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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Perfectly Famous is my second time reading a book by Emily Liebert and it was just as enjoyable as the first! I was really surprised at how often I laughed during this book, and I loved the banter between Bree, her daughter Chloe, and her friend Maggie. I listened to the audiobook and that may have been another reason I was laughing so hard. Tavia Gilbert and Natalie Naudus did a great job voicing Ward and Bree, and they use the full range of their voices as well as plenty of inflection to create the desired effects for each situation the characters are in. I highly recommend the audio just because the narrators were so talented even if they were a bit overwhelming for me at times.
Perfectly Famous is full of short chapters and the pacing is very quick. I also really liked the fact that the book switched back and forth between Bree and Ward since it helped build the suspense for me. Now let’s talk about that ending! I know a lot of people were unhappy with it and I can see why, I loved everything up until the last few pages when I was thrown for a loop and didn’t really like it. I thought one part was a tiny bit predictable, but I didn’t completely see the end coming and I really don’t know how I feel about it.
Perfectly Famous did also branch out into the unbelievable side of things, so if you don’t like that don’t read this. But overall I loved this fast-paced, HILARIOUS, thriller and I would recommend to fans of this author and people who enjoy controversial endings. I love Liebert’s writing style and since this is book seven for her I am really looking forward to reading the rest of her backlist now.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy of this book, all opinions and thoughts are my own.
Wow! This book had me up late into the night the to finish it. It was a good mystery with several twists. The ending was quite shocking! I highly recommend this one.
I reviewed a digital arc provided by Netgalley for an honest review. Thank you.
What do you get when you cross a famous author in hiding, her murdered daughter, and a newly divorced housewife looking for a way to fill her days? A fast-paced whodunit with one whopper of an ending. Emily Liebert takes us on a wild ride in Perfectly Famous, a propulsive thriller starring two sets of mothers and daughters. Find a sunny spot, because this is the perfect summer read.
Perfectly intriguing
Perfectly paced
Perfectly explosive
Perfectly Famous
Perfectly Famous is about a novelist, Ward DeFleur, and a journalist, Bree, obsessed with Ward’s story. Ward’s daughter, Stevie, is kidnapped on the night of Ward’s book signing of her latest novel. At the book signing, Ward meets Bree, and consoles Bree after Bree bursts into tears. Bree’s marriage has recently fallen apart, Bree’s daughter, Chloe, is being a typical teen, and Bree is overwhelmed.
After Bree learns of Stevie’s kidnapping and subsequent death as reported in the news, along with Ward’s drop into obscurity, Bree decides she wants to tell Ward’s story, pursuing Ward.
However, Bree’s doggedness puts all of their lives in danger.
The ending of this book was a huge twist–and while I understand the author’s intent, it didn’t satisfy me.
Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC, all opinions are given freely.
Worth reading but less than memorable.
Kept me interested, enjoyed it.
Perfectly Famous
By Emily Liebert
What a fun thriller read that hooked me until the very end with a twist I never saw coming at all. The story is about Ward DeFleur a famous writer in Connecticut whose perfectly famous life comes to a screeching halt when her teenage daughter Stevie was brutally murdered. Ward went into seclusion and never wrote again.
Bree Bennett an ex-journalist turned housewife raising her teenage daughter Chloe starts to obsess over her favorite author gets into the mix of this thrilling story. oh and the killer is still out there murder unsolved.
I thought the writing was amazing and really kept a great pace. The killer ending threw me for a loop but overall this was a highly enjoyable read that you will be able to read in an afternoon.
As the book opens, Laura Whitney, aka Ward DeFleur, is about to meet Bree Bennett, a fan who has read all of Ward’s books and attends a book signing at which she promptly bursts into tears upon meeting Ward. Bree and her husband, Jeremy, had decided to separate just two days earlier. Bree doesn’t forget Ward’s kindness and the conversation in which they engage just before Ward is informed that her daughter is missing and whisked away by her assistant. It was the fateful night when Ward’s only child was abducted and murdered. And the last time Ward was seen in public.
Six months later, no one knows where Ward is. Her telephone number is disconnected and emails are returned as undeliverable, even to Ward’s agent and editor who are concerned about the additional book she is contractually obligated to deliver. Only one person — her stepmother — knows where Ward has taken refuge. She is unable to write, in part because the police believe that Stevie’s attacker was a crazed fan who staged the crime like a scene out of one of Ward’s early books. As she explains in her first-person narrative, “He’d created a cliche out of my daughter. That, I did not appreciate.”
Meanwhile, Bree describes, also via a first-person narrative, her need to find new purpose in her post-marital life. Her relationship with Chloe has been strained since Jeremy moved out of the family home. Chloe is testing her mother’s patience by coming home after her curfew, drinking, and spending time with a boyfriend that Bree neither knows nor trusts. Fortunately, Jeremy is supportive, but Bree resents that Chloe is gravitating toward him after Bree gave up her career and devoted herself to raising the girl.
Bree strikes a deal with the editor of the small town newspaper to write articles about matters of local interest. As happy as she is to be writing again, the work is not satisfying because Bree wants to pen an expansive expose. She wants to find Ward and commences an all-out search for her. So she pitches the story idea to her editor, as well as Ward’s exasperated agent. Both are enticed and green-light the project.
Meanwhile, Laura is residing in the small town where she grew up and when she runs into one of her oldest friends at the local supermarket, she is reunited with the group of friends who knew her best. That includes Alex. Everyone assumed that Laura and Alex would end up together. Now that he is in the midst of a divorce, their reunion reignites old feelings. Laura has “the powerful feeling that Alex was supposed to be the one. My one.”
Through alternating chapters, Liebert describes the women’s journeys. Laura remains in hiding, confident that her trusted friends will not reveal her whereabouts or any other details about her present-day life, while Bree follows leads and clues in her effort to find Ward and convince her to permit Bree to write her story. Even though Bree receives warnings about her activities that lead her to believe she is in danger, she forges ahead with her investigation.
Both Bree and Laura (Ward) are compelling characters. The two women have much in common. Both are devoted mothers, writers, single, and independent. Each struggles to balance their own needs and desires while managing the stresses in her life. But Laura has secrets she does not want uncovered and Bree becomes obsessed with discovering them. Liebert keeps the story moving forward at a steady pace and the women’s inner dialogues are engrossing and believable. When Laura realizes that Bree is searching for her, she takes steps to protect herself and her privacy, confiding in Alex because she finds it “so comforting to have another person in my life who I can trust fully. There are so few of them these days.”
Liebert indeed injects surprises and unexpected plot twists, and intensifies her characters’ discomfort as Bree inches incrementally closer to discovering the shocking truth. Savvy readers may correctly guess aspects of the story, but Liebert’s revised ending is deftly set up and jaw-droppingly explosive. And controversial, not only because it appears to come out of left field. It can be argued that it is gratuitous and contrived, included solely for shock value, while detracting from the ending that readers were expecting and would have found satisfying. However, in Liebert’s defense, her narrative does include subtle clues and foreshadowing . . . that could easily be overlooked by readers whose attention is focused on other plot developments.
Despite the contentious conclusion, Perfectly Famous is an entertaining, cleverly constructed thriller.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader’s Copy of the book.
The stories of two women are interwoven in Emily Liebert’s most recent domestic thriller Perfectly Famous. Ward DeFleur is a famous author who goes into hiding following a family tragedy, cutting off all ties to her former life. Bree Bennett is a recent divorcee looking to reboot her own writing career by finding Ward and exposing her story, hoping to eventually turn a series of articles into a book. What begins as an interesting premise for a mystery diverts into banal romance with some unrealistic dialog and awkward interaction. Both women lack clear motivations for their actions, and Bree’s irrational attraction to her literary subject is unconvincing. The most interesting parts of the book involve a subplot about Bree’s teenage daughter, Chloe, who is rebelling after her parents’ amicable split. Unfortunately, no explanation or resolution about the mother-daughter relationship is satisfyingly explored. Liebert attempts to depict an increasing degree of danger for Bree as she chases down her story, but it comes across as artificial and fails to stimulate a genuine sense of peril. Unfortunately, the plot then goes from ploddingly predictable to jarringly irrational at its conclusion. The ending seems to be almost hijacked, tacked on as a last-ditch attempt to elicit surprise. What results is a disappointing and ultimately unrewarding experience—one that is somewhat insulting to today’s sophisticated mystery consumer.
Thanks to the author, Gallery Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
3.5 Stars
**** REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS, PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK! ****
Wait. What? Oh ok, not what I expected. WAIT! WHAT! NOOOOO!
I devoured this book, then needed to go back and reread the ending. Was it what I expected or wanted? No, but Kudos to the author for making me still think about it. I found Bree, as a journalist, a little naive regarding her choices…in one instance she was bold and annoying then in another unaware and annoying. As a parent, I wanted to kick Bree in the seat of her pants! So many unanswered questions. Ware, as a writer, had her own issues, but being in the spotlight and having horrific things happen to her, was sympathetic … until almost the ending. Can you say extensive therapy?
Overall, a good read…loved the storyline, and the reality of it. A good beach that will keep you reading, but may make you throw the book in the ocean. Read with a friend….so much to talk about.
Thanks to Ms. Leibert, Gallery Books and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.
The plot of this mystery/suspense is complicated and at times totally illogical. Ward DeFleur is a famous author whose daughter Stevie was savagely murdered while she was on a book tour. Following this devastating event, Ward goes into hiding and says that she is done with writing. Bree Bennett is a divorced housewife just beginning a career in journalism and is determined to find Ward and write her story. Bree has a teen daughter, so there is a theme running through the book about mother-daughter relationships. The atmosphere was dark and dangerous at times, and since I’m a mystery buff, I liked that part. What I did not like were the numerous coincidences which took away from my ever calling this book a clever whodunit. The characters were mostly not believable or likable to me. The pacing of the book was good and the ending was a surprise, but it absolutely defied logic and made me wonder why that was the conclusion. Since Stevie’s killer was never caught, Bree’s dogged determination to find Ward puts her squarely in the middle of a murderer’s desire to stay hidden. Ward has secrets that are another reason for her to stay reclusive, and Bree’s determination to uncover those secrets just did not work for me. There was no real reason given for why Bree wanted to find out where Ward was and to write her story. She just wants to do it was not a good enough reason for me. That seemed to be a loose end that the author never tied up. Anyway, I read lots of mystery/suspense book and this one was mildly entertaining but not the best one I’ve ever read. On the plus side, it wasn’t the worst either and the character of Bree’s mom was delightfully humorous. In fact, she was a favorite character in a book filled with shallow characters that did not seem to be very well-developed to me.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
“No one-they think-deserves to shine forever, to eclipse all the others who are just as worthy of recognition.”
Holy cow! Once I started this book I couldn’t put it down. There’s nothing “perfect” about being famous. I know the reviews are mixed on this book but I enjoyed it despite the obvious lack of strong character development. It’s not your typical mystery thriller which I believe contributes to the mixed reviews. It is not a “thriller” but more of a suspenseful mystery. Once I reframed my perspective I was able to enjoy the book.
Bree Bennett and her friend Maggie attend a book signing for the renowned author, Ward DeFleur for her latest book, “Mysterious Stranger”. Coincidentally, there are several “mysterious strangers” who enter their lives.
The story alternates narrators mostly between Ward and Bree. It provides the scenario in which their two lives become tangled. When Ward receives an urgent message regarding her 15 year old daughter missing, she immediately cancels the rest of her book tour. She’s a single working mother doing very well as an author living in m affluent Connecticut gated community. Her daughter, Stevie, has always been her priority so when discovers that she went missing from Lily’s house she becomes frantic to find her daughter. Unable to cope with the loss and all the publicity Ward goes into hiding.
About 6 months later, Bree is still trying to find her new “normal” after her divorce from Jeremy. With her 16 year old daughter Chloe becoming rebellious she is at her wits end. She happens upon a news article reminding her of the tragedy with Ward DeFleur and how she and Maggie happened to be at the book signing the night Stevie went missing. Bree feels a connection with Ward since the book signing and being a single mother of a teen.
In order to get her life on track she applies for a job with the Fairfield Chronicle. While she is working on a temporary basis, she begins fascinated with Ward DeFleur and her mysterious disappearance. Needless to say, Bree enters reporter mode and begins to investigate this as a possible story to relaunch her writing career.
Things become messy and dangerous for Bree as she goes snooping into the history of Ward DeFleur whose real name is Laura Whitney. Bree’s mother provides comedic relief with her sassy self centered comments. People are not always who you think they are and often naïveté does not serve Bree well. Again, like most of the other reviews, just as it seems to be resolving most of the questions, the book ends with the most provocation sentence. Trust me even if you read the sentence you wouldn’t understand unless you read the entire book. And then, you ask why?!!
I received a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley and Gallery Books in exchange for an unbiased review.
I’m a bit on the fence about the ending of this book. I truly enjoyed the whole story from start to finish but the very end left me a little confused. Maybe it’s going to have a sequel? Overall though this is an excellent book. It will hold your interest and keep you turning the pages. You will want to find out what happened and who killed Ward’s daughter, Stevie. Was it a stranger or someone she knew? All is answered but the ending has a twist that surprised me.
Bree is a newly divorced woman who has a good relationship with her ex and a rocky one with her teenaged daughter. I did not like the daughter, Chloe. I found her to be a spoiled, smart mouthed brat who needed some serious discipline. I liked the ex though he could be a bit of a jerk too. Overall I think Bree was very likable though. She got a job and went after what she truly wanted. She was strong and resilient and did not give up when things got tough. Her infatuation with Ward was a tiny bit strange but in hindsight understandable. Also it was what the whole story is based on so a big must. I liked Bree..
Ward lost her daughter to in a horrific way. For anyone to expect her to get over it in just six short months was not realistic in any way. It would truly take years if not a lifetime to get over something so horrible. Losing a child is the ultimate loss. The ultimate pain. You don’t just get back to your normal life after such a terrible thing. She lost her ability to write again and that is understandable. She became a bit obsessive and that is understandable. I liked her very much and felt so horrible for her loss. I think even her mother expected to much from her, until I got to know her anyway. I kind of understand her more and her reasons for some of the things she said.
I liked Bree’s best friend, Maggie, until she went ape over Chloe influencing her daughter to do something she shouldn’t have done. The reason I thought Maggie acted like a jerk was the way she treated Bree. Maggie was the one who should have apologized to Bree. She was in charge of Bree’s daughter and knew where Bree was and why. She acted like a jerk in my opinion.
Then there are the men in this story. Some you will like a lot and others you will wonder about. Or I did. I liked Scott. Bree and him were seeing each other and I rooted for them to make a go of it. I had many doubts about Evan and I didn’t like Alex. Alex just didn’t feel right to me after some things were said about his character. Daniel I liked. He may have been tough but he did run a newspaper so had to be.
This book is well written even though the ending still has me scratching my head. The characters are well written and most are very likable. The storyline will keep you interested and make you want to know what happens next. The truth will blow your mind. Overall I really did enjoy this book.
Thank you to #EmilyLeibert for this copy of this book.
I gave it 4 stars. I do recommend it to anyone who likes a great mystery. Enjoy!
Perfectly Famous has two great main characters, Ward and Bree. Even though their lives intersect briefly at a book signing at the beginning of the book, they later become entwined when Bree decides to write a feature article about Ward’s disappearance from the public. Secrets are uncovered and people’s true selves are revealed.
This was a story full of surprises and an twist at the end that I didn’t see coming. I knew that there was at least one bad person in the story, I just wasn’t able to figure out which one it was going to be. And the ending made my jaw drop. Seriously, what just happened?
I read a couple of Emily’s early books but not anything recently. I love the direction she is taking with her writing and I definitely need to go back and read the rest of her books.
While bestselling novelist Ward is signing books on tour her daughter is attacked. The attacker is never found and Ward goes into hiding. Bree is a recently divorced mother of a teenage daughter, and just happened to meet Ward at that signing. Bree becomes obsessed with writing a true crime newspaper series, and maybe novel, about Ward and throws herself into trying to track her down.
Perfectly Famous is a slow burn novel told from both Bree and Wards perspective. There is a lot going on, and when you think you’ve reached the conclusion there’s a final twist. I have a feeling that twist will be polarizing.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC. The opinions in this review are honest and my own.
Element of surprise! Yes, the book “Perfectly Famous” by Emily Liebert was just that…a book full of unexpected surprises and mystery. I was so anxious about where the story was going. The author put so many (yes I’m going to say it) twists and turns that I just couldn’t help but become haunted by what would happen next!
The main character, Bree is recently divorced and trying to get her life back on track. She starts a job working at her town newspaper as a journalist. While thinking of a story-piece, Bree becomes obsessed with a famous author, Ward DeFleur. Ward becomes emotionally unstable after her daughter is murdered. She wants nothing to do with writing again and steps out of public view. What becomes of Ward DeFleur and what answers will Bree unearth trying to find the famous author?
I like how the author has both the characters telling the story, giving the reader different perspectives. I really enjoyed reading my first book by Emily Liebert and look forward to reading more. If you love a good mystery and thriller, you will enjoy this book immensely!
I want to thank Goodreads and Gallery Books for the Advanced Reader’s Edition in exchange for my honest and fair review.
How to destroy a good book in a couple of pages. Seriously, this book is practically a tutorial for that very thing. I enjoyed most of this one well enough. Granted, I had questions, plenty of questions. Sometimes a character would do something for no reason, or at least no reason that I could see, or sometimes things were predictable, but still, the story held my interest well enough to keep me reading. The pacing was good, and despite a reliance on coincidence, I kept going. Then I got to the last of the book, I’d say about 90% in, and the whole thing just goes completely off the rails. Now, I’m all for a great twist to make a reader sit up and pay attention, but the last couple of pages wasn’t that. Nope, those last couple of pages were more of a completely out of left field, what in the world, did I miss something kind of thing. I even flipped back a couple of times to see if I’d missed something. It’s that far out there that I flipped back more than once. So, maybe that was the intention? I really hope there was some big purpose that I’m missing because otherwise, it’s just a bad couple of pages tacked on at the end – just a pretty good thriller with a really bad ending.
Bored? Nothing else to do?
What possessed Bree to go on an obsessive, dangerous hunt for her favorite author so she could write her life’s story for her?
Bree is divorced and hasn’t worked for years. She wants to start back at her journalist job, but it turns into something much more.
Ward DeFleur is an author who writes crime fiction and has an actual nightmare happen to her. Her daughter is brutally murdered on the night of a book signing. Ward leaves the book signing with fans waiting in line when she hears about her daughter and doesn’t fulfill her contractual obligation to the publisher because she disappears and hides from everyone.
Will Bree find Ward and at what expense? As her search continued for the author, a text message warning her to stop what she is doing frightened her, but she kept on. Who could have sent that text and what did it mean?
Meanwhile, Ward was still hiding but still not feeling comfortable especially when her old boyfriend made a comment about being at her book signing the night her daughter was murdered.
Many questions arise, and which characters are keeping secrets?
Will Bree find Ward, and will they find Stevie’s killer?
There are multiple possible suspects, but I’m guessing you won’t figure it out.
The ending twists were definitely a surprise. 4/5
This book was given to me by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Pretty darn good! I just finished Perfectly Famous by Emily Liebert and must say I really liked the premise of the book. There were basically two writers in the story. What more could a book nerd want. Right? It held my interest and kept me entertained. This book is classified as suspense and psychological fiction. There were a few twists and turns along the way to keep me engrossed.
The book went back and forth between the two main characters. I learned pretty quick to pay attention to the heading of the chapters. That is how you know which character you are reading about in the beginning. Once I got into the book, it wasn’t a problem.
I took a peek at her other books and it looks like this is the second book for her in this genre. If you like suspense, you will probably like this book. It was an easy story to read and a great way to pass the time. This was my first book by this author and I will be keeping an eye on her in the future.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher for a fair and honest review.