Thank you to Simon and Schuster via NetGalley for the Advanced Copy!

All The Missing Girls was such a marvel for me when I read it last year that I just have to mention it here. I tempered my expectations for The Perfect Stranger because I recognized I wouldn't be able to recapture that. The surprise when you're up all night turning pages of a book from an author you've never read before can only happen once.

Now that I've gotten that off my chest, this is a very strong novel on it's own. The protagonist, Leah, moves to rural Pennsylvania with her old friend Emmy. They're both on the run/hiding. The great thing about desperate characters is that every action takes on a new meaning. Leah and Emmy have their own reasons for running away and I couldn't read this book fast enough because I had to know why. Leah may not be for every reader because she's not the perfect protagonist type. She's got her own dark ambitions.

This book also made me ask myself how far I'd go to be right. There were quite a few passages that stood out- "I had cast my life and assigned the roles, manufacturing all of them into the people I wanted them to be." I think everyone can identify with the feeling of being reminded people exist outside of your personal narrative.

As for the supporting cast, they were not as clearly drawn as the central Leah and Emmy, which was unfortunate, because they felt real just not important enough to Leah. At one pint Leah describes her relationship with Emmy perfectly:

"I can only explain it this way: that I knew her deeply, if not thoroughly; that a four-month relationship can supersede all the boyfriends, all the friendships, that came after and lasted longer, that our friendship was born from the one time I'd stepped off track, done something unexpected that did not follow the predicted steps of my life. And for that reason it shown brighter, and so did she."

All in all, the pacing was great, the characters were genuine, and I was impressed if not ultimately shocked by the ending. I'll definitely be looking forward to the next Megan Miranda novel!

I could not put this down. I loved the twists and turns. The thing is, any action can be taken out of context, analyzed from a different perspective and the action would take on a whole new meaning. It eas great to see the story evolve

So, it might not come as a surprise to you that I'm a fan of Megan Miranda. I actually read All the Missing Girls just last month, and really enjoyed it, despite hearing a lot of negative things about the book, mainly about the backwards format. So imagine my surprise when I went through Netgalley's Mystery and Thriller category and stumbled upon a new release of hers.

Of course, Megan Miranda nailed it. The pacing of this book very much reminded me of her recent best-selling novel: slow, but it still managed to quickly hook me and keep me extremely addicted. I know there are some readers out there who just can't stand slower-paced thrillers, which I totally get, but for some reason, she just completely and totally pulls me in and fails to let me go. This one takes place in a small, sleepy town, which also reminded me of All the Missing Girls and a little bit like Gillian Flynn's Sharp Objects, and I absolutely love thrillers/horrors that take place in creepy towns that hold interesting characters and a hell of a lot of secrets. The setting definitely helps the book and aids it in making everything creepy and suspenseful.

The premise also definitely delivered. The great thing about Miranda's books is that reading the descriptions keeps me intrigued, but never reveals too much about the plot and what's going to happen, so I usually go in completely blind. This might be my second book by her, but, again, I'm impressed. There are actually several little mysteries in this novel: the one dealing with Leah's past, one she'd rather forget; the one dealing with a teacher at school; and the strange mystery surrounding Emmy. It might seem like everything is disjointed at first and doesn't make sense, but as the reader plods along, everything comes together to make a clever, cohesive story that proved to be unpredictable.

I also really liked the characters. Personally, I'm not a huge character person. There are some people who can't enjoy the book if they can't enjoy the characters, but, for me, I see characters less as real people and more as devices that push the plot, even though that sounds a bit un-bookworm-like. We have Leah, who's a quiet sort of thing that might frustrate some readers, but who I was captivated by, Kyle, a sweet cop just trying to solve the mystery without causing trouble, and Emmy, who's basically just one big question mark. There's definitely some other characters we meet, some who readers might originally think nothing about, but end up playing a larger part of the story and showing their true colors. Yeah, the cast of characters might not be the most likeable, but they're certainly interesting.

The ending was definitely great. Reading the last few chapters kept me on the very edge of my toes, and I just couldn't stop reading. I'm definitely not going to spoil things here, but I absolutely adored the final chapter. I'm a huge fan of those types of endings that aren't too crazy, and just realistic enough that I could believe it happened in real life. That's all I'll say about that. And I'm also glad that everything wrapped up nicely, since some thrillers seem to be big on leaving some empty strands hanging here and there, which can definitely drive me crazy.

Megan Miranda has a way of writing her unreliable characters. You want to believe their innocence, and you do at first. Then things start to break down and you start to dislike them more and more and the trust erodes. She did this well in "All the Missing Girls" and she does it VERY well in "The Perfect Stranger." I doubted Leah every step of the way. I never believed there was any Emmy and all of Leah's thoughts and dialogue were so vague and noncommittal for so much of the story that I became annoyed at the (what I perceived to be) heavy handed approach. Where was the twist? Have I really figured it out so early on? This left me pleasantly surprised at the reveal. However, I think the story ran a little long and the constant breaks detracted from my immersion in the story. I also think we got way too much of Leah's internal dialogue, so much so that I started skimming over it around the 75% mark. Still, I enjoyed this almost as much as "All the Missing Girls" and Ms. Miranda has now proven herself worthy of being moved to my "read anything published by this author" list. I will update this feedback once my review, less spoilers listed here, is also posted to Amazon closer to publication. Thank you Simon & Schuster for the ARC!

How far would you go for a friend? Would you allow your integrity, your reputation, your happiness and stability to go down the drain with a swirl of secrecy? Megan Miranda uses her protagonists and antagonists to peel away the layers of the reader's conscience, using the element of surprise to keep the reader involved. This story weaves past friendships, betrayal, and the element of truth to spin a tale you cannot forget. If you would go to any length for a friend, maybe the question isn't why, but why not? Why isn't that friend who you think they are, or who you've created them to be? A great read that keeps the reader invested until the very end, waiting to see just how far Leah will go to protect the one friend she thought knew her best.

The Perfect Stranger is a compelling psychological thriller, creepy in places. The story sucked me in from the start and it only let me go when I reached the last pages. I liked how Leah investigated the case along the police. She kept things to herself but in the end, she made sure the police knew all the relevant information. At the same time, I was never quite sure how reliable she was as a narrator. The plot twists and turns, keeping me on my toes from the first page. Apart from some little things I found difficult to believe, or unnecessary for the story, The Perfect Stranger is everything I look for in a thriller.

First of all, you do not need to have read Megan Miranda's earlier novel, All the Missing Girls, in order to understand and enjoy this one. The blurb calls this a sequel but it didn't feel like that at all.

Second of all, wow! I tore through this mystery at lightning speed. Couldn't wait to get back to it. Miranda truly sucks you in with the first person narrative of Leah Stevens, a disgraced journalist who is starting a new life in a small town as a teacher. Almost as soon as she arrives, however, she becomes connected to a murder - and then two. Her absentee roommate, Emmy, seems to have disappeared and no one can find her.

Did she even exist?

We have seen many thrillers recently (lots of them with "girl" in the title) which have unreliable narrators. So throughout the story, it was entirely plausible that Leah was on the edge of sanity and Emmy never was a real person. Leah's past, after all, contains a lot of contradictions and outright lies. I wasn't sure whether to believe her.

Leah wasn't exactly likable but neither was she a toxic protagonist along the lines of a Gillian Flynn novel. She wasn't perfect, like many typical investigators are in mysteries. She had a complicated past and a questionable present, and that put everything she said or claimed in quotation marks.

Highly recommended to anyone who likes mysteries. Thanks to Netgalley for the arc to review.

Last year, I received an ARC of Megan Miranda's debut, All the Missing Girls. I was impressed that a story told backwards could still be surprising at the end. But it wasn't just the creative delivery that made the story work, the writing was solid and the characters engaging, the kind you understand and root for, however flawed. Whereas I didn't love the wrap up, it was definitely one of the better mysteries I read last year.

The Perfect Stranger seemed like another solid mystery, but without that backwards narrative element that made All the Missing Girls stand out, would this one measure up? Yes. Yes, it would. The Perfect Stranger shows Megan Miranda doesn't need a cool gimmick to write a good story.

The main character, Leah, is one of those characters that hasn't always made the best decisions but not in a frustrating way. She isn't naive or helpless. Reckless, at times, but with good intentions. Maybe too good. What I liked most about her is that she is clever and it never feels like a stretch. I've read other thrillers where the main character tries to put the pieces together but it felt like the author couldn't figure out how to get from point A to point B (see White Lead). Not here though. Everything felt logical and well-plotted out.

At a couple points, I thought this was going a different way. It's hard to explain without giving anything away, as I think the misdirect is what made the mystery elements harder to pin down.

Definitely recommendable and definitely going to look forward to Megan Miranda's next book.

The writing of this book has a beautiful cadence, each sentence flowing off the page. I haven't read Megan Miranda's first book but I will certainly be going back and reading it very soon! This story had it all and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was left guessing with every turn of the page. The characters not the normal thriller type characters who you dislike. You felt for Leah and you were rooting for her to figure out what on earth was going on! I got lost in the house and the world that was created and it felt like a small town I would definitely want to visit. I would definitely recommend this book when it's released.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of The Perfect Stranger. I loved All The Missing Girls and was excited to read this one. I was not disappointed as this one is full of twists and turns that kept me glued to each page. It begs the question do we ever truly know anyone?

Leah was a journalist before she moved to a small town and started over as a teacher. Her friend Emmy moved with her. They don't see each other often as they keep different hours. It takes Leah awhile to realize that Emmy has gone missing and once she reports this to the police, they don't find any evidence that Emmy ever existed. Leah has her own secrets and they are revealed one by one. I don't want to give away any spoilers so I will just close with the recommendation that this is one great read.

Don't think you know how it's going to end, because it's a great suspense. Loved the book and looking forward to reading more books by Megan Miranda

I'm between 3.5 and 4 stars here, so I'll round up for past performance.

Sometimes I think we put unfair pressure on authors. Let's say an author writes a book that blows you away. You eagerly anticipate their next book, sometimes you get impatient if it takes them too long to write another one, and then when you get the chance to read it, you expect this one to blow you away, too, right? (I know I'm not alone here.) But if it doesn't come close to the last book, at least in your mind, whose fault is that, yours or theirs?

I pondered this as I got ready to read Megan Miranda's The Perfect Stranger. Her last book, All the Missing Girls, was fantastic, both for the mystery itself and the unique way Miranda let the story unfold. The book even made my list of the best books I read in 2016. So needless to say, I tried very hard to ratchet back my expectations of her new book, because I didn't want to be disappointed just because I loved her last book so much.

Did she deliver? While The Perfect Stranger isn't perfect, it's a good, suspenseful read. And I think I might have liked it even more if I didn't read Miranda's last book and expect to be dazzled. If you go in knowing that, you'll hopefully enjoy it.

"I can only explain it this way: that I knew her deeply, if not thoroughly; that a four-month relationship can supersede all the boyfriends, all the friendships, that came after and lasted longer, that our friendship was born from the one time I'd stepped off track, done something unexpected that did not follow the predicted steps of my life. And for that reason, it shone brighter, and so did she."

Leah Stevens was a journalist in Boston who got a little too emotionally invested in an exposé she wrote. When she refused to reveal her source, and things related to her story unraveled, a restraining order was taken out against her and the newspaper she worked for was threatened with a lawsuit. Without a job and feeling utterly betrayed, she needed to get out of town—fast. She ran into an old friend, Emmy Grey, with whom she lived just after college.

On the run from a bad relationship, Emmy is desperate to leave Boston as well, so she involves Leah in her plan. The two head to a small town in Western Pennsylvania, where Leah gets a teaching job, and they can both keep off the grid. Leah and Emmy live on parallel schedules, and the two rarely if ever see each other for more than a few minutes, especially when Emmy starts dating someone new. But Leah keeps getting the sense that Emmy is still on her guard, that she's waiting for something to happen.

One night, a woman with a strong resemblance to Leah is assaulted and left for dead. A teacher who has shown a little too much interest in Leah is the suspect, which puts Leah a little more in the spotlight than she'd like, since her previous life has been kept a secret. But when Emmy disappears a few days later, Leah has no choice but to put herself out there and try to find out what happened to her friend.

Leah cooperates with the handsome young police officer who is assigned to the assault case, and tries to get him to help find Emmy. As the police investigate, she realizes that despite feeling tremendously close to Emmy, she never really knew her, which leads the police to suspect that Leah may be making the whole story up, that Emmy may not really exist, especially once they learn of Leah's past. But she knows the truth, and she is determined to find out just who Emmy was, and what happened to her, even if it means returning to the scene of her past transgressions, and possibly putting her own life and her own future at risk.

How well do we really know someone? How far would you go for a friend who has done a lot for you? Does one questionable action in our past doom us forever? The Perfect Stranger strives to answer all of those questions. It definitely keeps you guessing, because you aren't sure how reliable of a narrator Leah really is. The book's setting helps add to the tension, adding an almost moody feel to the whole thing.

As I mentioned earlier, there are things I didn't like about the book. There were a lot of things happening at once, and some of the storylines seemed unfinished, even unnecessary to the core of the plot. But Miranda really is an excellent writer, and knows how to slowly let details unfold so you stay hooked. So of course, what this means is, I'll eagerly await her next book, and remind myself to dial back my expectations again. (I never learn...)

NetGalley and Simon & Schuster provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

It did take a while for me to get into this book but once I did I had to finish it

How well do we really know someone? We know what they tell us and take it as fact. But what happens when they aren't who they say they are...when they disappear and all that's left is a puzzle to be pieced together. This is a great mystery that explores this and more.

Great book up all night reading,characters well developed

How well can you ever really know another person? This becomes a question of life and death when Leah Stevens, a disgraced reporter, leaves Boston, seemingly on a whim, with long-lost friend Emmy Grey and takes on a teaching position at a high school in western Pennsylvania. Anonymity and tranquility elude her, however, as she deals an attack on a woman near their isolated house, a stalker, a body found in a car submerged in the lake, inquisitive students and suspicious police officers. To make things even worse, doubts arise over Emmy's very existence; not many people at their new location have met her an she has no paper trail. Leah uses her reporting skills to investigate and solve this tangled web of doubt and deceit.

I read All the Missing Girls straight through, although I admit I had to get the hang of it. I never expected Ms. Miranda's second book to have the same grip. It does. I started it at bedtime, read until I fell asleep, and but for necessary chores, I read this straight through. It is the perfect blend of dialogue, description, tension, and gripping read in which you root for your favorite but with a tinge of doubt for her success. Wonderful

I would like to thank Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an ARC of "The Perfect Stranger" by Megan Miranda. The genres of this novel are mystery,thriller and women's fiction. The story takes place in Boston and rural Pennsylvania. Leah Stevens, a journalist is forced to leave Boston after there is a scandal with her newspaper and source.She also has an order of protection issued against her. Leah follows her friend Emma to rural Pennsylvania and starts a new life as a teacher, hoping to leave her secrets behind. Leah had met Emma 8 years before and Emma offers Leah a place to live. Emma seems to have many secrets as well.
It isn't long before there is a murder at the lake of a woman that looks very much like Leah. Around the same time Emma disappears. Leah is concerned that Emma hasn't been back at their house. after finding a necklace on the ground that belonged to Emma ,and turns to the police. Kyle Donovan is the police detective on this case. When asked, Leah is not sure of Emma's birthdate, or where she works. There is no evidence that Emma exists, except back in Boston, where the person who knows Emma has an order of protection against Leah. It appears that everyone has secrets in Pennsylvania, including Leah's students.
There is another body found in Emmas's car,(which is a stolen car)in the lake. It seems that the dead man was Emma's boyfriend. Again, what happened to Emma.? The police now view Leah as a suspect and fear that she has lied about Emma exisiting. Kyle, the detective is investigating Leah's past life in Boston.
The story had me on edge. There are twists and turns,and the ending is unexpected. I like the way Megan Miranda sets the stage and descriptions of the characters, and places in the novel. I would recommend this as an intriguing and exciting read.

Thank you for the ARC. Very intriguing, I found myself on the edge of my seat more than once. Just when I was sure I was onto the guilty one here comes another candidate. Well done I've already started recommending this book to my family and friends.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of THE PERFECT STRANGER from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

A lost job, failed relationship and restraining spurs reporter Leah Stevens to leave Boston for a small town in Pennsylvania, where she hopes to start over as a teacher. Emmy, her mysterious former roommate, needing to leave an abusive boyfriend accompanies Leah. First, a woman with who resembles Leah is found nearly dead, beaten by an unknown assailant. The Emmy goes missing. Kyle, the handsome detective investigating the cases begins to question if Emmy is real, and if she is, why is there no proof of her. Anywhere.

I like the way Megan Miranda's dark and twisty mind concocts creepy characters and plots that make my mind wonder which way was up, down and all around. Leah is a strange character. Even after finishing the novel, I'm still not sure how must I trust the accuracy of her words. She isn't warm and fuzzy, not unlikable, but there isn't much that made me like her either. She seemed distrustful, almost paranoid of her students and most of the other characters. I did not trust her mental stability.

I enjoyed Miranda's engaging writing style, but I would have appreciated feeling heart pounding tension. Perhaps became I was more interested in whether Emmy was real, and less in Leah's fate, the quick pace didn't transfer into an emotional response.

THE PERFECT STRANGER is a creepy, page turner that will keep you guessing until the end and beyond.