Reading Between the Wines book review #59/135 for 2022:
Rating: 3.5 🍷 🍷 🍷 1/2
Book 📱: A Perfect Stranger
Author: Shalini Boland
Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers
Available now!

Sipping thoughts: What would you do if your husband told you he had a devastating secret that caused you to have to go into hiding? That is exactly what Emily had to do. Aiden and Emily are on the run but what exactly does it have to do with Dani, his boss’s wife?
This book is told by Emily, Dani, and a mysterious/unknown person’s POV. It is a quick read with a few twists along the way. The last twist in the last chapter was very surprising but I feel like I should have guessed it. I love Boland and all her books and look forward to her newer releases.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley and @Bookouture for an advance copy of @APerfectStranger.

#APerfectStranger #ShaliniBoland #Bookouture #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

Shalini Boland is one of my favourite authors when it comes to psychological thrillers, when I see her name I don't even have to read the blurb, I just grab it because I know I will enjoy it.
A Perfect Stanger makes no exception, it's a very good story, not my favourite by her, but still very good, suspenseful and gripping and it will have you hooked right from the prologue.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The beginning of this psychological suspense fills the reader with trepidation. It's a story of two women, two marriages, and a web of deceit that has devastating consequences. Emily, married to Aiden with a young son and another baby on the way, is happy. They have a few money worries, and Emily would love to be wealthier like her best friend. Dani is living the dream, married to Marcus. The only overt connection between the two women is Marcus' business. There is a marked change in both husbands' behaviour, and after an unexpected confession, the women's lives converge dangerously and unpredictably.

Numerous twists and an underlying sense of menace make this addictive reading. All the clues are there, but the final twist remains disturbing and unexpected.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

A Perfect Stranger by Shalini Boland was another fantastic psychological thriller and I was gripped from the beginning till the end and a great page turner. All of Shalini's books are a wonderful read. I highly recommend them and they are great for your holiday sitting by the pool relaxing.

Big thank you to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review.

I received this arc through net galley in exchange for an honest review.

I could not put this book down, I was staying up late to find out what would happen next… This was a fast-paced story which held my attention, keeping me guessing until that final twist was revealed.. I Absolutely loved it.

If you haven't read anything by Shalini Boland before I suggest you add her to your TBR pile.

I always look forward to a book by this author as I know it is going to be a gripper!

After a shocking prologue that got me hooked, we go on a gradually more twisty tale of two couples whose marriages are not as seen from the outside and the wives began to uncover lies and secrets that will change their lives forever.

Shalini does it again! I should know by now what to expect by now - a gripping opening, an easy read (I use this as an absolute compliment, it takes such talent to make such a complex plot so readable!) that drew me in from the start and just when you are feeling comfortable, it ramps up and honestly gave me whiplash with that last chapter!

Another amazingly good tale from the talented writer, Shalini Boland.

In A Perfect Stranger, the prologue immediately draws the reader in as you follow Emily who has a son, Josh, and is married to Aiden and looking forward to the birth of their child. Then there's Dani whose husband is Marcus. He is also Aiden's employer.

The tense story is told from the viewpoints of Emily and Dani and there are so many twists! The story unfolds like a peeled onion with layer upon layer of intrigue to unveil. Rich in drama, A Perfect Stranger also boasts a fabulous, explosive ending. Another surefire winner from Shalini Boland.

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

I'm usually a huge fan of this author but this one just didn't grab my attention.

I don't know if it was the unlikeable character's or the predictable plot but unfortunately I just didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped to.

Another great read from Shalini Boland, An easy 5 stars from me, with the ending just leaving me stunned! Definitely recommend this for those who love well written, fast paced psychological thrillers.
Many thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this excellent ARC

Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant read. Another excellent offering from this oh so talented writer
So many twists.The story unfolds like an onion, with layer upon layer of intrigue and oh what an amazing ending

This was my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it!Right off at the beginning we get a prologue that draws you in and makes you want to read to know what they are talking about! Giving us clues as what is going to happen! Which is a great start to a good thriller!
And than we get to the story now, and we have Emily who is wife of Aidan they are middle class family living in a upper family area and struggling to make it. Emily has a 4 year old son Josh and is pregnant with another baby, and what Emily thinks is a normal day turns into nothing but normal and Emily learns some secrets that her husband has been hiding from her and they have to get out of town ASAP.
Than we have Dani who is a wife of a rich man who owns the dealership that Aidan works at. And life for Dani is good she has a handsome husband, lives in a beautiful house, nieces and nephews she loves but their is one thing Dani can’t get and that is a baby of her own no matter how hard she tries. Than her husband starts acting weird and has shady people hanging around the house and Dani can’t help but wonder what is really going on.
This was a great fast paced thriller with POV of Emily and Dani and each chapter gives you enough hints and surprises that you have to keep reading in till you are finished! And the twist and turns at the end was so good! I did not see it coming at all and that last chapter of the book left me with my mouth wide open! I will be reading more from this author! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book for review!

This was a ARC copy for review purposes. Thank you, Net Galley and Bookouture.

Great book! My first Shalini Boland book, and definitely not my last! Both intriguing and captivating… this psychological thriller centers around two couples. The secrets, lies, twists and turns kept me turning the pages, wanting more. The biggest twist of all happened at the very end. I did not see that coming! A fantastic read. I gave it 5 stars. Looking forward to reading more books by this author.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'A Perfect Stranger' by Shalini Boland.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Shalini Boland, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 11th July 2022.

This is the seventh book I have read by this author. I have previously read 'The Other Daughter', 'The Wife', 'The Couple Upstairs', 'One Of Us Is Lying', 'The Family Holiday' and 'My Little Girl', all of which I highly recommend.

I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is 'Perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl and The Wife Between Us'. I am a huge fan of 'Gone Girl' and 'Girl On The Train' so am looking forward to seeing if it lives up to this! I am also a huge fan of Shalini and if this is half as good as 'The Other Daughter', 'The Wife', 'One Of Us Is Lying', 'The Family Holiday', 'The Couple Upstairs' and 'My Little Girl' it is sure to be a page turning read. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists a prologue and 46 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in Poole, Dorset, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture. The fact that this book is based in England is even better as I have been on holiday in England many times so may even recognise some places Shalini has set the book around. I have in fact literally just returned from a holiday in Dorset!

This book is written in first person perspective with the main protagonists being Annie, Emily, Dani and an unknown protagonist. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them. If there are several protagonists you also get to see more of what is going on.

WOW!! Where to even start?!? Firstly I must say yet again I was NOT disappointed by the very talented Shalini Boland!!! I started reading this book this morning and finished it in a day.

It is extremely well written as is every book I have read by Shalini with vivid descriptions that really put you in the storyline. The blurb and cover work perfectly with the storyline. Every single time I told myself I'd finish the chapter and then put it down and every single time I was left with a sort of cliff hanger refusing to allow me to put it down.

If your planning on reading this I would recommend clearing your schedule!!!

Absolutely gripping storyline which I got completely sucked into. A great unputdownable page turner filled with suspense, deceit, mystery, love and lies. I loved the storyline, especially the shocking plots that I would never have seen coming! Not just one either!! There's nothing worse than when you have worked everything out and your not even half way through a book so a massive well done for that!! I definitely did not even have the person involved in my suspect list AT ALL, wasn't even close to working out what was going on, soooo many red herrings and as for the epilogue don't even get me started!!!! Absolutely mind blown!!!

I haven't been that shocked in a book in a while so WELL DONE Shalini!! This book is will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. I really could not compliment this book any more it is an absolutely gripping, addictive and shocking page turner.

I absolutely LOVED the locations and I really did feel like I was having a holiday in Dorset too, an absolutely gorgeous country and I was devastated when I came to the end and had to mentally unpack my bags even with all the action, suspense and mystery going on, or maybe especially because of all that!!


The characters were all well rounded and realistic with their own personality traits, strengths and weaknesses. It was very interesting watching how the bonds strengthened and weakened between characters throughout the storyline. I really felt for Emily as her world came crumbling down around her. I really connected with and became invested in her and my heart felt torn every time something was going wrong with her life, especially as it was because of her husband everything was going wrong. I wasn't a huge fan of Dani at first but her life was also changing because of her husband Marcus and I started to feel for her and warmed to her throughout until I came to like her. I absolutely loved the last chapter, something I love with Shalini is that she always seems to dedicate the last chapter to a certain character in books and completely shocks you making you really want to see what happens next and several times I've been left hoping and wondering if that storyline will be carried on.

A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Shalini Boland for another absolutely fantastic success!! I cannot wait to read more of your amazing work!! I really would love to see your books on the big screen one day, I can guarantee they will be a success if they are even half as good as the books you write!!!

Overall a page turning, epic psychological thriller with an explosive ending that will blow your mind!!. I would love to see this turned into a film.

Genres covered in this novel include Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Crime Fiction, Romance Novel and Psychological Fiction amongst others.

I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl and The Wife Between Us and of course Shalini Boland and just anyone looking for an epic read with a twist. What are you waiting for?? Go grab your copy now!!!


293 pages.

This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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A perfect stranger tells the story of two women who discover that their marriages might not be all that they first thought. Their husbands are both keeping secrets from them, and are far from being the men that they first thought them to be.
This is a gripping thriller with lots of twists and turns. At one point I thought that I'd got it figured all out. I was wrong. There was one little bit that I had got right, but I'd forgotten all about it by the end of the book and when it turned out that I was along the right track, it completely took me by surprise. I enjoyed the way that the story was told from the two women's points of view. It wasn't clear whether they were just superficially connected due to their husbands place of work or if their stories were somehow more intertwined than that, until much later in the book and then it was in ways that I really was not expecting.
This was a fairly quick read, but only because I really wanted to know how it was going to play out once I'd started and it certainly kept me guessing until the end.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

Aiden tells his pregnant wife Emily that they and their little boy have to get away, and even change their names. What is going on that Aiden feels that his family is in such danger? While it’s more than clear that Aiden has been acting a little bit funny, Emily thought their lives are going along well, especially now that she is pregnant again.

But they are not the only couple in this book …

There is also Dani and Marcus. How are they related to Emily and Aiden? Well, at first their connection seems unclear, but Marcus is actually Aidan’s boss. Dani and Marcus have their share of problems. In fact, between the two couples, someone ends up dead. What nefarious activities are going on that brings about such a shocking event?

Per norm for Shalini Boland, she does not miss a beat when it comes to her latest book. In fact, the tension starts from the very beginning and doesn’t let up for one second, especially considering all of the issues that these couples are balancing in their marriages. Considering the lies and secrets going on, it comes to no surprise that the mysteries surrounding these couples leads to shocking revelations.

With excellent pacing, a thrilling story, dual POVs, and the requisite twists and turns made this book impossible to put down. Readers: definitely, definitely read to the very end, because their is an incredible jaw-dropping twist. A Perfect Stranger is the 10th book I have read by this amazing author and is one that I could not put down.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

I'm not trying to be critical of, or condescending in any way to Shalini Boland when I say that reading one of her books is a bit like having dinner at your favourite local pub. For sure, you can get longer, more challenging or more intense reads in the same way that you can get more exotic food in a restaurant that has a Michelin star. Be honest though: how often do you really want that? Wouldn't you rather just go somewhere that's clean and where the food is decent, the service is friendly and you can be confident of getting a table at short notice, or no notice at all, if you decide you can't be bothered to cook?

Along similar lines, there are times when all anyone needs from a book is sheer entertainment, and you get that in spades with Shalini's. I've read a few of them now and I don't think there have been any that haven't effortlessly had me turning the pages from beginning to end, putting them down only with reluctance and picking them up again as soon as possible thereafter.

With her latest book, 'A Perfect Stranger', we get plenty more of that. The story is narrated in alternating chapters by Emily, who is married to Aiden, and Dani who is married to Marcus. Emily and Aiden aren't particularly well off financially, but Emily believes that they're happy. In stark contrast, Dani's life is one of luxury that the reader almost envies, and yet you sense almost from the start - and not just because this is a psychological thriller - that things aren't as perfect as they seem ...

In Shalini's characteristic and typically effortless way, she had me hooked from start to finish, guessing and second-guessing how the story was going to go and getting it wrong almost every time. The ending was completely unexpected and yet at the same time, managed to tie everything up nicely whilst also hinting that the story may not actually be over ...

I just have one criticism of this book. But unfortunately, it's fairly sizeable.

I don't know whose decision it was to put that prologue in - author or editor - but I'm afraid that for me it was the wrong thing to do. It gives far too much away and meant that a later part of the book lacked the suspense that it really needed. What's worse is that I really couldn't see any need for it; I could have started reading the book from Chapter One just as easily.

It's for that reason alone that I have to deduct a star. I loved everything else. But think of it as watching a recording of a sporting event. You can admire every bit of skill that you see, and feel disappointed for a competitor if something goes wrong. But overall, the experience lacks something fairly fundamental if someone has already told you the result.

A Perfect Stranger is another fantastic story by Shalini Boland which I could not put down. It had plenty of secrets, lies, twists and turns which kept me hooked throughout. I highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

A PERFECT STRANGER By Shalini Boland

Emily is married to Aidan , has a child and another on the way. Dani is married to Marcus, living a luxurious life but is longing for something more. Aidan is Marcus's best sale person at his automobiles showroom, but then why are Aiden and Emily on a run?

😊What i liked -

✔ Oh my god this book had me hooked right from the start.
✔ There are multiple narratives, which keeps you on your toes.
✔ I loved the build up and the twists that kept me saying okay one more page and then I will take a break (the break never came).
✔ I had way too many OMG moments through out.
✔ There are so many layers to each character and loved the way they were moulded.
✔ The end is what took me by surprise (that was my biggest OMG moment).


🤔What could have been better -

✔ There is a particular scene with Sarah and Dom, I did not understand.


📚Who Should read :
👶 beginner
👮‍♀️ Psychological Thriller lover's


📈My Rating : 4.5/5

P.s - This is my first read of hers and am now a Fan.

To me, this was super predictable and lacked the depth in story I seemed to expect from the author and the plot.

It had the premise to be good, the prologue set everything up so well and after that I didn’t love it.

I couldn’t develop that connection with Emily or any of the other characters that really invested me into this book. I was hoping for more and was let down.

The writing style was alright but otherwise I was not loving this.

“SHE TRUSTED HER HUSBAND. SHE SHOULDN’T HAVE”



This is the first book I have read by this well-established author in the genre of psychological thrillers, but it definitely won’t be my last. First impressions are that this story was never going to be action-packed, nor was it going to change the world. However, the plot was solid, I really enjoyed the writing style, and the characters were well defined and developed.

To elaborate on the premise without giving away any spoilers, is going to be hard going, but I’ll give it a try…
…

Emily and Aidan are on their way to having the textbook family of 2.4 children, with four-year-old son Josh and a new baby due very soon. Emily believes that Aidan is successful in his job as a luxury car salesman, in fact the owner of the dealership, Marcus and his wife Dani are known to the couple socially. However, as time goes on, Emily suspects that not everything is rosy in the garden, she is convinced that Aidan has something to hide and is lying to her to cover it up. When she finally manages to drag the secret from him, it is far worse than she imagined and has the potential to change their lives irrevocably, maybe even fatally, as it later transpires that even now, despite the increased danger, he still hasn’t revealed the full truth to her.

Marcus and Dani are wealthy and want for nothing, except the addition of a baby to complete their domestic idyll. Dani is continually destined to be disappointed and whilst Marcus would do anything to make her dream come true, she is unaware of the extreme lengths to which he would go and how low he might stoop, to make it happen. The car showroom is the respectable front for the more lucrative dealings he conducts behind the scenes and Marcus thinks nothing of taking full advantage of a vulnerable Aidan, then being quite prepared to take extreme and ultimate measures, to ensure the debt is repaid.

An increasingly suspicious Dani does some investigating of her own and when she realises exactly how much of a low life her husband has become, his equally reprehensible attempts to make them a family, with the addition of a baby, leave her totally destroyed and prepared to see him locked up for a very long time.
Marcus tracks down Aidan and Emily, who have fled their home, and has one of his thugs exact retribution for the unpaid debt. Dani has a plan of her own to make Marcus pay and when the dust has settled and both she and Emily have the babies they both so desire, she understandably believes that the recent past can be laid to rest.

But there is just one more untold secret, which might remain that way, and probably should!
…

This intense, atmospheric and textured, multi-layered storyline, is told in short, crisp and fluent chapters, generally narrated seamlessly in alternating voices by Emily and Dani, with some random interspersions by an unnamed third party (although these were probably a little superfluous).

At its outset, this slowly evolving and disturbing storyline has three separate strands, which are skilfully woven together during the course of time. I had worked out quite early on how two of them might be linked, however the third connection I definitely never saw coming. I always enjoy a well-structured, suspenseful and complex plot, which has me thinking outside of the box, but in this story, everyone has a secret, and each is revealed in stages as the plot evolves and unfolds, saving the dirtiest and most twisted for last, just as you would expect. However, the character who holds the prized ace card, is probably the one I least expected!

Whilst the physical footprint of the story isn’t actually very large, some excellent, detailed narrative and dialogue, which is totally immersive and very descriptive, really helps to establish a genuine and highly visual, sense of time and place. This is a part of the country I actually know quite well, as it is my husband’s home turf, so to speak. However, it is always nice to be able to sit back, relax and enjoy an ‘armchair journey’, without needing to leave the comfort of my own home.

The complex, unreliable and volatile characters; are all singularly selfish, self-centred and duplicitous; so you couldn’t, or shouldn’t, trust a word they say, or any actions they take, which makes them excellent for their roles in this wicked hotbed of lies and deceit.

“Oh! What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive”
...

Thank you for taking the time to read my review!