This was a well-paced and detailed story with a good level of plot and character development.
The main characters were likeable and relatable although at times it felt like the story was a bit far-fetched.
It would be really difficult to see someone building a wholesome and healthy relationship so quickly after escaping such horrific abuse - at times it felt like the romance was a little forced.
It would have been more realistic for there to be a greater time lapse before transitioning into the new relationship.
The family network of the male character was warm and loving which was nice to see.

Mia is fleeing a horrible situation and needs a job. Max is a grumpy, bossy Architect who doesn’t really think they need another employee. Luckily for Mia Max’s partner sees potential in Her and gives her a job which solves one of her problems but she still has so many more. Mia tries to fade in to the background but things happen and Max can’t help but see her. Their attraction grows, but Max has trust issues due his ex leaving him and Mia has major trust issues due to her past. Max comes across as gruff & rude, but under all that he is a caring man. I liked his relationship with Teddy. Mia realises that her priorities as a teenager were a bit screwed up and blames herself for getting into the situation she did. She doesn’t believe she deserves to be happy, but she is bright and loving and wants what’s best for her loved ones and they love her in return. The other characters in the book definitely add to the story. (Prime minister’s wife did annoy me a bit). Someone pointed out in a review about the mentions of eye rolling and I must admit I did notice it (but might not have if I hadn’t read about it before). This book made me think and the ending left me feeling hopeful.

This book was a nice romance with an important message about domestic abuse as well. It's never too late to change your life and escape your abuser. I thought it was well done.

I love Susie Tate's writing and the way her stories feel realistic as well as whimsical. These are real people with real struggles finding their happily ever afters through humor and perseverance. Romance doesn't get much better than that.

Mia is desperate. On the run from an abusive ex, broke, hungry and injured she applies for a job with a architectural job with a fake resume and disguising herself. The author does a great job of providing the reader with insight to Mia and her plight, along with Max and Verity who own the architectural firm with two totally different viewpoints of Mia. Max comes across as gruff and angry but with a soft side....I loved his doctor friend and while I thought this book was another rich guy who saves the girl type of book, this book held it's own and the character development was outstanding. Enjoyed this book even though it came with heavy DV. I read this book for an honest review via Netgalley. All thoughts are my own.

Mia escaped a life that was abusive and has applied to be an IT personnel at Max's architecture firm. Although she does not make a favorable first impression based on her appearance and mannerisms, she has the skills and know how to do the job effectively. Mia is rather timid and shy and prefers to blend in the background with as little interaction with other people as possible. She's also hiding her true identity so that poses a few obstacles for her while she tries to sort out housing and food. Max is the resident grump who lacks interpersonal skills, but is incredibly talented at his creativity in eco design. Add in his large build with gruff voice and he's rather intimidating, which causes Mia to shrink away, especially when overhearing how much he finds her lacking as an employee.

I liked the way Mia was portrayed, that felt very realistic as far as her experience as an abuse victim and distrust of others, particularly men. While she went through a lot of trouble to hide her situation, it seems odd that nobody really picked up on it even though people were skeptical and knew there was something that she wasn't telling. I loved the scenes were Mia would share raw emotion and hurt so that the others could truly see how strong and capable she is. Yet she needed a lot of TLC to bring her back to a point where she could feel comfortable in her surroundings and trust others. The way Max stepped in was in definite contrast to his initial behavior and rash judgment. Both Mia and Max are not who they seem at first and as the layers peeled away, they reveal the true person inside who finds comfort and so much more in the other person.

I also liked the secondary characters and the events that took place to bring Mia to a point where she could finally live her life freely and happily with the necessary support around her. It's a good survival story of a woman's journey from being a victim to taking charge of her own life and forging a new path that allows her find independence and love, in addition to respect for herself.

I enjoy Susie Tate books, so was pleased to spot this one.

There are some serious domestic violence issues in this book that any reader needs to be aware of. The isolation of the victim by her abuser, the guilt she feels when/how she escapes, the shame, the long slow recovery - its all here and makes for an appalling picture of just how women get trapped and how hard it is to "just leave". Its just not that simple when someone is emotionally, then physically abused. Yay for Susie Tate shining a light on these issues.

I liked the characters too - Mia isn't a Mary Sue, which makes her all the more realistic. She's a mix of selfish, materialistic (formerly) as well as (mostly) good. Max isn't perfect either, although he has a heart of gold hidden down there as well as his own insecurities and issues. She and Max fit well together. And i liked Max's teenage "son", that was lovely.

All in all a good if sometimes hard hitting book.

Unperfect is the classic story of a woman on the run who falls in love, which just so happens to be up there as my number one favourite romance genre trope. I’ve read as many books with this trope as I can find, and I was so excited to see this brand new novel on Netgalley featuring this trope prominently as the main plotline. Be still my heart!

What makes this book really special is the characters. I absolutely love when the hero and the heroine aren’t automatically attracted to each other. There’s no insta love for Max and Mia! On the contrary. Because Mia has dyed her hair black and has been living on the run, she’s lost a lot of weight and resembles a goth (which, in this case, is a bad thing). Max, true to his blunt and harsh personality, rudely points this out in front of her. Despite a rocky start, their romance is incredibly sweet and gradual–a true slow-burn with all the feels. Mia is fragile, yet resilient. Max is gruff on the outside with a soft and gooey interior. It’s clear that they’re perfect for each other, and I loved watching their story unfold.

Even the side characters are phenomenally written, particularly Max’s son and his sister. They’re built up as three-dimensional people who support the plot and even have potential for their own romances down the line. (I know his sister will definitely be getting together with his best friend, and I’ll definitely be here for that.)

While this book is about one of my favourite tropes, plot-wise, it doesn’t really do anything unique with it. The story goes the same way that this story always goes. That said, if you enjoy this trope, the ride is quite enjoyable. It’s just the right amount of angsty. The entire story is laced with suspense, but not so much tension that you can’t pause to appreciate the sweetly romantic parts.

All in all, I recommend this book to those who are love a sweetly angsty romance that features a woman on the run falling in love with an unexpected hero.

Cute read but a little melodramatic. I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of enemies-to-lovers, down-on-her-luck books. Do not expect highly sophisticated writing, but an entertaining read.

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC!

TW: Graphic domestic abuse
Overall I enjoyed reading this book, but I don't really have much to say about it.

This is a book about domestic violence, love, friends, and family and finally finding your strength to start over. I loved the characters especially Max and Mia. I highly recommend this book.

This really did tackle my need for a pretty good women’s fiction book I really did love this. I enjoyed the characters and sentiments in the book. I did drop a few times with tears I did get emotional but that’s usually what happens with these type of books anyway. I really did love this so 5 out of 5 stars!

Susie Tate can always be counted on to deliver scrappy, underdog heroines paired with gruff, surface alpha-hole, but secretly melty cinnamon roll heroes, who are initially absolute arses to the heroine, but later are utterly appalled at how badly they acted and will do anything to make it up to her. Unperfect was true to this formula while dealing with the horror of domestic abuse and how badly it can affect the victim and their self-esteem. This book definitely needs a TW for domestic abuse as it happens both in flashback and on page, but it's an important issue to shine a light on and I commend the author for doing so.

Mia was a bit twee, Max was a bit over-the-top rough exterior, but still, I loved the relationship that grew between them. I especially loved that once Max understood a bit of Mia's past and current mind-set, he was very careful to check in with her and make sure she was okay with whatever he was doing, provide her with an escape route, not touch her unexpectedly, etc. In addition, I think the author did a good job in showing that Mia needed therapy and time to tackle her issues, she wasn't just instantly cured by lurve. I also loved Max's relationship with his outwardly sullen teenage stepson, who was dealing with his own issues, but who stepped up and proved his own decency once he realized how badly Mia needed a friend. My thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Susie Tate has knocked it out of the park with this book.

I am sometimes a bit reticent to read books where one of the characters has suffered abuse. Authors can be too quick to move the storyline on and it can feel a bit false. Not the case here.  The characters were written in a very believeable way and they were given plenty of time to develop relationships without it feeling false. It does feature some heavy material though so please bear this in mind if you read it. My favourite Susie Tate book so far.

This book was unsettling in that it made you think about the effects of domestic abuse. I did feel it was handled well. The romance was built slowly which seems realistic. The journey of the heroine also kept you guessing. All in all an interesting book.

This was a pretty interesting read actually. I really enjoyed it for what it was and liked the characters. I do love the opposite ended type characters where one is the grumpy and the other isn’t and this 100% delivered. An easy 5/5 stars I really appreciated the direction this went in and despite everything really loved and enjoyed it!

This was a great book dealing with some heavy topics. The hero (Max) is a grumpy marsmallow. And the heroine (Mia) is trying to recover her life after being in an abusive relationship for years. It has left her stripped of her home, her safety, finances, and family. The book really is about Mia learning to trust others and build back her life. I really enjoyed how Max and Mia slowly become a couple. It felt right considering what she had been through before. The side characters are wonderful and I really hope Yaz and Heath get a book.

I received this book at 7am and could not put it down until I finished. I had wished I had started it at night so I wouldn't have gotten so anxious when the hubs and kids wanted to do things. I kept repeating "just give me a little time" and then sneaking off with my kindle to continue reading.

"Unperfect" is a little heavier than Susie Tate's normal -- pulling from her experience working with women who have experienced DV. Don't get me wrong, ST doesn't shy away from women who have experienced dark times, but this is directly after a dark time, rather than something that happened in the past - so we're still seeing this heroine healing externally (finding a place to live, healing physically, etc) on top of the psychological and emotional healing.

It was interesting how the supporting characters interacted with Mia and it felt true to real life. I kept expecting that there would be some more reaching out, or some direct discussions between supporting characters that indicated they KNEW and are working out a way to show support. Instead, it was little actions that we, as readers, are picking up on to know that Max, Verity, and Yaz are good people and are trying to help. They seemed to guess know that Mia was going through things, but waited for their opportunity, rather than rushing in and saving the day. Overall, it was really Mia's story and her healing path, and the supportive people she meets along the way.

The best part was seeing the main heroine flourish with the support of the characters surrounding her. Susie Tate is so good at keeping you on the hook while introducing those secondary characters, who I hope will get their own stores someday VERY VERY VERY VERY soon. Can you tell that I'm already waiting for the next book?

3.5 stars.

“(…) You young people – always with the drama. (…)” (Quote from ARC)

A very realistic take on domestic violence, “Unperfect”, by Susie Tate, features relatable, engaging characters and their developing relationship and affection.
I liked the characters in this story, particularly the large, gruff, intimidating hero who has such a soft heart, and the difficult relationship with Ted (a great character, too).
The emotional ties, friendship and affection between the characters were strong and heartwarming to watch.
The portrayal of domestic violence and its lingering effects on victims was spot on, it felt very realistic and well done.
I also liked the tension and some mystery surrounding Mia in the beginning.
Some of the things happening at the office, for example Yaz’s actions, didn’t make much sense. Ignoring or sort of forgetting the villain for a while seemed inexplicable. Sometimes the interactions didn’t seem to be happening between adults.
Later in the story I found myself skimming parts and felt it could be shorter.

“Though she be but little, she is fierce.” —Shakespeare

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 🖤💜🤎💚💛
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📙📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌎🌏🌍🌍🌍
Character development: 😍😕🙃☺️🤩

The heroine: Mia (a.k.a Number Five) - just out of an extremely abusive relationship, Mia is hiding from her ex. She has cut her hair, died it black and wears heavy eyeliner. She is homeless and recovering from a vicious attack which left her with some broken ribs and a fractured and dislocated shoulder.

The Hero(es): Max - a brilliant architect with an up and coming firm. Max has recently gained some fame after speaking the truth in his own grumpy growly way. He is prone to outbursts in the office when things aren’t going his way, and he doesn’t think they need an IT person since he is used to things the way they are.

The story: Mia gets a job working at the architectural firm Max co-owns with his friend Verity using a fake name and altered references thought her background in IT is solid. She tries to stay as invisible as possible but Max notices her from the very start.

I liked how deeply this book went into the psyche of Mia as an abused woman in hiding. However, I thought in this day and age the people she worked with must be pretty dim witted not to have picked up on her situation a lot earlier. There were a ton of things that spoke to her being abused and homeless, not in the least the way she flinched from men and how she almost never ate at work, but the few times meals were provided for her she ate like she hadn’t seen food in days.

Aside from that, the book was very good. I loved that the Author (Susie Tate) put titles on all the chapters, it seems like authors don’t do that much anymore, but I liked how they were a tiny blurb of what is to come in that chapter. The book was told in both the Hero and the heroine’s POV which I love as well.

I liked the fact that Max was grumpy, abrupt and easy to yell out his frustrations, but really was a big teddybear inside. It was cool that his nature was compared against Mia’s abusive husband Nate who was cold and calm but then lashed out violently which made her more anxious because she never knew when it was coming.

I think the author has either been in an abusive relationship or did some great research because some of the situations in this books between Mia and Nate were chilling to read. I was married to a man like that, though not as rich and some of the passages in this book could have been from my life directly. It was that realistic. I liked Mia’s strength and determination as well as the people she ended up surrounding herself with.

I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.