I just couldn't get into this suspense/mystery thriller set in Miami about revenge. I found myself really struggling to connect with the characters or care too much about the story line. This isn't my go-to genre so my expectations are high to begin with and this one was just mediocre for me. Recommended for fans of The last Mrs Parrish. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ALC.

I absolutely loved this book! The entire time I kept wanting to know what the tragedy was and how it happened to Ivy’s family. It kept me wanting to not stop listening to this book. Both narrators were awesome!! Especially when they narrated what was going on in each persons head, it had me laughing out loud at times. There is a twist at the end that made me say “oh crap! Now what?!” Would definitely recommend it, especially the audiobook.

This was my first ever audiobook and i gotta say, I enjoyed It more than I thought I would.

At first, it was a hard to get into because I zoned out every few minutes and I forgot what had happened, but as I listened to it more, I started get into it and focus solely on it, it was pretty interesting to say the least, gripping, kept me on edge, and of course, can't forget the plot twists.

Ivy Hill’s parents were killed when she was young and she was raised in foster homes. She had a very tough life and was a difficult teenage, often getting herself in trouble. The book opens with her as an adult, visiting a counsellor to work through her feelings. When she is ready to be discharged, she is given the name of the person who destroyed her world. She hatches a plot to infiltrate Lola Maxwell's life and ruin everything for her, even better, she wants to take over her life and it seems like she might just get what she wants.

The Perfect Ruin is an entertaining story. There were parts that were a bit slow for me, so there were times I loved this story, and times it was just okay. It's a multiple POVs storytelling with wonderful narration by Chante Ellison and Nola Vance. I felt for Ivy and all she had gone through, but she crossed the line a few times. For her, it was all about revenge. Lola was a character that I liked one minute, and detested the next. She is rich, pampered, adored and at times, MEAN. She treated her household manager terribly and it cost her a lot. This is one of those books that is over the top, so you need to suspend belief, but if you can do that, it is an interesting story. The story seems to go along as expected, then Wham! A twist that completely took me by surprise and blew this story up. This is one of those books that I kept reading/listening to, but there were times that I was a bit unsure. I recommend this to lovers of thrillers with huge twists. The story is told from multiple POVs, so having two narrators for the audiobook helped to give the various characters their own voice. The performers used their expression, emotions and tone to add interest to the story.

This book captured my attention because I’m a HUGE fan of the show Revenge. This book fell short for a few reasons. The pacing was very uneven. The most excited chapters were only a few pages long, followed by longer chapters in which the main character called everyone selfish/lying/fake bitches. I typically love books where everyone is evil but I like know why they’re evil. The narration was quite good. The readers tone and voice acting kept me drawn into the story where the plot was lagging.

Rating: 4.58 stars
Enjoyment: 8/10

Ivy Hill hides a dark secret, and she waited over a decade to exact revenge on the woman who destroyed her life. The time is right, and she is now on a mission to infiltrate Lola's elite circle. Earn her trust and make her pay for what she has done.

I read The Perfect Ruin as an audiobook narrated by Chante Ellison and Nola Vance, and they did such a fantastic job bringing this story to life. I could easily follow the story and distinguish the characters. Their narration brought the characters to life, had an excellent flow, and was very pleasant to listen to.

Before reading The Perfect Ruin, I didn't know that this is Williams's debut thriller, nor has she written over 30 romances before. I wouldn't say I like romance novels, but I need to say that the romantic subplot was well done, and it didn't compete for the thriller limelight. I have to give Williams props for that. It is not easy to make that transition. She has the talent to continue to write a thriller, and I wish she continues!

This book has a tight plot, organic twists, and well-developed characters, and Williams was not afraid to experiment and make her protagonists own their questionable choices. The women in The Perfect Ruin and FIERCE and calculating. I don't believe there was a single person that wasn't grey. It was hard to root for any of them, even when it was hard NOT to root for some! This is definitely a book that I will carry with me for a long time.

On a last and important note, I love the representation in this book; the main characters are all women of colour as is the author. Overall I enjoyed Williams's writing style, and I recommend you check The Perfect Ruin out if you can handle some romance in your stories. And if you're a romance fan, you should check her over 30 books backlist too!

Disclaimer: I first read it as an ARC. In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to Shanora Williams, RB Media, Recorded Books, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of The Perfect Ruin

Ivy Hill lost her parents at a young age in a car accident. It was a hit and run and the other driver was never found. Ivy attended therapy for years and in her twenties the driver is reveal to her. Ivy immediately seeks revenge on Lola Maxwell a wealthy boutique owner the driver who left her parents to die.

This novel was a fun to listen to and keep my attention. The dual narrators were a perfect selection. It was a little over the top for me, but I liked the twists. Thank you Netgalley, Sharona Williams, Dafina Publishing and Recorded Books for this audiobook.

Ivy Hill wants revenge and goes to great lengths to get it! Initially I thought things seemed way too easy and almost felt frustrated with how predictable this one was appearing. But oh was I wrong and it was deliciously entertaining! I was so pleasantly surprised with the amount of twists that this provided and I completely did not expect what ended up happening. It’s hard for thrillers to excite me or throw me off and this one succeeded… I would totally recommend this fun thriller!!

Thank you so much Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. It’s out now!

The Perfect Ruin is entertaining and wildly addicting! Just when you think you’ve got all the pieces put together, a new flaw in one of the characters comes strolling out and changes the game again. The narration was well done as well. Totally made it easy to see the story right before my eyes.
Most of the characters are awful people who want to portray that they’re lovely, which unfortunately is all too common these days, but Ivy. Oh Ivy. Her life was destroyed one night and as a result she starts seeing a therapist to help cope with everything. One day the therapist gives her the name of the woman behind everything Ivy has lost, and Ivy makes it her life’s work to destroy Lola, the woman at fault for all Ivy’s destruction, at any cost. Lola is. Florida socialite and married to a plastic surgeon so she has it all, and I’ve is determined to take it all just like I’ve had everything taken from her.
There are some “wait! What?” Moments, and at times the plot is out there, but it really quite works! This is my first book by Shanora but it won’t be my last.
The narrators, Chante and Nola do an excellent job of bringing the characters to life, while not going over the top with their portrayal of them. Even with the uneven pacing of the book at times, I stayed involved with the story and that was due to the performances by the narrators. Well done.
Entertaining suspense that you can read or listen to and get sucked in but not have to overthink it all. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4
Thanks to RB Media and Netgalley for this Audiobook arc in exchange for my review.

Well that was a twist ending I never saw coming. Maybe I should have, but the rest of the book was a continuous stream of happenngs. Fast paced with always something new going on with the storyline, this book will draw you into they crazy lives of Ivy and Lola and the people that surround them.

There honestly isn't too much I can say about this book that isn't already stated in the synopsis without giving anything away. The way Shanora weaves this web of lies, deception and secrecy is great. You may not be shocked by every turn of events, but you will be shocked.

I was fortunate to enjoy this one on audio and it was fantastically done. I loved the narrator who always seamed cool and collected like Ivy, even thought there was so much more going on behind the scenes.

🔥 Rich Revenge 🔥

Quick Note: Spoilers omitted from this review. You can find them on Goodreads and Audiobooks Nest.
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❤️️ Deception, revenge, desire and bad intentions all coalesce in the Miami heat. Our main character, Ivy, smuggles us into the realm of the highest echelons of society. And there, we follow her plot to wreak vengeance on socialite Lola Maxwell.

💜 And when I say vengeance, I mean it. This book goes for retribution with every single last gun ablazing. The hook, the line, the sinker, they are all long gone. We are in Ivy's head and she is bitter and angry and vengeful. Lola ruined her life and she will ruin hers. Yes please.

💚 I enjoyed the glamorous side of this. It's always fun to spend time in the lap of luxury. It made me ponder about how people cling to wealthy/famous people, faking friendship for their own gain.

💛 I went back and forth on how to rate this. I found the sexual content uncomfortable (just not my thing) and couldn't connect with Ivy's choices - with regard to Cory in particular. She seemed to get distracted off course from her mission. But then I realised that I was viewing this from my disillusioned, world weary perspective. Ivy is young, naïve, compulsive and has grown up without familial support. Her choices reflect that. The four stars are for the quality of the writing and expression of this.
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SOUNDBITE

🎧 Chante Ellison narrates the majority of the story from Ivy’s perspective and embodies the character's determination, anger and instability perfectly. She has a gorgeously sultry voice that was oh so easy on the ears.
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SHALL I COMPARE THEE TO...

Revenge must be in the air because this reminded me of How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie, another recent listen.
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Big thanks to NetGalley, Shanora Williams, RB Media and Recorded Books for providing me with an ALC in return for an honest review.

In a nutshell: I liked this book more than I had expected. It will click with you if you want a light and entertaining suspense thriller that you can read without taxing your brains much.

Story:
27 year old Ivy’s happy childhood was destroyed after a tragic accident. For many years, she has been struggling with mental health issues. Now at last, she has discovered the name of the woman who ruined her life: Lola Maxwell, an uber-wealthy socialite with a heart of gold when it comes to charity. Ivy now has just one agenda: plotting and executing “the perfect ruin” for Lola.

The characters in the story are quite interesting. At the start, Lola is the perfect angel with the heart of gold, and Ivy, though seemingly justified in her vengeful agenda, comes across as an angry bitch. But soon the layers start unfolding and you begin to see the other side of these two personalities, and of those around them. Not a single character in the book comes in black or white. They come in a whole spectrum of gray. I didn’t like any of the characters, nor did I feel sorry for any of them. It felt like they got what they deserved. The story is an ode to “what goes around, comes around” but in a sinister way.

My fellow Indians will understand me when I say that this is a perfect “masala” story. (In fact, it will adapt very well to the screen!) The way Ivy plans her way into Lola’s life and becomes an integral part of it is quite farfetched but a lot of the loopholes get explained along the way. (And whatever can’t be explained is ignored conveniently.)

This is the first thriller by romance writer Shanora Williams. And I sure am grateful that I didn’t know this fact before, for two reasons:
👉 I’ve had a bad experience earlier this year while reading a debut romance novel by an accomplished thriller writer. I had decided never to try authors venturing beyond their core writing strengths.
👉 The type of romance novels Ms. Williams has written aren’t my type. (Nothing against those who enjoy them. Just that I don’t enjoy steamy romances any more.)
So this book came as a pleasant surprise. For a debut thriller work, the author does a pretty good job, putting in twists at the right places. The second half of the book is especially well done in this regard. While her romance speciality shows up in the sex scenes, I’ll disregard them (though they were not at all to my liking) because they helped establish the character of the characters.

That is not to say that the writing is perfect. As I said, whatever doesn’t fit in with the narrative is disregarded. There are some plot points that just don’t make sense. A bigger flaw is in the content structuring. The story is presented to us in the two perspectives:
1. Ivy, 1st person, with the narration addressed to her therapist.
2. Another key character who shall be unnamed in this review, 1st person, with the narration addressed to Ivy.

The content provided doesn’t suit these styles. To provide just one instance, if this second character (a relative stranger to Ivy) is writing to her, why would she write something like “he pulled on his boxers and answered me”? It sounded very artificial. There is no problem with the 1st person used, but the content would have worked better if it were directed not at another character but to the reader in general.

The audiobook is narrated by Chante Ellison and Nola Vance, and they both do complete justice to their characters. I did initially feel that the voice for the second character sounded older than necessary. (The character was just 41 but the voice sounded like the narrator was much older than that age.) But she read her part so well that I ignored the voice-age mismatch. I would definitely recommend going for the book in this 10 hour long audio version because its flaws get downplayed and its strengths highlighted because of the excellent narration by both narrators.

If you can suspend the logical side of your brain and treat this story purely as a mass entertainer, it will work better. At first, I was dawdling between a 3 and 3.5 for my rating because the first half was almost straightforward and formulaic, generating a sense of “seen this, read that”. But just as I resigned myself to having picked up yet another predictable thriller, the twists started arriving and my rating (and enjoyment) crawled upwards before finally settling on a pretty decent 3.75. I did enjoy my experience with this book partly because of lower expectations from it. It’s not a must-read but a decent one-time read if you choose to go for it.

Before I forget, I must mention. The title is brilliant and suits the book perfectly.

Thank you, NetGalley and RB Media, for the audio ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Ivy Hill was fourteen when her parents were killed. After that day, Ivy vowed to find out who was responsible for their deaths, and to make them pay.
When she turned eighteen, Ivy finally got her answers. Now she could finally plan her revenge, and get what is rightfully hers. All she had to do was carefully place herself in their life, and slowly take it away from them. No one can stop Ivy's plan for the perfect ruin.

Woooahhh. Talk about revenge to the next level! Ivy Hill is full of bitter rage and uses it to fuel the fire of her mission. At first I was put off by how angry she was, it was setting a really mean tone for the book. But as I read more, and got to know Ivy, and her reasons, I was on board with the plan. I wanted her to succeed, to make Lola pay.
I went from hot to cold through the whole book. One minute I'm team Ivy and then team Lola, it was a Rollercoaster of confused emotions that Shanora Williams played out perfectly. Then the twist hit in the last half of the book. That was a little like riding the Rollercoaster off the rails.
I do have to say I didnt like the last few pages, the lastminute add in. If Williams had left it alone, it would have been the vindictive villian ending it deserved.
As an audiobook, the narrator nailed it. I mean she slayed it. She was Ivy full throttle, and sweet Lola. I loved her buttery voice when she was in a sexy situation, and her nasty voice when she was the hateful Keke. She was a whole cast herself, and made the book next level good. I recommend this book in audio, to get the full Ivy experience.

Title: The Perfect Ruin
Author: Shanora Williams
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🔊Song Pairing: Sabotage - Bebe Rexha

💭What I thought would happen:

I had no idea! The only thing I knew was that it was going to blow me away and that it was a fantastic thriller and ahhh that it was!

📖What actually happens:

Ivy has suffered a traumatic childhood due to one event that set the course for her life. She soon finds out from her therapist who is to blame for all her woes after all these years, Lola Friggin’ Maxwell.

Lola is an exceptionally wealthy, philanthropic wife of a plastic surgeon in Miami (she lives a good life obviously). Ivy snakes her way into Lola’s life with full intent on ruining everything she built.

🗯Thoughts:

This book is thrillingly maniacal. Just wow. At no point is there a plateau; it is a downward spiral throughout the entire book. I simultaneously wanted it to end and to never end at the same time. What excellent writing!

At no point do I like any of the characters involved. All are self-serving asshats. It was like reading The Real Housewives. I was engrossed in the drama from the first chapter. Ivy is just beyond devilish, I wanted to see how her plan would work out but knew that no matter what she would never get any closure from her revengeful scheme.

Bravo, Shanora! If you want a thrill pick this one!

Thank you NetGalley and Dafina for the ALC. Chante Ellison and Nola Vance are fantastic narrators!

Dishy, diabolical and delightful! This is a first domestic thriller book by a romance author, and it shows in the tone, which is gossipy and fun with a few sizzling sex scenes. I would call this one more of a domestic drama than a mystery — even though it has a good central mystery theme and some murder, it feels more like a dishy book about revenge between women. Which I enjoyed.

Ivy, who narrates most of the book, is out for revenge against Lola for reasons we don’t learn until much later in the book. Her plan of revenge is fun to follow from the beginning, even as we begin to see that Ivy is a pretty terrible person. And we wonder if what Lola did can really be so bad as to warrant this plan? The reveals are fun and the audiobook is well-narrated. This is the kind of book to listen to when you don’t want to think too much and just want to sit back and be entertained. And entertained I was! Things get a little outlandish and soap-opera like towards the end — yet Williams totally pulls it off and the book is unputdownable from start to finish. Oh the drama and the craziness!

Thanks to Kensington Books, NetGalley and the author for this fun thrill ride. I hope Shanora Williams keeps writing thrillers. I will keep reading!

Oh my word... Hahaha!. Shanora Williams slayed it!! 👠👠

The Perfect Ruin is entertaining and super addictive. It's a multiple POVs storytelling with wonderful narration by Chante Ellison and Nola Vance.

This novel has some obnoxious characters, but the author made them likable (How does she do it?). Ivy's life is ruined and has been seeing a therapist. Ivy believes Lola Maxwell is to blame. Lola is a Miami socialite charity queen and is married to a top plastic surgeon. She has it all! Ivy wants to ruin Lola's life.

The plot is ridiculous, but please roll with it! There will be a couple of twists along the way some rather surprising than others. Frankly, I didn't know who will come out on top in the end and guessed it wrong. All in all, The Perfect Ruin got me hooked from the start. This is my first novel by Shanora Williams and I can't wait for her next thriller!!

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝:⁣⁣⁣⁣
◘ I love a good revenge story... if done right.
⁣⁣⁣
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐝:⁣⁣⁣⁣
◘ Ivy was just so... horrible. I think I would have liked this more if she was a bit relatable or kind. But instead, you got a cruel bitch that was out for revenge with little to no redeeming qualities. To be fair though, all the characters in this book were rotten.
◘ The pacing was so weird. It started out strong, continued to stay interesting, then it just dropped off. I found myself scanning through the end just so I could be done with this.
◘ The bits of steam sprinkled in felt off. It was weird and borderline vulgar?
◘ The first and third-person alternating between parts/chapters really threw me.

This was such a highly anticipated read. Revenge stories are my favorite so I had super high hopes for this. But the plot fell so flat because the intentions for the what, why, and how were just... bland. Nothing special, nothing super original. I was expecting the life-ruining moment to be a bit more fateful than what it was. It's hard to enjoy a book when you have no one to root for.

The Perfect Ruin

“You are just a woman. A woman with hate in her heart and darkness in her soul.

You hate yourself, so you take it out on everyone else. You are scorned. Broken. Pathetic.

You will suffer at my hands.

I will ruin you . . . and you won’t even see me coming.”

With a prologue like this I knew I was going to be in for a wild ride and this book did NOT disappoint!!! This story was told in dual points of views with shocking twists and revelations that I DID not see coming. At one point I felt like was catching flies with the way my mouth was hanging open while reading. I love a thriller that can keep you entertained and on the edge of your seat while reading and this book did just that and then some.

The characters in this book in my opinion are all trash. The moment I tried to feel sorry for one of them they would go and do something lowdown or a twist was revealed. I didn’t like anyone of them which made the story even more entertaining for me!

I’m shocked that this is Shanora Williams first attempt at writing a thriller because this story was solid. The pacing was on point and definitely a favorite read of mine for this month!

Audiobook Review:

I loved the dual narrators and they both did a great job with bringing this story to life. I’ve never listened to either of them before and will definitely add them to my favorite narrators list. Each character sounded different and at no time was I confused as to which characters point of view I was listening to as the story went along.

Ivy Hill is out for revenge! A tragic crime upended her whole life, and she has not been able to move past it. When Ivy’s therapist reveals the name of the person who has caused her so much pain, she sets out to take revenge into her own hands.

This novel is one where the least you know going into it, the better. The pacing is fast; the ‘revenge plan’ was fun and filled with lots of drama! I didn't care for Ivy from a character standpoint, but she was well-written and very entertaining.

I listened to the audiobook version of this novel and loved the narration! Voiced by Chante Ellison and Nola Vance, both narrators did a great job bringing the characters to life and building tension as the plot unfolds. Ivy was given a revengeful tone which worked well to amplify her revenge scheme.

The Perfect Ruin is a JUICY domestic thriller with surprises you won’t see coming. Pick this one up as your next beach read!

Many thanks to RB Media/Recorded Books for providing my review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you so much to @kensingtonbooks for the gifted copy.

I really enjoyed this twisted tale of obsession and revenge. It was compulsively readable, and I absolutely cruised through it. The Perfect Ruin is set in Miami, and I loved this look into the lives of the ultra-rich. The story is told mostly through letters between the characters, but I’ll let the reader figure out why! I thought this was a really interesting device through which to convey the story. I was anxious to figure out what happened to Ivy and why she hated Lola so much.

I don’t want to give anything away, but just know that everyone is lying, everyone is up to something, and the twists keep coming up until the very final page.

Audiobook: Overall, the audio production was great. I thought the narrator was a perfect fit for the story.

There was a passage at the end of Section 17 that repeated twice, but I’m sure that will be edited out before the final version.