Suspected of a murder she can’t remember, a troubled woman takes an unusual approach to proving her innocence in this gripping thriller from the bestselling author of Little Voices.When Jules Worthington-Smith’s wallet is found next to a dead man, she becomes the prime suspect in his murder. After struggling for years to build the perfect family and career, she’s dangerously close to losing … dangerously close to losing everything.
Sure of her innocence, Jules is desperate to clear her name. But there’s one big problem: she was blackout drunk when the murder took place and can’t remember what happened.
Unsatisfied with the police’s handling of the case, Jules embarks on her own gin-fueled murder investigation. As she uncovers fresh clues, she starts a true-crime vlog that becomes a viral sensation, pushing her into the public eye. It’s not long before the ordeal forces Jules to confront her demons, including her turbulent childhood and excessive drinking.
The deeper Jules digs, the more dirt she uncovers about the murder and herself. Unexpected truths pile up until she’s buried so deep even finding the killer might not be enough to set her free.
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I tried hard to like this book but it just didn’t do it for me. It had such promise too. I didn’t like the way the vlog parts went especially. It’s just hard for me to imagine that.
The main character, Jules, was just not likable at all to me. She was a drunk and didn’t want to take responsibility for anything she did. She had a good life it seemed. An adorable son and husband who loved her dearly. She had parents, though I can’t say I liked her dad at all either. He came across as crass and in denial.
Juliet was drunk and possibly involved with a murder. The murder of a good friend. But she can’t seem to remember anything from that night. Blackout. Her mom wants her to see a therapist who can help her with remembering. The problem I have here is she remembered instantly. I just find that one hard to conceive. It could happen I suppose but it was just not believable to me.
This book starts out good. It seems like it has a strong subject matter that will keep me turning pages. It lost me however when the author started adding the vlog posts. If it would have just been written differently it may have held my interest. I’ve read one other book that did this and found it to be one that I could not connect to either.
I liked the premise of this book. The thriller part. I didn’t like Jules, her dad, or anyone else except her husband and child. It was hard to connect and thus hard to read. I found myself skimming past the parts that didn’t hold my interest and that is a huge NO for me.
Thank you #NetGalley, #VanessaLille, #Thomas&Mercer for this ARC. This is my own thoughts on this book
Only a 2/3 stars for me and I can’t recommend this one. Sorry.
“I have a temper. I drink too much sometimes to deal with emotions I’d rather ignore. Am I some kind of loaded weapon? The trigger springing loose with the sip of one too many?”
Juliet Worthington-Smith has it all – the perfect husband, a terrific kid, a big new house, her dream job as CEO of the company her father built… oh, and a bit of a drinking problem. Which wouldn’t be the end of the world if her latest blackout hadn’t occurred while the person she was last seen with was being murdered. As the only suspect, Jules will do anything to clear her name, including investigating the crime herself. She starts a true-crime vlog where she tracks leads and posts new evidence that soon goes viral. But in searching for the truth, old secrets come out and what Juliet uncovers isn’t what she expected.
I could not put this book down. I love an amnesia story and Juliet’s vlogs were an interesting way to explore the investigation. She’s a frustrating character who’s selfish and not very self-aware but over the course of the book, the author does a great job of revealing why she’s the become the woman she has.
A fun aspect of For the Best for me was that it’s set in Rhode Island where both Vanessa Lillie and I live. The state and city of Providence are almost characters in the book, and there are lots of familiar locations and references to life in RI, one of my favorites being “Yes, Rhode Island is the smallest state, but that is not just geography; that’s a mentality.” This is so very true and gives a good sense of the place where this story and investigation unfolds.
There are several big twists that I didn’t expect and the reveal of the killer also surprised me in a good way. It’s not the typical ending to a whodunit like this and looking back, Lillie perfectly laid all of the pieces for it to pay off. If you’re looking for a unique, fast-paced thriller, you’ll love For the Best.
Thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and the author for an advanced ecopy of this book to review.
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: 341 ()
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: 09/08/2020
: (4.5 stars)
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This is the second book I have read from this author. Thank you @kccpr for the gifted copy. This has such a stunning cover, with fantastic shelf appeal.
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: After loving Vanessa’s debut novel Little Voices, I was excited to read her next book. We follow Jules who’s wallet is found next to a dead man. She’s considered the prime suspect in the murder. Jules is desperate to prove her innocence, but there’s one problem. She was blackout drunk when the murder took place and can’t remember what happened.
I honestly loved this book. Vanessa has a unique way of writing a domestic thriller, with lots of fine details and great pacing throughout. In my opinion, what prevented me from giving this book 5 stars was the excessive use of drinking throughout. There were many times where I was ready to check Jules into an AA program, which was a little off-putting. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope you will as well. I now consider Vanessa an auto-buy author. This book comes out on September 8th so make sure you pre-order your copy today!!!!!
Vanessa Lillie does it again! I dare you to start this book and after the very first paragraph try to put it down. It was glued to my hands! Protagonist Jules is such a complex and very relatable character and her journey toward justice left me breathless. Author Lillie knows how to light things on fire then let them burn toward a surprising conclusion.