Just an ok read and not as gripping as I had hoped. Unlikeable main character. The story written between two timelines and is not always credible. Implausible at times.. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

Vanessa is the main character & the story is told in the first person, from her perspective. Early in the book, she meets Connor & this relationship puts a wedge between her & her best friend/flat mate. She holds down an important job, as does Connor & all seems right with the world.
Gradually, there is a shift in Vanessa’s feelings, she can’t quite put her finger on it but she needs something just for her. This turns out to be viewing houses for sale, that she couldn’t possibly afford, but not as herself. She goes in character - not just a false name, but clothing, accent & a complete backstory.
It is important to know that the timeline is split between now & then. Now is where Vanessa’s world has fallen apart & she is living with her older sister, Georgie, & her husband,Jack. Then is her time with Connor, when all seemed perfect; well, initially.

This was a good read, particularly the beginning & middle but I felt the end was rushed & slightly clichéd. It was an easy read despite some sensitive subject matter, which was well described.

(Va)Nessa lost her mother when she was ten, and her apparently austere father barley features in her life, either before or since. Older sister Georgie becomes a surrogate parent, but Nessa’s life thereafter is centred around two things: memories of her mother – in the kitchen, baking, listening to Terry Wogan, loving her – and The Holly Maze House fantasy books – in which she is immersion to the extent that she writes letters to the main character, Angus, and had attended a children’s party at the eponymous house, the home of the author. But now she is approaching her thirty-second birthday, flat sharing with her university friend, Lottie, and seemingly enjoying her life. Then she meets Connor at an Arthouse play, falls madly in love and moves out of the flat, alienating Lottie who then seems to have ‘ghosted’ her.
So far, so chic-lit, so rom-com; so why does this reviewer (older and male) keep with it? Partly its because the book is very well written and enjoyable simply as prose, but mainly because Nessa is not what she seems. In her secret life she assumes the personae of various rich young women, with a desperate need to view expensive properties. A harmless hobby, although not harmless since Estate Agents have a living to make and time wasters are costly.
Realising that Connor is actually an abusive and controlling person, she flees back to the comfort of Georgie’s home, but is now being stalked and psychologically harassed; ‘gaslighted’ in the modern terminology. She can’t really explain everything to Georgie and Lottie, her only hope for succour, is untraceable.
And then something goes wrong at one of her ’houses’ and the police want to interview her as a person of interest.
Through clever use of flashbacks, clever plotting of events and well-drawn characters, the reader is enmeshed in the writer’s net. The resolution when it comes is totally consistent with the information you have read but it is still gloriously surprising. As psychological thrillers go, this one has a gentle but inexorable pull.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

This review will go live on 5 August:

Hi and welcome to my review of The Perfect Life!

I’ve been a fan of Nuala Ellwood’s writing for quite some time now so I was thrilled to be invited to read The Perfect Life. I know I can always rely on Ms Ellwood to help me escape reality by means of an engrossing psychological thriller, and The Perfect Life was no exception.

The Perfect Life alternates between a present and a past timeline, both told from the perspective of Vanessa Adams. Only about a year apart, yet the contrast between Nessa’s life then and her life now is steep. In 2017, she’s an accomplished, confident woman. She’s happy in her job and as we witness her falling madly in love, we see a really happy Vanessa, despite the troubles with her best friend/roommate who feels somewhat abandoned. In 2018, on the other hand, we see a rather distraught Vanessa brought in for questioning by the police, a murder suspect, and from the manner in which she is questioned, she appears to be a woman who has recently gone off the deep end. What happened? That is the question that plagued my mind almost from the onset, what the hell happened to Vanessa?

Soon I had my suspicions, and a while later my suspicions came true. There is little I can say about that cos spoilers, but holy crap I got angry again! It’s been a while since I’ve wanted to strangle a literary character, but I sure as hell wanted to strangle… they-who-shall-not-be-named. I love feeling all the feels, though, negative or positive, doesn’t even matter, so I really enjoyed that about The Perfect Life.

As things go from bad to worse, there’s this feeling of claustrophobia, which is something this author is really good at, creating a tension, making you feel like you’re right there in the thick of it. However, at one point, it sort of lost me a little bit. Again, I can’t explain why I felt that way cos spoilers, but what felt like a plausible story suddenly gained momentum through a reveal I found quite unbelievable and I struggled to suspend disbelief, mostly, I think, because of the contrast in plausibility: as opposed to what came before it just didn’t make a lot of sense to me and it sort of yanked me out of the story for a minute there.

Despite having that (poorly explained) niggle, overall I did have a great time with The Perfect Life. It’s a suspenseful psychological thriller, addictive and easy to read. If you’re looking to add to your psychological thriller collection, do check out The Perfect Life.

The Perfect Life is out now in ebook, paperback and audiobook.

Thanks to Viking Books and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are still my own.

I really wasn’t sure what was going on to begin with – but then I read on!

Vanessa hasn’t always found life easy; when the going gets tough she likes pretend she is someone else and, adopting different identities and viewing houses. She not doing any harm, is she? Until the body of a man is found in one of the houses she visits and everyone thinks Vanessa murdered him. And Vanessa? Well she agrees with them . . .

Nuala Ellwood never fails to play with my mind. This is another cleverly plotted novel which reveals it’s secrets little by little, meantime completely confusing me. As the story is told ‘now’ and ‘then’, I really had to keep my wits about me but, even so, I didn’t see where it was heading. With twists and turns galore, the ending was a real surprise. Excellent writing, as always, this is a book for those who like their brain to have a good work-out every now and again. I did particularly enjoy that there was a final chapter tidying everything up – 4.5*.

My thanks to the author for my copy via NetGalley; this is – as always – my honest, original and unbiased review.

Vanessa wants the perfect life. She’s always found it easier to pretend to be someone else, to let her thoughts take her elsewhere. Throw on some different clothes, change her accent and she’s instantly escaped her life. That’s how it starts: simply viewing a bunch of different houses she can’t afford; adopting a different persona. Surely there’s no harm in that, is there? Until a man who lived in one of those houses is found dead, and they think Vanessa killed him.

What a brilliant book The Perfect Life is. I read it in two days as I couldn’t put it down. It’s gripping, thrilling and leaves you with a healthy feeling of angst as you keep turning the pages wondering how the plot will play out. A fabulous five star read

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin and the author for the chance to review.

Crikey! What a page turner, I couldn’t put it down as I found myself wondering what Vanessa had or hadn't done. She lead a secret addiction to viewing houses up for sale whilst booking under another name and different lifestyle, then life turned upside down. Had she committed murder or not?

The issues in this novel are not easy ones to deal with but Nuala Ellwood deals with them in an open and honest way. She addresses murder, gas lighting, deception and manipulation and it's not always easy to read but it is engrossing.
I found Vanessa a not particularly likeable character although I did feel sorry for her. As for Callum words fail me

I loved "The House on the Lake" but I'm on the fence for this one
I appreciated the idea behind this story but I think it's lacking that "something" that makes you turn pages fast and keep on reading.
I felt for Vanessa and hated her but she seems a bit mono dimensional, Connor is the stereotype of an abuser.
The story is fast paced and you never know what's going to happen.
I think it's a good story even if I would have preferred some more character development.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The Perfect Life by Nuala Ellwood was a good read with an interesting storyline. Vanessa assumes many personalities to view high end properties and escapes to another world by doing so. Fascinated by characters and events from her favourite children’s book, it becomes clear as this book progresses why Vanessa needs some escape from her apparently perfect life with her boyfriend. Is all as it seems or is Vanessa the delusional one? The story has a few turns to keep you guessing and builds a pretty decent picture of what’s been going on in Vanessa’s life. A very strong three and a half stars rounded up to four

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This story centres around Vanessa, who works for a make up brand. On a night out with her best friend, Lottie, she meets a man called Connor, who eventually she moves in with. When Vanessa was a young girl, she read books called Holly Maze House, about a young boy, Angus, who feels completely alone in the world, except for his ghost friends. Vanessa connected with these stories as a young girl, and they felt real to her, as she also felt lonely in the world after losing her mum at a young age. As the story goes on we see a breakdown in Vanessa and Connor’s relationship. To cope with this, Vanessa sets about visiting houses that are for sale, just to be someone else for a day. Until she is caught up in a murder case, and she is the prime suspect.

I really enjoyed this book. The character of Vanessa is really well though out, and she is relatable. She is vulnerable, yet strong. I didn’t like Connor from the get go. But disliking him so much made the story work. I liked the characters of Vanessa’s sister Georgie and her husband Jack, although I would have liked to explore their issues a bit more, as I felt we didn’t see the full story there. I also liked the side story of Vanessa and Lottie’s friendship becoming a casualty of Vanessa’s relationship with Connor, as this happens in real life often. The story flowed really well, and I managed to read this book in less than a day. It was a cracking page turner, and another brilliant read from this author.

Although Vanessa seems happy with her life, good job, nice loving boyfriend, she’s still searching for something that’s missing. She knows she can’t afford the houses that are for sale that she visits, but she’s not causing any harm, right? Until one day, a man turns up dead in a house she’s been to view, and Vanessa is the prime suspect.

I loved the premises of the story, and I was ready to get hooked into the plot, but the actual novel is a let down. I feel like it could have been taken in a better direction than it was. It focuses more on her relationship, rather than the crime story that was ‘advertised.’

It does tackle some challenging topics, but I don’t think it handles them very well and they’re used for shock value rather than anything constructive. I understand that gaslighting is a difficult concept, but it just didn’t seem all that a realistic portrayal in my point of view; I think it was missing subtleties and I think it would have worked better if the audience weren’t so blatantly aware of what was happening. There was just no mystery behind it, just sheer frustration that Vanessa couldn’t see it either because it was so obvious.

I struggled to warm to Vanessa because I thought she was quite over dramatic and I couldn’t understand how she found herself in the situations she did. It’s always disappointing when you can’t follow a character’s motivations, especially one that comes across as weak and gullible; it’s so frustrating.

I found the end of this novel just completely ridiculous to be honest, and it’s as if no logical thought went into it at all. No, the main twist wasn’t predictable, but I did think the rest of it was. There were also some inconsistencies, some plot holes when Vanessa conveniently ‘forgets’ things and just some ideas that weren’t plausible.

The novel was easy to read and I didn’t actually dislike the writing style, but I just needed more from the plot and characters.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Penguin General UK in return for an honest review.

I wanted so badly to absolutely love this book, but sadly I just couldn't bring myself to do so.

Throughout the book I found myself getting increasingly confused with which time frame we were in, there were at least 3 different time frames that we switched between. Which would have been fine had there been some clear indication of it, but it just felt muddled.

Which is a real shame, because the writing was so well done, and each different time frame was incredibly written, it was descriptive and invoked so many different emotions. There were points that I felt as if I was in the book with the characters watching it unfold as if it was real life, in front of me.

For me, because we flitted so much between the different time periods it felt as if there wasn't a clear plot or story, if someone was to ask me what The Perfect Life was about I wouldn't be able to give a clear answer because I don't think there was a plot so to speak.

And character wise, I struggled to really engage with them, there was just too much going on, we were being fed too much information about each person and it got very difficult to distinguish how the author wanted us to view the characters.

The ending was clever, but it felt as if it was from a different book, it just didn't link with the rest of the plot...

Without giving too much away, I struggled with a couple of conclusions that were reached and why characters just suddenly reappeared with no explanation, they could have been woven into the story better.

It's not that I didn't enjoy The Perfect Life, it's more so that I enjoyed the individual aspects of it, which apart were really well written and descriptive, but together just didn't gel in the right way to make the story. There was too much going on and not enough to link everything together.

@currentlyreading__
Book 32 of 2021

Thank you so much to @netgalley, @nualawrites and the publisher for the e-ARC of Nuala's third book 'The Perfect Life'. This will be published in August so should be on your pre-order list. Loving a psychological thriller with the prerequisite twists and turns, this had me in its grasp in the first few pages. Had I not been ill, it would have been greedily gobbled up, so desperate was I to find out what came of the protagonist's plight.

On the surface, Nessa has the perfect life - sharing a flat with her best friend, the big sister of dreams, the much coveted job at cosmetics firm, Luna London and a great social life. However, Nessa is still grieving the untimely death of her mother and as a consequence her lonely childhood with her dad's "half-hearted attempts" to fill the void left by her mother. Filling a gap in her life, she embarks on a hasty relationship with Connor Dawkins, 'the nice lad' and 'team player'. Nessa is content with her lot until the relationship tail-spins and she finds herself on the roof terrace each night, glass of wine in hand and scrolling her mobile app Dream Properties, fantasising about mock Tudor mansions, Victorian terraces, Georgian townhouses and penthouse apartments for the super-rich. Dreaming about the wisteria climbing the walls and the grandest of drive-ways distracts Nessa from the reality of her life.

Her decision to adopt different personas and view the houses is a complete (unethical yes!) distraction from the dark relationship and gas-lighting to which she is being subjected. Nessa is no longer Nessa - she is being controlled by Connor and also by her compulsion to visit these grandiose properties for a glimpse of the perfect life.

In each property there is a reminder of her mother, from a Penhaligon's perfume bottle, a print loved by her mum and the glass bird featuring in the story her mother thought would be a pleasant read. So when her favourite childhood author's home comes up for sale, surely Nessa must view it.

With her past and present, truths and lies colliding, Nessa's life spirals out of control. The strands of past and present are so intricately woven by the author and I was kept hooked by this suspense-fuelled book.

#bookstagram #bibliophile #bookworm #book #booknerd #bookstagrammer #kindle #instabook #reader #bookobsessed #instareads #currentlyreading #bookchat #bookish #junereading #books #readersofinstagram #books #theperfectlife #nualaellwood

For me, this novel was a slow start. The main character, Vanessa Adams is really annoying. I was shouting at the pages! She cannot be for real! Vanessa is a fractured character who has had trauma in her life and this causes problems at her place of work, her relationships and her long time friend, Lottie ( disliked this character also! )

The style of writing was too modern for me but an emotional and surprising outcome. I can't say I enjoyed the book but the storyline got to me.

I give a 4 star rating.

I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.

I found it took me a little while to get to grips with this book. The narrative was particularly fragmented to the extent that it was quite an effort to piece the different sections together. Once I got into it the story was quite gripping and I was surprised by the conclusion which was pleasing. I did find several elements rather unconvincing and contrived but I won't name them here for fear of giving away spoilers.

Not as gripping as I had hoped and I didn’t care much for the main character. The story swings back and forth between two timelines and is not always credible. That said, there is some enjoyment to be had from reading this tale, and I’m sure it will appeal to other readers. I therefore give it 3 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this novel. This is my unbiased review.

The book is a mix of genre in my opinion - womens fiction and thriller. Both work well.

The narrative is fast paced and is full of twists and turns. There is an awful sense of foreboding which makes it uncomfortable reading at times. Which I adore. I want to feel something when I read.

I loved the different timelines and felt these gave us a fuller of understanding of motives and goals. Not once did I think I had the ending sussed and it was quite a wonderful reveal.

A very enjoyable read.

I never repeat the blurb.
Absolutely loved this and could hardly put it down, finishing in super quick time.
This is a superb illustration of how coercive control can really take over your life to the point that you hardly recognise yourself or know who you are anymore.
Cannot recommend highly enough.

Vanessa shares a flat with her friend Lottie and then meets Connor. She falls in love and soon moves in with him. Is this the start of her perfect life or not?

Well written, good characters and easy to read and enjoy. Lots of twists and only at the end does the truth come out. Highly recommend.