Friendships that last or not through time? Mary, Nancy and Eleanor met when they were students, but their lives did not turn out as they had originally thought. Riveting with a completely unexpected ending.

Three women who’ve known each other since university, who have been together through thick and thin and yet who are not too concerned at keeping secrets.
Nancy is the one that they seem to gravitate around. Larger than life and prone to melodrama, Nancy is discovered dead - and at this point we learn that she was having an affair and that the other party was unhappy at her trying to call it off. Her friends Mary and Eleanor have quite different lives but have always revolved around her. Unfortunately, these new revelations change things for them.
We focus on each of the women and learn a little more about them, their life and the secrets they are keeping. None of the women are unlikeable per se, but we see their imperfections laid bare and can see that a lot of the issues between them began a lot earlier than they gave credit for.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in advance of publication.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC copy.

When I read the blurb for Imperfect Women I was really looking forward to it.

Nancy, Mary and Eleanor met at university and have stayed friends ever since. Through careers, marriages and children they each thought they had the perfect life in their own way, but did they? One night Nancy is murdered and that's when the secrets and lies come to light but which secrets can be told and how will it change the lives of the people left behind.

The story is told from the perspective of each woman in three parts, until the stories meet up at the end.

I was expecting to be dragged into this straight away but it was a bit of a slow burn build up. Although I did guess some of the twists it certainly didn't take away from the reading as I wanted to find out how things ended. The writing was very good as I found myself going between being very frustrated with the women to feeling sympathy and empathy for them.

All in all a great read and would recommend.

The story of three women, their lives, loves and imperfections. I enjoyed this book to a certain degree but I guessed early on in the book what was going on. It's a decent read but I didn't feel strongly about it.

Imperfect Women by Araminta Hall

Three women - Nancy, Eleanor and Mary - have been friends for 30 years since they met at university. The book opens with the murder of Nancy and we then follow each character's side of the story in turn, spanning the 30 years of their friendship to the current day.

This book was so enjoyable. Quite apart from the mystery of who murdered Nancy and how/why, the story covered so many issues in such a sensitive and thought-provoking way. All the characters are flawed (especially the husbands!) and this enables the author to consider friendship, marriage, parenting, mental health issues, careers and so much more. Highly recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley and Orion for an ARC of this book.

I enjoyed this one, but I did find parts of it to be dreadful. It was a weird balance of wanting to read it all the time, and then getting to a patch where I just wanted to put it down and forget about it. The bits I enjoyed were good though, so it was kind of worth it! The main struggle for me was Mary - I didn't like anything about her character or situation, and I didn't feel any of it was in any way believable. The key scene at the end with Howard was just ridiculous. I did like Eleanor, and I feel like the book would have been better if it had focussed more on her and the semi relationship she was developing with Robert.

Definitely good holiday reading - it would have been perfect to read on a beach somewhere hot.

There is a murder at the heart of this book but it is so much more than a murder mystery. Ellie, Nancy and Mary have been friends since they were at university together. Ellie is impatient with Nancy who has been having an affair and one night when they've been out together she is less than sympathetic to Nancy who is worried that her lover won't leave her alone even though she has told him the affair is over. Wnen Nancy is murdered later that night, Ellie is ridden with both guilt and grief.

Told from the perspective of each woman in turn, this novel sheds light on what it is to be a woman in the 21st century. Mary's story is devastating. She is stuck in a marriage with serial philanderer Howard who is a man-child jealous of his own children. He is a monstrous creation but we understand nonetheless why Mary stayed with him so long. I thought this was an excellent read, combining as it did, serous issues with a mystery. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

This was beautifully written, intelligent, considered and absorbing. I wish it had moved at a slightly faster pace, and I did guess all of the twists very early, but it was still a very enjoyable read.

Imperfect woman by Araminta Hall

No one ever wants to get a call in the middle of the night to tell you a loved one is missing, but that’s what happens to Eleanor when she recieve a call from Robert telling her that her best friend Nancy hasn’t returned home. As Eleanor rushes to be by Roberts side, Nancy is found dead in a park.

Imperfect woman is told from 3 perspectives, Eleanor, Nancy & Mary and tells the story of before, after and how Nancy was murdered. My first initial thoughts were that Eleanor could be the murderer as she seems obsessive with Robert to begin with and it’s clear to see she has been jealous of Nancy for years. However as the story develops more suspects come into the picture and it leaves you guessing all the way through.

I loved the twists and turns in this book and it’s really hard to go into more detail without giving away spoilers. I enjoyed that it was written from 3 different perspectives, however I did think Mary’s section was a bit drawn out and I was very keen to get to the end to find out what happened to Nancy. A shock twist at the end made this a worthwhile read!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

When Nancy Hennessey is murdered, she leaves behind her two best friends, an adoring husband, a daughter and a secret lover. Nancy was gorgeous, wealthy and cherished by those who knew her. But the investigation into her death founders and her best friends, Eleanor and Mary wrestle with their grief. Dark details that come to the surface reveal how little they really knew tgeir friend.

Eleanor, Mary and Nancy all met at university. They all cane from different backgrounds but they form a strong bond. They are now in their late forties. But Nancy has just unexpectedly died. Eleanor knew that Nancy was having an affair before she died. The story is told in three parts, each part told by one of the friends perspectives. The first part is told by Eleanor, then Nancy and then Mary. Oiled the authors style in writing. The story did seem to drag out a bit in the middle. This is not a murder mystery, it's more about the friendship the three women had. None of the women were perfect which made it more realistic. This is an enjoyable read.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Orion Publishing Group and the author Araminta Hall for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A well written book. You want to keep turning the page to see what is going to happen next. Brilliant.

This is a story about the long-term friendships of three women, Nancy, Eleanor and Mary who’ve known each other since university. Nancy is married to Robert, who Eleanor secretly fancies, and Mary is married to Howard who seems to have some sort of mental illness and Eleanor is single, having chosen a career over a husband.

When Nancy is murdered it shakes Eleanor and Mary and causes them to re-evaluate their own lives.

The story is told from the three women’s points of view and looks at the events leading up to Nancy’s murder. As events unfold it soon becomes apparent that each of these women had their secrets.

This is more of a character driven novel than a psychological thriller. I didn't enjoy it as much as Our Kind of Cruelty, the author's previous book, but nonetheless it is an engrossing read.

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.

Imperfect Women is a perfect name for this novel. Through the eyes of each woman, we go on a journey of friendship, self-discovery, and betrayal. We see the flaws of each character and understand on a deeper level what they're hiding and what exactly their story is. However, it almost felt as though Hall was too conscious of trying to make each character flawed and made them pretty unlikeable. I often found myself getting annoyed with their actions or simply something that was said. On the other hand, I found the narration from a reader's perspective to be quite pleasant. It was an easy read, but it fell short for me. With predictable twists and too many questionable decisions, I just wish something more exciting happened.

I loved this book. I loved how the story was told - split into three sections, one for each Eleanor, Nancy, and Mary. Hall's writing has such attention to detail, that I really felt like I was part of the story. This book is missing some of the classic murder mystery features - for example there is very little police presence throughout, instead focusing on how Nancy's murder affects each character in the story. However, this did make the storytelling a lot slower than the usual thriller.

I adored each of the women. It's no secret that I love an imperfect character and, as the title suggests, Mary, Nancy, and Eleanor are imperfect, and in the best way! The men, on the other hand, are one-dimensional. They're very flat, and seem to have very similar opinions on the world and life, although it's portrayed very differently.

I did think the ending was unexpected, in the best way, but it wasn't a complete surprise. Hall does a brilliant job of lining up clues, and then following through, whether that is to confirm or deny it!

Overall, I really did enjoy the book and the storytelling within it. It really made me think about my own future and what I want to achieve in life, which was something I wasn't expecting to get out of this read. I would recommend this to anyone who likes a dive into imperfection and strong, interesting women.

I really enjoyed this book. I twas a lot darker than I first suspected it would be. Twists and turns throughout the book make sure you can't give a definite " Haha! I know who did what, where and when ". The tale rolls from page to page and had me chomping at the bit for the next chapter. A book that's worth anyone's time to read. Excellent work and I wouldn't be surprised to see either a mini series or movie within a year or two.

Nancy, Eleanor and Mary met in college and have been friends ever since. When Nancy is murdered, Eleanor and Mary try to discover the mystery of who killed her. We learn that although the ladies lives seem perfect on the surface, as the title suggests they are definitely imperfect. Secrets and lies are revealed in this thrilling mystery.

I enjoyed this book. I was gripped by the story and felt the strongest connection to Eleanor. I thought I knew who killed Nancy from the beginning, however the twists were pretty good. And finding out who David really is was interesting.

I listened to the audio book that was beautifully narrated by Helen Keeley while reading this book.

Thank you to Hachette Audio UK and Orion Publishing Group for this advance copy.

I didn’t really take to the characters in this book. The plot is good and has a few twists but I found I wasn’t really invested and ultimately wasn’t bothered about how the story would develop. I can’t fault the style of writing, it is a well crafted story although you do get left hanging for awhile as the book is split between the three main female characters. All is revealed in the end and I didn’t see it coming. Thank you #netgalley

"Imperfect Women" is the story of three women who have been best friends since they met at University decades before. Nancy is beautiful, glamorous and seemingly has the perfect marriage - but only Eleanor knows that she has been having an affair with a mystery lover. Eleanor is single and childless and secretly in love with Nancy's husband. And Mary gave up her academic career to look after her husband and children - but at what cost?

When Nancy is murdered, Eleanor and Mary's own secrets start to come to light - and nothing will ever be the same again, let alone the way they see each other and themselves.

I really enjoyed this well written and beautifully observed novel. It wasn't the crime thriller I had been expecting, but rather a moving story about female friendship, the secrets we keep, and how the selves we portray to the world are often very different to the selves we truly are.

I loved all three characters, who were each flawed in different ways, and Nancy's death felt more tragic the more I read, particularly when we got to read Nancy's account of events. A surprisingly moving and well written novel - this is the first book I've read by Araminta Hall but it won't be the last.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When Nancy is found murdered her two best friends struggle to comprehend the situation. Who killed her? Her devoted husband, mother and daughter cannot cope without her. Nancy appeared to have it all, big house, family and financial security but secrets unfold that tell us otherwise. Why was she having an affair and where has 'David' gone? Did the three friends really know each other as well as they thought. A great read for those who like Paula Hawkins.

I had heard good things about this book which is why I requested. Ultimately though I thought it stuck between being the deep character study it wanted to be and the thriller it's advertised as. Also, the title is a bit unfair - all people are imperfect but in this novel I thought the men were awful.

I found it not really strong enough in either genre, as if the two were diminishing each other not adding.

It felt very slow, which I think really means that I didn't care enough about the characters. It all felt a bit done before and I wish there'd been a bit more specificity to each character. They felt like broad strokes and I wanted those small details that make me feel like characters could be real.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the copy in exchange for an honest review.