I struggled with this book so much. It sounded so good and a murder mystery and these women and... well. It was boring. Straight out boring. Nothing happened, the characters were just talking about ramdon stuff and not moving on and being just bad people. I don't know, but I wanted more action, more momentum in the story. And I couldn't tell the women apart narratively. And maybe I'm mistaken here, but I think two characters in the book shared the same name? The daughter of Elanor's elderly neighbor and the murder victims daughter, weren't they both called Sarah? (I listened to this as an audiobook so I couldn't really tell if there was a difference, but it all sounded too similar).

Overall, I just didn't get along with the book at all. Not for me.

I liked this book but I think I would have preferred to have read it instead of listening to the audiobook. I found the narrator made every part feel like she was always unhappy. It was a good story and a good thriller but feels like it takes a long time to get moving. This could be the narrator though.

I found this to be an enjoyable listen.

The narrator did a very good job of bringing the story alive and creating atmosphere.

We have 3 different characters and each 1 tells her own story. Its a story about friendship and betrayal; about finding your voice; and in the end, it is about choices and how these choices we make can map out our destiny.

I did predict hoe it would play out but it is not that obvious and a lot of people will not see the twist coming.

A highly recommend listen.

Thank you to NetGalley Hachette Audio UK and Orion for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion

Nancy, Eleanor and Mary met in college and have been friends ever since, through thick and thin, across a range of life experiences. But Nancy is murdered, and Eleanor and Mary have to work out what happened. I liked this precisely because the three women felt real and genuine. Their friendships felt legitimate and well thought out, and I was dragged through the story as these women have to work out who they are, in their betrayals, loves and losses. It felt original, and I really enjoyed the dark psychological edge.

In the mood for something a little more fast-paced and plot-drive than I usually read, I was very excited to listen to the audiobook of this psychological mystery novel focusing in on three female best friends around the time that one of them is murdered.

The novel is told in three parts, from each of the women's perspectives, allowing the reader an insight into each of their respective lives, relationships and deep buried secrets. I really enjoyed this structuring, being very interested in all three of the central women - they were all quite intriguing. The structure also allowed the narrative to jump around in time, adding to the sense of mystery throughout, and allowing the reader to slowly build up a full picture of what happened.

I really enjoyed consuming the novel via an audiobook format. Listening to the story and allowing myself to be swept up and taken along for the ride was a lot of fun. This is my favourite way to consume this genre of story - it almost feels like watching a TV series!

That all being said, I didn't fall in love with this book. I found some of the elements to be quite far-fetched, not being completely convinced by everything that happened in the plot, or the ways in which the characters interacted at times. The biggest problem, however, was that I guessed the ending - not what you want from a mystery crime thriller!

Overall, this is an enjoyable audiobook. If you're wanting something fun and fast-paced with an air of mystery, then I'd recommend giving it a listen!

When Nancy Hennessy is murdered, she leaves behind two best friends, an adoring husband and daughter, and a secret lover whose identity she took to the grave. Nancy was gorgeous, wealthy, and cherished by those who knew her—from the outside, her life was perfect. But as the investigation into her death flounders and her friends Eleanor and Mary wrestle with their grief, dark details surface that reveal how little they knew their friend, each other, and maybe even themselves.

A gripping, immersive novel about impossible expectations and secrets that fester and become lethal, Imperfect Women unfolds through the perspectives of three fascinating women. Their enduring, complex friendship is the knot the reader must untangle to answer the question Who killed Nancy?

Three distinctly imperfect women and two even more imperfect husbands.
I gave this four stars at the time of listening, but three weeks later, as I come to write this review, I am struggling to remember the characters and the details of the story. I know I felt it was longer than it needed to be and there was rather a lot of repetition and drinking of cups of tea. I'm wondering if 3 stars might be more accurate.

The story centres around three women who met at college. They were all very different and would have been a most unlikely trio under other circumstances. There is a fair bit of back-story, but when we meet them they are 25 years down the line and two of them have husbands and children in tow. Life is pottering along, throwing up its usual complications, until Nancy disappears and is eventually found murdered. There is a lot of blame, guilt and recrimination as each of them narrates their interaction with Nancy and her family.
Each of the female characters (including Nancy), has a section of the book, recounting her relationship with the other characters and offering us insights into their side of the story.
Although it's listed as a psychological thriller, the structure of the book felt rather chick-lit.

I enjoyed the narration by Helen Keeley, she did a great job. I particularly liked her voice for Mary, with it's slight lilt.
I wish I could give it 3.5 stars!

This audiobook fascinated me. It took me a little while to get into it but once the book progressed I found the characters and their depth so captivating. The characters were flawed and I loved that and I enjoyed that the book had multiple layers. It was so much more than a basic thriller. I'll definitely be looking out for Hall's next novel.

There is a lot about this book to enjoy - there are little secrets that I genuinely didn't see coming, complex relationships and friendships, and narration from three different perspectives.

The narration from three different perspectives was well executed because, as each new character takes over the telling of events from their perspective, we are led deeper and deeper into the story. It also serves to hold back information which is revealed later. Very clever.

However, I did not like a single character. Often I can not like characters but still like the book as I appreciate that such a strong reaction is the sign of great writing and characterisation. However, I found these characters generally shallow, irritating and selfish. Their friendships are a shambles and their marriages not much better. Yes, this can be realistic in life but it just meant that I had no sympathy for any of them and wasn't too bothered about how they ended up.

It was enjoyable but I have read so many excellent books recently that this one was just ok for me.

Thanks to Hachette audio and Netgalley for access to this audio book.

Imperfect Women tells the story of Eleanor, Nancy and Mary who have been friends since University. After Nancy is murdered we hear the stories of the three women as we move towards the truth of what happened to Nancy.

The audio version of the book is read beautifully by Helen Keeley. The narrator differentiated well between the three different characters, although I do feel this would have worked better with multiple narrators. Her narration brought the story to life and conveyed the characters emotions well. It is a completely immersive listen that really stayed with me after I finished listening.

This is an extremely beautifully written and powerful novel about the complexities of women's lives and emotions. It conveys our uniqueness, our depths, our guilt, the secrets women live with and really gets to the heart of what it means to be a woman. It is a powerful portrayal of grief and what families mean. I adored this and would highly recommend

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a digital ARC audiobook.

I wanted to love this book, the premise sounded good, but I struggled to finish and it didn't measure up to what I was expecting. The story centres around three friends, all with their own imperfections, thus the fitting title. Nancy is murdered and the remaining two, Eleanor and Mary, try to discover what happened. I found these women thoroughly unlikable and self-involved, trying to fumble their ways through life after Nancy. The story is told from each of the women’s perspective, including Nancy, so we learn about each of them. The murder seems to take a back seat to their lives. I am not a lover of stories like Big, Little Lies and this book just did not grab me at all. I found it all a bit dramatic and too long. The audio was okay, narrated by Helen Keeley. She used her expression and tone to add drama to the story, but her voices were all the same. It was more of a dramatic reading. I am sure that there is an audience out there for this one, so if the synopsis grabs you, give it a go.

I loved this book. I bought the hardback and listened to it alongside the audiobook and I was so impressed. The quality of the audiobook and the narration was excellent and it was a very thrilling and gripping read. I will definitely be looking for more of this author's work in the future!

The Nonexistence Of Perfection.....
On face a murder mystery, a psychological suspense but at its’ very heart a tale of friendship and bonds. Three women with a tale to tell but one of the three is murdered there is also a killer to be found. A dark, emotional and often unsettling read which is both well written and engaging. Well narrated with good timing, nuance and tempo.

My first Netgalley audiobook didn’t disappoint.
The narrator was really good, had a nice voice that I didn’t mind listening to, and the story was good too.
Three women are all best friends but one night, one of them doesn’t come home and their lives start to unravel. It was an exploration of love and relationships with lots of twists and turns along the way. It kept me listening!

A deceptively simple story, I loved the layers and the exploration of grief and desire. The narration flowed beautifully too. Recommended

Eleanor, Nancy and Mary were friends since uni and although have all followed different paths in life they are still close friends. So when Eleanor finds out Nancy has been murdered she's distraught and keen to find out who the culprit is, could it have been her husband or the secret lover who only Eleanor knows about?
Using flashbacks from Eleanor and Nancy's point of view to fill in the history of the three friends we discover secrets and lies and the complicated relationships friends have. From the present we have Eleanor's story of trying to find out what has happened to Nancy.
There is a lot of repetition of some points which failed to hold my attention in audio format which then means I may have missed some of the subtlety of the writing. The the narrator used various accents which did help boost interest. I think the overall premise was the women aren't as perfect as they look from outside, which came across a bit sexist really, the men weren't accused of this - it all seemed a bit unimportant.
I'm normally a fan of family drama thrillers and I'm relatively new to audiobook listening, although I have enjoyed more factual books in this style, I'm not sure this type of writing shines in this format.

Thanks to Hachette Audio UK, Orion and NetGalley for the ARC


I am normally a fan of family drama twisty thrillers but this didn't quite hit the mark for me. I'm new to the audiobook format and although I have enjoyed listening to more factual books I'm not sure if this was the right format for this novel for me.

perfect adjective
: being entirely without fault or defect : flawless

In Imperfect Women, Araminta Hall yet again brings us a gripping and psychological suspense about three women and the destructive power of their secrets.

We follow the lives of three women who have been friends since college. Mary, Eleanor and Nancy each have a "perfect" life, ot so they want us to believe. But when one of these perfect women ends up murdered the investigation into her death shatters the mirage.

Overall I really enjpyed this book alot! Imperfect Women is a true guilty pleasure read, packed with long term friendships, rocky marriages, love, lies, secrets and betrayal.


I recieved a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

There’s a reason everyone is talking about this book. It’s quite simple really, it is a fabulous read. Though it has a murder at its core, the book is actually much more about the relationships between these women and sometimes about the relationships between these women and the men they loved and/or married.

Nancy Hennessy, Eleanor Robert, and Mary Smithson are different types of women who forged a bond from the time they first met in that first week at University when everyone and everything was new and exciting and life was full of possibilities.

Somehow, despite the fact their lives evolved and took different directions, they managed to hang on to that friendship, though sometimes it was fractious, caused anxiety and even jealousies and rivalry.

Each, in truth, would like some of what the others have and perhaps that’s really what keeps them bound together?

Moving between the past and the present, the book explores the character’s relationships and what led to the murder of Nancy, as well as what followed it. Now well into mid-life, we wonder what if anything they have learned from their experiences.

When they meet, they gloss over the difficult bits of their lives, presenting their best faces. They may not want their flaws to show to their friends, but they are all too ready to pick themselves apart privately.

Two of the women have married and have children. One has pursued an academic career and eschewed a family life. One of them has a fantastic job but the others have settled for less. Are any of them actually happy? Each is secretly tinged with just a bit of desire for what they lack and the others have.

The mothers love their children, but children in and of themselves do not complete the lives they once had.

The structure of the book works perfectly. Eleanor’s story is told around the discovery of Nancy’s murder. Nancy’s story is the time leading up to her murder and Mary’s story deals with the aftermath. So the reader is able to understand the complex relationships that exist between these women and find out about their relationships with their partners and lovers.

What we find is a well of unhappiness; sometimes genuine loneliness, that is concealed as they strive always to show their best faces. Hall does such a good job of showing us how much each woman feels constantly a secondary being to their relationships; how they are lied to and badly treated by men and yet how prepared they are to open themselves up and become vulnerable for small displays of affection – even to the extent of committing the ultimate betrayal.

As a character study it is immensely powerful and quite clearly recognisable. I want to be clear that just as these are imperfect women, they are women I know. They are my friends and they are me and that’s what makes this book work so well – it carries a truth in it that is hard to deny.

Verdict: Nancy’s death is the catalyst for this book, but the tension and even at times a horror, come from the feeling that each woman has walked into a splendidly laid trap and that once she has done so, she is no more than a caged bird, singing for her supper. Beautifully written, Hall executes the complexity of the storytelling incredibly well and her three dimensional characters leapt from the pages. I liked this book so much I went back and listened to the audiobook version, flawlessly narrated by Helen Keeley. This enhanced my reading of the book and let me sink into the character’s voices. Altogether a first class read and listen!

I encountered problems with the audiobook version. I had found it very atmospheric and really good at conveying feeling although the principal characters were pretty unlikeable. As Support help has not been forthcoming I hope Net Galley’s nice staff are curtailed by Covid rather than lost

I liked the premise but the execution was slightly off-putting. The narration was overly dramatic and distracting. I didn't get very far before I stopped listening, and the story wasn't original enough to keep going.