A thriller about an influencer trip gone wrong sounded like a great read to me but I ended up having to force myself to finish it. This book just didn’t hold my interest like I hoped it would and is not one I would recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

This one started off strong, but unfortunately fell flat for me. The characters were underdeveloped and I wasn’t able to connect to them. The plot was all over the place and I felt like it didn’t really ever go anywhere. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was sold as soon as I saw the book was centred around a group of influencers. I was expecting juicy drama and bold characters - sadly I didn’t get either of those things.

The main reason I didn’t connect with this book is because I felt like the characters behaviour wasn’t consistent throughout, and sometimes felt unnatural. Over all I think this book just didn’t align with how I see influencers, so I felt disconnected from the start.

I was also a bit put off by the over descriptive sentences. I don’t mind over descriptive writing in general, but it has to add something extra to the story. I feel like a lot of the words in this book could’ve been cut out without impacting the story.

There was a small oversight/plot hole that I couldn’t get over and it bugged me throughout the book - I won’t add it here because I don’t want to include spoilers but if you’ve read it I’m sure you’ll know what I’m talking about!

I would try another book from this author because I appreciate the idea behind it but this one was sadly not for me!

Set on a trip in Iceland for social media influencers during which one goes missing, THE PERFECT ONES is both a windy mystery and a commentary on influencer culture. The perspective alternates between the women on the trip: Texan Hollie, an established influencer whose home life is falling apart; mom Celeste (best friend of missing Alabama), who feels like an impostor despite her online success; and Alabama herself, whose obsessive nature and social media striving may have led to her disappearance. This is a fun, engrossing psychological thriller that compelled me to finish and painted a vivid picture of the darker underbelly beneath the Instagram grid.

I love a thriller that incorporates a modern twist-- influencers on an Iceland trip sounded right up my alley. Unfortunately, this never quite caught my interest. While the characters were interesting, the story lacked propulsion and I struggled to keep them straight (Hollie and Celeste were, to my mind, very similar and I had to frequently remind myself who was who based on the other people in their lives). I wanted to like this a whole lot more than I did.

Y’all. I tried. The influencers didn’t bother me. The plot didn’t bother me. The ending didn’t bother me. The story taking forever to get anywhere did. I was like surely we are getting somewhere near a climax and I looked at my % read and I’ll be darned if I wasn’t even 40% thru the book. I’d already started and stopped it a few times at that point. I feel this book could be really good but my word it goes on and on and on.

I hate to leave a negative review bec I do believe authors put their hearts on these pages. Best I can do is not publish mine elsewhere.

A mystery that takes place in Iceland sounded like an exciting premise to me. Unfortunately I did not find The Perfect Ones a satisfying read. The back-and-forth timelines were too chaotic. I wish the chapters had been organized differently and had instead been presented in a way that moved the story along better, but the experience was more frustrating than fun. A great thriller/mystery has an ending that packs a punch and this one fell flat to me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane for the advanced review copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the premise of the book; the reality vs appearance of an.Influencer. Everyone wants to be them, but internet fame comes at a price. It is definitely relevant in today's social media driven society. What is also true is that I don't care for influencers, and I did not like any of the 3 characters who are influencers in this story. That does not mean I didn’t like the book! It means the author did a fantastic job in character development and creating an engaging story.. This is a very well written book.

We meet 3 Influencers, Holly, Celeste and Alabama, in their homes and personal lives. All are bound for Iceland to participate in an Influencer's trip at the request of a fabulous new marketing campaign. Alabama goes missing. With no leads, the Icelandic police start their investigation by focusing on the two influencers seemingly closest to Alabama on the trip. Celeste Reed, Alabama’s best friend of ten years, and Hollie Goodwin, fitness guru and Alabama's unwilling idol.

Celeste has been distracted by her five-year-old’s behavioural issues and her husband’s refusal to admit that there’s a problem. What Celeste doesn’t reveal is how she has been coping with these worries and how it involves Alabama.

Hollie has the fabulous husband, the body, and over one million Instagram followers. In reality, however, Hollie came to Iceland to escape the implosion of her life behind the screen. The only person who suspected something was amiss is Alabama.

As secrets are revealed and loyalties are tested, the question remains: do we control our online image, or does our online image control us?

Highly recommend for a fun read!

"Missing. Like they might later find her stuck between the cushions in the couch."

Social media influencer Alabama Wood is missing. She disappeared while on a sponsored retreat with other influencers to Iceland. This was an interesting whodunit with some serious sociopaths for characters.

This was suspenseful but there was so !such going on--three POVs and several timelines--that I struggled to keep it all together. Otherwise I did enjoy this book and the many surprise twists.

This thriller was a touch too predictable for me. And perhaps the whole self-centered influencer bit hit a little too close to home? Not that most bookstagrammers have much in common with these ladies, but whatever it was, I kind of hated all of them. Okay, synopsis:

A group of female influencers head to Iceland on a trip sponsored by one of their partner brands, PinkPurse. Most of them don't know each other well, but Celeste and Alabama have been friends since college. Alabama's obsession with another of the influencers, Hollie, starts to seem strange to Celeste, but she's a bit distracted with her own personal life to intervene. When Alabama suddenly disappears, Celeste is racked with guilt, and Hollie is harboring secrets about that night too.

There is a LOT going on in this book. Three POVs, multiple timelines, and a lot of names that are difficult to keep straight because the characters are basically all the same brand of superficial insta-girl. I think the story was pretty engaging, but I did figure out where it was heading more or less immediately. So, not a surprise. The end was also a bit flat for me? Regardless, it held my attention and I appreciated the short chapters. It's one of those "just one more chapter" books where you keep saying that until all of a sudden, you're finished.

Thank you to Nicole Hackett, Crooked Lane, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

THE PERFECT ONES is a gripping and suspenseful read with a thoroughly modern storyline and sensibility. The author does a fantastic job of skewering influencer lifestyle while treating the reader to a fast-paced romp in an exotic location. While some of the characters are not necessarily likable per se, I didn't expect them to be, so that aspect was not disappointing in the least. Also, the back and forth timeline works very well for this time of story.

This would make a terrific movie!

Give me a book about influencers and an exclusive trip to somewhere like Iceland and I know I’m in for some crazy! In this book you get 3 POVs, and multiple (close) timelines. There were multiple surprises in this book and I loved every minute. It was definitely a slow burn, but not enough for me to get bored! I don’t know why I’m fascinated (or disturbed?) by all the crazy, but I am 😂.
There are definitely some trigger warnings warranted and some major issues being dealt with. But I thought this was a fantastic debut by Nicole and I’m really looking forward to seeing more from her!

Thank you for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

This starts out a little...wobbly? Like the author was headed in one direction and then did a complete 180 about 10%~ in. After the "change" I really enjoyed this. (I might have anyway but the difference in style was noticeable, so I wanted to mention it.) This makes for a fun spin on the "vapid influencer" trope and at first it seemed like just every single character was going to be ditzy and annoying. Then the characters got fleshed out and while they were still annoying (or maybe just intentionally unlikeable) it really worked for the story.
Alabama Wood is a baby influencer, meaning she has 20k followers while her friends and idols have upwards of a million. Alabama can't figure out how to break her plateau so when she is invited on an influencer trip to Iceland with some big-time influencers she jumps at the opportunity. And then Alabama goes missing under suspicious circumstances.
We get the back-and-forth time timeline, the alternating narrators, and the occasional interjection from Alabama. All of this comes together in a really fun way with this influencer trope meets suspense. Overall, a really dramatic and fun read.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC.

Modern twist on a common trope by making the main characters influences. This was a quick read that kept my attention throughout. I love the alternating timelines, as it keeps me guessing and wanting to learn more.

Thank you Netgalley & Crooked Lane for an eARC of the Perfect Ones by Nicole Hackett! I love when authors make a KILLER debut and I can’t wait to see what this one comes up with next.

This book explores the dark side of social media when a number of influencers go on a trip to Iceland and instagram celebrity Alabama Wood goes missing. Secrets are revealed and loyalties are tested as the story unfolds to find out what happened - and who was involved.

This book’s chapters has dual timelines (Before and after the trip), and multiple POVs between the various influencers that attended the Iceland trip. Throughout the novel you find out the secret details of the lives of these seemingly perfect celebs on the internet. Marriage problems, infidelity, secrets, parenting, so much more. This is an atmospheric thriller while at the same time providing that domestic suspense that I just absolutely eat up. Having a loved one on the Autism spectrum, I think the author does a really great job addressing the topic of seeing and understanding behavioral issues in one’s child and also noting the differences between girls and boys being diagnosed. I appreciate the way the topic is handled in this book and think it will enlighten others who aren’t don’t know much about the topic.

A great book to fly through on the beach on my honeymoon. Thank you Nicole!

Everyone wants to be them, but internet fame comes at a price…
Two days after arriving in Iceland for an influencer trip, Instagram celeb Alabama Wood goes missing. With no leads, the Icelandic police start their investigation by focusing on the two influencers seemingly closest to Alabama on the trip. Celeste Reed, Alabama’s best friend of ten years, and Hollie Goodwin, fitness guru and Alabama's unwilling idol.

Three strong women presenting to the world as such, but are they really so strong? Looks can be deceiving and these women are going to find out that there is more to each other than what they may presume, lives that some are very jealous of and wish for themselves, Initially drawn by friendship and fascination of each other, dire circumstances will evolve which will bring all three together closer than in ways they have never imagined. I guess it is like the old saying 'the grass isn't always greener on the other side'.

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would and found myself quickly wrapped up in the story. Out of each of the three characters Celeste seemed the most real to me, I found Hollie and Alabama a little harder to warm to then again this this is what keeps the pace of the book moving. I found this to be more drama than thriller but it did keep me guessing all the way through.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and published for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

What I liked:
Great imagery and descriptions of the settings.
Celeste- I felt she was the most relatable character in the book.
The dueling perspectives
The pace- it was a fast read

What I didn’t care for:
Another story about influencers where they end up being as vapid as society thinks they are. That especially goes for Hollie. I found it hard to like her or care about her story.
Alabama- her untreated mental disorder was more sad than anything.
The twist turned out to be lackluster. The ending just left me scratching my head.

I really wanted to like this book because the premise sounded very interesting. I don't know much about the influencer lifestyle but was intrigued by a story centered around this topic and having one of the influencers go missing on a trip.

Unfortunately, it wasn't my cup of tea and I gave up reading it after a third of the way through, so this review only covers the first third of the book.

The writing style wasn't my personal taste. I had trouble visualizing what was happening because there wasn't a lot of description and the sentences weren't very clear at times. One example is when one of the characters described her husband as wearing "work things," and didn't go into any detail about what those "work things" were. A suit and tie? Scrubs?
I also didn't like any of the characters so I had a difficult time getting immersed and emotionally invested in them and their world.

I'm still curious to know what happened, but not enough to read the rest of the book. It just wasn't the one for me.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.
I really wanted to like this one but it just wasn’t what I expected. I think I expected more of a mystery. Instead it was full of unlikeable characters and back and forth time frames. This just was not for me. I had to force myself to finish it.

I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for a review. I would like to say that I appreciate and understand what the author was trying to achieve with this book. A commentary on the effects of social media and keeping up an image hidden under a mystery/thriller type story. It just fell a little flat for me. I felt like there was so much time focused on the back stories of the characters instead of the actual main storyline itself. It was a good short read though.