My Perfect Wife: An absolutely unputdownable domestic suspense novel Kindle Edition

The synopsis on the back was just the sort of plot I enjoy so i was really looking forward to reading this book, However, the blurb, to me, suggested something totally different to the story I actually read. I have waited a few days before writing my review as I was not sure that the storyline was straight in my mind, or that I understood who had behaved badly with or towards whom. I'm still not totally sure and I think a sequel would be entirely possible as the book left a lot of my questions unanswered. So here goes....Elizabeth is the wife of the dashing Lucas and mother to their two almost perfect children. They live in a splendid house called Copper Lodge. She spends her life trying to be the perfect wife and pleasing Lucas. After some sort of illness (we do not know any details) she now has the help of an au-pair called Agata from Poland. Meanwhile, Heather, the daughter of their closest neighbour who also happens to be the gardener at Copper Lodge returns to the village after several years to help her Dad with the gardens whilst her Mother is away. Heather shares some sort of past with Lucas which is slowly revealed throughout the book.Heather, Elizabeth, Agata and Lucas seem to dance around each other, as characters are slowly revealed and it is hard to work out who is the innocent amongst all the happenings. Up to the very end i was still trying to work out who was manipulating whom. Then a sting in the tail! I am still not sure that I have understood who the 'baddie' actually was, Hmmm ........ Overall I did enjoy the storyline despite the characters being quite unlikable and The fact that all my presumptions about the storyline were wrong.The story contains several trigger topics under-age sex, rape, abuse and exploitation to name but a few........A big thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and the author for my advance copy of the book.

I read this book in two days - I was hooked! It was definitely suspenseful, which I love. The only reason that I didn’t give it 5 stars is because I found myself confused from time to time, as the plot was so complex. Don’t let that stop you from reading it, though - I really enjoyed it!

This was a pretty good book. I wasn't sure who or what to believe but when the truth came out in the end, I couldn't believe it.

In this story everyone thought they knew what was right and wrong. But is anyone right or wrong. One person can think and ponder about what they believe is true, but money and sex turns everything to a distorted mess. Enjoy the book, it was entertaining.

While this was a good book I had a hard time at first getting into it. But towards the middle it really starts to capture my attention and the ending was really a good surprise. I would recommend it.

I gave the book five stars. It was captivating from page one. It had me trying to guess what the truth was going to turn out to beIt had me loving the bad guys and hating the good then just the opposite. Several time, I changed my mind and back againThis is a must read for sureYour gonna love it!

I finished the book -- quite an achievement, because it is so long-winded, and the characters are flat and not really very likable. I expected twists and turns, but had to (reluctantly) keep on reading just to find out what this story was all about, and which character was the real villain. And at the end of it all I'm still confused about a few matters. The dialogue is often cryptic and hard to understand. And no, I did not "fall for Lucas" as the author would have us do according to her epilogue! He remained just a "very handsome man" with very little personality. In this story the strings should have been pulled more tightly. Unfortunately a disappointing story.

I had no idea where this book was going, which is a good thing by me! I wish Elizabeth could have a happier ending and possibly some sort of Revenge taken out on Lucas.

I enjoyed the premise but struggled to enjoy the writing style as I felt the narrator jumped from subject to subject and told the reader quite a lot that would have been more enjoyable to be shown and realise for myself. The characters also didn't behave in an authentic way, but I understood why later on that this was to show unreliability in the narrative. This worked but the reasoning did not surprise me. The story centres on a woman who is fragile and is portrayed as weak, vulnerable, and we learn during the second half of the novel this is because she suffers from some kind of mental illness that's not fully described nor bears any semblance to any real known disorders I'm aware of having worked in psychological services, however the ending is satisfactory and adds a slightly original twist to the typical psychological thriller trope of woman-gaslighted-into-thinking-she's-mad, because in this instance it's true. A good idea, that I think could have been better executed so that it didn't fall into the predictable trap.

I am struggling with the book. Not sure what is going on with Elizabeth as she seems to change her character frequently. In fact all the characters have no substance at all. The plot, if there is one, is impossible to follow. It feels like the author hasn’t read what she wrote the day before and makes up a different story depending on the day. The whole thing is bizarre.

This novel is difficult to summarise as it does not fit neatly into a specific genre or category. It’s loosely based around the preparations for a party and its aftermath. The party is being hosted by handsome, charming Lucas who presents a successful persona to the outside world though in reality his finances are stretched to breaking point. Two women obsess over Lucas. Elizabeth is his beautiful wife. She’s always immaculately turned out, works hard to keep their home looking perfect and tries to please him in everything she does. Only Lucas knows of her mental health issues which she keeps hidden from the world. Elizabeth is full of insecurities and worries that Lucas may be having a fling with Agata their Polish au pair, or Heather, or maybe both.Heather grew up next door to Lucas and returns home to help her father prepare Lucas’ extensive garden for the party. Although Heather is initially presented as being happily settled with her long-term boyfriend, her old attraction to Lucas soon resurfaces. Heather wonders just how secure Lucas’ marriage is. She’s unsure how to interpret Lucas’ behaviour towards her. Is he being friendly or is it something more? She shares Elizabeth’s concerns about Agata and Lucas.As the party approaches uncertainties over Lucas intensify. Is he a good guy or is he bad? Of course, life is never that simple and Lucas is finally revealed to be both good and bad, a flawed human being just like the rest of us. Ultimately, the novel deals with the different identities we all adopt and how we attempt to see beyond the outward persona to the true character of others. The characters strive to present a good image to the outside world but some are hiding dark secrets and being downright deceptive. Heather even deceives herself, clinging to the idea that her father is loving and caring despite his physical abuse of her as a child and adult.I don’t normally enjoy character based novels like this, preferring a strong, well-paced plot. However this was so well written that it held my interest throughout. Recommended for those interested in the minutiae of human relationships or those who may enjoy action-packed novels but would like to try something different.

Good quality in terms of writing style and scene setting, but it seemed to miss so many opportunities to make you become immersed in the story. There was not a single character that could be considered worthy of actually caring what happened to them. (I felt most of them deserved a good slap to be honest). I was half way through the book before things became even mildly interesting, then unfortunately the climax was a sort of mishmash of happenings that failed to gel as a whole. Basically it seemed to run out of steam.

I almost gave up on this book halfway through as it didn't seem to be going anywhere. There are several threads of the story but all of them seem to be half-told; having finished the book, I understand why but as a reader it is frustrating. There were some elements that didn't ever seem to be fully explained, and I finished the book not entirely sure what was the truth, or indeed the point. I think the concept could have been clever but the writing needed to be stronger to support it, particularly around the stories of the supporting characters (e.g. the relationship between Heather and her father). I felt like explanations, such as they were, were flung quickly into the last couple of chapters and as a result I was left feeling unsatisfied and wishing I had quit when I first considered it.