A complex thriller based on a chance encounter many years previously. Suddenly a young man's actions return to haunt him and his family in the present day.Good characters and many a twist.

The book was a good read. The plot was interesting, the characters were well described but I believe something was missing. I found the book good but a little bit predictable. 
Would like to try to read more books of Jake Cross though.

Had me guessing on absolutely everything through reading this book. Who do I believe? Who is telling the truth. Thank you for keeping me on the edge

What another belter and roller coaster of a ride this book has been. Gripping, thrilling, chilling and an edge of your seat read.

The story focuses on a family Rose (Mum), Chris (Dad) and Julie (Their daughter). But then Katie arrives aka the perfect stranger bringing trouble their way, I was questioning her character throughout… Who really is she?

A well deserved four stars from me. Highly recommend. Loving Jake Cross’s stories. Throughally enjoyed it, I was hooked. A real page turner.

Perfect Stranger is a twisted psychological thriller with a great creep factor. Would you let a young woman into your home because she claims to be your daughter from a long ago fling? If she had no proof? This couple and their teen daughter do let her in to live with them. Strange things begin to happen and keep happening. The family are not realistic because they weren't suspicious and didn't question the presence of this stranger coinciding with the strange events. It's like they were brain dead. Is this strange girl doing sinister things or is it actually a coincidence? The questions pile up. The story is very creepy and engrossing. I felt like I was being watched. I enjoyed the story, but I wish the family had been intelligent and intuitive. As psychological thrillers go, this story will keep you guessing! Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was an amazing and extremely creepy thriller from new-to-me author Jake Cross. Perfect Stranger was so good I devoured it in one day. With adept pacing and very cleverly written, it really played with my mind. Superb characterisation by the author as well. A terribly worthwhile and indulgent read, earning a well-deserved five stars.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Bookouture via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Perfect Stranger is the second book I’ve read by Jake Cross and was a book I struggled at times with but overall enjoyed the storyline. 3.5 ⭐️
Chris and Rose have been married for twenty years and have a daughter, it is the result of a fast romance as soon as they met, but one evening they are held up by men whilst in their car with baseball bats threatening to kill them unless they handed over their possessions until a motorbike comes along and they scarper, unbeknown to Chris and his family the woman on the bike claims to be his daughter from an affair years ago. Whilst waiting for paternity tests Rose invites Katie to stay as she has nowhere to go and here their lives take a strange turn.
On the whole I enjoyed this book, it did feel repetitive at times and I struggled to keep going but I thought it had a good ending and was action packed at the end.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

I read and loved The Family Lie by Jake Cross, so when I saw this book I was excited to read. I enjoyed it, it is a suspense and mystery filled book, with characters that are well written. 
Perfect Stranger was a fast read for me, and I found myself sinking into the story that the author was telling. The story is told from Chris's point of view. I wasn't a massive fan of him, he seemed a bit of a pushover and needed a lot of prompting from various people to make decisions, which is maybe why he finds himself in the position he does. 
I really enjoyed his daughter, Julia's character she was a great addition to the story. Katie, who claims to be Chris's daughter, turns up at their home and the families lives are turned on their head. Her arrival opens up a can of worms that Chris has tried to forget about and starts a chain of events that will rock the families foundations for a long time.

Wow this book had me shook! I didn’t know what to believe, who to believe.. So full of secrets, lies, deception, betrayal, and revenge. This book will have you hooked as you read page after page.

Imagine having a happy life. You are married and have a teen daughter and your life is good. Suddenly by chance you meet a young woman who claims to be your daughter from a fling many years ago. What would you do?

I enjoyed this book as slowly everything is revealed bit by bit. We learn the truth, the lies, the deception, and boy is it juicy! If you love a good thriller then look no futher than this novel!

With a shocking ending that will leave you wanting more, this book will be a hit!

I generally enjoy this authors books, so was keen to get this one. It was a good thriller - quite enjoyable.  I'm not sure I enjoyed it as much as his others, but I think that is marginal.

This was a good read. Twisty and turny, but it rambled on a little too much for me and at  times I was quite confused.

The back story for this book could have been pulled from many local newspapers.  A young woman who has been tracking her absent father shows up on his door step and expects to join his family.  That's the part you read in the paper, the middle part.  Jake Cross takes that story and gives it some pretty original twists.  The book moves quickly, drawing you into the "family" and telling their stories while the characters reveal themselves to be very different from what you expected.  Keeping us guessing until the very end.

This was a real psychological thriller and so many twists and turns make for a nail biting read! I will highly recommend to friends! Made doe excellent reading whilst sunbathing.

What would you do if someone turned up on your doorstep and announced that she thinks she’s your daughter? That’s what happens to Chris and Rose. They’ve had a solid marriage for 20 years (they’ve been planning a celebration party with family and friends for their anniversary), and they live a fairly uneventful, secure life with their teenage daughter, Julia.

Until one mistake from Chris’s past comes back to haunt him, and Katie arrives to rock their solid world. Events seem to conspire against them all, and she lands up having nowhere to go. Rose, being a good-natured sort (although she seems to be going through menopausal mood swings – I did find her sudden flashes of anger and irritation rather surprising at times), can’t help insisting that she stay with them. Strangely, nobody seems to query this, although Julia does occasionally ask why she’s there. However, because there’s virtually no age difference between them and because they get along really well, she too welcomes her into the family home as some of twin sister!

But strange things start to occur, and these then start to compound, making both Chris and Rose suspicious that Katie might not be who she says she thinks she might be (it is just a tiny bit complicated). However … even stranger is that neither of them questions anything she says, or seems to delve deeper into her story, even when it’s evident that it has more holes than a piece of Swiss cheese! This really did hamper the plot for me, and the book started to lose its edge.

The characters seem to be all over the place, eternally waiting, waiting for an answer (or an axe to fall?), and not going out and pursuing any answers for themselves. I know it’s fiction, but this did border slightly on fantasy at times. But that said, the strength of this book lies in the authenticity of its characters. Chris is … dare I say it … oh, so typically male! He just doesn’t want to deal with or face up to anything difficult. I literally pictured him stamping his foot like a toddler! He shrugs off any uncomfortable, awkward situation (and he finds himself faced with many) with banal humour, which more often than not, falls flat. He doesn’t seem to be one of life’s copers, and struck me as a bit of a wimp!

His wife Rose, on the other hand, clearly wears the pants in this partnership – well that’s the way she started off – it fluctuated a lot! Initially, being the writer, researcher type that she is, she checks up on stuff that Katie says. But that doesn’t remain consistent and she isn’t able to balance it out with her mothering role of wanting to welcome Katie into her home and look after her. I wanted her to remain cynical and suspicious, but she didn’t (or couldn’t).

I liked Julia a lot though! I loved her determination and her attempt to be independent, combined with that reticence that comes with being unsure about who she really is, combined with knowing how and who she might want to be. I found her really refreshing and real.

The original idea behind this book is what will catch readers’ attention. It opens up that ‘What If?’ conversation, which is always interesting.

18 years prior, Chris Redfern met Eve Levine had a fling. Like most flings, Chris thought nothing of it, but Eve becomes pregnant following the brief affair. Fast forward to present day, Chris is now faced with 18 year old Katie who very much wants to get to know her father and be a part of his family, which he now has with his wife Rose and 18 year old daughter Julia. The family waits on a DNA test to confirm Katie’s story, but they allow Katie to stay with them while the await the results of the paternity test.

As the story begins to unfold, it becomes quite clear that letting Katie into their lives, was a HUGE mistake. What started out as adoration for a long lost father quickly escalates into an intricate web of lies and deceit. The family dynamic completely shifts as strange and violent events start to take place…including the disappearance of Julia’s friend.

I do think that the family was a bit too trusting when Katie showed up on their doorstep, but in the same respect, I don’t know what I would do if I was faced with the same revelation. Jake has delivered yet another nail biting, page turner that quite literally kept me on the edge of my seat. With each new revelation, the tension just kept building until we ultimately got to the stellar finish. Well done.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for providing an eARC. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

Perfect Stranger by Jake Cross

What’s it about: A long-lost daughter shows up on Chris’s doorstep. Who is this person? Is she who she says she is? 

What I liked: While it isn’t innovative or new, I love books that involve a potentially sinister person from the past popping up. I love the intrigue of trying to figure out if they are lying or not.

What I disliked:   This book disappointed me. The dialogue and plot felt jumbled at times, which made it hard to follow. The characters felt flat. Some of the subplots weren’t interesting and didn’t make any sense. This was frustrating as a reader.

Overall: 1/5 stars. Some people enjoyed this book, I didn’t at all.

Though Chris and Rose have had their ups and downs, after twenty years their relationship feels solid. But their comfortable home life is turned upside down when Katie shows up, claiming to be Chris’s daughter from a fling two decades ago. While Chris, unnerved and confused, hesitates accepting Katie, Rose is more than welcoming— after all, how could they turn away a grieving woman who’s just lost her mother? However, after Katie moves in, strange things begin occurring … But is Katie sabotaging her new family or is Chris hiding even bigger secrets?

Author Jake Cross brilliantly structures the opening scenes of Perfect Stranger, showcasing a loving family headed by Chris and Rose and rounded out by teenage daughter Julia. They have quirks and quibbles, but there’s a comfortability that permeates their home. But one way or another, previous actions always come back to haunt. For Chris, it’s in a particularly extreme way, as a daughter he never knew existed shows up at his front door.

And from there, it’s a pulse-pounding chain of events that sends everyone’s lives topsy-turvy.

Part of this is because Cross has no issue letting his main character, Chris, make unpopular choices— and therein lies the success of the story. Chris is complicated and rife with simmering tension, though he constantly tries to diffuse the stress around him with constant jokes. Though he obviously has a loving side with his family, he also struggles moving past even mild annoyances with those outside his close circle. This leads to an internal battle of muddled thinking as he attempts to accept Katie, which justifies a lot of his actions that might seem extreme.

And through it all is a central question: Is Katie his daughter? It’s a compelling conundrum, particularly since Chris and Rose choose to form a basic relationship with Katie, no matter the results of the paternity tests. However, strange and violent events begin occurring around their home, some involving their friends and colleagues. Cross carefully balances the questions of family relationships with who is actually causing the chaos and how that issue relates to the series of crimes, and he threads multiple logical answers. Even so, the ending manages to be both satisfying and surprising.

Ultimately, tight prose, a compelling mystery, and a lot of unreliable characters combine for an original domestic thriller.

You let her in. You’ll wish you hadn’t.
Following a whirlwind romance, Rose and Chris’s marriage has been unshakeable for twenty years. But when teenager Katie turns up on their doorstep, blonde, wide-eyed and beautiful, their perfect life threatens to crumble to pieces. Because Katie says she’s Chris’s long-lost daughter, the product of a forgotten summer fling.
The couple is still reeling from shock when Katie tells them she has nowhere to go. The couple is her only hope. Kind-hearted Rose invites Katie to stay, despite Chris’s protests. The poor girl has only just lost her mother – they can’t leave her out on the street.
But soon after Katie moves in, strange things start happening. Someone crashes into a neighbour’s fence. An unexplained fire starts in the couple’s kitchen. And a family friend coming to visit disappears on the way to the house. Chris insists Katie has to go. But it’s Chris who won’t explain where he was at the time their friend went missing…
The couple’s dream life seems to be turning into a nightmare. With dark secrets about Chris’s history with Katie’s mother coming to light, Rose no longer knows who to trust. Soon, she isn’t sure whether she’s invited a dangerous stranger into her home, or whether she’s been living with one all along…

This was just wow! What a great psychological creepy tale the author has woven together.
Really loved this plot and story line. It flowed well and kept me gripped til the end.
Characters have been wonderfully written and were relatable.
Wonderful story that kept me hooked.
Recommend reading.

Thank you to Bookouture, the author and NetGalley for a free copy of the ebook. This is my in honest, unbiased review.

What an epic and creepy thriller this is. Chris and his family seem settled and happy, when a shock letter and almost-mugging begins the path of something that will rock their whole life. Every event simply ups the ante, and increase the tension and questions.

Katie is a very unsettling character. To the reader it seems there really is something wrong, but it’s impossible to put your finger on what exactly. Her lies and stories simply don’t add up, but there’s no way to know what’s true or not. Chris seems naturally a bit suspicious of her, but Rose and Julia are such kind people that Katie quickly integrates herself in their family.

As the book goes on, there are a myriad of unexplainable events, such as a beating, a fire and more, and it just keeps escalating. If it’s even possible, the tension rises even further when it seems that Chris is hiding the truth as well, and halfway through the book I genuinely couldn’t put it down as I was desperate to know who was genuine and who was the real monster.

The ending to this was probably one of the busiest but most epic endings to a thriller I’ve read in a while. There was a LOT going on, but it meant that I just simply couldn’t put it down. It was chilling, tense, dark and quite frightening at points. Katie was at her best in these scenes, and the writing was magnificently creepy. The very final scene finishes the book off perfectly, it’s calm, calculated and the final truths all come to light.

This is such a satisfyingly creepy book, with brilliant characters and a tense atmosphere throughout.

Thank you again @netgalley and Jake Cross for sending me an ARC of Perfect Stranger for an honest review. This novel is based on a family that have a loving home and a fairly normal life until one day the father discovers he may have another child that is seeking to connect with him. I quite enjoyed the nature of this storyline, the characters personalities are very likeable and you are led to suspect the new daughter straight away from her odd behaviours. I liked the honesty of the main character, he is totally believable in his mannerisms and need for normality and we understand his anxiety of this disruption as we journey with him through the book. I enjoyed the breadcrumbs laced throughout that lend suspicion without being too obvious. The family dynamic is easy to delve into and this book has an inherent message about the impact of emotional abuse on the human psyche. A well thought out climactic ending gives tension and action, then leaves the reader with a sense of closure whilst dangling a possibility of a future story emerging. My favourite thing about this book wasn't necessarily the 'thriller' aspect to it, though it totally delivers on what we expect of that genre. What I loved was the exploration of intrusion in a family, the attempt to accept and fit a stranger into an established home and how the characters process their feelings. I definitely would recommend.