I came to this book without any background knowledge of preconceptions. The first person style isn't usually my bag but I quickly became intrigued as to where the characters were going. We are introduced to Paul and his younger beautiful wife, Mia. They are setting off on a long awaited chidfree weekend. To be honest I felt that the book was a bit of a slow burner but I didn't want to give up and I'm so pleased that I didn't and I became more and more drawn in to the relationship and how the story developed. Some interesting twists and turns but I don't want to give the plot away - I would not want to meet Paul to be honest but the characterisation was well drawn.

From the onset I found myself rapidly reading this book, drawn in by Paul Strom. However, despite the growing menace of his nature and sinister plans, I was frustrated by the term Best Day Ever. I realise that how his warped mind would have sent him back on track after his setbacks, but it was a little repetitive. Also, for Mia it a bit little too contrived that Buck would have had his background. Overall quite readable but not as exciting as billed.

I have never read anything by Kaira Rouda until I received my ecopy of Best Day Ever from Netgalley so I had no idea what to expect. What I got was a dark thrilling narrative in the first person which became more and more sinister as time went on, made even more so as Paul Strom seemed to draw the reader in as if they were in some way colluding with him.

It was obvious from the beginning that his is a very damaged soul, but at times I did almost understand that his upbringing was very much to blame. But then again, was it? With his narcissistic nature one cannot really believe his interpretation of any incident or event.

I was totally engrossed in his monologue even though I was sure where the storyline was going because his attitudes and insights were really so twisted that one almost couldn't believe what he was saying.

I actually felt that the book could just as easily have stood without Mia's narrative as in comparison to Paul's it felt a bit weak.

I will be sure to look out for this author in future.

I wanted to love this book, but I felt that some of the writing was unnecessary - too much tell instead of show and this detracted from the story somewhat for me. The character Paul Strom is the most unlikeable character I have read for a while in a book, and this is how he is designed to me so this works well, but some of his dialogue feels very stilted. I read to the end and the ending was satisfying and did perhaps leave itself open for a sequel.

A disturbing but strangely compelling read!

The book is told from the perspective of Paul Strom who you quickly discover is a thoroughly vile and loathsome character who is so full of his own self-importance that you just want to jump in the book and wring his neck whilst giving him a good slap!!!! I don't think I have ever disliked a character as much as Paul Strom .... I was desperate to see if/when he got what he deserved.

The book is not what I would call action filled but it is a slow burner and, I feel, this was deliberately done by the author to create tension and a sense of "something's going to happen here" and although it's not a massive surprise when it does, it is rather satisfying.

Overall, a pretty good book from an author I will keep my eyes open for in the future.

Thank you to the publisher, HQ, via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

Paul Strom is a monster, but I thoroughly enjoyed hating him.

Vain, womanising, murderous, manipulative, violent and generally deluded, he is quite the best villain I have encountered in a long time. The horrible man even genuinely likes jazz – an unforgiveable fault in my eyes, usually – but yet as The Best Day Ever progresses, and you start to think that Strom can’t possibly top his previous dastardly deed with one even more heinous, he doesn’t disappoint the reader and you begin to reluctantly root for this bad guy and fasten your seat belt for a bumpy ride.

The Best Day Ever is a very American novel, with just that tantalising hint of retro melodrama to keep the pages turning. A very satisfying thriller indeed.

Many thanks to the author, the publishers and NetGalley for letting me read and review this book – it was mint!

It is a slow burner with a dynamic ending. This story is told in first person by Paul, the obnoxious husband of Mia. He believes he's living the whole suburban American dream and takes his wife on holiday to the Riverside Cottage. He swanks about his appearance, his achievements, his ruthless business dealings and his assets. He has a massive ego. It's very interesting to get inside a narcissistic head; a man who is hoist with his own petard. He handles life's ripples with a learned passive-aggressive manner. Throughout you can sense the simmering undercurrent between them but they are civil on the surface. Mia seems spiky and awkward and you know something may be going to kick off. A very gripping ending. I shall post this to Amazon, GoodReads and my Blog. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for letting me read it.

This is a slow burner. I read the first third of the book and was not particularly gripped, but then it rapidly hooked me and became a real page turner. Well written, entirely from the perspective of the errant husband, we gradually see that he is not the fine upstanding character that he purports to be. It is the story of a self obsessed and deluded controlling character, very well described, and we all want him to get his comeuppance! Does he?

Review from complimentary prepublication draft supplied by publisher.

This is an odd one. The blurb makes it sound like it'll be a dark, complex and dynamic story but unfortunately, the sole first-person narrator is so full of his own cleverness and 'amazing-ness', that it becomes monotonous very quickly. It's also really clear which way the story is going to go: I'm not sure which of the twists I wasn't supposed to see coming but I wasn't particularly surprised by any of the plot points. It did make me read on to see where it was going but unfortunately the ending was also a bit underwhelming.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for the opportunity to read the ARC of Best Day Ever.

After reading the blurb I was looking forward to a good psychological thriller, however to be honest I didn't really enjoy it. I found the storyline relatively slow and I have to say, I guessed what was happening quite early on, so there was no real surprise for me at the end. I found the characters somewhat lame and it just didn't pack enough punch for me.

To begin with I wasn't sure whether the style of the book worked for me. However, I found myself getting immersed in the plot and realised that the way it's written is quite clever as in how it gets you thinking. A good read.

I read this book in a day, once I got into it I couldn't put it down. The story is mainly told from Paul's point of view. He tries to portray himself as a great guy, husband and father but nothing could be further from the truth. A great psychological thriller and in my opinion worthy of 5*

I enjoyed this book and felt the characters were realistic. I was disappointed in the ending as really felt the husband needed a just reward for all his misdemeanors!

Definitely a different and interesting book. Enjoyed reading the way he saw things and how a perpetrator thinks. Very much a narcissist. Would have liked to have more of the wife's feelings and speech. Maybe a second book? Overall fantastic

I found Best Day Ever to be somewhat predictable and was halfway through the book before anything really happened. The premise of the book was good but I felt, sadly, that it just lacked a little something. It was a pleasant enough read though.

Thank you to NetGalley, Grayson House and the author for the chance to review.

Totally sucked in by this tale. Loving husband plans the idyllic weekend away and it all goes pear shaped. What starts out as a simple first person narrative soon transcends into something truly dark and menacing. The reader hears the voice of Paul Strom, a character with a way to go. Loving, considerate husband, successful in his career and wanting to do his best by his wife. She has issues. Who's the unreliable narrator in a twisted tale of deceit, menace and lies?

This is difficult to review without giving away the outcome. I liked the tight and intricate plotting which placed the principle characters in the centre throughout. Although the reader has a first person narrative, it involves the main players and leaves much open to interpretation. Paul is clearly a committed and loving provider for his wife and family. But his perfect life is not all it seems and there's a subtext which becomes clearer with each page. Complex, gripping and horribly plausible,
I was desperate to know how this ends. Brilliant.

OK book that held my interest. The start was very slow and I felt it was a little predictable!

Absolutely brilliant.
The author does a magnificent job of maintaining a first-person narrative, whilst drip feeding snippets that make the reader feel increasingly uneasy.
I don't want to give anything away, but do read it.
It's fantastic!

A very readable novel and unusual in its writing style. I don't believe Paul is untypical but his lengths to get rid of Mia pushes credibility a little too far. Did Mia suffer hair loss or only stomach pains? If the novel was trying to expose coercive, controlling behaviour it could have done a better job but that may have made it a little slow. Paul is the sort of guy perfectly suited to his job in advertising. I truly think he believes his own myth. I think the expression, "Up himself", best describes him. I liken the story to an asymmetric hill, a slow and steady ascent and following the cresting of the summit; a steep and faster descent. A hill I'm glad I walked but doubt I'd revisit.

I really enjoyed this book, particularly as it was told from an unreliable narrator which added a clever element. The story was told like a teaser which gradually came clearer as it progressed - like an onion it had many layers that were slowly revealed. I started off not knowing whether Paul was misunderstood and obviously by the end I has been disabused of that idea, which again shows the writing skill. A thoroughly well deserved 5 star read