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Perfect Paperback – December 1, 2002

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,580 ratings

The bestselling author of Paradise comes a new spellbinding tale of passion and adventure. Having lived through a turbulent childhood, Hillary knows that life is not always fair and most people deserve a second chance. What she doesn't know is that she will find the man of her dreams in a most unlikely place, and that they will kindle a passion and find a love that will go beyond any measure.
"Layla" by Colleen Hoover for $7.19
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover comes a novel that explores life after tragedy and the enduring spirit of love. | Learn more

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pocket (December 1, 2002)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 704 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0743474171
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0743474177
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.35 pounds
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,580 ratings

About the author

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Judith McNaught
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New York Times bestselling author Judith McNaught soared to stardom with her stunning bestseller WHITNEY, MY LOVE. Since then she has gone on to win the hearts of millions of readers around the world with her breathtaking novels. Visit her at www.judithmcnaught.com

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
1,580 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the storyline engaging with suspense and intrigue. They appreciate the well-developed characters and their emotional connection to each other. The writing style is described as great, easy to read, and perfect for words. Readers praise the authenticity, sincerity, and warmth of the characters. They love the romance between Zack and Julie. However, some feel the pacing is too slow and the story has too much Hollywood elements.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

68 customers mention "Storyline"63 positive5 negative

Customers enjoy the storyline. They find it adventurous, with suspense, intrigue, romance, and humor. The plot weaving, character development, and brilliant vocabulary make several scenes a true pleasure. Readers describe the book as one of the best romance novels they've read. The story has twists and turns that touch their hearts.

"...and actors/actresses in connection to the hero, Zack, makes several scenes a true pleasure...." Read more

"...: One of my all time favorite books, this book has action, suspense, mystery, a sexy leading man, a strong heroine, a full and complete story and a..." Read more

"...It is passionate and exciting and romantic at the same time. It contains a mystery to be solved as well as family secrets to be revealed or not...." Read more

"...real and the emotions and turmoil so strong that the stories come to life before your eyes. I am hooked after these two books!..." Read more

31 customers mention "Character development"26 positive5 negative

Customers enjoy the characters' development. They find the characters wonderful, fascinating, and detailed. Readers feel what the characters feel and appreciate the links between characters from other novels. The heroine is strong and the story has twists and turns.

"...McNaught’s books are always character driven and it’s impossible not to fall absolutely in love with them...." Read more

"...this book has action, suspense, mystery, a sexy leading man, a strong heroine, a full and complete story and a sense of romance and drama...." Read more

"...McNaught books I have read, but her writing style and character development are so real and the emotions and turmoil so strong that the stories come..." Read more

"...You will laugh and cry, you will feel what the characters feel. Judith McNaught is a gifted writer - she can make you feel like you are there!..." Read more

26 customers mention "Heartwarming"26 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's heartwarming story. They find it touching, with suspense and drama leading to an emotional happy ending. The characters are well-developed, and the emotions are evoked through laughter and tears. Readers appreciate the passionate love story that makes them believe in true happiness.

"...who are illiterate; the fact that these two groups are treated with compassion and sensitivity, that they’re intrinsically linked to Julie’s actions..." Read more

"...It is passionate and exciting and romantic at the same time. It contains a mystery to be solved as well as family secrets to be revealed or not...." Read more

"...style and character development are so real and the emotions and turmoil so strong that the stories come to life before your eyes...." Read more

"A wonderful book filled with love, daring and suspense. You will laugh and cry, you will feel what the characters feel...." Read more

17 customers mention "Writing style"17 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's writing style. They praise the brilliant vocabulary, witty dialogue, and easy reading. The book promotes literacy, giving readers a point of reference for the fictional characters.

"...It also gives the reader a point of reference for the fictional characters; you know who Glenn Close is and what she looks like and why Julie might..." Read more

"...and PERFECT are the only two McNaught books I have read, but her writing style and character development are so real and the emotions and turmoil so..." Read more

"...Judith McNaught is a gifted writer - she can make you feel like you are there! This is a great book, I couldn't put it down...." Read more

"...to your books, but oh dear, what a welcome treat - you are an awesome writer, your talent and skills are magnificent - the main characters seem so..." Read more

4 customers mention "Authenticity"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's authenticity. They find the characters realistic and relatable, with a genuine and fun-loving attitude.

"...I am hooked after these two books! Julie is such a big-hearted and sweet character, even from the first chapters when she is a child and..." Read more

"...and skills are magnificent - the main characters seem so ALIVE AND REAL, SO SWEET AND TENDER, SO ENDEARING AND IMMORTAL - making me wish to go back..." Read more

"...The characters are current, real and they make you laugh, cry, love and cheer them on. The sex is hot and the diverse romances are beautiful...." Read more

"...These characters could have been so detailed and rich and real, but instead they became a foil for convoluted plot lines...." Read more

4 customers mention "Romance"4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the romance between Zack and Julie. They find the story engaging, with an adventure and a web of deception.

"Such a wonderful story. Julie and Zack have an adventure, and a tangled web of deception interwoven. The story will charm any reader." Read more

"...I loved the romance between Zack and Julie, and I felt like I could perfectly picture the Colorado house they stayed at...." Read more

"...Most of all I love Zack and Julie’s love, something we all aspire to have." Read more

"...Zack and Julie love is all consuming and warms your heart. The book is well written and has many facets...." Read more

6 customers mention "Pacing"0 positive6 negative

Customers dislike the pacing and find the story corny and childish. They say it's not a good book and has too much Hollywood. The book started out great but then gave up.

"This book had too much Hollywood. The book started out great, and then gave up...." Read more

"the story is corny, very corny, almost childishly corny - but something there worked for me, and I liked it, and even enjoyed it very much...." Read more

"...The "hero" fluctuated between brutally heartless to embarrassingly sappy. The story was far too wordy with WAY too much repetition...." Read more

"...After the saga of Paradise,this book was a painful disappointment." Read more

4 customers mention "Repetition"0 positive4 negative

Customers find the story repetitive and wordy. They also mention that the storyline becomes unimaginable and shallow by the middle of the book.

"I love the story line but sometimes the author repeats unnecessarily. Furthermore she needs a better proof reader...." Read more

"...It just becomes so unbelievable and shallow by the middle of the book that finishing it was a chore." Read more

"...The story was far too wordy with WAY too much repetition...." Read more

"...Too much drama. Too many useless characters. Too many subplots that are interjected but have no resolution at the end of the book...." Read more

Disappointing
1 out of 5 stars
Disappointing
This book is OLD and torn. You can't even read the title anymore. Never again.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2018
    Judith McNaught is one of those authors that you wish had more books available and you want to cry when you turn the last page because the book has ended. I just bought the ebook format but I’ve read the book many, many times and loved it each time. It’s not my favorite book by this author but it’s the only one to inspire me for a cause: illiteracy. McNaught’s books are always character driven and it’s impossible not to fall absolutely in love with them. Even the secondary characters are more than just there to drive the story of the main characters. Sadly, in this particular book there’s a few of the secondary characters who don’t get the kind of development that they deserve and either just disappear without any explanation or who don’t have their backstory given enough attention. While this certainly isn’t a major flaw in the overall story, it’s annoying enough that every time I’ve read this book it bothers me. Unlike “Paradise,” the story of two secondary characters here, parts of the plot seem forced and unlikely. Specifically, the investigation of the murder for which the hero is convicted and the actions of the true killer after the hero escapes prison; today phone calls are much easier to trace than when the book was written but the police investigation is so poor, even without the advances in forensics we’ve all grown familiar with through shows like “CSI,” that it’s implausible. And that implausibility, so central to the plot, really gets in the way of the story; it’s hard to see how to correct this major problem with the story without really changing the tenor of the book and dragging the plot down, though. I suggest that you simply ignore the problem and imagine that the jury was bribed to convict. Once you do that the story works. Especially given the identity of the true killer and their motivation.

    Outside of that plot contrivance, this is a magnificent bad boy/good girl love story. I think my favorite part is that the heroine starts out as an example of the very real failings of both the education system and the foster care system. At the start of the story Julie, the heroine, is illiterate and has not only given up on herself, she’s accepted that the fault is in her character. As an adult, Julie becomes an elementary school teacher who works with children with disabilities and adult women who are illiterate; the fact that these two groups are treated with compassion and sensitivity, that they’re intrinsically linked to Julie’s actions and feelings, is such a triumph for the author. Illiteracy is a huge problem and by making an important group of secondary characters illiterate, McNaught really drives home how the simple joy of reading is denied to many women without making it their fault. McNaught is careful to point out how factors like poverty, illness and flaws in the education system are the root cause for many women and how they can get trapped into a life of poverty, abuse and despair while being negatively stereotyped. I have to admit that Julie’s ladies could have taken up chapters of their own and I wouldn’t have thought it detracted from the story!

    Although it really dates the book, the mention of actual movies and actors/actresses in connection to the hero, Zack, makes several scenes a true pleasure. It also gives the reader a point of reference for the fictional characters; you know who Glenn Close is and what she looks like and why Julie might feel insecure comparing herself to Michelle Pfiffer whereas fictional actresses in place of the real ones wouldn’t have the same visualization and impact in the story. In an historical novel any real people are firmly fixed in their timeline whereas here Julie dancing with Patrick Swayze only serves to highlight that although a contemporary story, it’s not one set in the present. (As if the lack of cellphones and the use of pay phones wasn’t clue enough?) But even so, this is a book that’s held up well to time. If it was written with smartphones, tablets and all the other electronic gadgets there’s no way the story works and that would be a shame because Judith McNaught delivers a book well worth reading.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2018
    "I love you, Julie. I loved you in Colorado. I love you here, where I am. I will always love you. Everywhere. Always.”

    FINAL DECISION: One of my all time favorite books, this book has action, suspense, mystery, a sexy leading man, a strong heroine, a full and complete story and a sense of romance and drama. I've loved this one for years and it doesn't disappoint after decades of reading it.

    THE STORY: Julie Mathison has done everything she can to do live an exemplary life after being adopted. On a trip out of her small town, she is taken hostage by Zachary Benedict, the former superstar Hollywood actor and director who was convicted of murdering his wife. Zach has escaped from prison and needs Julie and her vehicle to get to to the place he will be temporarily hiding. At first desperate to escape her kidnapper, Julie soon is convinced that Zach is innocent.

    OPINION: I love this book. It is one of my all time favorite books. I love the heart of this story. Zach and Julie are such a wonderful couple.

    This is a long book, and I enjoy every page. The story has time and space to breathe in these pages. We get to see what formed these characters before they even meet and then we get to see their relationship develop, the problems that almost tear them apart and then a resolution. And that might be what I love most about this book -- when the "big problem" is resolved, the story is not over. Instead, we get to see the characters actually create their happy ending.

    Julie could have been written as a stereotypical do-gooder, but instead, she has complexity. Her reaction with Zach mirrors other events in her life so it doesn't feel like a stretch that she would turn her kidnapping into an advocacy for his innocence. I liked that she has morals even when she doesn't live up to them all the time.

    Zach is my favorite actor hero. I absolute loved how he is gobsmacked by his reaction to Julie. The cynical actor is enchanted with Julie who discovers Zach's secret soft heart.

    Not only is Zach and Julie's relationship sweet and romantic, the book allows other relationships to be explored. Parental love, sibling relationships, and friendships are all important in this story. All the characters in the book have complexity and interest. (We also get some side romances.)

    I especially enjoyed seeing Mathew and Meredith from PARADISE. They have significant roles in this book and the friendship between Zach and Matthew worked especially well.

    This book was written in the early 1990s and the pop culture references are from that time. The book does, however, clearly point to taking place at a particular time.including dates and years for the events rather than being a book that could take place in current times.

    WORTH MENTIONING: One of the significant twists in the story at the end has been negated by the subsequent changes from the original cover. The original pink with roses cover has an important role in the book itself so I'm rather sad that new readers might be left wondering what the characters are referring to at the end.

    CONNECTED BOOKS: PERFECT is the second book in the Second Opportunities series. This romance here is self-contained and it is not necessary to read the first book in the series. The couple from that series does, however, make a significant appearance here.

    STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.
    7 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Malcolm
    5.0 out of 5 stars My first romantic novel.
    Reviewed in Canada on November 13, 2022
    I don’t usually read romantic novels but this book changed my mind big time. The characters created by Judith McNaught are unmatched by any novelists. Julie from an 11 year old delinquent to a stunning school teacher and her love for Zach Benedict, his hostage in his escape from prison, was breathtaking. It was better than any romantic movie. Well worth you time and money. I found myself pulling for both of them till the good ending. Well done, Judith McNaught. I will be looking for your other books for sure.
  • Paulina Medina
    5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books that i've read
    Reviewed in Mexico on January 10, 2018
    Es mi segundo libro favorito y me encanta ❤ Judith Mcnaught siempre hace que mis emociones estén a flor de piel, sin duda una de las mejores en temática romántica.
  • Dr. Nirali Shah
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in India on April 5, 2018
    Loved it!!
  • Kerstin Roush
    5.0 out of 5 stars .
    Reviewed in Germany on June 20, 2015
    Judith McNaught ist one of my favorite authors. I have read all her books several times and I love them all.
  • donnaM
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Perfect Fantasy
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 1, 2010
    Well, my first JM book was 'Double Standards' and I really enjoyed that, which led me to seek out other books by her. 'Perfect' is my second JM book and I must say that I found it absolutely captivating - what an imagination! I enjoyed all the tongue-in-cheek celebrity name-dropping to give it Hollywood 'authenticity', the humour, the action of the escape and so on...this is contemporary romantic FICTION at its finest. I was riveted and almost on the edge of my seat in parts. I just could not put this book down and now have to catch up on lots of undone tasks! But, it was worth it - it livened up those grey summer days with the characters and as another reviewer mentioned - there was actually a story - an exciting one. The dialogue I found very realistic and entertaining. JM's descriptions are easy to visualise and really make the actions come to life. It was such a serious theme and I was surprisingly eager to embrace the good with the bad. I now look forward to my next JM. I would recommend this book to anyone with a sense of fun and looking for a 'break' from the daily grind.