ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not sure why, but this book was a little hard for me to get through. It felt fairly predictable from the beginning and sadly, proved me right. The writing was alright and the storyline was there, I just felt there was so much more that could’ve been done with these characters. Some people that like psychological thrillers may find it interesting, but for me it fell short. I would still give other books by this author a try.

I get where Oates wanted to go with this one, but the tension and paranoia that pour out of every single word of this book make it a rather uncomfortable read. Instead of connecting with Gil and caring about how losing his sister and having his nephew, Matthew, move in with his family is spiraling his world into chaos, I just wanted to get to the end to escape it. Perhaps a sign of excellent writing, but the icky feeling combined with the predictable plot makes this more of a chore to read than a pleasure.
It is an excellent example of an unreliable narrator combined with an unreliable narrative to make you wonder who you should be doubting, and I will say again that Oates' writing really pulls you into everything going on with the characters. It's just a bit of a bummer that it goes too deep into the despair and then just keeps adding more and more into the depressive feeling of the story without any kind of lightness to balance it out. For all I know, that's the kind of story some readers are looking for, but it's not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the interesting read!

Would you take someone, even family, into your home if that person put your child in danger and was almost killed? This is the premise of this fast-paced thriller. When his sister and her husband are killed, Gil must take his nephew into his family home. Can Gil keep himself and his family alive when there is a danger living in his own home?

This was a very intense and thought provoking story. If you enjoy being kept on the edge of your seat, not knowing which way the story is going to go, and lots of suspense about how it’s going to end, I think you will enjoy this story.


I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Gil regrets that he grew apart from his sister, Sharon, after her marriage to the insanely wealthy Niles and production of a psychopathic son, Matthew. Gil and his wife, Molly, are saddened when Sharon and Niles are killed in a car accident, but surprised that the dead couple's will still specifies them as Matthew's guardians. The family's last reunion ended badly, with Gil and Molly believing Matthew intentionally tried to hurt their younger daughter, and Niles and Sharon's outraged denial.

But older Matthew seems charming. Molly and their two daughters welcome Matthew's company and question Gil's motives when he sees glimpses of the cunning Matthew they all once knew. But when Matthew, enrolled in Gil's creative writing class, shares disturbing stories that are too close to real life, Gil thinks he must take action.

This is a masterpiece of psychological suspense which makes the reader begin to doubt Gil's grip on reality as much as his family does. Reminiscent of Stephen King with its New England setting and disturbed writer protagonist, it is impossible to put down with a final twist at its end. And who wouldn't fall in love with the Johnny Depp-like cover model? #AFlawintheDesign #NetGalley

This is a psychological thriller and debut novel, following the perspective of Gil. After a horrible car accident kills his sister and brother-in-law, his nephew Matthew, who he has not seen in years comes to live with his family. Gil is unease about Matthew staying with his family after an incident between his youngest daughter and Matthew almost left her dead, but Gil and his wife decide to take a chance especially sense taking him in will help them take care of some of the dept they have, and they will only have to deal with him until his 18 birthday. But Gil’s uneasiness continues to grow, and he knows Matthew is up to something even if no one else believes him.
You follow Gil's perspective while reading this book. There are a couple flashbacks, which I think is important in this book, it sets up and gives good context to Matthews and Gil’s relationship. Because Gil experienced the scare with his daughter and the guilt from it also affects his mindset for the present day. It really sets up Gil and that you're not sure if he is a reliable narrator or not. This book does not have a lot of action or a lot of dramatics, so if you're looking for something more dramatic, then this book is not for you. This story really focuses on Gil, his mind set and struggles. This book really had me questioning who to trust, is Gil overreacting or is Matthew as horrible as Gil makes him seem. The writing was good and easy to follow. I would recommend this book for those who really enjoy psychological thrillers, I think it's a solid one and while I did enjoy it, I would have liked more thriller type aspects from it.
Trigger warnings: substance use, child endangerment, murder
I received this advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The synopsis of this book sounded interesting to me so I requested a copy to read.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during this 2nd attempt, I have
decided to stop reading this book
and state that this book just wasn't for me.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

3.5 stars...

Very intriguing, a tad slow, but a twisty ending. Less thriller and more literary fiction with a touch of mystery.

Gil inherits his teenage stepson when his sister is killed in a crash. Gil has long had suspicions about Matthew being a troubled child after an incident with his own daughter. Is Matthew inherently flawed or is Gil paranoid?

This one kept me intrigued. I enjoyed the twisty tale through the beginning. The reader will start to wonder if Gil is an unreliable narrator. But the ending had me miffed. It felt quick and unresolved. I don’t know if I missed something or that was it.

This is a gripping, propulsive, positively disquieting and creepy thriller that caused me to want to bare my teeth at anyone and everything that caused me to be ripped away from reading it for any length of time. How dare anyone drag me away from the pitch-perfect suspense and chills this book is evoking in me after so many thrillers that couldn’t accomplish that same feeling? Why am I being ripped away from the delicious panic spiral one protagonist keeps sliding down like a greased staircase while the antagonist seems to gleefully watch his descent from the shadows? The mutual hatred? The mutual resentment? Argh!

This book will grip you from the start, with the protagonist’s unorthodox response to the knowledge he and his wife are obliged (via his sister and her husband’s will) to take guardianship of their nephew until he goes off to Yale in less than a year. Most aunts and uncles would be glad to take family in during such a tough time, but their nephew, Matthew, has never been your average child, and they haven’t seen him or or talked to him in about six years. For spoiler reasons, I can’t tell you why, but it’s a good reason.

The differences between Gil (the uncle and our protagonist) and Matthew (the nephew and the antagonist) are so extreme they almost touch behind, making a sphere. Gil and his family are progressive neoliberals, while Matthew could care less about the human condition and believes only in the power of money, making more money, and making people do things solely due to the influence of money. It would seem, even though it mostly goes unsaid, that the only thing Gil and Matthew might ever agree on if it wasn’t such a taboo topic between the two is that Matthew’s dad was a horrible person and Matthew’s mom/Gil’s sister was a good person at heart but was ultimately an absentee parent who didn’t know what to do with her son but throw money at him and hope it would solve his issues. And if there’s one thing Gil doesn’t trust and has never trusted, it’s money. In his mind, money stole and changed his sister and his mother. Better to live modestly than to live in excess, in his mind, no matter how much he envies what money could do for him and his family. No matter what Gil does, his paranoia is hyperfocused on money and rich people, especially on Matthew (for reasons I can’t tell you because of spoiler reasons), who is the very picture of the privileged white male.

Now Matthew is in Vermont with them, in the place of sanctuary Gil feels saved him and his family after trying to live in New York City, a place that he felt squeezed the life out of him. This city boy, full of money, arrogance, and privilege, invades the only place Gil has felt safe since his parents passed and the only place he’s ever felt sure his two girls have been safe from everything a city like New York could take from them. Unlike Gil, however, the rest of his family thaws toward Matthew, forming closer friendships and relationships that Gil can’t seem to stop without coming across as a complete lunatic.

Is this a story of a psychopath? Yes. More than that, though, it’s a story about being forced to live in a constant state of paranoia that drives you inside your head and into a choking state of anxiety. Sleep becomes elusive, if not completely absent. Your sympathetic nervous system is in overdrive, constantly on alert. You’re hyperfocused on the object of your paranoia and it soon becomes apparent that knowing everything and anything about that object is the only thing that may be the only balm to soothe you, if only for a little bit. The psychopath already knows the path he’s on. He’s loving your spiral and how you’re going downhill. To him, you’re pathetic. He’s just waiting to either get bored of you or waiting for you to become a problem to get rid of.

It’s this tightrope that keeps A Flaw in the Design such a delicious read. The standoff. Who’s going to give first, the anxiety-ridden uncle in the middle of a paranoia-induced nervous breakdown or the psychopathic nephew? Which path is the uncle going to take? Is the nephew even a psychopath or is he just an awful jerk? It’s going to keep you guessing almost to the very end.

And there’s the rub: the ending. I’ve seen other reviews complain about the ending and I have to say I’m among the naysayers. I didn’t like the ending. I would’ve given this book five stars if the book ended the way I thought it should have. Otherwise, it’s an absolute gem of a thriller from a debut author and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. Any ideas, thoughts, opinions, or views expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Domestic Thriller/Psychological Thriller/Murder Thriller/Literary Fiction/Mystery/Suspense/Thriller

A solid 3.5 stars

I could tell this author was a college professor before I checked his bio. The way it's written and the fact that a large portion of the story deals with a college creative writing class was a clear giveaway. I'm torn on how I feel about this one. I liked the tense and sinister feel but was kinda bored through the academia and back story portions. It had potential to be a really good thriller but got bogged down too much, in my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this eARC.

Thanks to Random House for my copy of A Flaw in the Design by Nathan Oates. This psychological thriller is a cat-and-mouse game between an uncle and nephew.

This was well written and I liked that you really weren't sure where this book was going to go, but I was never excited to pick it back up to read. I enjoyed it, but I wasn't excited by it.

A Flaw In The Design by Nathan Oates is an outstanding, dark, propulsive, spine-tingling psychological page-turner. I was hooked from the very beginning and thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Thank you to Random House, the author and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy of the book.

Gill Duggan, a creative writing professor lives a quiet, peaceful life in Vermont with his wife and children. After being informed about a tragic accident that has kills his sister and her wealthy husband. Gill and his wife with some trepidation agree to take in their 17 year old nephew Matthew, but they have not seen him in seven years—and the last time the families were together, Matthew lured their young daughter into a terrifying, life-threatening situation. Now Matthew is in their care, living under their roof. Gill is suspicious, doesn’t trust his nephew and knows that he is dangerous. And that’s when the highly intense power struggle ensues between uncle and nephew.

A brilliantly written, descriptive edge-of-your-seat debut novel that explores the rigidity of family dynamics, class and the need to control one’s own narrative.

The life of a professor is completely upended when he decides to take in his charming yet wildly dangerous nephew. The young man's wealthy parents have recently passed away under mysterious circumstances, adding to the already tense situation. This psychological thriller is a gripping and fast-paced read that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Gil is a professor at a small university in Vermont. He is married to Molly and father to Ingrid, age 11, and Chloe, age 15.

Gil’s parents are no longer living and he has one sister who is married to a very wealthy man. It is with shock that he learns that his sister and her husband have been killed in New York in a hit and run. They leave behind their son, Matthew, age 17. Gil had agreed years ago to be his guardian should anything happen to them.

Gil is apprehensive about having Matthew come to live with them because some years ago, he was found to have pushed their daughter into a pool and she nearly drowned. Gil sees evil in this privileged young man and is, quite frankly, afraid of him.

Matthew appears to be pleasant and has signed up for some classes at Gil’s university including one in his own class. Some of the stories Matthew writes clearly point to proposed harm to Gil’s family and he is panicking. He believes Matthew is a sociopath and is worried about him being around his family. In addition, a detective in New York calls to ensure that Matthew will not be leaving the country as they continue to investigate his parents’ deaths.

This was a difficult read for me. It is repetitive and Gil comes across as a solidly woke man who is happy to just float along in life with his little job and little paycheck. The writing in the book made it feel like the author was trying too hard to impress the reader with his writing abilities. Having said that, the story is quite shocking and one that I believe readers will like.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and thought the premise was very intriguing. I think it's good to actually go in not knowing a whole lot about the story so I would recommend not looking at a lot of reviews or synopsis so that you can peel back the layers of this book as you read.

The overall premise was very intriguing and I love a good unreliable narrator and here we got two of them! The cat and mouse aspect between the Uncle and Nephew was very fun and this book definitely kept you guessing who you could trust and what, if anything, these characters were saying was true.

I don't know that I would call this a thriller though so I would go into it not expecting a twisty, page turning thriller. I would call this more of a psychological novel - it is incredibly well-written and does keep you guessing but not in a traditional "thriller" way.

I would compare this to the novel The Push by Ashley Audrain (but I preferred that book more) where, as the reader, you feel unsettled and questioning the reliability and sanity of the parent figure and child figure in the novel. I felt it did drag on just a little bit and become repetitive so a tad more editing could have made it a tighter story, but I would definitely recommend this one to anyone looking for a well-written and entertaining psychological novel.

I really enjoyed reading this one and thank Netgalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A Flaw in the Design is a psychological thriller I couldn't put down until the final page! I highly recommend this book if you're looking for a book to keep you up all night with a whopper of an ending.

Sypnosis:

A professor’s life is turned upside down when he takes in his charming, wildly dangerous nephew, whose wealthy parents have just died under mysterious circumstances, in this propulsive, edge-of-your-seat debut psychological thriller.

Thank you #NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

An interesting premise, although I hated the narrator, which maybe was intentional on the author's part. Book was pretty good otherwise and enjoyed the speed at which the ending picked up I appreciate that in a thriller.

A Flaw in the Design follows Gil, a creative writing professor at a small, liberal arts college in Vermont. Gil lives with his wife, Molly, and their two daughters, Ingrid and Chloe.

They have a rather peaceful life; typical family stuff. That is until Gil's sister and her husband are killed in a car accident, leaving their teenage son, Matthew, an orphan. Since Gil is the boy's Godfather, and closest living relative, they agree to take him in and Matthew joins their family in Vermont.

At this point, you may be thinking things like, 'oh nooooo, what a tragedy, poor Matthew'. You also may be thinking that Gil would welcome his nephew with open arms; like, of course he would lovingly take him in. He's family. But, no, you would be wrong on all accounts. Not poor Matthew, not loving Uncle Gil, zero open arms, forget everything your instincts tell you to think.

The truth is, Gil can't stand his nephew. He thinks Matthew is a spoiled brat. Actually, it's worse than that, he thinks Matthew is evil. They have a history, going back for as long as Gil can remember he has seen a wickedness in Matthew.

After an incident at Matthew's parents Montauk estate, Gil had essentially written him off. Not just Matthew, but his sister and her husband as well. Gill called out Matthew on some unsettling behaviors and his sister refused to believe him. They didn't see much of each other after that.

Regardless, Matthew's legal team is fairly insistent, the boy needs to go live with them in Vermont. The buck stops with Gil. Speaking of bucks, now may be a good time to mention that Matthew's parents were exceedingly wealthy. We're talking tens-of-millions of dollars wealthy.

It's all Matthew's now. Through a series of Trusts, Matthew will live comfortably for the rest of his life and some of that may just trickle down to Gil and his family. A small detail the professor can't ignore.

After Matthew moves in, Gil is extremely uncomfortable. He's not being fooled by Matthew's charming ways. He knows what the boy is capable of and he's not letting down his guard for a moment. As Matthew begins to win over his wife and his daughters, Gil becomes even more desperate for people to see what he sees. It becomes a bit of an obsession.

Matthew can tell his Uncle is on the brink. He likes to push. He's happy to play with the exceedingly unnerved professor, but is it all just a game, or is Gil actually right?

This was a lot of fun to read. The tension is real. It's a true Psychological Thriller. I was impressed with the character work and the depths to which Gil's musings, suspicions and subsequent obsessions were explored.
Matthew was such an interesting character as well. Your quintessential rich bad boy, playing fast and loose with everyone around him. I loved the back-and-forth. It has a real cat-and-mouse vibe, but in an interesting way.

The further I progressed in the story, the more I started to second guess what was happening. Who really is the cat, who really is the mouse, or do we have a cat-cat situation happening? What's up, what's down?!

I made certain assumptions. I believed what the characters were telling me, but was I wrong? Was this an unreliable narrator situation? Side note, I still love an unreliable narrator. It never gets old for me.

You could cut the tension with a knife throughout this story and I loved the ending. I know the ending won't be for everyone, but for me, it left a wicked little grin on my face and nothing makes me happier than that. My only slight critique was that I felt like there were certain sections that dragged a little for me. Anything that didn't involve Matthew directly, I was sort of rushing through to get back to the present action.

With this being said, overall, I really enjoyed this. It was so well plotted and the intensity was super fun and engaging. I am definitely looking forward to picking up more from this author in the future. I walk away impressed.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Random House, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This had me at the edge of my seat. I definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a smart, edgy, head-spinning Psychological Thriller.

A psychological thriller that will hunt you for a while after you finish reading it.
Gill Duggan a small-town college professor in Vermont and writer is enjoying his peaceful life with wife and kids. Everything changes ones he has been notified of the accident that killed his sister and brother in law. With much apprehension he agrees to let his 17 year old nephew move in till the kid is moving on to college. As you read the book you will understand why Gill is so hesitant and as everybody seems to be so charmed by Matthew, Gill becomes more and more paranoid about the situation. The constant show of financial wealth by the nephew makes it even harder for Gill to accept his own situation. Struggling financially, a bit of a failed author and having dragged his wife away from the possibilities she might have had in New York City. Personally, I like to see a follow-up to this story.