Ivy is now age 25 and has been seeing her therapist, Dr. Marriott Harold since she was 14. Ivy has been diagnosed with PTSD and perhaps bipolar disorder. Something occurred when she was young that destroyed her family and she wants to know exactly what happened and who is responsible for ruining her life.

Today, Marriott has given her the name of the person responsible, but hopes that Ivy will choose to not read the name and will find a way to put her hatred behind her. Supposedly, this person says that what happened was an accident. She reads the name: Lola Maxwell.

Ivy immediately goes home and checks this woman out online. She learns that she is a beautiful woman, married to a wealthy surgeon, and heads a charity for low income pregnant woman. This charity allows a group of these women to have a week of pampering at a camp. Ivy vows to infiltrate Lola’s life hoping to get her revenge.

Greed, money, hatred, revenge, opulence. So many words to describe what readers will see in this book. I was captivated by the well-written characters in this book. This is the first book by this author that I have read and it most certainly will not be the last. She has created a story that will captivate readers and not let them go until the very last word. Don’t miss this book. Wow!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A tale of revenge turns twisted and insane as Ivy's plot gets away from her. After she was orphaned as a young child she has had a sad and painful life as a ward of the state. In intense therapy for her multiple issues she finally discovers the name of the person responsible and it sets of a chain reaction she never saw coming. It's intense, a little crazy, action pact and definitely tragic. A great story if you like plots and more plots, revenge and a little action with you thrillers!

I found this an intresting read. Ivy had clearly had a tramatic event many years previously and spent all those years with a Psychologist trying to put the past behind her. However, Ivy has never been told who was responsible for that event and it's something she has been chasing all these years. You don't find out until a lot later in the book what this event was but really it's not hard to guess it. When Ivy finally finds out who was responsible for events that fateful night, she leaves no stone unturned to find this person and plan their downfall.

Lola is a wealthy socialite, she managed to "buy off" the police officer all those years ago after that night that she caused the accident that killed Ivy's parents. Now she heads up a charity which helps pregnant women. Given who Lola is and how wealthy she is, its weird that she trusts Ivy so quickly and easily and its not long before Ivy has planted herself firmly into her life. From there you watch Ivy plot her revenge which includes stealing Lola's husband.

The twist in the tale is the one thing that Ivy never thinks of. She is not the only one looking for revenge. The real question is who will ultimately win this war of revenge? For me the ending was very fast and I felt cut off short of where I needed it to go. however still worth a read.

I don’t think I’ve read a book this insane since reading Tarryn Fisher’s The Wives or Colleen Hoover’s Verity. This book was on a whole other level of insanity that right through the end, I still couldn’t believe what I was reading. It left me with a knot in my throat, it gave me that psychological book anxiety that could only be solved by diving for the comedy shows immediately.

The Perfect Ruin is partially told from the point of view of two very different women. Their one thing in common? How Lola Maxwell had so well and thoroughly ruined their lives to the point of a psychotic break in these women.

Lola Maxwell.. the “It Girl” of Miami who seemingly has the perfect life with a gorgeous and rich husband and whose philanthropist self has garnered the love and admiration of so many isn’t all she seems to me & when more than one wrong action in her past comes back to bite her? It is a wonder that these two women held off as long as they did.

For Ivy Hill, life has dealt her blow after blow from the moment her parents were killed landing her in foster homes, giving her a myriad of psychological disorders well into adulthood that have left her a broken woman. So when she gets the chance to find out who destroyed her life? She jumps on it, she develops the “Perfect Ruin” to get back at the woman who destroyed her BUT.. when someone crazier and totally unexpected pops up? It’ll leave you biting your nails through the very end.

Gathering what we’ve learned from the last chapter, we may get a second book and continuation to this insane tale that Shanora Williams crafted & I for one will be waiting with bated breath for that story!

When Ivy finally finds out the name of the woman who ruined her life when she was 14, she can’ help but plot to steal Lola’s husband and ruin her life


✔️ this book has a twist about mid point that I really liked and didn’t really see coming
✔️ diverse characters
✔️ I loved the opulence - and Lola’s house just seemed like a dream home 🤍
✔️ really a lot of unlikeable characters in this book but they all pretend pretty well and I enjoyed reading about them
✖️generally very slow paced but still kept me interested enough to keep on reading

3.5 ⭐️

Unfortunately The Perfect Ruin just wasn't for me. None of the characters were likeable, which was probably the author's intention, but it got that I really did not care what was happening to them or why. The story didn't particularly grab me either.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for my ARC.

3.5 stars

This is definitely a wild ride! It's a bit uneven with the pacing and exposition of the plot, but once I got to the end I bumped up my rating because the twists are excellent.

It's the story of Ivy, who has long believed her life was ruined due to a horrible event that took place many years before and no one has been held accountable. She's offered the gift of a lifetime when her therapist produces the name of the person who was responsible--Lola Maxwell. Lola is an ultra-wealthy owner of a charity, beautiful, and married to a handsome plastic surgeon. Ivy sets out to infiltrate Lola's life, gain her trust, and then take everything away from her.

I felt really sorry for Ivy, but the revelation of what exactly happened to cause her so much pain and want revenge (Lola's crime) isn't revealed until very late in the book. I'm not sure that it was completely necessary to keep it from the reader for so long and it made the first part of the book drag somewhat. Yet when secrets begin to come out and the reader realizes that things are definitely not as they seem on the surface, the pace ramps up and there are some fantastic surprises.

I enjoyed my experience reading this book, it's a thriller with some heat and a hefty helping of revenge served very cold.

Williams is a bestselling American author, who has written many romance novels. This new release is, however, a psychological suspense. The story is set in Miami, where we meet Ivy. We learn her life changed at fourteen and for years she has tried to find out who caused her to lose everything she loved. Now a grown-up, her therapist has been given the name of the person she is searching for and passes it on to Ivy. She finds out the person in question, Lola, is well known in Miami for her charitable work. She is also wealthy and married to a successful and good looking doctor. Angry that Lola has everything and she has nothing, Ivy slowly plots her revenge. This is a great recommendation for fans of the genre, as long as they do not need to like the characters to like the book.

This is completely different from anything I have read from Shanora Williams before. That being said, it is no less amazing! This story had me biting my nails, sitting on the edge of my seat, wondering what was going to happen next. I loved the suspense and twists and turns and I loved the way this story kept me wanting more the entire read. I could not put this book down and I can't wait for more from this author in any genre. I will definitely be reading it. I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next!

The Perfect Ruin is a slow burn psyche-thriller with a collection of unlikable characters. It kept me entertained and was a very satisfying ending. The ending is full of twists and turns and is pretty fast paced compared to the rest of the book.

Ivy has one mission and that's to ruin Lola's life the way Lola ruined hers. We, as readers, don't know what Lola did to Ivy and we don't know exactly what Ivy has planned but it isn't going to be pretty. Lola on the other hand is completely oblivious to who Ivy is and welcomes her into her life with open arms. Will Ivy exact her revenge or will Lola figure out who she is before Ivy gets her way?

This story gave me a bit of You by Caroline Kepnes vibes - in a good way. It started to drag a little for me in the middle but definitely made up for it with the wild ending. This is Williams debut thriller novel and I would definitely read more if she decided to dive even deeper into this genre!

4.25 stars!

Gain her trust, then ruin her.

Shanora’s debut in the psychological thriller genre was spellbinding. A page-turning unputdownable book about secrets, lies, deceit, greed, and conniving people. I won’t go into the plot because this book needs to be experienced going in blind. When an author can make you root for some of these flawed and unapologetic characters, that’s talent! Honestly, almost all of them were unlikable, but I was rooting for the main character, Ivy even though her obsession may be her downfall. The only reason I am not giving this five stars is because the beginning was slow and I figured out the plot twist early on; that is one of my biggest pet-peeves. I was surprised with the additional twists though. I definitely recommend this book!

Great debut by author Shanora Williams. The main character was a bit unlikable for me, but the plot was interesting, and it kept me going until the end. I thought I had guessed how the story would turn out, but I was surprised by the ending. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Wow, this book was quite a disappointment. I started this and DNF because the writing was so poor.

First and foremost it changes person after the first two chapters. We start in third person learning about Ivy and her current situation along with her vengeful obsession with Lola.
Then suddenly, the author decides to switch to first person as Ivy writes in her journal to her therapist. Im all about the creative leather style novel (#theroxyletters does it really well), but this is not working.

Then there are just badly written passages. Repetitive sentences that seem to be missed in the final edits. A chandelier described as “eloquent”, pretty sure you meant “elegant”. Just silly errors that should not be in published literature.

I’m also frankly getting a bit bored with this book, so going to put it down and DNF this one.

3.5 stars
I enjoyed this debut author by Shanora Williams. It is a psychological thriller/revenge story with interesting, but completely unlikable characters. This story is interesting and has some really juicy parts, but it's a little too drawn out before you really find out what Ivy is doing what she's doing to Lola. It has good parts, but I wish there was someone that was easier to root for. I would read other books by this promising author.

I received this ebook from NetGalley through the courtesy of Kensington Books. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

After the death of her parents in a car accident, Ivy's life changed dramatically. Moving from foster home to foster home and dealing with mental illness, she just wanted to know who was responsible for the wreck that killed her parents. Now, in her twenties, she finally has a name. She's determined to get revenge on the wealthy socialite that took her parents from her.

The Perfect Ruin is the perfect combination of revenge and deception! This slow-burn thriller takes you through a well-thought-out revenge plan with some exciting twists and a terrific ending. While I would have preferred a fast pace in the first half of the book, there's no denying that this author is an excellent storyteller. I enjoyed this quick, entertaining read about devious and despicable people.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an advance digital copy to read and enjoy.

Welcome to the Psychological thriller world Shanora Williams and I am here for it with all the Stars!!! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Gah...

Y'all....

The Ruin will have you sitting on the edge of your seat, peaking through your fingers reading with one eye closed and your breathing will be shallow at times and other times beating out of your damn chest until the very end.

Go in blind..

I will tell you I'm a huge Shanora William's fan and was dying to get my hands on this book....had no idea what it was about, I just knew I needed it..then the heavens opened up and it landed right on my kindle and I've been psycho reading for several days!!!

I finished reading early this morning and I can't stop thinking about it, my mind it's blown!!

Y'all The Ruin made me fall even more in LOVE with Mrs. William's writing...FREAKING AMAZING!!!

I.WANT.MORE!!

If you love a good psychological thriller then look no futher, The Perfect Ruin will ruin you in the best way. It's a tangled web of lies that's full of suspense, mystery and deadly secrets. The twists and turns will have you on the edge of your seat and keep your imagination running wild.  

Ivy is a character that instantly had me on edge, she was obviously a very troubled individual determined to get vengeance at any cost, she was actually quite terrifying but just so fascinating to try and understand. 
The more the story unfolded the scarier Ivy became as her motives become clearer when she infiltrates the life of the wealthy socialite she's hell bent on destroying.  

The thing I really liked about the story is that I never felt bad for the characters, as their lives were turned upside down. Once some of their ugly secrets were revealed I didn't find any of them redeemable in the slightest and I felt a sick satisfaction revelling in their misery.
You'll need to make up your own mind on who the real villains in this story are.  Ivy surprised me the most in the end, whether or not I liked her was debatable, but I definitely understood her better, she is an unforgettable character that's for sure. 

For her debut thriller I think this author did an amazing job and I would love to read more in this genre from her in the future. 

Pick up The Perfect Ruin this August, it's a fantastic thriller for Summer 2021.

When Ivy Hill finds out the name of the wealthy woman who killed her parents and covered it up, she is determined to get revenge. But first… she must befriend her.

These 2021 summer thrillers are straight up killing it (pun intended). Here is another one I just could not put down! I love a good revenge story, especially when we can empathize with the person seeking revenge. We got a look into the life of the wealthy, and boy was it NOT a good look. There were some crazy twists that I wasn’t expecting, and they just kept coming until my head was spinning.

“The one who forgives first never really wins.”

“It wasn’t fair, but only children pouted about what was fair and what wasn’t. I was grown, and I would make things right again. Make it fair.”

The Perfect Ruin comes out 7/27.

This landed on the DNF pile for me. I couldn't get past how unlikeable the main character was and found it hard to like any of the others. The writing itself isn't bad, but this just wasn't for me.

Ivy blames Lola for her wreck of a life; she' been unable to move past her tragedy. So of course she sets out to ruin Lola's life. A little trickier to be sure but Ivy is nothing is not conniving. Honestly, both of these women are pretty heinous so it's hard to root for either one of them until....there's a twist. This is told from multiple perspectives and in several different time lines (and there are letters). It might sound like a mish mash but it works. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good page turner.