I was initially a little skeptical about a book with sci-fi/artificial intelligence vibes since it's not my typical genre, but I loved JP Delaney's previous book and it's super creative story line so I took a dive into The Perfect Wife and it was definitely an entertaining ride. I love any domestic thriller but I especially love that Delaney cranks that genre up a notch with his creative, suspenseful plot and combines so many seemingly different story elements to make a great read. This one would be a great late summer beach read and will definitely keep you enthralled!

#ThePerfectWife#NetGalley
by: JP Delaney
Review By: ILovetoRead/Librarian

Tim Scott, a Silicon Valley millionaire, creator of amazing robots called cobots has created the perfect replica of his beloved wife who's mysteriously gone missing leaving behind their autistic son. This unique, wife-life cobot is imbedded with the missing wife's personality and memories. As the robot maneuvers life as a human, amazingly its brain functions increase. Questions about the missing wife's disappearance trouble the robot's emerging brain leading it to seek answers. The cobot, or Abs, as Tim calls his creation, embarks on a quest for truth and encounters a dark diabolical plan. The ending answered story questions in a satisfying way.
I found the writing excellent, the pacing on target, and the chapters on autism detailed and helpful to understanding that disorder. My single question, the need for the chapters written in a co-worker's point-of view. These chapters seemed contrived to dump information and motivation. Too, this co-worker's voice was never identified.

I received this book as an arc to read in exchange for an honest review. Thank you #NetGalley#

I voluntarily read and review an advanced copy of The Perfect Wife. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A crazy, cool original! I felt like I BECAME the imitation of Abbie. This "cobot" found herself in a precarious and stressful situation--hiding secrets and telling lies. Quite human, emotional, and very cool. The background storyline, romance, and drama created a fabulous read. Excellent thriller--difficult to put down! I WILL eagerly read future works from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and JP Delaney for the ARC!!!

This storyline was a little strange, but I’m glad the AI aspect, albeit a bit creepy, was revealed up front rather than later down the line. It was an engaging story with just the right amount of twists and turns. Would definitely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley, JP Delaney and Random House for this ARC.

Wow!! This book is amazing. I normally don't read "sci-fi" books, but this one is sci-fi mixed with thriller which makes it all the more interesting to me. Fantastic read, and definitely my favorite JP Delaney book so far.

I have enjoyed every JP Delaney book I have read and this one did not disappoint! It is definitely a unique psychological thriller. I haven't read anything like it before. The twists kept me guessing until the very end. I really liked Abbie and I enjoyed reading about her relationship with Danny, her autistic son.

If you like domestic thrillers then I definitely recommend this book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I enjoyed (with some reservations) this unusual story of a robot created by a Silicon Valley tech company owner, uploaded with memories from his wife who had ‘disappeared’, presumed dead, while surfing, five years previously. The concept of a robot becoming self-aware is interesting, though the execution of the details of how it happened was a bit murky at times.

A sci-fi-esque suspense tale, some parts were a bit unbelievable about the resurrected wife character as she tried to piece together what the woman she was based on really went through in the time leading up to her disappearance. There are a lot of vague clues (some contained within a hidden iPhone and iPad she discovers) and we follow along as the ‘cobot’, as she’s called by her creator, attempts to figure things out while also trying to please the husband who was tried and acquitted of her murder (well, the murder of the woman whose memories she has.)

I wasn’t surprised to learn later that the author has personal experience with having an autistic child, because that aspect of the book felt very real and was quite educational. All in all, it’s a bit of a creepy tale that seemed to take a bit too long to come to a surprising and unexpected conclusion. I found myself bored at times with the repetitiveness of the backstory of Abbey and her involvement with her husband and his company and how their relationship evolved, along with the strange psychology that was revealed about him.

Once you get going, however, it’s hard to put down, even with the boring bits, and the ending is a bit of a shock. I’d recommend it for those who like mysteries and sci-fi combined. Thank you to Random House – Ballantine Books and NetGalley for approving my request for an ACR copy.

What another great book from JP Delaney! I’ve read previous books from this author and really enjoyed them. I was pleasantly surprised to see that this was just as good as those. I enjoyed the story and the characters were very well written.

You wake up from unsettling dreams to find that you are changed--not to a monstrous vermin, but to a very convincing robot, or "cobot" (companion robot). Before being made to know this, you think you are recovering from an accident that you can't quite remember, and you are relieved to find that your husband Tim and son Danny are okay. But upon learning about your robot status, you also learn that your memories of your life with Tim and Danny are from five years ago.

Why am I writing that this happens to "you"? Because the chapters with the "robot" perspective are written that way. And normally, I recoil from that device, but I was able to put that reaction aside for this book. Ultimately, there is a definitive reason those chapters are written in that fashion (it's a late-in-the-narrative twist).

"You" learn that you are based on Abbie Cullen-Scott, who went missing mysteriously five years before. "You" have a set of "Abbie" memories and traits cobbled together from social media, texts, and assorted other sources. "Your" OS also allows "you" to learn and fill in gaps to "your" memory.

Tim Scott, Abbie's husband, is the founder of Scott Robotics. He and Abbie met through her being hired as an "artist in residence" at Scott Robotics. They fell in love, married, and had a son, Danny. Their life seemed idyllic, but when Danny went through a developmental regression, he was ultimately diagnosed with a form of autism called "Childhood Disintegrative Disorder," or Heller's Syndrome.

When Abbie disappeared, Tim was charged with murder. However, no body was ever found, and Tim was acquitted. Could Abbie still be alive? If so, what happened to her? Where could she be?

The Abbie-bot, with a full slate of memories, emotions, and empathy, cannot believe Tim would ever have hurt Abbie. Can she figure out what happened and help him remove suspicion? Can she help Danny, who seems to accept her fairly easily?

This book is highly addictive and threw me twists I didn't see coming even when I was certain I'd figured out the central mystery. This is close to a five-star book for me, though I was troubled by some generalizations about autism. Some of those could be chalked up to Abbie's learning process as a bot, but if that was intended, it was never made explicit. There is also a twist that--once I thought about after completing the book, had me thinking, "Wait if that's the case, why did [character] want [thing I won't tell you because spoilers]?" It's no deal-breaker, just one of those post-reading thoughts....

If you enjoy psychological thrillers, and even if you think you've read too many of them to enjoy most that come out lately, I believe you will find much to keep you engaged here.

Disclaimer: I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley and the publisher; however, this has not influenced my review nor prevented me from writing honestly.

An unusual psychological thriller with a sci-fi edge.

Tim Scott's wife is missing, maybe dead. Abbie Scott has disappeared; did she run away or was she the victim of foul play? Her husband uses his position as a tech guru to bring her back in the form of of a companion robot. Is this just a prototype or did he create a replacement, knowing her true fate?

I am not a fan of science fiction at all, but this didn't feel like sci-fi. It was a blend of technology with good old fashioned thrills. I enjoyed this story and will definitely read JP Delaney's future works!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for a free copy in exchange for an honest review

Another wonderful 'couldn't put it down' book. It's a Gone Girl kind of read with sci-fi inserted into the mix. And, of course, the question is what is a perfect wife.

This is the third book I have read by this author and it seems each one keeps getting better. A true combination of unpredictable and creative! When you think you know what you are reading the story grabs you and throws you in a different direction. Just when I thought I knew where the story was going it took a completely different turn to the very last chapter when everything I thought I knew about the story crashed and burned (somewhat literally!). I would wholeheartedly recommend reading this book if you like a roller coaster and like the front seat and I am left wondering if it could really happen.

I was a bit disappointed in this second book I read by JP Delaney. While it is well written a mystery/thriller there was just a bit too much sci-fi for this reader's tastes. Abbie is a co-bot, a companion robot, born out of AI, Artificial Intelligence. Think of your Amazon Alexa come to life and able to interact with you and your family, and have empathy. The human Abbie disappeared five years before and her husband, tech guru Tim was considered as a suspect in her disappearance. Tim has created co-bot Abbie, but for what purpose? The idea that the co-bot can "feel" things and want to pursue ideas of her own was very unique and clever. I just found the main idea a bit far-fetched. I found myself more attracted to the mystery of what happened to the human and whether Tim was involved than the science fiction-y aspect of the story. Plenty of thought provoking ideas and twists and turns, but ultimately not my cup of tea. #ThePerfectWife #NetGalley

Let me start by saying I am not a fan of sci-fi books. I am a fan of JP Delaney though, so I made an exception. I’m glad I did. The world of AI was so skillfully intertwined in this suspense novel that it was easy to blur AI with reality. Abbie & Tim seem like a tech power couple, until money & power impact treatment for their autistic son. At odds over which approach is best, will it bring them closer as a family or tear them apart? Lots of twists along the way-especially towards the end. Thanks #netgalley and #ballantinebooks for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Weird but kept me reading. Ends as it probably has to but I wished something different. Makes you realize AI isn’t to be trifled with
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this arc for an honest review

Reminiscent of Lifel1k3 and The Diabolic, the main character for this book is an android. The author throws in a twist or two--the identity of the narrator is not revealed until the very end of the book.

In this work, the perfect wife is resurrected as an android by her famous robotics designer husband five years after her mysterious disappearance.. The android has enough wisps of memory to decides to solve the mystery on her own. She has an ulterior motive though that is not at all positive. Hard to put this one down as you try to figure out the layers of the mystery yourself. Recommended for sci-fi and mystery buffs as well as fans of psychological thrillers.

JP Delaney's The Perfect Wife challenges the limits of technology in our everyday world. What does it mean to be human? What are the differences between humans and technology? Can both serve the same purposes? Tim creates a "cobot" after his wife's disappearance. He claims this is to help him learn more information about where Abbie might have gone, but it seems not everyone agrees with that. The story is told in alternating points of view and it is only at the end of the story that the reader determines who is the speaker. This story kept me engaged and interested in finding out the ending. This book also raises some interesting moral dilemmas that would provide interesting conversation in a classroom or book club.

Wow wow wow. This book was positively riveting. A 'Black Mirror'ish look at the lengths a grieving husband -who is a tech genius - will go to get what he wants. I don't want to give too much away but this was one of the most unique and spellbinding books I've ever read. It kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat until the end. It was so well written with fantastic character development - so much so that I became emotionally invested in the "replacement" Abbie. I cannot say enough about this book. I anxiously tore through every page.. Kudos to the author too, for showing the struggles of having an autistic child. A truly unputdownable book that I give my highest recommendation to! Thank you to Net Galley for the sneak peak!

Abbie Cullen-Scott wakes up to find that she has been in a comma for 5 years. Her husband, Tim Scott, a tech giant genius informs her that she is actually a robot. His wife had been missing for 5 years. In order for him to get over his grief, he worked diligently through this company Scott Robotics for 5 years to make sure that he designed an exact replica of his wife. Once Abbie awoke, Tim whisked her out of the hospital, which didn’t seem normal to anyone. This whole situation is very confusing to Abbie. She feels like her old self and even had memories of the past, so how could she be a robot? She even remembers that she has a son, Danny, who is autistic. How has Danny been taken care of, since she was in a coma? Everyone who meets Abbie actually thinks she is the real deal. Tim had designed Abbie with an empathic personality. This was something that never before been attempted. Abbie actually is experiencing feelings of love for Tim. Even though he says he loves her, he doesn’t reciprocate with any real loving actions. So what happened to his real wife? Abbie finds all kinds of clues that point her to A Friend. What information will this Friend have to share with Abbie? What is Tim hiding from her? Where is his real wife? Is she alive? So many questions, and hardly any real answers. This book definitely will give you something to think about, especially with the rise of robots in our current society. The plot was definitely something that I would not have even imagined possible for a book. It kept me completely captivated until the very end. The character development was very well thought out. These ending was one that I didn’t expect. I enjoyed this book quite a bit.

Wow! Captivating thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat! Twisted and intense! I would definitely recommend this book!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own