Blog Tour: The Perfect Girl by Gilly Macmillan – Review

To everyone who knows her now, Zoe Maisey – child genius, musical sensation – is perfect. Yet several years ago Zoe caused the death of three teenagers. She served her time, and now she’s free.

Her story begins with her giving the performance of her life.

By midnight, her mother is dead.

The Perfect Girl is an intricate exploration into the mind of a teenager burdened by brilliance, and a past that she cannot leave behind.

Zoé and her mother Maria moved from Devon to Bristol to start a new life following a big tragedy. Maria is now married to Chris and along with his son, Lucas, Zoé and Maria seem to be getting their lives back on track. Tessa, Maria’s sister is also living near by.

Zoé finds that she isn’t going to really find protection from her old life when it very much catches up with her. When more tragedy strikes the family, Zoé is worried she is going to become suspect number one but is she really to blame?

I loved Burnt Paper Sky so I have been waiting patiently and excitedly for Gilly’s new novel, The Perfect Girl which is due its paperback release on Thursday (22nd September.)

The Perfect Girl has a great build up of suspense across the novel. It is set in a very short but very tense space of time. The lives of the characters are complicated and fascinating.

Zoé is trying to rebuild her life whilst trying to keep quiet about her past which makes her a very conflicted character. She’s not the only one.

For me, almost every character at some point became a suspect.

It did take me a couple of chapters to settle into the constant change in narration but the writing style pulls you in quickly so it didn’t take me long to get into mainly because I couldn’t put it down.

All in all, this is a really great suspense/psychological thriller novel where people are not what they seem and which had me hooked. It very much lives up to its predecessor. If you’re a fan of Before I Go To Sleep or The Girl on The Train then I recommend The Perfect Girl .

(Thank you to Piatkus for the advance review copy.) 

The blog tour continues tomorrow over at Rea Book Reviews – http://reabookreview.blogspot.co.uk

About Gilly: 

Gilly Macmillan is the New York Times bestselling and Edgar-nominated author of BURNT PAPER SKY (also published as WHAT SHE KNEW) and THE PERFECT GIRL.

Gilly grew up in Swindon, Wiltshire and lived in Northern California in her late teens. She studied art history and worked at The Burlington Magazine and the Hayward Gallery in London before starting a family. Since then, she’s worked as a photography teacher but now, very happily, writes full-time. She lives in Bristol.

More information about Gilly can be found at http://www.gillymacmillan.com

by

Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.