Perfect Strangers

Critics Review

• Rare and very refreshing … a novel where middle-aged women are represented in all their wise, sensual, flawed complexity. I enjoyed it SO much

  Marian Keyes

• A psychological thriller in the truest sense of the word: a thoughtful examination of the psyche of three credible women with baggage and flaws. So much will resonate: not least Hall’s exploration of gender politics and motherhood. At points I was folding pages repeatedly. Deeply unsettling. Recommended.

  Sarah Vaughn

• A brilliant exploration of the secrets and hidden lives womn create for themselves as they try to navigate their way through life. The friendships are real and touching, the relationships are consuming and passionate. I read this in no time and really enjoyed the pace, flow and insights Araminta writes about. A fabulous novel of modern love, life and people, with an excellent twist.

  Dorothy Koomson

• Imperfect Women is a painfully honest, haunting portrait of friendship, betrayal, marriage and disappointment. While Hall is able to keep you on the edge of your seat (and awake much later than you should be) she can also make you weep, such is her insight and lack of judgement of the human condition. A beautiful book that will stay with me for a very long time.

  Dolly Wells

• ‘A stunning, dark novel about who women want to be and the reality of who they are. Beautifully written, thought-provoking and should not be missed.

  Samantha Downing

• It’s been clear from the start that Araminta Hall has a talent for telling unpalatable truths and Imperfect Women is no exception. Expertly peels the layers from the everyday lies we tell each other, and ourselves

  Sarah Hilary

• Dark, visceral, proper psychological thriller with a powerful feminist agenda.

  Laura Wilkinson

• Beautifully written and expertly structured – a masterclass in psychological thriller writing.

  Simon Lelic

• An immersive, intelligent and gripping exploration of the deep wells of female friendship and what it means to be a woman in a world made by and for men. Hall gives us three flawed female characters and shows how their expectations of life are thwarted in different ways, exploring their relationships and enticingly messy behaviour with compassion, even in the darkest of deeds.

  S.E. Lynes

• A stunning example of the new breed of “psychological thriller” with a deep dive into the conflicted worlds of three brilliantly-drawn female characters, irradiated by a terrible crime. A pitch-perfect, meticulously-observed and utterly absorbing novel.

  Philippa East

• A slow-burning, tense build to a furious conclusion. Female friendships and the compromises women make are explored in stark detail, and through three different perspectives the story develops to a pleasing and very just ending. It’s great.

  Harriet Tyce

• A dark take on friendship and festering secrets that had me turning pages well into the night.

  Caroline Hulse

• Toxic relationships, crushed hopes & rebuilding yourself from rock bottom… a fabulous novel.

  Liv Matthews

• A tense psychological story about female friendship and bad choices.

  Julie Cohen

• A perfect slow burning thriller that beautifully dissects the complexities of female friendship and the choices women make.

  Nikki Smith

• Not only a deeply satisfying psychological thriller but an insightful and sometimes disquieting exploration of relationships, families and the challenges and pressures confronting women today.

  Cara Hunter

• A brilliantly unsettling exploration of secrets and lies.

  Jo Spain

• A psychological page-turner of a story that deftly explores the dark and confronting dualities of womanhood. I read hungrily it in a day.

  Laura Jane Williams

• The story of three female friends and the equally imperfect men in their lives. It’s about deception, disappointment & murder. It’s also about female friendship and platonic love, which cuts through the darkness. Gripping stuff!

  Paul Burston

• A dark, delicious thriller which holds the complexity of female friendship at its heart. I loved it.

  Louise O'Neill

• A cracking read.

  Steph McGovern