This book had a very strong start and then fizzled away at about 25% in. I couldn’t keep my focus nor did I feel like the book was keeping my attention. It was well written; I just needed more action.

Famous author Ward DeFleur's daughter is attacked and killed while Ward is at a book signing. Reeling with grief, Ward goes completely off the grid. Bree, who was at Ward's final signing, is going through personal circumstances that lead her to wonder what her purpose is in life. Feeling a connection with Ward, Bree decides to write her story. But in order to do that, she has to find Ward first. But there might be reasons that Ward doesn't want to be found, and looking for her can put Bree in danger.

This was my first Emily Liebert read, and it definitely won't be my last. I enjoyed the plotline of the book. As far as characters, I preferred Ward over Bree throughout the book, although it is mostly written in Bree's perspective. Bree made some questionable decisions and some parts of her storyline seemed unnecessary. That being said, some pieces, namely those that felt unnecessary, felt unresolved or rushed at the end, but the final chapter was worth the parts that left me a bit unsettled. Overall, this was a quick and enjoyable thriller. Exactly what I was in the mood for!

Thank you to Gallery Books, Netgalley, and the author for my eARC.

This book has so much potential! In fact it would’ve been an amazing novel if the author had just left the last two pages out. This was a fast pace thriller that at times was a bit predictable but still a very good read, Until the ending. It is so frustrating when a good book turns bad at the end and that’s exactly what happened to this one. Very disappointing indeed

Great characters. Twisted story. You will care and want to keep reading. Plus a perfect set up for a sequel

This was a four-star read until the very last sentence and then... I do recognize that thriller readers are a tough crowd. I am sure it is difficult for an author to give you that perfect believable twist that doesn’t come completely out of left field. We don’t want books to be predictable, unbelievable, too slow, too fast, we want our characters to be relatable, and yet we want them to be completely bat shit crazy. So I get it, and I really try to approach all my thrillers with an open mind and review them accordingly. Ultimately what I want from a good thriller is to be entertained, kept on the edge of my seat, and lastly surprised. And this book really did do all of that. It was very engaging, it was tense and addictive, and I was definitely shocked by some of the twists and turns. The thing is I think this book went a little too far, had one twist too many. Didn’t make it a bad book, and I don’t regret reading it, but that last sentence just left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

Ward is a successful author at a signing event when she receives the news that her daughter Stevie is missing. Later we find out that her daughter Stevie was killed and Ward vows never to write another word. Bree has a daughter Chloe that is the same age as Ward’s daughter and this sparks her interest in the case. Ward has gone into hiding and now Bree is determined to find her and rekindle her own journalism career. I didn’t always understand Bree or Ward’s motivation, but I was willing to go with it because I was invested in the story. There were some interesting relationships in this book Bree’s daughter Chloe was not a happy camper. Also we had the treat of meeting Bree’s mom who added some comic relief, the woman was definitely a piece of work. I have to say I am bummed that this book kind of fell apart at the end, because it really was off to a great start.

This book in emojis 📚 ✍🏻 🚇 📰 🌲

*** Big thank you to Gallery Books for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

***3.5 Stars ***
Expected Publication: June 2nd, 2020

This book had SO much potential. The story line was great and I loved the characters. Ward DeFleur is a famous author who's daughter Stevie goes missing and is found murdered. Ward, obviously devastated, decides never to write again and goes off the grid, no one knows where she is.
Bree Bennett is a newly divorced journalist who is a fan of Ward DeFleur and feels a connection to her because she too has a teenage daughter. She decides she wants to help solve who killed Stevie and help write Ward's story for her, but of course needs to find her first.
I'll admit I was hooked, I really liked Bree and couldn't turn the pages fast enough. The family dynamics of Bree with a teenager daughter, and trying to co parent with the ex husband but also start dating again, were a great addition to understanding Bree more. But then, the ending I laughed out loud because it was so bad. I feel Emily Liebert almost gave up on the ending. It was clique and felt rushed. Having said that I still really enjoyed this story line with the build up and I do recommend it. Had the ending been better I would have given this a 5 star review for sure.

Special Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for allowing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I tried, but this one just never held my attention... The characters, the plot, the pacing - none of it felt compelling to me and I was unable to stick with it for more than a couple of pages at a time. After multiple such efforts, I figured it was time to give up...

As Ward DeFleur signed copies of her newest book, her daughter Stevie was taken and assaulted. When Stevie was pronounced dead, Ward withdrew from the world and no one has seen her for months. Bree Bennett attended the signing and in an emotional moment Ward offered her kind words. Divorced and contending with a rebellious teenage daughter, Bree is now going back to work at the Fairfield Chronicle. It would challenge her abilities as a reporter if she could find Ward and tell her story. Stevie’s killer was never found and Bree is warned by her best friend and ex-husband that she could be putting herself in danger.

Beginning with archived articles, Bree learns that Ward had a brother. More research brings her face to face with Evan and there is an immediate attraction. Bree had just recently started dating again and found herself in a new relationship and this attraction is leaving her torn between the two men. Evan has had no contact with his sister so he is eager to work with Bree to find Ward. Perhaps he is too eager, earning more warnings from Her friend Maggie. Bree’s search for Ward has now become an obsession.

Emily Lieberman alternates Bree’s search with Ward’s story. Living under her true name, Laura has moved back to Vermont and re-connected with several of her friends from high school. Traumatized by the attack on Stevie, she became a recluse until an accidental meeting with an old friend. This led to a dinner with friends that included a surprise guest. Alex, her first love, is now separated from his wife and this could be a second chance for them both.

Liebert’s story is on of obsession, revenge and second chances. While she steadily increases the tension during Bree’s search, it does not prepare you for an ending that blows you away, making this a book that is highly recommended. I would like to thank NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing Perfectly Famous for my review.

I read this book and the thought WTH never left my head the entire time. I didn't like anything about it: 2 main characters that I didn't like, peripheral characters that added absolutely nothing to the story, stupid subplots that didn't make sense, the big "reveal", and an ending that was just too dumb to be believed. I have read a couple of Liebert's earlier books and I liked them so this one was really disappointing.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I wanted to love this book, and I did — for the first 75%. I zipped through those first three-quarters, completely immersed in the dual perspectives and suspenseful plotline. The pacing was just fast enough to keep me turning pages. And then, it completely lost its momentum. Or, rather, it gained too much momentum.

That last 25% felt incredibly rushed. There were multiple plot twists that were either obvious or very under-explained. The final one was designed for maximum impact, but felt like it almost came out of nowhere. It's the type of bombshell that's supposed to suddenly connect seemingly unrelated pieces, but it really missed that mark. I think I'm most disappointed because if the ending was a little more fleshed out and not so quickly resolved, it could have been such a fun read.

One major thing I LOVED was the positive portrayal of a divorced couple co-parenting. It's sadly not common in a lot of books, especially domestic thrillers, but it really shined here.

I honestly don't know what I just read. The plot moves slowly, but Bree and Ward were both interesting enough to keep me reading. even though ;almost nothing was happening. There are endless long phone conversations and descriptions of meals and a whole lot about Bree's love life and problems her with her teenage daughter.....and then three quarters of the way through the book things escalate and it finally starts reading like the thriller that the description promised. The twist was hard to accept, but then it was immediately followed by another abrupt twist that left just me shaking my head. For a book that had such an interesting premise, this one was really disappointing.

A rather mundane mystery for most of the book that somewhere along the line turns into utter soap opera. The author never quite fleshes out the plot and leaves the reader questioning the characters motives. Quite predictable even down to that final ridiculous twist! In spite of all that, it was still a diverting distraction amidst the Coronavirus quarantine.

I found Perfectly Famous hard to put down. I NEEDED to see how it ended. I felt like the author quickly tied the characters together, and I just had to know how it ended. It's a summer must read!!!!

This was a DNF for me. I wanted to like it but I just didn't understand the hook, the characters likeability. I read 30% and it just felt like a lot of nothing happened.

This was a big mess. None of it really made sense, the plot was bizarrely paced and I felt there was zero actual character development. It read a like a book written to be a best seller by a crowd of apes.

What started as an engaging story for me slowly started to turn into one that left me feeling less than satisfied. The original premise of the book in which a famous mystery novel author’s daughter Is attacked and eventually dies during the launch of her latest novel who then goes into hiding, and a journalist inspired to find the author and tell her story is one that drew me in. There were a couple of twists along the way, although I sensed that the eventual antagonists of the novel were not to be trusted from pretty early on. Not unlike many novels in this genre, it seems that the bulk of the drama and twists occur within the last 50-ish pages, which results in things feeling rushed and not entirely wrapped up. The ending definitely felt entirely rushed with an abrupt ending that left me feeling like I was missing something. While I am not one that needs a happy ending, I felt that I needed at the very least a few pages more to finalize the story. Overall, I enjoyed the read and would not turn anyone away from reading it, I just felt that it could have been better.

This book had me hooked from the beginning with such intriguing characters and a plot that keeps you reading. The story goes back and forth between Bree and Ward, although always leaving that little bit left unsaid to keep the suspense going. I enjoyed the book all the way until the very end and the plot twist, especially the last page that just left me thinking "WTF?" It kind of left me feeling unfulfilled and confused, so that was a little disappointing.

I will still give it 4 stars since I was really engaged and enjoyed the story until the end.

On the night of her book signing, the daughter of best-selling author Ward DeFleur finds that her teenage daughter has disappeared. After she finds out the daughter was abducted and killed, the author goes into hiding. Then a recently divorced woman who was at that signing decides she wants to find the author and write her story.

This didn't work for me on many levels--but generally, I couldn't stand any of the characters and the story was far-fetched.

This was a really good story with a surprisingly unexpected and disturbing ending! The writing was a little confusing at times but very good. It was challenging to figure out what the bad guy. Great story, I would definitely read more from this author!

I did not see that coming!! Thank you, thank you, thank you to Emily, Gallery Books and NetGalley for this advanced readers copy! This twisty, suspenseful thriller comes out on June 2 and if you’re smart, you’ll pick it up!!

This story is a story about sibling jealousy, children of divorces, single moms and all the other things that come with this type of story. We get to know Bree, a newly single Mom dealing with a really bratty daughter who’s testing her limits. Bree is determined to find Ward, a really famous author who’s disappeared after the death of her only daughter. The story that progresses is so full of juicy goodness, twists that you seriously will not see coming and an ending that will shock you!

This is the second book of Emily’s I’ve read and I’m such a fan! She was so kind to FaceTime with my Bookclub this past summer, about her last book; which was just as good as this one! She’s down to earth and just an all around awesome person!

You’d be missing out if you don’t read this, seriously!

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