Review: The Perfect Girl

Title: The Perfect Girl
Author: Gilly Macmillan
Publication Date: September 6, 2016
Genre: Psychological Suspense/Thriller
Recommended If You Like: What She Knew, twists and turns, secrets from the past, psychology, multiple narrators, flashbacks and flashforwards

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

The Book:

Zoe is a piano prodigy with a tragic secret from her past. She and her mother, Maria, are on their "Second Chance Family", attempting to put their lives back together by denying who they used to be. But after a disastrous music recital, Maria is found murdered, and multiple characters attempt to put the pieces together to figure out what really happened.

What I Liked:

This is a book that flies by. I got so into it I didn't even realize how close I was to the end until the first of the big reveals happened.

There is so much suspense and tension, and so many layers of mystery to unfold. I didn't see any of the big reveals coming, and it made for a great read to be that surprised.

Anything I Didn't Like?

I felt like there were one too many subplots that kind of took away from the main story line. It felt like Macmillan was exploring what makes and breaks a marriage, and what secrets a husband and wife can hide from the world and each other--and this was really interesting in itself, but it was distracting (especially the subplot with the lawyer).

I also felt like we heard from a few too many characters. Sometimes a narrator would get a really short part before the point of view switched again, and it became hard to keep track of everyone and who was sharing when.

So...?

If you are looking for a gripping, twisty psychological thriller, I would definitely recommend this book. The twists, turns, and big reveals more than make up for any minor shortcomings.