Perfect Little Children by Sophie Hannah (Review by Missi Gwartney)

Rating: 3.9 out of 5 stars

When an obsession for creating the perfect life crosses paths with an obsession to find out the truth, the consequences may prove to be fatal…

Sophie Hannah’s, Perfect Little Children combines guilty consciences and old friendships along with new lives and unrelenting curiosity into set of strange circumstances that will leave the reader wondering what’s real and what could only be explained as a weird figment of imagination.

After 12 years of not speaking with her long-ago best friend (Flora), Beth “accidentally” drives by her house. Not sure what to expect, Beth is confident that she not only sees Flora but also her two children. However, when the children appear to not have aged at all in 12 years, Beth must decide if this is simply her mind playing tricks or if there is something more. Left with more questions than answers and a guilt that has followed her for 12 years, Beth is convinced there is more to the story and that Flora (and her children) may be in real danger. Beth is determined to find out the truth no matter the cost to herself, Flora, or their families. Beth is lead down a path with unforeseen twists and turns and quickly realizes that some things aren’t meant to be found out. Will Beth be able to simply let it go or will she find the answers she needs before it’s too late?

This book is full of twists and turns that keep the reader almost as obsessed as Beth to find out the answers. I kept wondering what was coming next and was pleasantly surprised when it all made sense at the end. While I enjoyed the book, I had a very hard time connecting with Beth’s obsession over a friendship that seemed to end 12 years ago. Beth’s unwillingness to let it go even though she knew it was dangerous for her and her family kept me frustrated at her character but not enough that I didn’t want to keep reading. I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves lots of weird twists and turns but also loves an “all comes together” type of ending. I thought Hannah did a great job of luring the reader in and even if you didn’t agree with Beth, you definitely wanted to know what was going on.