after awhile, all mystery/thriller books start to resemble each other, but that was not the case with this book! I loooved the storyline of this book. I thought that it was so unique and interesting. Right away I was intrigued and could tell that I was going to enjoy the story. I’m still not exactly sure how I feel about the ending but I definitely didn’t hate it!

The only thing I really didn’t like about this book (& it’s totally a personal thing & nothing to do with the book because I know that’s a crucial part of the story) is how much Jules drinks. I’ve dealt with alcoholics a majority of my life & I’m to the point where I have no sympathy left, I just get annoyed😕 So again, I get it was an important part of the story, but I just wanted to yell at Jules to put the drink down😂

I’m going to be totally honest. I’ve been veering away from a Police Procedure type books as they’ve been merging one into another, but, I had read this authors first book and I absolutely loved it, so how could I ignore this? I just had to give it a go.

I’m glad I did.
I love her style of writing, always so easy to follow.
If you are looking for a fast paced thriller, this is not for you. But if you are happy to read and get into the mechanics of you’re brain power, I say yes, go for it. Your brains wheels will be turning for sure.

Following the main character whose been accused of murder was fascinating. The police mostly only had to go on finding her red purse at the scene. Her replies to questions fascinated me as she couldn’t recall a darn thing.

Over indulging in alcohol was a problem for this lady!

Buried secrets.
I love secrets that come out in the wash don’t you?

*3.75 from me as I found it hard going at the start, bit slow. Worth it though.

Vanessa Lillie has done it again with this twisty thriller. Jules Worthington-Smith is the protagonist that you love to hate (or maybe just hate). She has a lot of complex problems, caused by her family and herself, that ultimately entangle her in a murder that she may or may not have committed.

I enjoyed the format of the book, alternating between traditional prose narration and the scripts of the Vlogs that Jules is creating as she tries to track down the killer. You watch as Jules tracks down leads in the case and basically proves to be a pretty horrible (and aggressive) detective. But however bad her own detective work is, the introspective work that she does makes this book an interesting read. Plus, there are a couple twists at the end that I didn't see coming!

This was a quick read for me, in part due to the Vlog scripts and in part because I just wanted to know what happened! Jules was not my favorite, and I really struggled to feel bad for her until the end, but I found the portrayal of her self-destruction realistic. As a Rhode Islander, the name-dropping of different restaurants, bars, street names, etc. was a lot of fun. It felt like I was there, following Jules around on her investigation. I also liked the callbacks to Little Voices, with Phillip Hale, making it clear that the two stories exist in the same universe.

Overall, this was a gripping read that you should read if you like thrillers!

4 stars

TW: murder; alcoholism; infidelity; death of a child

If I haven’t said it enough, I am a total cover buyer, who will read anything recommend to me & I actually AVOID reading the synopsis on purpose as much as possible. I don’t typically care what genre it is since I like so many, so I don’t have any preconceived ideas about the book, or what box it necessarily fits in.

I was given this gorgeous thriller to read and review thanks to @kccpr and I was blown away, I'll definitely be picking up her debut title to read after being so impressed by this one.

I really enjoyed the setup of vlog within the story to solve the murder, I mean who wouldn't want to take justice into their own hands when they wake up and don't even know their own actions? While I couldn’t decide if I should be rooting for Jules or giving her a brutal dose of honesty - stop drinking, love on your family, go to therapy and resolve past issues AND the current ones. Not sure if it was an intentional choice, but for me Jules was the protagonist you hated to love.

As Jules went on the hunt for justice, there are so many surprising secrets and unexpected twists, adding up to an incredible story.

Thank you to the author, Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story about short-term memory loss and a violent death started strong, and I liked the author's idea of incorporating transcripts of interviews and vlog clips into the story. This flowed well, and helped build suspense as the protagonist tried to work out what had happened, and recover her memory of the night in question - the story is told through her eyes. But! The protagonist. She was an awful woman, entitled and selfish, and she made not the slightest effort to control her drinking. Actually, I didn't like any of the characters, but the protagonist really raised my ire. She made everything about herself, and how the situation was affecting her - treating some of the other people in the victim's life very badly in the process. There was a strong finish, and the overarching themes of guilt, justice and making amends were dealt with well - but this book took way too long to get there, and I resented the time I was forced to spend in the protagonist's company.