This is a tricky one to review: I enjoyed it a lot but found it disappointing that our heroine is yet another woman drawn into the clutches of an apparently perfect man and who is unable to get away from at the first instances of his creepy behaviour. I could put up with that as it seems to me that almost all of these "domestic noir" type novels feature women tolerating "bad" men. Nonetheless I was quite intrigued to see where this was going and was ready for a thrilling denouement,  but I'm afraid that it got preposterous with the very tenuous link between today's event and Vanessa's childhood. The villain almost appeared from nowhere and I felt that was a little bit of a cop out.

But all in all a good read and I'd like to extend my thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I absolutely loved this book. It hooked me from the beginning and I raced though it. It's a brilliant, psychological read. The characters are believable and completely relatable. The plot was consistent and never wavered from the main point. A lot of thought has definitely gone into the main character Vanessa and her aliases. It's a story which takes psychological mind games to a whole new level. I absolutely loved it and I will definitely be reading more books from the amazing Nuala Ellwood.

A compelling, twisty psychological thriller in which a much-adored boyfriend gaslights a vulnerable, naïve woman, leading us to ask: does anyone really have a perfect life?

Vanessa gets a thrill out of viewing houses she can’t afford. After her mother died when she was young, she’s longed desperately for a family of her own. She doesn’t think she’s doing any harm. Until one day the owner of the house she’s viewing is found dead. And the police think Vanessa is the murderer.

The story is told in two time periods: now, in which her life is a complete wreck; and before, in which everything was looking rosy. With a domestic setting and complex characters, this was a book exploring themes like love and control, and what happens when the perfect life turns out to be a nightmare.

Intriguing scenarios throughout this book. Vanessa assumes different identities with each house for sale she views, despite having no intention or funds to purchase.
The last house viewing turned into a nightmare for Vanessa when she was accused of murdering the owner of the property.
What follows makes you question her sanity.  Her conviction that Connor her ex boyfriend is setting her up in an act of revenge.
An exciting and fast pace read with many different scenarios.  However, the ending was a complete surprise.
Good thriller.

This was a good book overall, the story kept me gripped and interested. The main character was very relatable and I found the plot engaging. I will definitely be looking forward to more from this author.

This book took hold of me quickly because I was intrigued.

The author does well to reveal detail but leave you wanting more so you keep turning the pages.

The main character isn’t particularly likeable but that’s what makes it so interesting.

Read if you like twisty psychological thrillers.

This is my second book by Nuala and I really enjoyed the first book so was looking forward to reading this. Although I enjoyed it I feel it wasn’t quite as good as her first book so I still rated it 4 stars. Look forward to reading the next book.

This was another great book from Nuala. It was well written and kept me hooked all of the way through. I loved the time hop and was intrigued to find out what had happened to land Nessa in the predicament in the present day. However I wasn’t so keen on the reveal as it felt a bit random and the link was tenuous and that spoiled it for me. Also felt there could have been more made about the abuse element in her relationship. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and Penguin for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Vanessa gets her “high” from pretending to be someone else and viewing houses for sale.  All ok until there is a dead body and she is a suspect.  Such a good idea for a story, lots of potential, and I loved the first half of this book, though sadly felt it lost its way towards the end.  The plot became very hazy and although a page turner there were too many holes in the story.  The back story of the children’s author was a very tenuous link. The themes in the book are very current and I think in the main the subjects were well handled, but the end of the story seemed very rushed. I did enjoy reading but felt robbed of a good ending.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for the opportunity of reading this arc.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. This is the second book I have read by Nuala Ellwood I loved the first book so I was expected this to be the same and I am sad to say it didn't live up to expectations. It was entertaining but didn't grip me as much as the first one I found the plot a little weak.

My second book by Nuala Ellwood and it is a cliff hanger. Vanessa likes to assume a different identity and loves to view houses that are for sale with no intent of buying them. It is only after her latest viewing, the house owner turns up dead and Vanessa is in the frame. And what makes it worse, someone knows what she has done! Is it her boyfriend? Connor as the two of them are having relationship problems. Vanessa seems to think it is. A thrilling read, lots of twists and turns and an ending you don’t see coming. A must read!!

The Perfect Life, from Nuala Ellwood, falls neatly into the thriller genre of chick lit books that ae currently all the rage. I read this book in a day, and I am still unsure if it was because it was short, or if it was so all encompassing that I just blitzed through it so quickly because it was a page turner. Maybe it was a combination of both! But it was definitely the perfect length, and kept me interested all the way through. 

Vanessa is arrested in conjunction to a crime early on in the book. The remainder of the story is a backwards look at the events that led up to the crime. A bit of gaslighting, a bit of 'whodunnit' thrown in and it's a great combination for an easy summer read. 

Nuala Ellwood has cornered this particular market and the book was great. Would definitely recommend!

I enjoyed reading this book. Vanessa gets her kicks from viewing houses she can't possibly afford, pretending to be someone else. She doesn't think it can cause any harm until the owner of one house is found dead and the police think Vanessa killed him. In the mean time, the man Vanessa believes is the love of her life has started to change, and not in a nice way. You always feel Vanessa is living on the edge, and you're never sure of the truth. However, I did feel the denouement was a little far fetched. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

I was immediately gripped by this novel and thoroughly enjoyed it throughout. The characters were really engaging and believable and I certainly didn’t see the twist coming at the end!

My first read by Nuela Ellwood, but it certainly won’t be my last. 

Many thanks to Penguin, to Ms Ellwood and to NetGalley for letting me read and review this entertaining thriller.

Does anyone have a “perfect life”?  
Initially I found this book difficult to follow as it swings back and forth providing background to the present, however it drew me in, wanting to understand where the story was going.
It soon becomes obvious that Vanessa’s life is not so perfect and the journey she is on is difficult and very real.

Vanessa and Connor were the perfect couple but things have changed. Now Vanessa gets her escape from viewing prestigious houses and making up a life she wishes she had. One day the police knock as someone has died and Vanessa  matches  the  description of the person seen running away. 
This is a tense thriller which does not let down at all. Really enjoyed it. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Fast paced and thrilling, I had trouble putting this book down. Nuala  Ellwood knows how to get the reader enthralled from the start.
This story had a lot of twists and turns and I didn't expect the ending, an original storyline.
Thank you netgalley and penguin.

This is my third book by Nuala Ellwood and it is such a great read. It kept my attention from the first page and I stayed up as late as I could to read it, I even set my alarm early this morning so I could finish it. It seemed like I had guessed the ending but I was wrong and the ending was perfect. I would like to thank the publishers and netgalley for letting me have the book to review and the opinions expressed are entirely my own views and are completely unbiased.

Really loved this book.  It was gripping and fast flowing and I really connected with the main character Vanessa.  I never saw the end coming and without spoiling the pot loved how it all ended.  Life is never what you seem and its so precious  We all need to take note, step back and look around us and be thankful for what we have.

This looks quite generic psychological thriller - the title, the cover (how many back views of women in primary coloured coats can the market take?), the slightly misleading tagline ("She'd KILL to get it").

The hook for the story is that Vanessa, a rather vulnerable young woman, has developed a habit of assuming false identities to look around houses she can't possibly afford and dream of the life she wishes she had. But when the owner of one of those houses - a children's author whose books have had a special meaning in her life - turns up dead, Vanessa finds herself under suspicion.

The story is told over two time frames: the present, where her life has pretty much fallen to bits, and the recent past, where she has a promising career and what seems like a promising new relationship. Vanessa does seem quite fragile though and it's believable therefore that she's drawn into an initially apparently wonderful, later not so much, relationship with gaslighting expert Connor. Though she really should have been out of the door as soon as his true colours began to emerge. (I'm always amazed by how readily intelligent women characters are sucked in and disempowered by these awful men.) Vanessa seems rather helpless for most of the plot, though she does regain some agency at the end. I felt sorry for her, but didn't find her particularly relatable (not a problem in itself).

It's an enjoyable easy read and I liked the theme of the children's book series, The Spirits of Holly Maze House, which comforted the child Vanessa after her mother died suddenly. It also introduced me to the work of the artist John Atkinson Grimshaw (a real person, though Holly Maze author Geoffrey Rivers, obviously, is not). A few things don't quite add up, though. Vanessa leaves home in a taxi at 9.15 am for an appointment at noon which she's already said would take an hour and a half via public transport and walking, but would presumably be quicker in a taxi - there's no explanation for why she leaves so early, other than to serve the plot when something unexpected happens. And the details of the meeting with Ros Coverley, mentioned near the beginning, don't quite match what is eventually described as happening. These are minor issues which could easily be corrected.

Although the plot and its resolution did feel a little disjointed at times for reasons I can't quite put my finger on, it's a good read which I thoroughly enjoyed.