Fast paced thriller. I listen to this book and was annoyed by the narrator's child voice. "mamma' 'mamma' Heard too much. Overall good story. Figured out early that the 'source' was involved. Overall will recommend.

I'll be honest, this was a hard book to get through. The pacing was SO SLOW. I didn't feel that the majority of the information given was needed to get to the main storyline. It felt like a lot of filler.

The characters were ok, but again not interesting enough to cary the slow burn of the story. I didn't much care for any of them. The only person that I felt anything for was the daughter Rowan, who was barely in the story at all.

The "twist" was not hard to figure out and I felt the story should have focused more on the sister instead of "the secets" hiding in Lily's past. Using Lily as the main storyline, seemed like a waste to me.

On the plus side, the narrator did a wonderful job.

I honestly feel terrible putting it this way, but I need to be honest as a reviewer. I would not reccomend this book. Sorry.

First of all these are all very unlikable people and secondly if you advertise yourself as perfect know the fall will come sooner or later!
Lily is the perfect reporter, tv personality and mother her hashtag is #PerfectLily but when that is your persona there better not be any skeletons in your closet.

2 of Lily’s secrets are on a collision course to destroy her perfect life how did this happen and what is happening and who is doing this and who can Lily truly trust? So many questions to answer by the end of this book so many threads very well sewn together by the end.

This is a good twisty thriller with very unlikable characters the only one I cheering for was Lily’s daughter Rowan.

Angela Dawe’s narration was well done.

3 1/2 stars
I received this audiobook from NetGalley and the publisher Macmillan Audio for a fair and honest review.

This is my first Hank Phillippi Ryan book and it won't be my last.

Although this one didn't work for me I can see her talent for crafting a story. In this case, it's an “It's me, not you,” “maybe next time!” thing.

Unfortunately, I had a huge problem connecting with “Perfect Lily” and her daughter Rowan, making their situations of peril annoying.

There is also Cassie, another POV we're following, that is even more annoying.

Both Cassie and Lily are, oddly, easily manipulated by basically everyone.

And then there's Greer, Lily's handler, a detective, and a source who are all duplicitous and say things no one would say.

Overall, a mixed review!

⭐️⭐️⭐️


Thanks to @macmillanaudio and @netgalley for this advanced copy!

I really enjoyed this story. There were enough twists to keep me guessing until almost the end. Rowen was just a little too perfect to be real. Lily's paranoia was at first annoying but in the end justified. A little more backstory on Kassie would have been helpful. Her actions in college were questionable, so I'd have liked a better understanding of her motivations.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hank Philippi Ryan for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Let me start off saying the characters and plot could have gone so many ways, I really liked what he tried to do. With that being said, I withheld a star because I felt there was a fatal error in how Lilly, the main character, who does do a great job of projecting the perfect life, the single mother, protecting her child even from the media, is lacking in using the same so called media to her benefit to find answers in regards to Cassie.

Wow! What did I just listen to??!! So engrossing, The narration was done to perfection. So definitely keep you up at night because you want to keep listening! 🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2 star rating from me! Thank you Macmillan audio, Netgalley, and Hank Phillippi Ryan for the audio in exchange of an honest review!

Loved this audiobook! Very suspenseful, so many twists and turns. Loved the ending. I loved the multiple story lines in one- that all merged at the end too.

Her Perfect Life is a thrilling and suspenseful ride with some surprising twists and interesting characters. Lily Atwood, famous new reporter, has her own hashtag, #perfectlily, and she and her producer, Greer, work hard to maintain that image to the public eye. But, Lily has secrets and when her seemingly perfect life is threatened by a confidential source who threatens to expose all of her carefully buried secrets, Lily has to thread carefully to make sure her image is maintained. Lily isn't the only one drawn into the source's dangerous game, Lily's producer, Greer. Soon, both women find themselves in a tangled web of lies and everything they know is set upside down.

We get multiple POVs and I really enjoyed also hearing from Cassie, Lily's sister, from the past. Her past story unfolded as we also followed along with the present. None of the characters were particularly likeable, but they all had their moments and I think they were meant to be that way. There were also times that I felt they did not do a good job (especially since they were supposed to be journalist) at finding out information and often times walked blindly into situations.

There were some unresolved issues that I wish had been fleshed out, but overall, I definitely enjoyed Her Perfect Life and it held some good twists and turns! There were several plot points I was not expecting at all. The mystery was intriguing and made this a real page turner. There was lots of drama, but it made it oh so entertaining.

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. The audiobook is narrated by Angela Dawe. She does a nice job with this story giving the various characters their own voice. I enjoyed her expression, and there was something in her voice that had me feeling apprehension and concern for Lily. Well done, MacMillan Audio.

Sign me up for anything that explores the dark side of fame!

This one was such a page turner with an abundance of secrets and turns! I love when books keep you continually guessing and I was constantly being thrown for a loop!

I always find multiple POVs and duel timelines extremely compelling and captivating and I think HPR used them perfectly in this one!

This was extremely juicy and twisty and now I can’t wait to check out more from her!

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 @MacmillanAudio for an advanced copy of @HerPerfectLie.

#HerPerfectLie #MacmillanAudio #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

I wish this had been a more realistic or original idea. However, it wasn’t. But it was a successful use of the take that it did follow. Does that make sense? It will for some. There is too much repetition and not enough originality in modern “thriller” fiction. It’s not done badly. It’s just overdone.

I always look forward to a thriller by Hank Philippi Ryan. In this story we meet Lily who is a television reporter, a single parent with a daughter who she’d do anything to protect. Her producer/assistant Greer, who is obviously jealous of Lilly’s fame. And the third point of view is Lilly’s sister, Cassie, who disappeared years ago. Lilly has a secret that she has to keep hidden to keep her perfect life. I listened to the audio.

Lily Atwood is a famous social media star and while it might seem like she has the perfect life the opposite is true. Her sister Cassie has been missing for many years and nobody has been able to find out what happened to her.

One day her colleague goes missing as well and Lily is approached by a detective who offers his help to Lily.

Little does Lily know that Cassie has a dark past and she may not be as innocent as she seems.

This was definitely my favourite book by this author. I have now read three of her books and this one is by far the best. I really enjoyed the various plot twists and the ending was extremely unpredictable. I also really enjoyed the narrator of this one who was easy to listen to and kept things exciting. I would definitely say this is a must read for everyone

Her Perfect Life by Hank Phillippi Ryan is the next entry in a list of hit thrillers to hit the market. Lily Adcock is a TV news reporter and she is perfect. It is a persona she actively cultivates. She has a perfect little daughter, Rohan, one that no one ever asks too many questions about. She has a perfect life. Except for the sister she lost when she was seven. She doesn't know where Cassie went or why. She doesn't know if she's alive or dead until the day things start falling apart. Huge bunches of lilies are delivered to her home. No signature...then, Cassie...then from Cassie. She has done all the research. All of a sudden there is more research to do and Lily does it. Behind the scenes, her producer, Greer, and a source who has been good to them, Smith, seem to be conspiring, but to what end? Then a stuffed penguin arrives at her house, and she's knows it is Cassie. What the devil?

This is a well-put-together thriller that builds slowly. At every turn, I thought I had the answers and I did, but not all of them. There were surprises at every turn, carefully orchestrated, revealed slowly. Ryan is a master. It all ends, but not as one would assume it would. Lily is careful . . . almost too careful . . . to preserve her image. she is perfect, but by the end she is more perfect. Her life, and Rohan's has been enriched by the addition of unexpected people into it. It is told from several points of view, and many memories, and told effectively. It was quite the book!

Angela Dawe is the reader and she did a fine job, with her very beautiful voice, able to differentiate amongst the different characters. She did a good accent, and a good child's voice. She is going on my list of preferred readers. It made a terrific package.

I was invited to listen to a free audio version of Her Perfect Life by Macmillan Audio through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #macmillanaudio #herperfectlife

Lily and Cassie, sisters living with their single mom. Cassie is eighteen and goes off to college leaving seven year old Lily at home with her mother. After a series of unfortunate events, Cassie feels she cannot go back home without endangering her mother and sister. This loss and the failure of law enforcement to find Cassie is something the family does not recover from. Lily grows up without her sister and becomes a famous television reported but the unanswered questions of what happened to Cassie and why remain unknown to Lily, for now. But, big secrets never stay hidden, do they? I really enjoyed this audiobook and finding out what happened to Cassie all those years ago. If anything, I would have liked more character development on Cassie, who she was as a sister and daughter before leaving for college. #netgalley

There’s so much to love about this new release: short chapters, dual timelines, multiple perspectives, numerous twists and turns! All of the essential ingredients for a successful thriller, in my opinion. What I appreciated the most about this book is the fact that the reader doesn’t just get a suspenseful thriller. The storyline has strong themes of motherhood and sisterhood, which adds so much depth and complexity to the plot. The main character, Lily is a single mother, and you can’t help but feel for her as her mama bear instincts kick in while protecting her child. Parents will really connect to this story.

The story is about a sister who went missing 25 years ago and her now adult sister is an award-winning journalist that is deemed perfect but has secrets of her own. This book kept my attention to the very last page. I liked how the novel flashed from present to past and didn't take a linear route to what had occurred. This was essentially having two mysteries transpiring at the same time. The characters' personalities came across clearly in the writing. My one critique would be that that Lily's assistant at least feel some sort of remorse for her actions; however, as much as she claimed Lily was self-obsessed, we all know she was the one that only cared about herself. Thus, her reaction was simply in character. Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I really expected more from this author. However, the book was fairly decent for me. This is only my first book by this author so I hope to read more so that I can get a better picture of the kind of author Hank Phillippi Ryan is.