I did find this book slightly frustrating but I did also really enjoy it!!! It jumped back and forth until it concludes in a dramatic fashion! Twists and turns and a gripping read! Thanks

This is a beautiful book and I'm surprised that this is a debut, so can't really wait to read more from this brilliant author.

Tess is struggling to cope with her grief over the untimely death of her husband in a plane crash. Enters grief counselor Shelley who offers to help Tess with her grief and to look after her son as well.
All seems good until Tess started to notice suspicious stuff and Shelley seems to have ulterior motives as she seems to be digging a wedge between Tess and her son. To make matters worse Tess's brother-in law is acting weird and he seems to conspiring with Shelley against Tess.

What follows is an engaging and suspenseful ride full of twists and turns, and what an ending was that.
Thanks Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for a chance to review this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Wow! This book had me guessing all the way through, then when the penny finally dropped it was an outstanding twist. Excellently written and perfectly executed. Highly recommended.

Tess's husband has been killed in a plane crash; Shelley is a grief counsellor who offers Tess help at the most difficult time. Her brother in law wants money, and for her to sort out her will. She feels someone is watching and following her. There were two seats booked on the plane, who was the second seat for. And she has to protect her son, the last remaining memory of her husband. But things belonging to her son go missing, Shelley seems to be spending time with her son and taking him away from her. This is a brilliant book with plenty of twists and turns. Would really recommend

The Perfect Betrayal is Lauren’s debut novel which literally blew my mind. It is an addictive, thrilling, emotional and unbelievably suspenseful read that I could have read in a single sitting had I had the time.

The plot is filled with secrets, hidden agenda’s and hostility as well as love, loyalty, grief and heartbreak, and I found myself wanting to pick it up at any given opportunity.

Protagonist Tess holds such a huge place in my heart. How would you ever cope having lost your husband in such horrific circumstances? She hear’s her husband Mark’s voice and begins to share conversations with him daily, and the only thing getting her through is their son Jamie. Without Jamie, Tess believes she wouldn’t have anything to live for.

The timeline the book follows is a lead up to Jamie’s birthday. We flip back and forth between the present day and the days preceding and we are made aware that something bad has happened. Tess is giving some kind of statement to a person of importance (a police officer or a doctor) and she cant understand why they wont listen to what she believes to be true. Does she remember things incorrectly? has she forgotten? Are people lying to her? That’s what we need to find out.

We meet Ian (Mark’s bother) and Shelley (Tess’ grief counsellor) at the start of the book, and it slowly becomes apparent that Tess can not trust them. Ian tell Tess that Mark borrowed a large amount of money and he now needs it back, and at the same time he offers to help her with Mark’s will. Then there’s Shelley, who Ian seems to know and who keeps taking far too much interest in Jamie. Shelley has suffered her own grief after loosing her son so is she out to try and steal Jamie from Tess? Jamie takes a liking to Shelley and begins wanting her around more than his own mum, which makes Tess even more anxious.

Throughout the book, I let my mind wonder and in usual Ali style, I came up with a couple of theories, but I didn’t guess the ending until the very last minute and it exploded onto the pages in front of me. I honestly think my mouth fell open and my emotions were a mess.

An aspect I really enjoyed was how Lauren closed things out. Once all the lose ends were tired and us readers knew the outcome, Lauren dealt with the situation in such a way that just felt so normal and realistic. Not everything is perfect in life and I think Lauren managed to create such a feasible ending.

5 massive stars to Lauren for a read I fully enjoyed and will not forget. I will be recommending this one for a while!

I really enjoyed the book. I had no idea how this would end but the portrayal of grief and moving on was very well written.

Well, I'll be...!!
Engaging read, thought I knew it all along, and was going to abandon it...I didn't bail out, and I was so wrong (not much change there then, haha!)

Tess is struggling to come to terms with the untimely death of her husband Mark in a plane crash. Meanwhile, her 7 year old son Jamie, (not unnaturally) misses his daddy terribly, but neither of them know how to express their grief without anger - both of them drowning in their loss.

Grief counsellor Shelley Lange is enlisted to help Tess through those tough first few months, but she soon becomes more than a counsellor when Tess begins to look on her as a friend, and they start to spend more and more time together, with Shelley cooking for the three of them when Tess is unable to do even the most menial of household chores - such is the depth of her grief. Although Tess is still in a very dark place, she begins to look forward to Shelley’s visits , and in addition, Jamie enjoys her company too, and for someone as shy as he is with strangers, that’s a really big deal.

There comes a time though when Tess starts to become suspicious of Shelley’s motives, she can see that Shelley and Jamie are becoming a bit too close, to the point where Jamie obviously prefers Shelley’s company to his mum’s. Shelley lost her son a few years ago and Tess believes she’s forming an attachment to Jamie that borders on obsession, trying somehow to replace her loss. Tess’s brother-in-law Ian starts calling at the house too, and as Tess and he have never got on, she imagines that Ian and Shelley are somehow involved in plotting against her, and she fears that the plot involves Jamie. She’s seen them interacting in an overly familiar way when they thought she wasn’t watching, and she knows they were discussing her. One thing’s for sure, Tess is in for some frightening times ahead!

The author’s portrayal of grief is just heart wrenching - the plot is full of suspense, clever and beautifully written, and it had me gripped.

The thing that drew me to this novel initially, was the fact that other reviewers were saying what an amazing climax there was - something they didn’t see coming - so right from the start, (because I wasn’t sure which way this one was heading) I was continually second guessing. The narrative encouraged me to view various characters with suspicion and I imagined different scenarios being played out that might explain why it had such an impact on other reviewers - but I (in company with others) never saw that twist coming!

Wow! Mind blown. Loved it.
Thought I had worked out the twist, but then the ‘twist’, twisted! Couldn’t put it down, this is the quickest I’ve read a book, in ages.
Thank you netgalley for the chance to read this book.


#Theperfectbetryal #netgalley

When her husband dies in a plane crash, Tess really struggles to cope. But is her bereavement counsellor helping her or hindering her? And who was to blame? Intense writing but i feel ultimately a bit unsatisfying.

Loved this book - a heartbreaking sorry of Tess whose husband is killed in a plane crash and her roller coaster of emotions as she learns to cope with this loss whilst still looking after her young son Jamie. As the story unfolds and more characters are introduced you realise not everything is as it seems and you start to doubt who to trust and who is telling the truth with lots of twists and turns that throws you into all directions.. It took until very nearly the end for me to guess the ending but absolutely brilliant reading.

Wow!!! I did NOT see this one coming! Right from the first until literally the last sentence it has you hooked! The book is so cleverly written with various different characters view points weaved throughout it and not until the very end so they all come together. Nothing is what it seems with this book and although there are maybe one or two annoying little niggles I’m not sure were 100% tied up, I absolutely loved it and read the entire book in one day! Every time I thought I could guess what was coming next, something totally different happened! Brilliant, enthralling, clever, captivating read!

Wow. You will love being on this rollercoaster- don’t bother trying to second guess the ending. You won’t be able to.
A firm 5/5 on goodreads .

Wow! I absolutely loved this book.. I was totally lost in this very intense and emotional story of love, loss and not knowing who to trust. So many times I thought I had guessed the twist... but I hadn’t!
Thank you for letting me read this brilliant book!

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It gave an excellent insight into how families cope with a newsworthy disaster. It licks into every corner of suffering from those left behind. I always wondered – turning off the news on the TV in case the accident details arise if it’s a big incident which is repeated on the news and spasmodically over the years sometimes. It must be unbearable for those who have lost loved ones. At such times I visualise how much the passengers know and suffer before a plane or car crashes, the terror and the apprehension. Shudder. 9/11 gave us a glimpse that will never erase. Those tearful, terrified mobile phone calls from passengers and the inevitable horror of the recipients sent chills down the spine. Tess is in this situation with her husband Mark dead during an air crash. Her son Jamie is missing. Odd things are happening, and she's not in control. She is relaying to her dead husband Mark how she’s coping or rather, not coping. Enter, Ian, the demanding, untrustworthy brother and the strange grief counsellor Shelley. A dynamic mix. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC, which I have enjoyed reading.
This is a very sad book, about loss, grief and how your mind copes with loss and death of loved ones. It is handled with a clever and sensitive storyline. The Perfect Betrayal by Lauren North is highly recommended.

A captivating book which I found impossible to put down. I loved how the story twists and turns in ways I didn't expect and which kept me guessing until the end. I really liked the powerful twist at the end of the book which was fantastic. The characters are perfectly written and powerfully depict the bewiderment found with grief and loss and how to try to rebuild your life after a bereavement.

Highly recommended. A perfect psycholigical thriller. I loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to #netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest and fair review. This book had me gripped from the very beginning. Tess has recently lost her husband in a plane crash and whilst grieving she starts forming a friendship with her grief counsellor Shelly. But Jamie, Tess's son is missing and she is pretty sure Shelly is keeping him from her. Is he safe?? Is Tess having a breakdown? What an enthralling read from Lauren North. Suspense writing at its best and with a great plot twist or 2 thrown in to keep you wondering. #netgalley #goodreads #tea_sipping_bookworm #litsy #amazon #kindle #laurennorth #theperfectbetrayal

As an avid reader, it is very rare that I haven’t worked out how the path of the story will end as I work my way through the chapters.. There may be a few twists and turns but I usually get there long before the end. Not this time!
I was really taken in, believing that grief counsellor Shelley was trying to insinuate herself into Tess and Jamie’s life, making herself indispensable - although I did have my doubts about her brother in law, and felt the fear when Tess was being followed..
Definitely a rollercoaster read - psychological, suspenseful, emotional - and I was really surprised by the ending. Exactly what you want from a read!

I couldn’t finish this book fast enough- I was desperate to get to the bottom of everything, everything I guessed at was wrong! A brilliant fast paced keep you guessing thriller from a brilliant writer.