Araminta Hall explores the evolution of female friendships as our trio navigate the road to becoming "Imperfect Women". Themes include marriage, motherhood and murder. I listened to the audiobook, brilliantly narrated by Helen Keeley. In her hands, each character truly comes to life. None of them are particularly likeable but it was a decent enough listen.

**listened to the audiobook**

So this book has the perfect opening. So intriguing. Made me want to continue listening/reading.
Wife doesn't return home, next thing we know - the wife has been murdered. What could have happened? Whats going on?

The title of this audiobook made me want to read it, and it certainly fits the book. So many lies, characters trying to do the right thing, trying to make themselves happy, fulfil an empty void that their current lives have created. Because of this, it also felt incredibly believable. I feel that this could actually happen. I also feel that the writing style was very filmic, and I could easily imagine it as a film/tv show.

Despite the characters in the book being 'imperfect' I still connected to each one - in particularly the women characters within the novel. Although I didn't always agree with their choices, I could see the characters point of view and understand where they were coming from and empathise. Which is surprising given the books title.

Overall I did enjoy this book, and I did not guess the ending. This is somewhat of a rare occurrence for me as I read a lot of thriller/mystery books so I'm used to their tropes and formats. I do feel like it was slightly too long, as it dipped slightly for me in the middle - pacing wise. I found the book very real and quick in pace apart from a few hours in the middle of the book when I began to loose interest. However as the book geared towards its climax I was right back with it.

I would recommend this for fans of 'big little lies' - if you're a mystery/thriller fan - you will definitely get something out of this.

At the beginning of the story the body of Nancy is found which injuries which may it unclear if there was an act of violence or an accident. In turn, three ‘imperfect’ women each share in turn their fears, desires, lies and failings. Eleanor, Nancy and Mary have been friends for many decades and have a complicated relationships with each other and to their partners and families.

To me this book read more as a psychological study than a thriller. Mary even refers to RD Laing and ‘The Divided Self’. It is about what we project to others versus how we perceive ourselves. Having said that, the mystery of the death is handled well and does build some tension throughout the story. It was very well narrated by Helen Keeley.

I was a little unsure about this one. I am pleased to say I ended up enjoying it! A winding tale about three friends who lives are intermingled. This is a book about friendship, and relationships and the ways in which the lives of the have changed. The bonds we form with friends and the way we betray each other. But also the resilience we have to bounce back when things don't turn out the way we planned. A good look at the way we make allowances for those we love. A solid read

The story was very intriguing. The formatting of the book with the different points of view was done masterfully - not just in getting different versions of the truth, but how their lives weave together.

I listened to this on audiobook and the narration was fantastic.

Imperfect Women
By Araminta Hall

Nancy was missing but soon found dead, thought to be murdered. Her friend Eleanor is the only one that knows about Nancy having an affair. She was the one who had to tell her husband and the police her knowledge. All she knew was, his name was David, he was married with children, and it had been going on for about one year.

Robert, Nancy’s husband, says he suspected the affair was going on, even though he never spoke to her about it, and she hadn’t told him – “It was a feeling…” Months after the murder, Eleanor and David are drawn together in their grief and start an affair filled with love and guilt.

Nancy has always been viewed as having a perfect life – A successful and handsome husband, and Zara, her brilliant daughter studying at Oxford. So why did she risk it all on an affair, and why did it have to end so tragically?

Imperfect Women is told from the viewpoints of Eleanor, Nancy and Mary; ambitious women whose voices were slowly overridden by the wants, needs and gaslighting of their partners - plans they made in University almost silence. A great read for the summer.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Hatchette Audio UK for the opportunity of reading an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review - this book is due for release on August 4th, 2020.

#NetGalley #ImperfectWomen

Three women met at college and have remained friends ever since. One night Nancy's husband rings Eleanor to say that His wife hasn't returned home from the dinner she had with Eleanor and Eleanor goes to his aid. Whilst she's there the police arrive to say that Nancy's body has been found.

Helen Keeley narrated the story and although I only heard about 5% of the book I was impressed. There's a good range of distinct voices and I was never in any doubt about who was speaking.

The plot looked promising and I was looking forward to finding out what had happened when the download suddenly stopped. I wish that I could give a higher rating but I've no idea of what happened or if the standards were maintained. Sorry!

I really struggled to get into this book. Don't understand why it was so highly sort after.
Perhaps it felt slow being an audiobook?

The story follows the lives of three university friends Nancy, Eleanor and Mary. When Nancy is found dead and all police leads crumble due to lack of evidence, will anyone ever find out what really happened to Nancy on the night she died?

I was privileged enough to get both audio and e-copy of this book.
I had a lot of technical problems while trying to listen so couldn't possibly give a proper review, however what I did hear the narration was well spoken and there was clear distinction between characters.

I really liked the sound of imperfect Women and I wanted to love it, however the book fell a little flat for me.

The title of the book is perfect, all three are, imperfect, written from the perspective of the three women you get to know all about their infidelity, grief and secrets, helping to build a picture before and after the death of Nancy.
Unfortunately I was unable to connect with the characters finding their attitudes very unlikeable. The only character I really warmed to in the book was Irena and her significance to the story wasn't great.

Overall this book just wasn't really for me. I didn't connect well to the story and waited for a twist to come and make me think ' I didn't see that coming' However the twist it does have is exactly what I thought I was going to get. I felt the main plot of the story was overshadowed by individual storylines and parts of the story I wanted to know more about were just left, in my opinion, unfinished.

I've never read a book by Araminta Hall before but I'd happily pick one up again, on this occasion the story just wasn't what I hoped it would be.


Thank you NetGalley and Orion publishing for this arc for honest review.

I loved Hall’s previous novel for its slow burn and devastating conclusion. This one is perhaps less raw than the last, but shares its uncompromising depiction of the compromises made by women. Each of her characters is quietly devastating and, like the previous novel, linger in the mind. Another superior page-turn. The audio version was well performed, especially the narrator’s skill at differentiating the various characters.

Three women, best friends since university and the complex relationships between each of them and then their partners, as the story continues the relationship and events become increasingly complex and unexpected. Each character feels whole, genuine and positioned differently, there wasn’t one person I particularly favoured but there was most definitely a character I despised. The story as an audiobook works well, the narrator was brilliant doing the different voices. I think the Birmingham accent was perhaps the most questionable, but the French/Yorkshire cameo accent she completely nailed! I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook and look forwards to enjoying Netgalleys new addition further!

This is a "Thriller" and it feels like it been years since I read a book that was marketed as a Thriller that was actually thrilling. Its a mystery involving death. There's no stakes with a time limit or a feeling of threat after we're in a quarter in. I would read a book solely on it being a mystery. I wish they stop using Mystery and Thriller interchangeably.

The mystery and the solution were fine. I figured it out who did as soon as we meet them. I always go as dark as possible when reading and writing, so maybe others wouldn't have thought that. I hope it wasn't meant to be a twist. It could have been a red herring, so few books just have random red herrings anymore. The mystery set up and clues were fine. I thought something was going to be more interesting, but no. No layered schemes.

This is definitely more about the characters than the mystery of what happened; more the mystery of what's behind everyone's motivations. Shockingly, a novel with "Imperfect" in the title involves grey characters. A lot of reviews just call the characters unlikeable as though that a negative thing and not the whole point of the book (Also apparently, you're not allowed to use big words in Mystery novels, even when your characters are all English graduates and Classics Doctors, who knew?) The actual question should be were the characters interesting. Sort of. I do think it gets boring after awhile, just constantly talking about how these characters had messed up their lives and no one was even close to happy. Its all very rich people tears, yes one of the characters had mental health issues that are largely ignored and one has a working-class background. It just never gets that deep, other than women get judged for having kids and working, while men are the worst. That's the only conversation its interested in having.

The problem isn't that the characters are unlikeable but it is that they're bland and stale. Most British mysteries seem to have these characters now. I read a bunch of "domestic thrillers" at the start of the year, so I could just be sick of middle age women and their terrible husbands. Then you have that 2.5 times in the one book.

This book has three point of view characters, each in three sections where we hear from each sequence. The audiobook has one narrator, her voice doesn't change that much between two of the characters but another one has a Birmingham accent, which I would never have figured out what that accent was if it was not stated. I'm not English so that not a comment on how good an accent it is; it was just in the back of mind every time this character talked. It fine though since we're not changing POV every chapter like a lot of thrillers, once we leave a POV, we don't go back. I do think this is an interesting format and do like it. I did like the writing style and Helen Keeley's voice is quite soothing.

Overall, I gave this 3/5 stars for Discarded Letters. I guess the real-life lesson is should two forms of conception and have a conversation about how many kids you want with your partner. It was a decent audiobook to listen to while building a kitchen cabinet.

Imperfect Women is a well written, if predictable and simplistic thriller.

I enjoyed the various perspectives of the women in this novel, they were all unreliable narrators and as such, the varying perspectives helped to flesh out the story. As a story, it is not the worst I have read, but pretty slow paced and generic. I guessed who "David" was pretty early on which was disappointing and took away a lot of the tension in the story.

All of the characters involved are boring and irritating caricatures. The women are bland and weak, blaming everyone but themselves for their mistakes. The men are either dull and boring or chauvinists. I found it impossible to have empathy for anyone involved as they are all so one-dimensional and unrealistic. The children are pretty much irrelevant to the plot for the most part, being dragged in only to try and paint their parents as loving and selfless when they are in fact the exact opposite. I can only assume this is the authors attempt to make the characters appear human and to encourage empathy in the reader but given that they are otherwise undeveloped, it doesn't work.

In terms of narration, the story is excellently told. The narrator has a plesant/relaxing voice and an appropriate tone, switching well between characters and portraying the various emotions well.

Overall, a predictable and forgettable story, well narrated and written but unfortunately with one-dimensional, irritating characters.

Thanks to Hachette Audio UK/Orion for the advance copy.

Araminta Hall's latest novel is a dark and intense exploration of women's lives, marriage, love, loss and long term friendships that evolve over the years. Nancy Hennessy, Eleanor Robert, and Mary Smithson first met at university, meeting in fresher's week and instantly forging a friendship and love with each other that, despite their personality differences and different paths in the future, survives. That said, that doesn't mean that that their friendship is straightforward or that they are perfect, they are flawed and imperfect women, there is resentment, jealousies, rivalries, and betrayal. They lose their way, their ambitions and their identities, hampered by poor self esteem issues, and struggle with bringing up children, they love their children, no question, but being a mother and parent is not always what its cracked up to be.

There is debilitating post-natal depression, along with the tedium and stress of being a full time housewife and mother, exacerbated by men who leave a lot to be desired when it comes to being fathers and husbands. Narrated by each of the women, Eleanor is a single woman whose career in the charity sector has flourished, she has had a particularly close and involving relationship with the beautiful Nancy and her human rights lawyer husband, Robert. After meeting Nancy the night before, Eleanor rushes to Robert in the early hours of the morning, Nancy has not returned home and he is worried. Eleanor tells him Nancy had left her to meet David, her lover, someone she had been having an affair with for more than a year. Events take a darker turn when DS Daniel arrives to inform them that Nancy is dead, discovered murdered by a path next to the river in Hammersmith. The narrative shifts from the past and present, following the fallout of Nancy's death on all of them, revealing their interior lives, their thoughts, decisions and secrets as Eleanor and Mary find solace and support in each other.

Hall looks at marriage and the difficulties it can have evolving through time and the humdrum nature of everyday life where you can so easily stop seeing each other, sometimes never seeing each other until it is too late. Robert is devoted to and loves Nancy, but she struggles to live his version of their lives together, with him playing an insignificant role at home and in childcare. Howard, an academic, is married when he gets involved with Mary, and continues to have affairs throughout their marriage, contemptuous, controlling and disdainful of Mary as she brings up their 3 children without any help from him whatsoever. In a twisted story, we observe the evolution of friendship and love between the 3 women, recalibrated as they come to understand and accommodate their imperfections, particularly as it finally becomes clear what happened to Nancy.

I listened to the audio of this book as well, and the first thing I must say is that I wasn't bored by this at all. In fact, the complexity of the storytelling and the in depth characterisation made my appreciation for the book increase. Sometimes when you only listen to the audio you can miss stuff, but because I was familiar the book, I believe it enhanced my audio experience. The narrator, Helen Keeley was great, her characterisation was good with each character feeling distinct. The tone kept me hooked, despite knowing where it was all heading. Many thanks to Orion and Hachette Audio UK for an ARC.

In general I enjoyed this audiobook but half way through I felt like it was really dragging and I got bored. This changed later on, as I persevered and enjoyed the twists towards the end (although I had guessed them). Beyond the actual storyline, the tale is extremely sad, examining relationships and how we damage each other. The abusive nature of Mary’s marriage was especially poignant, as was the friendship between three women. Despite my lapse it the middle, I would thoroughly recommend this book. However, I really wish narrators wouldn’t attempt accents. A bad attempt actually makes the character less believable than a neutral voice would.

This was a great read.

It was ideal for me to plug in my headphone whilst I went out walking.

I'd seen so many reviews on this and I'm pleased to say it didn't disappoint.

I saw the twist coming at the end but it wouldn't out me off recommending to someone else

Nancy, Eleanor and Mary are best friends. Nancy is killed, so Eleanor and Mary try to find out what happened. I thought this book would be about Eleanor and Mary figuring out what happened to Nancy. The book is more about what is going on in the three women's lives and the secrets they are keeping. All three women really are imperfect. The mystery aspect of the book is in the background. I did enjoy the book but it wasn't what I was expecting.

Helen Keeley did a good job narrating.

I recommend this book for fans of Big Little Lies and books where there is a mystery in the background by the main focus is on the characters' lives.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio UK for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I DNFED this book about 20% of the way through. I admired that the characters within this book were indeed, imperfect and I love reading about flawed characters and their lives. However, I did not like the narrator of the audiobook which made it hard to get through. I may have carried on reading had I read it physically.

You'd do anything for your friends, but would you tell them the truth?
I really didn't enjoy this book at all. I did not like any of the characters so didn't care what happened to them and I guessed the plot very early on.
I wouldn't recommend, thank you to #NetGalley for an advanced copy of the Audio book

(Reviewed on Goodreads)

I prefer more drama and less romance so this wasn’t a great listen for me. However I thought on the whole the story was well timed and the characters developed enough for you to feel you really got to know them. The plot was a bit predictable with the three main characters rather cliched.
The reader had a good range of voices which helps a lot when you are using an audio book and helps avoid confusion.