The Perfect Life by Nuala EllwoodMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Time taken to read - in and out over 2 days
Pages - 400
Publisher -
Source - From Hayley
Blurb from Goodreads
HAVE YOU EVER WANTED TO BE SOMEONE ELSE?
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.
And everyone thinks Vanessa killed him...
My Review
This was a bit of a weird one, Vanessa has a bit of a unique way of coping with stress, gal gets dressed up, becomes a totally different person and goes and checks out houses for sale. Weird but whatever floats your boat, anyway one of the gaffs she goes to belongs to a famous author, an author whose books she loved, grew up on, helped her through her grief. Well he is found deed, murdered and not only was Vanessa there but she was seen & the more she tries to get round it the further in she digs the hole. The police have her in their sight, Vanessa isn't sure what she did or didn't do but she was definitely there AND she has been a bit off lately, unhinged, losing time and not feeling great, could Vanessa have done this? How do you defend yourself when you don't even trust your own mind?
Again check your triggers if things trigger you, this one has a lot, different kinds of abuse, shady behaviours, health issues, control, loss, manipulation to name but a few. There is no denying Vanessa has been through and still processing a lot, then thrown into a murder investigation. Her coping mechanisms are about to be exposed which makes her look unhinged, ooft it is a bumpy ride.
Lots of characters to dislike, not trust, even have a bit of rage for. It keeps you hooked and turning page after page because it is all so unhinged and I had no idea where it was going, 4/5 for me this time.
