The Perfect Life Paperback – February 18, 2016

You know that old saying that what looks perfect on the outside is generally not perfect on the inside? Well in the case of The Perfect Life by Erin Noelle, truer words have never been spoken. This is the story of Monroe and Colin Cassidy, husband and wife that appear to have the perfect life - he's a star NFL QB, handsome, generous and humble, and she's beautiful and caring and works with abused children at Mending Hearts a cause near and dear to her heart. This is where Oliver Saxon comes into the story as he's been working with Mending Hearts in Chicago and he's going to help Monroe setup the Boston house.Without knowing what was going to be happening I was in love with the marriage that Monroe and Colin had. It was very clear to me they were best friends and truly loved each other. They had a mantra they have always said ever since their college days...."You and me. We're a team. To the very end."It's great to have that team mentality, which in hindsight having finished the book, is what got them both through some very interesting times that are coming up in their marriage. Truths will be revealed and there will be reverberating consequences for all parties involved. And to say I was shocked is putting it mildly. So kudos to Ms. Noelle for approaching these topics with a great attention to detail. The nitty gritty is always in the details.Back to Oliver and Monroe....before you get your panties in a wad, this is not a love triangle story, so just keep reading. Remember, very few things are what they appear to be on the outside. There is an undeniable pull and attraction between Monroe and Oliver. Which I thoroughly enjoyed reading. The thoughts they each had for each other prior to even acknowledging them outside of their heads. They had some very interesting inner dialogues, especially when Monroe and Oliver have their first one-on-one conversation...."I bit my lip, finding myself oddly excited to be in his presence, and that was the part that unsettled me.Oliver was having to deal with the impact of meeting Monroe too....SHE WAS EXACTLY like I expected her to be. Yet I still wasn't fully prepared for the impact she made when I met her.In just the first 48 hours that Monroe and Oliver spend together, it was clear to me something was going to happen between them and what that potentially meant for Monroe and Colin's marriage because they're married for a reason. There was a particular scene towards the end of the first 30% of the book where Oliver has these thoughts about Monroe in which he deals with how she makes him feel...."If I could only get past the way my heart soared in my chest every time she flashed me one of her million-dollar smiles, or the way my cock twitched with lust-driven hope each time we accidentally touched, then I'd have nothing to worry about for the next six months. If only...."When Monroe takes Oliver to visit the kids that they're working to help with the opening of MH, there are so many emotions that I felt while reading. The compassion and love both of them have for this cause is so heartfelt that I could feel it coming off the pages. The amount of detail Erin has put into the details of this part of the storyline was done with great care and thought which makes it almost bearable. At the point when they experience their first kiss, I was literally on the edge of my seat saying when, when will it happen... it HAS to happen and soon.....From the moment he'd kick-ball-changed into my life, I'd known there was something different about Oliver. My drwa to him was undeniable, an electric charge that whirred through my body each time we touched. He made me want things I'd never before wanted."Because of the complexities of Monroe and Colin's relationship, and the outlying players, there's only so much I can say about this book and fabulousness of without letting something slip and giving away a spoiler. Erin has definitely ensured that I'm a fan for life because this book is so different from her other books. If you're still on the fence about reading this book, don't be, if the beauty of the cover and the teasers haven't grabbed your attention, then listen to me and all the other readers who have so enjoyed this book and just go 1-click it and plan for a wild ride!

The Perfect Life by Erin Noelle4.5 stars!!!“and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”I love it when a book catches you by surprise. With this book I was pulled in by the cover and the synopsis and I went in with a preconceived idea of what I thought was going to be delivered within the pages…well…I was so wrong. This book knocked me on my arse in a good way, what I got was SO much more and I absolutely loved it.We have friends that are married and always seem so happy and perfect together on the outside, to third parties, they have it all but behind closed doors…do they? Everyone can put on an act; it just takes someone special to make it all believable.Monroe Cassidy did indeed have “the perfect life,” it was perfect to her and to her husband Colin. Colin was a star NFL Quarterback, he was handsome, generous to a fault, had the biggest heart of gold, he was devoted, he adored her, they were the best of friends and he was extremely humble…he really was perfect.“…he was my drug. All I needed to keep my perfect world balanced and myself grounded.”Monroe Cassidy was also perfect, she was drop dead gorgeous, she had her soulmate as her husband, she had the perfect house and she had the perfect job, she was selfless and was an inspiration to many. She had people eating out of the palms of her hand. She ran houses for abused kids and she put all her time and effort into fundraising to build more houses and to bring the real life struggles of these kids to the forefront. She was a sounding board for them, a friend, a confidante and she adored everything about her life.“You and me. We’re a team. To the very end.”“To the very end.”It takes one thing to make perfect seem imperfect…what was once perfect may not be perfect forever…“You make me want things I shouldn’t want.”“You make me do things I shouldn’t do.”“You make me ask things I shouldn’t ask.”As I said Erin Noelle really blindsided me with this one and I love it when that happens, especially when the story delivered was so perfect. This book had me frantically page turning, with a small element of suspense I had my thoughts and theories and I just wanted what was best for both of them at the end of the day. I would love to go into details with this story, I just want to talk about it but for you the reader, it would spoil everything so you just need to take my advice and go in completely blind. Like me, you will probably have your ideas, but they probably won’t be correct. But none the less, you will devour this story, it really is that good.The friendships within these pages brought me to tears, this group of friends really are the foundations for one another, they centre each other, they are each other’s confidantes and the trust that they have within their group was faultless and implicit. They would literally lay their lives down for one another.Erin Noelle delivers a poignant story with some great banter, great dialogue and a plot that was unexpected. I loved every single thing about this book. The prologue immediately pulls you in and then leaves in you in a forever state of hyperawareness just waiting for it to kick in. This is a book that made me think and made me reflect on the life of Monroe and Colin. I admired what they had and what they had achieved but I was also desperate for more for both of them. Love is such an amazing thing in all its guises and this book showed that down to the bones. It was such a beautiful story, I shed many tears but I had a lot of laughs too and that goes to show how perfectly balanced this book was. So why not five stars…personal preference, I wanted more at the end and I have everything crossed for more from two particular characters in this book. Kudos to Erin Noelle on delivering something different, something unexpected but most of all something perfect. Totally LOVED it.(I highlighted so much in this story, but way too many of them are spoilers, so I am vague quoting so I don’t spoil it for you.)

Adored this read, it was so much more than just a love story, it was about how the perfect life is an illusion. Illusions are not meant to be for a reason but this story shows that the truth always comes out and hiding the perfect life is pointless because nothing good ever comes of it.I adored Seth in this book, he knew what he wanted, so did Colin. Oliver was swoonworthy and I kind of want him to adopt me with Monroe!So much love for this book!

This story was just an okay read for me I found it too sickly sweet in some parts. Oliver was a bit too much on the nerdy side for my liking especially with all that Grease malarkey they had going on between himself and Monroe.

We all make sacrifices in life sometimes for yourself & also those around you. So there are quite a few people in this story who do this, as we are confronted with the truth early on in the piece. A perfectly constructed life for some maybe but not for all. This is so true as the years pass & life, love & feelings get in the way. Colin's life is virtually centred on his football, Monroes & Oliver's is Mending Hearts, Seths is his friends. So what happens when their worlds collide? Then we have the basis for this story, a perfectly constructed life unravels.So your journey begins. It's not overly angsty but yet you feel for the characters, which are very well developed. Oliver is not your usual H, being the nerdy geeky hipster type. Colin seems to be more norm or is he? Monroe while beautiful is damaged. You wanted all of them to have a HEA so you'll need to read it to find out. Lol ❗️ ❓