Emily and her husband Paul relooking forward to spending a quiet week at their bakehouse in the Adirondacks with their adult children when their daughter, Joni, shows up with a young man she says is her new fiancé, saying his name is Michael Rand. however, Emily, a psychologist, swears he is someone else - a young man she treated 15 years ago after he watched his mother brutally murder his father. And his reappearance can't be a coincidence. So what does he want, and why is he back now, lying about his true identity?

First of all, this book takes place in Lake Placid, one of my favorite places, though I'm nowhere near bougie enough to own a lakehouse there. So it was really nice seeing the descriptions of the surroundings and atmosphere of Placid. If you're also a fan of the High Peaks, you will probably enjoy this one too.

On to the actual book itself, I enjoyed this one very much. It was interesting to think about ow to "pro" someone is someone who they say they're not. Alex goes about it in probably all the wrong ways, and that leads to some very tense and suspenseful events, which make for good reading. Unraveling the mystery in this one was really great - and there were some intense twists and turns that lead up to the end.

I didn't guess the ending myself, I have to say, though I could see how the author laid the clues. Hindsight is 20/20, after all. I really enjoyed how the author pulled together all the strings and plot lines to create an ending that really hit. It was perfect.

Overall, this was a great thriller from start to finish, perfect for a long weekend getaway, when you need your own "week at the lake"!

This is a very twisted "in your face" psychological thriller. The character flaws were very evident but the same time, they were confusing. Just when I thought a certain character was the evil one, Bam! I must admit it took me a few minutes to get into the book, but suddenly something happened, and the "claws" reached out and pulled me into the story.

I found myself at times not able to catch my breath! There were many scary, suspenseful moments! T.J.Brearton didn't disappoint! What a ride!

Thank you #NetGalley for providing an A/C of this book! I'm ready for Brearton's next one!

Interesting but not really my cup of tea. Well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. A woman helps put a mom in jail for murder. Now that woman’s son is in her house engaged to her daughter - and adamant that he is not that son, and his name is a different name. She will now do whatever it takes to keep her family together but everyone thinks she is going crazy around her. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review.
Her Perfect Secret follows Emily, a doctor of physiology. Her daughter Joni brings home her new fiance Michael and Emily finds him to look awfully familiar. She swears his name is Tom and that she treated him as a child after he witnessed his father's murder. The whole book is contemplating whether we think Emily has lost her mind or not. Is Michael really Tom? Did his mother really kill his father all those years ago?
Emily for me was sooo annoying. I didn't even care that she was possibly losing her mind, I was intrigued. When everything came to light and we learned the truth about everything, I was sadly disappointed. There was no surprise factor, no climatic suspense for me. I wanted a story that blew me away and one that I would never see the plot coming. This book fell flat on its front cover.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book was amazing. Read it in 2 days and highly recommend.

I just couldn’t get into the story. I felt like everything was forced and it went super fast and with little transitional details.

When Emily’s daughter Joni announces she’s engaged to a man named Michael, Emily can’t help but feel like she recognizes him. He looks like a boy who’s mother she assisted in sending to prison on a life sentence for murdering her own husband. But, the boys name was Tom. Shes sure it’s him and more importantly she’s sure he recognizes her. The mystery of why he’s reappeared into her life begins to unravel as we delve into secrets, finished off with a twist. Who is he now? Did he seek out her daughter in some kind of revenge plot? Should she be afraid? These and a million other questions are racing through Emily’s mind.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. I found some of the plot to be a little unbelievable and there were times it kind of dragged on. Other than that, it was worth the read.

Thank you to Joffe Books + NetGalley for the ARC!

I was unable to finish this book due to the formatting of this ARC. The font was too small and the pages kept jumping whenever I’d try to adjust it. I prefer to read on the NetGalley app, as it’s most convenient for me, and sadly even after reaching out to NetGalley not much could be done. I am a fan of T.J. Brearton’s previous work and I’ll still be checking out the physical copy. Nonetheless, thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books.

Thank you Joffe books and NetGalley for the opportunity to review and read this book. I thought this was a really good idea, I did not figure out beforehand a lot of the twists and turns. I also like that the end was not rushed and felt real. It was not like some books that need to make sure the ending is happy for everyone. I also really liked that pretty much all the characters were unreliable, they were messy and selfish and very real.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4410329211

Holy smokes!! 🤯 what JUST happened?? This is really a well written psychological thriller and this was a wild ride. I actually couldn't put it down and it kept me fully engaged! I highly recommend picking this one up 👍🏼

I didn’t not finish this title. I was not captivated by the writing or the characters. Perhaps this is a better choice for a different reader.

The story grabbed my from early on. The author has a way of laying out the plot that makes it hard to put down. I found d myself returning to the story every spare moment that I could.
The twist near the end hit like an unguarded left hook.
If you are in the mood for a good psychological thriller, add this to your reading list

Ooooo yes, I knew this was going to be an excellent thrill! Amazing characters and the writing was suspenseful the whole way through. Must read if you like suspense novels.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book full of twists and turns. It kept my interest and I really enjoyed the characters. I plan on reading more books from this author,

This one had lots of twists and turns. It kept me guessing all the way to the end. I couldn't put it down once I started. Sure, there were a few parts that dragged on in the middle but the suspense and the ending more than made up for it!

Highly recommend!! 4.5/5

Thank you #netgalley and #joffee books for the eARC.

I received a free copy of “ Her Perfect Secret”, by T. J. Brearton from Net Galley to read and review.My thanks to Net Galley, the author and publisher.
Emily Brearton is a psychologist whose practice involves “ talk therapy” , i. e., getting people to talk about their feelings , fears and problems as a way of healing their minds without the use of drugs. As the book begins she and her husband Paul are on vacation at their summer cottage in upper New York State. Her life begins to change when her daughter Joni unexpectedly arrives with a young man in tow, announcing that she and Tom are going to be married. Surprised by this, her parents try to be welcoming towards the new fiancé.
But Emily has deep concerns. The young man strongly resembles an eight year old boy she treated years ago when Emily was called into a murder case. The idea was for her talk with the boy, draw out his memories of the fatal night when the boy’s father was murdered. Emily therapy draws out the memory of the child heard loud, angry voices downstairs. There he
found his mother holding his father bludgeoned body in her arms. As the result of Emily’s talk therapy drawing out the traumatized boy’s memories the mother is indicted. She pleads guilty to murder.
That is the set up. Is the boy called Tom the same boy who witnessed murder? Why is his name different ? How did he meet Lori? Is his background story a lie? If all is a lie, what is the truth? Emily intends to find out.
The story is, as they say, a page turning thriller with an intricate plot. We learn a lot about the primary characters Emily because analyzes the moves and motive of everyone close to her. She and Paul have stabilized a marriage nearly broken by Paul’s infidelities. Yet she wonders about his moods. Their children left home as quickly as possible- perhaps because of Mom’s psychoanalytic musings about her husband and children. Now, of course , Emily questions everything about Joni’s new beau.What could go wrong?
But Emily can’t help herself as she begins to probe and investigate Tom, and she does not like what she finds.
Is Emily just projecting her fears on Tom, finding cruelties hidden deception and motives that others, including the police do not see? As the book goes on, the reader spends a lot of time inside Emily’s head , who spends a lot of time in everyone else’s. The crux is whether Emily fears are driving every in the family away, or is Emily’s paranoid fear real.
The book holds up pretty well, I thought until the last ninety pages or so. That was when I thought the author did a lot of scrambling to tie up the many plot threads into some kind of sense. Even then, he piles up the plot twists. The final confrontation was a thrilling one, yet it results in a or entirely plausible way of tying it everything up into a package to satisfy the reader.
All in all, I would say “ Her Perfect Secret” was a good book that could have been very good with some judicious pruning.

A unique, interesting read. This book keeps you guessing from the very first page. The plot flows well, and the characters are well developed. The main character is relatable and the motivations for her actions are explored in depth.

Ice holes! 😳🤯😯

FLUFF ME!!! 😳😳😯😯 What just happened?! Holy frick!! I mean.. WHAT! Emily is a psychologist. Her daughter, Joni, has just shown up with her man Michael, and announced they're engaged. Great right? But the problem is, Michael looks uncanny to a patient Emily worked with 15 years ago when his mother killed her Dad. But his name was Tom. They just can't be, right? Emily will do anything to protect herself and her family. But to what cost? And who is Michael? I DID NOT see that ending coming! No way, no how! Absolutely mind. blown! 🤯

I give this 4.5 / 5 snowflakes! ❄️

Thank you to NetGalley for this incredible read!

What a gripping thriller.

This was a very disturbing but good read.

Thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish and could not get enough of.

This is a must read for anyone who enjoys a good thriller!!
Absolutely loved the characters, the plot, the tension -  impossible to put it down.
Certainly recommended!

Thank you NetGalley, Joffe Books & T.J. Brearton for access to this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When Emily's daughter Joni brings her boyfriend to the family lake house to meet her parents, things don't quite go as planned. For starters, they're engaged. But more important than that, Emily knows this young man - only she knows him as Thomas Bishop, not Michael Rand, a boy she interviewed in her job as a clinical psychologist fifteen years previously after the death of his father. Her suspicion grows after seeing a text on Michael's phone that says "did they buy it?". Is he the young man from her past? If he is, why is he lying to everyone?

Psychological thrillers are my jam. I love them, and it is the genre I read the most. This one did not disappoint. It was a bit slow to start, but once it got rolling I read for a few hours until I finished it (something I can't say about a lot of the books I read).

From the onset, it seems that the Lindman family is your typical family. (Mostly) Happily married and successful parents, a son who has worked hard to get his life together and is the apple of his parents eye, a troubled but working on it daughter. But, the cracks begin to show fairly quickly. Joni still hasn't forgiven her parents for her youth, Emily is a touch neurotic and hyper fixated, Paul is aloof, and Sean is struggling to find his purpose.

The characters, if I'm being honest, aren't totally likable. They all have some quirk or tic that crops up fairly early that makes you question their motives. Emily presents as a clinical psychologist who has her act together, but we quickly see that she may be an unreliable narrator. As the story progresses, you're unsure who you can trust and who's version of the events happening is accurate. The pace of the story, and the breakneck speed at which what you thought you knew is turned on your head was well done. It did get a bit confusing at times, but I chalk that up to the speed that I read the book.

I found myself thinking about the story while making dinner about halfway through and realized I had a prediction about the twist/ending. While I wasn't totally right, I wasn't totally wrong either - which was a refreshing change of pace from the thrillers I've read recently.

All in all, totally enjoyable.