I've read books by this author before and liked them, but this was borderline ridiculous.
When Lily was seven, her sister Cassie disappeared. Lily has spent her life since then trying to live a perfect life while looking for her sister everywhere she goes. Lily has a daughter who just happens to be seven and is extremely protective of her.

Lily is famous for being on TV and relishes the attention she gets for her perfect life, but behind closed doors, of course it is not perfect. No one knows about her sister and no one knows who might be the father of her child.
Greer, her production assistant, gets caught up in the calls from a mysterious source and life is never the same for any of them.

Spoiler alert! The source is soooo not believable, but Greer and Lily believe him. For people who are used to this kind of informant, they need to take the personal out of it and use some better judgment. Any judgment would have been better than what they used.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review,

I knew, just from the cover, that I had to get my hands on Hank Philippi Ryan’s new book, Her Perfect Life. I had seen it on Bookstagram a couple times and the description was intriguing, and to be honest I needed a good psychological thriller, and Ryan did not disappoint. Thank you Netgalley and Forge book for the review copy. I seriously loved the twists and turns of this book.

The Premise:

Lily Atwood is a well known television reporter known for her ability to report on high profile, news breaking stories, earning herself several Emmy’s and her face known in every home. That’s part of the problem, everyone thinks they know her. Her personality, and life with her daughter seem simply perfect on the outside, but her secrets are about to catch up with her in the form of an anonymous source that’s getting a little too personal.

My Thoughts:

I loved the complex character arcs that Ryan created for this story. Lily takes the main stage, but it's the secondary characters that make the plot line move and the complex relationships between all of them is intense, dynamic, and oh so dramatic! There were so many secrets, lies and betrayals happening throughout the entire story that it was easy to eat up this story, flipping the pages fast to see what happens next. Ryan did an amazing job with this story, her writing style didn’t bore you with overdone details, and it wasn’t so edgy that you were left confused all the time. I loved that each chapter left me thinking about what I thought I knew, and kept me guessing on how the drama would resolve, which honestly was a bit of a surprise.

I liked that the characters each had their own deep set personalities, complexities, and insecurities. Adding the rotating point of view, made the connections you formed with each of the characters unique and watching them interact, I felt like I knew each one personally. It also made it really hard to decipher who was reliable and who wasn’t, who was a good friend and who was not, and I didn’t see the villain coming, not at all.

The underlying story of Lily’s past was a unique add on to the story. Making her older sister go missing early on, but continuing to always feel her missing presence gave Lily’s character depth. I really liked that she struggled with the need to find her sister and the desire to keep her missing, it made Lily human. She wanted what was best for her daughter, which was the lifestyle they lived thanks to her high profile job, but she also hated being in the spotlight all the time and having to make this perfect persona a reality. Cassie’s story unfolds bit by bit as the book progresses, and she comes off as incredibly naive, which also makes her overly paranoid for her age. It makes you really question her decisions and side with Lily that it would be better if she never reappeared, but you also couldn’t help but root for the long lost sisters reunited story.

My favorite character was Greer. Greer was written in a way that you could tell she lacked self confidence and rarely stuck up for herself. She had these internal monologues where you could clearly see the envy she had for Lily, but also the admiration. A lot of times, when the story was in her point of view she was often talking herself out of her feelings. She would make a negative comment about Lily, but then follow up with an “I don’t really mind” comment. You get the impression that she would do anything for Lily because her career depends on it, but you also wonder how quickly she would betray that relationship.

Overall, if you love twisty, psychological thrillers, this book is definitely worth the read. It kept me guessing right until the end, and even then, when I finished the book I was completely surprised. I loved the diverse set of characters and the dynamic each of them brought to the story. The rotating point of view and the past story line gave the whole book a lot of depth, mystery, and thrill. The story moved through time in a manner where you had to keep reading to find out what happened next. I gave this one a four star rating, it wasn’t, “oh my god I can’t put this down good” but it was a pretty amazing read.

Her Perfect Life
Hank Phillippi Ryan



Hank Ryan’s latest stand alone is a suspenseful psychological thriller told in two timelines that features a woman in the present trying to keep her house of cards from tumbling down. Her star Lily shares the stage with her producer Greer who’s POVs tell the tale in the present and Lily’s sister Cassie (one of Lily’s secrets) tells her story twenty-five years in the past. There are some questionable decisions made by these Emmy award winning journalist characters but by the end the reason they did what they did or didn’t do what they should have becomes clear. Ryan, an award-winning journalist herself, gifts readers with a fast paced, action packed story full of twists and turns and an unexpected detonative ending that will leave them with their jaws on the floor. Fans of Lisa Gardener of good mysteries and strong female characters will have a hard time putting this down.

Lily Atwood has the perfect life, a successful journalist, an adorable 7-year-old daughter, Greer, her trusted producer who makes everything run smoothly, adoring fans who have bestowed the hashtag #PerfedtLily and an anonymous source that has been feeding her some good stories. That is until he turns the tables and tells her things about her past that she’s kept secret putting her perfect life in jeopardy.

Greer is happy taking a backseat to Lily happy making sure she stays lily white for her fans and their bosses. Then one of Lily’s anonymous sources pulls Greer into his nefarious scheme that may destroy everything she’s worked so hard to achieve.

Interesting setup, and believable characters.
This is the third book I read from this author and she seems to be getting better with every new iteration.

Her Perfect Life by Hank Phillippi Ryan is a thrilling standalone novel and my first novel by her. It definitely won't be my last!
Lily Atwood is a gorgeous television reporter with multiple awards, has a lovable 7 year old daughter and a beautiful home. Her life is perfect. Or is it? Lily has secrets and an anonymous source suddenly reveals that he knows more about her life than he should.
Told in three separate voices, by very strong and intriguing women, this story takes the reader to an exciting climax.
This USA bestselling author gives us an unputdownable read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Is there such a thing as A Perfect Life? Everyone thinks that Lily Atwood has it all. A great job, a wonderful daughter and is loved by all, but fame has its price. There are secrets in Lily's past and she does not want them to come out. She even keeps these things from her producer, Greer, who works hard to keep Lily's show on television and keep her persona pristine. When the mysterious Mr. Smith shows up and gives them tips for some of their investigations, he gets them on his side before he drops his bombshell to Greer and gets her to help him with his plan to help his client. The story is told from three POVs, Lily, Greer and Cassie, Lily's sister that disappeared when she was just a girl. We learn about what happened to Cassie just before she disappears, but we are left hanging until the end to find out what really happened to her. Lily came across as a driven, hard, yet fake character, unless she is dealing with her daughter or nanny, then we see the loving and caring Lily. Although, throughout this story, she doesn't do any work investigating or on air in the studio, I found that a bit odd. Greer is also driven and knows she needs to do everything Lily needs if she wants to keep her job. Cassie is a sympathetic, but naive character that I connected to and wanted to know what happened to her. This was a twisty story that had my jaw dropping often. The chapters were short, delivered by varying POVs, which allowed my "just one more chapter" habit to have me finishing this book in short order. This is one of those stories where you need to suspend belief and just enjoy the ride with this twisty, suspenseful tale, definitely a popcorn book that would make a great movie.

Reading Between the Wines book review #99/115 for 2021:
Rating: 3 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 📱: Her Perfect Life
Author: Hank Phillippi Ryan
Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers
RELEASED on September 14, 2021!!!

Sipping thoughts: HPL is a slow-paced book filled of intrigue and mystery. None of the characters are really likable. Lilly is full of herself and having the secret from her childhood has only made her more selfish. Her assistant is also creepy and weird. I was NOT expecting that last twist in the end and really made the book so much better for me.
Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley and @MacmillanTorForge for an advanced copy of @HerPerfectLie.
#HerPerfectLie #MacmillanTorForge #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThriller #GeneralFictionAdult

This was another great thriller by Hank Phillippi Ryan. I love the way she dives right in and captures you from the beginning. I love books with dual timelines as well because I feel like I get so much more of the story without it having to be in boring details. When you feel you are living it with the characters in the story it is much more enjoyable.

I was not a fan of the main character, Lily, but I still was invested in the storyline with her. I felt she was a little gullible and it got annoying, but not enough to make me want to stop reading!

Overall this was a suspenseful story that I would recommend to anyone. I love the way the author builds the plot and the characters (even when they are unlikable).

Title: Her Perfect Life
Author: Hank Phillippi Ryan
Genre: Mystery/thriller
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Everyone knows Lily Atwood—and that may be her biggest problem. The beloved television reporter has it all—fame, fortune, Emmys, an adorable seven-year-old daughter, and the hashtag her loving fans created: #PerfectLily. To keep it, all she has to do is protect one life-changing secret.

Her own.

Lily has an anonymous source who feeds her story tips—but suddenly, the source begins telling Lily inside information about her own life. How does he—or she—know the truth?

Lily understands that no one reveals a secret unless they have a reason. Now she’s terrified someone is determined to destroy her world—and with it, everyone and everything she holds dear.

How much will she risk to keep her perfect life?

The basic plot of this was a bit hard for me to believe. I know Lily isn’t quite an investigative reporter, but she has done a little investigating and she has kept her own secret hidden for decades. (Side note, please tell me why Lily’s secret needs to stay a secret anyway? Seems to me it would make her far for likable, instead of into the social media pariah she believes it will make her.) So, why does she just believe her anonymous source when he shows up in person? She doesn’t bother to make a single phone call to find out if he really is who he says he is. That alone made the rest of the book not-quite-believable.

Hank Phillippi Ryan is an investigative reporter and a bestselling author. Her Perfect Life is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Macmillan-Tor/Forge in exchange for an honest review.)

Her Perfect Life by Hank Phillippi Ryan is a thriller about Lily Atwood, a very well-known and loved television reporter. But, Lily has some family secrets that she would rather remain hidden. So, when her anonymous source starts hinting that he knows about her secrets, she gets very nervous and is willing to do anything to keep them concealed. I enjoyed this story. It was different, a little twisty, and the characters were intriguing to me. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

Good story. I wasn't too sure when I started but I'm glad I finished. I thought I'd figured out the ending but I was completely wrong.

Lily Atwood, famed tv reporter, Mom and sister. A very famous tv reporter with her own secrets. A secret like her missing sister, Cassie. Whatever happened to her sister when she disappeared, is she dead or did she leave on her own accord? Now, her source for many stories as of late, has a story of his own and intends on getting her producer, Greer involved.

This story, just like all of Hanks was so good! The suspense, the thrills and mystery of the sister and secrets just keeps you on the edge of your seat! The writing was tremendously fantastic and really kept you wondering until the last secret was set free. I thoroughly enjoyed this and highly recommend it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you to the author, Forge Books and NetGalley for the review copy! An absolute must read that’s perfect on a long cozy weekend.

I’ve been a fan and reviewer of Hank Phillippi Ryan’s books for a long time, and not once has she let me down. Her books are always thrilling, twisty, riveting, and intense. Her Perfect Life continues in the tradition of her other stand-alones, too, with a title that has many applications throughout the book. It’s one of the things I most love about Ryan’s books, the titles that morph into areas you don’t expect.

Lily Atwood is a high-profile television reporter, whose stories have earned her Emmys. She is in her early thirties, has an adorable seven-year-old daughter, a fantastic and well-paying job, a large following on Instagram, an amazing nanny, a beautiful home, and an ace producer. Oh, and she’s beautiful. Sounds perfect, right? Well, Lily also has a secret that could destroy her perfect life. Her older sister Cassie went missing twenty-five years ago from college, and there were rumors of Cassie being involved in some illegal activities. Although Lily has tried to find Cassie over the years, Lily is fearful that if her sister is indeed still alive and reappears, it could destroy Lily’s carefully maintained persona of perfection, thus bringing life as Lily knows it to a screeching halt.

Greer is Lily’s producer and assistant at the news station where Lily has soared to the spotlight. She doesn’t let on to Lily, but Greer has been building up resentment at doing so much work and Lily always getting the credit. Greer also feels shut out on a personal level by Lily. There’s no idle, friendly chit-chat between them, no camaraderie of sharing their lives. Lily has put up a wall that Greer can’t get past. Lily’s reasons for keeping to herself have to do with wanting to keep her world intact. And, Greer knows all too well that her job security depends on keeping Lily happy and successful.

News reporters get lots of tips and information from the public about possible newsworthy stories. Sometimes, a source wants to remain anonymous. Lily has such a source who has recently given her and Greer some great tips to work on and resulted in major splashes in the Boston area. The man has been nicknamed the generic Mr. Smith by the two women, and when Smith calls, Lily listens. But, Smith’s calls have started taking a personal turn, with him relaying information to Lily about her own life, information he has no reason to know. When he also starts calling Greer behind Lily’s back, the action really heats up. It’s a whirlwind of misinformation, betrayal, and revenge. When Mr. Smith finally reveals himself to Lily and Greer, this whirlwind becomes a twister.

The story unfolds as the narration changes from Lily to Greer to Cassie. I’m a fan of the multiple perspectives in telling a story. The reader gets a more complete picture of events than with just one narrator. The author did an outstanding job of each of the three characters bringing their unique perspective to the table. It also shows that a lot of bad choices are made by these three, and lives were marred by those missteps.

Speaking of characters, the characters are, as always in a Hank Phillippi Ryan book, well-developed, with layers of secrets and challenges, but I have to admit that I was a bit conflicted about who was the most admirable, or who had legitimate issues that were ignored. Maybe, we are supposed to feel that way. Lily is a character who I consider a “good” person, but she seems too closed-off emotionally to be a “healthy” person. She herself talks about not wanting to get close to anyone or have friends, but in a successful team situation, I find her approach wrong-ended. I know she lost her sister Cassie at a young age and was disappointed in her affair with a married man (except for the result of her daughter Rowan) and uses both as excuses to shut herself off, but being uncaring about the people in your life comes off as cold. I didn’t really like Lily. I sympathized with Greer, her assistant more than maybe I was supposed to, but anyone who’s ever been on the receiving end of the “talent” getting all the accolades understands Greer’s resentment, if not her actions. Acknowledgement of the work you do for someone can be a crushing blow when not given. Added to that Lily’s cold shoulder personally, I’d say Greer had a reason to resent her. Cassie was the character who gets my vote as the likeable one, the one to be admired. Her actions were from a pure place, a selfless core to her being. I would pass on a dinner with either Lily or Greer, but I would enjoy chatting with Cassie. The “bad” guys in the book were well played, and there are some definite great twists there.

Her Perfect Life is another success for Hank Phillippi Ryan. Ryan’s writing is as well-honed and detailed as always. I enjoyed the suspense and surprises that came with it, and I’m sure other readers will too.

I received an advanced copy of Her Perfect Life from NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge Books, and the above is my honest opinion.

Real life investigative tv reporter, Hank Phillippi Ryan has done it again. One can say she also writes what she knows i.e., her lead character, Lily is a television reporter in Boston (where you guessed it, Hank Phillippi Ryan is a TV j, another character is Greer is Lily's producer. Then there is Cassie, Lily's sister who went missing when Lily was a child.

Lily Atwood's life on the surface looks picture perfect. She is an award-winning television reporter and single mother to seven-year-old, Rowen. She is so put together that she comes off a little cold, but she must protect herself and her child. She frequently thinks of her sister, Cassie who went missing during her freshman year of college while Lily was a child. As I stated things seem to be going well, but her informant, who has been feeding her tips, is well, a little shady.

Greer, Lily's producer, is a career driven woman. She is about the news and getting the story first. When she is contacted by Lily's confidential informant, she takes the bait and agrees to meet.

Cassie was eighteen years old and off living at college. She had her whole future in front of her (don't we all?) when something happens at college. She disappears and has not been seen since.

What happened to Cassie? Where is she? Will Lily ever know the truth? Does she want to know the truth? Who is this informant? What is his game plan?

Lots of questions. You will get them, but you will also get a little frustrated with the characters as well. For smart women they make not so smart decisions. But the chapters are short, you will always know what character each chapter is about, and this helps move the book along nicely.

Although this was not my favorite book by Ryan, I enjoyed this one. There are some twists and turns which kept me immersed in the story. I enjoy her books and will be on the lookout for future ones.

3.5 stars

Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’m a fan of Hank, and was very excited to get an early copy of this book. This was by no means a bad book, but it wasn’t my favorite either. I didn’t like the characters, and it felt very repetitive to me. I got a little bored because of the repetitive nature and the ending just felt rushed to me. It’s worth a read for sure, but was an average read to me.

#PerfectLily

Author Hank Phillippi Ryan brings out all the elements of an excellent suspense novel in Her Perfect Life. She has loaded this powerful suspense read with a well-crafted plot, multidimensional characters, it’s an intense thriller and a plethora of twists and turns that will keep you guessing to the very end! This novel showcases Ryan’s many writing talents with one being her carefully crafting characters and giving them such personalities that you won’t soon forget them. In my opinion, she will always be one of the top suspense/thriller writers.

#PerfectLily. That is the hashtag Lily Atwood’s fans have created for her. After all, the beloved television reporter appears to have it all — Emmys, fame and fortune and her beautiful seven year old daughter. To keep her fairy tale life going, she just has to do one thing. She must protect a a life-altering secret. This secret is so big that it would not be the Story of the Year; rather, it would be the Story of the Century! Her source, who has always been so accurate, suddenly starts sending her bizarre tips related to her own life. Who is set out to destroy #PerfectLily? Be prepared to stay up all night reading this one!

I was provided a complimentary copy of this novel by Forge Books & NetGalley. The opinions expressed here are completely my own and without influence.

Lily Atwood has the perfect life - a perfect career as a TV reporter and a perfect little daughter. She also has that one secret - the case of the missing / presumed dead sister.

What was touted to be an exciting, fast paced thriller sort of fell greatly short in terms of execution. There were definitely some intriguing mysterious and suspenseful elements in this one right from the very beginning, but it somehow didn't really grow through the book and in stead stagnated. The characters self exploration journey felt a bit overstretched as well.

The idea behind the book was certainly interesting, in seeing how different people are affected by fame and especially the ones close to you. Definitely look forward to reading her other books, but just hoping they're a tad less lengthy!

Her Perfect Life tells the story of Lily, a famous TV personality. Her sister, Cassie, disappeared when she was seven years old, and Lily spent years of her life looking for her. Cassie was much older than her, and freshman in college when she disappeared. When someone connected to the old case resurfaces, telling Lily that they have information for her, it is more than Lily can resist.

This story is told in multiple points of view. Lily, Greer (Lily's TV producer and colleague) and toward the end, chapters from Cassie herself. I really enjoyed this book, and loved it was almost two books in one. One part of the book was the search for Cassie, and the other was Greer's secret and almost underhanded attempts and reuniting Lily's daughter, Rowen, with her long lost father (at times, behind Lily's back.) How these two plot lines come together is a thing of beauty, and I enjoyed every moment of reading this book.

No real negatives, except I didn't love the character of Greer. She seemed a little whiney, and I felt like she made some decisions that no "typical" person in her position would make. This is specifically in regard to how she felt that Rowan and her long lost father (that Lily didn't want in their lives) needed to be reunited, and took it upon herself to do so. She was being influenced by others, but I felt like it was unrealistic that someone would go to such lengths, behind the back of a mother, without stopping to think that maybe it wasn't the best idea. Greer just rubbed me the wrong way sometimes.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Her Perfect Life did not live up to the hype. It was not suspenseful or even mysterious, as I assumed it would be. The story had tidbits that just didn't serve the storyline, like Rowen's mysterious father, what?!?!?

I also expected more smarts and less mistakes from the strong female protagonists, Lily, Cassie and Greer. I honestly skimmed the last half of the book for closure.

Thank you NetGalley and Forge Books for the complimentary copy. #HerPerfectLife #NetGalley

This one was a little roller coaster. Started the buildup in the beginning. Told in alternating story lines - Perfect Lily, her helpful producer, and her missing/dead sister. The middle of the book starts unravelling the story lines. You learn that Lily isn't so perfect and her producer isn't so helpful. You learn why the sister may be missing or dead. I found myself in detective kirkhalters job trying to put together the pieces and solve the puzzle. The last 3rd had your total WTF moments and all the twists and turns you expect from a thriller. With perfect Lily perfect again. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.