Title: The Perfect Life
Author: Nuala Ellwood
Publisher: Penguin Fiction
Pages: 400
Rating: 3/5

A huge thank you to Penguin Fiction and Netgalley for allowing me to review this book!  

Synopsis:

Vanessa Adams has been fragile ever since her mum passed away suddenly when she was little. Supported by her older sister Georgie, Vanessa continues to search for happiness and a place she can call home. When Vanessa meets Connor, she thinks she has finally found what she is looking for. However, she also finds happiness elsewhere too, by pretending to be someone else. She begins to take on different personas and viewing houses she knows she will never be able to afford. This was all harmless fun until a man who lived in one of the houses is found dead, and every believes Vanessa to be the killer. 

Review:
It was the description of this book that initially caught my eye, it left me hanging and I felt I needed to know what would happen! I was very intrigued about Vanessa too, I wanted to get to know her as I was very unsure if she would be a main character I actually liked. The reviews looked promising, but I didn’t read any as I wanted to discover this read for myself. 

The story is told through present day and through past events, I found this clear to follow and I really enjoyed how the story was told like this because I felt like I was getting too stories in one. 
Straight away I was left wondering who actually could be trusted in the story and I feel like the author did a fantastic job at keeping you on your toes with this. I was very unsure about Vanessa at the first and as for Connor, despite a few flaws he seemed genuine, but then I questioned if the author was doing this on purpose, leading me into a sense of security. 

Throughout the story the author does a fantastic at changing your mind about the characters, she does a very good job at twisting things to make your judgements wrong which I find is very true to real life, we judge others before we know the full story. 

I adored Georgie however she was such a sweet natured likeable character and I loved the bond she had with her sister Vanessa. I didn’t give Vanessa a break at first, I was very quick to make my mind up about her. However, as the story went on, I began to understand her and her actions, her need to escape from reality. I felt awful for judging her even though she is just a fictional character. 

I was very fascinated to see how this story would unfold as the storyline is quite complex, there is lots going on and lots to get your head round. There was never a dull moment to say the least. The author did a fantastic job at touching on sensitive subjects too such as emotional abuse and mental health. 

This was not the storyline I expected, but it had some very important messages in there. I loved how tense the atmosphere got in places and the twists and turns were definitely unexpected. I definitely didn’t expect what was coming! My one negative about this story was that it didn’t overly excited me, I was hooked in but it would have been easy to put the story down too, I love a read that I find difficult to put down because it puts a fire in my belly. This didn’t spoil it for me though, I was still engrossed with the storyline!

If like me you find the beginning of this book confusing and disjointed, stick with it. I promise it’s worth it. 
This is the story of Vanessa who meets the love of her life Connor but something isn’t right, is she losing her mind as he tells her. 
Compelling tale with a twist I didn’t see coming. 
Not one to miss.

Wow, this is such a good book. Thriller with psychological twists that keep you guessing what will happen next. Vanessa is the main character, troubled by the past and needing to escape into her own world. 
Great read and an author I will read again. 9/10

‘The Perfect Life’ -Nuala Ellwood 
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- 4.5 stars 
Genre: Mystery/Thriller 
⚠️ Emotional abuse, sexual assault, rape and abortion ⚠️

As the saying goes, ‘Life is greener on the other side’... right? For Vanessa, escapism is her solace- where she can falsify an accent, adorn different clothing and claim a life that isn’t her own in order to view an array of  extravagant properties in the local area. On the periphery, a seemingly harmless vocation, but when this leads to a death, all fingers are pointed at her. Was Nessa really capable of committing such a heinous crime? Caught in a lie, we learn of our protagonist’s desperate plight; scrabbling to absolve herself and achieve liberation from accusation. 

The timeline in this story is exceptional and unique. Starting in the present, each chapter unravels a period of time starting from a long time ago, until gradually, the timelines meet and suddenly the backstory is shared and the knowledge obtained makes the closing chapters RIVETING! 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books for the opportunity to review this ARC.

A gripping read from the author of Day of the Accident. 
Vanessa always wants something better and changes things until she gets them - accent, clothes, men, background. 
But then a man in a house that she went to see is killed - and she was the last person to be seen there. Why does she go round looking around posh houses? What happened previously to make her like this? What is she hiding? 
A great book with an unexpected twist.

A story that’ll keep you hooked from the start.
A man is dead, and all the evidence points to Vanessa.
But how did she get to here, to this point? 

The book jumps from the present to one year ago,  as we journey along with Vanessa to see how exactly she is found guilty of a murder she didn’t commit.

We all have dreams and ambitions don't we?
Vanessa also has these dreams of a bigger nicer house somewhere that is just perfect. 
So Vanessa starts to look at homes that she couldn't possibly afford using different names for each eastate agent. 
When the house of her childhood favourite author comes up for sale and he personally agrees to show her around Vanessa can't believe her luck until he is found dead.
Can Vanessa prove that she had nothing to do with his murder?

The layout of then and now can be a bit confusing at times but the overall story is in someways like daydreams. A relaxed read that keeps you entertained throughout.

Many unsettling moments in this pacy psychological thriller. Read it in one sitting. This is a book that will stay with me for a long time.

This was an average story, pace was a little slow and the characterisation not totally believable. I appreciated the twist at the end which was a surprise

Vanessa is desperate to fill the void left by the death of her mother when she was a young girl and her estrangement from her father. She sees the perfect life as having a beautiful house and a loving partner. When she meets Connor she is swept off her feet and believes him straight away to be the answer to her desires. When cracks in her relationship start to appear Vanessa views houses and takes on personas to make herself feel better but when the homeowner of one of the houses is found dead a seemingly harmless activity begins to look much more sinister. It's hard at times to decide what is real and what is part of Vanessas fantasy world but all becomes clear in the end, as the reader gains clarity along with the characters. This was a really enjoyable sinister thriller.
Thank you Netgalley for a preview copy of this in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Perfect Life by Nuala Ellwood. This was a gripping thriller that had me on edge most of the way though.  I really felt for Vanessa the main character and the various twists had me hooked! Would recommend!

I read and enjoyed the Day of the Accident so I was really excited to receive an invitation to review this and it didn't disappoint.
Vanessa longs for a beautiful house and a family after a tragic childhood and when she meet Connor it seems like her dreams come true. However beneath the surface all is not well and the truth is much darker than you realise. What happened to the famous author and why has her life spiralled out of control?
This is a twisty, psychological thriller with a twist I definitely didn't see coming 
Brilliant 
Thank you to the Netgalley and the publishers for the advance copy

# The Perfect Life # Netgalley 

I was quite impressed with this book and in many ways couldn’t work out which way it was going. With so many twist. When Vanessa started viewing houses, it really grabbed my attention more. Not that it needed much as I was already pretty hooked as it was. At first I didn’t see were Callum was going, at first I just assumed he was insecure. The more houses Vanessa was viewing the more I become intrigued. When she was suddenly kidnapped and taken back to the house she had ran away from having to thought she had killed the author. It turned out to be his son, it became extremely confusing and I started to lose some interest as it seemed so far fetched. I ended up finishing the book but from having been kidnapped I definitely didn’t really enjoy it from there. It did pick up once she decided to report Calum for rape. Had that few chapters of having been kidnapped not been in the book and it had taken a different turn I would be giving it a five star. However because it seemed so far fetched and so confusing I can not give it  5 star. Overall it was that, I found spoiled the book completely. When I say confusing. I didn’t mean I couldn’t understand because I could. But just to be hit by something so obscure it didn’t fit.

A good gripping thriller. Vanessa, though with a good job and a seemingly happy relationship is addicted to changing her identity to look at unachievable dream houses. A death, an accusation and a good story to how she got there. Good twists and turns.

The Perfect Life by Nuala Ellwood is a slow-burn mystery thriller which also falls into two of my favourite genres. I had high hopes for this, simply because the synopsis was very, very intriguing. We have all, at some point or another, wanted to be someone else. Be that as younger person adulating a pop icon hero (mine was Scary Spice, by the way), or just wanting to get away from it all for a few hours. The notion of escapism is natural, yet what Vanessa does is more than just indulging in a dream. Her actions, of signing up to view houses she cannot afford might seem whimsical at first glance, however there is a dark secret and scary admission lurking behind her innocent gesture. I loved The Perfect Life. It is original, gripping and the story and characters stay with you for way longer after you read The End. 
Vanessa as a character feels real, a proper 3-dimensional person who you can imagine is your neighbour, or someone you know. 
The story does take you to very dark places; by shining a light on domestic abuse, you feel empathy and sorrow for Vanessa. The ending does bring hope and you wind up wishing only the best for Vanessa. 
The book is well plotted and for me, the surprise was how much of an impact the boyfriend played in all of this. This is a book I would highly recommend to read, so please do go read it now.

I really hate to give up on a book and I didn’t.... but I think I probably should have. 

I found this so hard to engage with; it really was a very mundane struggle from the start. 

Vanessa enjoys pretending to be someone else  and looking round houses she can't afford. Seemingly harmless fun ..  until the police show up and want to speak to her about a murder. Sounds good but it really was not for me. Nevertheless I’d like to thank Netgalley and Penguin for the advance copy.

Unfortunately didn’t like this one. The story was all over the place, the ending felt rushed. Don’t think I’d read the author again

This book tells the story of Nessa, searching for what she believes she wants in a perfect life - a perfect man, job and home. Nessa losses her mum at a young age as dreams of creating a perfect life for herself in adulthood. Nessa’s story tells of romance, friendships and family and the roles they play in her life. She searches for the perfect home but trouble comes her way. She reaches crisis point until she realises that perfect is not what it seems and to be grateful for what you already have. Read this one quickly as wanted to find out what happened in the story. It’s a sad tale overall but very believable.

The Perfect Life by Nuala Ellwood.

Really enjoyed this book , it was full is suspense .  Interesting characters . The characters could easily be used in another title by the author as some of them could have more history to expand on.