1⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for an advanced copy of The Perfect Home.

Dawn and Wyatt are somewhat celebrities with a Home Renovation show called The Perfect Home. They are also struggling with infertility and Wyatt decides to take matters into his own hands with an experimental drug and it works and Dawn becomes pregnant with twins. But life is definitely far from perfect when Dawn finds out that Wyatt has a different plan for them.

I was not a fan of this book. I did not like the main characters and the whole plot seemed very far fetched and unrealistic. This book was just not for me.

Dawn and Wyatt are one of America’s favorite couples. Stars of the reality fixer upper show The Perfect House they seem to have everything… except a child. When fertility issues arise Wyatt decides to take a medicine that promises success but is banned in the United States because of the severity of the side effects. While the medication works, Wyatt’s personality changes so much that Dawn is suddenly faced with having to take her babies and try to escape from her husband all while America roots for her husband.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It was incredibly engaging and I really enjoyed the characters for their imperfections and complexity. The story was fast moving and the ending was satisfying. It was somewhat predictable but not in a disappointing way at all.

Thank you to the publishers and to Netgalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you are an HGTV fan, you may like this read, which focuses on a married couple who film a reality TV show renovating and making over old spaces. Sounds like a show you know, I bet. The reality show in this book is definitely not “real”, as they describe all the reshoots and potential issues that are invented to keep the audience engaged, and the perspective of the public on this couple and their young family may not be rooted in reality, either. How much truth does the public really know about reality show stars vs. how much they think they know? I thought about the public perception of celebrities a decent amount while reading this book.
The couple in the book recently gave birth to twins after some fertility struggles. A foreign supplement not approved by the FDA was used, and there seems to be some lingering negative side effects. Balancing their jobs and the twins is a bigger task than the couple first thought, and the couple’s communication struggles are affecting their home and work lives, which seem hard to separate considering their reality show.
The blurb for this book compares it to Gone Girl, and there are some similar plot points. But I think if you head into reading The Perfect Home with the expectation of the excitement and surprise elements of Gone Girl, you will be disappointed. While there are some thriller elements, this book lacked the “thrill” factor to be truly engaging. I kept reading until the end because I wanted to know how it would wrap things up, more like a mystery than a thriller, but I didn't care all that much about the main or secondary characters, and almost all of them were unlikeable. If you need to like the characters, I don't think this is a book for you.

Gone Girl meets home improvement show was a combo I didn't know I needed until I heard about this book... what a fun and original thriller. It was fast paced and really engaging.

I wanted to love THE PERFECT HOME, but this is not for me. I think this will work well with readers who enjoy a more straightforward, not very gory thriller. A unique premise with the reality TV spin.

This book gave a very good portrayal about how everybody’s truth is different. And how someone can lie to protect themselves and the world will believe it. It broke my heart when Wyatt portrayed Dawn to be this terrible parent so he could look better. And there’s really men out there who do that. They will crush anybody they can for fame and appearances.

There were a lot of elements that seemed like they would work in this book. Dawn and Wyatt are HGTV-esque reality tv stars. They want to have a child. Some of the measures that Wyatt takes to approach his infertility are questionable. I think the blurb of this book gives too much away. How the story unfolds was a bit too unbelievable for me. The dual POV has some redeeming qualities but I think it would have been fine if it was all from Dawn. I kept reading mainly because it was a quick read and I wanted to see how the ridiculousness unfolded. Comparing it to Gone Girl was certainly a stretch!

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What a fun twist on a domestic thriller. I thought this was really fresh, unique and thoroughly engaging from beginning to end.

This was an interesting book. I have to say I was expecting way more with how they said it was like HGTV meets Gone Girl. I don't really see it, the GG part anyway. There weren't any surprises, but all in all, a good read. I love the concept, the writing was great.....I'll look forward to more from this author.
Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and author for the chance to read this ARC.

Reality TV is not the same as real life.

Husband and wife team Wyatt and Dawn Decker co-host a successful home renovation show , "The Perfect Home", on Home and Lawn TV. Theirs is the most popular show on their network, but in the world of celebrities they are closer to D-listers than they are to A-listers. Which is fine with Dawn....they have earned a lot of money, have a beautiful home in Tennessee and are able to afford the best of care for her mother Harlene May whose health is in decline. Wyatt wants more, and has the vision boards and lofty goals to go along with his pursuit of success. The one thing in their life that has been eluding them is having a baby....Harlene May desperately wants a grandchild and Wyatt and Dawn are more than happy to oblige, but their efforts have not born fruit. When they finally went in for testing they discovered that the problem lays with Wyatt and his low sperm count, which makes the super-achieving Wyatt feel inadequate and sends him off to Google his way into an answer. He lands upon a solution, a male fertility pill not cleared for use in the US which claims to have incredible results....but also bears the risk of some dangerous side effects. Before long Dawn finds herself the mother of twins and the wife of a man who has completely changed, and not for the better. To the world he is still the handsome, charming man over whom female viewers swoon, but to Dawn he has become distant, impatient and possibly very, very dangerous. To TV viewers Dawn has always been the somewhat tart, eye-rolling wife who rains on sweet dreamer Wyatt's parade, so when the marriage difficulties become public almost everyone is immediately on Team Wyatt. Even Dawn's closest friends seem to believe Wyatt's version of events. But Dawn is fighting not just for her own life, but also for her twins'....and its never wise to bet against a mother.
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.

2.5 stars - Domestic thriller set in the world of home renovation TV? Yes please! While I was hooked by the premise of The Perfect Home, unfortunately I was let down by the execution. The characters were unlikeable and their behaviors were extremely questionable. I did however enjoy how the author brought attention to the fact that the media plays a huge role in how we perceive and “side” with celebrities, especially in he said/she said situations.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC through NetGalley. Pub date: January 7, 2025

.5 unique plot stars

I went into this one without reading the blurb, which I highly recommend! Too much is given away in the preview!

At first, I thought this was going to be a reality TV/influencer book, and while that is the backdrop, it really had a unique plot and characters I was not expecting.

Dawn and Wyatt Decker are the married couple starring in “The Perfect Home,” a reality TV show about home renovations and some disasters. Wyatt started solo, but after he met Dawn, he brought her on the show, and she got plenty of female fans. She’s down to earth, and Wyatt is the handsome TV star.

Wyatt is definitely keeping some secrets, and I don’t want to give them away in my review. Let’s say he makes some poor choices, leading to a fugitive situation for Dawn and their twins. An unlikely person rescues Dawn, and the plot twists keep coming. My advice: Don’t trust anyone!

I enjoyed getting both Dawn's and Wyatt’s perspectives in this one. It did get a bit popcorn-thriller-y at the end, but I was entertained. I will definitely be open to reading more from this debut author.

This is a great "what might be behind the scenes" both in reality show world and in your friendships and even your marriage!

I love a good reality show - and like to think what the real reality might be. This was a really good page-turner, thriller, and mystery all in one book! Would love to read more about Dawn Decker!

The Perfect Home, a moderately successful home renovation television show, also delves into the behind-the-scenes lives of Dawn and Wyatt Decker’s marriage. However, ratings are paramount, and the producers resort to drastic measures to boost them. Wyatt, on the other hand, has his own ideas.

Wyatt and Dawn are new parents to twins. When Dawn stumbles upon a disturbing plot that could potentially skyrocket the show’s ratings, she impulsively takes the twins on the run, causing a public relations nightmare. While the story provides insight into Wyatt’s struggles and demons, it also reveals the underlying reasons behind the Deckers’ strained relationship and their inability to become a perfect family.

Despite its irreverent tone, the book takes a serious turn almost immediately, reflecting Wyatt’s genuine emotions and his awful plans for his children. The suspenseful plot, which takes unexpected turns, keeps the reader engaged and eager to discover the outcome.

Many thanks to Scribner and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

A clever and entertaining page turner. Dawn and Wyatt have the perfect marriage-and they're the perfect partners on a home renovation reality show- except that they can't get pregnant. Until. Until Wyatt imports unapproved vaguely illegal pills and they have twins. Except something's very wrong with Wyatt, so wrong that Dawn impulsively grabs the babies and takes off, setting in motion a major hunt for her and a publicity boon for Wyatt. Her long lost dad swoops in to help her and oh boy does she learn who her friends really are. But how can she prove that Wyatt had an evil plan for the twins? Who can help her? I liked that you know there's a rat in the house from the beginning but that you don't know how things will turn out. Kenitz does a great job with his characters who alternately tell the story. It's nicely twisty with more than one surprise. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Really enjoyed this one.

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!!)

Thank you so much to @netgalley for my advance copy!

I really loved this "insider" take on "reality" home renovation shows. With lying and cheating and scheming and mudslinging thrown in. What's not to love? This one takes off from the start. Wyatt and Dawn have a Chip and Joanna Gaines type setup. Show, fame, merchandise, money. What they don't have is a baby. No matter how they try, it just isn't happening for them. The issue is narrowed down to Wyatt, who orders ASB, an illegal, but proven to work, fertility drug. The list of horrible side-effects doesn't matter. Wyatt is determined to make a baby! Not for the actual love of a child, but because he feels a baby will be ratings gold. Then the personality changes start happening and babies come and....... well, you just have to see for yourself. The story is told from both Wyatt and Dawn's perspectives, and I thought this was an actual original storyline. There are a lot of good books out there, but also a lot of different takes on similar themes. This one was refreshing in both setting and premise. I felt the behind-the-scenes stuff was researched, along with infertility struggles. I look forward to more from this author.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Daniel Kenitz and Scribner Books for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Facebook and other retail and social media sites upon publication date of January 7th.

Daniel Kenitz’s The Perfect Home takes readers on a suspenseful journey that feels like a dark, behind-the-scenes glimpse into the polished world of home renovation shows, but with a thrilling twist. From the very first page, the story hooks you with its gripping narrative and refuses to let go until the final reveal.

Kenitz masterfully blends suspense and intrigue, keeping readers on edge as the plot twists and turns. The structure of the book, divided into distinct parts, enhances the reading experience, offering a fresh perspective with each section and building the tension in perfectly measured doses. This format adds depth to the story, making it even more immersive.

The novel’s premise—where the glossy facade of home improvement hides dark secrets—is both original and chilling. Kenitz captures the allure and drama of reality TV while exposing its darker undercurrents, creating a story that’s as compelling as it is unsettling.

For fans of psychological thrillers with unique settings, The Perfect Home is a standout read. Its fast-paced narrative, unexpected twists, and sharp insights into the world of entertainment and ambition make it impossible to put down. Kenitz has crafted a story that’s as addictive as the shows it draws inspiration from—but far more sinister.

Dawn and Wyatt have it all. A reality tv show, an antique store, book deals, and lots of money. But they want children and, after having a hard time conceiving, decide to use a fertility drug that’s illegal in the US. It seems that it’s illegal for many good reasons! After having twins, Wyatt isn’t the same. Dawn witnesses his personality shift, is the brunt of his meanness, and later she finds incriminating evidence leading her to believe he’s a threat to her children. When she runs with the twins, Wyatt does what he does best - lies to the world and spins things so he looks innocent. A rollercoaster story that kept me hooked from beginning to end!

THE PERFECT HOME, by Daniel Kenitz, hit all the high points for me. I read this book in a hospital waiting room, and it kept me engaged from the first chapter. The suspense had me flipping Kindle pages as fast as I could.

Fixer Upper fans, this is your book. The husband-and-wife duo, Wyatt and Dawn, lead the show. The story is told from both of their perspectives, and a beautiful marriage soon becomes a dangerous medical landmine. Wyatt has fertility issues and orders ASB, a drug that is illegal in the US, but one proven to increase fertility. Soon after beginning the medication, his behavior becomes troubling. But don’t let me tell you the whole story.

I sided with Dawn, a truly relatable personality. Her character was so authentic, that I found myself thinking that the author was a female. Her behavior and dialogue were perfectly on target. The other characters add depth to the story, and her twins bring out her strong mothering skills. Dawn is a bright woman who has to make sure that Wyatt doesn’t destroy her and take her babies.

This is Daniel Kenitz’ debut novel. He’s a freelance writer, living in southeastern Wisconsin within jogging distance of dairy cows. I hope he has another story in the works. THE PERFECT HOME is a solid 5 star read.