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.

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.

I’m left wishing My Perfect Life was longer, I would have loved to explore Vanessas mind more. I felt like this was a short book, I didn’t have chance to fall in love with it due to its length and I actually found the storyline jumpy and not particularly easy to follow.

I don’t feel like the readers have been given a finished product, this book felt rushed.

Drawn in from the very beginning, this was right up my street. A young woman is living a happy life, great job, good friends, close to her sister. One night she meets a new partner and they fall for each other hard, her life moving on in a way that she had anticipated. This story is partly about their relationship and how she changes but also her need to view fantasy houses and adopt a new persona
The two worlds collide in a perhaps unbelievable way, but its a fascinating read.
Thanks to Penguin and Netgalley for the chance to read it

This fast paced novel grabbed my attention from the start. It is an engaging story and an easy, engaging read. I loved the descriptions of the enviable houses, and the general fun lifestyles. The first half of the book is worth 5 stars, towards the end it does become unrealistic, so overall I have given 4 stars.

This is another one of those books that hooks you in from the first page and doesn’t let you go! Luckily I was on annual leave and given that we are in a semi-lockdown up here in Bonnie Scotland what better way to spend my day than reading.

Vanessa (Nessa) thinks she has struck lucky when she meets Connor - handsome and attentive he adored her. However, she is so blinded by love she doesn’t see how controlling he is and how he turns it around so that she thinks it’s all her fault. For the first time this book made me realise just how easy it would be for someone to be so blinded by love that they are caught up in this situation - it’s frightening.

To complicate matters Vanessa likes to don other personas and visit luxury properties which are on the market and out with her price range. What harm can that do? Except on one occasion, a man is murdered in the property she visits and this lands Nessa in trouble with the police.

This was a truly fantastic book which kept up the pace from beginning to end. Never in a million years did I see the twist coming.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Uncomfortably good. Nuala delivers again. I like a book when the protagonist ISN'T someone you'd always root for.

A great plot but I found it reallt difficult to get on side with Vanessa...she came across as thoroughly dislikeable pretty much from the offset and although much of that behaviour was explicable she still wasn't a character that garnered sympathy from me.
That said, cracking plotline and great twists!

This is another great thriller by Nuala Ellwood with an original storyline. There are lots of twists and turns and a fantastic ending that will be difficult to guess.
I’d definitely recommend this book.

This author’s novels just get better and better, this is the third one I have read, and it is again a fabulous read. The story is of a young woman who struggles with her mental health after losing her mother at an early age. She likes to create alter-egos and “window shop” as a prospective customer to estate agents until one such occasion leads to her being involved in a murder investigation; she is also involved with a man who is emotionally abusing her. This is a taut riveting psychological thriller that also highlights the mental harm an abusive relationship can cause. Thoroughly recommend this book.

There’s a real atmosphere throughout this book of something dark and menacing. Vanessa appears to have completely lost any sense of reality - murder, psychosis and paranoia stalk her wherever she goes. Even her best friend has moved to the other side of the world! How will it end, who will stop her on this mad spree of trying to live other people’s lives and fantasizing that she’s someone she’s not.
An amazing read. I absolutely loved it.

Really good twists in this story, whilst the main character is very likeable you do start to question your own judgement with her whilst also feeling relly sorry for her and what she has been through.

I loved Nuala Edwards first two books and so I was excited to receive her latest offering, The Perfect Life. As usual, Edwards characterisation and storytelling abilities engage the reader straight away. her characters are clearly drawn and become familiar instantly. As a reader, I found myself caring about the main character, her sister and her friend and this interest carries you and the story along.

The themes in the book are relevant and compelling; a coercive relationship and I think that Edwards drew the horror and confusion of the MC and her inner turmoil around this distressing relationship very well. However there were a couple of places where the writer contradicted herself, and where the plot line was unbelievable, based on the evidence she had around her pregnancy. In another scene, the MC is leaving for the police station at 9am when her appointment is not until 12 noon. Then on the way there, she gets a message to meet a friend and then acknowledges the appointment is at 12 noon. Why then, was she leaving home nearly 3 hours early when it was a short drive?

The structure takes a little getting used to. Not only the flitting back and forth in time but flitting back and forth between multiple places and timelines. In places I found myself having to go back and check the heading to make sure I knew where I was in the story. The middle of the story was a little soggy for me and I found the 'twist' unbelievable and unconvincing; such a shame when I had enjoyed it up until this point.

However in saying all of that, reading is subjective and some readers may find the resolution entertaining and fair.

Due to the quality of the writing and the way the story carries you forward, I would still recommend this book to fans of Edwards and fans of psychological thrillers.In saying all I have, I still read this in one sitting which is an indication of how well Edwards engages her readers.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my arc.

I've read several of the author's novels and found them to be very variable. This one I thought was very disjointed. There was a back story referring to a children's book series which was supposed to link into the main story but did not do so effectively. The story became increasingly unlikely and I did not find it enjoyable. Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

I love Nuala Ellwood and i am always excited when she has a new book out. She has this exceptional ability to infuse emotion throughout the book. Its a thriller, it’s suspenseful, but its always emotional and i feel so intensely connected to the characters. And so i felt like i read this book for the characters, as opposed to plot. But that being said, it was a page turner and i couldnt stop reading!

Vanessa is bowled over by the handsome Connor. She quickly moves in and in doing so falls out with her best friend in the process. Life was wonderful until little things began to juggle and she was no longer so sure of the man she chose.
Vanessa starts to view houses, house porn if your will. She can't afford the houses but imagines the perfect lives of those who own them. She is then accused of the murder of one of the owners who showed her round his house which she believes she committed.
A story with lots of twists and turns.