Wow, this was a wild ride and I did not see that twist coming at the end. All of the characters in this book were kind of a bag of dicks, but it made for a great story!! Also, her ex who cheated on her w/her best friend, he was the WORST. Fuck that guy. The dogs were the best part of this book! This was my 1st book by Julia Crouch but I am now adding all of her backlog of books to my TBR!

#ThePerfectDate
#NetGalley

Thanks to #NetGalley and #BookoutureAudio for the ARC #ThePerfectDate by #JuliaCrouch. I could not stop listening to this stalkerish book. It had me guessing the entire book only to be shocked by the big twist ending.

I love a book where I cannot guess the ending. The Perfect Date had me guessing all the way through. I really can't give away any of the details because the beauty of this one was going in cold and having no idea where the plot would go. Past, present, old friends who became enemies but returned later to renew the friendships.....all of it kept me listening. As an audio arc, the only problem I had was not loving the narrator. I found her to be flat with not enough affect to assist the story. Luckily, narration speed can be adjusted and I kept moving the speed up until the story felt like it was flowing, versus plodding along.

This book fell flat for me. Idk if it was the narrator that, to me didn’t use enough inflection or the story itself. There were a lot of characters to keep track of who was who. There was a major plot twist I did not see coming. Even that couldn’t save it for me. I appreciate the advanced copy from NetGalley in return I have my honest opinion

Really enjoyed this audio book, it’s tense, full is suspense and kept you guessing.

Kas is walking her dogs as a dog walker when one of them finds a body, she knows who it is, but dissent want the police probing. She gets a job from her friend to dog sit, but something isn’t right.

A great suspense, psychological thriller that will make you keep reading.

I listened to the audiobook and it was great, kept me intrigued and the narrator did a great job with expression.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

This is the story of Caz who has moved back home to take care of her disabled mother.
She needed a fresh start after her relationship ended anyway.
She works as a dog walker now.
While out for their walk one morning, her dog Joe comes across a dead body and things even get worse when Caz realizes the body is that of the man she had been recently dating via a dating app.
But to top it all: this is not the first dead body she has found. This seems to be too much of a coincidence and Caz tries to find out what is going on before the police thinks of her as a suspect!
What I enjoyed about this book besides the narration of Sarah Durham was the dog-aspect! I love dogs!!!
Thank you #NetGalley #Bookouture for this audiobook

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

Sarah Durham did an amazing job with this narration! The story is mainly told through the main female characters point of view and I didn’t feel like I needed additional narrators when other characters were speaking! The story is about a woman who’s life has been upended after finding a dead body in the woods of someone she’s been involved with, after the same thing happened to her not long before that too. It held my attention throughout and I can honestly say I didn’t see the ending coming! If you like psychological thrillers and mysteries, be sure to give this book a try!

I really enjoyed this. For the first half of the book I was completely hooked, after a few twists and turns the ending left it just short of a 5 star. That’s not to say it isn’t a brilliant novel, it just didn’t quite make the 5 star mark for me.

Our protagonist is Caz, but the main character is really her dog Joe! The story was really solid, the character’s relatable and believable and the narration was excellent!
It twisty, it’s terrifying and everything you would want from a book where all of the main characters online dates have turned up dead!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookature Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.

Action packed from the start. The narrator kept me fully ibvested in tge story. The slight changes in tones and voice for different characters match my imaination.
The burb for this is spot on. Caz returns home to sort put her life and aid her elderly mother. She sets up a dog walking business mainly with posh clients. Whilist walking her dog atumbles upon a dead body. Who just happens to be the guy she is seeing from her dating app. The character arc is revealed that this has happened before. The rest of the story exploers the link between the twoand the past of all characters

The story us full of twists and turns. I gueesed right very early on who the villain was but not their true identity. There were points where i felt it was ott and the fact i knew had me screaming no dont. I was so fully invested in the story. It felt like a really short listen and the end act seem to take a whike to happen and tgen was over too quickly. I loved rhe characters and could see spin off stories in my mind.
Nothing is completely perfect sp this is a 4.5 star listen for me rounded up. Perfect for anyone who loves dogs and a goid myster.
Thank you netgallery and publisher and narrator and author for my arc.

The Perfect Date was NOT perfect for me. As a "thriller", it started off so good and with so much potential. Caz it out for a walk with dogs (she has a dog walking business) when she comes across a dead body. Turns out that she knows the victim, and it's not the first time this has happened.

The title was misleading to me. I thought maybe the story would be about Caz searching for her "perfect date" and instead potentially dated a killer along the way. Instead, the whole midsection of the book deals with a missing "friend" who she is now house/dog sitting for, and the mystery of where she went. And then lets too in a sick mother that she is taking care of, but oh wait, what really happened there? It was all very confusing, and a lot that could have been left out of this story. Not to mention the the majority of the characters were just not very likable.

The ending though wrapped up everything nicely, with a twist, of course, that this seasoned reader did not necessarily see coming.

The narration was done nicely as well.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this early release audio in exchange for my honest opinion.

Pub Date: 6 October 2023

First I must thank Netgalley and Bookouture for approving my request of this audiobook.
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.

This was my first Julia Crouch read but certainly won’t be my last!
Caz is a woman who hasn’t quite found her footing in the world when she experiences a horrific trauma, not once, but twice. Her disabled mother, eccentric best friend and dramatic dating history all contribute to a confusing, scary and intense few weeks for Caz as she doesn’t know who to trust, maybe not even herself.
This novel is full of twists and turns, even when you think you know “who done it” it’s impossible to work out just how everything fell into place. It made it impossible to stop reading/listening to and meant that it was oh so satisfying when the puzzle pieces began to slot into place. If you’re looking for a thriller you can’t put down and a character that both frustrates you and makes you smile, this is for you.

Three word review- addictive, intense, clever

This is such a dark and twisty book - absolutely brilliant!

Dog-walker Caz seemingly can't date anyone without them ending up dead, her nemesis, Marcy, has disappeared, her ex, Mark, is saying he still loves her and her Mum, Ruth, hasn't been honest about her past and her neighbour, John, is digging a grave in the garden.

The multi-faceted plot leads the reader down so many paths, all accompanied by Caz's brilliant dog, Joe, before the big twist at the end, which is a TOTAL BLINDER!

The first half of the book is fairly slow paced, with lots of scene setting and character building, ready for the second half, when it all takes off, red herrings fly at you from all directions and everyone is a suspect!

Some of Caz's decisions were questionable, but luckily she has Joe to do the thinking!

Sarah Durham's narration is excellent.

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Julia Crouch and Bookouture for an ARC in return for an honest review.

The Perfect Date was a solid four stars. The characters' relationships could have been a little more developed. thought the narrator did a really good job.

This was a really enjoyable read. The twists were really well done and I couldn't have guessed where it was going. The pacing was really good and the characters were all vividly described and jumped off the page. The author really did a fantastic job at building tension.

Good read that was really unpredictable. I would read more by this author.

This is an interesting book about a woman who seems to be haunted with events outside her control and she navigates through that. I loved that the dog is a main character.

The Perfect Date slides right into the category of books that get me hooked from the summary but fail to fully capture me in the story.

Caz moves back home for a fresh start and to help take care of her mom. She is now a dog walker and when she is out walking her dogs, the best character/dog Joe finds a dead body. The body belonged to Harry who Caz met on a dating app and was currently seeing. This was not the first time this has happened and now Caz is trying to figure out the link.

Personally, I felt that this book had a lot of unlikeable characters and a plot that was way too obvious. Caz was seen as suspicious by the police but I felt she did that to herself and she had little to no development. All of the characters around her were mostly bland and typical. If it wasn’t for the dog Joe I do not think I would have liked any characters this book had to offer.

I stated that the plot was obvious and I feel that was true for everything including the last twist. It wasn’t even something that I felt good about figuring out it was just an obvious and easy choice.

I did not like most of this book but I actually still do recommend it. Personally, I feel like the writing style of Julia Crouch is a style I typically like, it's fast and perfect for thrillers. I recommend it because this may have just been a book that doesn’t sit well with me but will for you. I like it when I can still enjoy someone’s writing style when I do not enjoy the book as much as I would have liked. I look forward to reading more books by her.

Great psychological thriller that was fun to read, but I found myself wanting to scream at Caz, our protagonist, “Stop making stupid decisions Caz!”



One morning as Caz is walking her lovable dog, Joe, and reliving the previous night’s promising date, her curious border collie discovers a dead body. When Caz looks at the corpse’s face, she discovers it is her date from the night before. Shocking as it is, this is not the first time this has happened to Caz. Panicking and fearing she will be a suspect; she is determined to figure out who keeps murdering the men she is attempting to date. Another probing question, why is she the one to find the bodies?



With lots of twists and many suspects who could be the murderer, this was a fast-paced mystery. Julia Crouch’s writing keeps you on the brink of thinking you have figured out who the killer is, but then she throws in some new clues to keep you guessing.



The audiobook was easy to follow, and the narrator was a delight. I absolutely love a British accent; it makes listening so much better.



Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the Advanced Reader Copy that I very much enjoyed. #ThePerfectDate #NetGalley

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the early listen!
This is what happens when someone in your present tries to hide the past. What a ride this story was. I had a couple suspects but it definitely will keep you second guessing yourself.
Narrator did a good job telling the story.
Will recommend!

Caroline (Caz), is a 30yo professional dog walker who just moved back in with her mom. She's out walking her clients' dogs when she discovers the dead body of a man she was supposed to go on a date with later that day. The most shocking thing about it is that this exact same scenario happened to Caroline less than a year ago with a previous boyfriend. It's hard to believe that it's all just a coincidence. But when one of her clients -who she's been dog/house-sitting for- goes missing, the situation becomes downright terrifying for Caroline.

This book was pleasantly entertaining ! The fact that I listened to the whole audiobook recording in less than a day bears proof of it. However, the more I'm thinking about it, the more I find it impossible to come to terms with some aspects of the story (spoilers ahead)

1. Unfitting title and synopsis : I find them a bit misleading, there's no perfect date to speak of. The book litterally starts with a dead man with virtually no flashbacks on Caroline and Harry's relationship (I think that’s his name, but I'm not sure of it, given how rarely they mentioned him... That’s how insignificant he is in this story). The story focus much more on the history and bad blood between Caroline and her ex-best friend and ex-boyfriend.

2. Plot convenience : There are plenty of examples. Let's start with the fact that the police wasn't involved until the very last minute. I get that Caroline didn’t want to attract negative attention to herself by disclosing her involvement in a previous homicide case (it's dumb, but understandable to a certain degree). However, not calling the police when her former friend disappears ? Okay Caroline is a terrible persone (she is), but what about their other friends ? WHY DOESN’T ANYONE CALL THE POLICE ?! The funny thing is that the only time Caroline seriously considers it is when the DOG disappears for like 5 minutes (that sociopath). Also, why trust Peter and not talk to the detective in charge of the investigation ? The fact that she so easily agreed to keep important informations from him is so incredibly stupid (and illegal). There are so many more examples of "convenient" things happening that are completely illogical (another one for the road : the security system and people's phones are hacked, but Caroline "calls" her friend to "tell" him to call the cops, because she's afraid the killer might hear her if she calls the police herself ? ................ wut?)

3. Flat characters trying hard to becoming 3 dimentional : most characters were flat, everyone is whether a good guy or a bad guy, with very little nuance or depth, EXCEPT in one small paragraph where Caroline recalls a time where Ruth (her mom) who spent 30 years hidden from society because she didn’t want anyone to look at her, was flaunting her naked body (ok I'm exagerating) before her daughter's eyes, to teach her some body positivity lesson. I'm not making fun of the character, her traumas or disabilities, what I'm saying is that the author's attempt at adding depth to her characters and their relationship seemed awkward to me and inconsistent with their personalities.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me access to this audiobook for review consideration. All opinions are my own.