Past Perfect Life

By: Elizabeth Eulberg

Narrated by: Madeleine Rose

Bloomsbury presents Past Perfect Life by Elizabeth Eulberg, read by Madeleine Rose.

An exciting new direction for acclaimed author Elizabeth Eulberg, Past Perfect Life is a tense and tender read about secrets and lies, reality and identity, and the ways we put ourselves back together when everything is broken.

Small-town Wisconsin high school senior Allison Smith loves her life the way it is—spending quality time with her widowed father and her tight-knit circle of friends, including best friend Marian and maybe-more-than-friends Neil. Sure she is stressed out about college applications . . . who wouldn’t be? In a few short months, everything’s going to change, big time.

But when Ally files her applications, they send up a red flag . . . because she’s not Allison Smith. And Ally’s—make that Amanda’s—ordinary life is suddenly blown apart. Was everything before a lie? Who will she be after? And what will she do as now comes crashing down around her?

Perfect for fans of Far From the Tree, this is the story of one teen’s search for herself amid the confusion of a shattered past and a future far from all she planned.©2019 Elizabeth Eulberg (P)2019 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Disturbing

3.5 STARS

What do you do when you learn your whole life is a lie? When even your name isn’t your name and your mother didn’t die when you were three and your dad has been lying to you your whole life?

Ally discovers her real name is Amanda and that her mom didn’t really die when she was three. In fact, her mom Paula has been looking for Amanda for nearly fifteen years since the toddler’s father kidnapped her. Now jailed, her father admits to admits to his crimes, leaving Ally hurt and confused.

PAST PERFECT LIFE was one of my most anticipated books of the year, but didn’t meet my high expectations. While Elizabeth Eulberg’s word building was highly readable, Ally’s story seemed more told than experienced. I never viscerally felt her shock and pain. The main characters lacked dimension and felt like characters more than people and switched attitudes without natural progression. I adored the Gleason, Ally’s grandmother and stepfather who all felt authentic and grew to love Sarah although she didn’t feel as real. I had a harder time embracing Ally, but intellectually understood her struggles.

PAST PERFECT LIFE is a satisfying, but imperfect story.