This is the first book by Nuala Ellwood that I’ve read and it definitely will not be my last! A brilliant psychological thriller - full of twists and turns, fast paced and easy to read.

I liked that the plot changed between Then and Now, it enabled the story to unravel, placed doubts into my head about what truly happened and had me pointing fingers in all the wrong places. The Then sections show Vanessa Adams, a young woman who has a great job and whose life seems to be pretty great. On a night out, she meets Connor who seems charming and someone whom she can see herself building a life with. The Now sections show a stark contrast of Vanessa, one who is broken, living with her sister and being questioned about a murder. Leaving a lot of questions as to how Vanessa ended up as a shell of her former self.

Vanessa wants her and Connor to buy a house even though he insists that they aren’t ready yet. She downloads a property app and quickly becomes addicted to checking the app for new homes. She ends up viewing very expensive houses, way out of her price bracket. In order to view these houses, she uses different names and made up personas. One day, she can’t believe her luck - Holly Maze house is up for sale. Her favourite childhood author, Geoffrey Rivers, based his books series on this house. Vanessa promptly signs up for a viewing and soon after finds herself a person of interest in Geoffrey Rivers murder inquiry.

What follows is a series of twists and turns, some of them dark, but very well handled. And wow! The ending really took me by surprise and all my theories went out of the window. I was not disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin General UK for providing me with an advanced copy to review.

A really interesting read but I did struggle with Vanessa, I could not relate to her as a character which is probably the only negative about this book. I would recommend this but not as highly as the other titles I have read by the same author

What a page turner!
I initially found the fantasy of viewing overpriced homes rather strange and couldn’t see the relevance but it all came together with a magnificent plot twist which I didn’t predict!
This story follows the life of Vanessa who sadly lost her mum when she was 10. As an adult she experiences a difficult relationship resulting in loss of friendships, her career and herself.
She finds herself being taken in for questioning when the vendor of a property she viewed was found murdered. The vendor also being her favourite childhood author.
Well written, with chapters jumping between ‘now’ and ‘then’ slowly giving the reader snippets of the ‘what happened’ leading to the big reveal which was not disappointing.
A good psychological thriller which will make a nice addition to my bookshelf!

The Perfect Life is the perfect psychological thriller – lots of plot, twists and turns and a real page turner. The main character is Vanessa, known as Nessa, who seeks a perfect life. When her real life is becoming less than perfect she become adept at pretending to be someone else and imagining a better life.

The plot moves between then (2017) and now (2018 onwards) and is relatively easy to keep track of. Nessa is very insecure having lost her mother in an accident when she was ten. Her sister Georgia, who is thirteen years older, does her best to care for Nessa, as does Nessa's best friend Lottie who she shares a flat with. While at a play one evening Nessa bumps into Damian, the finance officer at Luna London, the cosmetics company where Nessa works as a marketing manager in what is turning into the perfect job for her. Damian is with his friend Connor who Nessa is immediately drawn to.

Nessa and Connor get closer and he seems like the perfect man but does have a rather overbearing habit of needing perfection and order in his life. Four months into their relationship, Nessa thinks it's time they bought their own place but Connor is not happy with this idea and thinks they should buckle down and concentrate on saving more money first. Nessa decides to look at the flat she had in mind behind his back and quickly realises that it was not very nice. So she looks at a nicer one. Soon she gets addicted to looking at houses and views more and more expensive ones, well out of their price range, using a different persona each time as she has to pretend she has the money to finance these luxury homes. Then she sees that the Holly Maze House is for sale. It is owned by Geoffrey Rivers who wrote a very successful series of children's books based on this house. Just before her accident Nessa's mother had suggested that she would like these books and they have subsequently become very important to her in her search for the perfect life. Soon after Nessa views Holly Maze House, Geoffrey Rivers is found dead and all fingers are pointing at Nessa.

This is a well paced and easy to read book. I've enjoyed all four of Nuala Ellwood's books and look forward to reading future ones..

With thanks to NetGalley and Penguin General UK for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book, never having read anything before by this author. Slightly quirky and off bear, but engrossing nonetheless. Keep me entertained all the way through. Highly recommended

Quite a fast paced thriller about a woman called Vanessa who becomes embroiled in a murder.

It seemed almost a little cliched until it comes apparent that what happened was not what you think it is at all.

Realistic portrayal in very unrealistic circumstances but a good read none the less.

Would recommend

Nuala Ellwood writes fantastic thrillers, and I was excited to be offered the chance to read her latest offering – The Perfect Life – ahead of its publication in July via Netgalley.

As with many such novels, it’s split into “now” and “then” sections that reveal subtle hints about changes in the protagonist's life in that period, without revealing exactly what happens until much later in the novel. The “then” sections introduce us to Vanessa Adams – a bright and vivacious young woman who seems to have everything going for her. When she meets Connor on a night out, it feels as though another milestone has been achieved as in him she sees someone with whom she might eventually settle down and start her own family. The “now” sections are set some months later and show a hugely different Vanessa. She is living with her sister, is out of work, and seems to be a mere shadow of her former self. As the story unfolds, we learn how she got there…

Vanessa is an interesting character – one who is most definitely flawed, but with an interesting backstory. Vanessa’s mother died when she was 14, leaving her in the care of a disinterested father, particularly after he finds a new partner whose attitude is very much one of “three’s a crowd”. Looked after largely by her older sister, Georgie, Vanessa comes to rely upon her a great deal throughout her life and the two form a close bond despite the difference in their ages. I felt that the backstory was well developed. It makes Vanessa a sympathetic character and helps to explain some of her behaviour as an adult – some of which is a little puzzling – as she searches for the perfect family, the perfect home, and indeed the perfect life.

As we see things in Vanessa’s life begin to deteriorate, she develops something of an unusual habit – she likes to visit houses that she can’t possibly afford, creating new personas and backstories for each visit and leaving a string of disappointed estate agents in her wake. I don’t know if this is the reaction Ellwood was aiming for, but I found it quite amusing, particularly in the early attempts when she forgets her backstory or fumbles the introductions. While it’s not something I’d do, I can appreciate the desire to look around a home that’s been put on the market, particularly when it’s one that’s priced in the high-six to seven-digit figure range. It’s a glimpse into how the other half live, and I think that we’ve all seen that one house that we’d happily sacrifice a limb to have the opportunity to nosy around. This behaviour does ultimately land her in trouble with the police, however, when a seller is found dead in his own home, and Vanessa a prime suspect.

This behaviour does leave some room for doubt as to whether Vanessa's situation is one of her own making or not. Ellwood casts doubt upon the character, particularly after revelations from the police early on in the novel, which did leave me wondering as to the cause of her demise. This doesn't last long – it's soon very apparent what is happening and the reasons behind Vanessa's change in circumstances. It’s not always a pleasant story to read, but it is very well handled and incredibly gripping. It's a story that hooks you in from the beginning, and throughout I couldn't wait to find out exactly what was going on and what the outcome would be.

The Perfect Life is a novel that I enjoyed throughout. There are plenty of questions to be answered to keep the reader engaged, as well as wondering whether justice would ultimately be served – something which is by no means guaranteed.

I'm not entirely sure how to review this book, which isn't something that I say often.
I couldn't warm to Vanessa and her being so gullible/naive stopped me from rooting for her or ultimately caring.
There was a lot of illogical choices made that had me rolling my eyes as well.
Overall, the pacing was too slow and the ending disappointing.
And at one point I wasn't sure how many different storylines were going on. I kept thinking, 'is it two or three?'
Things just didn't add up or flow right for me.
I would potentially be interested in reading more from this author in the future though.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A well thought out psychological thriller about a young woman’s yearning for a perfect life, so much so that she takes on different personas to view properties that are completely unattainable. The story flits between then and now, where we discover that Nessa is involved in a murder and is in a relationship with a man who seems ideal. I enjoyed this book. The characters are well drawn out, I particularly liked Nessa’s sister Georgie, and the story had a nice steady pace. I was hooked from the prologue, then just kept turning the pages until I reached its twisty conclusion. I found the writing enticing and gripping and the story nicely told.. The novel has a satisfying ending and a profound, thought provoking epilogue. I’d recommend this book to those who enjoy thrillers with a dark edge.

I am struggling with how to review this book. It is a slow burner but a cleverly written book because I didn't have a clue where it was going. Written in two time frames, then and now, the story slowly unfolds and the last third of the book had me totally gripped.

If you are looking for a psychological thriller with a twist you will never see coming then look no further. This is an interesting and compelling read with characters you will love to hate.

I wasn't sure what to make of this book. Vanessa pretends to be different people, and adopts personas to view houses she can't afford to buy. Why? I understand that she is fragile after the loss of her mother at a young age but the air of make believe is not convincing to me, and then a house owner is found dead.

It was an ok read, but it didn't wow me

It was a gripping read that had me hooked.

I couldn’t work it out at one point where it was going to go but each chapter was throughly thought out.

I loved the twist at the end and each character was fully defined.

Definitely a thriller from start to finish

A confusing, nightmarish story of stalkers, gaslighting and fear - I thought it was two time periods in tandem for a start, only realising quite late on that it was three.

I didn’t feel a whole lot of sympathy for Vanessa, I thought she was too trusting and gullible to make it believable.

Not my cuppa tea, sorry.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I will definitely be reading more.

Vanessa has an unusual hobby – she views houses for sale that are way beyond her reach financially and changes her name for each viewing. She then views a property where the owner is found dead soon after her visit and, of course, this points to Vanessa being the perpetrator. The ending was totally unexpected for me, and I really enjoyed this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

Great story on how someone has the ability to affect another human being so much and how traumas of the past and present can have such a profound effect on how someone lives their lives. The protaganist in this book has to deal with past and present traumas which lead her into an abyss that she feels she cannot remove herself from. I throughly enjoyed this thriller and would recommend for a quick, easy read :)

I received this book through netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review.
I have read several books by Nualla Ellwood before and couldn't wait to start this one.
I absolutely loved this book, following Vanessa and what happens to her in her quest for the perfect life she is looking for after her mother died when she was a child.
I don't want to give any spoilers but will say the ending took me by surprise and I wasn't expecting it at all.
I would highly reccomend this book.

Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC copy.

Vanessa loves to pretend to be other people. Making up the perfect lives with the perfect back stories to view the perfect houses she thinks would make the happiest homes. Unfortunately her last viewing doesn't go too well. A man is dead and she is being questioned about his murder and her fantasy life.

This is only the starting point for this book. There is so much more going on, a whole host of mental health issues, relationship abuse, friendship and the escape to fantasy, to the point where Vanessa struggles to grasp what is real and what is made up. The back story of how Vanessa came to end up like this see saws with the present and made for a great read. I did think it slowed in the middle which is the reason for the 4 stars but once it picked back up pace you were slammed with the ending.

Recommended read.

After the loss of her mother at an early age, Vanessa thrives for a perfect life. When she thinks she has one, with her dream job, living with best friend Lottie and Connor her perfect boyfriend, things start to go wrong. Not only is she accused of lying to estate agents when she goes and visits houses that she can never afford and pretends to be someone she isn’t. She is accused of murdering one of the residents of them and they happen to be her favourite childhood author.

I am finding it hard to review this book. For me, this book didn’t add up. Because of the different timelines, I thought I was reading two separate stories, and neither was excitable and quite unbelievable. I didn’t like the main character either, I just thought she needed to get a grip of herself and the ending was very disappointing.

3.5
HAVE YOU EVER WANTED TO BE SOMEONE ELSE?

Vanessa has always found it easy to pretend to be somebody different, somebody better. When things get tough in her real life, all she has to do is throw on some nicer clothes, adopt a new accent and she can escape.

This book has twists and turns I didn't see coming great read. it has a alternating what happened before and what happens now it was a bit confusing at first, but I did start catching on and read it fine. well written. Good storyline.

I ate up this book in about a day, it's delightfully twisty and very absorbing. I found the writing to be quite more-is, I constantly wanted more from the author- more twists, more information, more drama. It's a very well written book, thought he twist at the end is not unexpected. I appreciate the presence of mind required for the ending, and ultimately it's a very current topic. Though it must be said, a current and unavoidable topic does not disguise bad writing- though this does not seem to be the case here.