I love this author and this book of hers is just amazing. Beautifully written and brilliantly plotted. Tense and suspenseful. A wonderfully addictive read.

This was a great psychological thriller, suspense, murder mystery. We have a child that goes missing and then found dead and then another, both are scalped which leads investigator to believe the murders are by the same person. I will be keep ing an eye out for Nicky Downes books from here on.

"Her Perfect Girl" by Nicky Downes is a gripping and dark thriller that dives deep into the lives of the victims' family members and the investigators tasked with solving the case. The character growth throughout the novel is both profound and heart-wrenching. Written from the perspectives of those most affected by the crimes, the book masterfully portrays how the characters navigate their grief and ultimately contribute to the police investigation. This unique approach not only adds depth to the narrative but also highlights the emotional toll such cases take on everyone involved.

The plot is highly engaging, with numerous twists and turns that keep readers on the edge of their seats. Despite the large number of chapters, each being only a page or two in length, the story progresses swiftly and maintains a steady pace. This structure allows for a quick yet immersive reading experience. However, just as you start to connect with a character, the chapter often ends, and the perspective shifts to another point of view. While this can be somewhat jarring, it also keeps the suspense high and the reader constantly guessing.

Nicky Downes expertly conveys the themes of loss, resilience, and the relentless pursuit of justice. The impact of the crimes on both the victims' families and the investigators is portrayed with raw honesty, making "Her Perfect Girl" a compelling read for fans of psychological thrillers.

Overall, "Her Perfect Girl" is a chilling and intense novel that offers a unique perspective on crime and its aftermath. It's a must-read for those who enjoy thrillers that delve into the darker aspects of human nature.

Thank you to Nicky Downes and Storm Publishing for allowing me to be an early reader. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Murder? Absolutely! Plot Twists? For sure! Gripping, page turning thriller. 5 stars and I couldn't put it down!

I admit, I struggled reading this book. The sentences and paragraphs all seemed too short, which bothered me and took me out of the experience. The story is told from multiple points of view which I usually enjoy, but in this case, there seemed to be too many that were not necessary to the storyline. The book was full of information that didn't really add value to the story and made the book much too long. I did find the plot intriguing and I think I would have enjoyed it more without all of the extra characters and information.
I received a free copy of this book, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I find it difficult to read about the death and particularly the murder of a young child. Once past this reluctance I found the book interesting. There were some areas of the story that I felt didn't contribute greatly to the whole story and therefore slowed the pace down a bit but generally a good read.

This book would have gotten a higher rating from me but I felt like it was longer than it should have been. Some POV chapters were unnecessary especially with one of the PCs where her wife and her lost a baby. I felt like that didn’t contribute any important plot information. I was very intrigued in the beginning but then was bored after a few chapters. Almost at the end is when things started to get interesting again. I think I would have liked to see the wig maker brought to justice instead of how things ended. I was satisfied with the reveal of the wig maker’s reasoning for his crimes but I do wish we could have gotten just a little more information before everything went down.

I don’t know if I would recommend this to anyone because it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great either. It will depend if the person is curious to read this story.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this e-ARC.

Plenty of mystery and red herrings in this crime/mystery novel and some rounded out characters with interesting back stories. The first three quarters of the story kept me motivated to keep reading and find out how it would conclude. I liked the way the chapters focused on a variety of characters, not just the married couple. The final quarter of the book felt rushed to me and it was almost like a first draft, lacking the finesse of the previous chapters.

I found a lot of chapters stated that a character arrived home or an event happened at 6pm for some reason.

This book is very impactful and interesting. It is so captivating from the first pages, and I couldn't stop reading it.
The chapters are short, and the characters are really very well explained and developed. I couldn't decide on a specific character, they all have their essence and their very defined personalities.

This story always maintains suspense and you think that any of the characters are to blame.
I really liked having discovered this author through this book.
I will sincerely continue reading her stories, she is really very good at her writing.

The nightmare of every parent, their child is missing. A small girl with flowing gold hair, was that the attraction for the killer? The police are looking at all angles when another child is gone. Someone knows something in this small town or do they?
The story is told in multiple POVs which I enjoyed. We had an insight into the parents, the police and the killer himself.
Pieces of this puzzle slowly came together and the story picked up speed...or maybe I just couldn't put it down until I knew why.
Great story and my first read by this author, I look forward to more.

I’ve read lots of thrillers and this is the type I normally like. Short chapter, fast paced, multiple POV’s. Who’s hiding something? This book offers all of that but I just didn’t enjoy the characters. Which is often the case in this genre. I also felt that some details could have been left out and it not distract from the story. It may be my impatience but I always want to quickly get to the heart of the matter and in this book in that instance I was a bit let down. The predictably factor was there but that comes with reading a lot in the genre. This is still a solid, quick, and engaging story.

Phenomenal work! Completely addictive. Highly recommend and will be purchasing for my libraries. Can't wait to read what comes next!

Her Perfect Girl
by Nicky Downes
Pub Date: Jul 12 2024

Her Perfect Girl is a gripping page-turner that will have you racing to the twisty end. A well paced story that evolves around every parent's worst nightmare. It was told by several point of views. All in all it's a great book with very hard subjects. I highly recommend reading it!

Synopsis: Pictures of the missing girl Charly Dean are plastered across every newspaper and television screen in the country until a dog walker discovers her body in the woods. A chilling detail at the crime scene leads the local police to believe they have a serial killer on their hands, and he’s just getting started. A murder that shocks a small town…A killer with unfinished business…

Thank you #NetGalley, #StormPublishing & #HerPerfectGirl for an E-ARC of this book.

This is the kind of book that you crawl into bed a little early with a few snacks and dare anyone to talk to you. Gripping, perfectly timed twists to throw you off, building frustration and questions. Just dont plan on stopping until you finish.

Compelling and chilling this is a very good read. The storyline is original and kept my interest very well, the killer has a unique MO whereby he targets blonde girls and takes away their hair, but to what purpose and reason?
The writing style is easy to follow and flows well and the empathy we feel for the bereaved parents is very real and respectfully written.
The main characters are very likeable and you can feel their vulnerabilities come off the page in waves and the fact they’re not perfect makes them feel even the more human and believable, I was very invested and engaged.
The action, especially towards the end, is fast paced, I hardly dared breathe and I wasn’t happy until I’d raced to the finish and for all the loose ends to be tied up. A definite recommend from me.

Her Perfect Girl is pretty good psychological thriller.

First off this is a book you should read the trigger warnings before the book if you have triggers. If not this is a good read about a serial killer. I really enjoyed this read. I think the author did a great job writing the story and the details kept my attention. It's entertaining and also sad because some details could really happen in real life. I would recommend this book but just know it may not be a easy read for everyone, but if the triggers don't effect you I would recommend adding this to your TBR. If your a emo reader grab a box of tissues lol...

This is a short, fast paced read with multiple POVs that will keep you page-turning as you are swept up into Charly’s parent’s grief and their desperate need to find answers to who murdered their little girl.

If you’re looking for something snappy that is easy to get into and will keep you hooked - this is a solid bet. It’s really a very strong read with my only real gripe being that the ending is nowhere near as strong as I would like.

The multiple POVs added such an interesting layer to the story and added so much depth. I’m not usually a fan of multiple POVs (in fact I usually hate them) but they worked just wonderfully here. The chapters from the killer’s POV were also genius and for the majority of the book I really enjoyed seeing these interwoven.

In general, I actually really enjoyed about 90% of the book and it felt like a really strong read - it’s only the last 10% or so which lost me. For me, the reveal and the ending just didn’t hit. I always feel like the reveal in this style of books needs to have an impact and for it all just felt a bit flat and rushed? So for me 90% of the book was a 4 star read but that ending was 2 stars at best - I’ve compromised and given it a 3. But that’s not because it’s not a fun read, but it’s purely because I was so disappointed with the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-ARC

This spine-tingling mystery will give you chills and make you physically ill at times. Little Charly disappeared from a park with only a little pink ribbon left behind. Although her parents hold out hope for a rescue, sadly it was not to be. When a second victim is found killed in the same manner, the town is rocked to its core. The police are baffled. The parents want to solve it themselves.

You are provided with an inside look into the horrid thoughts of the killer throughout the story. This individual is deranged. His thoughts were beyond chilling. You know he has an agenda. You are just not sure exactly what that agenda may be.

It was a heart breaking story that is every parents' nightmare. Even though the premise behind this mystery was horrible to think about, it was well-written. I simply could not put it down. There is a definite creep factor in this one that I will not soon forget. I need to purge my brain with some cartoons.

Thank you to Storm Publishing for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

If you are a parent, what do you think your worst nightmare would be? For me, it would be my children dying or being murdered. That's exactly what this book's story line is all about. But what happens when more and more children are found murdered? As a grieving mother or father, what would you do? Would you hide away in your home and forget that the rest of the world existed, or would you help with the investigations and help the other parents in any way that you could? I would like to think that I would be helping the police and the other families.

This story has multiple POV's and each POV telling their story is so well written that it almost feels as though you are there in the book with the characters. The author is so good at writing that you as the reader, can almost feel what the characters feel, whether it be fear, anger, sadness or guilt.

The only time I struggled with this book is while reading the POV of the killer. Because I was so invested emotionally in this book, I only skimmed over those chapters as I felt as though the killer didn't deserve for anyone to read his point of view.

If you like twisty books that make you get completely invested in the story, I highly recommend you read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for letting me read this book early in exchange for my honest review. I can't wait to read more Nicky Downes books.

Your child is gone. What if you're to blame.


Her Perfect Girl by Nicky Downes is told from multiple POVs. It begins with Emma and Robert Dean's daughter Charly going missing. We find out that six-year-old Charlotte Dean has been murdered. She snuck out of her grandmother's house while her parents were at concert (gig).

Her Perfect Girl is fast paced with really shot chapters. Multiple POVs work great in this one because each POV has an intricate part to play in the storyline.

Quote: "He was skilled at keeping the darkness at bay."

One POV is that of the murderer. The murderer is obsessed with blonde hair, and we read over and over that he is making a wig.

Who murdered Charlotte and will there be other victims?
Does the killer get away with his crimes?
What secrets are Emma and Robert hiding?
Are Emma and Robert somehow responsible for what happened to their daughter?

The plot of Her Perfect Girl by Nicky Downes in grieving parents. It does a good job with portraying what a grieving parent goes through. All the questions you ask that you just cannot find the answers to.

I will definitely try more books by Nicky Downes and recommend this author.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Her Perfect Girl by Nicky Downes.