The Perfect Ruin

Ivy Hill has been in therapy for years trying to restore some normalcy to her shattered existence. Twelve years ago, one person’s act destroyed her young life and awakened her desire for revenge; since then, she has searched in vain for the name of the perpetrator. When she learns that the person she’s looking for is allegedly Lola Maxwell, widely known as “the richest woman of color to live in Florida,” Ivy plots to infiltrate the Miami socialite’s life in order to slowly but completely ruin her. She begins by joining Lola’s charity, Ladies with Passion, and soon catches the eye of Lola’s gorgeous husband Corey. Before long, she becomes Lola’s confidante and Corey’s lover and is drawn into their hedonistic world. Not everyone is fooled by her charade, however, and it turns out that Ivy isn’t the only one plotting a perfect ruin. While the story is told mainly through the lens of Ivy, the author gives two characters a shot at narrating toward the end, adding to the complexity.