The Perfect Place is a quick, fun read with multiple POVs and plot twists, however, the unlikeability of the characters made it a bit difficult to keep engaged with the plot. I liked the intrigue of the plot, which included an influencer and a French chateau. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Pub Date: Aug 1, 2024

#ThePerfectPlace
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I loved the idea behind this murder mystery/thriller. The main character Elle is a famous Influencer (making this very relatable currently). The book could get a little diluted at points due to the multiple characters and pit points trying to weave together and would have definitely benefited from a tidier end point that wrapped things up more neatly. I loved the setting and that the place she purchases comes with a strange contract. Also while she is keeping her past secrets, her fiance is keeping secrets of their own. It was a quick read!
3.5 stars!
Thank you for the ARC

Elle Littlewood is a famous influencer with a big secret and troubled past. She jumps on the opportunity to refurbish an aging chateau in France, despite the strange and challenging demands placed upon her by the contract. Her fiancé Will is keeping his own secrets. Interspersed throughout the book are chapters with an Inspector investigating dead bodies found at the chateau, that the reader is kept guessing about. The Perfect Place is a quick read, there are several plot points going on at once, and more detailed character development would have pulled this engrossing story along to a more compelling conclusion. Still, there are multiple twists and surprises to keep the reader’s interest. With thanks to Netgalley and Canelo for this ARC. My opinions are my own.

The Perfect Place by Amanda Cassidy first caught my attention with its gorgeous cover, but the substance between the pages really drew me in.

Elle Littlewood is a popular lifestyle influencer who is engaged to be married. When an opportunity to purchase a chateau in France at a rock bottom price comes along she jumps at the chance, knowing she will gain legions of new followers. Yes, there are strings attached to the purchase, but Elle will do whatever it takes to keep her past in the past, and not jeopardize her brand, whatever the cost.

This is a dark tale of intrigue that I became invested in quite quickly. Social media inundates us daily with images of perfect lives, but it is interesting to consider what goes on behind the scenes, and the price that one is willing to pay for followers. This is my first novel from this author, but I am anxious to explore her previous titles.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for an ARC.

This book was amazing from start to finish. I forgot I was reading a book I just got sp lost in the story. Pick up when it hits the shelfs in August.

3.5 stars! I thought this was a solid debut. The story taking place at a French chateau was a lovely setting and unlike other books I have read before. This was a quick read, entertaining and had multiple perspectives. I think the ending was a little rushed, not many of the characters were likable, and I don't some of the character perspectives to be unnecessary. However this was a fun read, with a very interesting concept (influencer filming her dream wedding) and over all I would recommend to fans of Rachel Hawkins and Lisa Jewell.

The life of an influencer is 24/7 and beset by challenges. So as a home decor influencer, Elle is excited to have found the perfect place with which to demonstrate her refurbishing talents.

So what if the old French chateau she will be working on is badly rundown? Surely that will just provide her with even more of an opportunity to showcase her creativity!

And she needs this opportunity badly. Elle has secrets that would not go down well with her audience and she needs to ensure that her status is firmly established once and for all. But things may not work out quite the way she has planned...

Amanda Cassidy is a talented writer and I was excited that she has a new book out. The theme of this story is a little different from her earlier efforts but it is an entertaining and engrossing read which will appeal to her fans. This one gets 3.5 stars.

I raced through this book as I loved the setting and the plot and found it to be a quick easy read but found it missed the shock factor as I expected a bit more as I have read the authors other two books. The opening chapters stood out the most and had me intrigued from the start. The title and cover is also very eye catching! Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this arc.

An ok murder mystery.
The characters were all very unlikeable and i really struggled to get to the end.
Who died, i didn't care.
Sorry this was not for me.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

I really don't know how to feel about this book. I really like the plot and the idea behind it, but I found it a bit bland in parts and feel like it could probably be a bit shorter. It's a slow paced murder mystery type book, although you don't know who the victim actually is until the end which I enjoyed. I liked that each character had their own story playing out alongside the main plot, although couldn't particularly warm to any of the characters. Unfortunately it was all a little bit predictable, with no real shocking twists. I liked the writing style, and enjoyed the flicking between different times and POVs, but I felt a bit more mystery and suspense could have been added.

A fun, quick & twisty read! Multiple POV leads to multiple twists that keep you guessing.

The ending could have come together a little better; it seemed a little weak for how captivating the story had been. But overall a great read!

Thanks to Netgally & Canelo for this copy.

An influencer jumps at the chance to restore a decaying chateau in France, not realizing that if it looks too good to be true, she should probably take a huge step back and carefully consider her options. The prologue makes it clear that, before this is all over, the police will be investigating a bloody death. Every few chapters, another scene with the police will add a few more details, just enough to make the reader wonder who the victim will be. But all of the characters are so unlikeable that it doesn't really matter who survives or doesn't.

This was fantastic. I really enjoyed reading it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Elle Littlewood is an influencer. Her producer, Sue, tells her about a chateau in France that is being sold for a low price. Elle falls in love with the place and knows that it will gain her more followers. She goes ahead with the purchase, which has a small 'catch'.
Her husband to be, Will, is not happy that Elle has bought the place, he has money problems which she knows nothing about.

Sue is very envious of Elle, who she sees as a person who has never had any problems, and has grown up with an easy life. She could not be more wrong.

Elle, Will, Sue and the house itself has secrets.

I enjoyed this novel immensely. Elle has such a sad past which she is trying to put behind her, and loves Will almost smothering him with her adoration. I am not sure he deserves Elle! Although I don't think she was as blind to his faults as she seemed.
The mysteries in the book unfold slowly, the reader doesn't even know who the victims are when the police arrive at a very bloody scene.

Thanks to Netgalley and Canelo Crime for the opportunity to read this book.

📖 ARC Mini Review

PUB Date : July 31st 2024

If you’re looking for a quick easy little mystery that is filled with twists & turns and multiple POV’s then The Perfect Place is your next summer read.

Struggling influencer Ellie Littlewood has the opportunity of a lifetime , could it be too good to be true ?

When Ellie and her fiancé Will have the offer to renovate a run down Chateau in France for a VERY cheap price and film the progress to grow her Social Media accounts and incoming sponsors , Ellie seizes the moment and says YES…but there is one catch , the owner of the home gets to still live in the house and is paid monthly until they pass away and the deed is theirs !!

Quickly we stumble into a bloody crime scene , now it’s up to detective 🕵️‍♀️ Dupont to break the case !

Will Ellie’s dreams of becoming one the biggest influencers be shattered or will she kill whomever gets in her path to own it all ??

For a debut novel this was a fun , light easy read , however I felt it lacked character building and not enough grit on the bones to be a powerful read with a weak ending .

However I’ve been known to be a bit of an outlier so don’t let my review stop you from picking this one up !

Thank you NetGalley , Canelo and Amanda Cassidy for this ARC !

Respectfully Another Read by Angie

🙋🏻‍♀️QOTD: Do you like reading debut novels ?

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I absolutely loved the author’s previous novels which were both original and emotional reads. The Perfect Place is a very different novel, it is set primarily in a chateau in the South of France which influencer Elle buys in order to increase her social media presence and income.
I found it disappointing that the author chose to use a social media influencer as the main character as there seems to be an overuse of such characters in fiction and I found I could not relate to Elle at all. In fact all of the characters are hugely dislikeable and I had little interest in what happened to them by the end.
The novel did start out well and I liked the descriptions of the chateau and was intrigued by the character of Leonard and his missing wife.
However , sadly the plot became formulaic and unbelievable and was a disappointing follow up to the authors previous excellent novels.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Oh this book was SO good!!!! So intense and just kept me on my toes the whole time, I loved it! Highly recommend

What a great book. It was entertaining and was a must read from start to finish. Pick this one up on publication day.