From the USA TODAY bestselling author of Pretty Revenge–a “gripping tale of subterfuge, betrayal, and retribution” (Liv Constantine, bestselling author of The Last Mrs. Parrish)–comes the story of a journalist obsessed with finding a crime novelist who disappears after a deadly attack on her beloved daughter. As a mother and a famous author, Ward DeFleur has it all. She lives in a beautiful … has it all. She lives in a beautiful estate in picture-perfect Connecticut, along with her teenage daughter, Stevie, where nothing can go wrong. Until, one night, when Stevie is brutally murdered and Ward’s entire world is shattered. Consumed by panic and grief, Ward vows never to put pen to paper again.
Enter Bree Bennett.
Bree is a recently-divorced, former-journalist-cum-housewife, desperate to fill her days with something other than Pilates classes and grocery shopping. So she decides to start writing for the town newspaper. What begins as Bree’s effort to tell Ward’s tragic narrative turns into a fixation with finding her favorite author. Unfortunately, Ward doesn’t want to be found. Even worse, Stevie’s killer is still on the loose…
This harrowing tale of one woman’s infatuation and another woman’s fear is full of explosive surprises, perfect for fans of The Night Olivia Fell and Then She Was Gone.
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A chance encounter connects journalist Bree Bennett with author Ward DeFleur. On paper, the two woman have a lot in common; both have 16 year old daughters, live in the same town and both of them write for a living. The well-defined, complex characters and the fast-paced plot drew me into the story immediately.
Emily Liebert tells the story of bestselling author Ward DeFleur and Journalist Bree Bennet from the first person viewpoint by alternating chapters. I enjoyed this narrative choice because I was able to understand each characters feelings and motivations. This technique also heightened both the tension and the mystery elements in this page turner. Ward DeFleur is a bestselling author who vanishes after her daughter is kidnapped and dies. Ward disappears without a trace. Bree feels a connection with Ward and decides to tell Ward’s story.
The author creates outstanding female characters in this book. Loved Bree’s relationship with her mom and best friend Maggie. Bree’s mom is hilarious. She cares for Bree by trying to fix her up on dates with her friend’s sons. And she advises Bree to update her Facebook page with a photo with makeup. A subtle way of saying Bree needs to step up her image to find her next husband. Maggie is Bree’s true north friend-they share everything. Maggie is a psychologist and understands Bree’s need to move on emotionally. The push pull relationship between teenage Chloe and Bree was spot on. I understood Bree’s desire to reinvent herself after her divorce. She’s no longer someone’s wife; and her cookie baking and carpool days are behind her.
I figured out who was out to get Ward early on in the novel and I was patiently waiting for Bree to put the puzzle pieces together. I was invested in Bree’s desire to find Ward and to tell her story. The mystery of Ward’s disappearance held my interest—how can someone disappear in this age of the internet and social media?
In my opinion, the last few chapters seamed rushed and didn’t resonate with the feel of the book. I felt that the conclusion was more dramatic than suspenseful. The last page came out of nowhere and I have had a hard time believing the resolution.
Would I read another book by this author? Yes, I would. I enjoyed the fast paced suspenseful storyline and thought the characters of Bree, Maggie and Chloe and Ward were complex yet, very relatable.
Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “Perfectly Famous” by Emily Liebert, Gallery Books, June 2, 2020
Emily Liebert, author of “Perfectly Famous” has written an intense, suspenseful, captivating, thrilling mystery. The Genres for this novel are thriller, mystery, and suspense. The timeline for this story is set in the present and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events. The story takes place mostly in an affluent area in Connecticut. The author describes her characters as complex, complicated, and motivated.
Ward DeFleur is a famous author that lives in Connecticut. While she is at a book signing for her newest book, she gets a call that her daughter Stevie has disappeared. Ward goes into hiding and stops writing after her daughter’s attack and murder.
Bree Bennett is recently divorced and had been at the book signing the night that Ward DeFleur was there. Bree has a daughter Stevie’s age, that is starting to act out. Bree is now starting a career in journalism. Bree becomes obsessed with finding out where Ward is. There is danger and the daughter’s killer hasn’t been found. Bree is also entering the new world of dating.
There are twists and turns, betrayals, danger, threats, and murder. This is an edgy, suspenseful, and thought-provoking novel. The ending is OMG!!!……… I highly recommend this novel!
I loved everything about this story!!! First book I’ve read from
Emily Liebert and fell…in….love! It had it all, drama, romance and lots of thrill! I was hooked right from the beginning, entranced by mystery and shocked with the sweetest of surprise!! The ending, ohhhh boy, get that glass of wine and hold on….it’s gonna be a ride!!!!
I Really enjoyed this book and knew certain characters were not all they seemed but the ending really fell off for me. Definitely a good read if you like psychological thrillers. Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC.
Ward DeFleur is a famous author and a mother. While she is on a book tour, her daughter is murdered. Ward goes into seclusion. Her daughter’s murderer is still on the loose. Bree Bennett is at Ward’s last book signing. She decides to write a true crime newspaper series devoted to Ward and her daughter. Meanwhile she becomes obsessed with Ward. This book is a really good thriller with many twists. This book is told by Ward and Bree so the reader gets both sides which I really enjoyed. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.
Thank you to Netgalley, Gallery Books and the Author Emily Liebert for an ARC of this book in exchange or an honest review.
WoW for a book that started off a little slow for me, became a can’t stop reading page turner.
Loads of twists and turns and one big *gasp* that’s all I’m going to say. I will definitely be following and reading more from this author.
I recieved this as an ARC. I found it to be an easy read. I hope there is a sequel as I’m dying to know what happens to Bree, Scott, Evan, Alex, and Ward. What a cliffhanger ending!!
This book was interesting and enjoyable but I found it really difficult to understand either main character’s behavior. Ward makes choices I can’t reconcile and Bree’s interest in Ward wasn’t strongly supported enough for her tenacity in investigating her to make complete sense to me.
I also needed to understand Bree’s daughter, Chloe’s, motivation better; it seemed like more than teen angst.
There are a handful of handy coincidences and an inordinate amount of shiesty people with secrets, all of which combined to give the book something of a Mary Higgins Clark feeling.
Bree’s mother is so absolutely hilariously terrible, and so relatable for me, that she earns the book an extra star! I laughed out loud every time I read any dialogue with her in it.
Thank you to Emily Liebert, Gallery Books and Netgalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Much more than a clever whodunit, Perfectly Famous is a subtle and lyrical acclamation of relationships, especially the challenging one between mothers and daughters. The story smolders with a brooding, slow-burn tension that culminates in a profoundly shocking outcome. A must read for fans of domestic drama.