A Perfect Stranger – ARC Book Review

Two marriages. Three little lies. Someone’s going to die…

I hold my breath as my handsome husband walks through the door. I’ve planned the perfect surprise birthday party for him. Our friends are gathered and the champagne is flowing. But when I catch the look in his deep brown eyes, I realise I’ve got this horribly wrong.

Then I see her. Danielle Baines. She’s the sort of ultra-polished woman who demands to be the centre of attention, with her salon-styled hair and diamonds glittering on her ring finger. I’ve never liked her. And I know the feeling is mutual. So why is she here?

All evening my stomach is churning. I’m desperate to smooth things over with Aiden as I can’t face another argument. And yet I can’t help but notice how careful he is to avoid Danielle…

Now it’s the end of the party and the man I love is confessing a secret that shocks me to the core. But it’s not what I was afraid of. It’s much worse. He says we’re in danger. He tells me we have to leave with our son. Turn our backs on the life we’ve built here and start again.

I thought I knew everything about my husband. But suddenly he feels like a stranger.
Should I trust him? And if I don’t, how can I protect my family?

Shalini Boland has become one of my favorite thriller authors and so I get excited when I get the ARC of her latest books. A Perfect Stranger is her latest psychological thriller.

The story talks about two couples–Marcus and Dani and Emily and Aiden. Marcus owns a successful car dealership business and both he and Dani had been trying to have a child. Aiden and Emily already have a son, Josh and Emily is expecting another baby. But when Aiden tells Emily that he was in debt and that their family should leave the comfort of their houses and move somewhere else under different name, Emily wonders how well she knew her husband. Dani meanwhile finds a terrible secret about her husband and wonders how well she knows her husband.

The story started a little too slow but then soon, it gained its momentum and became fast paced and page turner with twists and turns along the way. The story is told from Dani’s and Emily’s perspectives, mostly from Emily’s perspective. The author has managed to capture us readers into the story so making the reader feel like a part of the story. The story also describe the relationship with the spouses and mainly, talks about how much you know your partner and how trustworthy your partner can be. The ending was unpredictable, which actually made me give a higher rating and the twist at the end was actually completely unpredictable–did not predict that type of ending at all.

Overall, I actually enjoyed this fast paced thriller and managed to finish this book within two days. Worth four stars in my opinion.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.