The Perfect Ones - by Nicole Hackett (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Two days after arriving in Iceland for a promotional trip, Instagram influencer Alabama Wood goes missing. With no leads, the Icelandic police start their investigation by focusing on the two influencers seemingly closest to Alabama on the trip: Celeste Reed, Alabama's best friend of ten years, and Hollie Goodwin, fitness guru and Alabama's unwilling idol"--

Book Synopsis

A picture-perfect trip goes horribly wrong in this fast-paced exploration of friendship and the dark side of social media, perfect for fans of Lucy Foley and Andrea Bartz.

Everyone wants to be them, but internet fame comes at a price...

Two days after arriving in Iceland for a promotional trip, Instagram influencer Alabama Wood goes missing. With no leads, the Icelandic police start their investigation by focusing on the two influencers seemingly closest to Alabama on the trip: Celeste Reed, Alabama's best friend of ten years, and Hollie Goodwin, fitness guru and Alabama's unwilling idol.

Celeste and Alabama have grown apart recently because Celeste has been too distracted by her five-year-old's behavioral issues and her husband's refusal to admit that there's a problem. What Celeste doesn't tell them is how she has been coping with these worries and how it involves Alabama in ways no one would guess.

On the outside, Hollie appears to have everything--the husband, the body, and over one million Instagram followers. In reality, however, Hollie came to Iceland to escape the implosion of her life behind the screen. The only person who suspected something amiss behind Hollie's precisely filtered pictures is Alabama.

As secrets are revealed and loyalties are tested, debut author Nicole Hackett asks: do we control our online image, or does it control us?

Review Quotes

Praise for The Perfect Ones
"[A] cleverly constructed thriller . . . with many detours and surprises."
--Kirkus Reviews

"A savvy, witty thriller in which Nicole Hackett focuses an unfiltered lens on social media influencers. The Perfect Ones is a timely reminder that there are two sides to everyone, even those you think you know, and that perfection can only ever be an illusion."
--Emma Bamford, author of Deep Water

"An influencer trip goes terribly awry in this character-driven drama. Nicole Hackett expertly scrutinizes online culture intersected with mental health; this razor-sharp debut novel is unputdownable, and the scenery of Iceland makes the chills drop. You won't know where Hackett is steering you until the very last page!"
--Elissa R. Sloan, author of The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes

"We devoured this thrilling romp through Iceland in one sitting! An influencer trip gone wrong sets the stage for this stunning debut--with an ending you won't see coming."
--Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke, authors of How to Save a Life

About the Author

Nicole Hackett lives near Baltimore, Maryland with her husband, and two children. She works as a biochemical patent agent for a law firm based in Washington, DC.