The Perfect Girl

The book opens with 17-year-old genius musician Zoe preparing for a comeback piano concert. We know Zoe has undergone some sort of jail time for killing someone, but at the beginning we don't know who or why. We also know her mother, Maria, is now married to Chris, and stepmother to his teenage son, Lucas. Zoe refers to them as her “Second Chance Family”. By the end of that night, Zoe’s mother is dead. Before long Zoe learns that secrets from the past usually never stay hidden.

The author switches the narrator throughout the book alternating Zoe, and other characters sharing their pasts as the events unfold. The story is told over a 24 hour timeline. I thought this was done very well and allowed me to becoming involved in all the show more messy and dysfunctional parts of the characters' lives. The entire way it was written, even using a screenplay by Lucas, slowly reveals all their secrets.

This is not a heart pounding thriller but there is plenty of suspense to keep most readers turning pages. The story kept me interested but I almost got the feeling this first originated as a short story and the author kept adding content to fill it out. I've never read anything by Gilly Macmillan but would definitely try another in the future. I understand her first two books, Burnt Paper Sky and What She Knew, have been reviewed very positively. show less

The Perfect Girl by Gilly Macmillan is a highly recommended psychological thriller.

Zoe Maisey is a 17 year old musical prodigy who was involved in a car accident when she was 14 and living in Devon. She was driving the car that crashed, resulting in the death of three of her classmates. For her actions, Zoe served nine months in a rehabilitation facility. Her parents' marriage ended, so when Zoe was released, her mother Maria moved them to Bristol to start a new life. Maria remarries and she and Zoe have kept all the details from their past a secret from Maria's new, wealthy husband, Chris Kennedy. Now Zoe has a baby half-sister, Grace, and a step brother, Lucas in this "second chance family."

Lucas also plays the piano, so Maria has show more planned and publicized a public performance for the two. This is meant to signal the new start her life and set her life on the path her mother has chosen. During the opening number, however, the father of one of the accident victims interrupts the performance, yelling that it is a travesty and a disgrace for Zoe to be there. In a panic, she runs off the stage and she and Maria head home, leaving Lucas to continue his portion of the event with his father, Chris. Zoe wants her mother to tell her how they are going to explain the interruption of the concert to Chris? Six hours later, Maria is dead and there are even more unanswered questions. Zoe has learned plenty of lessons from her past. Will any of them help her now?

The Perfect Girl is a very compelling novel. The plot kept me glued to the pages and held my attention to the end. All of the characters are well developed and clearly defined. Part of the explanation for this is that the narrative is told through several different characters and from their perspective. The narrators, who tell the story and the backstory, include Zoe, Lucas, Tessa (Zoe's aunt), Sam (Zoe's attorney from her earlier case), and Richard (Tessa's husband). The multiple viewpoints is used very effectively here; the unfolding stories explain background and slowly expound on the facts and clarify what really happened in the past and the present. The truth is rarely clear and everyone has secrets in this family drama. It appears that Chris and Lucas were also keeping secrets from Maria and Zoe. All the members of this "second chance family" have been walking on tightrope since the beginning - and now it is all unraveling.

I did question two things about the plot. First, I questioned the choice to have the character of Sam, the attorney, as a narrator. While he told a part of the story, his presence never felt natural to me, and I questioned his other reason for being part of the story. I guess I would have looked for another way to tell that part of Zoe's background. At the beginning I also questioned why Zoe was given the car accident backstory. I accepted the thought processes that lead to it, but still thought it could have been accomplished in a slightly different way with the same results.

All in all, though, this was a great novel that I thoroughly enjoyed why overlooking my few questions. 4.5 stars

Disclosure: I received an advanced reading copy of this book from HarperCollins and TLC for review purposes.
http://tlcbooktours.com/2016/08/gilly-macmillan-author-of-the-perfect-girl-on-to...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1757894228 show less

Author Gilly Macmillan follows up her 2015 gripping debut novel What She Knew, about a mom whose eight-year-old son vanishes, with another tense and topical suspense thriller, The Perfect Girl.

The Perfect Girl opens with 17-year-old Zoe Maisey and her stepbrother Lucas ready to perform a piano recital. Zoe's mom Maria and Lucas' dad Chris sit proudly in the front row, ready to hear their talented children play. Zoe then tells us that six hours later her mother will be dead.

Now that the author has your attention, we shift narrators to Sam, a solicitor whom we find is having an affair with Zoe's Aunt Tessa. Sam and Tessa met a few years prior, when Sam was Zoe's lawyer. When Zoe was 14 years-old, she was involved in a car accident that show more took the lives of three of her classmates, and Sam relates that part of the story to us.

We also get Tessa's point of view. Tessa loves her niece Zoe and sister Maria fiercely. She is having trouble in her marriage; she and her husband have been trying for years to conceive a child, and her husband has slid into alcoholism and depression.

The timeline shifts back and forth, but it is never confusing. The title refers to not only Zoe- who is trying her best to be the perfect girl her mother wants, but to Tessa, who has always been the perfect girl in her family, and Maria, a former wild child who, after Zoe's accident, has worked hard to be the perfect wife to Chris.

But what is the cost of trying for perfection? When Zoe was fourteen, she went to a party, had what she thought was one drink, hoping to get the attention of Jack, the guy every girl wanted. She thought she was using good judgement, but in trying to impress Jack a terrible tragedy occurs.

Maria changed her life when she married Chris. Her marriage to Zoe's husband broke up after Zoe's accident, and Maria rebuilt her life with Chris and his son Lucas. She designed the perfect life for her husband- they had the perfect house, she had a beautiful kitchen where she created wonderful meals for her husband. The cost of attempting perfection, especially for women, can be too much to pay.

So how did Maria end up dead? That is the ultimate mystery here, and you'll fly through the pages to find out the answer.

Reading The Perfect Girl put me in mind of HBO's series, The Night Of. A seemingly good kid makes a few bad decisions that leads to more trouble. There's also a lawyer's point of view, as in the HBO series. Fans of The Night Of will want to follow-up with The Perfect Girl. show less

4.5 stars.

In The Perfect Girl by Gilly Macmillan, Zoe Maisey's new beginning comes to a horrifying end after her past collides with the present and her mother is murdered. This compelling whodunit is a spellbinding mystery written from multiple points of view and it soon becomes clear that nearly everyone is keeping secrets. But are any of these secrets worth killing over?

At the age of fourteen, piano prodigy Zoe Guerin's promising future ended after she was involved in a drunk driving accident that left her three passengers dead. Having served her sentence and received extensive therapy, she and her mother, Marie, have started over in another town. Now living in a McMansion with her mom, her wealthy stepfather Chris Kennedy, her show more stepbrother Lucas, and her half-sister, Grace, Zoe is trying to put her past behind her. Playing in her first public recital alongside Lucas, she is stunned when the father of one the victims from the accident interrupts the performance. With their perfect life in jeopardy, Marie remains determined to keep the truth from Chris and by morning, she is dead. As the investigation into her mother's murder unfolds, Zoe is terrified that history will repeat itself, so she remains uncooperative when interviewed by the police. In the meantime, Lucas tries to conceal a screenplay that has very ominous overtones. Chris willingly answers the investigators questions but why is he in such a hurry to leave his in-laws' home? Will the police uncover the truth about Marie's heartbreaking murder?

Zoe is deeply remorseful about the accident that took the lives of her best friend and fellow classmates, but she is also deeply bitter over her conviction. There is much more to her case than is first revealed and as the layers are slowly peeled back, it is impossible not to feel sorry for everything she endured in the aftermath. With her mom determined to start fresh, Zoe is forced to remain silent about this life altering event which leaves her feeling somewhat isolated. Focusing on music is therapeutic but this cannot erase the unfair verdict or her father's subsequent abandonment. Although devastated by her mother's death, Zoe's first thought is to protect herself from the police and she immediately reaches out to Sam Locke, the lawyer who defended her in the drunk driving accident.

Sam is the midst of his own troubles when he meets with Zoe. A little uncomfortable to find himself in the company of Zoe's Uncle Richard (who is married to her mother's sister, Tessa), he pushes aside his unease to listen to her account of the events that led up to Marie's death and he is confident that she has nothing to be worried about during the investigation. He advises Zoe to return to the station and fully co-operate with the police. After the fact, Sam fears he might have been a little quick to dismiss her concerns and he learns troubling information from a police friend. However his worry about Zoe is soon eclipsed by distressing news of his own and dealing with his personal life takes precedent over professional duties.

Zoe's aunt Tessa is quite distraught at the news of Maria's death and she is plagued with guilt that she was not more involved with their lives. Overwhelmed with her extended family staying with her as the police conduct interviews, she is resentful that her alcoholic husband Richard is not providing her with more support. Tessa is also worried that a secret she has been keeping will be unearthed so she is initially relieved by an apparent break in the case. However, relief quickly turns to fear when Tessa becomes afraid the evidence might implicate her niece.

Zoe's stepbrother Lucas is an enigmatic figure who lingers on the periphery of the unfolding story. He is quiet and obedient with an interest in filmmaking that Chris does not approve of. Lucas is firmly under Chris's thumb but Lucas's concern for Maria and Zoe soon overrides his father's control. His screenplay provides much needed insight and details about his family's past but does it contain relevant information to the investigation?

With a cast of brilliantly developed characters, The Perfect Girl is a cleverly plotted mystery that is achingly poignant and rather somber. Gilly Macmillan adroitly reels readers into this intriguing story that touches on some dark subject matter. Tension builds as the truth about Zoe's past and her somewhat harrowing experiences in the Unit (juvenile detention) are slowly revealed. The story meanders to a very dramatic and unexpected conclusion that is quite memorable. An absolutely riveting mystery that fans of the genre do not want to miss. show less

Zoe Maisey is a genius: a piano prodigy with an amazingly high IQ. She is also a killer. When she was fourteen, Zoe was responsible for the death of three fellow teens. Now, she and her mother have started over (their "Second Chance Life") and Zoe is playing her first concert in her new life, along with her stepbrother, Lucas. But her performance is disrupted and Zoe flees the concert hall. And, by the end of the night, Zoe's mother is dead. Zoe is alone, forced to confront a new world without her protector. Plus, who is responsible for her mother's death?

This book grabbed me immediately; it sucks you in from the start and doesn't let you go until it finishes, when you're exhilarated and exhausted. It's a fascinating, easy-to-read show more thriller with short chapters that tell us about the events surrounding the timeframe after Zoe's concert, but also going back into the past via flashbacks from the characters. We hear from Zoe, her aunt, Tessa, Tessa's husband, Richard, and Sam, Zoe's lawyer from her "previous" life. Their narratives weave flawlessly into a tense and sometimes psychologically creepy tale that has you sitting spellbound, turning pages frantically, wanting to know what happens.

In theory, the action happens over a very short period of time, as Maria's killer is unveiled, but the ability to go into the past with the characters extends the time and makes you tensely await each action. Macmillan's characters are nuanced and deep--each with their own quirks, flaws, and motivations. Beyond the actual plotline of murder, there is a deep thread of discord and familial drama and angst running among our characters, who are certainly a flawed bunch. The book makes you question and ponder many things, including the topics of forgiveness, loyalty, marriage, and what really makes a family. I won't forget either the exciting story or the characters themselves for some time.

Overall, while there were certainly a few things to quibble with with this one, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a tense but enjoyable thriller to escape into and certainly well worth the thread.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and Librarything (thank you)! show less

The book does not lack in pace and plot. It also introduces a myriad of strange and flawed character.
However I agree with some of the reviewers that it somehow lacks depth. There is a certain simplicity in the way the plots moves on and is finally wrapped up. That said, I found it enjoyable because of the poignant moments that each character faces, while coming to term with their problems, secrets and flaws. Not a total loss.

Zoe Maisey is a genius: a piano prodigy with an amazingly high IQ. She is also a killer. When she was fourteen, Zoe was responsible for the death of three fellow teens. Now, she and her mother have started over (their "Second Chance Life") and Zoe is playing her first concert in her new life, along with her stepbrother, Lucas. But her performance is disrupted and Zoe flees the concert hall. And, by the end of the night, Zoe's mother is dead. Zoe is alone, forced to confront a new world without her protector. Plus, who is responsible for her mother's death?

This book grabbed me immediately; it sucks you in from the start and doesn't let you go until it finishes, when you're exhilarated and exhausted. It's a fascinating, easy-to-read show more thriller with short chapters that tell us about the events surrounding the timeframe after Zoe's concert, but also going back into the past via flashbacks from the characters. We hear from Zoe, her aunt, Tessa, Tessa's husband, Richard, and Sam, Zoe's lawyer from her "previous" life. Their narratives weave flawlessly into a tense and sometimes psychologically creepy tale that has you sitting spellbound, turning pages frantically, wanting to know what happens.

In theory, the action happens over a very short period of time, as Maria's killer is unveiled, but the ability to go into the past with the characters extends the time and makes you tensely await each action. Macmillan's characters are nuanced and deep--each with their own quirks, flaws, and motivations. Beyond the actual plotline of murder, there is a deep thread of discord and familial drama and angst running among our characters, who are certainly a flawed bunch. The book makes you question and ponder many things, including the topics of forgiveness, loyalty, marriage, and what really makes a family. I won't forget either the exciting story or the characters themselves for some time.

Overall, while there were certainly a few things to quibble with with this one, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a tense but enjoyable thriller to escape into and certainly well worth the thread.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and Librarything (thank you)!

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