The Perfect Friend by Barbara Copperthwaite

Alex and Carrie are both liars. They meet in a support group and Alex whose husband has left her, her two kids won't speak to her, becomes a surrogate mother to Carrie who is dying of cancer. Against Carry's wishes Alex sets up a charity donation for Carry. Carry has good reason not to want to attract attention to herself. Alex has anorexia and has been institutionalized against her will many times.

This is a psychological thriller that while reading I didn't trust either one of them. Normally I believe the character's in every book like this, but this was a bit over the top. It was very suspenseful during the first half of the book. It was hard to like either one of the character's because the more I read the more lies were revealed.

The book tries to succeed with the twisty turns that usually make for an addictive read. It was hard for me to invest in anything either character said or care what the outcome was. It had the feel of a contest between whom was going to tell the most convincing lies. It could just be me, but I felt more apathetic the more I read. I do like unreliable narrators when it isn't so obvious.

Thank you to Net Galley, Barbara Copperthwaite and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I found this book a little harder to get into compared to this authors other books but once I did...wow! This book kept me guessing, had all the right elements that keep you hooked all the way through. Another of this year's must reads.

Don't trust either Carrie or Alex. Seriously. You might be sympathetic to one or the other (although Alex makes that very hard) but both of them have secrets you won't learn right up front. They meet in a trauma group, appropriate given that Carrie has cancer and Alex is anorexic and estranged from her family. This isn't the best thriller of the summer but it's pretty darn good, with some twists and a few surprises. Thanks to net galley for the ARC. A good beach book.

The story of Alex, a self proclaimed liar and a new friend Carrie who is dying from a terminal illness. This book is easy to get into and keep turning the pages as you try to uncover who is lying and who is telling the truth. The deeper you get into this the plot twist is pretty epic and leaves you with your mouth hanging open wondering if you missed something at first! Is there such thing as the Perfect Friend? There is only one way to find out and that is to read this Psychological Thriller to find out!

This is a book that tells the story of friendship, but with the twist of lies and deception. Alex, the main character, is anorexic and attends a support group at which she meets Carrie, a woman with terminal cancer. From the beginning, Alex admits that she is a liar. She comes across as a sympathetic character since her husband and twins have left her and won’t have anything to do with her. Carrie is also a sympathetic character because of her diagnosis and the fact that she has no family or other friends who seem to care for her. The topics in the book are heavy ones, but the thing that is memorable is that no one can be trusted. There are many unbelievable twists and turns in this psychological thriller, so the reader is repeatedly fooled as to what is really happening. Even at the end of the book, I was gasping and saying to myself, “Huh? What just happened?” The book was a quick read and made for fans of thrillers who like to try to predict what will happen.

I love this author, she always delivers a wonderful, twisted and heart stopping read and this one was no different. In fact, this is her best book in my opinion, and that's saying something as all of her books are 5 star reads and my right at the top of my favourite thriller list. This is a sharp, fast moving and brilliant read, one that had me turning the pages late into the night although I had to be up early the next morning. I just couldn't put this one down. Another amazing read by this fabulous author. One not to be missed.

Alex is battling anorexia, while also dealing with the loss of her husband and children. She joins a support group for people going through various traumas and meets Carrie, who has terminal cancer. The two hit it off immediately and become best friends. When mysterious packages and envelopes start showing up, each bearing ominous messages, Alex is determined to find out who is after Carrie and why.
This book left my head reeling. There were so many lies that I didn't know who or what to believe. If you are in the mood for a good thriller, then I think you have met your match.

Alex Appleby is a dressmaker and, I feel, a very nice person. A very nice person with some big issues. And the issues are those shared by many...we think…! I really liked The Perfect Friend, by Barbara Copperthwaite. It has great twists and turns, ups and downs and surprises. Ms. Copperthwaite is very successful in describing Alex's surroundings and feelings. While reading, I had a great deal of empathy for all of the characters.

Without giving too much away, the difficult lives of a person with anorexia and a person with terminal cancer are so well described, I was truly depressed for them both. The descriptions of symptoms may have gotten a little bit repetitive, but not to the point of being annoying. The plot does remind me a little bit of other popular books I’ve read recently, but that’s OK. This is still a book worth reading and I appreciate the thought the author put into this story. The ending might surprise you!

Wow, just when I thought I had figured out what was going on in this story the author twisted everything around and left my head spinning. There are twists throughout which had me constantly second guessing myself. Then she leaves us with an epilogue which totally blew everything out of the water.

A brilliant read which kept me guessing all the way through and which I would definitely recommend to fans of psychological thrillers.

Many thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for providing a copy.

Loved it! This is my second book by Barbara Copperthwaite and I think I'm now a fan! I'm going to have to look up her books that I haven't read yet!

"Who believes a liar when they are telling the truth?" Hook, line, sinker! This started a tad slow but oh does it pick up! Very twisty! Did I mention I love twisty?!

A friendship between Alex, a woman suffering with anorexia, and Carrie, younger, who Alex seems to mother, who has terminal cancer. Just which one of them is lying and which one is telling the truth?

The "then" portions of the book were fantastic and really kept this book moving along at a nice pace.

Be warned the book deals with heavy issues such as eating disorders and abuse but in a respectful way. I definitely recommend this book to all that love psychological thrillers!

A huge thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for allowing me an advanced copy of this book! Greatly appreciated!



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3.65 Stars* (rounded up).

Alex and Carrie meet at a support group. Alex is an anorexic. Her family no longer wants anything to do with her and because of that she becomes a shell of her former self. She is also a compulsive liar and she admits it. (Funny, I’m not sure I would if it were me!) Carrie is suffering from terminal cancer and has no one, that is until Alex takes her under her wing. They immediately become the best of friends, with Alex wanting to make Carrie’s last days, her best days.

What’s in it for Alex? Can either woman be trusted? Is there such a thing as “The Perfect Friend?” I won’t answer that.

What I will say is that this mystery / suspense is full of twists and turns, some of which are jaw dropping and some of which I found to be a bit far-fetched. That said, “The Perfect Friend” is a quick, easy, entertaining read which I enjoyed.

This was a buddy read with Kaceey. Thanks for keeping me company on this one Kaceey!

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Barbara Copperthwaite for a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on NetGalley and Goodreads on 6.25.18.

I have consistantly enjoyed Barbara Copperthwaite's psychological thrillers in the past, so of course I couldn't resist trying out her newest title The Perfect Friend. And now I've finished it, and I can't believe what I've just read. Oh yes, don't let the bright and cheery yellow cover deceive you... This one will mess with your mind. When I think of Barbara Copperthwaite's books, I think of well written, intricately developed plots full of twists, secrets and lies to fool us readers. The Perfect Friend is no exception to this rule. I'm normally not a big fan of unreliable characters in psychological thrillers, but somehow this technique works really well in this story. Nothing is as it seems and between the intricate web of lies and secrets and the mystery around the past and background of both characters you will be drawn right in as you try to figure out what is really going on. What is a lie, what is the truth and how does it all fit together? Your brain will have a field day with this one, and I'm promising you the final reveals will leave you flabbergasted. Oh yes, The Perfect Friend has quite a few shocking surprises for us in store, as nothing is as it seems and it's impossible to guess the full truth. The main characters are actually quite easy to like for unreliable characters, making it easier to connect to the story from the start. I did start wondering about the credibility of it all, but I was too distracted by all the plot twist reveals to be really bothered by that. Definitely read The Perfect Friend if you enjoy reading well written psychological thrillers full of surprises!

If you are looking for a well written, engaging, twisty and surprising psychological thriller, The Perfect Friend is just the book for you. Trigger warnings are in place for abuse, (mental) illness, eating disorder and some sensitive scenes, but overall nothing too shocking to handle. This is not the easiest read and there is no doubt you will find yourself tangled in a web of lies and secrets along with the main character. I always love it when a story manages to mislead me! I also really liked the relationship between Alex and Carrie and how the story unfolded. All in all a very solid read.

This is the story of two women who have suffered trauma in their lives and meet at a support group where they become firm friends.
Alex is supporting Carrie through a major illness and Carrie becomes like a surrogate Daughter for Alex who is dealing with the loss of her Husband and two children.
Though they become firm friends, both are not entirely honest with each other and the reader goes from one character to the other, never knowing who to believe.
It's twisty and turny , sometimes dark and for me is the author's best work to date.

Loved it! The start of the story with Alex admitting to being a liar hooked me, loved the relationship with her and Carrie. Full of twists and turns and had no idea where this one was going! Couldn't put it down in the end so ending up staying up to early hours to finish it!
Be warned the book deals with heavy issues such as eating disorders and abuse but in a respectful way.

Wow, wow ,wow.Never imagined the book could be this good. I never saw that ending coming. Had me constantly wondering who was speaking truth. Loved this book. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the early copy of The Perfect Friend.

Just finished reading this one!
So many twists around every corner it keeps you guessing! It was a quick read for me, mainly because I couldn't put it down. And the ending I never saw coming! Highly recomend!!

As I read the first few chapters of The Perfect Friend, I couldn’t help but feel like I had read this book before. A secretive woman struggling with an illness and immense guilt, “estranged” from her husband and children, who forms a new friendship that is largely based on maternal instincts and the urge to protect. Did I just describe the The Perfect Friend or A.J. Finn’s New York Times Bestseller, The Woman in the Window? The beginning of the book was a rough read for me. I wasn’t a fan of those plot devices in The Woman in the Window, so to have to read them again in a completely separate book was frustrating.


Barbara Copperthwaite isn’t new to the psychological thriller game-- this is her fifth major novel in the genre-- so I knew there had to be more to The Perfect Friend than just complete duplication of The Woman in the Window.


Ultimately, I’m glad I hung on. Copperthwaite’s story of friendship between Alex, a middle-aged woman struggling with anorexia, and Carrie, a twenty-something woman with terminal cancer is thrilling and filled with twists and turns. As the “patchwork of deceit unfurls,” Alex and Carrie each struggle to maintain the upper hand as they create new lies to layer on their existing lies. Their tangle of treachery is compounded as we are given glimpses into the past in the ambiguous “then” portions of the book. The flashbacks are what really makes this book special; the story would not be nearly as intense and gripping without them.

I am a liar!
So do you believe what you are reading? Is it the truth? Fact or fiction?
Alex is a recovering anorexic, Carrie has terminal cancer, they become friends through a support group. Alex almost feels maternal towards Carrie and is out to look after her. Does Carrie have ulterior motives? Or do they both?
This a well written psychological thriller with lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing. It all comes together nicely at the end and was a satisfying read.

It was obvious right from the start that there was more than met the eye to both Alex and her new friend, Carrie. They met in a support group and were quickly drawn to each other. The suspense comes from what is imagined vs. what is true. Also from whether the women are true to themselves and just playing games with each other or honestly living in a make believe world. It was an interesting conundrum and one which kept me turning pages.

Early on I realized which of the women was the victim and which was the victimizer, but I couldn’t understand the purpose of the deceit. The ending was quite deft and brought everything to light (and right!). Good ending.

This was my first novel by Cooperthwaite. I’ll look for more by her.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Bookouture, for an ARC of this book. This review will be published on GoodReads immediately and Amazon after it’s released.

The Perfect Friend

I just finished this one and read it in record time! I was so anxious to see what was going to happen next and though I was slightly confused, I have to say this was a quick and intriguing read. The troubling backstory of the main character, Alex, adds to the suspense. Alex is recovering from anorexia and her husband and children have left her. She’s all alone except for one friend who she has taken an interest in, Carrie.

She sees Carrie as almost a daughter figure and wants to nurture and help her at any cost. Alex believes she needs to protect her friend from a series of cryptic messages that threaten Carrie who is dealing with a grim cancer diagnosis. All Alex wants is to be there for her best friend!

The reader knows right away they are dealing with someone who has some deep issues. There’s nothing like an unreliable narrator.

She’ll do anything for you…My name is Alex, and my world has been shattered. My husband has left me. My children won’t speak to me.
My friend Carrie is the only person I have. She’s the only one I can trust to keep all my secrets. She’d never do anything to let me down.
Would she?

Author Barbara Copperthwaite had me guessing during each chapter. I thought the book was going to go in one direction but it took a turn and I was surprised! If you enjoy psychological thrillers, pre-order this one immediately! Due out July 5.