Just Finished: The Perfect Girl by Gilly Macmillan

I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting, but this was not it. I think I expected more of a murder myster and a suspenseful thriller. A "is she going to get away?" type of book. I never felt that type of suspense with this, but I would give this 4.5 stars out of 5. Here's why: I did not expect the plot twist – don't worry, I won't spoil it – which was a very welcomed surprise. But I didn't like the audiobook version and I didn't really love the lack of suspense. Still definitely a worthwhile read, though!

The audiobook was confusing to follow at first. It took quite a while before I could piece together who was talking and the timeframe. I felt a bit of whiplash as it went from character to character all while trying to figure out when "Sunday after the performance" fit in with the story's timeline. I feel like that's something that would've been clearer if I had read it instead.

This book kept me guessing, though! One thing I like to watch for is pacing. I like to notice how far into the book we are before something drastic happens or is revealed. This didn't happen (for me, at least) until halfway through. Truthfully, I was about to give up on it but then we find out what happened to Zoe. I also watch how long until the end as I start to anticipate the resolution. The switching of the narrators kept me guessing until the very end. I thought it would wrap up one way and it wrapped up another.

I like this!

I like when it is unpredictable!

With the switching of the narrator and timeframe, we knew what happens - more or less. But what we didn't know is exactly how it happened and why.

All in all, I'm looking forward to reading more from Gilly McMillan!