An interesting psychological thriller, cleverly done with twists, turns and surprises. It kept me guessing to the end as nothing is what it first seems. I shall be looking out for more from this author.

When Beth helps out a stranger, little does she know how much that one act of kindness is going to affect her life. After her friend posts the story of her actions online, Kat, a local dog groomer, is shocked. She once knew Beth but their friendship ended on a sour note. Maybe this could be the way to make amends. Kat finds a way of contacting Beth but as her appearance has changed a lot over the years that have passed since they knew each other, she decides to introduce herself as a stranger. She is not the same person she used to be but then neither is Beth.

I loved Sarah Clarke’s previous book, Every Little Secret, so was pleased to be given the opportunity to take part in the blog tour for her latest book.

In My Perfect Friend, the author has created some great characters, each of them telling their story from their own point of view. Beth seemingly has a great life but as the story progresses, we realise that she has a past that she does not want anyone to know about. Kat also has a mysterious past, one that has crossed paths with Beth before. We find about their life in the present but also in the past, this helping us to develop an understanding in what makes each of these characters tick. Also added to the mix is Saskia, Beth’s friend, a character who lives her life through social media and whose actions contribute to the situation Beth finds herself in.

The plot is full of twists and turns and there were several moments that I did not see coming. I really liked how the author led me into thinking something then completely turned the plot on its head, making me re-evaluate everything I had read. This kept me on my toes throughout my reading as I tried to anticipate where Sarah Clarke would take us next. The ending was another surprise, in-keeping with the rest of the story.

This is a great psychological thriller and fans of Sarah Clarke’s previous books are going to love it!

I had enjoyed Sarah Clarke’s previous two thrillers, so was delighted to be granted an ARC by NeGalley for My Perfect Friend, her third, novel. A privileged female character coming undone as a result of chance encounters and the revelation of her shocking secrets is a well-worn literary trope. However, Clarke does a good job in exploiting this trope in her own literary way. Her main character is Beth, whose attempts to help a homeless man after what appears to be a drug overdose will have consequences she could not possibly have imagined. Clarke’s plotline is hard to follow, as there are so many points of view: Beth, her friend Saskia, another local woman by the name of Kat, local police officer Joe, and another homeless man by the name of Mark. Because of this elaborate plotline construction, it took me a while to ‘get’ each of the characters, and to focus on the darker themes of the novel, as I was trying to keep up with developments. Once I had managed this feat, however, I found the later parts of the novel a fairly satisfying read. I would recommend this book to fellow thriller writers who do not mind persevering with an initially difficult thriller, and I would also like to thank the publishers and NetGalley for the free ARC I was privileged to read.

This was a clever story, and I didn't guess the ending. However, I didn't really believe in the characters and it all seemed just a bit too melodramatic to be believable. It's an entertaining book if you are at a loose end, but I wouldn't really recommend it.

Rating: 1.4/5

I was impressed by Sarah Clarke's debut, "A Mother Never Lies", but I found her second book, "Every Little Secret" disappointing by comparison. It is not unusual for writers to suffer from "second novel syndrome", so I came into this author's third novel hoping to see a return to the promise that she displayed in book one. Unfortunately, that wasn't to be the case. "My Perfect Friend" is easily the least impressive of the three novels and, unfortunately, I would have to say that it is actually pretty poor.

I don't enjoy writing negative reviews as I have great admiration for anyone who can sit down, take pen in hand and construct a novel - but sometimes it simply doesn't cut the mustard and that is the case here. I really did find it quite hard work getting to the end of this one. It is overly simplistic, to the point of being puerile at times. The construction is painfully contrived and mechanical. It put me in mind of the literary equivalent of painting by numbers. The characters lacked credibility and the stilted, unnatural dialogue certainly didn't help. There are some sections that read better than others, but on the whole "My Perfect Friend" is too melodramatic and formulaic.

There is a half-decent idea at the heart of the plot, but it could probably have been written up as a short story and been far more effective. The pace of this novel is far too slow for too long. The author attempts to create a sense of intrigue and suspense, but neither the plot nor the protagonists are convincing or engaging enough for it to be successful. When the big reveal does eventually come, I didn't feel any sense of admiration for a well-considered storyline - just relief that the book was finally over. Sarah Clarke does have the talent to write fiction, as she showed in her debut novel - but sadly there are only rare glimpses of that ability in this one.

As ever, I would still like to convey my thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review. It is a pity I was not in a position to pass more favourable comment on this occasion.

Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy the book. I’m not sure if it was the way it was written, my dislike for the characters, a lack of pace or all of the above but I just couldn’t gel with it. I persevered to the end but it wasn’t one for me. Thank you to NetGalley, HQ and the author for the chance to review.

Twisty psychological thriller told from different timelines and different viewpoints and unreliable narrators, required paying attention to stay on top of what was going on.

📚📖 BOOK REVIEW 📖📚

📖 Book - My Perfect Friend
✍️ Author - Sarah Clarke
📕 Publisher - HQ
🗓 Publication Date - 23rd Nov 2022

Beth has the perfect life, with her husband and family. One night she stops to help someone. That choice is going to change things forever. Someone called Kat comes into Beth’s life, but there is more to Beth than meets the eye.

I’m going to hold my hands up and admit I wasn’t sure about the first half of this book. I just wasn’t sure where things were going. I definitely felt myself engage more with the book in the second half!

3 stars for me this time.

Thanks to #netgalley#HQ #sarahclarke #myperfectfriend #instagram #bookreviews #bookstagramshaz

I love this book from start to finish, once I started I just could not stop reading, I read it in one night. What a wonderful plot! I can’t wait for the next one.

I couldn't get into this. I didn't care for any one of the characters and the plot felt too preposterous for me. Too many unreliable narrators just had me wanting to give up on it. Not my cup of tea unfortunately.

4 stars. Fast-paced and easy to follow with some unexpressed twists and turns. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Sorry, but I didn’t enjoy this book at all. I didn’t like any of the characters and I thought the plot was ridiculous. Confusing and totally unbelievable. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers and I hope many readers enjoy it more than I did.

I found it difficult to engage with this book. All of the narrators are unreliable, which is a good plot strategy but I think it backfired through overuse. Having said that, I didn’t guess the twist before the end so I guess it worked. I can’t really say that I enjoyed this book though unfortunately, although I thank the publisher for access to the ARC.

Twisty, surprising and daring- this stuns from the very opening and does not disappoint.
I did feel a lot of different points of view were brought in quite quickly, but once I settled into it, this worked.

Sorry I didn’t finish the book , I found it a bit confusing and couldn’t get into the characters. I gave up 30% in . Sorry I can’t recommend this book

Beth has the perfect life. She has constructed it carefully over the last eighteen years. But one night she makes a choice that risks everything.
When Kat sees an article about that night online, buried memories begin to surface. She and Beth were friends once. Things ended badly then, but now she has a chance to make things right.
Kat introduces herself to Beth. Not as her old friend, but as a stranger. Beth has no idea Kat isn’t who she says she is.
But then neither is Beth.
Really enjoyable read totally recommend
Thank you NetGalley and HQ
I just reviewed My Perfect Friend by Sarah Clarke. #MyPerfectFriend #NetGalley

I loved this book, though it did take me until half way through the book to get to understand it.Found it quite confusing which is not like me.
Beth was beautiful, her home her children and her husband were perfect.
People looked up to her she was respected by everyone.
That is until the day a dog groomer called Kat came into her life.
Kat knew Beth, but Beth had no memory of Kat.
Then the perfect life unravelled by the Perfect Friend.
Thanks netgalley fir giving me the opportunity to read an early copy of this book.

I had some trouble connecting with this book and its characters. The beginning was interesting but about a third of the way in, I found myself continuously irritated with Beth and her overreaction to what happens in the book's opening scenes (no spoilers!). Obviously, Beth was hiding some significant secrets but it took so long to get to them that I lost interest. Unfortunately, not what I was expecting. Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and HQ, HQ Digital for the copy of My Perfect Friend. This was not the book for me. I couldn’t connect to any of the characters and the writing never engaged me. If you love a surprising ending, you will love this book.

My Perfect Friend is a gripping, twist-filled thriller with interesting characters and a shocking ending. Beth is living the perfect life; she has a gorgeous house, a loving husband, and two beautiful daughters. Kat has returned to the UK from Australia and is happily grooming dogs and keeping up on her fitness. Mark is an intelligent young man who is down on his luck and currently sleeping on the streets. These are the three main POVs (there are a few other minor POVs) in My Perfect Friend. Sarah Clarke does an extraordinary job of weaving their stories together. The book is filled with twists and turns, all leading up to the final reveal. I'll definitely be recommending My Perfect Friend to anyone looking for an "edge-of-my-seat" thriller. 5 stars!