ISBN: 125025888X
Publisher: Forge Books
Publication Date: 09/14/2021
Format: Hardcover
My Rating: 5 Stars (ARC)
Author Q&A Sept 14th
HER PERFECT LIFE by @hankpryan hits shelves Sept. 14 and I cannot wait — her twisty, page-turning thrillers are amazing.
Here’s the scoop:
Everyone knows Lily Atwood—and that may be her biggest problem. The beloved television reporter has it all — fame, fortune, Emmy awards, 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 about others—but suddenly, the source begins telling Lily inside information about her own life! How does he—or she—know so much?
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 must she risk to keep her perfect life?
Ah! It’s got me guessing already! How about you? Ready to read? It’s available for pre-order right now. Follow @hankpryan & go to her bio for the link.
Coming 09.14.21
@forgereads #herperfectlife #catandmouse #authorsofinstagram #bookstagram #readersofinstagram #thriller #suspense #mysteryreader #psychologicalsuspense #hankphillippiryan #newbook #revealparty #coverreveal #tbr #goodreads #mustread #jdcmustreadbooks #sept2021books #topbooks2021
with Hank
Check it out. A fun interview where we go behind the scenes of the book and the author!
Praise
“Keep[s] the reader guessing about characters’ identities and different versions of events as the tension mounts...a well-crafted plot and strong female characters drive a satisfying psychological thriller.” ―Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Shocking, suspenseful, with clever twists and an abundance of secrets. Her Perfect Life kept me guessing until the end. I loved it!”
―B. A. Paris, internationally bestselling author of The Therapist and Behind Closed Doors
“Superlative...this is a fast-paced, surprise-packed treat.” ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“When people say a book is a page-turner, they must be talking about Hank Phillippi Ryan. Her Perfect Life has everything: Compelling characters, a captivating story, and a pace that’ll have you turning the pages deep into the night. You can’t go wrong with a Ryan book, and this one is no exception.”
―Samantha Downing, bestselling author of My Lovely Wife
“Tense and twisty...You will read this in one sitting!”
―Julie Clark, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Last Flight
“There’s a reason Hank Philippi Ryan keeps winning so many awards―she is a master at crafting suspense around fully formed characters with real emotion and depth. A mesmerizing thrill ride!” ―Kimberly Belle, internationally bestselling author of Dear Wife and Stranger in the Lake
“Her Perfect Life is a stunning, wonderfully tense thriller about deceit, grief, fame and perfection, and the secrets we carry beneath our skin. A magnificent, knockout thriller.”
―Christina McDonald, USA Today bestselling author of Do No Harm
“I loved this book! Reading Hank Phillippi Ryan's Her Perfect Life made me paranoid--who's watching me, who's lying to me, who's hiding from their prior life? My nerves were shredded by the time I reached the last chapter of this big-hearted page-turner.”
―Rachel Howzell Hall, author of And Now She’s Gone
“When you read a Hank Phillippi Ryan thriller you are in the hands of a master! Her Perfect Life offers shocking twists, whip-smart turns, and a deep-dive into the dark side of celebrity. I devoured it.”
―Robyn Harding, bestselling author of The Swap
“Strong women, creative twists, and tight pacing combine to make a suspense novel that will have readers turning pages at breakneck speed. Cancel your schedule, hold your calls, and lock the door so you can fully immerse yourself in this tension building tale of intrigue.”
―Pamela Klinger-Horn, Valley Bookseller
“Her Perfect Life by Hank Phillippi Ryan is a masterful story of the past and the present coming together, and the challenges of living in the spotlight. Just like an Agatha Christie novel, Ryan takes you on a twisty path to a major crescendo. Brava to Ryan on her best book yet!”
―Andrea Peskind Katz, Great Thoughts Great Readers
“I raced through Hank Phillippi Ryan’s taut, breathless thriller, Her Perfect Life, desperate to know how the dangerous secrets of three complex, compelling women would finally collide, never prepared for the perfectly stunning, explosive ending. Bravo Hank!”
―Kate White, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Fiancee
“The fingerprints of Ryan's illustrious news career are all over this endlessly entertaining page-turner. A twisty delight, Her Perfect Life is steeped in secrets you'll long to decipher and complex characters whose motives you'll question at every turn. An unputdownable thriller, Her Perfect Life is the PERFECT read!”
―Caitlin Wahrer, author of The Damage
Who doesn't love everything Hank Phillippi Ryan writes? She is in her element.
The thriller queen of cat-and-mouse suspense and one of my favorite authors, Hank Phillippi Ryan, returns with her latest novel, HER PERFECT LIFE—a fast-paced powerful tale of fame, perfection, deceit, and deadly secrets.
Lily Atwood has it all. She is a famous Boston TV investigative reporter (much like the author), beautiful, talented, hardworking, and recipient of numerous Emmys and awards. She even has the hashtag title by her loving fans, #PerfectLily. Everyone loves her.
With this title, she must live a life of perfection, from her appearance, home, and work. She resides in a beautiful white Victorian home, perfectly manicured in the best area of town. She works very hard to keep her daughter, Rowen sheltered from the public eye, cameras, and social media. She demands privacy when it comes to her child. She must keep her safe. None of the ugliness should ever touch her child.
"Fame, Lily knew, had two conflicting sides. The glory. And the danger. The power, And the spotlight. The raging relentless spotlight."
However, Lily harbors some big secrets. If exposed, it could ruin her career and everything she has worked so hard to achieve.
No one knows the father (Sam Prescott) of her seven-year-old daughter, Rowen, except the father. She must keep that secret safe for many reasons. She also has a past life which she must keep a secret from her world of fame and perfection.
"Perfection is in the perception."
Her sister, Cassie, went away to college years ago, and something happened. Not long after, she left and has not been seen since. Is she alive, imprisoned, kidnapped, brainwashed, or dead? She looks for Cassie everywhere she goes, imagining what she possibly looks like today. Since Lily is widely known, she thinks her sister could find her. Would she recognize her big sister after all this time?
Lily was only seven when she vanished, and Cassie was around eighteen. She misses her, and they were close. Maybe Cassie will find her.
Told from 3 POVs: Lily (protagonist), Green (her producer), and Cassie (her sister). Flashing back and forth from present to past to when Cassie attended college, as the events unfold. Nothing is as it appears.
Greer is behind the scenes and a bit jealous (a lot) of Lily. "Approval is such a sister to envy."
Petra is the nanny, competent, and fits in perfectly in the Atwood household taking care and protecting Rowen. Rowen is inquisitive about her father, but Lily does her best to keep those questions at bay.
When an anonymous tip comes in from a stranger (they call Mr. Smith), that proves to be a good lead, they both wonder who this person is and what he really wants. Is he a stalker? Can he be trusted?
Soon after that, everything spirals out of control. Mr. Smith knows more about her past and could be dangerous. Who is this man? He appears to know something about Cassie. Could he help find her?
When Lily starts receiving floral arrangements at her home of lilies, more intense calls from Mr. Smith, and strange things begin happening at Rowen's private school, Lily becomes afraid for herself and her daughter. Greer is also acting strange.
From past to present, Cassie's story is so compelling, it will draw you in. A girl with no one to turn to for help. Now she is also living a secret life. The intensity builds with a multi-level cat-and-mouse game of twists and turns.
Events from the past connect with the present, which is dangerous both for Lily and Cassie. Someone goes missing. Sam Prescott becomes involved, a detective, a drug dealer, a professor, Rowen, Greer, Cassie, and Lily.
Perfect Lily must stay perfect; however, how will she do this when her life is now a disaster and she is losing control?
Wow, an intense page-turner that will have you staying up way past your bedtime and then some! Tense and compulsive, HER PERFECT LIFE is a delicious web of lies and deceit.
Suspicion, betrayal, and dark secrets abound in this intense and gripping masterly plotted thriller, all hidden just beneath the surface of a seemingly perfect life. As always, the mega-talented Hank Phillippi Ryan knows her way around a good story, whether an investigative true-life news TV story or a fictional novel psychological thriller.
I am not sure how the author does it all and will be the first and not the last to award her with the title #PerfectHank. She has won how many Emmys?
An avid fan of the author, stay tuned for my #AuthorElevatorSeries Q&A with Hank, coming on my birthday, 9/14 (pub day), where we go behind the book and the author. Also, this will be a special 3rd-anniversary edition of An Elevator Ride with the Author. Hank was my first interview back in 2018 and excited to have her back to mark the occasion.
Put this gem on your TBR read list now. There is plenty of guessing and twists - for fans of Mary Kubica and B.A. Paris.
Ironically, I read my first Hank Phillippi Ryan book in 2014, TRUTH BE TOLD, the year I started my blog. My top books of 2014 and became an instant fan reading every book since and always a winner. (more on the 7th-anniversary #JDCMustReadBooks Blog edition coming 9/15 newsletter).
A special thank you to the publisher #ForgeBooks and #NetGalley for an advanced reading copy. Also pre-ordered the hardcover for my special birthday gift.
Blog Review:
@JudithDCollins
My Rating: 💖💖💖💖💖
Pub Date: 09/14/21
About the Author
Author Photo: Iden Ford
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN is the USA Today bestselling author of 13 psychological thrillers, winning the most prestigious awards in the genre: five Agathas, four Anthonys, and the coveted Mary Higgins Clark Award. She is also on-air investigative reporter for Boston’s WHDH-TV, with 37 EMMYs and dozens more journalism honors. Book critics call her “a master of suspense,” “a superb and gifted storyteller”; she’s the only author to have won the Agatha in four categories: Best First, Best Novel, Best Short Story and Best Non-Fiction. Her 2019 standalone, THE MURDER LIST, won the Anthony Award for Best Novel. Hank’s 2020 novel is the chilling psychological standalone THE FIRST TO LIE, nominated for both the prestigious Anthony Award for Best Novel and Mary Higgins Clark Award. The Publishers Weekly starred review says “Stellar…Ryan could win a sixth Agatha” and bestseller Sarah Pekkanen says “Book clubs will gobble it up.” Watch for HER PERFECT LIFE on September 14, which received starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly, which called it “A superlative thriller.”
Hank is a founder of MWA University and The Back Room; and National Sisters in Crime past president. Visit Hank at HankPhillippiRyan.com, Twitter @HankPRyan, Instagram @hankpryan and Facebook at HankPhillippiRyanAuthor.
