Her Perfect Life
Her Perfect Life by Hank Phillippi Ryan is a chilling thriller. Lily has a perfect life, as far as the public is aware. But her sister went missing when she was 7, and things aren’t so simple.
All quotes are from an advanced reader copy, and may or may not reflect the published edition.
From Goodreads:
Everyone knows Lily Atwood–and that may be her biggest problem. The beloved television reporter has it all–fame, fortune, Emmys, an adorable seven-year-old daughter, and the hashtag her loving fans created: PerfectLily. To keep it all she has to do is protect one life-changing secret.
Her own.
Lily has an anonymous source who feeds her story tips–but suddenly, the source begins telling Lily inside information about her own life. How does he–or she–know the truth?
Lily understands that no one reveals a secret unless they have a reason. Now she’s terrified someone is determined to destroy her world–and with it, everyone and everything she holds dear.
How much will she risk to keep her perfect life?
“Now she was Lily Atwood, fifty-eight thousand followers, three Emmys, and an unsullied reputation for perfection. Relatable, admirable, aspirational.”
Her Perfect Life is a thriller that you have to commit to. While the first quarter is somewhat slow, and the main character Lily is frustrating to read, all of it has a reason. When all the pieces come together in the end, it’s incredibly worth the time it took to get there. Ryan did a fantastic job of writing the experiences and fears of women without blaming it on mental health, or in general “being a woman”. This was truly a thriller worth reading.
“The perfect-Lily story. The story that was never true.”
This thriller has a ton of pieces at play and makes use of multiple points of view. I will admit, Cassie’s early on POV chapters were boring to me. I know they were needed to support the story, but I feel like they could have had fewer details, and been shorter overall. There were moments when Lily felt so incredibly stupid and oblivious that I wanted to scream, and that didn’t help the book a ton either. While I enjoyed this book greatly, I think we should stop allowing our MCs to be so obtuse about the things around them.
“How would I exist without you telling me what to do?”
This was my first thriller from this author, and I have to say I’m impressed. I will definitely be picking up more from her! I read this in one sitting and enjoyed everything after the first quarter. The final twist really surprised me, and I loved the way it all came together.
“I’d risked my life, my damn life, for that woman.”
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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