Aoife Clifford's debut novel, All These Perfect Strangers, is a suspenseful plunge into the world of university life, where secrets lurk beneath the surface of a seemingly idyllic existence. Penelope Sheppard, or Pen, arrives at Scullin, a prestigious college, seeking a fresh start. However, her escape from a troubled past proves futile as she becomes entangled with a group of friends and a wave of mysterious deaths.

The novel grips the reader with its unreliable narrator, Pen. Her diary entries offer a glimpse into her thoughts and motivations, but you're never quite sure how much to trust. This ambiguity adds a layer of intrigue, making you question everything you think you know.

Pen seems to always be finding herself in a fix. I kept wanting to just yell at her to get things together lol it’s definitely a twisty read and moves pretty quickly. It made me realize that I don’t really miss the college years all that much.

"All These Perfect Strangers" by Aoife Clifford
In "All These Perfect Strangers," acclaimed author Aoife Clifford weaves a compelling narrative that delves into the dark and mysterious depths of human nature.

Set against the backdrop of a small university campus, Clifford takes readers on a thrilling journey through the life of Pen Sheppard, a young woman burdened by hidden secrets and haunted by the shadows of her past. This gripping novel explores themes of friendship, deceit, and the harrowing consequences of one's choices. With its atmospheric prose and intricate plot, "All These Perfect Strangers" offers a mesmerizing reading experience that will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the final page.

Clifford expertly crafts morally ambiguous characters, blurring the lines between victim and perpetrator, leaving readers questioning their own perceptions of right and wrong. Conclusion: "All These Perfect Strangers" is a gripping and intricately plotted novel that lingers in the reader's mind long after the last page has been turned. Aoife Clifford's skillful storytelling and ability to create a vivid and suspenseful atmosphere make this book a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers. With its powerful exploration of secrets, betrayal, and the depths of human nature.

I received this from *NetGalley in exchange for my review.

I flew through this book. 5 bright shining stars.

It was the perfect rainy day weekend read that caused me to forget all my house chores. I even had to be reminded I was the adult responsible for making dinner. Love a book that just sucks you in from the beginning.

Penelope Sheppard has received a scholarship to Scullin University to study law. This was the perfect escape from her small-town life and a past she is trying to keep hidden. Although she does not have any money she has high hopes for her future even though she keeps traveling back to her past.

Pen writes in her diary for her psychiatrist Frank. But is Pen telling the truth? She shares about her university life, her new friends, and partying. I always felt there was more to the story than what she was writing. Pen ultimately will have to face the truth so she can save herself from self-destruction.

There was a lingering sorrow in these well-developed characters. This was such an impressive debut novel. I can’t wait to read what Clifford writes next.

Thank you, NetGalley for the privilege of receiving an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a while to get into this book. Penelope / Pen, the main character was not catching my interest. As I got further into it my interest caught and from then I got through the book much quicker. This is a young adult, suspense book that kept me guessing to the end. I was surprised at the death of the characters and enjoyed the latter part of the book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a free copy of this book to read and review.

I didn't connect with any of the characters throughout the story and to be honest was confused by the goings on for most of the story, it was only during the last couple of chapters that it started to make sense. The twist when it came was surprising but wasn't a wow moment for me.

This was an ok book. It never quite delivered on the promise of the mystery and suspense. It opens with this promise "This is about three deaths. Actually more, if you go back far enough. I say deaths, but perhaps all of them were murders. It’s a grey area. Murder...."
I enjoyed reading but kept waiting for the "suspense" and deaths to really grab me!

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, via Netgalley and Chatterbox, in exchange for an honest review. #RHMysteryPack #Sponsored

I was given the opportunity to read All These Perfect Strangers by Aoife Clifford for free as part of the Random House Monthly Mystery Chatterbox in return for my honest review of the book.
I felt like All These Perfect Strangers was a bit of a different type of mystery. The main character, Penelope, is starting out college as a scholarship student while running away from some sort of trouble back home. We know that she was involved in a trial and that everyone is upset at the outcome. At school she tries to fit in, but crazy things keep happening around her. I wasn't sure I really liked Pen throughout the whole book. All the characters seemed pretty superficial to me. It felt like a soap opera at times with everyone trading partners, drinking it up and people getting killed. A lot of times I was more interested in the past (Pen's friend Tracey and the trial she was involved with back home), then what was happening at college. I also didn't really understand that when we finally found out what happened. I would think self-defense could have been an argument in that case, but I guess it never did end up going to trial, so who knows. Overall it wasn't a bad read (definitely read a lot worse), but not my normal choice of books. Lots of drama, a few deaths, and a little mystery thrown in. #RHMysteryPack

I could never finish this book because I lost interest in it in only a few chapters. I had actually forgotten that I had received this book from this site which is why my review is umm, a bit late.

All These Perfect Strangers by Aoife Clifford

9780399593932

240 Pages
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group / Alibi
Release Date: July 12, 2016

General Fiction (Adult), Mystery & Thriller

Pen Sheppard is a first year studying law at university. She has a hidden past and is afraid someone will find out about it. When Rachel tells Pen that she knows her secret, things go quickly from bad to worse. How much can happen

The book jumps back and forth from town with her psychologist to university. I got confused at times because I wasn’t sure if the action was happening or if Pen was recounting it to her doctor. It is written in first person point of view. To me the characters needed more depth. I did not really care about them.

Aoife Clifford just made the list of one of my favorite authors. All these Perfect Strangers is suspenseful and one of those books that stays with you long after the last page is turned. I can't wait for her next book!

The premise of the book is interesting but failed to deliver in many areas. I was also expecting some suspense, and there were many parts where it should have been. But there was nothing. The main character Pen pretty much killed the story for me. She is an unreliable narrator at best. I was never sure how much was true and how much of it she was making up as she went along. She is so completely unlikeable that I was happy she at least got some sort of punishment at the end. In fact, the majority of the characters were the same way. It was definitely disappointing since the book had such a strong start.

Overall, the book was bland and had literally no likable characters.

I would put this book in the category with Girl on the Train. It had that feel to it-- keeping you in suspense but giving you just a little more information in each chapter. It was not as intense but it kept you interested. I really enjoyed the book and Clifford's style of writing.

I received an advance copy of this book from Chatterbox and Random House.

This book could not hold my attention. It was all over the place. I might try another book from the author if it comes from the library.

This book was just okay for me because it was hard to follow at times. I'm not sure if I would read more from this author.

I really wished I liked this one more. Psychological suspense is my jam. But this one did not work for me. Unreliable narrators are usually interesting, but Pen was a complete bore. The campus life stuff was so dragged out, especially since none of the characters were likable. The ending didn’t work for me either sadly.

There's something sinister feeling about this book from the start. For one, the main character is unreliable. She lies, A LOT. You begin to wonder early on if she's lying to herself and/or us readers as well. This assumption lead me to come up with all kinds of bizarre theories and plot twists - like split personalities (ha!). Sorry if I debunked that one for you. Clifford writes really well. I wasn't overly fond of this particular story. But, she wove it into something readable; where I think others would have botched it horribly. The one thing that bothered me about Pen was that so much of what happened to her could have been avoided by simply telling the truth! I guess that's what made this a story at all, though. I received a copy of this book free in exchange for my honest review. I give it 3.5 stars.

An exploration of truth, and presentation, ALL THESE PERFECT STRANGERS really does throw harsh lights on the perception of teenage life. The hesitancy with which the truth of Penn's background is revealed matches beautifully with her personality. The shakiness of the quickly formed friendships is as revealing as the way that edifices start to crumble. The good and bad start to reveal themselves (and it's not all bad), all of which exactly as you'd expect of a group of "perfect strangers" thrust into close proximity, the tension heightened by the threat of an unknown attacker. In this instance even the use of "perfect" in the title is exquisitely nuanced. Are they "perfect" people or will they always be "perfect strangers", is what you see really what you get, or are the persona's they have all constructed as deep and difficult as that which Pen hides behind?

What did I think...hmmmm. Well I thought it was a decent book. I really did. I even waited 24 hours to write my review to think on it and make sure my thoughts didn't change. And they didn't. I still want to throw this book out of a window....or off of a roof...and possibly stab it with a screw driver. But I won't because its a digital book on my iPad and I like my iPad so no violence to the book.

With that said this book had its ups and downs. I love a good mystery but this one almost took it to a frustrating level. Its a flash back story. Meaning it starts in a present day type scenario and flashes back to the past. But the whole book takes place in 1990...flashing back to previous events to move the story forward. There are a few characters to keep up with but the main focus is Penelope as she is telling the story. She has been in trouble and got in more trouble and is trying to make her life right.

I will say it is a relatable story. Not because I got in trouble but because we have all had to make difficult decisions to protect ourselves or fit in. Pen is troubled, that is evident. She makes STUPID decisions, that is also evident but you can't help but be understanding. She is damaged and scared, of course she doesn't always choose the right path but she is a good person...right.

It was a little twisty...slightly turney and very frustrating. It does keep you guessing for the most part which is nice. I did have my suspicions but the author did a decent job of distracting me so that I didn't focus long enough to say "AH HA!". I couldn't give it more than 3 stars because of a certain reason I can't reveal...SPOILERS. It was interesting enough but I wouldn't go out of my way to read it.

SPOILERS

What the hell was that ending?!!?!? I mean the entire book I wanted to slap Pen and say STOP LYING! Stop being deceitful. You are getting a fresh start...STOP! But she always hid things. She trusted the wrong people. She hurt people. I got pissed as a college student but I would NEVER purposefully drug someone. That is some sociopath level stuff there. I also wouldn't have trusted Rogan. He was pretty but something was off from the start. I just never thought, oh stand up guy. I also didn't trust Michael...he screamed "I'm going to be a mass murderer one day"...very creepy. Rachel was conflicted but not all bad. I really liked Toby, he was a good friend.

Pen just chose wrong all the time. I never got why she lied to EVERYONE. I know her and Tracey did some bad things but I really think Pen was the bad influence. She is a manipulator. She had some redeeming qualities but she lied SO MUCH. I mean I get your friend is embarrassed about being almost raped but you tell someone. You don't save her...then lie about everything and let her take the fall for a death. You don't see something bad happen and go quiet. You don't have your SLEEPING PILLS stolen and not report it. You don't like about how someone died. Michael was going to kill her...why lie and say he jumped. Why not say "he was trying to kill me and I pushed him by accident". Its a much more believable story...more truth. After all of that I really started to distrust Pen...WHY LIE!?!?

That is why the ending made me insane. What the frick happened??? She is in the interrogation room. They have her diary and...she flashes back...way back to when she first met Tracey. To the last time she was sort of happy and it ends. What?!?! Sooooo its left open to interpretation...I guess. She was clearly guilty of something. Maybe she was the murderer all along and she fooled us, the reader. I don't know and I'll never know because it freaking ended! So was she really mental? Tracey is dead and can't help her...plus she LIED. Rogan wouldn't help her. Michael 7 Rachel are dead. Toby is probably traumatized. I don't know...maybe I'm over thinking it but I really feel like the whole book was a ruse. A ruse told by Pen. its her skewed version of reality. There was way more to it than what we are told...right?!!?


I received this book for free from House Party, Random House, & Net Galley to read and give my honest review.

Review from 2016:

I received a copy of this through Chatterbox/House Party as part of the Random House Monthly Mystery. Thanks! #RHMysteryPack #sponsored

I had a hard time finishing this one -- just felt disconnected & couldn't get into it. It's different from the mystery books I'm accustomed to, but I wanted to give it a try. I like reading out of my comfort zone sometimes, but this one wasn't as intriguing as I'd hoped. I struggled with the flashbacks & keeping characters straight, which normally isn't a problem. This writing style & story may work well for others, but it just didn't work for me because it's not my norm.