Thank you, Gallery Books, for the gifted copy of The Perfect Family. {partner}

Genre: Mystery
Format: 🎧
Pub Date: 8.19.2021
Star Rating: ☆☆☆

“Boys will be boys; people said as if being a cruel, destructive monster was a rite of passage.”

The Perfect Family was such a quick read! I chose to listen to it on audio, finishing it in under two days. I can’t say that I enjoyed reading this book, but I found it interesting. So, let’s look at what worked and didn’t work for me.

I don’t think I’ve read a book containing all unlikable characters. But, The Perfect Family is full of unlikeable characters with many secrets. Everyone has secrets, but wow, did the Adler family have them.

The author did a great job casting suspicion over each member of the Adler family - it wasn’t until some of the twists were revealed that I could appreciate what had occurred throughout the book.

However, it is hard for me to believe that the police wouldn’t intervene at some point and offer some type of help after a family is continually harassed and threatened. I think they would have to step in and offered some support or security at some point.

And finally, Thomas Adler was an absolute scum bag. He dared to be hateful and angry with his wife about the secrets she kept after Viv forgave him for his transgressions. Just no. He would be out the door.

🫣 ALL morally grey characters (do not expect to like any of them)
🙅🏽‍♀️ The husband is the worst of them all
🔎 Suspicious of every member of the Adler family
🤷🏽‍♀️ More mystery than it is a thriller
❓ Ambiguous end - will there be more?

I recommend reading The Perfect Family if you enjoyed reading The Golden Couple or The Couple at Number 9.

“I stood alone in the street, watching the silent house turn down for the night. One by one, the lights blinked out, like stars dying in an inky sky. The upscale suburb was eerily quiet, no sound but my own breath. My own heartbeat. Still, I waited. And then I waited some more. The occupants had to be asleep.”

For anyone looking in, they would think Viv and Thomas Adler are living the perfect life. They live in a nice home, have successful careers and have a son in college and a daughter in high school. Little do they know that each person in the Adler household is hiding a secret.

Viv stages homes for sale but sometimes picks up a memento from where she’s visited, Thomas’ is having a hard time offloading some property and he’s distrustful of his coworkers, Eli would rather not return to university and Tarryn spends too much time online.

When their home is the target of a prank the Adlers get rattled but the attacks start to escalate and each one thinks could it be their personal secrets that are the reason behind the attacks. Things are getting out of hand and each of the Adler family members thinks that they can stop things from getting worse but their actions sometimes lead to greater consequences. Pure escapism but so fun trying to figure out who is behind all of this and why.

I absolutely loved this book! It was such a captivating read! I couldn’t stop reading! I loved the characters and the story! Highly recommend!

I had hoped to like this book. I have been enjoying suspense books a lot as of late. Sadly, The Perfect Family didn't keep my attention. It was all a little too slow for me. I had to add this book to my DNF list. I do hope that others will enjoy and love this book. It just was not for me.

I really enjoyed Robyn Harding's Her Pretty Face and The Arrangement, so I was excited to read The Perfect Family...and it did not disappoint! The Adlers are being tormented, and each member of the family has a secret, which made for a very interesting read. I had a hard time putting this book down because I couldn't wait to find out who was behind the harassment, and I was definitely surprised when the answer was revealed. Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review another great Robyn Harding book. : )

Robyn Harding has been an auto-buy author for me since Her Pretty Face. With each new release, I continue to be captivated by her work and I can't wait to read more from her in the future.

Is there a such thing as a Perfect Family? Just based on the title, I knew things were not as they seemed when I started this one. A twisted, intriguing novel with surprised around every corner. Well done!

The Adlers are the picture perfect family! Perfect house, perfect cars, perfect careers, perfect kids. So why are they being vandalized? Why is someone puncturing tires? Why did someone try to burn their house down?

Slowly, the Adler family's secrets start to come out. Someone has sticky fingers. Someone did is being blackmailed. Someone is a witness to a hate crime. Someone is a sex worker.

As the story went on, the secrets kept coming out. This book kept me on the edge of my seat and my mouth agape!

Thanks for the ARC, Netgalley!

Thoroughly enjoyed this book! Well-written and engaging! I found all of the characters very interesting and wanted to keep reading to see what happened next! Very entertaining! I will definitely be reading more from this author!

Let me start off this review by stating that I really enjoy Robyn Harding's books. I've been a fan of hers for several years now, and will forever read her work.

This one just didn't work for me.
It didn't pull me in.
It left me feeling....meh about it.

Let's talk about the characters, shall we? I hated all of them. Robyn definitely writes very strong unlikable characters, that's for damn sure. You're SUPPOSED to not like them, which definitely wasn't an issue with this book. Viv was okay, I guess, but her little thrill of stealing small things was weird AF and just infuriated me. I have to acknowledge that she did try to make things right at the end, but I mean, it was too late at that point.

Tarryn's character was also infuriating. But I gave her a little more grace considering she WAS so young and was angst-y and trying to make money. I get that. I was Tarryn at one point in my life. I didn't "cam" but I did like that Robyn kept this book pretty up to date, social media wise, because OnlyFans and online camming like Tarryn was doing is totally common, nowadays. Unfortunately, in some cases.

If I liked any character even the slightest bit, it was Eli. I didn't like his decision to not immediately come forward about the sexual assault of one of his teammates back at Worbey, but I myself have never been in his shoes, so I can't quite say for sure what I would do in his situation. I'd like to say that I would immediately come forward, but if I was also being threatened and harassed, maybe not. But to hire someone to pull pranks on your family? Weird.

Anyway. I did like the whole "feeling like a prisoner in your own home" concept. Having countless pranks/attacks pulled on your house and not being able to capture who was doing them is definitely cause for some anxiety. I can't imagine how helpless I would feel in that situation. That was definitely thrilling and I enjoyed that story line. The way the book ended, though, with another egg thrown at the window had my eye twitching. Like, AGAIN!?

Ultimately, not my favorite book of Robyn's. But I'll be first in line to read her next!

This book took me by surprise in the best way! Thank you so much for my copy.

I really loved how easy it was to read The Perfect Family. Flawed characters, endless action, and a heavy dose of suspense made this an instant page turner. I flew through it and enjoyed the ride!

I did have a hard time connecting to any of the characters because they were seriously unlikeable. The main plot line seemed really unrealistic, but it did keep me entertained throughout.

Overall, I liked it! I would give it a 3.5/5.

This is the story of a family being tormented by someone attacking their home. Because each member of the family is holding their own dark secrets, they each worry they could be the cause of their families distress. I found each character self indulgent and kind of gross. I didn't care for any of them and therefore didn't care about their experiences. Drugs, stealing, hazing, exotic dancers, this isn't a family I would want to know.

Thanks Netgalley for a copy of the perfect family.
I honestly thought I sent to review months ago.
As we all know no body is perfect but this book didn't have to be, to be highly entertaining. So many secrets that kept you reading to find the answers.

This book was riddled with fascinating and intriguing characters. I loved the multiple POVs like always as well as learning all of the secrets amongst the characters. This was a fast paced, easy to read thriller that I definitely recommend.

For anyone who knows me , Robyn has quickly become one of my favorite writers over the past few years . needles to say when when I received my advance reading copy I had to dive in that day. I was a bit nervous to read it , because my expectations were high. I have read all her previous novels and loved them. All I can say about this novel is all hail Robyn , queen of domestic thrillers, I am mind blown. This might be one my favorite novel of hers. I finished the whole book all in one sitting because I was enthralled from the prologue. The perfect family has it all , keeping up appearances , hiding secrets from your spouse , and trying to raise teenagers in our technology day and age. This one is one you don’t want to miss , whether your looking for your next beach read or stay up all night can’t put down novel . I hope Robyn is working on her next book , because I’m ready for my next fix.

Robyn Harding can do no wrong in my book. THE PERFECT FAMILY is just another example of the author's ability to weave together a tale that is tense, absorbing, and the definition of binge-able.

Viv and Thomas have the perfect life. Great kids, wonderful jobs, beautiful house and nice cars. But they also have secrets, and so do their kids. Whose secrets are they being targeted for? Such a great book, it keeps you guessing as to the extent of everyone’s secrets and who has the secret that is tearing them apart?

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you NetGalley Robyn Harding and Gallery Books for this edition and hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
#partner

Thomas and Viv Adler look like they have it all along with their 2 teenage children Eli and Tarryn, but all is not well as it seems. Behind closed doors they are all hiding secrets from each other but who's secret is deadly enough to make somebody attack their home?

Told from multiple POV’s The Perfect Family by Robyn Harding is a well written, tightly plotted story made even more interesting due to the unlikable characters. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

I would like to thank Gallery Books & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

"Of all the Kindles in all the towns in all the world, why show up in mine?" With apologies to Humphrey Bogart. The answer is simple, I requested it. But why? It sounded interesting when I read about it. It wasn't. I read The Perfect Family by Robyn Harding courtesy of NetGalley and Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review. I fear my review might be too honest.

I hated the book. Everything was too neat and tidy. Each member of 'the perfect family' had a disturbing secret they wanted to keep from each other and their world. When bad things start to happen to horrible people, it's hard to care. I didn't.. Someone clearly targeting them, but who? Why? While i found the monologue approach interesting at the start, it quickly wore out its welcome.

I don't know what to say about the ending, except there really wasn't one. I don't recommend the book, which is rare for me, as I usually find something in the book that justifies the time spent reading it.

Robyn Harding has been a favorite author of mine for awhile and this one did not disappoint.

Thomas and Viv Adler seem to have the perfect life; they have a beautiful home, two children, and careers that they both enjoy. But each person in their family has their own secrets that they are trying to keep hidden, secrets that may start coming to light. When pranks start happening at their house they think nothing of it, probably just pranksters, but then the attacks become more frightening.

I like how this book was told from multiple points of view, each of the family members had their own chapters. I feel like that really added to the story reading from each independent person.

Another thing I really liked about this book was as soon as I thought I had it all figured out, another layer to the story was peeled away and I was blown away. This was a fun and juicy thriller and I’m excited to see what the author comes up with next!

*Many thanks to Gallery Books for the gifted copy for my honest review!*