This was a very easy book to get into right from the start as we follow Vanessa's life, her first meeting with Connor and their developing relationship alongside her successful career in the cosmetic industry. The underlying story line centreing around Holly Maze House was extremely clever, the author could very easily have written and published the stories herself about Angus, Iris, the ghost children and the little blackbird, I have no hesitation in saying that I think they would have been a huge success. Vanessa's slow decline and the eventual gaslighting slowly creeps into the chapters so cleverly that we actually begin to wonder whether she is unstable and becoming a nervous, heavy drinking version of herself. The only slight criticism I have with the book is based around Connor's OCD life at home. If Vanessa had been spending most of her time at his flat, as outlined in the book, then surely she would have seen that his cupboards were displayed in OCD fashion, that he liked to eat at eight o clock every night, that he was a bit of a control freak at home and liked everything in it's place and routines followed. In addition to that, if this was the way that Connor lived then surely this would have encroached on his life outside the home as well. These things aren't usually isolated. Apart from that this book was a brilliant read, I shall look out for more by this author.

#ThePerfectLife #NetGalley
An edge of your seat suspense.
Vanessa has always found it easy to pretend to be somebody different, somebody better. When things get tough in her real life, all she has to do is throw on some nicer clothes, adopt a new accent and she can escape.That's how it started: looking round houses she couldn't possibly afford. Harmless fun really. Until it wasn't.Because a man who lived in one of those houses is dead.
I loved Jack and Connor from starting to ending although Nessa was somewhat good.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK for giving me an advance copy.

Vanessa may not like her real life, but she can escape it by putting on different clothes, using a posh accent and looking at houses that only the top 1% can afford. It’s fun, pretending to be someone else, until it isn’t. The owner of one of the houses she visited has been murdered and Vanessa is suspect number one. Suddenly, her old life looks pretty darn good, but Vanessa will have to face the consequences of pretending to be someone she’s not