This one is a cross between Fixer Upper and how to murder your spouse. You have the charismatic husband on a reality tv show - a living and caring husband by all accounts - and a somewhat frumpy wife that is often the butt of jokes. I mean who can blame the husband when things don’t go exactly as planned, until you realize that nothing is going as planned. Thanks to NetGalley for the read!

Thank you @scribnerbooks & @netgalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Married couple Dawn and Wyatt are the stars of a successful home renovation show, seemingly living a picture-perfect life. However, their struggles with conceiving a child lead Wyatt to an experimental medication that alters his personality. After the birth of their twins, Dawn uncovers a horrifying truth, forcing her to flee with the children.

MY THOUGHTS: From the moment I opened this book, I embarked on a journey that initially felt more like a lighthearted romance than the suspenseful thriller I had expected. At one point, I even paused to check the synopsis, wondering if I had picked up the right book. Yet, as I continued reading, the suspense began to emerge around the 30% mark, and I found myself reading on to uncover the twists that lay ahead.

While the book starts slowly, demanding a little patience, the dual viewpoints of Dawn and Wyatt enhance the storytelling, providing depth and insight into the characters’ motivations. Each character is well-defined, though can’t say I liked either one. Wyatt is just unbelievable; and Dawn is content to let everyone run her over. The suspense part of the plot unfolds in a more engaging manner, drawing readers into its intricacies. Though I found the conclusion somewhat disappointing, it effectively ties up loose ends and brings closure to the various threads woven throughout the story.

Not a thriller but unique domestic suspense. Narcissistic abuse and ivf i want to say are the key words to this book. No twist and turns. Unique though. Definitely a different kind of read.

The perfect home is anything but. I was really intrigued by the premise and I’m so glad I decided to pick it up! This book had me engaged right from the beginning! I couldn’t wait to see how it all ended!

Dawn and Wyatt have a very successful home improvement show. The couple is battling infertility, so Wyatt takes a non-FDA approved drug. Dawn gives birth to twins, and the couple have everything they ever dreamed of. Wyatt does not properly titrate off the drug and becomes abusive. When Dawn discovers Wyatt’s plot to murder the twins for increased TV ratings, she goes on the run. She quickly finds out that she can’t trust anyone, but suddenly a person from her long ago past arrives to attempt to save her. Even then, Dawn and the twins are still in terrible danger because the whole country trusts the Wyatt portrayed on his show, while he casts Dawn as a crazy, dangerous mother.

If you like domestic suspense, then I definitely recommend grabbing a copy of this book!

4.5/5 ⭐️
Thank you NetGalley for the chance to review this debut novel in advance. And what a debut it was! I ate this one up in a day and a half. The suspenseful build up throughout the book was great! I found myself on the edge of my seat every time Dawn found herself in a tight spot. It had just enough of home Reno shows to make it believable.

3.5 stars. Although billed as a thriller, this is really a popcorn domestic suspense read. There are no big twists and turns.

This is a story about a celebrity couple who are the stars of a reality TV home improvement show and who are unable to have kids naturally until the husband takes an experimental IVF drug. The focus is on the price of fame, narcissism, social media, and perception versus reality.

The premise is quite unique and it is a quick read but one that requires suspension of belief at times. The male character is also way over-the-top bad. Still, this was a pleasant way to pass a cold, wintery Saturday.

Thanks to the publisher for this complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

I could not put this book down! I loved the different "parts" of the book. I loved the twists and turns, they truly made it impossible to put this book down.

I am a HUGE fan of Fixer Upper. I was totally picturing the two main characters, Dawn & Wyatt, as Chip & Joanna. One of the main issues is that the world loved Wyatt and finds Dawn to be a bit of a drag. It was just so easy to picture how Chip is loved regardless of what he does on the show.

The book centers around infertility and an illegal drug, ASB. This drug has crazy side effects and that is the root of all issues with Wyatt. But when Dawn finds some incriminating evidence, enough is enough.

I truly felt like this book was real. It would make a great movie. My biggest gripe is that Dawn's friends are THE WORST ever.

Cheesy, tabloid style of story with average characters and an unrealistic plot that will have readers rolling their eyes. Having said that, just like when reading a tabloid, you find yourself devouring each and every page. I will give kudos to the author for keeping the story moving and somehow grabbing the reader even with an average story.

This review is entirely voluntary, and all opinions expressed reflect my personal views.

The Perfect Home" is a fascinating domestic suspense novel that will keep you engaged. Admittedly, the increasingly popular storyline involving reality shows does not appeal to me at all. I don’t watch HGTV and haven’t enjoyed reality TV in over a decade. But this book is well-written, well-plotted, and Wyatt and Dawn are terrific foils for each other. I always enjoy twists involving characters who were initially deemed reliable but who are themselves “twisted” beyond belief.

Title: The Perfect Home
Author: Daniel Kenitz
Publisher: Scribner
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:
"The Perfect Home" by Daniel Kenitz

My Insight:

"The Perfect Home" is an intriguing thriller that will keep you turning the pages to see what happens next for Dawn and Wyatt, who star in a reality TV show called "The Perfect Home." But was their life really perfect?
Daniel Kenitz delivers an engaging read. Wyatt's charm and good looks contrast sharply with Dawn's role as the decorator. However, Wyatt's desire for a picture-perfect family leads him down a dark path. The story takes a shocking turn after Dawn gives birth to twins, discovering sinister truths about her husband that compel her to flee. The tension escalates as Dawn strives to protect her children from Wyatt, especially as some who claim to be her friends turn out to be less trustworthy.

Kenitz has crafted well-developed characters and a captivating plot that hooks you from the start. I highly recommend picking this book up to see how this suspenseful and entertaining story unfolds. It's definitely worth the read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Daniel Kenitz, and Scribner for this ARC.

Dawn and Wyatt narrate the book in alternating chapters, so the reader hears each of their versions of the truth and has to decide whom they choose to believe. Has Dawn. abandoned by her father as a young girl and a recovering alcoholic, snapped under the stress of caring for newborn twins while dealing with the loss of an important person in her life? Is Wyatt suffering from the negative side effects of the supplement he took and gaslighting Dawn? Who can be trusted and who in their lives is on whose side? As the story unfolds the reader learns more about the couple, what they have overcome in life, how they met, and how they must now deal with the ugly side of fame. Was their Perfect Home ever truly perfect, and can it be saved? This is a fast-paced thriller with an intriguing plot that has enough twists to keep the reader guessing until the end. The characters aren't heavily nuanced, but each has a story to tell, as do several of the side characters. Readers of authors like Darby Kane, Alafair Burke and Alex Finlay might want to give this a try....I would rate it a solid 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. My thanks to NetGalley and Scribner Books for allowing me early access to a copy of this dark portrait of a marriage gone awry in exchange for my honest review.

The Perfect Home offers a unique and thrilling twist on the world of home renovation TV. Wyatt Decker, a charming and fame-hungry TV host, gains modest celebrity status with his home improvement show, but it isn't until he marries the sharp-witted and snarky Dawn that the show truly attracts a loyal following. When an unsatisfied Wyatt resorts to taking an experimental, illegal fertility drug from Germany to boost his chances of having children, things take a dark turn.

Told from both Wyatt and Dawn’s perspectives, this domestic thriller is filled with twists and turns that keep readers on the edge of their seats. The inclusion of the controversial ASB drug adds an intriguing layer to Wyatt's character, offering an explanation for his increasingly erratic behavior while complicating the reader’s perception of right and wrong. Dawn is a relatable and authentic character, grappling with the challenges of motherhood and her unwanted role in the spotlight. Though the pacing could have been tighter in places, the book is ultimately a compelling read that navigates the intersection of fame, ambition, and moral boundaries.

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

The Perfect Home by Daniel Kenitz is the book to read for all HGTV home renovation fans. Follow a successful couple as they navigate the world of filming their very popular home reno series. This couple appears on the surface to have it all with their successful show, fame, and money. However, their infertility struggles soon lead one of them down a dark path that will have deep impacts on both of their lives. Read and enjoy!

I was intrigued with the book description that suggests Fixer Upper meets Gone Girl. Wyatt and Dawn have a very successful home improvement reality show and want to start a family. Struggling with infertility issues, Wyatt takes an illegal drug to help with the infertility issues. The drug causes him to have drastic personality changes which in turn causes Dawn to take the twins and runs.
The story felt choppy and forced and just not that enjoyable of a read.
Thank you NetGalley and Scibner for my ARC.

The Perfect Home mostly annoyed me. The characters were flat, I felt no chemistry between Wyatt and Dawn and I didn’t believe the storyline. I did enjoy Dawns relationship with her “dad” but every other relationship felt wrong. A woman would have at least one friend who always has her back.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an advance readers copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wyatt Decker is a media friendly charmer with looks to match. But despite that, his home renovation TV show-“The Perfect Home” doesn’t really take off until he marries Dawn. Her eye rolling, snark is just what the show needed to attract female viewers.

Together, they have reached D level celebrity status but Wyatt longs for greater fame. Children might help but Wyatt has a low sperm count so he orders experimental fertility drugs from Germany which did not earn FDA approval in the U.S..

YES-he will risk ANYTHING to have children including taking this controversial drug, which warns of some serious side effects,

But, having twins is still not enough to get the coveted interview that he feels will propel them to the NEXT level.

So, he devises a horrifying new plan to earn fame and fortune- one that, once discovered by Dawn, prompts her to flee with her two babies.

She is quickly reminded that Wyatt is the beloved star of their show, as he turns HER into public enemy #1.

It will be difficult to beat Wyatt at his own game but Dawn Decker will do ANYTHING for her twins.

The book synopsis shares too much so I will stop here and just say “PROPS” to the author for the ORIGINAL PREMISE set in the ALWAYS choreographed world of home renovation TV!

The story is told from the dual perspectives of both Dawn and Wyatt, and made for an entertaining, domestic popcorn 🍿 thriller, which definitely offered up more than one surprise (if you don’t read the synopsis!!)

If the opening pace had been quicker, and if I had felt a bit more TENSION towards the end-it might have rated a solid four stars, but it did keep me engaged, so 3.5 stars ⭐️ it is.

This is a quite gripping and original fast-paced thriller. The plot is intriguing and unpredictable and makes perfect sense in terms of the story. Unlike in many mysteries and thrillers, nothing is pulled out of left field rather everything that happens in the story makes sense in light of what has been revealed and happened before. Even so, there are still several exciting plot twists that the reader will not see coming.

The ending post-epilogue is quite a satisfactory catharsis based on what has happened in the story up to that point. While the epilogue is necessary to update the reader on what happened to Dawn and her family afterward, it may also make some readers angry. It is hard to believe that after everything that happened Dawn would react how she does toward someone who has clearly betrayed her. She must be a better person than most of us, but in a way that makes her slightly less likable.

A decent domestic drama that sets itself up like a thriller and/or mystery but turns out to be neither.

Dawn and Wyatt Decker have an apparently perfect marriage. They work together on Wyatt’s home remodeling reality TV show where Dawn plays the practical and nagging wife to Wyatt’s big idea and expansive handyman. But there is a hole in their lives - Dawn can’t get pregnant. When it turns out that Wyatt has a very low sperm count, he decides to risk using an unapproved drug to help. Within a month, Dawn is pregnant and we skip to a year later, when they are now parents of twins. But when Dawn sees a chilling document hidden on Wyatt’s iPad she decides her only option is to take the babies and run.

The author has some tart commentary about how real “reality “ is and how easily it can be manipulated and it’s a terrific set up with dueling narratives giving us two sides of the story. Though there’s never really any doubt that Wyatt is the bad guy, he plays a great PR game and boxes Dawn in: how can she keep the twins and herself safe?

Unfortunately, that for me, is when things drifted off into not-a-thriller land. Dawn manages to find a solution pretty easily and things turn around really fast. I was waiting for some twist or sting in the tail but it never came. The author does a terrific job of dropping Dawn into what seems like an ungetoutable hole but then she is able to just step out of it. It’s also never really explained what Wyatt is up to: Is it the drug making him do this or is he just inherently a bad guy?

Read for the set up and skim through to the conclusion.

Thanks to Scribner and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

This was a unique and intriguing story and I was absorbed from the first page. The ASB angle was so original and scary and interesting and I love the author's use of it. I have never read anything like this and I read a lot of books! I couldn't put it down. I don't exactly get the blurb, particularly the Gone Girl reference but this book is an absolute winner...all day!

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a copy. It is my pleasure to write an honest review.

Dawn and Wyatt are the performers of a reality TV show called The Perfect Home. Wyatt is a handsome, charismatic and the star of the show who does the physical remodeling of homes. His wife, Dawn, holds her own as the entertainer and decorator. Wyatt isn’t satisfied with just the perfect home and is determined to famous and perfect in other areas. His next step is the perfect family which means children. He obtains an illegal drug from out of the country to make this happen. This drug has negative side effects that threatens everything he has built. Dawn will do anything to protect her children.
Thank you Simon & Schuster and NetGalley