This is my second book by this author. I loved Our Kind of Cruelty so I was ecstatic to receive a copy of her latest novel. Unfortunately, I found myself disappointed.
This book was presented as a whodunit. Nancy is brutally murdered and her friends Eleanor and Mary try to unravel her life to understand what happened. This book was more of a narrative of each person's life and poor choices with some information about Nancy and her murder tossed in. After the police broke the news of Nancy's death and asked a few questions they never made another appearance.
I felt that the story really dragged and I also didn't like one character in this book which made it more unenjoyable. Unfortunately, I cannot recommended this one.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Friendship. Betrayal. Marriage. Infidelity.

Trust is not something you’re given, it’s something you earn and in “Imperfect Women” it’s torn to shreds.

Three female friends from their days at Oxford, Eleanor, Nancy and Mary’s lives intersect in one way or another.

Married to truly despicable men, all of their lives seem truly miserable. When one is murdered, an investigation ensues and everything goes awry.

Sadly this storyline was a complete miss for me. From the mystery that to the revolting husbands, and the predictability of the ending.

I desperately wanted to love this one as I adored this author’s previously novel but sadly this novel didn’t quite work for me. I

Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar Straus and Giroux for the arc.

I really liked Our Kind of Cruelty by the same author and had high hopes for her next book. I must admit that I was minorly disappointed. The premise was promising and the writing wasn’t bad but the story was slow, repetitive and ridden with cliches. To be honest, I was glad when I finished it.

Ellie, Nancy and Mary met in university and have remained devoted friends for 20 years although their lives are very different. Brilliant, exotic Mary had an affair with a professor while in school. She's spent the years immersed in domesticity, devoted to raising their 3 children. Beautiful Nancy married a wealthy businessman and works as a translator for a publisher. Ellie has never married and is an executive for a charity.

One night Nancy and Ellie meet for dinner. Nancy has been having an affair and Ellie has been urging her to end it. They argue. Nancy leaves and is subsequently found murdered.

The book is told in 3 parts from the perspectives of each of the women but it is not linear. It begins with Ellie's story including Nancy's murder and the complicated aftermath. The middle section is Nancy's story up to her murder and the book concludes with Mary's version of events.

This isn't exactly a thriller, though the mystery of Nancy's murder is in the background. It's more about the women and the ways their lives intersect through the years.

I know Araminta Hall's previous book Our Kind of Cruelty was critically acclaimed but I didn't like it as much as I liked this one. Imperfect Women is a very compelling story about female friendship. I would recommend it to people who enjoy Liane Moriarty or Celeste Ng.

From Araminta Hall, the author of OUR KIND OF CRUELTY, comes IMPERFECT WOMEN, a tautly plotted tale of domestic suspense centered on three women and the lies they have told and built up about one another.

Eleanor and her friend, Nancy, had been out to dinner, but now it is four in the morning and Nancy has not come home. Desperate with worry, her husband, Robert, calls Eleanor and asks her for the truth. Although Eleanor admits that Nancy has been seeing a man named David for at least a year, she is adamant that Nancy had been trying to end the affair for weeks and has not run off. Her claim is tragically confirmed when a white car arrives outside of Robert and Nancy’s home with the news that a body believed to be Nancy has been found bludgeoned to death.

Eleanor and the women’s other best friend, Mary, quickly compare notes on what they knew about Nancy and her lover. With the police embarking on a thorough investigation of Nancy’s correspondences and Robert's knowledge of the affair, Eleanor in particular feels her life crumbling, undulating with anxiety and fear. What happened to the three bright, eager young women who met at Oxford all those years ago, and how have they arrived at this moment --- with one tied to an abusive husband, another single and lonely, and the third lying dead under a bridge?

As Eleanor grapples with her grief, she becomes obsessed with learning the truth about who Nancy really was. At the same time, Mary becomes distracted by a sudden decline in her older husband Howard's health. Watching not only the investigation and public outcry about Nancy’s murder, but the way that Mary coddles and dotes on the man who has always mistreated her, Eleanor begins to wonder how much she really knows about either of her friends. And, as she embarks on her own bad choices with an ill-timed and poorly thought-out romance with Robert, her questioning turns against her when she realizes that she, too, has not always been honest with her friends --- and least of all herself.

As the mystery of Nancy’s death unfolds, Hall tracks the ways that the women have judged and misjudged one another over the years. Where she was once young and full of potential, each has strayed from the plan she set for herself all those years ago in Oxford. And even worse, each is intensely self-conscious about her lot in life --- especially when it comes to the watchful gazes of her friends. Eleanor, who works with nonprofits and is married to her career, is the “strong one,” the independent, careful one who doesn’t need a man. Mary, weighed down with three children and a petulant husband, is the mother and housewife; though her friends will tell you that there is no harder job than motherhood, they also look down on her for staying with Howard. And then there’s beautiful, rich and cultured Nancy, the only one of them who appears to have it all and yet cannot seem to feel happiness, using reckless acts to buoy her self-esteem and feelings of joy.

The title of Hall’s latest is certainly apt: neither of the three women at the center of IMPERFECT WOMEN would ever be considered perfect. And yet the greatest strength of the book is how perfectly imperfect each of them is; all three are wholly realized, believably complicated and layered, and self-conscious without being self-absorbed. Though Eleanor, Nancy and Mary are all obsessed with the opinions of one another, Hall uses their microcosm to unpack the multiple pressures, impossible expectations and horrible judgments that women face every day in society, at work and in their relationships.

As Hall writes, “Women...carry guilt and responsibility like a second skin, so much so it weighs them down and stops them from ever achieving quite everything they should…. Madness, neurosis, heightened emotions, all are such easy monikers to apply to women…” And indeed, if the women of IMPERFECT WOMEN are, well, imperfect, it is the men who are truly, wholly flawed. Hall does not disparage men or dispute the existence of good men in her book, but she certainly does remind us that even as women are harmed emotionally and physically every day, men almost always have a way out of their guilt for it.

Readers who enjoyed OUR KIND OF CRUELTY will be delighted to see that Hall has maintained her talent for dark characterizations and vivid descriptions of violent, obsessive love, but this is not quite the same psychological thriller. IMPERFECT WOMEN is much more nuanced and intellectual; while a murder has been committed, this is not a jump-scare-filled or particularly shocking suspense novel (though there is a satisfying murder mystery simmering in the background at all times). The thrills here are much more thought-provoking and insightful.

You’ll buy this one for the comparisons to Paula Hawkins, but you’ll remember it for the sharply observed and brilliantly explored observations on women and their various --- but always criticized --- roles in society.

Multiple points of views in this story line. I liked it, but similar to then and now these are so hard for me to keep straight!

I liked the author's take on the story,

A thrilling book that will have you gripped from the very beginning! The book is well written and really draws the readers into the characters lives as the narrative unfolds.

Imperfect Women - this book allows for a direct insight into women's lives and why women are considered to be such mysteries. And it also shows that we are human - we are all imperfect. It's the degree of imperfection we need to keep our eye on. 😉 We have to make sure that we aren't so unrecognizable to those who love us if we were to meet with an untimely demise. This book was deep and seriously thought- provoking. I enjoyed reading it and it did a wonderful job explaining how such "simple" things - like friendship and love - can become extremely complex and dangerous. I can't tell you how many times I wanted to change the title of the book to the Imperfect Men Who Make Women Imperfect - darn those two husbands - I couldn't decide who I hated more. 😆 I enjoyed this book and if you are looking for a real down-to-earth book about real-life situations, this is THE book for you!

There is a lot about this book to enjoy - there are little secrets that I genuinely didn't see coming, complex relationships and friendships, and narration from three different perspectives.

The narration from three different perspectives was well executed because, as each new character takes over the telling of events from their perspective, we are led deeper and deeper into the story. It also serves to hold back information which is revealed later. Very clever.

However, I did not like a single character. Often I can not like characters but still like the book as I appreciate that such a strong reaction is the sign of great writing and characterisation. However, I found these characters generally shallow, irritating and selfish. Their friendships are a shambles and their marriages not much better. Yes, this can be realistic in life but it just meant that I had no sympathy for any of them and wasn't too bothered about how they ended up.

It was enjoyable but I have read so many excellent books recently that this one was just ok for me.

Thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and Netgalley for access to this ARC.

EXCERPT: 'Eleanor.'

She sat up because she hadn't even been aware of answering the phone and the night was still black and nothing made sense. Her head spun, and she dropped it forward to make it stop, which allowed other things to fall into place.

'Robert?'

'I'm sorry to wake you.'

'What time is it?'

'Just after four.'

'My God, has something happened?'

'No. well, I don't know. Nancy's not here. I must have fallen asleep when I was reading, because I've just woken up and she's not back. And her phone's going straight to voicemail.'

The streetlights were seeping in through the cracks in Eleanor's curtains, and she tried to focus on the strip of artificial light, as if it meant something.

'You don't know where she is, do you? I mean, she didn't by any chance come back to your place after dinner, did she?' His voice sounded like overstretched elastic.

'No - no, she didn't.' She swung her legs out of the bed, and all the irritation she'd felt for Nancy the night before, for ages really, sloshed about in her body. 'Look, I can be there in fifteen minutes.'

Oh, God, you don't have to...'

'It's fine, Robert. I'll throw on some clothes and get into the car.'

The elastic in his voice snapped. 'Oh, God, do you think, then ... I mean, should I call the police?'

'No, wait for me.' Eleanor pulled on her jeans as she spoke, and her irritation mutated to anger. She wanted to pick up something and hurl it against the wall. She wanted to scream into Nancy's perfect face. She wouldn't let her get away with this. She would recount everything, every last painful second, she would spare her nothing.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: When Nancy Hennessy is murdered, she leaves behind two best friends, an adoring husband and daughter, and a secret lover whose identity she took to the grave. Nancy was gorgeous, wealthy, and cherished by those who knew her—from the outside, her life was perfect. But as the investigation into her death flounders and her friends Eleanor and Mary wrestle with their grief, dark details surface that reveal how little they knew their friend, each other, and maybe even themselves.

A gripping, immersive novel about impossible expectations and secrets that fester and become lethal, Imperfect Women unfolds through the perspectives of three fascinating women. Their enduring, complex friendship is the knot the reader must untangle to answer the question Who killed Nancy?

MY THOUGHTS: I finished Imperfect Women with a definite sense of despondency. I felt weighted down by it. It was not the book I needed right at this moment. It has taken a long walk in the sunshine and a couple of hours of my favorite music to brighten my mood.

Imperfect Women is a brutally honest book about the bonds of friendship and marriage, human stupidity, love (or what passes for it), family, and the destructive powers of guilt and deception (in its many forms). It deals deeply with the expectations women place upon themselves, and those that the men in their lives impose upon them. It is a well written and well plotted book. But it is not a book to be read lightly; it is full of despair and introspection. I think that this is a book that will haunt me for some time.

The murder of Nancy is the catalyst for a chain reaction, but it is not the focus of the story. That remains firmly on the after effects of Nancy's death.

The story is told in three parts: the first by Eleanor, best friend of both Nancy and Mary, philanthropist career woman, unmarried, childless and with no 'significant other' in her life; the second part is told from Nancy's point of view and, believe me, there is not a lot to like about this woman, who has a brilliant brain which she has never put to use, and who is married to wealthy Robert with one daughter, and is careless with her affections; the third part is told from Mary's point of view, married to University lecturer and narcissist Howard, with three children and no life outside the home. It is incredible to me that these three women have continued to be friends through all the years since their university days as they have absolutely nothing but their past in common.

At no time did I ever consider abandoning this read, yet neither did I rush to pick it up again after putting it down. I think I need a bit of time and distance from this one to gain a better perspective. I plan, in a week or so, to return and edit this review and possibly even my rating. Would I read another book by this author? Definitely.

🤔🤔🤔.3

#ImperfectWomen #NetGalley

'We live in a world now where there has to be an answer to everything. We wonder about something and Google tells us the answer, but death isn't always like that. And nor is love.'

'What seems like great catastrophes to you are really just small sorrows in the big scheme of things.'

'We have a responsibility to those who love us. ... being loved makes us precious, and that means we have to take care of ourselves. You know, I think you and I, and Nancy as well, we're good at loving, but not good at being loved. But that means we're missing something important. We're taking on too much of the bad responsibility and not enough of the good...'

'There is always the possibility of new chapters in everyone's stories.'

THE AUTHOR: Araminta Hall began her career in journalism as a staff writer on teen magazine Bliss, becoming Health and Beauty editor of New Woman. On her way, she wrote regular features for the Mirror's Saturday supplement and ghost-wrote the super-model Caprice's column.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Imperfect Women by Araminta Hall for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

I didn't expect the twist in the book but the three women character I really enjoyed. Would recommend

Eleanor, Nancy, and Mary have been best friends since they met at Oxford. But then Nancy is murdered, leaving behind an adoring husband and a daughter. Her life, from the outside, was seemingly perfect. But Eleanor knows that the night Nancy died, she was going to meet her lover, hoping to break it off. And as the investigation into Nancy's death continues, both Eleanor and Mary struggle with their grief, the memories they have of their friend, and what her death means for those left behind.

"Eleanor felt a jolt of terror pass through her as she realized that everything about Nancy's death was worse than any other death anywhere. They would all suffer, and nothing would ever be the same again."

This was a truly fascinating book: it's part character-driven mystery and part insightful look at the role of women in society. It's told from the point of view of the three friends, but not the usual quick back and forth: we get large chunks of the story told from one woman at a time. Truths unfold slowly, as we learn bits and pieces about Eleanor, Nancy, and Mary--from themselves and each other.

The focal point of the story is Nancy's rather gruesome murder, but Hall fills her tale with thoughts and ruminations on women and how they are seen in society--and how they feel they are perceived. In some ways, it felt like a bunch broad generalizations applied to women, yet as I read, I found that most of them really rang true. I was furiously highlighting passages, nodding my head yes!

At times, it was hard to see where this book was going. Murder? Deep thoughts? It certainly straddled the line on both. In terms of Nancy's murder, I had a good chunk figured out early on, but the story certainly kept me engaged, reading and wondering if I was right. All three flawed (imperfect, indeed) women were interesting in their own way, and I liked each woman's section. I found this to be a very well-written book, but it's not a snappy thriller.

If you want a fast whodunit, this isn't for you. But if you want a well-done and thoughtful read, I recommend Hall's latest. It's a suspenseful and insightful look at love, marriage, and friendship. 4 stars.

Nancy, the best friend of Eleanor and Mary is found murdered and it is assumed her lover killed her. For once I actually guessed the ending of this book, but it didn't spoil it. The truth is, nothing stays buried forever

It's a thriller but also a story about long term relationships, men's attitudes towards women and motherhood.

"Women, Eleanor though, carry guilt and responsibility like a second skin, so much it weighs them down and stops them from ever achieving quite everything they should"

Imperfect Women is an interesting, dark story. The women in the novel are all different, but all very complex and well drawn. They are imperfect, but have redeeming features. The men, however have no redeeming features. This is a story of friendship, betrayal, murder and sacrifice. I got a frustrated with it before the end, but on the whole enjoyed it. Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and Netgalley for an arc of this novel

I was a big fan of Araminta Hall's Our Kind of Cruelty, so I was excited to read Imperfect Women, which also focuses on the theme of obsessive love, but is somewhat more philosophical and, sadly, somewhat boring. In focusing on three female friends, one of whom is violently murdered after going to meet with her secret lover, Hall explores the question of a whether a woman can really be her full self within a marriage.

While I finished the book, I wasn't too invested in the story and I think breaking the novel into three distinct parts with different narrators made it worse.

I liked her first book quite a bit so was looking forward to this one. I liked it ok but it was slow and couldn't relate to any of the characters, fell a bit flat, one toned to me. hard to care about it. A mystery yes in a mild way but more a story of a woman coming to terms wiht herself

2 STARS

When Nancy Hennessy is murdered, she leaves behind two best friends, an adoring husband and daughter, and a secret lover whose identity she took to the grave. Nancy was gorgeous, wealthy, and cherished by those who knew her—from the outside, her life was perfect. But as the investigation into her death flounders and her friends Eleanor and Mary wrestle with their grief, dark details surface that reveal how little they knew their friend, each other, and maybe even themselves.

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The premise and GORGEOUS cover initially peaked my interest in IMPERFECT WOMEN. I'm also a huge fan of domestic thrillers and juicy, drama filled books. Unfortunately, IMPERFECT WOMEN was neither.

Honestly, I found it fairly dry and boring. I did convince myself to finish it because I wanted to find out what happened to Nancy the night she was murdered but the reveal was completely underwhelming. Another factor that hampered my enjoyment was having recently finished a very juicy, dark, domestic drama surrounding three women who had also been friends for years, I was constantly comparing the two and found this one lacking. I know that there are many positive reviews for this book on Goodreads, so this may just have not been the right book for me.

Recommend if you enjoy slow burn, character driven books.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for my ARC. IMPERFECT WOMEN is out now.

I hate having to write these kinda of reviews but sometimes they have to be done. I was pretty excited to get to Imperfect Women after really liking Araminta Hall’s debut novel Our Kind of Cruelty. I know it got a lot of mixed reviews but I enjoyed the story a lot. I was hoping for some improvements in writing with her newest novel but unfortunately that wasn’t the case.

I only made it through about 40% before I decided that I had to DNF. If you’ve been following my page for awhile, you know I rarely don’t finish a book. I usually power through and if anything will give it a lower rating. But I couldn’t do it with this one. There are so many better books I could be reading than forcing myself to read something I’m not enjoying.

Imperfect Women is a mess. It’s a continuous rambling of mundane life events following three separate women (or so I’m told). I was only able to barely make it through Eleanor’s part. I have no interest in repetitive ramblings or reading about a woman complaining constantly about the same thing for 100s of pages. I honestly couldn’t even summarize the bit that I read because nothing really happened. Eleanor just complains about everything and is so unlikable it’s impossible to feel any sympathy. Maybe that’s the point but it’s nothing I want to read. I’d rather just look up spoilers to find out the ending than suffer through it.

If you’ve read Imperfect Woman, I would love to hear your thoughts down below. I know I can’t be alone in really disliking this. This book may be for some but I can’t recommend it in good conscious.

DNF at 40%

perfect adjective
: being entirely without fault or defect : flawless

In Imperfect Women, Araminta Hall yet again brings us a gripping and psychological suspense about three women and the destructive power of their secrets.

We follow the lives of three women who have been friends since college. Mary, Eleanor and Nancy each have a "perfect" life, ot so they want us to believe. But when one of these perfect women ends up murdered the investigation into her death shatters the mirage.

Overall I really enjpyed this book alot! Imperfect Women is a true guilty pleasure read, packed with long term friendships, rocky marriages, love, lies, secrets and betrayal.


I recieved a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I did not enjoy this one. I was hoping this would be more of a thriller, but as it went on, I found myself so bored I no longer cared to find out who the killer was. I did like Our Kind of Cruelty so I don’t think I’ll give up on the author quite yet.