We meet Vanessa just at the time that everything seems to be unravelling. Her life in chaos, and everything around her broken. Yet, as we journey back in time it seems that it wasn’t always this way and this is the draw that had me turning the pages long after I should’ve, night after night.

How can a life, The Perfect Life, descend from something that is so idyllic to the utter chaos that now permeates everything that Vanessa touches? The juxtaposition between the Now and the Then is utterly fascinating, I found myself a little bit in love with Vanessa’s former life which is tantalisingly revealed in snippets. Her happiness at these times spills from the page and only serves to heighten the complete desolation of her current situation. With strong and clever characterisation Ellwood deftly brings Vanessa and her story to life. And, what a story it is!

Right from Ellwood’s brilliant debut - My Sisters Bones, she has always had the ability to turn everything you believe on its head in an instant and The Perfect Life offers more of this, in bucketfuls. I had the highest of hopes for it and it didn’t let me down, it maintained an almost constant presence in my head whenever I was doing something that prevented me from reading it.

The conclusion is dramatic, unpredictable and everything I wanted it it to. The Perfect Life is a perfect summer read, trust me - but maybe don’t trust Vanessa...

This was a strangely formatted book in that there were various timelines which were interspersed with a children’s fairytale. It had a bit of everything: death of a parent while still in childhood, low self esteem, gaslighting, rape, abortion, murder, strange obsession of viewing dream houses and relationships between boyfriend/girlfriend, sisters and best friends. Because of all this I felt the book should have concentrated on one or two of these major issues. The ending was for me a little too contrived.

Vanessa has always found it easy to pretend to be somebody different, somebody better. When things get tough in her real life, all she has to do is throw on some nicer clothes, adopt a new accent and she can escape.
That's how it started: looking round houses she couldn't possibly afford. Harmless fun really. Until it wasn't.
Because a man who lived in one of those houses is dead.
And everyone thinks Vanessa killed him...

I have previously enjoyed some of this author’s work and was so excited to be invited on the book tour for this book.

I started reading this book and at first, i was confused about what was happening with the different timelines. This was strange for me because I usually love this book format.

However, once I got over the beginning chapters, I fell in love with the book.

This book made me question on several occasions, just how far I would go for the perfect life and do I actually have the perfect life already?

Seeing Vanessa’s world crumbing around her, it brought it home that we are all so desperate for the perfect life, but where do we draw the line?

The book was extremely dark and manipulating in places and I loved it

That’s my first book of August finished

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book.

This is the story of Ness. Ness is in her early 30’s and shares a flat with her best friend Lottie. She has a job that she loves and her big sister who she meets up with regularly.
We find out that despite her happiness, her mum died suddenly when she was young and she sought solace in the series of books she read as a child.
The book is written as a dual time frame of then and now and it seems to make perfect sense with it all fitting together nicely.
We follow Ness as her life falls apart after she meets a new man and believed that he was as head over heels in love as she is, so much so that she leaves the comfort of her best friend to move in with him and then dreamt of owning their own place. All is not as it seems and after falling out with her best friend, gaslighting and giving up her dream job, she seeks solace in looking at lovely houses beyond her budget and allowing herself to dream.
This is a page turner full of murder, gaslighting and stalking that kept me wandering how and who right to the end.
With thanks to NetGalley for this preview read. #Netgalley

The Perfect Wife is a psychological thriller that deals with several topical issues. The main character Nessa comes across as quite needy and vulnerable, despite having a successful career in the beauty industry. It’s when she meets and falls in love with her partner Connor that she slowly begins to unravel and her past experiences return to trouble her. The subject of domestic abuse is handled sensitively and subtly, illustrating how a partner’s behaviour can incrementally change someone’s perception of themselves.

Although it's a tense storyline with some unexpected twists,

My thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Books for the opportunity to read this book.

I really enjoyed this. This is a good book to read for anyone suffering with anxiety or depression. Can see it being a big hit.

Thankyou to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me a copy of this book to read. This is the first book that i have read from this author and i did like it, I liked the character of Vanessa and how she used escapism;pretending to be someone else to make herself happy.

it was a little all over the place, in the present and the past which i wasnt a fan of but overall it was a good plot and a good read,

Without realising she is in a controlling relationship, 32-year old Vanessa moves in to live with her boyfriend, Connor, therefore losing her best friend of 14 years. To escape the stress of life, she views houses that she can't afford, giving a fake name each time. This almost becomes an addiction.

When a famous author who Vanessa loved as a child dies, she is arrested as a suspect. She has been caught at his house, on a viewing, at the exact moment he was murdered.

It is a good book with an unexpected twist at the end. Vanessa is a likeable character and the reader would feel compassion for her and understand why she does what she does.


Thank you #NualaEllwood and #netgalley for this book. I really enjoyed it.

This is an interesting story about how people cope with problems or anxiety, in this case it is a woman in her thirties. She does manage to find someone who appears to be the perfect man, but he's a bit too good to be true and his flat is a bit too small. So she drifts off into a fantasy world where she creates another persona and, in character, views big houses that fit in with her idea of the perfect life.

This would be a good idea but it is very similar to a character who appeared in the television series Breaking Bad. In the programme and in this book, the women take a souvenir from each house they visit. The undoing here is that the owner of one of the dream houses is found dead and the house viewer (the protagonist) is arrested on suspicion of his murder. This links to the second fantasy: the childhood world created by the dead man, who was the author of a popular series of children's books, which the protagonist loved as a child. This is reminiscent of A.A. Milne's stories about Christopher Robin and the Hundred Acre Wood.

The story is told in the first person, which gives the impression of an unreliable narrator as she tells her tale via two timelines. I like how it is from her perspective as it's easy to see the transition from a healthy well balanced woman to the disturbed individual she becomes. Fear, paranoia, helplessness and confusion take over in this tale of suspense, albeit rather slowly. For the majority of the book the domestic story runs alongside the house visiting side and murder plot line as two separate stories that actually are not connected. I was intrigued by the house viewing fantasy and the book would have benefited if that was the main focus instead of the domestic side - relationships of this type are plentiful. There are a couple of far-fetched aspects but this is quite a good read once it gets going.

A very enjoyable read. It was interesting to read the two threads and to witness Vanessa's gradual breakdown and how the two threads came together at the end. I thought the introduction of one of the villains towards the end was a bit random but I could forgive that and otherwise would have no criticisms of the book and I would recommend it.

Like Vanessa, I love looking at houses online, imagining where I’d like to live if I won the lottery and money was no object. Unlike Vanessa, I don’t book myself in for a viewing. I can see why she does though. Pretending to be someone else, even if just for a little while, is very tempting. Especially when your world is falling apart, which Vanessa’s definitely is.

I found myself as fascinated by Vanessa as she was by the houses she obsesses over. As The Perfect Life bounced back and forward from the ‘now’ to the ‘then’, I wanted to understand just how and why things had fallen so badly apart for her. As least, I wanted to at first.

I really enjoyed the first two thirds of The Perfect Life. I liked how the ground kept shifting and the story kept moving in directions I didn’t expect. I liked Vanessa, and disliked her boyfriend. I wanted the best for her. Then, there was a twist I didn’t see coming, and just didn’t work for me. There was one too many villains and an outcome that felt forced. I went from not being able to put the book down to having to force myself to pick it up and finish it.

I’d be interested to know if others who’ve read it felt the same way, or if it was just me? I don’t know if I’m being too picky? I do know that this was a good but not great read for me, one I’m not sure I will be recommending to others – sorry 😦

A gripping read that is so addictive you’ll struggle to put it down!

This is the first book that I’ve read by Nuala Ellwood and it definitely won’t be my last, I devoured this book in just two days! As much as I love reading, I can be very easily distracted, but this book held my attention from start to finish!

We follow Vanessa in this story as she falls in love and moves in with the man of her dreams. Happy in life and happy in her job, you’d think she had it all. Sadly, not everything is rosy for her, but wait, she seems to have found a way to cheer herself up…

We’ve all dreamed about living somewhere bigger and better, we’ve probably all looked online and imagined ourselves in that pretty cottage by the sea, or that luxury townhouse with an indoor pool. For most this remains a dream, but Vanessa takes it one step further and books appointments to view these properties. Initially, she believes she could almost afford them, but her obsession gets a bit out of hand and before long she is looking at properties that would require a decent lottery win.

You could describe what Vanessa is doing as harmless, but when someone ends up dead and she is the prime suspect, things don’t seem so harmless anymore!

Fast-paced and wholly engrossing, the chapters alternate between the past and present, filling us in on events from Vanessa’s life and leading us to that fateful day and beyond. In a way two storylines are running through this book, they don’t quite connect as I thought they might but I’m not sure that they need to.

My only slight critique is that you won’t see one of the twists coming, normally that’s not something I’d be critical over, but this one wasn’t possible to work out at all. This didn’t spoil my enjoyment though, of what is a great psychological thriller!

A cleverly written story with great characters and suspense galore!

Thank you to Nuala Ellwood, Penguin & NetGalley for my copy of this book.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

Vanessa Adams likes to pretend. Since the death of her mother when she was young, she likes to escape into other worlds to find happiness. When Vanessa meets Connor - she thinks she has found her forever, the man who will make her happy always. However, when life gets stressful, she puts on a different outfit, adopts a new personality, and looks at homes that are way outside her price range. It is like a high to her. In one of these homes, the homeowner is dead and the police suspect Vanessa of killing him.

This story was difficult at times. I did not mind the Now and Then aspect of the book; however, the author incorporated a children's book and hard large pieces of dialogue from those books. I would get lost in what was from the book and what was the storyline of Vanessa's story. The wrapping up of the story, everything makes sense and is woven together, I just got lost in the weaving at times.

I have been a fan of Nuala’s work for a while now. I have read and thoroughly enjoyed every book that she has released to date. When I read the synopsis of ‘The Perfect Life’, it certainly sounded like it was going to be an intriguing read and then some. Well I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Prefect Life’ but more about that in a bit.
I found Vanessa to be an intriguing character and then some. Initially I wasn’t quite sure how to take her and I admit that I was a bit suspicious of her. The more of the story that I read, the more I felt that I understood Vanessa. I knew that there was more to her than met the eye and I had the feeling that things weren’t what they initially appeared. I did think that some of her behaviour was slightly odd to say the least.
I was drawn into ‘The Perfect Life’ from the very first word on the very first page. It was as if the book had developed a hold over me and it was a hold that I wasn’t willing to break. I was intrigued by the story and by the characters. I had a suspicion as to how the story was going to pan out so of course I had to keep reading to see if I was on the right track or if I had wandered down the wrong path entirely. The pages were turning so quickly it was almost as if they were turning themselves and the page numbers became a blur. I finished reading the book in just under 6 hours which is pretty good going for me. I found ‘The Perfect Life’ to be a gripping read, which kept me guessing and which kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.
‘The Perfect Life’ is superbly written. The author certainly knows how to grab your attention from the start and draw you into what proves to be one heck of a story. Nuala has one of those writing styles that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. For me, the story hits the ground running and maintains a fairly fast pace throughout. The story is written using two timelines. One is a timeline describing events as they happened in the past and the other timeline describes events as they are happening in the present. The timelines interlink really well and the story flows seamlessly as a result. Reading ‘The Perfect Life’ felt like being on a scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride with more twists and turns to it than you would find on a ‘Snakes & Ladders’ board. I felt as though I was part of the story and at the heart of the action, which is all thanks to Nuala’s very vivid and realistic storytelling.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Perfect Life’ and I would recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Nuala’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

Having survived adversity at an early age, all Vanessa wants is the perfect life. She has a brilliant sister and best friend, her perfect job and now she has met the man of her dreams, why not look for the perfect house? Except perfection isn’t possible as Vanessa will see when a house viewing results in a dead body and she becomes the chief suspect.

“The Perfect Life” is a great addition to any psychological thriller collection. It captured my attention within the first couple of pages and held it to the end. I really like the writing style which got my engaged in Vanessa’s story. The alternating chapter set in the past and present illustrate how Vanessa’s life has been systematically destroyed. It’s a creepy and unnerving read full of red flags. It’s got a strong and the persuasive message about the dangers of seeking and creating an image of perfection. The novel comes to a close with a satisfying ending. Nuala Elwood is definitely an author whose books I would read again.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Vanessa likes to spend time being someone different to herself and enjoys viewing houses of her dreams that she can't afford in a million years. What started out as harmless fun becomes sinister when one of the owners is found dead and Vanessa is considered the main suspect.

Told using a 'then' and 'now' timescale and format, the characters in The Perfect Lie are complex. In the 'then' chapters, Vanessa's life appeared rosy and perfect, with those in the 'now' sections giving rise to a much bleaker time. The flow of the tale is good, progressing with some unsettling and menacing occurrences as Vanessa’s world crumbles. The author had me wondering whether Vanessa was to be trusted or not; her feelings are very well described and you get a sense of her inner turmoil and panic. In this novel about confidence and control, the ending is twisty and a good one.

Disclosure: Thank you to Penguin UK for providing a digital ARC of The Perfect Life by Nuala Ellwood, via Netgalley for review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Some great characters in this one including Vanessa looking for a happy home, love and security, Connor the loving controlling partner and Lottie the best friend and housemate. Broken trust, control, abuse and more this is one you won’t want to miss!
I know how skilfull some people are at manipulating others and I could easily imagine this happening in real life as of course it does.
I’m fascinated by psychological thrillers and the actions of main characters like these certainly didn’t disappoint. This is the sort of book I find hard to put down and time flies.
At times I felt like I didn’t know what was going on but boy I sure as hell enjoyed finding out why!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free digital copy of the book in return for an honest review.

The Perfect Life was an intriguing read, following a London-based millennial as her seemingly "perfect" life descends into chaos.
Vanessa is a perplexing character, who we meet when she's at rock bottom. Within a period of months she's lost her best friend, her boyfriend, her fun life and successful career in the beauty marketing industry to become an unemployed neurotic living off her elder sister's charity. We soon learn that she's also under suspicion for murder...
The events and decisions leading her to her current predicament gradually unfold for the reader over the course of the backwards-and-forwards timeline of the narrative. We see the early halcyon days of her romance with Connor and the concurrent deterioration of her relationship with her lifelong friend, flatmate and confidante Lottie. At first, Vanessa feels that she's made the right decision by agreeing to move in with Connor and believes Lottie will eventually come around. But then the cracks start to show, with Connor's behaviour towards Vanessa becomes increasingly erratic and abusive. As a means of coping, she begins to indulge a dangerous habit - arranging viewings of beautiful properties for sale at prices that she can't possibly afford, and creating elaborate alter-egos deserving of this other, seemingly perfect, life. Her secret life culminates in the discovery of a body, with sightings of a woman matching Vanessa's description fleeing the scene. We know Vanessa isn't telling us everything, but how much is she really hiding?
Author Nuala Ellwood explores many fascinating themes, including the long-term internalisation of childhood trauma or loss, the various ways in which so-called "gaslighting" occurs and the dangers of co-dependent relationships, all of which contribute to Vanessa's escape into imaginary personae. While the character of Vanessa was well-developed over the course of the book, she's the type of female unreliable narrator that I feel has become a somewhat over-used trope over the last decade of mainstream crime fiction releases. That said, she's certainly an interesting character study, even if I was tearing my hair out in frustration at times due to her seeming inability to extricate herself from an unpleasant, even dangerous, situation. But I suppose that's what gaslighting does to a vulnerable personality...
I was somewhat flummoxed by plot developments and the introduction of new characters late in the story, which made for a dramatic ending, but didn't really seem to "gel" with the preceding character development and domestic thriller storyline. It almost felt as though the author had melded two independent plots together using a common protagonist. There was just too much going on, which was distracting from the well-established core narrative around vulnerability.
The Perfect Life was an interesting but perplexing read. Clearly Nuala Ellwood is a talented writer and both her plotting and character development show a lot of skill. While this one didn't really hit the mark for me, I'd be interested to read some of her other titles.
My thanks to the author, Nuala Ellwood, publisher Penguin General UK - Fig Tree, Hamish Hamilton, Viking, Penguin Life, Penguin Business, Penguin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

My thanks to Penguin Books U.K. for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Perfect Life’ by Nuala Ellwood in exchange for an honest review.

Perfect lives that subsequently fall apart are a staple trope of the domestic noir/psychological thriller sub genre. In ‘The Perfect Life’ Vanessa Adams is a 32-year-old singleton with a good job at beauty company Luna London. She shares a flat with Lottie, her best friend from university. They live a carefree life though when Vanessa meets Conner, changes are soon on the horizon.

When things become stressful in her life Vanessa copes by pretending to be someone else. Recently as cracks begin to show in her relationship with Conner (which of course they did, else this novel would be a fluffy romance), she’s started looking around houses that are way out of her price range. It seems like harmless fun - until it wasn’t.

When she sees a listing for the home of children’s author, Geoffrey Rivers, whose books were important to her childhood, she feels compelled to view it. Yet then there’s a body and Vanessa is the police’s prime suspect!

No further details to avoid spoilers but will say that it was deliciously twisty. The chapters are divided between ‘Then’ and ‘Now’ and a picture develops of the stresses underlying Vanessa’s relationships in the past and present.

Overall, ‘The Perfect Life’ proved a very readable psychological thriller, the kind that once started was very hard to put down. Great for a summer read.

Another brilliant book
It had me hooked from the start
The characters I loved and some I disliked
This story is told over two time lines.
Showing what happens to someone over a short time how a life can change
Thanks NetGalley