In this gripping new novel, a picture-perfect family hides deep scars caused by bullying. The story follows Austin, a high school teacher and devoted husband who has been bullied his entire life—by peers, and even by his own family. Always living in the shadow of his seemingly perfect brother, Orion, Austin's pain drives him down a dangerous path in college, where he starts selling drugs to fight back. When he finally snaps and kills his biggest bully, it sets off a chain reaction that will change his family forever.

Austin’s wife, Kate, who once saw him as her ticket to a better life, remains fiercely protective even when the police come knocking about his past. Their daughter, Mia, is just 18 and on the edge of adulthood when an embarrassing photo surfaces, sparking judgment from everyone around her. As she searches for the truth behind the photo—whether it was taken by her longtime crush or a new kid with a troubled past—Mia discovers how the effects of bullying can ripple through generations.

Told in dual timelines, this story shows how bullying not only scars individuals but also tears families apart, leaving everyone to face the consequences of secrets kept too long.

Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC in exchange of my honest opinion.

I got this as an audio book from NetGalley and I love the opportunity to listen to new authors. The twists in this book are unreal!! It’s crazy!! It was a good listen and I enjoy the narrator. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this book!!

From the outside looking in, it appears that Kate, Austin, and their daughter Mia have the perfect family. Austin is a well-liked and respected high school teacher, Kate is a devoted stay-at-home mom, and Mia is their beautiful, high-performing daughter. Their perfect existence is tested when vicious rumours begin circulating about Austin, and Mia faces an incidence of cyber-bullying. The story is told from multiple PoV, which keeps the narrative moving at a fast-pace. One problem I found, however, is that the main characters are quite unlikeable, with Mia being the most worthy of our empathy. The end is not as surprising as it is deserved.

“My family is so screwed up. How did I turn out so normal?” So many secrets and so many lies! I loved this intense, suspenseful family drama. The story is told from the different POVs of the mother, daughter, and father of this family full of deception, deceit, and devotion. The narrators, Jodie Harris and Nikki Thomas masterfully bring the characters to life adding intrigue and emotion. The plot is perfectly paced with several twists along the way. The shocking epilogue is the perfect conclusion to this tumultuous tale. Thank you, NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for my audiobook.

Our Perfect Family
by Nicola Marsh
Narrated by Jodie Harris; Nikki Thomas; Andrew Cutcliffe

3.7/5.0 Stars

First off, I enjoyed the narration. It didn't bother me at all, as it did some other reviewers. I felt that it added to the story and I had no problem following along with the story and knowing who was speaking. This story is told with multiple POVs and in two time periods. Again, this may confuse some listeners, but I was fine with it!

The story itself sounded like a fun ride, and it was initially, but it got a bit boring and predictable for me about halfway through. The main characters were all kind of unlikable, and when things start to unravel, well, it's kind of duly deserved. I don't want to give away more than that because I don't want to spoil the story.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, the author, and Dreamscape Media for the chance to listen to and review this ARC!

This book had me on the edge of my seat waiting for the next twist! The book starts out with what you are lead to believe is a typical American family who have to deal with the bullying of their teenage daughter. Things take a turn as we learn more about the parents, Austin and Kate. I enjoyed the multiple POVs, each of which was performed very well in the audiobook. Overall I would recommend this book to friends.

Mia's family is perfect. She thinks so- everyone thinks so. Her dad is a well respected teacher at her school. Her mom is everyone's rock. When a new kid moves to town, things start to unravel. Rumors start. Maybe the Yates family isn't as perfect as Mia thought.

In order to avoid spoilers, I will keep this to a simple statement- parts of this book was promising, but an unreliable narrator kind of ruined it all for me. I hate unreliable narrators.

Jodie Harris, Nikki Thomas, and Andrew Cutcliffe narrate the audiobook. I enjoyed the narration a lot.

I received an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

What was that? Were they unable to devise a better excuse that ended with different results? I did not expect that one High School staff to be someone from Austin’s past, but I guess losing your first love really does mess you up. This book does have its share of teen drama that kind of took me by surprise, I wasn’t a huge fan of it. After everything that happened, I was left questioning what happened at Eddy’s last school. There were two versions, Eddy’s and everyone else’s. Did they all somehow come together to frame him for what happened to Mia, or did he actually do what he was accused of? This story could’ve been better, but I think the narrators did a great job with it though.

𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫 ↴
This is an Advanced Reader copy. Although this book was given to me as an ARC my thoughts are my own. Thank you, Nicola Marsh, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley, for the ARC opportunity!

🫧 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 📖

This was so good
Great story and fast pace just the way I like it. Very quick read.
Perfect all around.

Every family has secrets but how far will they go to maintain the facade of perfection?

A suspenseful drama with three main POV; husband and wife; Austin and Kate and their daughter Mia. The time line covers present day and ties in Austin and Kate’s past. When their daughter, Mia is caught in a High School scandal, what will Austin and Kate do to protect their daughter? The situation becomes more complicated as their secrets begin to surface

Love that the multiple POV are done by different narrators, as this bring more life to the story.
This was faced pace, with short chapters, an easily binge able read.
I would give 3.5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape media for the opportunity to review.

4.5 stars rounded to 5. So excited to receive an ALC of this! This was my first time reading/listening to a Nicola Marsh novel and I was immediately drawn to the nothing-is-what-it-seems-esque familial drama that slowly unfolded. I didn’t know what to expect with this one as it started on a cringe note (no spoilers) but as the story progressed, it was pretty addicting.

The writing also reminded me so much of Shari Lapena’s style - but Australian - which is why I think I liked it so much. The full cast of voice actors MADE the audio experience and totally helped totally deliver with this one!

Great domestic thriller! Lot of twists and lies, from high school drama to college to marriage. The audiobook was also well done with different voice actors for different characters.

Thank you to the author, publisher, narrator and Net galley for providing a free audio version of this title in exchange for my review.

This sort of book seems to be really, really popular, but not with me. They tend to be hit or miss for me - I need more suspense and less dialog and details of every sip taken. But the summary sounded good, so I thought I'd take a chance. This book read much much more like a YA novel than an adult novel. I'm not familiar with the author, maybe they have written YA. But I just didn't enjoy the book overall.

The narration was quite a performance! We had a full cast for this audio. Unusually, I'm not a fan of those because as I'm learning the characters and the narrators voices, I'm not sure who we are learning about. But overall, this was well done.

This was good - not my cup of tea - but I'm sure others will enjoy it.

3 stars

"Our Perfect Family" by Nicola Marsh is a gripping domestic thriller that delves into the complexities lurking beneath a seemingly flawless exterior. Set in a close-knit community, the novel unravels the lives of the Yates family after a malicious online attack targets their teenage daughter, Mia. This incident sets off a chain of events that threatens to expose buried secrets and test the family's bonds.

Marsh masterfully constructs a narrative filled with suspense and unexpected twists. The story is told from multiple perspectives—Austin, the devoted father; Kate, the supportive yet conflicted mother; and Mia, the vulnerable yet resilient daughter. This approach provides a comprehensive understanding of each character's motivations and fears, making them relatable and authentic.

The author's portrayal of the impact of cyberbullying and societal judgment is both timely and poignant. As the Yates family grapples with public scrutiny and personal dilemmas, readers are prompted to reflect on the pressures of maintaining appearances and the consequences of hidden truths.

The pacing is brisk, with each chapter unveiling new layers of intrigue that keep readers engaged. Marsh's ability to intertwine the characters' personal struggles with the central mystery adds depth to the plot, culminating in a satisfying and thought-provoking conclusion.

In summary, "Our Perfect Family" is a compelling read that explores the fragility of perfection and the strength of familial bonds. Nicola Marsh delivers a nuanced and thrilling narrative that will resonate with fans of domestic suspense.

Published Feb 25, 2025
Our Perfect Family by Nicola Marsh is one of those books that keeps you hooked from start to end. The picture perfect family, Austin and Kate Yates and daughter Mia, but they are far from perfect. Kate wants to be that perfect wife, in her perfect house and neighborhood with her perfect husband and daughter. Austin, a cold, distant and overly stressed husband, who Kate believes he is cheating on her. Their daughter Mia got caught up in a school scandal involving two boys, a picture taken at a party that was circulating around. Everyone in this family has secrets, but are learning just how far they will go to protect eachothers secrets, they have no limit just how far they will go.

The suspense kept building from start to finish and more and more secrets came out. I really liked the dual timeline, which was easy to follow and helped lay the bricks for everything else in the book. i really enjoyed Nicola Marsh’s writing style and the pacing that. The narrators did an amazing job bringing the characters to life and really making this audiobook addictive. I could not stop listening to this audiobook. I can’t wait to check out more of Nicola Marsh’s work in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media and Dreamscape First for the ALC audiobook.

Kate wants to be the perfect wife in the perfect wealthy neighborhood, with the perfect daughter, and perfect husband. But not once in her marriage has she attained that goal, and now her constructed veneer seems to be falling apart. Her husband, Austin, is always stressed out, cold, and distant, and Kate is certain he’s cheating on her. Now their daughter, Mia, is caught up in some scandal at school involving two boys, a party, and a picture making its way around campus. Kate can’t stop the old feelings of inadequacy from coming to haunt her again. They are deep seated from a rough childhood of poverty and neglectful parents, then when she met Austin in college, his affluent family never approved of her. Now with the state of her family, how could things get much worse? Cue in Austin’s many secrets, and the violent past that is coming back to get him and maybe his whole family as well.

This was a classic thriller with a fun tangle of deceptions to untangle. There’s no whodunit kind of mystery in this, instead, you as the reader always are a little ahead of the characters, but even then, the ending has a few surprises left to shock you. I listened to the audiobook version, and felt the narrators for each character were perfect. It made the listening experience much more immersive and enjoyable. I’d absolutely recommend picking up the audio version of this book, even if you’re just going to use it as you read along with the text.

Our Perfect Family by Nicola Marsh keeps you hooked till the very end.
A well written suspense filled with twists that kept me hooked from the very beginning.
A quick and fun read that I finished in a few hours.
The characterization was superb, the writing pacey and flowing, and the tension delivered in a series of shocks and twists along the way.
This is a tightly written story, with well developed characters and enough suspense to keep you reading.

Wow. The secrets literally everywhere in this book…… the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree…. Very good book and well written!!!

This was a great book from a new to me author. The storyline taps right into issues families are currently facing in regards to the troubles of the internet. Figuring out who is at the heart of a cyber bullying scheme has readers intrigued and burning through chapters. I listened to the audio version and the production did a great job. It was easy to follow and an enjoyable book.

Kate has gone to great lengths to create what she considers a perfect life for herself. That includes the fact that her husband Austin comes from a wealthy family, even though they all seem to despise him for choosing to be a school teacher.

Then there is her very intelligent daughter, Mia, who find herself at the centre of a school scandal involving a compromising photo. While Kate and Austin will each do almost anything to protect their only child, they have yet to discover what they are capable of...

This is an interesting and layered story about marriage, ambition and secrets, with a terrific twist. Well worth a read, it gets 3.5 stars.