The Perfect Stranger

It took me maybe 5 days to read and for someone who doesn't read often.... that's extremely fast ! I couldn't put it down. I absolutely love how I felt connected to the story and my mind was able to absorb it all and create scenes as I read along. Very good I highly recommend this book

Good quality. Must buy

Miranda has written a multi-layered, fast-paced psychological thriller that is both intricate and convoluted. Leah is an idealistic former journalist, seeking to expose a controversial story. But, she is threatened with libel when when someone dies, and she can’t disclose her source. Forced to abandon her career, Leah and a college friend, Emmy, head to a small town for a fresh start. Trouble follows them almost immediately, but Leah is determined to put down some tentative roots and becomes a high school teacher. Days and weeks pass, but Leah is restless and uneasy about her past and her future. Then, Emmy inexplicably disappears. Odd events transpire, and Leah searches for her friend, but realizes suddenly that she doesn’t really know much about her. The police investigate, but soon doubt the existence of the missing woman, since there is no trace or record of her actual life. No witnesses, and no one remembers actually seeing her before her disappearance. Other crimes occur, and Leah begins to look like a suspect. She starts to doubt her own memory and isn’t sure if she can trust what she knows to be true. Miranda does an excellent job of slowly unraveling Leah. Suddenly, the reader doesn’t know if the narrator is reliable, and she is surrounded by several sketchy people. Everyone seems guilty or shady with questionable motives. The mystery is cleverly constructed, and Leah makes some wise and gritty observations about life. All of these things make the book a compelling read. Yet, for me, Leah is such a frustrating character. One could argue that all her struggles and difficulties stemmed from a shocking incident and the unresolved aftermath, but would she have become so hopelessly entangled and befuddled if she had simply told the truth? Emmy too, is equally frustrating. She’s flaky, transient and mysterious, but not very likable. The reader has to believe that Leah and Emmy are friends in order for Leah to be so invested in the relationship and in finding out what happened. The story raises some interesting questions about identity, truth and friendship. A good read.

This is my third book from this author. I had a hard time keeping up with the back and forth. It seemed too vague and very repetitive. How many times do you have to read about the 8 hour vodka binge. Lots of repetition without really saying anything. Did she bring down her former boss, ex boyfriend, and friend? Are we supposed to assume so? It was written in the same paragraph where the protagonist said she wasn’t sure of what is real. She spoke of Emmy bit then switched to bringing down people. If her friend had a baby 8 years ago then why is her baby still a baby? Did she get remarried and have another child? So much time spent on fluff—the cold, the weather, etc. and not more details of the ending?? The protagonist mentions that she is not sure or certain how things went about and she ‘imagines’ people doing things that are not really happening. Urgh!! The ending—maybe she in a hurry to finish the story.

This was my first book by Megan Miranda and it wasn’t quite what I had expected. The book did not suck me in (the way Lucy Foley, Shari Lapena, Paula Hawkins or even Liane Moriarty’s books do). The narration is a bit distorted. At times, I couldn’t understand what was happening – esp. the background story when Leah meets Emmy for the first time, at times I did not understand which house the author was mentioning – the present one or the basement apartment of 8 years ago.It is hard to believe that:• there would be no evidence of the existence of a living person (digital / paper), esp. in the 21st century and in a country like the U.S.• there would be no photo available of the person• there would be absolutely no documents or records of an independent and working person• a person living in the present day would not use a cellphone• that you don’t know where your friend works, her family or absolutely anything about her background, even how she spells her name when you’ve lived with that person for a considerable part of your lifeThe ending is totally lame.So, all summed up: Disappointing book