The Perfect Life by Nuala Ellwood [BOOK REVIEW]

September 4, 2021September 4, 2021 innah96Leave a comment

I devoured The Day Of The Accident. I loved The House On The Lake. So, naturally, I was prepared I would enjoy The Perfect Life as well. Little did I know, it would end up being my favourite Nuala Ellwood book yet!

About The Book:

Pages: 313

Format I read it in: Paperback

Purchase Links:
Amazon UK |

★★★★

Synopsis:

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 Thoughts:

The manipulation in this book is brilliant. The small red flags that get often ignored turn into a bigger picture, creating a unique pressure, and as a reader, I loved it!

Vanessa is such a morally grey character, and even though I felt for her, I could never truly trust her narrative. It was like stepping on shaky stones, but having a wonderful view at the same time. I don’t experience that often, and I want to find it more and more in books now!

I could predict in which direction the book was going, and even though I could sort of predict the ending as well, it still left me satisfied. If you are looking for a quick read that will take you on a creepy adventure, you better grab a copy of this book.

Nuala’s writing is amazing! She is able to get me into the story very fast, and keep me intrigued until the very end.

TW: rape, abuse, gaslighting

About The Author:

Nuala Ellwood author The Perfect Life by Nuala Ellwood [BOOK REVIEW]

Nuala Ellwood is the author of three bestselling novels: My Sister’s Bones for which she was selected as one of the Observer’s ‘New Faces of Fiction 2017’, Day of the Accident and The House on the Lake. Nuala lives in York with her young son.

Social Media:
Twitter | Instagram

The House on the Lake by Nuala Ellwood [INSTAGRAM TOUR]

February 26, 2020April 20, 2020 innah962 Comments

The House on the Lake by Nuala Ellwood book review books bookshelf reading read goodreads mystery thriller blog blogging diary of difference diaryofdifference

★★★★

I remember reading Day of The Accident by the same author like it was yesterday. When the publishing team at Penguin Random House asked me not only to read and review The House on the Lake, but also to be part of the Instagram Tour, I couldn’t have been happier!

The Synopsis:

Lisa needs to disappear. And her friend’s rambling old home in the wilds of Yorkshire seems like the perfect place. It’s miles away from the closest town, and no one there knows her or her little boy, Joe.

But when a woman from the local village comes to visit them, Lisa realizes that she and Joe aren’t as safe as she thought.

What secret has Rowan Isle House – and her friend – kept hidden all these years?

And what will Lisa have to do to survive, when her past finally catches up with her?

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The House on The Lake by Nuala Ellwood – BLOG TOUR – ⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐ Lisa needs to disappear. And her friend's rambling old home in the wilds of Yorkshire seems like the perfect place. It's miles away from the closest town, and no one there knows her or her little boy, Joe. But when a woman from the local village comes to visit them, Lisa realizes that she and Joe aren't as safe as she thought. What secret has Rowan Isle House – and her friend – kept hidden all these years? And what will Lisa have to do to survive, when her past finally catches up with her? 💙My Thoughts:💙 I found the beginning to be quite slow, but after a few chapters the pace was beginning to speed up. It’s important for me to note that I was not a fan of the main character and I had my fears that this will make me regret reading this book. But luckily, we have different story lines and different perspectives, and I think that helped me appreciate and love the book more than I originally anticipated. 💙In conclusion, I enjoyed this book a lot. There was a story presented to me that I did not expect, and I devoured it completely. I grew to love a few characters, and grew to hate a few more. This is not my favourite book of all time, and after the plot twist the ending was a bit predictable and a bit boring, but I did enjoy my time spent with this book. I would definitely recommend it to all thriller lovers, mystery house adventurers and supporters of mums that run away with their children. 💖Read my full blog review on my blog www.diaryofdifference.com 💖

A post shared by Ivana and her books! (@diaryofdifference) on Feb 26, 2020 at 3:14am PST

My Thoughts:

I found the beginning to be quite slow, but after a few chapters the pace was beginning to speed up. It’s important for me to note that I was not a fan of the main character and I had my fears that this will make me regret reading this book.

But luckily, we have different story lines and different perspectives, and I think that helped me appreciate and love the book more than I originally anticipated.

We have two stories happening in the same house, but in different times.

The first story is the story of the mother Lisa, who runs away with her small son, hiding from her controlling husband, Mark. Her friend Grace tells her she can come to this house on the lake and hide for however long she needs to.

The second story is of Grace and her father, many years back in the past. Grace’s father used to be in the army and is suffering from PTSD.

It is an interesting moment when both stories tangle each other and Lisa is found in a dangerous situation.

In conclusion, I enjoyed this book a lot.

There was a story presented to me that I did not expect, and I devoured it completely. I grew to love a few characters, and grew to hate a few more. This is not my favourite book of all time, and after the plot twist the ending was a bit predictable and a bit boring, but I did enjoy my time spent with this book.

I would definitely recommend it to all thriller lovers, mystery house adventurers and supporters of mums that run away with their children.

Thank you to Penguin Random House, for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, and for letting me be a part of the Instagram Tour.