This is my first book by this author. Unfortunately, I feel like it fell flat. Sure, the ending was a bit of a surprise, but I read 50% of the book and felt like it was just dragging on with not a lot happening up until that point. I was really wanting to find out how it all came together, so I did skip to the last few chapters, so I could read the ending. Although I didn't really enjoy this book, I would definitely try another by this author.

I made it through about thirty five percent of this one but I was honestly just so very bored that I couldn’t force myself to finish.

Lily--a successful, award-winning investigative journalist--works very hard to create the perfect life for herself and her daughter, while also trying to keep her daughter out of the spotlight. When Lily was a young girl her older sister Cassie went missing, and was never seen or heard from again. As the years went by with no word from or sighting of Cassie, people began to forget about the missing girl, but not Lily. When one of her proven sources claims to know that Cassie is still alive, Lily jumps at the chance to uncover the truth, but as she investigates what happened to her sister, she begins to uncover some shocking new evidence and truths.

I really enjoyed Her Perfect Life. The events jump from the present to the past and are told through the eyes of multiple characters, revealing new information at just the right time to create suspense and mystery while also giving a complete view into the characters themselves and their motivations. There were some things that I was able to figure out early on, but there were still some enjoyable twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. I found Her Perfect Life to be an exciting page-turner.

I highly recommend Her Perfect Life by Hank Phillippi Ryan to anyone who likes a good mystery full of surprises. Thank you to NetGalley and Forge Books for gifting me an advanced electronic copy of Her Perfect Life, given in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are my own.

I wanted to really like this book. I was really enjoying this book till about 40% of the way through and then the book took a turn, and not in a good way. I love that the book is told from three different people's perspectives. It really adds to the plot line and the readability of this book. Each different character has a different voice and is easy to distinguish. Where I lost interest in the book was when Lily is approached by a cop and Greer is allegedly missing. Everything just goes off track at that point in the book. Things that were set up get ignored for a decent chunk of the book. It was like the author wanted something different to go down, then remembers I should explain what happened to what was going to occur. It occurred. I think this bothers me because what was set up was very important to the plotline, but then kind of pushed off and not in a good way. I did enjoy the authors tone though so will try another book by them in the future. Thank you so much for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this book. It was an easy read, and the ending is not what I anticipated. The character development, and the plot twists I really enjoyed.
The book follows a reporter named Lily, who appears to have the epitome of a perfect life. Lily is a single mom to daughter Rowen, and thrives in life with help from her producer Greer and her nanny Petra. For all intents and purposes, it really is a great life; until her sister Cassie, who vanished 20 years ago, suddenly reappears with the help of a twisted story and some shady characters. Overall, this was a great read!

Her Perfect Life by Hank Phillippi Ryan is a mystery thriller that is sure to send chills down your spine. It is a captivating read full of twists and turns, and just when you think you have it worked out, everything changes. The characters are not always likable or trustworthy, but that makes for a great story.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing me a free copy of this book for this honest review.


Her Perfect Life is the newest book and fourth consecutive standalone from Hank Philippi Ryan after last year’s very popular and award nominated The First to Lie. Like the past four books, Her Perfect Life is full of enjoyable, easy-reading, suspenseful twists that keep the reader reading and guessing.


Lily Atwood is a well-known, but private, Boston television news reporter who works with her producer Greer and some outside sources to uncover stories. One person who has been helping Lily reaches out separately to Greer to see if they can work together to help Lily connect with her long-lost older sister Cassie. Lily hasn’t seen Cassie since Cassie was a freshman in college. We later learn that Lily, based on what Cassie told her secretly before disappearing, is not sure if her “perfect” reputation can withstand what Cassie may have done.



As the story unfolds, told mostly from Lily’s perspective, we also get to go back in time to learn more about Cassie and why she is missing. A few chapters are also told from Greer’s perspective. Although the reader is learning more than each character knows separately, the author holds back many clues so most of the twists are exciting and unexpected.


This is the fifth book I’ve read by Hank Phillipi Ryan, having read her last four and one other. I became a fan after picking up Trust Me at the Bouchercon convention in 2018. (Ms. Ryan is always friendly and approachable.) For me, this book was the weakest of the books by her that I’ve read. Although you often must suspend belief in reading thrillers, I found the actions of the 18-year-old Cassie a bit difficult to accept. I’m also not sure that someone in Lily’s position would need to maintain the façade of a perfect life today. Of course, if anyone would know about being a television reporter, Hank Phillipi Ryan has much more experience than most of us as she has frequently been in front of the camera.

I figured it all out. That is not necessarily a bad thing.

The book didn’t have a satisfactory ending. That is a bad thing.

A satisfactory ending doesn’t mean a happy ending. One characteristic of a satisfactory ending is that any loose ends are tied up at the end of the story. There were plenty of loose ends to be addressed, both in the past and present timeframes. What are the secrets kept by Lily, the perfect reporter with the seemingly perfect life? What happened to Lily’s sister Cassie, who disappeared when she was 18? Who is the mysterious Mr. Smith and why does he keep calling Lily with potential story leads? There’s nothing wrong with including twists, but too many dilutes the story. These are a few loose ends that are tied up at the end of the book. Even if you’ve figured out the main story (like me), you appreciate seeing all of the pieces put together.

A satisfactory ending also shows how the characters are impacted by the events of the story. This is where the book falls short, because the ending just pushes a reset button. The characters have learned very little from the events that have little impact on many of the characters. Even the character with a bad outcome declares that since they built themselves up before, they will just move somewhere else and do exactly what they had done before.

Her Perfect Life had a promising start. Using three different narrators fleshed out the story. Since events were happening in multiple locations, the narrators were able to show important situations and how they were viewed by the participants. I did like the initial premise. Unfortunately, the ending didn’t live up to my expectations.

I found Her Perfect Life to be a fast-paced mystery. The short chapters and different POVs are definite pluses cause it makes it easy to get through while keeping you guessing. I had trouble connecting with most of the characters in this one but still was entertained with the twists and turns the story took. I did feel as if the ending was rushed a bit, however, I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a quick mystery/thriller. I will continue to read future works by Hank Phillippi Ryan.

One of my favorite authors that I have found in the past year is @hankpryan! I loved her book last year, the First to Lie. And I loved the newest book, Her Perfect Life even more!

The story takes place in Boston (one of my favorites!) about a television news reporter and her producer. They make a great team, but secretly both are a little disgruntled with each other. Lily is a well known face in the area and she tries her hardest to keep her personal life private. She tries hard to keep her life perfect for the public and they have even give her a hashtag: #perfectlily.

A secret source was giving Lily some of the best stories of her career. But he turns on her and starts to spill her personal secrets.

I love that Hank gave us twist after turn after twist this this book. I enjoyed the short chapters and the different timelines and POVs. It makes you want to read just… one… more… chapter!

An interesting and gripping story about a news reporter with a secret life. A fast-paced thriller that features a reporter and confidential source that threatens to upend everything!

Two storylines 25 years apart tie together this edge-of-your-seat thriller. Secrets, some with life-changing potential, come to light and allow the reader to tie things together and keep swiping the pages on the Kindle to find out what's going to happen next!. There are a few slow parts, but if you hang in there, never fear, you will be ultimately satisfied with how the book nicely fits EVERYTHING that's been brought to the forefront and the ending of the book itself. Wonderful characters, well developed, just plain hard to put down!

Twists and turns bombard the reader as you wind through this well-written, a suspenseful drama of a TV reporter who seems as she might have it all (or does she?) Let me conclude with don't miss this! And Hank Phillippi Ryan has done it again, by providing fans (and all readers) with the books that keep us anxiously awaiting the next book in her repertoire.

HER PERFECT LIFE - HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN
PUBLISHED HY MACMILLAN- TOR / FORGE
PLOT -
Lily Atwood, an Emmy award winning TV reporter leads a perfect life of fame, fortune, an adorable daughter and an anonymous source who gives story tips! But suddenly the source starts feeding Lily inside info about her own life- a secret which Lily wants to protect!
What if it's out? Will her perfect life stay perfect?? How much risk will she take??
MY THOUGHTS -
Loved the multiple POVs and dual timeline making the story interesting.
It took me a great time to get to the root of the story and it only gets interesting in the last 1/3rd of rhe book. Was expecting a bit more!
The concept of perfect life and how one secret can destroy it and what a person does in order to protect it was good but felt the execution in my opinion fell a little flat!
Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.
3.5⭐

I want to start by saying the author is lovely & super talented. I’ll definitely read more by her in the future!

This one didn’t land for me. I can’t elaborate without spoiling it for anyone who might still be wanting to read it, but one particular element really took me out of the experience. I hope everyone else loves it!

Thank you so much Netgalley, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, & Forge Books for this eArc!.

Hank Philippi Ryan has pulled off another intriguing, fast-paced thriller where tension and twists abound. The dual time periods and narrators make this suspense at its finest and the conclusion is one that you won’t see coming.

Her Perfect Life
By Hank Philippi Ryan
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
•••
Summary:
Lily Atwood is known my many and adored by all. And she seems to be living the perfect life. She has a precious daughter named Rowen, a great producer named Greer, a reliable nanny named Petra, and a cuddly dog named Val. But there are a few skeletons hiding in Lily’s closet and if people ever found out…. Lily’s life wouldn’t be so perfect anymore. Is Lily willing to risk her perfect persona to do some digging into her past?
•••
My thoughts:
Hmmm. Where to begin with this one? I wanted to love it. But the truth is that I just didn’t. I felt like the plot was a stretch and there was a lot going on (more than there needed to be). I struggled to find motivation to keep reading this one. I would say it’s a slow burn for sure and didn’t pick up until the last 15% of the book.
•••
Read if you(r):
- Have ever wanted to solve a missing persons case
- Like the idea of making everyone think you live the perfect life
- Favorite flowers are lilies
•••
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the opportunity to read an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Her Perfect Life is out on September 14, 2021!

This book was very enjoyable and I loved the big twist at the end! Get a copy of this book on Tuesday, 9/14!

Another suspense novel from Hank Phillipi Ryan that kept me guessing. I figured out some parts but she kept tricking me and taking me down one rabbit hole or other.
This is a story about an unsolved mystery that spans decades. It is a search for a missing link, a sister that disappeared so long ago in the dead of night.
Lily Atwood is a famous and recognizable reporter. She is the epitome of perfection, as a single mom, with an adorable daughter who loves penguins. But don't we all have secrets? What are Lily's secrets and what will she do to keep them hidden?
A wild ride, that went at breakneck speed at times and kept me guessing till the very end. And it kept me up at night. Recommend for anyone who loves a good mystery.

Synopsis in Two Sentences:
Lily Atwood is a television reporter who has been getting tips from an anonymous source. When her source reveals that her sister Cassie, who disappeared when she was a child, is alive and in trouble, Lily will do anything she can to find answers.

My Thoughts:
Her Perfect Life is your typical mystery told in multiple perspectives as well as dual timelines that allows little clues to be scattered throughout to give you an idea of what is going on by the end. I really like that the story explored what it's like to live in the spotlight (keeping a perfect image) while also wanting to keep the lives of your children and family private. I didn't find any of the characters super likable, except Lily's daughter and a few questionable plot lines. That being said, overall the story did keep me entertained. I had a theory with how the story ended and I wanted to see if I was right. I recommend this for people who like a good mystery.

Thank you Forge Books for the free e-arc in exchange for my honest review. Her Perfect Life publishes September 14th.

Lily Altwood has the perfect life. She is an Emmy award winning television reporter blessed with adoring fans and an adorable seven year old daughter Rowen. But what the public doesn’t know if that behind Lily’s perfect façade lie secrets, secrets that could forever shatter everything she holds dear. For example, her anonymous source who has been handing Lily all of her home run cases and is a huge part of her success, begins to send her information about her missing sister Cassie throwing Lily back into the past with the questions that has been haunting her for many years: what truly happened to her sister?

•

The story alternates between 3 point of views, Lily and her assistant Greer in present time and then also Cassie in the past around the time she disappeared. The point of views flowed smoothly and I liked how it transitioned from the present to the past keeping everything on track. In the beginning the story did run a little slow but I did want to know what happened and who was responsible, it kept me turning the pages. By the halfway mark the story got very interesting and I really enjoy the twists, I definitely did not see them coming. I really was not a fan of any of the characters, they were all unlikable and made some really poor decisions that really just made me roll my eyes at times. I also didn’t really understand Cassie’s infatuation with Professor Shaw? It seemed really strange and I feel like a lot could have been avoided with common sense. I enjoyed the ending in this one and do thing it wrapped everything together nicely.

Thank you NetGalley and Forge Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will be released on September 14th!

I really enjoyed this one. I couldn’t put it down. It had a lot of twist and turns. Characters were well developed. It started as a slow burn for me but it picked up.