Perfect Little Lives was simply... weird... I'm normally not one to bat an eye at strong opening lines, concepts, and themes, but I was instantly turned off when I started reading this book. It was trying for a shock grab that simply didn't land for me.

The theme of the book was also ambiguous... was it a thriller? a mystery? a romance? Also, highly dysfunctional romance plots just don't do it for me, I hate reading about people being... well... stupid for no reason. There are ways to incorporate sex/spice into books without completely diverging from the main plot. The bizarre relationship between Simone, Hunter, and Simone's boyfriend was just... unnecessary in my opinion. If you're going for a love triangle at least try to be a bit unique and make it polyamorous and dynamic.

It made me wonder, does Simone actually want to prove her father innocent or was that just a framing device for her sexcapades? Also like... where is the proof that her dad is innocent? It's almost like the main plot was just an afterthought.

Also, the original friendship with Hunter and Simone was just... odd... The age gap at that age is weird and with the sexual implications feels grossly inappropriate. I wouldn't go so far as to say it normalized grooming but it at the very least was super ick.

I received an advanced copy from Netgalley and this is my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for my copy of Perfect Little Lives!

This was not what I expected it to be. When I first read the plot, I was sold because I love these types of things. The wrong person is in prison and his daughter will do anything to exonerate him. Amazing plot. But this one fell through for me. It can't decide if it wants to be a dark romance or a domestic thriller. There's too many unnecessary $3x scenes, the love triangle is just cringe and some of the sentence construction was making my head hurt. English is not my first language so that probably is the culprit but I don't know. Some of the sentences are too long.

Simone is also very unlikeable. Her dad is wrongly judged and that's what she did with every single person she encountered. Her claims is basically things she thought of with no concrete evidence like it happened with her dad. She's such a hypocrite and just not nice. Also, that age gap when she's 9 and Hunter is 15. I don't know if I'm just sensitive or what but it kind of bothered me. There's definitely some undertones of liking each other. Might just be me.

I definitely did not enjoy this one and it kind of made me sad because it seemed really promising. Oh, well. Definitely not for me.

This book is written by two authors, and it was sadly one where the writing style felt like there were two authors. I really just struggled with the writing in general. It was an odd combination of sentences raning from very long, to very short. I counted one sentence that took up three lines with my size 1 font kindle, and it was over 50 words, with one comma. That’s just too long. Then there was the odd mash up of genres. I love books that cross genres, especially romantic thrillers, but this one didn’t work for me the way I wanted it to and I never could put a finger on what genres were trying to be portrayed. I also struggled with the characters. Simone is the main character and while I don’t mind unlikeable characters, I do struggle with naïve characters and Simone is very naïve. While she did experience some growth over the course of the book, her character was pretty unredeemable.

I think that with some editing this book would have read a lot better and been easier to handle. I do think that this book is also mis labeled genre wise and hope the publisher can fix that. Labeling this as a dark romance would help reach the target audience better.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

A little more spicy than suspense but still a decent read. I enjoyed the book overall but was not expecting the darkness of the romance.

Perfect Little Lives is a thriller about a woman who is determined to prove her father's innocence in her mother's death. When Simone was a child, her father was convicted of her mother's murder... The problem is, Simone knows he is innocent. Now ten years later, she sets out to clear her father's name and release him from prison... But the murderer is still out there, and Simone is certain it is someone who is still close by.

This was a lovely, slow-burn read with interesting character development. It takes its time, but it is worth it as the complexities of the characters help feed the narrative as it picks up and propels you toward the end! Reading the insights into the life of a Black girl/woman contending with racism and prejudice is clearly founded on the authors' experiences, and I loved the fact that they felt safe enough to share some of those vulnerabilities with the reader.

This feels equal parts romance and murder mystery, which checks two big boxes for lovers of those genres. I really enjoyed watching Simone grow and get more in touch with what she knew she deserved. The ending had my heart pounding! Although I guessed the rough sketch and narrowed it down to two suspects, I wasn't sure which way it was going to go. I still think ONE of the romantic interests deserves a massive throat punch, though.

Thank you to NetGalley and the authors at Graydon House for giving me the opportunity to review an e-ARC.

This was a very interesting read. Honestly at first I was confused at what was going to be the main plot in the story. I wasn't sure if it was going to be her relationship with dad, her relationship with her boyfriend, or her journey in her job. There was just a lot going on. Once it got going and I figured out that we were trying to solve her mom's murder, I was hooked. I liked the storyline of her trying to get her dad exonerated. I liked that she was working with her old neighbor to piece things together. I liked the conflict between her boyfriend and her old neighbor. I think more could've been added there to make it deeper. I think more tension with them at work or after she saw him on his date would've added more to the characters.
I thought the characters were pretty surface level. There wasn't a lot of depth to them, I couldn't picture them in my mind. It was almost like the characters were obsolete, except the neighbors mom. I honestly can't even remember any of their names. There was a hint of deep trouble between the neighbor and his parents. More into that would've developed the characters more. I liked that the mom ended up being the killer. It was a good twist that I saw coming but still thought wrapped up the story nicely. Sometimes it's nice getting the ending you were expecting.
The only part of the book I could really picture was the setting. I liked the scenes being deep in the center of NYC. I liked the contrast being in a quiet upscale suburban cal de sac. I think you could really picture the scenes of an uppity area with pretentious adults trying to out do each other while simultaneously doing nothing.

The bones of the book were really good and I did like reading it. I read it quickly. I would recommend it to people and I'd like to read more by Amber and Danielle.

I really enjoyed certain aspects about this novel. The passing seemed kind of off, but that didn't deter from the story imo. I was guessing the plot until the very end. I was shocked by the twist. I am usually pretty good at guessing what is going on but that caught me off guard. Overall, a pretty good read.

Overall, the story was very good but the sex took away from the overall plot. What was really good was that I didn't expect the ending and it unfolded in a way that was entertaining and intriguing. I look forward to other books by these authors.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Couldn’t put this down!! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I do agree with others that the genre of this book is mislabeled. I mostly go for thrillers and this book really felt like a spicy romance book. There were some twists which was nice. The story was a little slow for me and I just couldn’t get into it.

Thank you NetGalley, Amber and Danielle Brown and harlequin trade publishing for the ARC!

On Asher Lane, some secrets are worth killing for ... Simone's mother was murdered when she was thirteen.

A well written mystery with great twists and atmosphere.

….what did I just read? I wanted to like this one SO BADLY. I really did. But the writing and dialogue felt so unnatural, it kept taking me out of the story. Sure, some of the details may have been “important,” but things were presented in a way that just felt off and matter-of-fact versus how someone would actually phrase their thought in the real world.

This novel is also super unsure as to what it’s main plot is. Is it about our main character’s love life? Is it a murder mystery? Procedural? Where exactly is my energy supposed to be focused? I feel like this was two separate novels in two separate genres that were slammed together and edited in a way that doesn’t do either of them justice. It isn’t a particularly good romance/love triangle story, nor is it a particularly good thriller.

I’m not one to believe that a main character has to be like able to be well written and good, but Simone is just too much, even for a 23 year old. She’s naïve and clueless to a fault in a way that isn’t believable and made it extremely difficult for me to be invested in her and the plot.

Honestly, I can’t recommend this one. I almost gave up about 10% of the way through but stuck it out, and I don’t think the payoff was worth it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review!

I'll start this off saying that I think this book is less thriller/suspense and more of a romance with a mystery behind it. I think my disappointment overall is just how it is categorized. I expected something different.

It's not a bad book at all though. The story is interesting in that I was able to finish it rather rapidly. I think the focus on the social injustices and failures in cases like this was done well and the anger Simone has over it is not exaggerated. Probably I would've been way more angry. I definitely found myself angry over certain parts.

Simone. Now on the one hand I found her completely unlikable. I was almost hoping she would have the finger pointed at her over her mother's murder. She was so hung up on one theory and had zero evidence to go off. It was frustrating seeing her arguments thrown back at her and her just brushing them off, when how could she know better? On the other hand, knowing your father was falsely imprisoned because a lack of caring on the police would have me not thinking logically either.

In the end, we get the closure Simone was looking for and it's nice that she found herself along the way. I only wish we'd known more of the outcome of those involved.

The plot was confusing and the overall novel could've used some more editing. The main mystery was pretty predictable but none of these characters are likeable nor palatable. Am I supposed to be rooting for Simone and Hunter? Is this a romance?

First I want to thank NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Amber and Danielle Brown for my ARC of Perfect Little Lives. This book wasn’t my cup of tea but it wasn’t terrible. I thought that this was going to be a thriller and it was more of a romance. The age gap was a huge no for me. Seemed rather creepy. The story could have been better executed but had a good premise. I felt like I was just waiting for the suspense to happen at any point during this book. I would have liked more of the crime and background which could have made me more into the book. Overall the book just wasn’t for me. I do appreciate the opportunity to read it. My opinions are my own.

I believe the genre of this book is mislabeled and that is why my review, along with others, are a low rating. I chose this book because it was labeled as a thriller, but it’s more of a dark romance in my opinion. Geared toward that audience, I believe it would do well. I liked the author’s writing style and ideas, it just wasn’t for me. Thank you for the opportunity to read!

Honestly, when I started reading this one, I thought I had the wrong book - it was marked as suspense but felt more like some kind of dark romance. Plus, the age gap? Creepy. I felt the story had a good premise, but it wasn't executed well. Black men being disproportionately accused and punished by the criminal system is an important topic that I'm glad this author brought up, but the romance distracted from that and made the story feel a bit all over the place. The first few chapters focused solely on Simone and her relationship, leaving me impatient for the crime and suspense to kick in. The rest of the story felt the same...lots of great ideas that were incomplete, negatively impacting my interest and focus. I would have much rather have more background on the crime and more clues/detail to provide a more immersive reading experience.

If you are into 'spicy' mysteries, Perfect Little Lives is for you! The premise of the book was fantastic and was very well written. I found myself flying through the pages because I just had to know what was happening next!

Thank you, Amber & Danielle Brown, Harlequin Trading, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Perfect Little Lives can’t make up its mind if it wants to be a mystery thriller or a dysfunctional romance. Simone is set out to prove her dad didn’t kill her mom when she was a kid, but the plot gets lost with all the detours of sex and angst created by Simone’s quasi love triangle between herself, her boyfriend and her childhood best friend, Hunter.

Her past with Hunter is disturbing. They have a four year gap but were supposed to be BFFs prior to Simone’s world falling apart. I can’t imagine a 5 and 9 year old being that close or a 12 and 16 year old. They’re at vastly different stages of life and yet it is written with crush undertones as kids that carries into sexual overtures when they reconnect as adults.

Simone keeps saying her dad is innocent and her neighbor murdered her mom, but for most of the book there is no proof other than she believes it was shoddy police work. She does the same thing she’s accusing everyone of doing to her dad: handing out a guilty verdict without doing due diligence or evidence. It would have been a more powerful statement of the injustice that happened to her dad if she would have kept her accusations to herself and done actual investigative work to find proof and the truth.

In the end, I felt the execution was too sloppy and the twist/reveal anticlimactic and a little predictable. Simone was an unlikable character and I felt her relationship drama with her boyfriend and the multiple sex scenes were unnecessary and added nothing to the story.

This was definitely one of those books that makes someone sit and think a bit after finishing it. I felt it was incredibly relevant with today's society in regards to race and inequality. Simone lost her mother at a young age in an absolutely horrible way. This book takes us along her life as her father is wrongly imprisoned for her mother's death. It's an emotional and suspenseful read.