I was fully into this book. I could not put it down because it was so good. Loved the whole cast of characters in this story.

I always know I’ll love anything by Shalini Boland. She’s an auto-read for me. This book is just as gripping, intense and exciting as all her others! Another must-read!

Thank you, Shalini Boland, bookouture & netgalley for my copy! All opinions are my own.

The story is gripping. The story is told from multiple POVs. The pacing was excellent and the tension grew. The characters are well developed. The ending was very rushed which was disappointing

"A Perfect Stranger" by Shalini Boland is the story about a woman who discovers shocking secrets about her husband, leading to a dangerous revelation that threatens her life and the life of her son.
I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style. I did however enjoy the storyline. It was told in dual POV which I always love. Both storylines kept me interested. The story starts a bit slow, but once we get into the gist of it, it kept me fully captivated.

This was a great book! Very typical of Bond, but there were also twists and turns that I didn't expect. 4/5 stars!

Twists, twists and more twists! I started to think that there wasn't going to be any twists because it was going along as I predicted at first but then the twists started coming. I always like reading Shalini Boland's books and was starting to wonder when things were going to take a turn. I enjoyed this one too. Emily and Aiden are a small family with a little boy and a baby on the way. They have a nice life but when Aiden has a huge mishap they are forced to change everything. But does Emily even know the extent of the situation? Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the advance ecopy.

An enjoyable read that is full of suspense and twists that will keeps you turning the pages into the night. Two women with very different lifestyles, Emily is struggling to do her best holding down her job in the GP practice with one young son and another baby on the way. Then we meet Dani who seems to have it all , she spends her days in a lavish gym, and her gorgeous home that she doesn’t have to lift a finger in. Both women however, have one thing in common, they find out they can’t trust their husbands , who are hiding secrets from them. Their lives are not so different after all. I enjoyed this one , and recommend it.

Really enjoyed this book. Fast paced full of twists and loved the ending. I’ve recommended this author to so many people.

This book was very enjoyable! I did enjoy the beginning of the book but about halfway through was when I really got hooked. There's also a pretty interesting twist at the end!
Emily has noticed that her husband, Aiden, has been distant lately. They have a four year old son and one baby on the way. Money is pretty tight but otherwise she thought everything was going pretty well for them. Until one night Aiden tells her that they need to take their son and run, their lives are in danger.
Dani has the perfect life. She has the perfect husband, they have a big house in a nice neighborhood and they were happy. But Marcus is hiding something. Dani doesn't know what it is but she is going to find out.
Both women thought they knew everything about their husbands, but they're obviously keeping secrets. How dangerous are these secrets and are they the only ones keeping secrets?

"A Perfect Stranger" by Shalini Boland is a decent thriller that merits a 3-star rating. Boland's writing is solid and keeps the reader engaged throughout the story. The premise is intriguing, with a mysterious stranger entering the protagonist's life, leading to suspenseful and unexpected developments. The character dynamics are well-crafted, offering some depth and complexity. However, the plot's execution felt somewhat formulaic and didn't deliver the level of suspense or surprise I had hoped for in a thriller of this nature. In the end, "A Perfect Stranger" is a satisfactory read for fans of the genre but may leave some craving more originality and intensity.

Unfortunately I was not able to finish this one. I appreciate the ARC, thank you NetGalley! It did not grip me in the first 1/4 of the book and I have so many books to read I could not do it. Maybe its just not my style

A book full of suspense and surprise, this thriller will play with your expectations and keep you on the edge until the grand finale.

Shalini is one of my favourite thriller authors; she delivers every time. I enjoyed the constant twists and turns and the multiple povs. The ending was a little less neat than I was expecting, but overall a roller coaster of a book that I would recommend to all thriller lovers.

Shalini Boland is one of the most reliable writers on the bookshop shelves these days and this novel is no exception to her current run of gripping tales

4/5

A little slow to start but once it gets going it doesn’t stop. This is a roller coaster of a book that just doesn’t stop till the end. The twists and turns are crazy and how all the characters end up linking together is so good. Definitely worth a read!

I love Shalini Boland but this one was a bit silly. I mean, if you really fear for you and your family's lives enough to do a runner, surely you go further than 30.miles down the road? It was all a bit too far fetched for my liking. Still love her though and will read more of hers

Quick Summary: A psychological tick tick boom

My Review: A Perfect Stranger by Shalini Boland was the type of thriller that I love. With dark twists and concerning turns, this novel did a tremendous job of presenting an intriguing story.

What I Loved About This Book:

- I loved the prologue! Oh my word, it was disturbing. It was the perfect setup to pull me in to the book. That is how you write an opening to a story.

- I loved how the story was told from various POVs. Being introduced to characters in this way helped me to better understand each - how they thought, what concerns and/or insecurities they had, etc.

- I loved the contrasts in lifestyles that was shown in the leads lives. This cast a tone of avariciousness or perhaps desperation, among other things. (I could say more, however, I don't want to add a spoiler...although it would be easy to do so.)

- I loved the textured background and personalities shown. There was so much more going on than was obvious. Secrets were everywhere.

- I loved that the ending was not so neat and tidy. That was unexpected.

My Final Say: This gets a hearty yes. Readers who love stories with characters who have depth, as well as stories that have you wondering what comes next will love this book.

Other: This is the second book I have read from this author. The books were very different from one another. One was a YA sci-fi/fantasy, and the other was a mystery/thriller. What Boland gets right is weaving in dark elements, suspense, and intrigue. She is definitely a writer whose work I would like to become more familiar with going forward.

Rating: 5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Re-read: Yes
Keeper: Yes
Favorites Shelf: Yes

Appreciation is extended to the author, to Bookouture, and to NetGalley, who provided access to a digital ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review. The words I have shared are my own.

* A Goodreads review has been posted.

Book Review:
Title: The Perfect Stranger
Author: Shalini Boland
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/3 stars

Emily and Dani are the two main characters, both coming from completely different lifestyles but their lives merge in the worst of ways. Both of their husband's are involved in some seriously shady business. Although the women do not care for one another throughout the book, they do become friends at the end. But one of them still has a secret that could spiral everything out of control again. Sometimes it's just better to keep your secrets when it involves the craziness that takes place in Emily and Dani's lives.🤫

This thriller wasn't terrible but it was pretty easy to figure out what was going on to an extent. Not the biggest twist ending but it was suspenseful at times.

Thank you, @netgalley and @bookouture, for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Published June 11th, 2022

A really good read. Thanks for the advance read. I would recommend it as a good holiday read
Would read another by this author

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.