This is a solid thriller. See the many, smart reviews already posted for more perspective. I expect this to be a hit with most thriller/mystery fans.

I really appreciate the ARC for review!!

The premis of the book is a great idea. I love the mystery in the beginning but as it went on you could just tell who did it. ALL the characters except the mom and fritz were unlikeable. The second half of the story moved at a fast pass of mystery thats coming into the big twist. I enjoyed the story but I just couldn't get invested in these characters.
I liked the different media throughout the story, the vlog and videos are played out and for you. I loved the format that they were told by.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for my review copy!

This was a tricky book to judge because I thought the premise was clever, a woman vlogging to clear her name. I wanted to go along her journey but man… I couldn't latch onto any sympathetic qualities in the main character, Juliet or her family. Her drunkenness mirrored The Girl on the Train at first then became tiresome in its excess. I had trouble understanding the husband and mother who enabled the alcoholism, even driving them around and making cocktails first thing in the morning with a toddler around. They didn't come off realistic for their social class and there was a heavy-handed social commentary underneath the premise about criminal behavior and minorities that I couldn't even follow.

It hinted at bigotry and racism without stepping fully into the issues and felt plopped into the story. There was one noteworthy twist that finally made me feel sorry for her but the last "twist" was built-up too high and then dragged to the last possible second before it ruined the whole book for me. I think I'm in the minority based on other reviewers so you may love this book. I always urge people to read for themselves since perception is based on opinion and emotions. I would definitely still read another book from Vanessa Lillie since I appreciated her idea and pacing that moved quickly.

Thank you NetGalley for this great opportunity to read this story!

Thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for the ARC which I received in exchange for my honest review. I was immediately intrigued by the premise of the book. Jules Worthington-Smith wakes up to discover that her wallet has been found next to a dead man and she is now the prime suspect in a murder investigation. Although Jules believes that she could not have committed such a heinous crime, the trouble is that she has absolutely no recollection of the events due to her heavy drinking. Jules then decides to conduct her own investigation into the matter which leads her to confront her demons.

Despite the great premise and the fast-paced plot, I didn't enjoy the book. The main character Jules, is quite simply unlikeable and irredeemable. Although she is convinced that she could never have done something so terrible as committing a murder, I didn't share her conviction. Jules is a raging alcoholic and a negligent mother. The relationship between Jules and her husband is toxic and he enables her at every turn. The only character I liked was the young son, and I felt sorry for him having to grow up in such a dysfunctional environment. Although I love complicated characters and am usually quite entertained by unreliable narrators, I simply could not stand Jules.

I think that the author had a good concept and a sincere desire to leave readers with a timely social commentary. Unfortunately, the characters in this book were so loathsome that I just couldn't bring myself to care about what happened to them.

For the Best is a domestic story about the effects and repercussions of alcoholism. Jules, a successful CEO but borderline alcoholic, is potentially a murder suspect of one of her closest friends. She blacked out the night of the murder and cannot remember what happened. All those closest to her believe her and support her claims. She begins a Vlog to uncover the truth and it seems her family holds more secrets than others.

This was an easy, quick paced read that was told using current dialogue and Jules' video chats. Those dealing with alcohol issues might have a difficult time reading this due to the amount of drinking taking place during the story. Struggles with this addiction is an all consuming family matter. I wasn't sure which character I was rooting for as there is no clear winner with this disease. Overall, a good mystery.

Thanks to #netgalley and #thomas&mercer for the advanced copy of this title.

“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?”

A body is found in an alleyway and Juliet’s wallet right next to it. Juliet was blackout drunk the night before, can’t remember a thing but can’t fathom having anything to do with this man’s death. She starts a vlog to prove her innocence and find the real killer.

I enjoyed this quick, engaging read but it wasn’t overly exciting. Won’t be super memorable for me. 3/5 stars.

This book was good! I was definitely not expecting the ending! I have put the book in NTR pile I look forward to it! The book kept me on my toes the entire book, never a dull moment!

For the Best by Vanessa Lillie, published by Thomas and Mercer, is a gripping story that gave me all the feels. I loved connecting with the characters, loved the excellent writing and was breathless after finishing this book . This plottwist I never ever had expected.
Meet Juliet. It seems she has the perfect life. Successful in her job, loved by her husband and son, a perfect life. That's about to change when she becomes the suspect in a murder investigation. Juliet was a hard to like character, flawed - but she never gave up, stubborn and determined to prove her innocence she goes a long way.
I read the book, cover to cover in one sitting, hanging on the edge of my seat - I simply couldn't put thw book down.
A great read, 4,5 stars.

Wow, I believe this is my first book by Vanessa Lillie but definitely not my last! I found it to be so utterly riveting from page one. I thought it provided many thrills, chills, twists & turns, and shocks! From page one I found myself feeling that this was nearly impossible to put down. It was written in a much realistic way and I found it original! I highly, highly recommend this to my fellow psychological thrillers lovers, as I do believe that you will be following Vanessa Lillie!
Will make sure to buzz it up on the different platforms and will use low Amazon reviewer number on release date!

For the second time, Juliet's life is uprooted by a murder investigation except this time she's at the center of the story.

For the Best follows the story of CEO Juliet Worthington-Smith as she follows the story of Terrance Castle's murder. She'll do whatever it takes to find what really happened that night and clear her families name. The story will keep you on the edge of your seat as the truth comes to light.

I absolutely loved this story and could not put it down. Thank you so much NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and Vanessa Little for the ARC.

This is a book I downloaded from NetGalley. I now have another favorite psychological/thriller author in Vanessa Lillie. This is the first book of hers I have read.

Juliet has a drinking problem (this may be a trigger for some folks), but she doesn't seem to see alcohol as an issue. This story starts out with Juliet waking up the next morning from the Genius Grant launch ... only to find out that the main person involved, Terrence, is dead. She learns this when the police knock on her door and have her wallet in an evidence bag. This is a tale that has some deep-seated family strife ... some long-held secrets that are only revealed at the end of the book, with some complicated family relationships thrown in. How far would you go to protect your daughter, and would it be worth it in the end, even if it means destroying your family? An interesting read in which Juliet teams up with a long-lost love of hers, Phillip Hale, to find out the truth and to clear her family's name.

I am now looking forward to reading "Little Voices" my Ms. Lillie. It should be here soon! She will certainly become one of my go-to authors.

This was an easy to read thriller that kept my attention all the way through! Lots of twists and surprises I didn't see coming. Very good, would recommend...go get this one!

Wow.. a mystery thriller that takes a HUGE twist. For the Best is a great read.. literally have to pick my jaw up off the ground... did not see that ending coming!! I literally thought I knew the ending about half way through until I was dead wrong. If you like a good ‘uh what?’ ending please read For the Best!!

This is the second books I have read by Vanessa Lillie and I must say, her talent reads for itself. A 5-star for sure! This book was such a page turner. It a gripping tale about the search for the truth. I loved the fact that there was a character from her first book present and resuming an important role. Do I see a pattern of this character continuing in all her books? Its too soon to tell, but I sure would not mind if he did.

The story follows Juliet Worthington-Smith, a CEO at the Poe Foundation. She awakes to a hangover, no memory of the night before, and a knock at the door. Her son is downstairs, engrossed in a television program. The police are at the front door. There has been a murder close to her home. The murder of the Influential Terence Castle. They were working together on a major project for the foundation, that he concepted. Something of hers was found at the scene. Her world comes crashing down around her. Her past comes back to haunt her in a déjà vu type way. The more we learn about her, her character comes across as a pompous party girl who always gets her way. Always. No matter what must be done. She also cannot seem to get things done sober.

Juliet teams up with her ex-boyfriend Phillip, influential in his own way, to find the truth. Juliet was having no memory of the night of the murder. Was she there? Was she involved? She starts a vlog, documenting her search of the truth. She is the only suspect, according to police. Juliet finds others who have motive. She finds support in her fathers’ own followers. It may not be the help she was wanting but it proves to be useful. Her father is a drunk as well. His crimes follow his family. They have broken them down, but he refuses to hang his head. And to let his family hang there’s. He wants justice. Juliet wants the truth. Is the saying Like father likes daughter true?

Thank you to the author, Vanessa Lillie, publisher Thomas & Mercer, and Netgalley, for providing me with the ARC copy in exchange for my honest written review.

I do love a good amnesia murder mystery, and I especially love when it ends properly! Hats off to Vanessa Lillie for this killer, original ending, which is noir through and through.

Having said that, this book is tough to rate. For the first half of the book I had a tough time getting invested in Jules and her plight to clear her name. The plot moved a little slowly and took some weird detours into red herring-land - some of which became important later and others which just totally dropped off.

But then. THEN! It really got my interest. I really liked the plot line with Jules and her father. The video blogs got more and more interesting. And I loved the very cinematic ending.

There is a lot of sadness to this book and the author doesn’t shy away from it. The way the book ties together some critical elements and shows why the killer did what they did is pretty masterful, poignant and sad.

All in all I would give this book a 3.5, rounded up to a 4 because frankly a great ending is the most important thing to me in any suspense novel and Lillie totally nailed it. I am also putting this author’s previous book on my TBR list.

Thanks to Vanessa Lillie, NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

2.5 stars - I didn't connect with this book at all. It kept me interested and I never thought about abandoning it, but because I don't drink alcohol (and never have), most of the time I was thinking Juliet was just a raging alcoholic. I liked the end, a bit surprising, but also a bit hard to believe.

How far would a person go to keep old secrets buried? Vanessa Lillie did a wonderful job creating an intriguing story-line, which kept me turning the pages, and plot twists leading up to the final reveal. This was my first book by Vanessa Lillie and came highly recommended by a friend. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

I enjoyed this book more than I expected, it is somewhat of a mystery but more a story of a woman coming to terms with her past and her addiction. It explores the concept of what justice is and how do we attain it for the victims and the perpetrators. Easy style to read.

This is the first book I have read by Vanessa Lillie. I really enjoyed the main storyline of this books. It kept me reading and guessing throughout the entire book. I would definitely read other books by this author in the future. I chose to rate this as a three star based on other aspects of the book. I felt as though there was an underlying issue of racial inequalities that was spoken to at times in this book, but never really fully addressed or wrapped up. I would have liked to see this addressed a little more fully in the book.

For the Best by Vanessa Lillie is a good read. See my full review on Goodreads. I will link my review to Goodreads.