Wow, what a fabulous book, I had my heart in my mouth the whole time reading this it was absolutely stunning.. full of suspense, tension and angst it kept me on the edge of my seat holding my breath. It had plenty of twists to keep me guessing, it was very cleverly written, I couldn’t get my head out of this book I just didn’t want to put it down. A very well deserving 5 stars, but it was brilliant.

Shalini Boland, author of The Secret Mother and The Child Next Door has hit a home run with this psychological thriller!

Gemma, a working mother juggling her job and her children falls into a nightmare she doesn't see coming. Her daughter Katie goes missing and is soon found by mother in law Diane but this was just the beginning of the nightmare. The tension and mistrust builds throughout the novel culminating in an unexpected twist that readers will find hard to fathom.

A must read for anyone who loves psychological thrillers. This was a book I read in one sitting and I will definitely be reader Boland's other novels now!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

When a story pulls you in with drama in the first two chapters you know it can either go two ways. One terribly because it starts fast and then takes a dive, or starts fast and just keeps going and you don't want to put it down, and this was definitely the latter!

Pace was great, characters were relatable, the protagonist was deliciously naughty, and I had a hard time doing anything else because I just wanted to finish this one as quickly as I could. I'd definitely recommend this one and anything else this author has written, which I'm going to go find now!

Thank you so much for allowing me to preview this story.

Loved this book! Gemma, as a mother, I could.relate to. She juggles family.life and work life trying to get a healthy balance but when her family life.is threatened she is forced to revalue everything. Twists and second guessing through the book! Love Shalini's writing.. Grabs you from the first page. Five stars from me!

Wow... Shalini Boland has done it again by giving us another fabulous psychological thriller. Boland definitely has a way of drawing you in to her stories, and once you are in you can't let go.

Gemma Ballantine seems to have the perfect life - a successful business, the perfect husband, two beautiful girls, and the perfect dream home. What more could she ask for?

But soon her perfect life starts to fall apart. Her youngest daughter, Katie, disappears. Gemma starts a frantic search for her little girl. Soon after, her mother-in-law, Diane, finds Katie wandering all alone and lost a few streets away from their home. Gemma thinks her nightmare is over... But it's only just begun!

I truly enjoyed reading this book. Fast paced and full of twists and turns... this one does not disappoint! Highly recommend!

*Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

The Perfect Family by Shalini Boland exceeded my expectations. The characters are well-developed and believable and the plot is full of twists and unexpected revelations. Gemma, the owner of a small business and her husband, Robert, a personal trainer, work hard to balance their professions with their family life. For the most part, they do quite well. Then, almost overnight, their lives begin to unravel. It’s a slow process as the tension builds and suspicions develop.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s the first one I’ve read by this author but it most definitely won’t be the last. It’s a well-written psychological novel that has a unique and unexpected ending. I highly recommend it!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

This book had me gripped from the first page when Katie goes missing. At first, I thought it would be a story about a missing child but when Gemma's mother-in-law finds Katie a few minutes later it sets in motion a very different chain of events. Every woman who has to juggle a home, job, childcare and in-laws will appreciate Gemma's dilemma as she sees her 'perfect family' disintegrate in front of her and is powerless to stop it. I loved the writing style and how easy it was to stay up until the early hours to find out what happened next. Having read so many 'gripping thrillers' I had the ending all worked out and then the author dropped an enormous bombshell right at the end. This book is brilliant!

A parent’s worst nightmare… you’re just about to leave the house for the day, make the school run, and head to work when you realize your 6 year old daughter walked out the front door of your house onto a busy road!
Thank God for your mother-in-law who happened to be traveling on the way out and noticed little Katie lost on the road! Whew… good mother-in-laws are hard to find you know!
Have you ever looked, as an outsider/stranger/acquaintance, at a woman who seems to have it all? Career, nice house on the seaside, a wonderful loving husband, 2 beautiful kids… they’re so annoying right? They seem… perfect. The perfect family. Except The Perfect Family doesn’t exist. Ever. Even though Gemma and Robert try really hard to put up a front, they need help. They are stretched too thin with work and kids. Again, thank God for Robert’s family. His mother, sister-in-law and brother have always been there for them when things get tough.
If it weren’t for Robert’s mother, who knows just about everyone in the community, Gemma and Robert wouldn’t have known what to do when they realized they can’t juggle everything. With Diane’s help, they hire Sadie, a live in nanny. Relief sets in. Life returns to normal and everything falls into place.
The end…
Nope! Not even close. The huge twist at the end of this story will no doubt knock you off your seat. Like all the characters in all of her books, trust no one. Suspect everyone. No one is innocent.
Shalini Boland never disappoints! When I crack open her books I always prepare to be amazed! 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley for the ecopy for my Kindle.
Once again, Shalini Boland has given readers a great suspense novel with a "who done it" that I didn't see coming!

The author of this book never fails to deliver and this book was no exception.
Had me hooked on the first page and it does not let up with all its fast paced twists and turns. A very well deserved 5 star rating.

Tense psychological thriller which moves at a fast pace. Lots of twists and turns and a big surprise at the end.

Wow! This book was fabulous. I loved it and it is definitely one of my top reads this year. It was gripping and kept me hooked from start to finish. Different from your typical psychological thriller with loads of twists and turns. I certainly didn’t know what to expect. What a cracking read.

Oooooooooooooh I do love a good Shalini Boland book and so when this came out I was all over it like a rash!!!!
She did not disappoint, sooooooo Gemma is struggling with work and kids and running a house (like you do) her youngest goes missing one day and her mother in law Diane finds her and brings her home, her mother in law then suggests she gets some help from a nanny or au pair etc and manages to find someone highly recommended.

So the fun begins, Sadie the nanny moves in and all hell breaks loose, can't say any more without ruining the book?!

Basically, the book is tense as hell and full of twists and turns and defo packs a punch, another not to be missed book by Shalini, go get the book 5 stars all the way!!!!

Shalini Boland has a way with words. Her books are always interesting and make you want to keep reading. Like her other work, this one too is intriguing. In the beginning you don’t know who the second narrator is. You can’t figure out what she wants or how she is connected to Gemma. As we move along it becomes clear who this person is. What remains a mystery is the WHY. There are 2 possible people responsible for what Sadie is doing. Trying to figure out which one is the most fun part of this book. As you continue to read you pretty much guess who. But the reveal before the epilogues made me feel like I got it wrong. This was great because it made me feel like the book was not predictable. The only part I could not believe there was Sadie’s choice to share information. That convinced me that the real culprit is the one I was guessing all along. The epilogue explains everything nicely but leaves it slightly open since you do not know for sure what will happen in a few months. It’s difficult to review this books without revealing everything. I’d recommend that even if it’s a tad bit predictable, read it all the same. The writing is lovely, the characters are relatable, the plot twists are fun, all in all it’s an enjoyable book for sure.
Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
#NetGalley, #ThePerfectFamily

Also shared on: https://romasharma.blogspot.com

The Perfect Family by Shalini Boland
Boland has a gripping style that draws you in and won’t let go. You simply cannot stop reading. The Perfect Family is a chilling, psychological thriller that will keep you on edge from the very start. It is suspense writing at its best. You will read this book in one sitting because you HAVE to know the final wrap up!
Gemma and Robert Ballantine seemingly have a perfect life. She is the owner of a thriving business, has two wonderful children, a nice home… Who could ask for more? Then one day, while getting ready for work, her oldest daughter Eva tells her that the youngest, Katie, “is gone.” The front door is open. A mother’s worst fear is realized as she frantically searches for her missing young child. Thankfully, her mother in law, Diane, finds Katie wandering alone, just a few streets away.
Gemma and her husband both work long hours and after this incident, Gemma begins to doubt herself as a mother. Diane, though domineering, suggests Gemma hire an au pair to help out. She even offers to pay the salary for the nanny. Gemma realizes that she, indeed, does need some help to keep a balance between work and family. Sadie Lewis comes highly recommended. She cares for the children, whom both adore her. She does household chores. Though her friends warned her not to hire a pretty nanny, Sadie seems to be the answer to all of Gemma’s problems. Then things begin to unravel and strange things start happening. Gemma becomes suspicious and wonders if Sadie is truly what she appears to be. Soon, she realizes that this is only the beginning of her downward spiral.
So I won’t give any spoilers, I’ll stop there. =0)
My overall opinion? This is an awesome book with a riveting plotline that captures you and makes you wish you could read faster because you’re dying to know what happens next. Shalini Boland is a fantastic writer, as evidenced by her insightful and meticulously worded writing style. “The plot thickens”, as they say, with each chapter and the book is well paced so as to build tension. The characters are authentic and interesting. She has penned them so well, that they feel like people you’d know in real life. The story itself is both chilling and mesmerizing. I highly recommend this novel. 5/5 stars!
This book was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and thoughts expressed are entirely my own.
This review, or portions thereof, will be posted (when able) on Amazon, B&N, Goodreads, Litsy, IG, Kobo, Pinterest, FB, Bookbub, and my own blog. Unfortunately I cannot provide all links as I am using my phone.

Many thanks to Shalini Boland for the opportunity to read and review this book. Another great read from her. She is well on her way to becoming one of my favourite authors. This book will set any mother on edge, the balance between working life and motherhood is never easy to manage, without the Nanny from hell applying for the role. Even more sinister is the wolf isn't far from the door the whole time. Twisty and full of addictive reading. Not to miss

I have read a few of Shalini’s books now and I have enjoyed each and every one. The synopsis certainly appealed to me and it was with some excitement that I opened the front cover and began to read. Oh my giddy aunt, ‘The Perfect Family’ was one hell of a read and I absolutely loved it but more about that in a bit.
I did feel for Gemma Ballantine at the beginning of the story. She is a businesswoman, who is trying to do too much and she is spreading herself too thinly. She is trying to be a successful businesswoman, who is trying to be a good wife and she is also trying to be a fantastic mother. It’s not surprising that something has got to give. At the beginning of the book she faces everybody’s worst nightmare when one of her children disappears and leaves behind no indication as to where she has gone. On this occasion the little girl is found and returned home. Shortly after this happens, little incidences happen which understandably scares and unnerves Gemma a bit. Eventually Gemma agrees to hire a live in nanny, although she is not totally happy about doing so. Gemma thinks that there is something not quite right about the nanny but she can’t put her finger on exactly what it is. Is Gemma right to have concerns about the nanny? What is the truth? Well for the answers to those questions and more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
Oh my word ‘The Perfect Family’ is one fantastically well written book. The author’s writing style is such that she grabs your attention from the start and she keeps you on your toes throughout the book. ‘The Perfect Family’ is one of those books that does what it says on the tin and by that I mean that it really is an unputdownable psychological thriller. The book wasn’t exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it came everywhere with me. I couldn’t bear to be parted from the book and if I had to put the book down for any reason, then I was counting down the minutes until I could pick it back up again. The more I read, the deeper I got into the story and the more I had to read because I needed to know what shocks and surprises were just around the corner. I binge read the book which worked well in this case because it seemed to increase the tension levels. I was on the edge of my seat for most of the book. This was one of those books that kept me guessing and in the end I believed nobody and suspected everybody. Reading ‘The Perfect Family’ was much like riding on a very unpredictable and very scary rollercoaster ride with so many twists and turns that I lost count.
In short, I absolutely blinking well loved reading ‘The Perfect Family’ even if it did mess with my head a bit. I would definitely recommend this author and her books to other readers. I can’t wait to see what Shalini Boland comes up with next. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

Shalini Boland has done it again. Another brilliant book which keeps you guessing until the end. Love her style of writing and can't wait for the next one!

Thank you to Netgalley, the Publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in return for a review based on my honest opinion.

What can I say about this book other than, if you enjoy thrillers, you NEED to read this book! Shalini Boland has done it again; she has a knack for thrillers. I loved how this book kept me guessing, there were so many twists and turns I thought I was on a rollercoaster.

Gemma's ordinary morning, getting ready for another busy day at work, getting her girls off to school, takes a turn for the worse, when she finds the door open and her six year old daughter, Katie, missing. Every parents' worst nightmare, but after a frantic search, her overbearing mother-in-law, Diane walks up the drive holding Katie by the hand, Gemma is thrilled and thinks that everything is fine, but that is so far from the truth. Gemma's life will never be the same and as things spiral out of control, she tries to hold together her company, her marriage and her perfect life but will she be able to outwit whoever has it in for her?

I loved the pace of this book, great characters and there was more than one aha moment for me. cannot wait to read more books by this author.

2.5 stars. This was a perfectly adequate psychological thriller, and an entertaining way to spend an evening, but not much more than that. Nothing was particularly surprising if you've read any other books in the genre. This was the second book I've read by Shalini Boland and I don't think I'll be seeking out anymore. Not only were both relatively predictable, but her books are very motherhood-centered, which is just not my thing. This one was okay, but I can't really recommend it when there are so many other better psychological thrillers out there.