Shalini Boland doesn’t ever disappoint I found this a bit of a slow burner, but it most certainly made up for it at the end!
I had those palpitations and anxiety you only get when you are so absorbed in a story!
Told over 2 POV - Dani - who is married to rich Marcus and Emily who is married to salesman Aidan. Both have very different lives, but become entwined due to their husbands!
Really exciting ending with a dreadfully shocking twist that just blew my mind!!

I’ve never read anything by this author before and I thoroughly enjoyed this book so much so my day off was spent reading and doing very little else as I couldn’t put the book down.
2 completely different couples who’s lives are entwined in more ways than just being boss and employee.
The story is told from dual pov of the wives in each couple neither of whom know the secrets their husbands are hiding.
A real page turner with twists and turns and although I did anticipate a few of the twists I still enjoyed this read immensely.

I have loved all of Shalini Boland’s previous books but this one I had a hard time following. It held my interest and I was still asking myself at the end “what did I just read?” Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

A thoroughly enthralling thriller that I couldn't put down. The chapters alternate between Emily and Danielle, two very different women whose lives intersect at the junction of their husbands, Aidan and Marcus. Aidan works for Marcus as a salesman of luxury cars, Emily longs to have a life of luxury, Danielle longs to have a baby, and Marcus has a plan. You will not see the ending coming--just the kind of thriller that keeps me up until 2:00 am to finish.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this advance copy to read and review.

I am always, always excited to receive a book by Roland to review. This one did not disappoint! The writing is incredible, the twists are always unexpected, and I am still thinking about it. Highly recommend!

Shalini Boland never disappoints. The twists the turns the lies betrayals. Fast paced domestic thriller told from Emily and Dani’s points of view.

I enjoy this author and this book was no exception- it's a quick read that I finished in one setting. The story centers on 2 women, Emily and Dani, and the chapters alternate between their POVs. Emily's husband works for Dani's husband, but as the story continues, you find out that there is more to the story than just that. I actually didn't feel liike the synopsis explained the book well, but maybe it was intended to mislead.

Emily and Dani were both believable characters, for the most part; I found myself frustrated with Emily for not asking for help when she needed it, and frustrated with Dani for not talking to her husband when he started acting out of character, but overall I felt like I could understand where they are coming from. I thought that Emily and Aidan were SUPER naive in how they thought they could run away and start new lives, but it's not like they were criminal masterminds so perhaps this is how anyone would be when thrust into a situation like that.

The book was tense and the ending was good, though there were a couple things that came to light late in the book where I wish the trail had been laid a little bit more. EIther way, I was satisfied with the ending.

Overall, another fun read from Boland and I'm already looking forward to the next one. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this one! The author is one of my favourites, she really knows how to write a good domestic noir with some pretty hideous characters!
I would certainly recommend this book along with all her others.

The book starts with a horrifyingly violent event. The book goes back a few months, to explain how it happened.
Dani and Marcus, and Emily and Aiden, are two couples living in Poole, whose lives are linked in devastating ways. Aiden is employed by Marcus at his luxury car dealership, but gets into trouble with loan sharks, so he and pregnant Emily, and their son Josh, plan to leave Poole and start a new life elsewhere.
In the meantime, Dani and Marcus are trying for a baby, Dani is upset because Marcus has changed, and is mixing with unpleasant people instead of putting her first. Dani is suspicious and tries to find out what is going on and all sorts of secrets are revealed. A good beach read.

Thankyou Netgalley and Bookuture for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book gripped me with its 'witty and addictive writing' claws and didn't let go until the end! A Perfect Stranger is a psychological domestic thriller narrated mainly with 2 POV's (Dani and Emily) and the prologue is from the POV of another character Annie. Annie finds her husband David dead when she returns from her grocery run with her son George. Emily is pregnant with her second child and senses something is afoot, when her husband Aidan wants to quit his steady job out of the blue. Dani is the wife of Marcus, a wealthy car dealer who suddenly has new associates in his dealership. Dani has a deep desire to get pregnant and Marcus' distant behavior makes her doubt her husband. Having all this information in hand, readers are left scrambling to tie all the plots as soon as possible!

The writing was amazing and the imagery is also stunning. Dani and Emily are both well developed characters and the alternating POVs with suspense kept me glued to the Kindle. After the prologue, which left me stunned, I read the next chapters and kept waiting for the other shoe to drop! The prologue in itself is amazing, with its vivid scenes and brilliant writing. The writing of the novel builds around the reader and they witness the scenes right in front of their eyes.

The book fell short for me during the anticipated reveal which just felt anti-climatic making me go, 'Ah ok. Anyway, " . The final chapter was amazing though, and made the book stand tall as a psychological thriller! Looking forward to reading other books by Shalini Boland's addictive writing!

Wow! What a great read. I was hooked right away. I wasn't sure where the book was taking me but what a ride it was. I loved seeing what Would happen to Annie and Aidan. With his gambling debts would they be able to get away in time? I was rooting for them to run for their lives! Hoping they would find an escape somehow someway.

As for Dani I absolutely loved her! What a fierce character. I wasn't sure what was going on with her but she was a hero in the end.

As for the ending it BLEW my mind. Never saw it coming. Who knew where it would end.

Pick up your copy today! Thank you to netgalley and bookouture for the advance read.

It’s been so long since I’ve read one, that I’m happy to say this book is a bonafide page-turner! The prologue leads you right into the action, and into getting to know our two protagonists: Emily and Dani.

Emily is a pregnant mom with a four-year-old and a husband who works at a car dealership. They scrimp and save, and barely have enough to get by, but they are happy with life … until one day, when her husband, Aidan, turns their world upside down. They have to leave town and change their identities - why?

Dani is a woman who seems to have it all, from the outside. Fancy house, fancy clothes, a gorgeous husband who owns the car dealership that Emily’s husband works for, a full house staff … but she still doesn’t have everything she wants.

The book is narrated by these two women, and for much of the book, you wonder what their connection is outside of the car dealership. They are both having issues with their husbands, but otherwise, they may as well live in different worlds due to their economic and social differences. Only at the end do you discover the truth about everything and how these two women are connected - and it’s good!

With many leading statements, I found myself having a hard time putting this book down. You know from the prologue that something bad is going to happen, but how and why will (most likely) evade you along the way. I’m happy to give this domestic thriller four stars; it was very entertaining!

(Thank you to Bookouture, Shalini Boland, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)

You know you are going to get a good story when you settle in with a Shalini Boland book! I enjoyed every page of A Perfect Stranger. Emily suspects something is going on with her husband Aiden and is worried. She’s pregnant with their second child and her worry is justified when Aiden tells her what’s really going on. Then there is Dani, the gorgeous wife of Aiden’s boss. She has a perfect life and doesn’t really concern herself with the likes of Emily, however, the two women are on a collision course neither of them sees coming.

Synopsis:

Annie comes home from a market trip with her young son, George, only to make a gruesome discovery. Could the perpetrator be the new lodger she and her husband, David, just rented their spare bedroom to?

Emily dreams of one day owning a house where her son, Josh, and the little one on the way can grow up, but when her husband, Aidan, insists on leaving his lucrative job as a luxury car salesman, she senses something more is afoot – even while she harbours a secret of her own. What is Aidan hiding, and will it jeopardize their young family’s future?

Meanwhile, Aidan’s boss, Marcus, finds himself caught between placating his wife Dani’s all-consuming desire to get pregnant and managing the less than savoury group of associates now helping to run his car dealership. How far is Marcus willing to go to prove his love for Dani? Or will his business come first?

This was a very good reading, entertaining and quick moving with no boring parts! Coming out on July 11.

This was strange for me, only because this author has an audiobook so similar on Audible that I've already listened to. It even has the same name. I was confused when I started reading it and thought I was having deja vu so I went to Audible and found it.

The book is still interesting obviously. In the middle of financial trouble, a couple find a man to rent from them and that will help them out but on her way home from the store, she makes a terrible discovery!

So we go through timelines and meet them and see his job and their friends and there were a few things I thought were slightly different, but I couldn't be positive.

Regardless, it's a great mystery and drama. Maybe read another Shalini if you've listened to that on Audible.

Emily and Aidan seem like a perfect, normal young couple starting out.. struggling a bit but making it work. They don’t realize each other is hiding a huge secret.

This book was just divine. I could not put it down. The storyline keeps you engaged and guessing what the secrets that Emily and Dani have kept my mind moving the entire time.

Another great thriller by Boland!

A Perfect Stranger by Shalini Boland

This book is written from two points of view; Emily and Dani. Both Emily and Dani are as different as night and day; Dani is married to Marcus and they live a rich and wealthy life style, own their own prestige property right on the water front, drive expensive cars that Marcus sells and have no children.

Emily is married to Aidan, who works for Marcus, they are renters in a good neighbourhood but don’t have much money living a simple life, they have a little boy, Joshua and another little one on the way.

Emily’s and Dani’s stories are individual and do not parallel until the last chapters of the book.

I have read many books by Shalini Boland and have enjoyed them immensely but this book I found to be long and winded and not very interesting until they last few chapters when Dani and Emily’s life intertwined.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Bookouture for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

So this book starts with a murder then we go back and look at a group of women seemingly not connected and see how their lives have wound together to reach a very dramatic conclusion and once all the pieces fit together the truth about the whole thing is even more mind blowing. I did not work this one out so another great read by a great authority .

I'll read anything by Shalini Boland. Emily, her husband and little boy are barely scraping by. Dani, on the other end, is extremely well off but she isn't without her own problems. The characters felt a little shallow but overall, the story was a quick and easy read. And the ending, wow, I didn't see that coming!

This was another great psychological thriller by Shalini Boland. Dani is consumed with her struggle with infertility. She’s sure her husband Marcus, who owns a car dealership, is keeping secrets from her. Emily is married to Aidan and has a young son named Josh. She’s pregnant with their second child. Aidan, who works for Marcus at his car dealership, reveals to Emily that he is in deep trouble and has been lying to Emily. This entire novel was built upon characters lying to each other, layer after layer, and it was very well told. The beginning of the novel moved a little bit more slowly as the author set the characters up, but once things got established, it was impossible to put down. It’s hard to say too much without giving away spoilers, but Aidan comes home one night with shocking news. He and Emily have to leave suddenly in the night, assume new identities, live off the grid. And someone is hunting for them. What started off as a fairly innocuous… hmm… I wonder what is going to happen here… got CRAZY intense fast and I was on the edge of my seat and things never let up after that. There are even more twists that happen all the way to the end of the book! 5/5 stars.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary ARC copy of this book from Bookouture and NetGalley for review purposes.

A classic Shalini Boland. Always hard to put down and a brilliant gripping storyline. Looking forward to the next one.