Thank you to NetGalley, Miranda Megan, and Simon & Schuster for an advanced reader copy of The Perfect Stranger.

One of my gripes about the psychological thriller genre is that often the characters are ALL unlikable, making horrible (and often unrealistic) life choices that send the lives of those around them spiraling out of control (yes, Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, I am looking at you). I love books that feature narrators with whom I can relate. If you are looking for a story that contains the latter character, this is the book for you.

Leah, the main character and narrator, finds herself in a precarious situation at work, one that leads to her resignation. Devastated and broke, she conveniently runs into an old friend, Emmy, who offers her a new chance at life and a place to stay. Not thinking twice, she immediately takes her friend up on the offer. Leah starts a new career as a high school teacher, and finds herself comfortably settled in her friend's rural town. Leah tries her best to put the shame of a failed career behind her, but the past has a way of creeping back into one's life.

Slowly, the life Leah has fought to rebuild starts to unravel: Emmy goes missing, a man is found dead in Emmy's car, and a women whom Emmy knew is found nearly dead in a field. Leah begins to question her very existence as police look to her as a suspect and Emmy is nowhere to be found.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book (and Leah's story) because every twist was unexpected, yet something that could certainly happen in the real world. This book makes you question how much you know about those around you, and their motivations for being with you. It's well written and the characters are fully developed. I highly recommend it, and just bought Megan Miranda's All the Missing Girls because I enjoyed her writing so much!

Where do I begin? So, Miranda completely blew my mind again. The minute this began, I was hooked. Like the type of hooked where if I didn't start this on a weekend, I probably would've called in sick to finish it, hooked.

So because of Leah's past, this has some elements that are like confusing but are done exceptionally well and written out like a map of clues. There are a few different storylines in this one that all deal with the same characters and really connect flawlessly. There's Leah's past in Boston, the woman left for dead, Emmy going missing, and then also some STALKER type stuff. And when I say stalker, I mean STALKER. This element alone could've been it's own book because of how amazingly scary Miranda wrote the things connected to Leah's stalking. I actually had trouble sleeping the first night I read this because of how easily she made it seem. So good. So. Good.

The thing that I love about this one was how Miranda didn't just leave you hanging with anything. She really plans out her novels and writes in a really well-executed way. She introduces you to the plot and helps you get to know the characters the way that she wants you to. Throughout the book, there really was no dull moment. I love how she gives you things in small doses throughout and lets you piece it together like you're the detective. The last 20% of this book flew by so much that I couldn't believe it was over when I read the final line.

The ending was very satisfactory and didn't leave me with any questions. I'm so happy I got to read this one and cannot wait to see what Miranda comes up with next. Bravo!

After losing her job, Leah finds again an old friend and the two move to rural Pennsylvanian to start over. Some months later, however, a girl very similar to Leah is found severely hurt near their house and her friend goes missing. Maybe the threatening emails and a possible stalker had something to do with it?

This was a 3.5.

I really enjoyed All the Missing Girls but mostly because the backward storytelling had me gripped to the book. Considering this one goes the normal way, I wasn't expecting the author to keep me so excited again. Gladly, she did.

It's true that I didn't care enough about the characters. And Leah being so weird contributed. I did get she had suffered a severe blow when she lost her job but I didn't get how that would stop you from going to the police for things if your life may be on the line. It was like she had this filter that never allowed her to absorb just how terrible the situation was. This made me anxious for her and anything that went wrong with her instead of pitying I'd think of how she deserved it. Not a good way to treat the main character, is it?

On the other had, the story compensated any issues I had with the main character. The plot twists weren't the punch-in-the-stomach kind, the conclusion wasn't stellar but the rhythm was good—and that is very important in a thriller. Even without the backward story device, the author kept me interested until the very end.

Talking about the conclusion, it wasn't surprising but it wasn't so predictable. I thought it was possible from the beginning but I wasn't sure until it was already time the reader suspected. Also, I liked how Miranda tied up all the parts of the mystery.

Not something stellar, nothing that special, but I good thriller nonetheless. If you don't have problems with characters being weird beyond logic, go ahead and have a good time!

I have so many mixed feeling about this book. The overall plot was interesting and unique. I think that was the only thing that kept me reading. Otherwise, I would have quit not even half way through.

There is just too many things going on in this book, it got confusing. Add to the fact that some plot lines didn't even seem relevant to the story. I was confused and bored during most of the book. Willing myself to keep reading. Hoping that the ending would bring it all full circle and I would have that "ah-ha!" moment where it would all make sense.


The author does a wonderful job of writing. Scene and character descriptions were not lacking and it was easy for the story to play out in my head. The problem for me was too many characters. I didn't feel loyal to a single one. They were all just a flit in my head depending on what scene I was reading.

The ending was very anticlimactic. There was no "Oh my goodness" moment when everything came together and it all made sense. It actually left me confused and wanting to know more. All the loose ends didn't get tied up.

The Perfect Stranger will be available in the U.S. April 11, 2017. It was a 3 star read for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for allowing me the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Happy Reading!

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. The various story lines really keep the reader engaged. I was happy to see that the conclusion tied things together. The only part that did not feel "quite right" was how quickly and unprofessionally the love interest developed. However, it turned out to be an important plot device.

Get ready to spend the whole night up finishing this book! One of the best suspense-thrillers I've read this year. Is Leah & Emmy who they really say they are and how does one of their lives turn the other one's upside down & inside out??!!

Megan Miranda is a new favorite of mine! The first book I read by her thanks to NetGalley and the publisher was All The Missing Girls and wow, she hooked me. And now this one has cemented her as a go-to author of suspense/mysteries for me.

Initially I was too busy to read more than a few pages of this book a day so it took me a while to get into it. Once I had time to read more than a few pages it became the kind of book you don’t want to put down.
Leah is trying to make a new life for herself in rural Pennsylvania with her old friend Emmy. She is having some trouble adjusting to the quiet nature of life outside of the city. “Other sounds, more familiar now: the creak of the old mattress, crickets, a howl as the wind funnelled through the valley I lived in, a whisper in the night. You are her.”
Emmy returned to Leah’s life at exactly the right time. Leah was being threatened with a potential lawsuit over a newspaper article she had written and she had been ‘advised’ to quit her job.
Then someone who looks like Leah, Bethany Jarvis, is found badly beaten by a lake near their home and Leah realises she hasn’t heard from Emmy for days.
Leah and Emmy have differing approaches to how they live their lives. Emmy is clearly impulsive, transient and gets bored easily. Leah, on the other hand, prefers to make plans and weigh up a situation and other people.
Leah has a full- time job as a teacher at a local school and Emma works nights as a cleaner at a motel so they don’t tend to see a lot of each other. Sometimes Leah only knows Emmy is about because she can hear her with her boyfriend Jim. Their infrequent contact with each other is why it takes Leah so long to realize Emmy is missing.
Leah is on her way to work when Bethany Jarvis is found badly beaten and then later find out that Davis Cobbs, the school coach, has been arrested. “Davis Cobb was the reason I’d begun leaving my phone on silent at night. I ignored his calls every time they came through – always after eleven P.M, always after I assumed he’d been down at the bar and was walking back home. Always the same thing…
He’d offered a drink at the nearest bar – he had a ring on his finger, it was the middle of the day, you can follow me in your car. It seemed like a friendly welcome-to-town-offer. He seemed like a lot of things – until he showed up at my door one night.”
Then he began emailing her and leaving her voicemails all the time which she always deleted.
Leah is questioned by the police about the incidents between her and the coach and shortly afterwards she tells them about Emmy being missing. But who is Emmy? Leah is sure she is a victim but the police aren’t so sure, in fact they aren’t sure she exists at all.
And why does Leah get the feeling she is being stalked?
This was definitely worth reading. The characters were well thought out, the story was full of suspense, and I was kept guessing right until the very end.

I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy with the understanding that I would read and review it.

I requested Megan Miranda's The Perfect Stranger, even though I wasn't really a fan of her other most recent book, All the Missing Girls. I figured I should give her another try, especially since many people liked All the Missing Girls. I am glad that I gave Ms. Miranda another try, as I throughly enjoyed this book.

Leah is a new teacher in a high school in western Pennsylvania, having left Boston with her journalism career in tatters and her name sullied. Her roommate, Emmy, is a borderline mythic figure in her life, seemingly carefree and true to herself. When Emmy disappears without a trace, Leah's world is turned upside down.

This book was surprisingly compulsive (especially since I didn't like All the Missing Girls). I couldn't wait to pick it back up and return to Leah's spooky story! The story did meander in a few spots, but it was overall well done. I will be reading Ms. Miranda again.

I loved this book! could not put it down. I am going to now read all the other books from this author! I really enjoyed the author's writing, and was very invested in the outcome of the main character. Thank you for letting me read this book!

I would like to start by saying that I haven't read Megan Miranda previous book "All the missing girl"
But I really enjoy "The perfect Stranger", It was well-written with a thrilling story that kept me interested until the end.
By half way in the book, I couldn't put it down.
I raited it 4 starts in goodreads, I'd definitively recommend this book!

Great story. Couldn't put it down.

This had more than enough suspense and angst! I am new to this writer and I am so glad that I discovered her!
The characters have depth and gave each page the right dose to create the turns and twists that made this story.
I can usually figure out the who and why quickly but this one had be second guessing myself after every chapter. You get so engrossed in what is going on you do not realize how much time has gone by. That is always a good thing!
This was extremely good and interesting and will simply may you think and be captivated!

Loved this; looking forward to sharing it in my Summer Reading Guide to be released May 2017.

Five stars all around.
This book had me completely on edge the entire ride.

The narrator is borderline unreliable; you are never quite sure if she’s telling us the truth, lying to herself, or outright crazy. She does have some boundary issues, some of which I related to, but the reader can’t be sure if they cross a line or exactly which line they cross. Megan Miranda does an excellent job of throwing in clues here and there to keep us off kilter.

But reliable or not (I’m not spoiling the answer!), the narrator is a very intelligent woman. I loved her. To the outside world she may have had some issues, and she’s disappointed herself, but that does nothing to take away the very quick way her mind works.

I’ve seen some reviews state that the narrative isn’t perfect, and while that may technically be true, Miranda accomplishes so much more than your average author does in a mystery book like this. This story is intricate, in the very best way, and I felt Miranda did a genius job putting it all together, just as she did in her previous book All the Missing Girls.

I don’t believe it’s a spoiler to state that nothing much is what it seems here, and that Miranda really shows how any narrator can be unreliable because you are seeing the story solely through their interpretation of events. But what if a reliable narrator tells you a story based on misinterpreted events?

All the Missing Girls was incredible and made me a huge fan of Megan Miranda, now The Perfect Stranger has sealed that deal. I cannot wait for her next book.

I find most mystery/thrillers these days to be too obvious, with us readers figuring out the mystery before we reach 20% of the book. However, that is not the case with this book as well as All the Missing Girls.

I don't know how much I could say about the novel that's not already in the book description without spoiling anything, so I'll just say this was a very enjoyable read, it kept me guessing until the last chapter and it had me change my theories about what was going on every time I turned a page.

Megan Miranda's books have made me stay up late reading because I need to know what's next. I think I may have found a new favorite author.

I loved the suspense and characters in this book. I would recommend this book .

Megan Miranda did it again. Actually, I liked The Perfect Stranger better than her first novel, All The Missing Girls. The main character is complex, and the book is full of many twists and turns. If you like thrillers, this one is worth a read.

Leah Stevens is a journalist whose career abruptly ended after an expose gone wrong. Leah then decided to pack and move to a small town with her friend, Emmy Grey. Like Leah, Emmy is running away but in her case, it is from a bad relationship. Although the two live together, it soon becomes apparent that there are secrets about each other that they don’t really know.

The quiet and peace of the small town is shattered once a woman is discovered assaulted by the side of the road. Worse still, the woman bears a very strong resemblance to Leah. Soon, Emmy goes missing and then a body is found. The twists begin from then on. The detectives are eager to solve the mystery and so is Leah who is caught up at the center of the unfolding drama.

One thing that I really liked this book is that I couldn’t predict any of the twists. Leah seemed like an unreliable narrator so I found myself doubting her. At some point, I wasn’t even so sure about her sanity. I mean, I even doubted the existence of her roommate. This book kept me guessing and just when I thought that I had it all figured out, new twists emerged.

If you enjoy complex books with plenty of secrets and twists then The Perfect Stranger by Miranda Megan will be perfect for you.