Member Reviews

I’ve read the last two titles by Crouch and she delivers another gripping and compelling read! The Perfect Date by Julia Crouch has a well written plot with some unexpected twists and turns and a surprise ending made it a highly entertaining read.
There is plenty of intrigue in this story with shocking twists throughout.
The plot was well structured and I thought the characters were really well developed. I also really enjoy Julia crouch’s writing style - it’s engaging.
Another excellent read!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Bookouture for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

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This was a fun little read!

The story follows Caz and her trusty dog Joe, as they return home to look after Caz’s disabled mother, Ruth, after she suffers a fall out the front of her home.

Caz and Joe are also looking for a fresh start, after a few tough months following the pair’s discovery of a dead body, which was Caz’s current love interest.

Caz returns home and starts a business walking dogs. Looking after wealthy clients fur babies, doing 30,000 steps a day in nature… Everything is going to be just fine. Until Caz and Joe discover another dead body.

This book was twisty and emotional and gripped me from the first page, but now I want a Joe 🐶 he was my favourite 🐾

Thank you NetGalley, Julia Crouch and Bookouture for allowing me to read this book before it’s release 📚💫

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I would definitely recommend this book as I didn't want to put it down! A really good thriller that has me hooked and kept me guessing throughout.

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First I must thank Netgalley and Bookouture for approving my request of this e-book. The Perfect Date is the first novel I read by Julia Crouch and now I want to read all her published books! This book is definitely a page-turner. It kept me guessing. When I thought I had it mostly figured out…I was hit with a twist. Being an animal lover I also enjoyed the dogs characters. Their personalities were brought to life and it all fit so well with the story. If you’re a fan of a good thriller, here’s one I think everyone would enjoy.

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An absolutely brilliant rollercoaster ride of a book, set at an upbeat pace and with lots of quirky detail.
A dog walker finds a body whilst she’s out, which to be fair is always why happens- right? She under suspicion as she had previously dated the victim but later cleared but when it happens again….. Does lightning actually ever strike twice?
There are secrets from the past, not least the fact that her childhood best friend stole away her boyfriend and went on to live the life of luxury she should’ve had. Then there’s her mum’s backstory which is tragically sad and he left her disabled but still suitably feisty and made of the stern stuff that only someone who got through adversity can be.
There is also a cosy crime element and a big feature of our heroine’s faithful mutt, what’s not to love? I guessed the whodunnit aspect but that didn’t detract, just left me slightly smug. A seriously good read and one that I’d definitely recommend.

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Caz is a dog-walker for rich people, and when she's out walking her furry friends, they lead her straight to a dead man. The man she went on a perfect date with the night before. The funny (not funny!) thing is, this has happened to her before. Caz decides she needs to get to the bottom of this so the cops don't start looking at her.

This is a fascinating premise, and it was mostly well-done. The writing was fast-paced. It kept me engaged from the very beginning. It was somewhat predictable (maybe because I read too much! 😂), but there were enough surprises to keep me guessing. I would definitely recommend this if you enjoy thrillers, just make sure you give yourself enough time to finish it, because you won't want to put it down! 😂😂

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

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Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read the arc of this thriller. It starts off slowly as a dog walker finds the badly beaten body of a man she had been dating. Months before she had also found a body of a man she had dated. Coincidence or intentional? Her former friend asks her to housesit for a week and then she seemingly disappears. More coincidence? And why is her ex who was previously married to her friend trying to win her back? Too many things aren't what they seem to be. Then she receives a threatening package and from there the tension keeps ramping up and the story explodes. No one can be trusted except for Joe the dog who I think is the star of the story. This is a real hold your breath thriller that ends with a smashing conclusion. I highly recommend.

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After a traumatic experience which results in her losing her teaching job, Caz returns home to Brighton where she now works as a dog walker and keeps an eye on her disabled mother. On one morning out with her canine charges she discovers the body of Harry, a man she met on a dating app. Memories of Ash, the dead man who triggered return here make her wonder whether history is repeating itself. Surely not.
An unexpected text from Marcy a former friend asking her to house sit for a week, sees her moving into a wealthy cul-de-sac. But Caz feels unsettled, not only because Marcy appears to have left in the middle of packing, but also by some of the neighbours she meets. And then the first brown envelope is pushed through the letter box.
This is a twisty tale where the author does not give much away. There are suspects galore and it’s only towards the end that an essential missing piece is added to the puzzle and Caz realises what is going on. What she learns make her realise her and her mother are in a very dangerous situation. An absorbing read full of past secrets and present-day threats.
I would like to thank Bookouture, Julia Crouch and Netgalley for an ARC of The Perfect Date in exchange for an honest review.

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Sadly this book didnt live up to its potential. Although I have enjoyed previous work by this author, I found this one slow and implausible.
Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher the opportunity to read and review this book.

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This was my first book by this author and it won’t be my last. It was dark and twisted and full of suspense, tension and drama that had me questioning everyone and everything until the very end.
Caroline, who goes by Caz, has moved back home to take care of her disabled mother and to make a fresh start after a rough break up. She’s now running a successful dog walking business for upper class families in the small town they live in. While out for their walk one morning, her dog Joe comes across a dead body and upon closer inspection, Caz realizes the body is that of the man she had been recently dating via a dating app. It shocks her of course, but the more shocking thing is that this is not the first dead body she has found-she also found the body of her last boyfriend. Coincidence? Or is someone out to get her? Does she let the police know of the connection between the two men and risk being their main suspect? Who or why would someone be trying to frame her for these murders?
Caz makes choices that will make you want to scream at her and then the twists pop out of nowhere and it all works! And if you love dogs like I do, you’ll love this one as there’s loads of dogs!
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

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This is my first read by Julia Crouch and it did not disappoint! It is a dark and twisted whodunnit that is full of suspense, tension, drama, fast pacing, short chapters and unexpected twists and turns. What if every time you found ‘the perfect date,’ he showed up dead the following day? Overall this is a good thriller book and will be a fun read for anyone who enjoys a classic thriller. I thought the plot twist was predictable, but I think it’s mostly because I have read so many thrillers like this one.

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The Perfect Date
By: Julia Crouch
4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dating is always hard so when Carolina, or Caz meets the perfect guy on the “perfect date” she is excited.

She is a dog-walker and takes her Border Collie on a walk, and the dog discovers a body! The body turns out to be her date. There have been incidents in the past. She makes the final decision to delete her dating app, “SeeMe”.

I knew this was going to be twisted and dating can have its own hitches. Is the app spying on her? Does someone want revenge?
She agrees to house sit for her old friend Colette for a week. While there her past comes back to haunt her! Is she imagining things?

Buckle up for a bumpy ride for a twist that will leave you in the dust! This was my second by this author and she writes wonderful domestic suspense.

Available October 6, 2024
#theperfectdatw, #juliacroich, #bookouture, #bookstagram, #booksconnectus, #stamperlady50, #bookreview

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Wow! This was a wild ride. SO many secrets, twists, and turns!

Caz moved back home to help care for her mother. She runs a dog walking business, catering to wealthy clients. While walking a group of dogs one morning, her own dog, Joe, stumbles across a dead body. Caz immediately recognizes the deceased, as a man she went on a couple of dates with after connecting on a dating app. The thing is, this is not the first time that Caz has found a dead body. In fact, some months earlier, she also found the dead body of a man she went on a few dates with, through the same dating app.

What are the odds that this happens to Caz twice? It can't be a coincidence, right?

Caz then bumps into her old BFF, Marcy, who asks her to house and dog sit while she goes away. Caz agrees, moving into Marcy's gorgeous house. Marcy and Caz have a past, which Caz hasn't fully moved on from. As Caz settles into Marcy's home, her past comes back to haunt her. And what about the dead bodies? As Caz talks to others, she realizes maybe they are linked...

This is a well-written , quick to read novel. This was my first read from Julia Crouch and most definitely not my last! The plot is definitely much more unique than a lot of thrillers. There is so much suspense in novel. I kept flipping back and forth about "whodunit". Every time I thought I had it figured it, Ms. Crouch threw in another twist. I also really liked our main character. Yes, she made some dumb calls, but I enjoyed her personality. I also loved all the dogs in the book!

This book will keep you guessing until the very end! And you will be shocked by the crazy ending.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Caz has moved back home to take care of her ailing mother. She has a dog walking business. When she is out for her daily walk with the dogs, her dog, Joe, finds a dead body. This is traumatic in and of itself, but it is even more traumatic when she realizes that this was her date from a few days ago. To make matters even worse, this is not her first encounter with a dead body. Another one of her dates was murdered and she found the body. She learned from this past encounter that she will not offer up any additional information to the police.

When her friend texts her and asks her to housesit, she is quick to accept because she lives in a wonderful home and the money she offers is awesome. However, when she arrives at the house, everything is in disarray, which is very unlike Marcy. The suspense amps up at this point. This is when even more weird things start happening. You know someone is playing a cat and mouse game with Caz, but the complexity of the mystery leaves you wondering what is going on. This was a roller coaster ride of emotions from fear, sadness, anger to happiness. Her dog, Joe, practically steals the show from the beginning. The mystery was well written and interesting as the layers were peeled back from chapter to chapter. I suspected every character at some point and time. This was my first book by Julia Crouch, but it will not be my last.

This was an edge of your seat suspense-filled book with bumps and twists that will leave you slack jawed and wondering how you got to this point.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of The Perfect Date by Julia Crouch.

This was my first book by this author and it was definitely an enjoyable yet wild ride! I loved that the chapters are not overly long and it wasn’t too wordy but told you everything you would need to know. I would definitely read another of Julia’s books!

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Caz has her own business as a dog walker, but when her date ends up dead, however, this has happened before. Caz knows she is innocent but will anyone else?

Crouch gives us a novel which is easy to read and full of tension. I did find it a little slow in the beginning but this novel picks up the pace and is one I really enjoyed. There were so many twists, only one I managed to guess; but I love playing detective.

I struggled with the character at times, only because I was shouting 'What do you think you are doing?’ and ‘no’ as I turned the pages, I felt something else that added to the thrill were the short chapters which I found myself whizzing through.

An overall great read.

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I did find bits predictable but so what it worked, the start is a bit slow and sometimes I thought Caz really how can you do this- but the last part is great just works so well.

I was given an advance copy by Bookouture and netgalley but the review is entirely my own.

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I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Perfect Date’ written by Julia Crouch in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Caz has her own dog walking business in Brighton and while out one morning she comes across a body who she recognises as Harry, the man she’s dating. It isn’t the first body she’s discovered as eight months ago when she was living in London she found Ash, another man she’d been seeing. She doesn’t tell the police about her previous experience, what she calls The Incident, as she was considered a suspect and doesn’t want them to connect the two cases as she knows she’s innocent.

‘The Perfect Date’ is a well-written thriller with an initial description that made me think I’d enjoy it but I found it slow and flat in places, and although the plot showed promise I would probably have enjoyed it more had I felt a connection with the main character of Caz who I thought came over as shallow. I liked the connection to dog-walking and how she was caring for her mum Ruth but I found it hard to keep involved in the story. This is purely my opinion and I’m sure other readers will love it but I’m sorry it just wasn’t for me.

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Is there such a thing as "The Perfect Date"? Apparently not in this twisted psychological thriller that will keep you guessing all the way through! Well-developed characters, twists and turns all over and a surprise you won't see coming!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

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Some many twists.

Bad things just keep happening in Cuz's life. Are they connected or just coincidences?

Someone she has gone on a few dates with ends up dead and she and her dog happen to find the body. This is just the start...

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