A town is torn apart when the body of Charly Dean is found in the local woods. When a second girl’s body is found months later, the police fear they have a serial killer on their hands. Charly’s parents are devastated. Torn apart by grief, they lay the blame on each other for her death. After the second child is found dead, they begin a desperate search for the killer, a search that leads to a shocking truth. It appeared that Charly’s death was deliberately planned as the result of something that happened in their past.
Beautifully written. A gripping story you cannot put down until the end.

A fast paced turner. Gripping from the beginning. I especially liked the short chapters, made it a quick read.

It had a very surprising ending - I was guessing right to that point. Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book

Wow I couldn’t put this book down! Fast paced thriller that made me dream about it! Most of the way through I was convinced who it was and was wrong! Very clever book! Really enjoyed it

Emma and Robert are grieving the loss of their 6 year old daughter, Charly, who was murdered. Months later, Charly's killer is still on the loose. The police are no closer in figuring out the killer. When another young girl is found dead, it is clear that the killer is not done. Emma and Robert come to the realization that Charly was targeted. They are determined to find her killer and will stop at nothing to do so.

I LOVED the super short chapters. It made for a fast paced and suspenseful novel. The author did an excellent job at creating mystery around "whodunit". I was going back and forth the entire novel and was surprised by the ending. However, the ending did wrap up quite quickly. I also wish that the ending had more of a bang or another final twist.

This is a great edge of your seat thriller - you w0n't be able to put it down!

This was my first Nicky Downes novel. What a talented author! Looking forward to reading more by Ms. Downes.

Thank you Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC! This was a fast paced thriller about a little girl who was murdered and her parents’ journey to find the killer and to make peace with her death. There are 190 chapters which I found odd to start with, however it added to the pacing as each chapter was very short and told from a different perspective. There are five main perspectives, including the killer’s, but a different one will pop up from time to time. I appreciated getting to know the parents, their background and love story, as well as how they were coping with their loss. It made this story more than just your typical mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

I read this in about four hours, which you can do when the chapters are one, two, or three pages long. Told in multiple POV, which in some books gets very distracting, but not so here due to those very short chapters. There is no suspense or thriller vibe, more of a straight mystery, with a satisfying ending. It was good, but not very memorable.

An easy read crime thriller with a multi POV. The chapters are very short, sometimes a little too short and choppy. I felt the ending all wrapped up very quickly and without much drama. It was a little uneventful and for some reason didn’t feel particularly impactful. The pacing wasn’t too bad and the emotions of the bereaved parents really shone through. Despite the criticism I did enjoy reading it.

Her perfect Girl is a thriller novel by Nicky Downes.
I couldn't put this book down. It was fast paced and had so many twists and turns that I kept guessing until the end. I loved the story and the characters. I highly recommend it to other readers. I can't wait to read more by the author.
❤️ Thank you to storm publishing, netgalley and the author for my arc ebook copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this riveting story of every parent’s worst nightmare. Six year old blonde, blue eyed Charly goes missing whilst her parents, Robert and Emma are out at a gig, and she’s being looked after by Emma’s mum. In the days that follow, lives are turned upside down, secrets are revealed, and nothing is as it seems. The author knows how to rack up the tension, and keep the reader interested. I thought it was well written, well plotted, and had a very satisfying ending.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. I have read the Jack Kent books by this author and enjoyed them, this book was very different but kept me wanting to read and had a great pace and story, I will be recommending this book.

This book was a bit different for me?! It was a decent read very sad and heartbreaking but it did have the usual, it had suspense, intrigue, murder, child killer, mystery, kidnapping, a great who done it and some chilling moments! The storyline was interesting but sad! I would recommend reading this book it just wasn’t one of my top favorites I guess when kids are involved it gets to me?! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
3.5/5

That was rather anticlimactic in my opinion. It felt unfinished to me, and I wanted more. I was hooked from the beginning but the ending left me disappointed.

This is a well-written book but also has a very difficult storyline…more of a mystery than thriller. Personally, I struggled with the topic but stayed engaged throughout. Being told from multiple POVs including the parents, police and killer, made it a quick read with a good ending.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was an easy read crime story, primarily due to the short chapters which are told from varying points of view. This starts when Emma and Robert discover their 6 year old Charly is missing then picks up six months later when we discover Charly had been murdered and the body of another 6 year old girl has just been discovered. Emma and Robert realise trying to find out what links the two murders might help identify the killer whilst the police investigating are getting frustrated by the cases and trying their best to find answers before another girl is murdered. I found this an engaging read more than a page turner, not especially fast paced but focussed well on the different characters and the effect of Charly’s murder on Emma and Robert made for thoughtful reading. This is a bit of a combination of domestic drama and police procedural due to the way it shows both sides of the story and the story behind the perpetrator was fascinating but I would have liked to know more background. 7/10

Emma and Robert are enjoying a night out at a gig. Having fun, catching up with friends, safe in the knowledge that their precious six year old daughter is safe with Emma’s mum. A great time being had by all until there is a request for them to make their way to the foyer. The sight of the police officer standing there and the fact that they have missed many, many calls on their mobiles, tells them it’s not good news.

Six months later and another family is going through the same awful experience, an experience no parent ever wants.

I really liked this book. Well written, compelling and though there are loads of chapters they are all incredibly short, a style of writing I fully support! A fast, intriguing plot that keeps the reader engaged.

Great characters, great plot, this author just gets better and better. If not for a few loose ends left hanging and a rushed finale, this would definitely have been a 5*. Roll on the next one!

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing.

Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of Her Perfect Girl by Nicky Downes due to be published July 12, 2024.
A small town is rocked by the abduction and death of Charly Dean. Her parents, Emma and Robert, are totally devastated. When another blond girl goes missing and is found where Charly was murdered, the town is completely shocked and terrified. Were both girls randomly picked or carefully chosen by events in the past?
This was a very fast read – I LOVE short chapters! There were 190 chapters, but they went by fast. I read Her Perfect Girl in two days, and it kept me totally enthralled the entire time. I couldn’t wait to see who caught the killer – Emma and Robert or the police.
If you want and edge-of-your-seat thriller, Her Perfect Girl is for you!
#NetGalley #NickyDownes #StormPublishing #HerPerfectGirl