Hank Philippi Ryan has written a page turner with Her Perfect Life. Lilly Atwood has it all, tv reporter, Emmys, fame, fortune, adorable daughter and loving fans. But she also has a big secret that could end her perfect life. She has a source that has been feeding her story leads, suddenly it is her life that he is revealing. Who knows her story and why do they want to expose it. Ryan is on point with details and a twisty storyline. Ryan keeps the readers guessing until the end with a page turner that keeps you guessing til the very end. #netgalley #thriller #newrelease

I was really excited for this book. It sounded great and I love Hank Phillippi Ryan so much.

I thought it was extremely interesting and I was invested up until about the half-way point. At that time, it started to become a bit redundant and I just wanted to know what was going on already.

I guessed the twist pretty early on, though it isn’t apparent at all, just a feeling I had.

It didn’t have that thriller feel, in fact, I don’t think I’d call it a thriller at all. It’s more of a family drama with a bit of a mystery.

It seemed like something was missing throughout the story, but I can’t really explain what it was. It just seemed like the story was being told, but I wasn’t IN the story… though that probably doesn’t make any sense at all to anyone but me. 😂

The end was pretty anti-climactic and, though it was a bit heartbreaking, it just needed… more.

Lily Atwood, Emmy winning tv journalist, seems to have the perfect life. She has a great job, a beautiful little girl, a lovely home. She has her secrets. What ever happened to her older sister who disappeared years before? She adored her and has never stopped looking for her. She sees her in everyone. There is her mystery caller who gives her tips that lead to award winning stories. Who is her daughter's father? All the secrets pile up and things start happening that will change it all.

The story is told in Lily's voice and in her coworker Greer's voice. Greer is her producer and right hand man and loves it. Or does she? This was a good back and forth storyline. I like how it played out and lead us to a satisfying conclusion.

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor/Forge books for a copy.

HER PERFECT LIFE by Hank Phillippi Ryan follows famous television reporter, Lily Atwood as she slowly starts getting fed stories from her own life. A missing sister, her daughter’s ‘secret’ father...how far will Lily go to protect her reputation?

This was my first HPR, and I’ve got to say, I quite enjoyed it! It rotates among several points of view, jumps timelines, and holds so many secrets...the perfect recipe for an engaging thriller.

The chapters in this book are short and launch you into the next perspective, which keeps the pace nice and quick, and really did make this book hard to put down. The twists were also *chefs kiss*

My main issue with this book is that I had a hard time caring about any of the characters (except for little Rowey), and that did make it tricky at times to understand their motivation.

This may have been my first HPR, but it definitely won’t be my last!

Publication Date: September 14, 2021

*** special thanks to NetGalley and Forge Books for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review ***

Her Perfect Life
By Hank Phillippi Ryan

This is the story of Lily, a successful reporter with a lovely daughter and happy life. Her perfection is threatened when her confidential source, who gives her information for her stories threatens to expose her secrets unless she plays along… her producer Greer also gets sucked into this web of lies.

This book started off slow for me and just never picked up. I honestly felt bored with it. I had trouble connecting with any of the characters be it the perfect lily or her workaholic sneaky producer Greer. Despite the slow start it did end up having an interesting twist, but everything else just fell flat for me.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan for this ARC of Her Perfect Life.

Hank Phillippi Ryan delivers another suspenseful thriller. The story unfolds in a sort of slow burn fashion but it pays off. I enjoyed the various POV's and the multiple twist and turns!

I was excited to find a new author but was disappointed in this novel. My favorite character was Rowen, the cute seven year old daughter of Lily. Lily, for a reporter was quite naive. I had a hard time finding any interest in the characters or the story. Not for me.

This books had me flipping thru through pages pretty quickly. It was a slow burner but it’s a story told very well. Lily continues to search for Cassie her sister that was missing since she was 7.
Lots of great twists in the end.
I loved it

This didn't deliver everything that I had hoped from reading the synopsis, but that doesn't mean I think this book was poor by any means. I really enjoyed the writing and the characterization, I just wasn't as drawn into the story as I had hoped I would be. I would recommend my friends who are fans of thrillers to give this book a try, even though I didn't end up loving it.

This was a three narrator story of a well known TV personality, Lily, whose sister Cassie disappeared years before. Lily’s producer Greer provides her involvement in the drama.
I enjoyed the talented writing of Hank Philippi Ryan and the twists and turns of the plot, but for me, it really dragged and I struggled my way through it, still wanting to know how it ends.
The characters were interesting although not very likable. For those liking a lot of suspense and conflict, this is a must read. For me, it just took too long to get through it. I suspect my mood was just not in the right place for this.
I thank NetGalley, the author and Forge Books for the ARC. I Give it 3 1/2 stars for the plot and character development. All comments are my own opinions.

Meet Lily Atwood. Famous television reporter with everything going for her. Money, awards, a producer who does her every bidding, and a seven-year-old daughter who is adorable! Her life is perfect. Maybe. But secrets have a way of coming out at the most inconvenient of times. And Lily is keeping some big ones.

Lily now has an anonymous source feeding her stories. The stories pan out but the source becomes questionable when he begins feeding Lily information about herself. Who is this person and what do they know about her?

It becomes clear that someone is playing with her life. Does it have anything to do with the disappearance of her sister years ago? Or maybe her child’s father come to haunt her? With literally no one to trust she will have to trust her gut and maybe one other person. Maybe.

This was a twisty one. A total mind screw. With Ryan, it’s always a thrill ride as you try and untangle the knots of intrigue!

NetGalley/September 14th, 2021 by Forge Books

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: September 14, 2021
Lily Atwood has a seemingly perfect life as a beautiful TV journalist raising a young daughter on her own. Her celebrity status has her being recognized on street corners, and stopped for selfies by young fans when she goes out in public. It’s everything Lily ever wanted and she works hard to maintain her image. But one secret from her childhood could ruin it all, so she’s done everything she can to keep it quiet. But when a reliable source reaches out to her with information about her secret, she must do everything she can to keep it hidden.
Hank Phillippi Ryan returns with her twelfth novel, “A Perfect Life”, and it is everything you expect from Ryan. Gripping plot lines, suspicious characters, and twists in all the right places make “Life” a novel you can’t put down.
I loved Lily’s dedication to her daughter, especially to maintaining her daughters’ privacy, and overall she was likable and charming. I wanted Lily to win out at the end, and was rooting for her from page one. Her naiveté and gullibility seemed a little bit unbelievable for someone who had been in show business for so long- she was far more susceptible to being pulled into danger and lies than you would expect, especially for someone as untrusting and guarded as Lily initially appears. The other characters had their charms but there was not one of them who was completely clear of suspicion. Although I was able to recognize the person pulling the strings right from the beginning, I really enjoyed the twisty path Ryan takes to get us to the satisfying ending.
“Life” has small, compulsively readable chapters with addicting, page-turning cliff-hangers at the end of each one. Lily is the main narrator, although other characters do get their turn to tell their tale, and Ryan labels each chapter so it is clear who is speaking. There are a few stories-within-a-story in “Life” (Lily’s missing sister, her daughter Rowen’s mysterious father, the “source” Mr. Smith, Cassie’s past and her relationship with Jem), and yet I was able to follow the flow of the plot easily.
Ryan tells a gripping tale, with strong character development and a flowing, addictive plot. “Life” is one of my first reads by Ryan, but I am already eager to experience some of her other novels.

This was my first time reading a Hank Phillippi Ryan book and I have to admit that I’m in awe! Her Pretty Life is a suspenseful thriller that captured my full attention and had me reading late into the night. It’s a dual timeline story that centers around the lives of 2 sisters, one who is missing and possibly dead, or is she, and the other who is now a famous news journalist. The characters are all fully developed, showing what they were like 25 years ago and who they are now. It’s exciting and suspenseful and a story that I couldn’t predict. This was a new author to me, but after reading this, I’d love to read her previous books. If suspenseful thrillers are your go-to genre, then I recommend you read this. I thought it was a great story, very exciting yet believable and am giving it a 5 star rating. I’d like to thank Hank Phillippi Ryan for choosing me to be one of her Super Readers and NetGalley for the arc to read, review and enjoy!

I liked »Her Perfect Life« a lot! It's definitely one of the better thrillers out there centering about media people. Still, this one couldn't quite go without one plot hole or another, otherwise it probably would've been a five star read for me. It was unpredictable, very consuming and I loved the three main characters and their dynamic.

Lily Atwood is a television personality with a huge following, She had the perfect life - great career, young daughter, lovely home. But she has one secret that can destroy everything and when that secret threatens to come to the surface, Lily must decide how far she's willing to go to protect her #PerfectLily life.

This story had a lot of potential, but the twists and turns were a bit too twisty and turny for me. No one is who they say they are, and that made it hard for me to keep up. And for someone who had spent her entire life guarding a secret, AND who works in television, Lily is a bit too trusting for me. Most of the predicaments she finds herself in could have been prevented with a simple google search. It seems like she should have been smarter than she acted for most of the book.

Her Perfect Life was a tremendous letdown. I loved the first Hank Phillippi Ryan book I read (The Murder List), so I had high hopes for this one. However, it felt long and the ending and "twist" were very lackluster. There were too many times, as I was reading, that I thought to myself, "Why is this relevant?" I mean the character of Greer was essentially pointless.

I was very disappointed in Her Perfect Life.

Lily thought she had provided the “perfect” life for herself and her daughter. She was financially stable, had a job she loved (investigator reporter) and even though she was constantly in the public eye she kept her daughter out of it. She was loved by her viewers, constantly being stopped on the street for photos and autographs. Everyone thought they knew all about “Perfect Lily” - but did they? When someone turns the tables on her and begins to investigate her past Lily’s life is no longer perfect.
Lily would love to know what happened to her sister but she is also afraid of what facts will also be uncovered. But in her heart she knows she has to find out.
This book is a roller coaster ride of twists and turns with an explosive climatic ending!
I loved it and of all of Hank’s books this is my favorite.

Great in fits and starts.

The rest of the time you are wondering how someone so smart can be so stupid.

It's just unrealistic with how everyone reacts to throughout the entire story.

Ending had a lot to be desired.

On the plus side - a clean read.

As usual this author has delivered a perfect book! Awesome characters and story line, that keeps you guessing, and then second guessing! Bravo!

I was in need of a fast-paced thriller to break my reading slump and this one delivered. Lily is a successful news reporter who seems to have it all but when her source threatens to expose her imperfect past, she (and her producer, Greer) get sucked into a game of cat and mouse. The story is narrated by Lily and Greer along with the past voice of Cassie, Lily’s older sister who disappeared decades ago without a trace. I found each of their voices engaging but their poorly thought-out decisions made it hard to truly connect with their characters. Plotwise, the story is strong and twisty. I normally figure out mysteries pretty quickly but this one left me stumped until the end. I flew through it in just a couple days to uncover the truth as quickly as possible. Although it has some plot holes, it’s sure to be a popular read for anyone who loves thrillers and/or domestic suspense. Thank you to Forge Books and NetGalley for providing me with an e-galley!