This book, this book right here. OMG! I have never seen a more narcissistic, pompous ass in my life. Paul Strom is one major asshole. There were a few times when I just wanted to throw the book and pretend it was him.

However, I read on. I just could not believe the things that were coming out of his mouth. And, I couldn't tell which direction this was going. That made it very hard to guess at what was coming. Although the closer I got to the ending, I could see where it was heading.

Although this guy kept pissing me off and had me shaking my head, I was glad that I stuck with it. It just made the ending that much sweeter.

Thanks to Harlequin, Graydon House and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

At first glance, Paul Strom has everything a man needs to be successful in life: a high-powered career, a beautiful wife, two adorable sons, a lavish home in a great neighborhood, and a lake cottage for family getaways. And a getaway is just what Paul has planned for him and his wife -- a chance to escape daily life and to enjoy the "best day ever" together, especially since his wife has been very ill and her doctors cannot figure put why. Over the course of 24 hours, readers learn just what Paul has planned for this "best day ever", but his plans begin to unravel and he struggles to maintain control when he discovers he's not the one planning this getaway after all.

With a dark and twisty plot unwinding over the course of just 24 hours, it is easy to devour this story. Paul is not only an unreliable narrator but is a completely unlikable character. By midday, readers will be disgusted with his misogynistic views on women and his manipulative and controlling personality. He's a man who is used to getting his way, except this time he just might have to change his plans. Readers will enjoy following this domestic drama, even if they might need a shower afterwards to wash away Paul's creepiness.

This book is not what you think it is. And the intensity is overpowering. All I can say is Wow. Read. This. Book.

To begin, THAT COVER! I LOVE it! It just draws you in and makes you want to know what is on the other side!
This book was constantly challenging me. When I thought I figured it out, then Kaira threw another surprise my way.
I hated Paul so much that I loved him. He was so charming and devilish and just plan crazy! He reminds me on one of those creepy clowns - he stares at you, thinks evil thoughts about you and at the end will kill you and laugh about it. Such a weird comparison I know but it describes him perfectly.
On the other hand, Mia, I was impressed! I don't think I could ever keep the plans to myself and not crack or freak out or heck even go through with it all to begin with!
The roller coaster ride will have you guessing all the way till the very last page!
I would say more but I don't want to give it all away!

Paul and Mia have been together for ten years, but there's been a tension between them lately. Paul arranges the Best Day Ever for them--whisking Mia away to their lake house, where he plans a romantic dinner and maybe some other, ah, romantic activity.

The catch: Paul is an asshole. He's a creepy, chauvinistic, controlling d-bag. But he thinks he's the hero.

It's interesting to watch the story unfold through his unlikeable eyes. Hints are dropped and Paul's story--his circumstances--unfolds, but at no point does he recognize himself as the villain. At no point does he take any of the responsibility on himself. It's a little unsettling to read about a narcissistic psychopath outside of the news these days, and as much as I hated Paul (and we're supposed to), I still found this compulsively readable.

Via Netgalley.

Paul Strom is a psychopath, deranged and quite witty. This was a face paced read. I enjoyed Paul's dark and twisty attempts at humor.

Kaira Rouda has outdone herself here. Paul Strom is one of the more interesting characters I've come across in recent years. While the domestic/psychological thriller seems to be quite the trend these days, this is a story with a real fresh feel. I was eager to know what was going to happen next and the unique way this was narrated really kept me engaged. Don't let the comparisons to other popular novels dissuade you from picking this up. You will thank me later!

I liked this book and it was a quick read. It was different for the "bad guy" to be the narrator and I enjoyed that.
But since it was written in first person, I felt like I was always 10 steps ahead of the narrator. I could anticipate everything that was going to happen.

I want to find a way to share my thoughts on this novel without spoiling anything, as the level of suspense is strong and the author keeps you guessing throughout. So I thought about Saved by the Bell, which inspired one of my casting choices. I wrote about this concept in my personal blog a while back:

“I found it interesting that Zack was the protagonist because he acted selfishly most of the time. He would do some manipulative thing in order to get Kelly to go out with him and it would somehow backfire. However, he'd still end up being the good guy somehow. Maybe because the show was from his perspective? If Slater had been the lead narrator of the show, Zack would have totally come off as a jerk. It's just amusing that Zack will do something appalling but then we'll cheer for him to come out on top, even when his friends are trying to teach him a lesson.”

Having said that, I did not like Paul Strom at all. He was full of himself and totally sexist. He felt like he was entitled to everything he set his sights on, including his in-laws’ money. However, one part of me sympathized with him and wanted to see what he was capable of pulling off. (What’s wrong with me?!?) This is the effect of a narcissistic womanizing narrator whose specialty is gaslighting. He can do no wrong and everyone is plotting against him with their lies. Sound like someone who is in the news a lot?

I was uncomfortable reading Paul’s narrative, but I believe that’s the effect Kaira was going for because I couldn’t put this book down once I was in the thick of it. I just had to know what would happen next, even while wanting to smack Paul upside the head and tell him how obnoxious he is being.

The story is told in time blocks of a single day, starting in the morning and going into the middle of the night, up through the following morning. The only issue I had was with all the flashbacks that would interrupt a current thought or moment before getting back to it a few pages later. This structure threw me off sometimes.

Overall, I was immersed in the story and can’t stop dwelling over it. If you are looking for a suspenseful read, you’ll want to check this one out! I would give it 4.5 stars, if half stars were an option.

Since this would make for a great movie, here are my casting choices:
Paul: Mark-Paul Gosselaar
Mia: Emily Wickersham
Buck: Josh Duhamel
Gretchen: Bailey Noble
Rebecca: Mary Lynn Rajskub
Waiter: Kerr Smith

What a cleverly written book! I certainly didn't fully suspect the climax to be the way it was but there were hints in the story as it was slowly yet surely unfolding. This is my first book by Kaira Rouda and I have to say her storytelling talent really stands out in Best Day Ever.

Best Day Ever is written in the perspective of the husband, Paul, and it's easy to fall into his mind and see what he sees. Although little hints are dropped throughout the story about his mentality, one would think he was just arrogant and very sure of himself. Paul and his wife are on a journey of rediscovering their marriage and from their entire car ride to their vacation home to stopping for food to finally arriving at their vacation home, everything was detailed and so much fun to read!

Was Paul crazy though or was his wife just imagining things? You'll find out as you reach toward the ending of the book. I half expected something else to come up entirely in the prologue, but the story did have a sort of HEA. I think you'll enjoy Best Day Ever if you're looking for a very clever and fun read filled with lots of details and intrigue.

Best Day Ever takes place over a 24 hr period. We live in the mind of an egotistical man who thinks he’s the KING of his castle and what he says goes. His name is Paul. Paul Strom that is. He’s taking his wife to their lake cottage to have the BEST. DAY. EVER! Nothing and I mean NOTHING will ruin his plans to make everything perfect.

I love books like this. One minute Paul’s talking about this subject and then the next we’re thrown back into the past. Page by page dark secrets unfold before us. I couldn’t read fast enough. I needed to know what was going to happen next. It was like a train wreck and I couldn’t look away.

The plot, the characters, the mood that Kaira Touda writes and sets makes for the almost perfect dark, thrilling, suspense book that everyone is talking about. Her writing is flawless and she does a fantastic job at making you feel uneasy being in Paul’s mind throughout the whole book.

At times, well let’s be honest, the majority of the book I wanted to kill Paul. I wished we had a reprieve and seen the perspective from Mia. I don’t know how many times I would’ve killed to read her mind. I also think parts of the book were overly descriptive. Maybe there was a reason for this but it made it hard to get into the book and at times I found myself skipping parts. Other than that I loved it.

Best Day Ever is a dark, thrilling ride that leaves you guessing right up until the very last page. At times you’ll get chills running up your spine and memories of the past come back to haunt you.

Thank you Netgalley and Graydon House for approving me!

Loved this one! Couldn't put it down. You know the narrator is a bad guy and something is going to happen between he and his wife, you just don't know what or when. He's a classic narcissistic psychopath and you're just waiting for him to be set off. Great pace and development of the character. Ending was great! I haven't enjoyed a psychological suspense this much in a while.

Best Day Ever

By: Kaira Rouda


Hey Guys! I'm back! Apologies for the delay. I have moved and well...its been a struggle. During that time I was able to finish this novel! I relieved this book from netGalley for an honest review. I was super excited to receive this. I had only heard good things about this novel. Look at the cover to this. It's stunning and a complete catcher to the eye! Love love love the cover to this book.

Unfortunately guys, this book did not do it for me. I am honestly not entirely sure why. I felt like it lacked the depth needed for it to be a true psychological thriller. It felt very vague and predictable. It had such a slow start which never picked up throughout the novel. While reading Best Day Ever I just kept waiting for something epic to happen. Waiting and waiting and waiting. Never happened. I never had that "oh My Gosh" moment. As i said, it was just very predictable to me. I feel like this type of plot has been published, televised, HollyWood-ed, waaayyyyyy too many times for this book to be a thriller. Maybe the fact that these events could (sadly) happen to someone would make this the thriller it is said to be, but this plot has just been done before, done too many times before for me to like this book. I truly hope that makes sense. Bare with me. 



The thing I liked most about this was the uniqueness that this novel took place within 24 hours. Sadly, that was about it. 

Sorry guys, i really really really wanted to like this one. I read the whole book just waiting for that moment for me to truly like it. Just didn't work for me. 

Until next time Bookies,

DauntlessReading

Mia and Paul are on their way out of town for a lovely weekend up at the lake house. Paul has planned everything down to a tee, and nothing or no one is going to stand in his way of having the Best Day Ever. Paul is everything you could want in a man: charismatic, well-educated, hard-working, good looking, great provider, and he has planned the best day ever for his lovely wife Mia. Oh, and one more thing, he is narcissistic, full of rage, and has no conscience

This is a psychological thriller that examines the question; how well do you know the person you are married to? The story progresses rapidly and will keep you on the edge of your seat. Exactly who is Paul? Where did he come from? What makes him tick? You think you know what will happen, but the novel offers some twists and turns. It is a dark addicting read.

As one of the first books of 2017 that I have read in one sitting, this book definitely delivered suspense and WOW!

The author has done an amazing job really building the suspense throughout the entire novel. Due to the fact that the entire story takes place over a 24-hour period, it really pulls you in and refuses to let you go until end.

This book was incredibly dark and very suspenseful. I love characters who are just a little bit off and our main character was definitely great at making me ask "what the heck is wrong with you?" I thoroughly enjoyed this read and it will be one that I won't forget for quite some time now!

This book was provided by Netgalley for an ARC.
I'm so excited about this book! It just kept getting better and better the more pages I turned. The book is told from the husbands point of view for most of the book. Paul Storm is a very scary guy and you can tell from the start that something just isn't quite right with him. He has a wonderful wife and 2 boys but the more you learn about him the scarier it gets.
I couldn't seem to put this book down. I kept saying he's gonna kill his wife. It was quick read and kept me going for several hours! I would highly recommend this book to escape the daily grind of life. Happy reading friends!

Best Day Ever by Kaira Rouda is a highly recommended psychological thriller.

Paul Strom and his wife, Mia, leave their two sons with a sitter and head to their lake house for a relaxing romantic get-away weekend for two. Paul is a successful advertising executive. He and Mia live an enviable life in a large house located in a wealthy suburb. Paul describes this day, the day they are driving to their vacation, as the best day ever. As they drive, he tells us that they are a perfect family; Mia is a perfect wife for him and he is a perfect husband and father. Mia hasn't been feeling well lately and Paul wants this weekend to be a time of relaxation and a perfect vacation just for them.

As the two travel, Paul narrates the novel, telling us about his life, his expectations, and his marriage. Paul has such high hopes for the weekend, and even though there is tension between the two, he is sure this weekend will fix everything, but Mia's mood seems to be worsening. She is upset by a phone call he had to take before they left, and she doesn't want to listen to his carefully selected playlist. As Paul talks about his life and their marriage, soon it becomes clear that everything isn't quite as perfect as Paul describes it. And, along the way, Mia seems to becoming more and more obstinate and petulant. Perhaps the Strom's life isn't quite as perfect as Paul would have us believe.

This is a very well-written page-turner that will have you compulsively reading "just one more chapter" right up to the end. The chapters show the time of day that the action takes place as the book is set over a twenty-four hour period of time. Having Paul narrate the novel is a brilliant choice as his perfect veneer slowly starts to expose cracks, dents, and holes as the narrative progresses and he reveals himself as an unreliable narrator. And, through Paul's narrative, readers are going to surmise more about Paul's plans than he realizes. The tension begins to mount and becomes palatable as Paul's plans for the Best Day Ever start to unravel.

This portrait of a modern-day psychopath and narcissist is a brilliant thriller/suspense novel. Best Day Ever held my rapt attention from beginning to end. Only one small part toward the end held my rating back a bit.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Graydon House.
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AMZ. & B&N

Loved how this book shed some light on a real psychological disorder. The twists and turns as the day progresses keep you guessing at what the truth is behind every action and the motive for every conversation. But despite all this, as the title suggests, it really does end as the best day ever!

The story unfolds slowly, hooking you with its feel-good vibe of love and devotion. You relax into a typical setting of a happy young family; a husband and his beautiful wife taking a romantic weekend away from the kids to their beloved cottage at the lake. So what is it about this beautiful setting that’s wrong? You read with curiosity and an eye for detail, you don’t want to miss a thing because you don’t quite know what’s missing. The author has the reader guessing and hoping right up to the end.

Best Day Ever, told from the first person pov of Paul Strom, starts off with exposition about how Paul feels about his marriage and how the day trip he and his wife are making will be the "best day ever". As the story continues, the reader may start to notice that not everything is kosher with Paul's version of events. Ultimately, things unravel in fairly predictable order and the book ends with an epilogue from Paul's wife's pov.
There are some interesting things that go on, and reading a book from the pov of a character like Paul is fun. Unfortunately, I never got the feeling of "knowing" any of the supporting characters, nor did I get a good feel for who exactly Paul thinks he is. The other issue for me, was that the longer the story went on, the more Paul became a hollow caricature of the creature he is supposed to be.