The Perfect Ruin

by Shanora Williams

"From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Shanora Williams, a riveting novel of domestic suspense about the close relationship between two a severely troubled twenty-something and the mega-successful, billionaire CEO she's determined to destroy"--

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Suspense, Audiobook, Contemporary

485 pages, Library Binding

First published August 3, 2021

About the author

Shanora Williams is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty romance and diverse suspense novels.
She currently lives near Charlotte, North Carolina and is the mother of three amazing boys, has a fiercely devoted and supportive husband, and is a sister to eleven.
When she isn’t writing, she’s spending time with her family, binge reading, or running marathons on TV streaming services. Visit her at shanorawilliams.com or interact with her on Instagram @reallyshanora.

Follow me:
Instagram: Instagram.com/reallyshanora
Facebook: Facebook.com/ShanoraWilliamsAuthor
Facebook Fan Group: Facebook.com/groups/ShanorasSweethearts
Twitter: Twitter.com/shanorawilliams

Reviews

[Colleen Hoover · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know why they still let me review books on this platform. I've never actually reviewed a book. I just five-star the books I've read and loved and then write something in this box. I read this one and am in the middle of reading her next one, but will I review it here since I'm enjoying it? Probably not, I suck at reviews. And there were no goats.

[Chelsea Humphrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

"You are just a woman-a woman with hate in your heart and darkness in your soul. You hate yourself, so you take it out on everyone else. You are scorned. Broken. Pathetic.

You will suffer at my hands.

I am going to ruin you...and I promise you won't see me coming."

*side eye glance reading the room*

Talk about an opening punch! I've had Shanora's books on my TBR for awhile now, but after reading The Perfect Ruin and loving it, I'll definitely be devouring more of her work immediately. Let's get this out of the way first: you will definitely need to suspend your disbelief while reading this one. Think of this story as a Lifetime Original Movie in terms of drama, but the writing isn't cheesy. There are twists upon twists and unlikable characters doing despicable things, but the author's writing is so accessible and binge-worthy that you won't be able to put this book down. Seriously, I read the second half in one sitting, not getting up once for sustenance or potty breaks. I have "post children bladder" so this is a real feat, my friends.) I don't want to even touch on the plot, just know that everyone is holding secrets close, and you won't have all the information until the very last page. Pick this one up when you need a slump buster and can cancel all your plans for the day.

*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my word... Hahaha! Shanora Williams slayed it!! 👠👠

The Perfect Ruin is entertaining and super addictive. It's a multiple POVs storytelling with wonderful narration by Chante Ellison and Nola Vance.

This novel has some obnoxious characters, but the author made them likable (How does she do it?). Ivy's life is ruined and has been seeing a therapist. Ivy believes Lola Maxwell is to blame. Lola is a Miami socialite charity queen and is married to a top plastic surgeon. She has it all! Ivy wants to ruin Lola's life.

The plot is ridiculous, but please roll with it! There will be a couple of twists along the way some rather surprising than others. Frankly, I didn't know who will come out on top in the end and guessed it wrong. All in all, The Perfect Ruin got me hooked from the start. This is my first novel by Shanora Williams and I can't wait for her next thriller!!

Thank you so much RB Media, Recorded Books, and Netgalley for the eAudiobook.

[Shanora Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coming August 3rd, 2021!

I'm so excited to let everyone know about my upcoming standalone thriller with Dafina/Kensington! The Perfect Ruin took me quite some time to write, but I had so much fun with it. If you enjoy domestic thrillers, I think you'll love this one!

I can't wait to share this diverse, twisted tale with the world.

[Melissa (Semi Hiatus Until After the Holidays) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up

This is definitely a wild ride! It's a bit uneven with the pacing and exposition of the plot, but once I got to the end I bumped up my rating because the twists are excellent.

It's the story of Ivy, who has long believed her life was ruined due to a horrible event that took place many years before and no one has been held accountable. She's offered the gift of a lifetime when her therapist produces the name of the person who was responsible--Lola Maxwell. Lola is an ultra-wealthy woman who runs a major charity, she's beautiful and is married to a handsome plastic surgeon. Ivy sets out to infiltrate Lola's life, gain her trust, and then take everything away from her.

I felt really sorry for Ivy, but the revelation of what exactly happened to cause her so much pain and want revenge (Lola's crime) isn't revealed until very late in the book. I'm not sure that it was completely necessary to keep it from the reader for so long and it made the first part of the book drag somewhat. Yet when secrets begin to come out and the reader realizes that things are definitely not as they seem on the surface, the pace ramps up and there are some fantastic surprises.

I enjoyed my experience reading this book, it's a thriller with some sexual heat and a hefty helping of revenge served very cold.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

[JaymeO · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is not for me!

Fantastic narrators cannot save this ridiculous and incredibly slow burn plot.

I am all for suspending your belief in the name of fiction, but too much of this book relied on the unethical behavior by multiple characters. I just don’t believe that this would, could, or ever should happen.

Ivy believes that her life has been ruined by someone who was not held accountable for a terrible event that changed her life. When her therapist comes across the name of the person responsible for Ivy’s suffering, she provides the information that she has desired for a long time. Ivy vows to take revenge on this person, Lola Maxwell, a super wealthy Florida socialite. She will make Lola pay for what she has done by taking everything she has for herself.

Honestly, if I wasn’t reviewing this book, I probably would have relegated it to the DNF shelf at about 20%. I did make it to the end, but it took me WAY too long to get there and the twist was just absurd.

The stellar narration by Chante Ellison and Nola Vance should earn five stars, but due to my inability to become invested in the plot of this book, it brought it down to a two star review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dafina publishing for the audiobook of The Perfect Ruin in exchange for an honest review.

2/5 stars

[Sonya ♕Chatterbooks book blog♕ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Perfect Ruin takes you on a revenge plot that will make you question the integrity of every single character that you come across. How far will you go for revenge?

Ivy had her entire world turn upside down as a teenager and now as an adult, she still hasn't recovered. Going to therapy and working as a functioning adult has helped but there is still a void that needs to be filled and what better way to do that than to hunt the person who’s caused you so much pain that you're willing to do ANYTHING to get it.



I know that this is a debut mystery thriller from popular romance author Shanora Williams and I couldn't wait to see what she was going to do in a different lane. I liked that we were given this kind of crazy feel to it and you wanted to see just how far these characters were going to take it. Were they redeemable? What were their real intentions? I had these questions swirling around in my head and as much as I adore this author, I wanted MORE from this story.

I was waiting for that moment when my jaw would be on the floor and I would hold my stomach because of the absolute shock of it all and sadly I never got that. A lot of things felt rushed and glossed over to me and I needed to root for SOMEONE. If you love a fast pace revenge story, then this one might be for you.

[Rosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a nutshell: I liked this book more than I had expected. It will click with you if you want a light and entertaining suspense thriller that you can read without taxing your brains much.

Story:

27 year old Ivy’s happy childhood was destroyed after a tragic accident. For many years, she has been struggling with mental health issues. Now at last, she has discovered the name of the woman who ruined her life: Lola Maxwell, an uber-wealthy socialite with a heart of gold when it comes to charity. Ivy now has just one agenda: plotting and executing “the perfect ruin” for Lola.

The characters in the story are quite interesting. At the start, Lola is the perfect angel with the heart of gold, and Ivy, though seemingly justified in her vengeful agenda, comes across as an angry bitch. But soon the layers start unfolding and you begin to see the other side of these two personalities, and of those around them. Not a single character in the book comes in black or white. They come in a whole spectrum of gray. I didn’t like any of the characters, nor did I feel sorry for any of them. It felt like they got what they deserved. The story is an ode to “what goes around, comes around” but in a sinister way.

My fellow Indians will understand me when I say that this is a perfect “masala” story. (In fact, it will adapt very well to the screen!) The way Ivy plans her way into Lola’s life and becomes an integral part of it is quite farfetched but a lot of the loopholes get explained along the way. (And whatever can’t be explained is ignored conveniently.)

This is the first thriller by romance writer Shanora Williams. And I sure am grateful that I didn’t know this fact before, for two reasons:

👉 I’ve had a bad experience earlier this year while reading a debut romance novel by an accomplished thriller writer. ('If Only' by Angela Marsons: my review HERE.) I had decided never to try authors venturing beyond their core writing strengths.
👉 The type of romance novels Ms. Williams has written aren’t my type. (Nothing against those who enjoy them. Just that I don’t enjoy steamy romances any more.)

So this book came as a pleasant surprise. For a debut thriller work, the author does a pretty good job, putting in twists at the right places. The second half of the book is especially well done in this regard. While her romance speciality shows up in the sex scenes, I’ll disregard them (though they were not at all to my liking) because they helped establish the character of the characters.

That is not to say that the writing is perfect. As I said, whatever doesn’t fit in with the narrative is disregarded. There are some plot points that just don’t make sense. A bigger flaw is in the content structuring. The story is presented to us in the two perspectives:
1. Ivy, 1st person, with the narration addressed to her therapist.
2. Another key character who shall be unnamed in this review, 1st person, with the narration addressed to Ivy.

The content doesn’t suit these styles. To provide just one instance, if this second character (who is a relative stranger to Ivy) is writing to her, why would she write something like “he pulled on his boxers and answered me”? It sounded very artificial. There is no problem with the 1st person used, but the content would have worked better if it were directed not at another character but to the reader in general.

The audiobook is narrated by Chante Ellison and Nola Vance, and they both do complete justice to their characters. I did initially feel that the voice for the second character sounded older than necessary. (The character was just 41 but the voice sounded like the narrator was much older than that age.) But she read her part so well that I ignored the voice-age mismatch. I would definitely recommend going for the book in this 10 hour long audio version as its flaws get downplayed and its strengths highlighted because of the excellent narration by both narrators.

If you can suspend the logical side of your brain and treat this story purely as a mass entertainer, it will work better. At first, I was dawdling between a 3 and 3.5 for my rating because the first half was almost straightforward and formulaic, generating a sense of “seen this, read that”. But just as I resigned myself to having picked up yet another predictable thriller, the twists started arriving and my rating (and enjoyment) crawled upwards before finally settling on a pretty decent 3.75. I did enjoy my experience with this book partly because of lower expectations from it. It’s not a must-read but a decent one-time read if you choose to go for it, and if you do, opt for the audio option.

Before I forget, I must mention. The title is brilliant and suits the book perfectly.

Thank you, NetGalley and RB Media, for the audio ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.


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[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dishy, diabolical and delightful! This is a first domestic thriller book by a romance author, and it shows in the tone, which is gossipy and fun with a few sizzling sex scenes. I would call this one more of a domestic drama than a mystery — even though it has a good central mystery theme and some murder, it feels more like a dishy book about revenge between women. Which I enjoyed.

Ivy, who narrates most of the book, is out for revenge against Lola for reasons we don’t learn until much later in the book. Her plan of revenge is fun to follow from the beginning, even as we begin to see that Ivy is a pretty terrible person. And we wonder if what Lola did can really be so bad as to warrant this plan? The reveals are fun and the audiobook is well-narrated. This is the kind of book to listen to when you don’t want to think too much and just want to sit back and be entertained. And entertained I was! Things get a little outlandish and soap-opera like towards the end — yet Williams totally pulls it off and the book is unputdownable from start to finish. Oh the drama and the craziness!

Thanks to Kensington Books, NetGalley and the author for this fun thrill ride. I hope Shanora Williams keeps writing thrillers. I will keep reading!

[Jocelyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book wasn’t for me…

The book first requires you to suspend all belief in anything - even for fiction. I rolled my eyes and recall various comments like “come on…” or “give me a break”.

The dialog was terrible, and *massively* unbelievable. No 👏 one 👏 speaks 👏 like 👏 that!!!

The book was slow, while torturing the reader with the worst characters possible. Every single one of them was unrelatable, unbelievable, flat, and simply awful for the purpose of being awful.

This is where I’m stopping, because I really could continue with this horrible feeling rundown. I should have DNF’d this.

[Val (pagespoursandpups) · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delicious ride on the crazy train!!

“When you told me the name of the person who’d ruined my life, I think something inside me snapped. I lost all sense of self-control and became obsessed- way too obsessed for my own good.”

You know when you are reading a book and it keeps pointing to one person so you know that choice is too obvious? This book did that but then threw in so many surprises and twists that I had whiplash!! The pages were smoking I was turning them so quickly! I thought I knew what the big twist was, but nope- it was even better.

As far as the characters go- there are none you will fall in love with- but you will feel totally vested in them and the outcome of each one. The author gives the perfect amount of insight into each individual so that you understand completely where their decisions are coming from. Several of the characters you just can’t wait until they get what they’re due. Several you actually root for them to act on their sinister thoughts😬

The book is told in 1st, 3rd and even 2nd person. So interesting. It starts off with the main character, Ivy writing a letter to her therapist to explain her story. It backtracks to when Ivy is given the name, Lola, as the person who ruined her life. The reader doesn’t know exactly what “ruined” means until about 60% in. What could that mean? I’m not telling. That was just another aspect that made the pages fly.

Ivy becomes obsessed with getting revenge. She befriends Lola and her husband and interjects herself into every aspect of Lola’s life. And it is a glamorous, privileged life. Lola doesn’t know who Ivy is…or does she? I’m not telling. Does Ivy get her revenge? I’m not telling that either. What I will tell you- read this ASAP!!❤️

So lucky to have received this arc from partners #bibliolifestyle and #kensingtonbooks.

[Carlene · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, I enjoy Shanora Williams' romance novels, but this one was a miss for me. I honestly wish I had not finished it, as unfortunately I'm now left admitting The Perfect Ruin was the perfect mess. There are no characters to root for, the twists near the end completely change the story, and the writing was just bad. It was choppy, and even worse, the main characters background and reasoning relies heavily on mental illness in a way that feels cheap.

The Perfect Ruin could be a great read if you can get past the improbability of it all and suspend your disbelief, but the writing really take away from that too.

ARC provided.

[oohlalabooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy cow what a ride! Main character Ivy Hill brings us along on her plans of revenge - “the perfect ruin”! Ivy Hill’s happy childhood ended with the tragic death of her family. She’s now in her twenties & still attending her therapy appointments, but she hasn’t forgotten. Things change quickly once she is handed the name - Lola Maxwell - who killed her family. She begins plotting and infiltrates Lola’s circle of friends, work and marriage! The author has written many romance novels, but this is her first debut thriller. It’s a quick & suspenseful read! Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington Publishing, and the author for a gifted copy. This is my honest review.

[Kurryreads (Kerry) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT2VcemEV/

Featured in:
Thrillers not surrounding a murder or missing persons case (part 3): https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT2vtyTq8/

[Whitney Gaston · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow, this book was quite a disappointment. I started this and DNF because the writing was so poor.

First and foremost it changes person after the first two chapters. We start in third person learning about Ivy and her current situation along with her vengeful obsession with Lola.
Then suddenly, the author decides to switch to first person as Ivy writes in her journal to her therapist. Im all about the creative leather style novel (#theroxyletters does it really well), but this is not working.

Then there are just badly written passages. Repetitive sentences that seem to be missed in the final edits. A chandelier described as “eloquent”, pretty sure you meant “elegant”. Just silly errors that should not be in published literature.

I’m also frankly getting a bit bored with this book, so going to put it down and DNF this one.

[Laura Lovesreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh ok Ms Williams is this what we’re doing!? 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
I gulped this book in one sitting gahhdamn!
The perfect ruins is a fun addictive thrilling read about a woman named Ivy out for revenge on a woman named Lola Maxwell. That’s it!! that’s all I’m saying!!
What I will say is when those twist started coming they were HITTING!!! I was getting whiplash from this entertaining read and couldn’t believe what I was reading.
For a one sit popcorn thriller read, The Perfect Ruin is your go to!!!

[Taylor | ePub Princess · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a silly, messy, entertaining book. The plot felt very Tyler Perry-ish. It shares the good aspects of Perry’s plots- it’s entertaining and fast paced. Unfortunately, it also shares the bad aspects: it’s ridiculous and ill-conceived. The writing is not great. The characters are over the top and one dimensional. The dialogue is, at times, unnatural.

Ivy is an unstable young woman who experienced a horrible tragedy. The book takes a long time to reveal exactly what this is, and there’s no pay off. It’s frustrating as a reader to be given fragments of the story with no grand reveal or pay off.

Ivy’s therapist Marriott (sometimes spelled with one “t” and other times, two) gives her the name of the person responsible for ruining Ivy’s life: Lola Maxwell, a wealthy and famous socialite. It’s remarkably easy for Ivy to position herself in Lola’s world and she soon becomes her best friend. All the while, she is planning to execute her revenge. She decides she is in love with Lola’s husband and becomes obsessed with the idea of splitting them up.

Parts of this story require a serious suspension of belief, but it still manages to be a fun book. Despite all the flaws this book has, it wasn’t a terrible read. But it could definitely use more editing.

[Shabby -BookBistroBlog · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a classic Shanora book With fast moving, page turning action and a strong willed heroine. I absolutely love her style of writing. Her books are very richly drawn with strong characters and intriguing plots, and this one is no exception.
It's a Rollercoaster ride into the crazy town without any seat belts folks. You're in for the surprise of your life or shock of your life, depending upon whose side you're on. And you WILL pick a side, like Tarryn Fisher says. It's hard not to sympathise with the victim, in this case- Ivy Elliott and the alleged Pepetrator who's ruined her life, the most famous housewife in Miami- Lola Maxwell



"Lola loved sad women. Crazy, but true. She loved women she could build up and make stronger. She liked to treat women like me, Xena, and Keke as projects. A smile from one of us made her proud."



Ivy starts as a woman possessed and obsessed. No one ever trusted Ivy. She was a rebel, a liar, a thief, and a con-artist. She could steal from babies and not feel any remorse. And all the while conning people into thinking she had Post traumatic stress disorder and bipolar tendencies, even her therapist.
Her mission in life is to seek revenge!!

"Do you know what you did to me?
Do you realize what you’ve done?
Do you know who I am?
You ruined my life, you know that!
I hate you!"
As you go deeper in the book, the various threads start to come together weaving into a web of lies, deceit and greed. Lola, Keke, Georgia, Ivy, Faith, Arabel and Marriott are all flies in the web, each playing a mysterious role in aiding Lola's charity - Ladies With Passion.
But Lola is the ultimate Queen Diva. She floats on air, seemingly perfect in personality, living a dream life with handsome Cosmetologist Dr Corey Maxwell. She demands loyalty and commands camaraderie from people around her.



The house of cards, so carefully built on shaky ground is waiting for a gust of air and it'll all come tumbling down and that brings attention to the question- who or what will be the ultimate catalyst to bring it all down?
WHO? HOW?? & WHY???
Sensational secrets that hide behind the polished veneers threaten to tumble out of the closet. The escalating tension on every page makes it a hair-raising, thrilling experience only shanora could deliver so intelligently in her indomitable style.
You're sure to be left with a gaping jaw, a "what did I just read" expression and a massive hangover when you're done.
I hope she writes a sequel cause I want more!!
5 stars Bonds Of Hate
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[Guylou (Two Dogs and a Book) · Rating 4 out of 5]

📚 Hello Book Friends! THE PERFECT RUIN by Shanora Williams blew my mind!!! What an awesome book. The build-up to the grand mystery reveal was engaging but a bit slow for me. As I read the book, I forged an idea on how it would end, I was wrong. I did not see this ending coming. This book offers an intelligent plot full of smoke and mirrors. I recommend it!

#bookstadog #poodles #poodlestagram #poodlesofinstagram #furbabies #dogsofinstagram #bookstagram #dogsandbooks #bookishlife #bookishlove #bookstagrammer #books #booklover #bookish #bookaholic #reading #readersofinstagram #instaread #ilovebooks #bookishcanadians #canadianbookstagram #bookreviewer #bookcommunity #bibliophile #canadianbookishlovers #theperfectruin #shanorawilliams #kensingtonbooks #bookreview

[The Sassy Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐ -- Started off so well

Right from the start, this was turning into a 5 star read for me. I loved the writing. It was well paced. The plot was engaging. I LOVED Ivy. Then the twist happened, and I was 🙄...seriously? However, I continued on, hoping the author would throw another twist in and bring it back to its former awesomeness. Alas, that didn't happen. Instead, we get an ending that is either a cliffhanger, or an annoying attempt to mysteriously leave the story open ended. Neither of which I was impressed with...sigh. So yeah, what started off so very promising ended up tanking by the end. 🤷🏻‍♀️

**ARC Via NetGalley**

[Ellen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Shouldn't have wasted time or thought reading this book.

Characters are awful and the writing so terrible they're not entertaining or at all believable. The only reaction I had while reading was anger and shock at how bad the writing was.

The first half is Ivy befriending Lola with the intention of plotting ruin to revenge some unknown act. For almost two hundred pages there's vague references to the plan and ruinous act so long ago that once it finally is revealed I thought - that's it? The majority of book is written in form of a letter to Ivy's therapist, so reader needs to suffer through all her corny, petty, and poorly written thoughts.

The twists were dumb and forced.

📃

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ivy Hill is hellbent on ruining the life of the woman who ruined hers. The problem is, she's not the only one who's hungry for revenge, and her plan for vengeance may be her ultimate undoing.

This is a twisted revenge tale that kept me captivated from beginning to end.
The characters were fascinating and, the more the story progressed, the more invested and interested in them I became. The conclusion was also unexpected, twisted and just so perfect!

I really did enjoy this book so much and highly recommend for fans of psychological thrillers and stories of revenge gone wrong.

[talon smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have never read this author. Mainly because I don’t read a lot of romance much anymore. So when I saw that she had wrote a debut thriller– I was alllll over that bad boy on Netgalley. Did I love the book? No. Did I hate the book? Also no. I thought it was a great read but it was just… great. Nothing really blew me away with it and nothing really stuck out. It was a thriller that I had read before so not much of an original story-line.

Ivy was awful. She was an awful character but she was written so well. When author’s can write awful characters in a great way, I am always impressed. If you can make an unlikeable, unreliable person likeable– I’m a fan. The writing was very smooth and made the story flow quite quickly.

For a debut thriller novel it wasn’t awful. I feel like a lot more could have been done to really keep the plot going but by the end of it I was satisfied and happy to of gotten to read this one.

[Natalie "Curling up with a Coffee and a Kindle" Laird · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a review of the audiobook, narrated by Chante Ellison and Nola Vance.
This was an intriguing opening, a tale of revenge between Ivy and the woman believed to have ruined her life, Lola Maxwell.
Firstly, the plot was fairly gripping, but at times I was so frustrated by the lack of clues as to why Lola did indeed ruin Ivy's life, but on balance I think this was meant to add to the intrigue and mystery, and it made the read more suspenseful as I had to know what Lola had done.
The characters were on the whole, strong, but I'll be honest. I was a fair way into the audiobook before I realised there were two narrators! Their voices sounded far too similar to me, and I don't think one had enough of a role in the story in the early stages for me to care about her.

[Cassie’s Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh this book was the perfect dose of revenge, the scheming the lies and all out craziness was the perfect escape!
Ivy Elliott is determined to take down the one woman who ruined her life Lola. We’re not informed of the reason in the beginning but we’re taken for a wild ride!
Growing up in foster homes after the death of her parents Ivy simmers with anger. She tries therapy with Dr. Marriott for many years after a court order. When her therapist reveals the name of the woman who killed her parents Lola Maxwell, Ivy is shocked. Lola is wealthy, beautiful and married to the handsome plastic surgeon, Lola even runs a charity called “Ladies With Passion”. Soon Ivy is fixated on Lola she follows her and is constantly checking her Instagram page. Soon Ivy forms a plan she will insert herself into Lolas close circle, and take everything from her and that includes her money and husband. Ivy soon becomes Lolas close friend and it’s apparent Lola isn’t the woman she portrays to everyone , she isn’t nice and she plays people to get what she wants ,and Ivy may have bit off more than she chew. This was past paced and had so many twists I didn’t see coming! You can’t help but hate and love the characters at the same time! It’s deliciously evil and messy and I was here for it! Five stars!!

[MJLovestoRead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shanora Williams takes us on a ride like no other and just when you think you know the direction of Ivy Hill's journey to revenge, there are sharp detours that will ever so subtly make your jaw drop. I was truly blown away by how she crafted this new venture and I'll just say this: you will be on the edge of your seat from start to finish while devouring this incredible book.

Until then...add it to your Goodreads TBR and pre-order it now.

https://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Ruin-S...

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twenty-six year old Ivy Hill has been seeing a psychiatrist for many, many years. After an incident that ruined her life twelve years ago, she finally finds out the name of the person she blames for that ruin - Lola Maxwell. So she sets a plan into motion regarding Lola .... gain her trust, then ruin her.

Mostly, Ivy narrates the story. Is she a reliable narrator? After all, she doesn't take her medication. I can't say that I really liked Ivy but she was certainly entertaining and I enjoyed reading about her plan.

The story illustrates the dangers of too much personal information on social media sites. There are a couple of steamy sex scenes.

I like books that surprise me and the author gave a super twist that I wasn't expecting. I thought the ending was great. Overall, even though parts were eye rolling, I like what the author did with this story.

[ReadingTilTheBreakOfDawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a deliciously, entertaining, page-turner that is perfect for your summer beach reads! I welcome Shanora Williams to the psychological thriller genre.

The Perfect Ruin is set in Miami, FL and it is filled with messy, flawed characters that are unlikable, but written so well that you want to root for them in some sort of way. This book captures a side of women that can be ruthless and out only for themselves, but that’s what made me like this story and the twists it took me on. The beautiful and successful women of Miami and all the secrets they hide behind each of their facades.

Ivy is a woman that has learned through her therapist the name of the person who is responsible for her unhappy childhood. Since this person turned her life upside down, she will seek them out and plan The Perfect Ruin. She sets out to Miami where she meets Lola, a highly successful socialite that has made it her life's mission to have a surface perfect life while "helping" less fortunate/pregnant women. And Ivy's plan is to get as close to her as possible. Whatever it takes. She has a plan for everything from A to Z, so be prepared for ANYTHING!

Gain her trust, then ruin her.

Lola and her group of friends/hanger-ons are just as unlikable as everyone else that had been introduced in the book and I kind of loved that. I usually want at least one character that I find likable in my thrillers, someone I can relate to, but I honestly didn't need it. It was just fun to see who I could even remotely maybe like and perhaps commiserate with.

Shanora Williams created a world filled with beautiful people that did horrible things to the people around them. And she did it well. I liked how she centered the story through letters and had the narrators "talking" to their recipients. It made it feel like they were writing to me and telling me all the secrets of what was happening and I was here for it. I could see these crazy antics by these obsessive women.

If you want to get in the head of some truly devious women and be utterly entertained, this book has it all for you. Unlikable and unreliable narrator(s), entertaining thought processes of the characters and seeing how the rich may live. In excess and without too many cares. Revenge and obsessive characters will be knocking at your door. While Ivy has planned to ruin her target, expect the unexpected and to have a few twists thrown your way toward the end.

Hate is an emotion you carry in your heart. It's a burning, gnawing sensation that burns in your veins, one that you can't escape or get rid of. Hate is an emotion you wish you could release because it has so much control and power over you.....Hate is loyal. It's here to stay.

[Sarah B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow...what a story! This one is about some really demented and selfish people who only care about themselves. And if anyone gets in their way they are willing to do all sorts of nasty stuff!

To be truthful I honestly didn't like any of the characters in here. They are all double-faced, cold blooded people who don't care who they step on. Well, I suppose they all are not that way but it sure seems like it while reading! These are the kind I stay far away from in real life. But boy oh boy do they make for a scary story! Reading this is like knowing a huge train wreck is going to happen and you are watching it unfold. The book makes no secret of who is doing what. Especially with Ivy. Most of the story is from her viewpoint and you know she is out for revenge.

Still, this one had a big twist I had not expected at all and took me by surprise!

A fun fast read!

[lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the best thriller books I've read !! listened to the audiobook in just a day because of how intrigued I was. the pacing was perfect, and I loved every twist. the last chapter was THE one that made me give it 5 stars.