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The Perfect Betrayal

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Member Reviews

#The Perfect Betrayal #Netgalley
OMG. Wow. What a book. I still literally trying to get my heartbeat to slow down, also trying to pick my jaw up. It’s such a heart racing jaw dropper of a book. It’s full of twists and turns, still Tess is counting the days since marks death, and trying to get through whatever each day brings for herself and son Jamie. She becomes so so protective over Jamie. It’s such rollercoaster of raw emotions, with such a unexpected powerful ending that I would never of expected, with such a jaw dropping conclusion. A sheer piece of brilliance. A most definite must must read.

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Brilliant! I am still recovering from that ending.. this is a book that you must read! It grabs you from the very beginning and before you know it you are halfway through it. This was my first book by Lauren North and it most certainly won't be the last. I read a lot of books and this one is certainly a stand out for me as being different and. It at all predictable. I thought that I had the story and all the characters worked out but I was so wrong!!

Tess is grieving after the sudden death of her husband in a plane crash. She is struggling to get through each day and her son Jamie is her whole world. She is trying her best for him but she feels broken and lost. She cuts herself off from everything and everyone so her mother sends a grief counsellor to her. Shelley helps her to see the light at the end of the tunnel. She is there to help and take control where Tess can't. The 2 women become close and she starts to get things done. But strange things are happening, she is being followed and getting a lot of hang up calls and she starts to think that somebody is out to get her and her son.

It is a story of love and heartbreak. Of friendship and grief. My heart went out to Tess and I think that most people in her situation would have been a mess. It was real.

Thanks to Random House UK, Transwold Publishing for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased

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This book grabbed me on the first page. It was a book about love, loss and grief. It wasnt predictable so I really enjoyed it. The characters were believeable.

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Beautifully written with a twist you don't see coming. A very gripping read, perhaps a little slow to begin with, but soon made up for it. Keeps you on the edge and interested.

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Tess has recently lost her husband in a plane crash and is now struggling to cope with everyday life. She is trying her best for the sake of her 7 year old son, Jamie. Her brother-in-law, Ian, is not being very supportive as he is urging her to sort out the will, life insurance and other paperwork when she doesn’t feel up to it. Then Shelley, a volunteer grief counsellor, turns up and finally Tess has someone who understands and who will help her through the stages of grief. Shelley’s lost a young son so understands the stages of grief.

This book slowly builds to a great ending. Hard to say anymore without giving things away. The story is mainly from Tess points of view in terms of flashbacks to the past 2 months and occasional points of view of Ian and Shelley.

A great debut novel and an author to look out for in the future.

With thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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This is definetly a must read. Tess's husband has died in an horrific plane crash. Tess is distraught. depressed and alone trying to raise her son Jamie whio is the centre of her world. Her brother-in-law keeps on at her about some money he had lent his brother, she believes that someone is following her and so a grief counsellor is appointed to her to help. Shelley soon becomes dominant within the household. Jamie is besooted wih her, Tess becomes reliant on her but all is not as it seems.
The situations that happen from when Shelley comes into the household are unnerving to say the least. To take someone in and trust them is hard in itself but the twists within this book were brilliant,
A highly recommended intriguing and psychological read.

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

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Thank you to Net Galley for an early copy for an honest review with no spoilers.

This is a 5 star thriller – Lauren North has written a book that you don’t want to put down – you must buy the book but you must make sure that you have a quiet weekend because you won’t want to go out or do anything else.

This is one of only a handful of books that have stopped me going to sleep because I was trying to work out was going to happen next. I also need more than 5 stars!

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The twist in this book!
I did not see the ending coming at all. I read a lot of thrillers and am pretty good at picking up what's going to happen but this book just blew me away. Amazing, heartbreaking, brilliant.

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Now this is a book worth reading. The tragic grief beholds a family when the patriarch dies. The happenstance of a grief counsellor going above and beyond the call of duty. What is truth and what is beholden in the m ind of a desperately grieving wife and mother, who will do anything to protect the memory of her lost family. Anything.

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Well written with a fantastic plot line. The Perfect Betrayal will take you in a complete rollercoaster but will keep you hooked to the very end. I look forward to reading more from this author. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and the author for the chance to review.

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Wow!
What a twist!
Grief can affect a person in many ways, and losing your partner, your soulmate and loved one can tip you over the edge, and boy was Tess tipped when her husband Mark was killed in a horrific plane accident.
The effect his loss has on the life of Tess and all those around her is horrific. The paranoia, the needing to keep her son Jamie safe, the suspicions of those who were trying to help....
And I won't mention the ending but what I can say is that as soon as I read it, I sat bolt upright and was in shock... I hadn't expected that twist AT ALL!
Brilliantly written and hugely captivating.
Many thanks to Random House UK and NetGalley for offfering me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

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This book meet all my expectations strong characters along with a strong plot/storyline which in turn creates a fabulous book.
A page turner with plenty of twists and turns.
I love thrillers that do not have a predictable ending and this certainly didn’t disappoint.

Thank you to both NetGalley and Random House for my eARC in exchange for my honest unbiased review

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Lauren North's THE PERFECT BETRAYAL is a chilling "inside-the-home" thriller that tells the story of Tess, a wife and mother who has just lost her husband in a plane crash. Distraught at her loss and demolished by grief, she is finding day-to-day life with her young son Jamie increasingly difficult to cope with - until Shelley, a grief counsellor, appears on her doorstep. Shelley helps Tess navigate simple household tasks and other parts of life, while giving her the time and space she needs to find her own feet again at a time when she has shrunk from all other social contact. But is Tess right to let this stranger become so involved in her life - so close to herself and her son? What does Shelley, who once lost a son who looked a lot like Jamie, REALLY want?

This book is a page-turning mystery that shoots (non-confusingly) back and forth through a timespan of two months, culminating in a shocking incident that occurs on Jamie's eighth birthday. How did Tess get to this point? Well, each chapter lays the bricks of this path as we watch events that first start as being "a little bit strange" slowly build themselves into a stunning denouement.

Added to the mystery behind Shelley's true motives for helping Tess is a mystery involving Tess's husband, his will, a distant brother-in-law who keeps turning up and asking blunt questions, and a strange man who keeps appearing around Tess's village. These multiple mysteries only add to the eeriness of the plot as it builds to its conclusion.

The book also explores very carefully, yet honestly, the fallout effects of grief when somebody loses someone so close to them. At times the book is heart-piercing in its exploration of Tess's feelings, her ability to cope with simple tasks, and how she finds her very being changing in the face of ultimate loss. It's a feeling some of us may have already experienced, or come close to experiencing, and at times it is incredibly sharp and exacting.

I stayed up later than I should have done to finish this book, which culminates in an almighty plot explosion that I am very happy to report I did not see coming. I worry sometimes that the "final chapters twist" is becoming a little bit tired in thriller and mystery fiction, but I didn't find this to be the case in THE PERFECT BETRAYAL. The ending only made me want to go back and re-read the book all over again from the beginning - and that is a feeling to be savoured among book lovers!

I'm very much looking forward to reading more of Lauren North's work.

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This book has the perfect title. Unputdownable book full of twist, turns and mysteries. Lots of questions to be answered, who, why and what if. I began to form a solution to the puzzles towards the end of the book but was I right or was there a far more sinister answer.

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The Perfect Betrayal by Lauren North
Thanks to @netgalley and @randomhouse for my ARC
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‘Who can you trust in your darkest moment?’
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Wow this book completely blew me away. The characters and were very well written, predominantly the main character. It’s difficult to say too much or offer too much about this book as I don’t want to spoil. However I will say the author has managed to write about love, loss and grief in a terrific and really gripping way. Many twists and turns and the ending was fantastic. Highly recommended

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This book was absolutely brilliant, the twist at the end is fantastic and not expected!! Written brilliantly and a page turner for sure

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Wow! This book floored me! It had me gripped from the start. The ending totally shocked me. Big praise to this author for a fantastic read!

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I’m still holding my breath from reading this excellent book. It was compelling, exciting & distressing all at the same time. A book with a great twist too. I urge all to read it.

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This story is about Tess. She has recently lost her husband in a plane crash and is grief stricken. Her mother sends Shelley, a grief counsellor to speak to her in the hope that it would help her. From the start we know that something violent happened at her sons birthday party and also that her son is now missing. The story goes from interviews with everyone involved after the party and we also see what was happening leading up to it.

This is the first book that I have read by this author. I thought that the book was very cleverly written and she managed to surprise me with the ending. I can honestly say that I never saw it coming.

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