Great start, good middle, but the ending fell a little short for me.
It pulled me in very quickly, but lost me by the end. I found myself scanning
at the very end.

Good story. Interestjng characters. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook

The Perfect Ruin, by Shanora Williams, is the perfect revenge story.

If your life was ruined by one person, what lengths would you go to for payback? Is there anything you wouldn’t do to make the other person suffer?

Ivy Hill’s life was ruined by a stranger, when she was a child. The moment she discovers the name of the person who did it, Ivy hatches a plan to insert herself into the powerful and wealthy Lola Maxwell’s life. It’s a long con filled with hidden identities and revenge schemes.

I was wrapped up in the story and never felt guilty rooting for Ivy. The book is a quick, propulsive read. The audiobook is narrated by Chante Ellison and Nola Vance. It is an exceptional narration.

I highly recommend this thriller.

I kept hearing about this book every time I turned around. This is the type of book that you will either love or hate. This is a twisty novel about revenge and just when you think you have it all figured out, something new will be revealed. Ivy is hunting revenge after a tragic event in her past. Her therapist has just supplied the name of the person responsible and she goes on her plan of revenge. She works to try to meet and befriend Lola, a wealthy socialite.

Through much of the early story, the facts surrounding who Lola is to Ivy and what is the reason for her revenge are unbeknownst to the reader. There is just enough there for to make assumptions on the nature of what is going on. While Ivy isn’t quite unreliable, she just narrates without stepping back and making the reader fully aware. And let’s just say I would not want to get on any of the characters' bad side. The idea of revenge in this book is extreme.

I like that we are pulled into the story with so many missing pieces. I thought a lot of the fun of the book was me guessing and then re-guessing the whats and hows. While the book does get a little over the top and very much like a soap opera towards the end, I really thought it was a fresh take on the genre.

I listened to the audio version and loved the narration. Sometimes when there are two narrators, the voices sound similar and you have to listen very closely to know who the chapter was about, but I'm happy to say that was not the case in this audiobook. Chante Ellison and Nola Vance were a delight to listen to and I'm so glad I listened to this one.

I’d recommend this for anyone looking for a new twist on the thriller. I was very entertained.

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. Do you ever truly know someone? To infiltrate an enemy with one plan in mind - ruin her for what she did to her family. Yet this book has so many twists and turns it will surely have you guessing until the end. Just. Like. Me. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Who doesn't love a good revenge plot? I listened to this audiobook out loud and my husband got sucked in too. He got mad at me for continuing to listen when he had to work in the basement. The characters are as unlikeable as they are addicting, while wonderfully narrated by Chante Ellison and Nola Vance. Ivy's choices will make your eyes go wide, then your head will shake and you'll continue reading immediately. The lengths this woman will go in order to exact revenge are both compelling and insane. Highly recommend The Perfect Ruin for thriller fans!

4.5 stars rounded up

The Perfect Ruin tells the story of Ivy, an angry woman who has been in and out of foster care and blames Lola Maxwell, a rich and influential woman, for her pain and suffering throughout the years. The reader does not find out what actually happened into well into the story, so I won't spoil the story by including those details here. Ivy hatches a plan to get back at Lola, and inserts herself into Lola's life to befriend her, and then ruin her life in return. The first half of the story is told from Ivy's perspective and voice, in the form of letters that Ivy is writing to her therapist, Marriet. The second half of the story alternates between Ivy's perspective and Georgia's, the live in house keeper at Lola's house. Ivy's goal is revenge, and she plans it out perfectly to ruin everything that Lola has going for her.

This is the ultimate revenge story. As I said, Ivy really wants revenge for the wrongdoings of Lola many years ago. Lola has moved on with her life, apparently forgetting the incident that was so important to Ivy. That just makes Ivy that much more angry, and determined to fulfill her revenge plot. All of the characters have their own agendas, and one of the characters is the one that is really holding all of the puppet strings. There were several surprises in this book, and twists that I definitely wasn't expecting. I really liked that unpredictability, and that made for a really interesting and wild ride.

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

***** AUDIOBOOK REVIEW *****

At about Section 17 at around 7 minutes there was a same sentence read twice by the narrator.


I did NOT see that happening at all! The Perfect Ruin is the perfect revenge story. The story centers around two key people, Ivy and Lola. Ivy is a 27 year old that has struggled with mental health issues after losing both her parents at the tender age of 14. She's hungered to know who was behind the wheel of that other car. The one who killed her parents and never paid. Lola a high class. She has a nonprofit for pregnant woman. She's kind and loves her friends, she does anything for those friends. But she was behind the wheel of that car and ruined Ivy's life.

I found the characters to be rather interesting. They all had alterior motives. The storyline was a bit slow in spots but I couldn't stop listening. Shanora Williams killed this story. It's all about revenge served cold and slightly deserved. The narrators,  Chante Ellison and Nola Vance, were amazing. I'm not sure which one narrated which character but it doesn't matter. They both brought these characters to life. Ivy's character (narrator) was amazing. She portrayed Ivy's anger, her obsession, her desire flawlessly. Georgia's character, narrator, was chilling and calm... is that possible? It has to be, because that's exactly what she was. It was all completely fascinating. 


<i>I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook from NetGalley with the hope that I would leave an Unbiased Opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that... my opinions.</i>

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Thank you to NetGalley and RB Recorded books for the early listen. Hmm, what can I say not to thrilled with how the book ended. Meaning there might be a part ii. And I will listen to that one too. The narrators did an okay job narrating. They didn't differentiate between the characters but still easy to follow which character was talking/thinking. Very interesting story and it will keep you wondering.

I enjoyed this audiobook! The narrator was pleasant and hilarious at times.

Ivy’s life is ruined. She blames Lola Maxwell, a Miami socialite who seems to have it all. Everything that Ivy believes she should have, and would have, if not for Lola.

Ivy is determined to ruin Lola’s life the same way Lola ruined hers.

This book is ridiculously entertaining. I loved it!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

10/10, highly recommended!

I had no idea who this author was, and I didn't love the cover.....but man this one blew me away!

About half way through I thought I had it all figured out, but I was still listening since the writing and the perspectives were good....but the last 1/4 of the book is wild ride and you'll never see the end coming!

Can't wait for more from this author!

I received a complimentary audiobook copy of THE PERFECT RUIN by Shanora Williams for an honest review. Thank you to Recorded Books and Netgalley for the chance to read and review!

THE PERFECT RUIN begins with Ivy Hill. She is a young woman with a difficult past. She’s been in therapy trying to deal with the aftermath of a terrible tragedy that ruined her childhood. She’s never known the identity of the person who caused the event which caused her whole life to spiral, but she has that name now. Lola Maxwell is to blame.

Ivy begins a long con, working to infiltrate Lola’s life of wealth and privilege. Ivy is smart, working her way into Lola’s life and those of the people around her. Ivy narrates her every step in the form of letters to her therapist. She talks about her past, slowly revealing what has happened back then and in the present. More characters and stories come into play and the book works toward the coming ‘perfect ruin’.

In sitting down to write this review, I realized that I flew through this book so quickly that I never even logged this as a read on Goodreads! I finished the entire audiobook in about 24 hours and was gripped throughout, needing to know what was going on. Second person narration can be a bit hit or miss for me, but I think that it really worked here to draw me in to the story Ivy was laying out.

This isn’t a book where you are going to find any of the characters particularly lovable. Ivy has had a rough life, so I did feel for her, but at the same time her actions were engaging to read about, but horrible too. Lola’s world is full of wealth and privilege and you are left wondering about how she ruined Ivy’s life and how much she feels guilt for that (if at all).

The author does a fantastic job throwing in twists and keeping up the pace as she counts down to the ‘perfect ruin’ to come! This is one I would absolutely recommend to those who enjoy a fantastic character driven thriller!

This is a review of the audiobook, narrated by Chante Ellison and Nola Vance.
This was an intriguing opening, a tale of revenge between Ivy and the woman believed to have ruined her life, Lola Maxwell.
Firstly, the plot was fairly gripping, but at times I was so frustrated by the lack of clues as to why Lola did indeed ruin Ivy's life, but on balance I think this was meant to add to the intrigue and mystery, and it made the read more suspenseful as I had to know what Lola had done.
The characters were on the whole, strong, but I'll be honest. I was a fair way into the audiobook before I realised there were two narrators! Their voices sounded far too similar to me, and I don't think one had enough of a role in the story in the early stages for me to care about her.

𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦!

You know you read a fantastic book when you decide to start with a few chapters and end up reading it in one sitting.
It was twisty, shocking and explosive. I was hooked since the first page and it was impossible to put down.

Thank you NetGalley, Recorded Books and Shanora Williams for this ALC.

𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦: 𝘛𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘺 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘊𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘞𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘍𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦, 𝘊𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢, 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘈𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦.

https://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx/

Ivy Hill's family and childhood were taken from her in a brutal tragedy and she has little will to live until the day her therapist hands her the name of the person responsible for destroying her world, a well-liked billionaire named Lola Maxwell. Ivy places herself into Lola's circle of friends and quickly becomes her best friend so she can bring her down and ruin her life. The Perfect Ruin is a story of revenge, and Ivy definitely serves it up to Lola.

I could not make myself like Ivy, nor could I feel sorry for her and her situation, she was too much for me. She was just evil, and I could not relate to her at all. I also didn't like Lola, so I struggled a lot while reading since I found no one in this book to connect to at all.

The story was a wild ride and it started out strong, keeping me turning the pages, but somewhere it just dropped off, like the author didn't know how to keep the intensity up, or how to end it with a bang. I found my mind wandering while I read and eventually skipping over parts to finally get to the end.

Wow guys, this one was SAVAGE! These characters were truly toxic, petty, spiteful, vindictive and vengeful, but damn did I ever love every minute of it! 😂

I found this one to incredibly entertaining and deliciously diabolical - I devoured it! It was devious, juicy and perfectly twisty! The multiple POVs worked flawlessly with this storyline and the cruel and truly wicked cast!

All aboard the hot mess express - you don’t want to miss this addictive and wild ride!

4.5 rounded to 5 for goodreads

THE PERFECT RUIN is a delightfully devious story of sweet revenge. Ivy Hill’s life is upended with the tragic death of her parents. Years later, Ivy discovers who is responsible for the accident: the exorbitantly wealthy Lola Maxwell. Lola is living a lavish Miami lifestyle without consequences for her actions. With calculated vengeance, Ivy seeks retribution for Lola’s misdeeds and the unfolding train wreck was addicting!

Shanora Williams has crafted an insidious story told in multiple POVs that kept me engaged until the last page. She had me genuinely rooting for people making despicable decisions; that’s the sign of a great book. The characters were well-developed and cringe-worthy in all the best ways!

Audiobooks are always taken to the next level with multiple narrators, and this book is no exception. Chante Ellison and Nola Vance truly brought this revenge plot to life.

RATING: 4/5 stars
PUB DATE: July 27, 2021

A big thank you to NetGalley, Recorded Books and Dafina for and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Narrator 5 stars

Hi there, I need to break this review down into 3 parts
Part 1 - 3 stars

Part 2 - 1 star. This section I found boring and started to lose interest

Part 3 - 3 stars

A great read. Full of twists and interesting characters. The plot comes off a bit cheesy but it draws you in and you can’t put it down. Thank you NetGalley and Recorded Books for the ARC

I did enjoy this book as Ivy tried to weasel her way into Lola’s life because she found out she was responsible for killing her parents. Well Ivy might think she has the upper hand but she is wrong. There are other players trying to take Lola down. Unexpected twists!