Paul Strom and his wife Mia, the perfect couple with the perfect wife, are going to spend the weekend at their perfect cottage on Lake Erie. A perfect weekend. Narrated by Paul, the reader soon begins to realize that everything is not so perfect. Over a 24 hour period you begin to see just how psychopathic he really is. He reminded me of a Ruth Rendell character. I didn't want to stop reading it.
The ending was a little weak, with some actions by Mia which didn't add up, thus only four stars.

With a fast pace, Best Day Ever keeps you tied to a sociopath's view of the world throughout. Despite my growing horror at the reveal of the narrator's pathology, I found I could not put the book down, and finished it in less than a day. Excellent read, and great for a book club.

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Best Day Ever was one of my Best Books Ever! I loved everything about this book. Charming Paul who takes us along on his attempt to create the best day ever for he and his wife Mia. I loved being in his mind, it was fascinating. I loved each little tidbit I received along the way that allowed me to see just one more bit of the big picture. It was the perfect way to carry me and the story along. I loved how this book still makes me smile with the brilliance of it all. It's like I have a secret and I want to tell everyone but I won't cause that would make it so everyone couldn't have their own secret. It is just that thrilling though and makes me shiver with all of the goodness.

I absolutely recommend this one to anyone who loves this genre. This is the perfect example of twisty, turny, creepy goodness that keeps one flipping pages way too far into the night. Brilliant!

I received an advanced review copy of this book from the Great Thoughts Ninja Review Team. All opinions are my own.

Ever read one of those books where you know by the end of the first chapter that somone is slated to DIE, but you have to keep reading, because you want to see HOW the plan will fall out? THIS is one of those books. But there's a twist- you know one of the couple will die, but WHICH one? Who is planning to kill whom? Are they both planning? How well do they REALLY know each other? As the pages keep turning, the reader is drawn in, not wanting to like Paul, but finding themselves part of his narrative. The book si at once both dark and filled with energetic light, that crackles as it edges the reader close and closer to the inevitable confrontation. But will there be one? Will the plan succeed? You may find yourself going back and re-reading for clues you might have missed to the shocking conclusion! Don't miss this one- it's bound to be made into a movie before too long, but you need to read the spine tingler before it does!

This book gripped me from page one. I literally read it in two days--I couldn't put it down. Best Day Ever is a psychological thriller involving the narrator and protagonist, Paul Strom, and his wife Mia. The author does a great job of telling the story from Paul's POV, and the reader has a sense of foreboding from the first page. Soon, it becomes apparent that Paul isn't the honest, reliable narrator we initially believed him to be. Great fun to read--I highly recommend it.

"Life: it's transitory. And in life, there are always winners and losers. It's nice to be a winner."

Paul Strom is an ad exec and has created a lovely home for his wife, Mia, and their two boys. He's planned a perfect getaway weekend to their lakehouse so that he and she can enjoy some private, romantic time together. On their way to their retreat, however, cracks in their relationship that widen into chasms start to appear.

Narrated by the husband, this is a psychological thriller that is indeed dark and disturbing. Tension builds slowly as the reader anticipates where this will lead. Although I knew where it was going, the writing was engaging and it keep me hooked. There was something in this whole story, though, that really irritated me but I can't say what it is because of spoilers. It's a quick read because it is hard to put down so plan to read in one sitting!

"Best Day Ever" is a page turner. I couldn't put it down sometimes, because I just had to know what was going to happen next. I love an unreliable narrator, and Paul was really good. The only part I didn't like was the nearly tied up ending...one more twist would have made it 5 stars. Thank you to Netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review .

I enjoyed this book a lot and read it in one day. I was a bit taken aback by the editing and ebook formatting. I suppose it is because the book is an advanced reader version. This would have definitely been a five-star rating without that bogging it down.

If Amy Dunne/Gone Girl every had a brother or cousin, it would be Paul Strom. The book is told from his unreliable perspective in the span of 24 hours. Each chapter covers anywhere from fifteen to 45 minutes. One would think that not much could happen in that time that could fill an entire book. But when it starts with the premise of a romantic weekend and ends in attempted murder, there is plenty of action! We see everything through Paul's eyes at first, it is almost voyeuristic, and then we slowley start to put pieces together about the past that are leading to this vacation getaway for Paul and his wife.

This is one of the most suspenseful psychological thrillers that I've read in awhile. So many books have promised to be the next "Gone Girl/Girl On the Train" and have not lived up to those claims. I think "Best Day Ever" comes pretty close to it.

MY REVIEW OF "BEST DAY EVER' by Kaira Rouda

Kudos to Kaira Rouda, author of "Best Day Ever" on writing such a suspenseful, intriguing, chilling, and captivating mystery.  I love the way Kaira Rouda  layers and tells her story. I read this in one sitting and just could not put this down.  The genres of this novel are mystery, and thriller.

Are you sure you know the one you're with?  Who can you trust? I appreciate the way the author describes the characters and plot, and weaves details and clues. The author describes the characters as complex and complicated. There are secrets, betrayals, and unexpected surprises. I like the way the author describes the locations, the Lakehouse, and the home the characters live in. In one way, the lake is described as a former place for toxins, than slime, in contrast it as beautiful and relaxing.

Paul Strom is presented as a successful businessman, with a perfect wife and family and is taking his wife away to  "The Lakehouse" for 'THE BEST DAY EVER'. I love the way this phrase is used throughout the book, with added information. What could go wrong? Mia, is beautiful and a terrific mother. Unfortunately Mia hasn't been feeling well, but Paul promises to make this trip away "THE BEST DAY EVER".

There is an unexpected phone call that delays their trip 30 minutes, and Mia doesn't seem like herself. The interaction during the trip has building tension, and we learn more details of  their lives. Of course Paul still wants this trip to be the best day ever. No matter what.

I highly recommend this captivating and intense novel with drastic twists and turns. The ending is amazing!! I received this ARC for my honest review.

A quick, fun read. Somewhat predictable but with enough twists and turns to keep you intrigued about what will be revealed next.

They live among us-everybody has likely met one- (but you probably don't know it-hiding in plain sight is their M.O.) They're the most charismatic, charming, exciting and good looking person in the room. They hang on your every word-making you feel like you're the only person in the world. Every day is a holiday, every night a party, and you can't help but getting swept off your feet. But it's all an act-lurking behind the charm and bravado are self centered and tormented souls who couldn't care less about your feelings- because they are incapable of feeling anything for anyone but themselves. Such is the case with Paul Strom-protagonist of Kaira Rouda's chillingly sinister novel Best Day Ever. Paul is literally dripping evil-sometimes you want to slam the book shut just to get away from him. Paul appears to be living the American dream-great job, adoring wife and sons, biggest house on the block-but he is hiding a much darker reality from everyone around him-especially his unsuspecting wife Mia. When Paul and Mia head off for a day at their lake front cottage (Paul promises it will be their "best day ever"), you know the outing is not going to end well. The plot takes place over a tense 24 hours-as revelations unwind like a spool of thread, and Mia and Paul play a scary game of cat and mouse. The Best Day Ever is intense, thrilling and most definitely clever.

The Best Day Ever was an amazing book. I could not put it down once I started reading it. The writer engaged me from the beginning and made me wonder about these characters. I kept guessing and guessing, but could not figure them out. The book is very suspenseful. I really enjoyed it!

When I first starting reading this book, I didn't know what to expect as I haven't ready anything by this author before. As I read more, I begin to dislike the main character, Paul. As I read more, I disliked him more and the way he talked about his wife Mia. Normally I don't read books like this because I don't like the way the main character controlled and mentally abused his wife. However, as I read the book to the end, I begin to see hope for Mia, strength in her character, support from Buck, etc. I loved the ending. I work in a middle school library so I would not recommend this book for my library. However, I would recommend for higher grades and Young Adults.

A good read. It took a while to get to know and follow the characters. I thought I was following where the tale was going but kept finding twists and turns which made me want to find out. A good ending.

What did I just read? I love this. I couldn't put it down. Wow! I think I'll read it again!!

A psychological thriller you don't want to put down!

I am really torn on this book. On the plus side, I couldn't put this book down. Even though the course this book takes is fairly predictable, it still had me wanting to find out if I was right or not. On the negative side, the writing style just didn't do it for me. Maybe it was intentional but it felt like a high school essay or something of the sort.

The Best Day Ever was the best kind of creepy book. From start to finish, the reader knows that the narrator is bad, but it takes a bit to figure out just how bad. I have told everyone I know to get this book!