What a great thriller! I went through so many emotions reading this book, because it was hard to know which characters to trust and believe. It was full of twists, just the way I like thrillers to be. This was my first book by this author, but I will be reading more of her books in the future!

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for an early copy of Her Perfect Revenge. This was a Fantastic read, I'm sad it is over with. The characters, plot, fast chapters all made this book a Winner, LOVE books like this!!! What a Great idea for the Plot and I was surprised at who Alex was with but I knew he was up to no good. Not much happened with the sister and parents, they seemed to be just there. Great Read, thank you again.

"Her Perfect Revenge" by Lesley Sanderson is a thriller that kept me engaged but left me with mixed feelings. I'd rate it 3.5 stars.

The story starts with an intriguing premise: a newlywed couple's midnight swim ends in tragedy when the groom, Alex, drowns. This sets off a chain of events where Felicity, the bride, becomes the prime suspect. What's even more bizarre is that Alex's previous fiancée, Beth, had also drowned at the same beach years before. The connection between these two deaths forms the backbone of the plot, and it's one of the book's strengths.

However, the narrative perspective sometimes felt disjointed. The shifts between perspectives were not always clear, making it confusing to follow whose viewpoint was being presented. A more structured approach with distinct chapters for each perspective would have improved the reading experience.

Editing issues also cropped up, with pronoun errors and inconsistencies in character relationships. These distractions detracted from the immersion in the story.

The use of anonymous chapters to reveal details about Alex and the killer's perspective felt unnecessary. It could have been more effective to let the story unfold naturally rather than rely on these anonymous interludes.

While I anticipated some of the twists, the identity of the killer took me by surprise and made sense in retrospect. The dual timelines, exploring the friendship between Beth and Felicity alongside Felicity's relationship with Alex, added depth to the narrative. It raised questions about Felicity's true nature and kept me guessing.

However, certain character decisions, especially those of Felicity, felt puzzling and required more backstory to justify. Additionally, the inclusion of the swim group in the wedding seemed odd given their description as mere acquaintances. If they played a significant role in the story, they should have been more fully developed.

In conclusion, "Her Perfect Revenge" is a decent thriller with some well-executed twists and an engaging dual timeline narrative. However, it could benefit from tighter editing and more thorough character development. It's a suitable choice for readers new to thrillers, but those seeking a polished and seamless storytelling experience might find it lacking. I appreciate the opportunity to read this book through Netgalley and Bookoture in exchange for an honest review.

What can I say? It's not often I'm genuine surprised by the twists in a thriller but this one had things I never saw coming! It's writing over a dual timeline but unlike most books, it's not back and forth, back and forth..... you get a few chapters in the past and then a few in the present and it just made it a much better flow for the reader. He friendship between the characters was so well written and real that I couldn't help but genuinely care about what happened. Such a good book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

This is my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it. Without giving spoilers, I had a gut feeling about one of the twists in the book but definitely didn’t guess the ‘killer’ so was pleasantly surprised with the ending. Always satisfying when the book surprises you! I’ll definitely read another book by Lesley Sanderson.

I loved everything about this book.
The friendship between Felicity and Beth warms the heart.

There are plenty of times throughout where you think certain things will happen but I can promise you will be surprised by what actually happens.

A must read and another author to put on my favorite shelf.

This was an interesting story with some unexpected twists and turns.

The story starts in the present at Alex and Felicity's wedding. They're big ocean (lake? open water) swimmers and are doing a midnight swim with their guests. Alex doesn't return from the swim and Felicity is the primary suspect.

The story switches to 3 years in the past when Alex and his fiancée Beth initially moved to the area. They joined the swimming group and Alex worked/s with Felicity. Beth tragically drowned during one of the swims. Beth and Alex were the happy, perfect couple - or were they? (Since it would be a lame thriller if the answer was "yes, they were as happy as they seemed", you can probably guess that it's a "no"). And was something going on with Alex and Felicity before Beth drowned? Even though Felicity was friends with Beth?

The author does a great job of telling the story in the past and present. I appreciate that not EVERY chapter alternates, but we get a few in the past and then switch to the present. It made it less jarring to switch timelines.

Some of the reveals you could guess (like that Alex and Beth weren't the perfect couple) but some shocked me, which is always a pleasant surprise since I read so many thrillers that I can usually guess where we're going. The story was well paced and I read it in 2 days. The resolution made sense and resolved appropriately (no loose ends that I can recall).

My big complaint with this book was the dialogue. I don't know what it was about it, but the dialogue felt very flat and unnatural. Some of the supporting characters in the swim group were under-developed and interchangeable, so it was hard to keep track of them.

Overall, this was a great thriller. This was my first reading of this author and I look forward to checking out her other books.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this advance review copy.

A twisty & compelling psychological thriller told in two timelines (past and present) with multiple POVs.
The plot is well woven with intricate layers filled with deception and intrigue. Plenty of well developed characters providing unreliable narration so you don't know who to believe. While figuring out one of the characters early on, this did not spoil the rest of the story. Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for the ARC.

This book was AMAZING. I finished it in about 3 days. There were so many twists and turns that by the end of the book I was not expecting what happened in the end. I also love how the book is told in the past and present.

I loved this book. Couldn’t put it down from the time I started reading this. The characters are all well developed, and it is a twisty, interesting tale. Normally quite good at guessing the identity of the killer, but I didn’t in this instance. Highly recommended for an escapist read. You won’t be disappointed.

I thought this was a really great read, well paced with lots going on -
Alex's character is vile, he is charming on the outside to friends and colleague's but to Beth,
his finance, he is controlling, not allowing her to have a friend or a life independent of himself.
Felicity is Alex's co-worker and Beth's friend unbeknown to Alex - Beth confides in Felicity after
Felicity see's bruising on Beth's skin that Alex is harming her.
What takes place their after is the main plot of the story and there are no spoilers here.
A great story, I loved the swimming aspect of it, I could feel the cold as the swimmers took
off into the sea!
Great book.

QUICK REVIEW AS I READ A FRIEND/CO-WORKER”S COPY AND WROTE MY REVIEW THE MOMENT I WAS APPROVED!! 

 
Synopsis (From Netgalley, the provider of the book to review)
*******************************************************

On the surface we were the perfect couple, but no one knows what we’ve been hiding…

Just six hours ago, Alex and I were married. It was a beautiful wedding by the sea, on the beach we’ve always loved. Our guests crowded outside our beach hut to raise a toast before our first midnight swim together as man and wife. And then, suddenly, he was gone, drowning in the water that meant so much to us.
But instead of being able to mourn in peace, to get to grips with my awful new reality, the police are here. It seems they don’t think Alex’s death was an accident. And I’m the main suspect.

I know I’m innocent, but I also know we both have secrets. And to my horror, it seems Alex’s were worth killing for. But who in our wedding party could have wanted him dead?

I thought I knew the man I married but I couldn’t have been more wrong. But then again, he didn’t know the real me either. I’ve been hiding from the truth for so long. And then I realize: what if it wasn’t Alex’s past that was coming back to find him. What if it’s mine? How far will someone go to expose my darkest secret?

A nice deep and dark mystery that will keep you guessing who the guilty party is right up to the end. Delightfully twisty, I will recommend it far and wide as it was a ripping yarn with layers of deceit and secrets…and it will also make you question your friendships and what deep, dark secrets people have within them.
#shortbutsweetreviews

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

How far would you got for love? For friendship? For revenge? This book deals with some answers to these, and then some. There was so much plotting in this by so many different characters, that it made guessing the complete ending a bit difficult. While I had my suspicions about one character/scenario in particular (which turned out to be accurate), the main murderer evaded me for a bit. It's not filled with much misdirection, it's actually pretty straight forward as to how everything comes together at the end, so it wasn't the twisty thriller I'm used to. But overall, I still really enjoyed this read.

Sizzles with tension, desire, and a forever-escalating sense of menace! Let this supremely enjoyable thriller whisk you up, up and away. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

2.5 stars rounded up.

HER PERFECT REVENGE was my first title by this author. While the storyline seemed engaging, I had an issue with the lack of character development. The characters all seemed wooden and one-dimensional, even down to the stilted dialogue.

The plot twist was mildly interesting but mostly underwhelming.

There are plenty of great reviews for this book, so don't let my opinion sway you. I'll try another book by this author to see if it was just this book that didn't click.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this early read. This title will publish October 18, 2023.

I finished this book in a matter of hours. I could not put it down. At first I thought I knew who did it, but I quickly learned I was wrong. The story switches back and forth between the past and the present. I liked the pacing and thought the clues and information was provided in a way that doesn't overwhelm the reader. I did have a few lingering questions at the end, but overall I thought the aithor did a great job with the ending. This murder mystery book is definitely one of my favorite reads of the year and is one of my favorite reads ever.

A real page turner. The wedding appears beautiful although unusual in places and then the horror begins!!
A twisty tale full of red herrings with a real who done it aspect.
A quick read which i thoroughly enjoyed.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

This book was a quick intriguing read. Secrets and red herrings. The characters were mysterious. A gripping story. Why did her new husband disappear in the water? This talented author has written a page turner. Revenge. Mysterious. Enjoy. Thanks to Netgalley.

I guess it has already happened to all of us. You meet a couple and you feel like they have the most perfect, loved up relationship in the whole wide world. But do they are is it all an act?

Who do you believe? The man who is good looking, well respected and charming, always looking out for others or is there (some) truth in what his fiancee claims? One thing is for sure. If you cannot solve the problem, you just get rid of it, right...?

I really enjoyed this book, not knowing where the author would take me and I was shocked by the scheming. On the other hand I was cheering one team on, applauding their plans. The others, they had their just deserts, because after all you reap what you sowed..

Sometimes manipulators think they are clever until they meet someone who does an even better job.

Greed and jealousy can push you over the edge.

A great story and having a lovely swim in the cool sea would be ideal with these temperatures. 5 stars

Thank you

Felicity becomes a widow on her wedding day when Alex, her husband, drowns and it is discovered that everything was not as idyllic as it seemed.
The story is told in two timelines on the one hand what happens in the present and on the other the past events that have triggered the events.
The story is fast but the characters seemed to me a little flat and bland, I also lacked some suspense or tension in the plot. That said, Her Perfect Revenge does have some interesting twists and turns that get you intrigued. Perfect for those times when you're looking for something easy to read.