Not everything is rosy in the world of influencers. When the female influencers gather for a promotional trip in Iceland, they already have a well-formed opinion about their colleagues. Some have known each other personally for years.

Resentment, competitiveness, and envy are carefully hidden until one of them disappears. Was Alabama murdered?

A fast-paced novel, full of intrigues, family worries, friendship issues, and dark thoughts. Characters are vivid and relatable.

We live in a narcissistic world full of envy and power games, and it is only a matter of time before we ask ourselves if we are just puppets of algorithms, or if we still have some control over our lives.

Good read.

Okay, so up until 89% of the way through this book I was gripped by what was happening. I had my fingers crossed for an ending which wrapped up so nicely all these different lives and strings and had a poignant message about the perils of social media and frank talks about mental health. And it just didn’t happen…
I felt really invested in Celeste, Hollie and even Mallory’s storylines, but I felt Alabama’s was pushed on the back burner (much as she felt left out throughout the story) and was a tangled web of inconclusive narratives. There were important talks about lives not being what they seem online, autism diagnoses, relationship breakdowns, yet some of the biggest parts (mental illness, attention seeking online, therapy) lacked any depth.

The Icelandic-influencer-potential-murder theme had me very interested but sadly it left me feeling more confused and unsatisfactorily open-ended than I hoped to feel at the end.

I felt a little underwhelmed by this book...the author was strangely rude about Iceland, it is a beautiful country!! Why did she keep describing it as grey and ugly...?

I will admit most of my gripes with this book were little and petty like the way one of the characters described making a French press coffee as a challenging task, the fact that they call sports pinnies "pennies", and more importantly the narration was told from too many perspectives which I found convoluted.

The book was fun enough to read but not my favourite.

Thank you to the publishers and net galley for the e-arc.

It may be just my misunderstanding of social media influencers and all of their "woes," but the idea made me cringe. Overall, the story was good, the plot was ok and the character development was great. I had a hard time getting into the story, however, as perhaps I just don't understand the issue with the pressure of being an influencer and how that would drive someone to do what the antagonist of this story did. The ending did surprise with a nice twist that you would not see coming and left the reader with some thoughts. I did enjoy the parallel for one of the FMC's, whose daughter ended up being on the Autism spectrum and was struggling to come to terms with that. The overall theme just wasn't for me, but would most likely be great for someone else so I still encourage this read.

I'm obsessed with the influencer murder mysteries that seem to be a popular plot for thrillers atm and this was no different!it really did bring the influencer culture to life and did a good job of exploring that lifestyle whoch makes is so relevant for this day and age. It had plenty twists and was so captivating that I flew through it In a day! An amazing read

I have quickly learned that I am a social media influencer thriller sucker. If there’s a book about an influencer meeting their untimely death, I seem to be drawn to it and this book was just that.

A group of influencers are invited on an influencer trip to Iceland. The Instagram celebs are familiar with some of the people, but some are meeting for the first time. Alabama has a girl crush on Hollie and Hollie finds her annoying. However, Hollie is a fitness influencer, and what Alabama finds in real life is not what shes seen online. Hollie has had some struggles and is trying to figure out her life. Celeste and Alabama go way back and are close friends, but they have recently grown apart mainly because Celeste is worried about her daughter acting out and exhibiting some other symptoms that point to an autism diagnoses. Everyone is so deep into their own confusing and troubling lives they all learn what they post online is fake and doesn’t reflect who they truly are. In the middle of the trip Alabama drives her car off a cliff and is presumed dead. Everyone flies home to deal with the aftermath and ultimately they learned they forged deep friendships on the trip and learned things aren’t always as they seem.

So influencer trips are they real? How many followers do I need to be invited? Is there a book retreat where we lay poolside and read all day with endless drinks? Because that is what I need in my life! HA! This book was entertaining, and certainly shed some light into what it means to be an influencer. Mainly that it is mostly smoke and mirrors, oh and good lighting! While this was fun, it really didn’t have the elements I was looking for in a thriller like goodreads said, it was more contemporary fiction as promised on netgalley. Overall it just kinda fell flat for me, but not horribly so. For that I am giving it a 3.5 rounded down to a 3 for star purposes. I want to extend my deepest thanks to @netgalley and the publisher, @crookedlandbooks, for my advanced copy in exchange for this honest review. If this sounds interesting to you, put this one on your radar for May 2nd, 2023!

This story perfectly depicts everything that I imagine goes on in an IG influencer’s head. The comparison game is unreal with the explosion of social media.

I don’t want to give any spoilers, but if you find yourself on IG frequently, randomly scrolling all the photos of people who’s worlds appear so much better than your own, then definitely read this book.

This was a great read! Thank you NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books & Nicole Hackett for the chance to read this gem early!!

(5 Stars for the cover of this book as well! Absolutely love the pink/teal combo!)

The beautiful cover of "The Perfect Ones" made me feel like I had to read this book immediately. I probably would have requested the book based on that alone, but when I saw the reference to Lucy Foley in the description, I was even more intrigued. Fortunately, Crooked Lane Books was nice enough to approve my request--I don't think I could have waited 7 more months to read it!

"The Perfect Ones" is told primarily from the alternating points of view of Holly and Celeste, two Instagram influencers who are invited on a trip to Iceland by the clothing company Pink Purse. Celeste's best friend since college, Alabama, another influencer, is invited as well, even though she is nowhere near as famous as Holly or Celeste, despite her best efforts. Unfortunately, shortly after the trip begins, Alabama goes missing, and everyone assumes the worst.

I really enjoyed reading this--even though I never use Instagram, it's always interesting to read stories about influencers and the lengths they will go to in order to amass followers. I thought Holly and Celeste were relatively relatable--especially Celeste--and I liked that Celeste's daughter, Bella, was an important part of the story. I also did not see the ending coming! There weren't really any major negatives to this story, other than the fact that some parts felt a bit slow to me, and I found myself skimming just a little bit. Overall, I would give it 4.5 stars, rounded up, and highly recommend it to fans of thrillers that involve friendship, social media, marriage and domestic drama.

Thanks so much to Crooked Lane Books, Nicole Hackett, and NetGalley for this eARC!!

This was kindly gifted to me by Netgalley and the publisher. I was eager to read this because the synopsis compares itself to Lucy Foley and Andrea Bartz, both of which I have enjoyed as authors.

This story follows friendship and social media closely, showing the hardships to female friends and also the effects that the media and online presents can have to us.

Alabama is going on an Influencer trip….to ICELAND! She is excited to be getting this amazing opportunity, only she goes missing after two days. The police have a who dunn-it on their hands and they focus their attention on the other so called “influencers” that are closest to their victim.

Secrets, lies, family dynamics, friendship, this book really dives into a lot of these issues and I really did enjoy my time with it. It was not my favorite domestic thriller, but I did like it!

The Perfect Ones by Nicole Hackett
First off, the cover is gorgeous. I will read a book for the cover alone not even knowing what the book is about. I loved the setting Iceland, it’s definitely on my list to visit. I loved the premise of the book. Influencers and how perfect their lives appear versus reality. That’s certainly very relevant in today’s day and age. However, I literally did not like any of the characters, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t like the book. That means the author did a fantastic job. This was a very well written book, very engaging.
Many thanks to Nicole Hackett, NetGalley, and Crooked Lane Book for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this story from the opening descriptions of a place I love - Vik, Iceland. A group of women visit there, who are heavily into Instagram and all things social media. It is a statement commentary on mental health that is much needed at this time in the world. The descriptions of the locale, as well as character development, made this book a winner for me.

👛BOOK REVIEW!!👛
The Perfect Ones by Nicole Hackett
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5)

The Perfect Ones follows a group of influencers that leave on a trip to Iceland to get the perfect photos and material for their Instagram campaigns, but when Alabama Woods goes missing, lies are revealed and friendships are questioned. When the influencers return home, more questions are left burning in their minds, and everyone is wondering… what actually happened in Iceland?

This one was really fun, and super impressive to me!! It was firstly a very well written thriller. I found it a very easy and quick read with great descriptions. To add to that, the atmosphere in this is INCREDIBLE. You can really tell the author did her research on the locations. The characters were relatable and mostly likable (except for the ones that weren’t supposed to be), and there was some really realistic situations that are written in a past/present POV that were also really well done and well thought out.

My favorite thing about this one, was the authors ability to write a story that was able to show the other side of life behind social media, and how we are all living with secret demons that the rest of the world does not know. In this day and age it’s important to remember there’s more to life than what you see on the internet, and it’s about time someone put it in to a great thriller!!

Also, Props to @nicolehackettbooks and her creativity!!
You can actually follow @itsalabamawood on Instagram, who is one of the characters in The Perfect Ones, and follow her journey until the date of publication. I will certainly be watching this one, and since I highly recommend this book, go give her page a follow to gear up to release day!

What a book…the characters, the writing style…everything was so good. I always get a kick of wanting to read a thriller mystery and this book really filled up what I was looking for

This one started out intriguing and interesting a chance to see “behind the curtain” as it were, of the influencers of the internet.

But while I enjoyed the multiple pov and the changing timeline and had no issue with the writing itself I found this story to hold no interest for me. The storyline around Hollie and Celeste was so boring and mundane. And maybe that was the point these women have average lives but… this is a thriller/mystery novel and it could not hold
My attention so unfortunately for me this is a DNF at 51%.

I would have liked to stay the course but it just wasn’t working for me. I will review on fairness and give an average score based on writing and the possibilities given I could not finish to evaluate the ending.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books, NetGalley and the author for an advanced copy for my honest opinion.

The Perfect Ones is a quick, entertaining read that keeps you turning pages to find out what happens next!

Hollie, Celeste, and Alabama are three of a group of influencers chosen for a promotional trip to Iceland to promote a clothing line. Alabama goes missing on one of the first days of the trip, and the rest of the book jumps back and forth between time before the trip and during the trip before ending with the outcome of the vacation.

The book seems to be making a comment on how toxic social media can be to our collective mental health. The women each have their own struggles that they never share online, as they try to appear perfect to gain more and more followers. This becomes dangerous for them throughout the story, and leads to several twists and turns.

I loved the setting of this book and liked reading the behind the scenes of each woman’s life. I struggled a bit to connect with the main characters but did enjoy some of the cutting commentary throughout the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane books for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion! I’m giving it 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Incredible thriller that immediately pulls the reader into the plot. I absolutely enjoyed this story and could not wait to enjoy the rest of the book

Hmm… the plot about famous influencers trapped in Iceland resort when one of them is mysteriously missing, presumed dead: picked my interest imminently.

But a few things failed me to enjoy this not so claustrophobic but mostly flat and dull reading experience.

Firstly, Alabama Wood’s disappearance storyline was not hooking you up. I didn’t care what happened to her and after reading Alabama, Celeste and Hollie’s POVs, I couldn’t connect with them.

Well: Hollie seems like having millions of followers by taking informative videos about grass wheat smoothies in her kitchen, estranged with her best friend who recently had a baby, questioning her marriage and possibility of becoming a mother. I didn’t find her voice relatable and I am still curious why those women act like more sales representatives than popular influencers.

Celeste’s story was a little relatable. She’s suspicious that her daughter Bella might be on the autism spectrum as her husband is denial about her condition. She accepts to go on a trip with her best friend Alabama who is so enthusiastic to fly to Iceland.

And Alabama sees her psychiatrist, rejecting to take her antidepressant. She seems like a little obsessed with Hollie’s life.

When the team of influencers win a trip to Iceland by PinkPursue- the sponsor company, they start scrutinizing each other like they’ve seen exotic insects. Things get escalated between them and now of them is missing.

I would enjoy this book more if it doesn’t start so slow and the characters could be more likable. It was still solid, easy to read mystery. It would be more interesting, gripping. But I still reach the finish line. At least conclusion was good.

Giving my three stars! I’m still interested to read the future works of the author.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! this book blew me away. A thrilling take on social media and how toxic it can be for someone. Although going into this i was expecting more of a fast paced thriller but Hackett draws you in and gets you to know three social media influencers as they go on a trip of a lifetime.

the story does move a bit slow but the ending definitely more than makes up for it!

highly recommend if you loved Big Little Lies.

This book was everything I wanted it to be. It had me turned pages without even realizing. It was so good!

The Perfect Ones is a read along the lines of Lucy Foley. Lots of twists and turns.

Set in the world of social media three friends, Celeste, Amanda and Hollie, go to Iceland for various reasons. Alabama quickly disappears. The remaining two friends are charged with finding her.

Hollie, who seemed to have it all according to her social media postings, was a celebrity from it all. Alabama was the only one who had a clue that Hollie's life was not what it seemed. In fact, Hollie had come to Iceland to escape the explosion that had become her life.

I enjoyed the mystery. The twists and turns kept me constantly engaged.