Perfectly Famous

3.5/5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Ward DeFleur had it all. She was a bestselling novelist and beginning a 15-city book tour to promote her latest book. Then her worst nightmare happens. Some time during the book tour, her teenage daughter, Stevie, went missing. When Stevie is finally found it has been clear she had endured a terrible trauma. Unfortunately, Stevie succumbs to her injuries and Ward disappears to grieve. Meanwhile, Bree Bennett was an avid fan of Ward’s and met her at the book signing on that fateful night. As a journalist, Bree wants to know the truth and begins a quest to find Ward. She learns dark secrets to Ward’s past and uncovers a truth even she couldn’t believe. 

This psychological thriller started out really strong. It was a really fast read and kept me turning the pages, but from about 60% into the book, I became disappointed. The characters were a bit shallow and Bree could get on my nerves, but I could get by her flaws to progress through the story. It was easy for me to see when Bree was being used and when she was making selfish decisions – decisions that were excused away because she was solving the mystery of Ward. 

The plot was very predictable. I expected every twist, which would not have been a problem because Liebert wrote in a way that kept my heart racing. However, the ending ruined the atmosphere for me. The dream/nightmare sequence was completely out of character. It felt like it was thrown in purely to add another twist to the story. I don’t think it tricked anyone. The story becomes okay again as reality sets in until the last page. Again, another predictable twist and completely underdeveloped like much of the ending. For a book that steadily builds in suspense, I was not expecting an ending that tried to wrap everything up so neatly yet remain ambiguous to maintain some mystery. It left me confused and disappointed. My hope is that it was setting the stage for a sequel. As is, the resolution does not do the story justice.