It's lovely to find a new author and spend an enjoyable couple of days at home reading a good book. For the Best was an interesting crime mystery looking to be solved by its only suspect. The actual detectives played a very minor role. For this reason alone, the book stands out among other crime mysteries. I did find myself wondering if it was realistic for a civilian to be permitted to be so involved and vlog so much about an ongoing investigation. Even more so though, I was hungry for the author to delve deeper into the subject of restorative justice. But overall a solid read. I'll definitely pick up Vanassa Lillie's other book, Little Voices.

Thank you NetGalley, Vanessa Lillie and Thomas & Mercer for the advanced readers copy in return for an honest review.

Wow! So many great characters, ups and downstairs, twists and turns to keep you guessing.
A slow burn but delivers on suspense. Couldn't put it down, kept wanting more, read late into the night. Will be recommending to other who would enjoy it.

A good thriller with an interesting look on restorative justice.
Juliet has been accused of a coworkers murder but was black out drunk the night it happened. She begins a vlog based on her own investigation of the murder.
This book definitely kept me going until the very end. I wasn’t a big fan of Juliet even though she was a very strong woman throughout this whole book.
The ending caught me off guard, but didn’t. I do recommend this book to others for a quick beach read. I plan on reading Vanessa’s other book as well.

This was an engaging novel that kept me on my toes and kept me reading. The story and characters were great. I will definitely read her other novel. The writing style was great. I just ate this novel up.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
For the Best by Vanessa Lillie is an unputdownable page-turner that takes the reader on a suspenseful journey with Jules as she tries to uncover both her past and present.

Jules has an alcohol problem and finds herself the main suspect in a homicide when she is unable to remember why her wallet would be next to the body of a well-known scholar. Desperate to prove her innocence and salvage her tattered career, she sets out to piece together what happened that night through a series of vlogs.

Lillie is a gifted writer who skillfully manages the suspense with great dialogue and prose. Her characters are all flawed, especially Jules.

It was a slow burn that became absolutely riveting as it builds up. And as with her debut,
Little Voices, Lillie masterfully inserts plot twists that lead up to the final reveal. She’s definitely a writer to follow.

Wow... very good book! Lots of different characters with various personalities. The story is very engaging with so many ups and downs; twists and turns in every chapter. I did not want to put it down, stayed up late too many night reading! Another good read by Vanessa Lillie.

I'm all for unlikable characters, but not one person in this book resonated with me. The protagonist was frustrating and her drinking seemed like an unnecessary addition; she was constantly drinking, and I understand an addiction was trying to be portrayed, but it seemed as if it was shoved down our throats. Then, it's seemingly forgotten when we see how much better Juliet is doing as she works on herself in jail; she's clearly not drinking here but there is zero discussion of her dealing with her addiction while incarcerated. I also couldn't understand how her husband never said anything, and frankly, their relationship seemed highly unrealistic (especially the ending of the novel). In short, none of the relationships in this book seemed organic.

I believe the story had potential but missed the mark for me. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 1.7 / 5

DNF -- early ARC from Netgalley for honest review

I just lost patience with this one. The whole "amnesia" aspect of the summary dragged me in, but that was about it. Once inside the book though, I found myself confronted with:

- awkward, bad writing
- a forgettable heroine with "a past" and problems, thus making her totally unreliable and not someone you'd want to support
- everyone against her from the beginning in a blown out of proportion, unrealistic way
- no background to the plot at hand--we're just dumped into the middle of it all
- no "suspenseful" feeling

In other words, I couldn't force myself to slog through this mediocrity. I'll admit that I've been reading a lot of this genre lately, so maybe I'm more picky than most would be, but I consider my surplus thriller/suspense/mystery reading as giving me experience and credibility to judge what's what on what end of the spectrum.

Spoiler alert: This story falls on the low end of the spectrum.

Right from the beginning, Vanessa Lillie’s newest book, For the Best, is an entertaining read that I couldn’t tear myself away from. Full of suspense and intrigue, I raced toward the conclusion, only to be completely surprised at the ending! I would absolutely recommend For The Best to anyone looking to lose a few hours lost in a great book!

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for my ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is about a woman, Julia, who utilizes vlogging to determine the truth of the murder of Dr. Castle. She cannot remember the night in question, and wants to know what happened.

What worked in this book is that the author created an intriguing story-line that made it hard to put down; only took a short time to read. They ensured that this story had different twists which kept the reader second guessing the culprit. I thought it was interesting how one of the main topics coming up was regarding the platform of Castle, and ensuring to carry on his legacy.

The one critique regarding this book is the ending which turned out to be a bit disappointing for me. Additionally, though I enjoyed how the character played out the scene (in the last portion of the book), I did find it problematic because it seemed a bit far fetched in places. There is a scene where the character brings another character and sets up a dramatic scene to tell the truth of what happens.

I would recommend this book to people who are interested in a book that would pull you in within the first couple of pages and grip your senses.

Thank you to the Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

#FortheBest #NetGalley #thomasmercerpublishing #bookreview

The story is really dark, Jules with horrible past and a serious drinking problem woke up on a murder accusations of which by the way she cant remember. And as the story dig deeper and unravel the causes of her actions, it does make sense why she tried to hide such bad past and shifted her self on doing things she’s not supposed to, anyone who loved characters that are mysterious and will keep you guessing, you have to read this book. It’s fast paced and have tons of actions.

It's hard to know how to rate this book. The premise is intriguing (a woman was blackout drunk and her wallet is found next to her murdered colleague, so she sets out to discover/prove her innocence in part by investigating on her own and vlogging the whole thing). But...

First off, I didn't relate to the main character or like her, and she didn't seem authentic. She was written as a self-absorbed functional (okay, not really functional) alcoholic, the privileged daughter of a disgraced rich man who is overly concerned with herself and her image. She's self absorbed, one dimensional, and destroys everyone around her, but we're supposed to go on this story through her eyes. Secondly, the ending features one really unexpected shocker (hats off for that one) and then one totally depressing and disappointing one. It may have been realistic, but who among us reads thrillers for realism?

This is a well written book and I'd happily read another by the author, even if it left me a little unhappy. Three stars for "liked it."

I read a digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.

I really loved the main character in this book. She’s not particularly likable, due to a traumatic past and a serious drinking problem. And now she’s accused of a murder— the clinch is, she doesn’t remember if she did it. Providence is a character in itself. Lillie does a wonderful job of keeping readers engaged till the very end.

I was super intrigued by the mystery and set-up of the story, since I love amnesia/black out/missing time plots. I was hooked from the start and I liked the parallel threads between Jules and her father regarding their respective (alleged) crimes, and thought the themes of guilt and justice were well-woven throughout the story.

I also loved how the author didn't shy away from darker issues and jumped in full on when handling them. I thought introducing the vlogging element was a cool way to handle Jules's investigation.

However, I found some plot elements to be repetitive and some of the actions of the main character to be a bit unbelievable, and the climactic moment was also pretty over-the-top. My main gripe was that once Jules does learn what happened the night of the murder she may or may not have committed, she hides it from the reader until the aforementioned climactic moment. And nothing else happening in real-time that Jules was sober for was hidden from the reader, so it felt like it was done simply for dramatic effect, which I found a bit manipulative.

But, and it sounds strange, I liked that the ending was depressing, since it was depressing in a satisfying way. If you're into dark thrillers with very self-destructive protagonists, check this out!

After receiving this advanced digital copy,, I wanted to offer my honest opinion of the book, For The Best. The book begins with the main character; Juliet, waking in a stupor, TrinhKoc to remember the events of the night before. The story continues to unfold through a series of events, twists, turns, and surprises. I found the construction of the characters to be well thought out and crafted with care. The plot kept me guessing and I was eager to get to the conclusion. Excellent book!

Vanessa Lillie has done it again with another brilliant psychological thriller.
I finished this in two nights. So much tension. Jules is an alcoholic who’s experienced past trauma. She doesn’t remember the night Terrence was killed. Her character was so 3D through her faults and all. This story made me think about taking ownership and making amends.

This was an excellent follow up to Lillie's debut, Little Voices, which I absolutely LOVED.

After Terrance's body is found in an alley outside the bar, Juliet is the only suspect in his murder because her wallet is found next to his body. When questioned by the police, Juliet's memory is hazy because of drinking the night before and because of her fathers past, the police don't seem interested in anyone else for the murder.

Juliet starts a vlog to clear his name, which I really really enjoyed. It was a unique approach to thrillers/mysteries, which was refreshing rather than reading a lot of the same tropes.

On that note, this book mixed the 5 star mark for me because of the drunk woman trope.

Overall, I strongly enjoyed this book and I'm so glad I got an advanced copy to review. Keep your eye out for this one in the fall (which is my favorite time to read thrillers!!)

Thank you so much NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer publishing, Amazon publishing, and Vanessa Lillie!

For the Best
by Vanessa Lillie

When Jules Worthington-Smith wakes up with a hangover from hell is where this alcohol fueled thriller begins. Her wallet was found with the murdered body of a close friend and she is the only suspect. She was blackout drunk the night it happened and can’t remember anything. She loses nearly everything dear to her but vows to start her own investigation vlog style to save herself and a little face.

Jules is one damaged woman, her thoughts were often frustrating. I didn’t love her but I did find myself cheering her on. The book is filled with a very flawed cast of characters that are easy to hate. The line between what we want the world to see and reality is tested throughout this dark and gripping story.

The story is told partially through transcripts of interviews and vlogs which left me with true-crime youtube/podcast vibes. It’s not like anything I’ve read recently, very original in style and let me saying wait WHAT???

I devoured this book like a guilty pleasure in two nights. If you loved Little Voices, you’ll love this.

Thank you @NetGalley and #thomasandmercer for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Driven and manipulative Juliet is trying to defend herself against suspicions that she murdered a brilliant scholar. Juliet was blackout drunk and remembers only unsettling fragments of that night. She ignores the advice of her lawyer and launches a vblog to try to clear her name.

The device of the vblog reveals the story and the layers and conflicts of the characters. It also adds a tense, tawdry undercurrent, juxtaposing the lure of online approval with the book's vivid descriptions of alcoholism:

“None of it really makes sense, but the anger feels good. Outrage is such a comfortable perch – lobbing criticism at enemies unseen while feeling sorry for myself. . . . People believing me was dangerously intoxicating.”

The ending was a letdown for me because it felt too pat and obvious. Overall, though, I enjoyed the book.

I really struggled reading this book. I think the writing was great but I didn’t connect with the characters at all. Juliet was on a quest to prove her innocence for a crime that was committed on a night she can’t remember. She invades everyone’s privacy and thinks she has that right. I did enjoy the conclusion though. To be fair, I have personal history with an alcoholic so that probably clouded my judgement of this book.