Thrillers aren't usually heartbreaking but this one.. wow. Heavy stuff. The story centered around so much family trauma, and the havoc wreaked by generations of alcoholism was really jarring for me. As far as the mystery, it seemed fairly easy to see what was coming and it was wrapped up almost too nicely. This may sound like I didn't enjoy this book, but that's not the case! It kept me engaged, mostly to see what new secrets would tumble out. Juliet is a tough character; she's not particularly likable. In the end, although some parts hit a few nerves, and the ending was not necessarily a happy one, learning the family secrets and seeing the consequences finally play out was so much more important than the "whodunit" aspect. I would definitely read other books by this author.

For The Best reads like it should not be enjoyable. The main character, Julia, is flawed, an alcoholic in all but admission. She makes immoral decisions and does not deserve the reader's sympathy but the book is written in such a good fashion that she always manages to keep it, even when it is only as substantial as holding mist.

An interesting tale and one that may leave the reader conflicted, but ultimately satisfied.

Read it and make your own mind up.

For the Best by Vanessa Lillie is a thriller involving murder, family lies, and uncovering the truth. When Jules’ wallet is found near someone that was murdered, her quest begins to prove her innocence. Did she commit the murder as others are claiming or will she prove who the real killer is? This was a good book with interesting outcomes.

When Jules Worthington-Smith’s wallet is found next to a dead man, she becomes the prime suspect in his murder. After struggling for years to build the perfect family and career, she’s dangerously close to losing everything.

Jules is desperate to prove her innocence and clear her name. But there’s one big problem: she was blackout drunk when the murder took place and can’t remember what happened.

She embarks on her own murder investigation. As she uncovers fresh clues, she starts a true-crime vlog pushing her into the public eye. But, as she digs deeper, the more dirt she uncovers about the murder and herself.

This was a complex book that was filled with twists and secrets. While the book itself was well written, I could not sympathize with the main character, Jules, at all. I found her her annoying, she was a drunk and a flirt, as well as disregarded the feelings and privacy of others just to prove her innocence.

I kept reading just to find out whether Jules was actually innocent as she claimed despite her many faults.I enjoyed that the story was fast paced and plot line got more interesting as the story progressed. The ending was a bit surprising since it was kind of hard to believe.

Thank You to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC!!

I would recommend this story to all thriller lovers. This book took me by surprise. It kept me interested throughout the story and I needed to see what was going to happen. I truly enjoyed the pacing of the story and the well-written characters.

For The Best
“Suspected of a murder she can’t remember, a troubled woman takes an unusual approach to proving her innocence in this gripping thriller from the bestselling author of Little Voices.” I had the pleasure of being able to give an early review for this amazing book. Thank you again @vanessalillie I love supporting authors, especially when they live in the same state as me. I was born and still live in North Providence, RI and I absolutely loved all the Providence references throughout this book. I kept yelling “I know that place!,” because it’s not every day you read a book that takes place in the smallest state in the world.
I was hooked literally on page one! Jules, is a wife and a mom and what seems to be a very successful business woman, wakes up, hungover, unaware of anything that happened the night before. When the police show up to her house, she is convinced something terrible happened to her husband on a morning errand. Come to find out, they are there looking for Jules and her nightmare begins. A man she works closely with and who she spent most of the night before with at a work function, has turned up dead in an alley with Jules wallet next to him. Unfortunately, Jules was black out drunk and can’t remember a single detail. Jules is fairly certain that she had no hand in the murder or attack of Terrence but all the odds are against her. Jules goes on a crusade to prove her innocence and starts her own vlog and investigation. Things start to get muddy and she starts to doubt herself, her husband, and even her father. She does all this, while probably drinking way to much, especially after the fact the alcohol got her in to this mess.
Her father, is a whole different drama. He’s an alcoholic who drunkenly hit a little boy on a bike many years earlier, and killed him. Things start to come out that Jules is not prepared to deal with.

FOR THE BEST by Vanessa Lillie is a compulsive read as the main character investigates murder through unconventional means. Family drama, career upheaval, and addiction add to the novel's conflict, and the storyline culminates in deeper meaning that Jules herself exemplifies.

While the mystery kept me engaged, I struggled to identify with the main character, who isn't particularly likable. Her crusade is noble, but her methods are abrasive. As a reader, I couldn't quite reconcile my perception of her with the "pull" that her husband--and her journalist ex-boyfriend--experienced. I also wondered about the sister, who is mentioned quite often but never appears. For some reason, I expected her to make a cameo.

Nevertheless, Jules's final choices [somewhat] redeem her, and I like the idea that she's not "just like her father"--that willpower and forging one's own path ultimately trump genetics and her traumatic childhood experience.

For The Best By Vanessa Lillie

Juliet Worthington-Smith’s wallet is found next to a dead man automatically making her the prime suspect in a murder investigation.

Adding to her woes is the fact that after a couple of drinks she probably wouldn’t be able to point out her face if asked but that doesn’t deter her from drinking like a frog anyway.

Instead of going the usual route of trusting the Police to figure out the details she decides to vlog about it taking clues and helpful tips from her social media followers and aides by her conveniently-a-journalist ex-boyfriend.

Since she is the protagonist in a mystery story unsurprisingly she does manage to unravel the mystery with some unexpected results.

The story had a good premise that unfortunately for me fell flat with its execution and the pathetically unrealistic reactions of the characters like Juliet’s husband actually tells her something along the lines of “you’ve handled a multimillion dollar enterprise off course you can solve a murder case better than the police”

*serious eye rolling”

The writing was not very fascinating and I honestly got quite bored of the story and may have skipped a few pages in between.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a solid thriller. See the many, smart reviews already posted for more perspective. I expect this to be a hit with most thriller/mystery fans.

I really appreciate the ARC for review!!

The premis of the book is a great idea. I love the mystery in the beginning but as it went on you could just tell who did it. ALL the characters except the mom and fritz were unlikeable. The second half of the story moved at a fast pass of mystery thats coming into the big twist. I enjoyed the story but I just couldn't get invested in these characters.
I liked the different media throughout the story, the vlog and videos are played out and for you. I loved the format that they were told by.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for my review copy!

What a wild ride! From the first page, I became invested in this story and its main character, Jules- a quasi trainwreck of an employee, mother, and wife seeking the truth about a murder in which she is the only suspect. Much like she does in her debut novel, Little Voices, Vanessa Lillie masters the art of twists and turns that kept me in suspense and continually guessing until the end of the book. A true thriller.

This was a tricky book to judge because I thought the premise was clever, a woman vlogging to clear her name. I wanted to go along her journey but man… I couldn't latch onto any sympathetic qualities in the main character, Juliet or her family. Her drunkenness mirrored The Girl on the Train at first then became tiresome in its excess. I had trouble understanding the husband and mother who enabled the alcoholism, even driving them around and making cocktails first thing in the morning with a toddler around. They didn't come off realistic for their social class and there was a heavy-handed social commentary underneath the premise about criminal behavior and minorities that I couldn't even follow.

It hinted at bigotry and racism without stepping fully into the issues and felt plopped into the story. There was one noteworthy twist that finally made me feel sorry for her but the last "twist" was built-up too high and then dragged to the last possible second before it ruined the whole book for me. I think I'm in the minority based on other reviewers so you may love this book. I always urge people to read for themselves since perception is based on opinion and emotions. I would definitely still read another book from Vanessa Lillie since I appreciated her idea and pacing that moved quickly.

Thank you NetGalley for this great opportunity to read this story!

Thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for the ARC which I received in exchange for my honest review. I was immediately intrigued by the premise of the book. Jules Worthington-Smith wakes up to discover that her wallet has been found next to a dead man and she is now the prime suspect in a murder investigation. Although Jules believes that she could not have committed such a heinous crime, the trouble is that she has absolutely no recollection of the events due to her heavy drinking. Jules then decides to conduct her own investigation into the matter which leads her to confront her demons.

Despite the great premise and the fast-paced plot, I didn't enjoy the book. The main character Jules, is quite simply unlikeable and irredeemable. Although she is convinced that she could never have done something so terrible as committing a murder, I didn't share her conviction. Jules is a raging alcoholic and a negligent mother. The relationship between Jules and her husband is toxic and he enables her at every turn. The only character I liked was the young son, and I felt sorry for him having to grow up in such a dysfunctional environment. Although I love complicated characters and am usually quite entertained by unreliable narrators, I simply could not stand Jules.

I think that the author had a good concept and a sincere desire to leave readers with a timely social commentary. Unfortunately, the characters in this book were so loathsome that I just couldn't bring myself to care about what happened to them.

For the Best is a domestic story about the effects and repercussions of alcoholism. Jules, a successful CEO but borderline alcoholic, is potentially a murder suspect of one of her closest friends. She blacked out the night of the murder and cannot remember what happened. All those closest to her believe her and support her claims. She begins a Vlog to uncover the truth and it seems her family holds more secrets than others.

This was an easy, quick paced read that was told using current dialogue and Jules' video chats. Those dealing with alcohol issues might have a difficult time reading this due to the amount of drinking taking place during the story. Struggles with this addiction is an all consuming family matter. I wasn't sure which character I was rooting for as there is no clear winner with this disease. Overall, a good mystery.

Thanks to #netgalley and #thomas&mercer for the advanced copy of this title.

“I have a temper. I drink too much sometimes to deal with emotions I’d rather ignore. Am I some kind of loaded weapon? The trigger springing loose with the sip of one too many?”

A body is found in an alleyway and Juliet’s wallet right next to it. Juliet was blackout drunk the night before, can’t remember a thing but can’t fathom having anything to do with this man’s death. She starts a vlog to prove her innocence and find the real killer.

I enjoyed this quick, engaging read but it wasn’t overly exciting. Won’t be super memorable for me. 3/5 stars.

This book was good! I was definitely not expecting the ending! I have put the book in NTR pile I look forward to it! The book kept me on my toes the entire book, never a dull moment!

Did not expect that ending!! Just when I thought I knew who did it- I was wrong! But isn’t that a good thing for a crime novel?!


I really enjoyed this book and love how the author put the actual vlog of Jules’ investigation- I felt like I was reading a crime documentary!


It’s a very fast read and doesn’t miss a beat. It gets straight to the investigation and you learn that blood is way thicker than water.... which may not always be a good thing!! Great read!!

For the Best by Vanessa Lillie, published by Thomas and Mercer, is a gripping story that gave me all the feels. I loved connecting with the characters, loved the excellent writing and was breathless after finishing this book . This plottwist I never ever had expected.
Meet Juliet. It seems she has the perfect life. Successful in her job, loved by her husband and son, a perfect life. That's about to change when she becomes the suspect in a murder investigation. Juliet was a hard to like character, flawed - but she never gave up, stubborn and determined to prove her innocence she goes a long way.
I read the book, cover to cover in one sitting, hanging on the edge of my seat - I simply couldn't put thw book down.
A great read, 4,5 stars.

Wow, I believe this is my first book by Vanessa Lillie but definitely not my last! I found it to be so utterly riveting from page one. I thought it provided many thrills, chills, twists & turns, and shocks! From page one I found myself feeling that this was nearly impossible to put down. It was written in a much realistic way and I found it original! I highly, highly recommend this to my fellow psychological thrillers lovers, as I do believe that you will be following Vanessa Lillie!
Will make sure to buzz it up on the different platforms and will use low Amazon reviewer number on release date!

For the second time, Juliet's life is uprooted by a murder investigation except this time she's at the center of the story.

For the Best follows the story of CEO Juliet Worthington-Smith as she follows the story of Terrance Castle's murder. She'll do whatever it takes to find what really happened that night and clear her families name. The story will keep you on the edge of your seat as the truth comes to light.

I absolutely loved this story and could not put it down. Thank you so much NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and Vanessa Little for the ARC.