Join Maddie as she pieces her life back together after recent catastrophic events, is she an unreliable narrator, or are her jumbled memories real? As the story unfolds it seems a bit slow and chaotic with memories bouncing back and forth, it takes a bit to get into, but well worth it. Little by little the intriguing story enfolds until it reaches a very satisfying ending.

A mind-blowing exploration of what happens when your brain tries to shield you from the unimaginable. It’s a suspenseful and twisty ride through a mine field of emotions. I could not put this down. A brilliant debut novel from a formidable talent.

After a family tragedy, Maddie is floating through her life like a ghost, trying to recover memories lost to grief and trauma, unable to talk or communicate with her family. She tries to piece together what exactly happened and what led up to it. I wasn't sure about this at first. The first part of the book is kind of vague and leaves you feeling that something is off but unsure what it could be. I bounced around between theories. Is Maddie imagining this? Is she actually dead? Did Annabel even exist? Once I reached the second part of the book and found out what was going on (which was unexpected), the rest of the twists were not that surprising, but it still had me really flying through to find out what happened next. I didn't think I was going to like this at the beginning because it was a little slow and hard to get a handle on, but I actually enjoyed it a lot by the end. Four stars.

This psychological suspense novel is all about the consequences of choices. Maddie found herself at the end of a gun and told to choose which of her children should be shot. You can imagine the aftermath of that. There are some confusing aspects to this twisty book but it more or less resolves by the end. You'll find yourself questioning what is real. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

The story takes us through Maddie Castle life, she has suffered a terrible loss and is aimlessly wandering through her days.

Maddie’s loss was painful and with her own guilt that she feels at times were just awful, so I could see why she was growing so distant. Her loss is a loss that no mother should ever have to go through. At the same though, she still has her husband and son who need her and want her to be able to live from day to day.

Quite a few characters were introduced at the beginning, and putting each of them and what their parts played was really interesting. Maddie’s memories come in little snippets, but they beg the question, are they real memories or something completely different. Can she even remotely believe her memories? Does she had PTSD? There were so many more questions that come to mind. I just has to sit back and piece them together right along with Maddie.

With the slower pace at the beginning, I was a little worried but when the pace did pick up, it really picked up at full speed, taking me on a roller coaster ride of memories and emotions from the characters, making this quite a suspenseful read. And when I reached the end all the twist and turns come to a head, some of which I didn’t see coming, making me pretty happy I pushed through the beginning of this one. Overall, this turned out to be a great psychological thriller.

I really did this book a disservice by reading two books nearly back to back with close to the same plot line. While the other book blew my mind this one just barely made a spark. If I hadn't read that other book first I wonder if I would of enjoyed this one more. I'll never know.

As the story goes we have Domenic and Maddie Castle, a happily married couple of two precious twins, Aidan & Annabelle. On the morning of the twins' 10th birthday party Maddie is busy getting all the last minutes to-do's done for the big day when suddenly there is a knock on the door. The children are excited in hope that it's the postman delivering presents that they hurry to the door with Maddie hot on their tail. Opening that door was the biggest mistake they ever made.

This book was interesting enough and it was well written but it suffered from being really repetitive in places which made me skim through chapters. The story is laid out in 4 parts. The first part was a slow burn but I was still intrigued enough to continue. After that each part opens with a twist to the story which I enjoyed even though some were more predictable than others. I don't know how enamored seasoned psychological thriller readers will find this one but I do think someone new to this genre will more than likely be riveted to the pages. A solid effort for sure and I'd love to see what she can come up with next. 3 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley & Kensington Books for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Another well written thriller! The cover is beautiful and the story was intense. I would recommend this any thriller fans.

From the outside Maddie Castle had the perfect family. Married to her husband for just over ten years she has two beautiful children, twins, a boy and a girl. But life for Maddie hasn’t always been roses with her husband but she had gotten careful at hiding their problems.

On the twins tenth birthday though the unthinkable happened to Maddie and her babies. Just about to celebrate the doorbell rings and as they go to open the door a masked man grabs the twins and holds a gun to them screaming for Maddie to choose which one lives. What is a mother supposed to do in that situation??

Now Maddie is living in the aftermath of that horrible day with her husband and her son. Maddie’s daughter became a victim of the violence and Maddie doesn’t know how to live with herself after what happened. Will the family ever be able to pick up the pieces and move on?

The Perfect Family by Samantha King is a psychological thriller that started off with a horrifying choice for a mother that certainly grabs one’s attention. As the story went along there are definitely some twists and turns along the way, some of which I didn’t expect giving it a very strong beginning but eventually the book seemed to sort of mellow out to me and become a bit too obvious in where it was going. I was getting a bit frustrated with the MC going back to certain things repeatedly too. In the end I’d rate this one at 3.5 stars as it was certainly a good read but I’d hope for a few more twists at the end.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I have mixed feelings about this book. The first half of the book just felt “off” to me, and like another reviewer mentioned, I also got a Sixth Sense vibe, which I thought was kind of cool – however I was also thinking “wrap it up, already!”. The first half was interesting enough, the writing was good, but for me, it dragged. Maddie’s point of view was mildly irritating to me at some points, thought it was nice to hear the back story between Maddie & husband Dom.

The twist in the middle was a big surprise to me, however! The second half of the book is where it really started to fall apart for me, though. I started to feel even more annoyance towards Maddie because of her decision-making, both past & present.

Additionally, the reasoning behind why characters chose to do certain things was there in a way, but it didn’t have a reasonable or realistic feel to it. I think that there were just too many farfetched elements for me to really lose myself in the story. I rolled my eyes a few times, but the suspense was there so I read on, anxious to see what would happen.

Whereas the beginning was a buildup to what was really going on & the middle was really driving towards what was going to happen, the ending felt so strange to me. There were a couple of decent twist moments, but I also found myself looking at Maddie multiple times going “really??” – and then the very end just felt obvious.

This is NOT a negative review – I did enjoy the book and it kept me engaged. There was just so much that felt disjointed and not quite believable, that I had a hard time loving it. I still finished it in a day and a half as I was invested! So I encourage you to read it and decide for yourself.

Thank you to the author & publisher who provided an advance copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Good first book from this author. Full of fun mystery and suspense. At times pretty predictable but that did not take away from enjoying the book. I will be looking forward to her next book.

This book was a roller coaster which I throughly enjoyed. It kept me guessing with all the different twists, turns and surprises. No mother ever wants or should be faced with which child would you choose, but to have to live with the choice you made. Proves you never truly know what happens behind closed doors in someone else's family. If you liked 'The Couple Next Door' or 'The Breakdown', you'll enjoy this book.,

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and did not want to put it down. There were twists and turns throughout the book that made you really think about who the "bad guy" could really be. It kept you guessing!
The book starts with the main character, Maddie, getting ready for her twins tenth birthday party. A man dressed in army gear comes to the door and ultimately someone gets shot. The book then goes through random sporadic events in Maddie's memories, and some situations that may or may not be true. You learn Maddie's "story," which includes how she met her husband Dom, and things that have gone on throughout her marriage. Come to find out Maddie was shot in the head, and has been in a coma for several weeks. Eventually as her health improves all the pieces of what happened that fateful day fall into place.
This is definitely a book I would recommend for anyone who likes a good thriller. An ARC was provided to me by Netgalley for my honest review.

3.5..rounding up to 4 stars.
I really had a love/hate thing going on with this book. The beginning was slow and I really had a hard time getting into it. Not that it wasn't well written, but just I wasn't forming any attachment to the story.
I am so glad I stuck with it though because by Part 2, the author through in a major TWIST and my god did she pack a punch with that one. Double whammy. OUT OF THE PARK. Part 3 was also crazy pyscho twisty turny.
The story continued with twists and turns and all in all, it was enjoyable read. I admit I skimmed through a few pages that were somewhat slower than others.
Overall, the idea of the story was pretty cool and it definitely had moments of panic. The author painted such an intense picture of Madelaine's pain and frustrations that I sometimes had to take a break because it was some pretty deep thoughts and emotions on the pages.

Thank you #NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley and Kensington Books for an advance read of this title in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley.com for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
I'll admit this started a bit flow for me, and I wasn't quite understanding what was happening. It all felt unreal to me. That was resolved later in the book, and once it got going, there were great plot twists, enough suspense to keep my reading, and wondering what would happen next.
There were some disjointed chapters, and I didn't love the ending; however, I think the disjointed parts might have been intentional (not to say anything that will create a spoiler.) And, once I thought about it, life isn't always a clean wrap up. I'd give this book a B- (I'm going to start rating in this way, because many times the stars have me between two different ones.)

This book reminded me of a little roller coaster. The first section is like the very slow, very high ascent up the hill. To be honest, I thought for that section it was kind of a Sixth Sense thing going on and I had patted myself on the back for thinking I had figured it out so quickly. Part Two and Three were terrific – definitely the meat of the roller coaster ride as you rise and free fall, twist and turn. The fourth part…instead of being the true climatic end it was more like the part after ride is over and you’re going back on flat land back to the station to get off of the ride – it was pretty obvious what was going to happen at that point.

What I loved: It definitely had some great plot twists and unexpected revelations in parts two and three that really defined the entire story.

What I didn’t love: The whole thing with Annabel and the reasons for everything happening seemed convoluted and not completely thought through. I think I understand what the author was trying to do but its still rather creepy.

The Perfect Family
Samantha King
Available: June 26, 2018

Thank you to NetGalley.com for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book reminded me of a little roller coaster. The first section is like the very slow, very high ascent up the hill. To be honest, I thought for that section it was kind of a Sixth Sense thing going on and I had patted myself on the back for thinking I had figured it out so quickly. Part Two and Three were terrific – definitely the meat of the roller coaster ride asyou rise and freefall, twist and turn. The fourth part…instead of being the true climatic end it was more like the part after ride is over and you’re going back on flat land back to the station to get off of the ride – it was pretty obvious what was going to happen at that point.
What I loved: It definitely had some great plot twists and unexpected revelations in parts two and three that really defined the entire story.
What I didn’t love: The whole thing with Annabel and the reasons for everything happening seemed convoluted and not completely thought through. I think I understand what the author was trying to do but its still rather creepy.
What I learned: Still know so little about the human brain…
Overall Grade: B-

A fast paced suspenseful psychological thriller. Maddie, her hubby Dom and her 10 year old twins are enjoying their busy life. Dom is working harder and more hours and is hardly ever home to help Maddie with the kids. One day while Maddie is getting ready for the twins birthday a masked intruder breaks in and demands her to choose one of her kids to save. The beginning of the book is fascinating as Maddie is in a medically induced coma but doesn't realize it and is wondering and grieving for one of her children. Finally after 3-4 months Maddie wakes up and is confused. Who shot at her and her kids? Why did they do it? Where are the children? Why does she feel afraid when her husband finally shows up to visit her? Dom rushes her out of the hospital before she is completely ready and what happens next is super chilling.

The perfect family grabs you during the first pages. A man arrives at a house and tells the mom of twins "choose one, bitch!" Before she blacks out she chooses her daughter to be shot. Maddie (the mom) met her husband, Dom in college, becoming pregnant just a few weeks after they met. He proposes to her and lets her know he wants a "stay-at-home" wife. She knows that she will eventually complete her teaching degree, anyway. After giving birth to twins, Maddie is told that she cannot have any more children. As time goes on, Maddie lives in a strange world; thinking that her husband may be having an affair with her best friend, Lucy, her husband abusive and controlling, agoraphobia, Maddie begins to forget things or remembering them wrongly. Her brother-in-law, Max, visits often much to the chagrin of Dom. One day, after being slapped around by Dom, Maddie blacks out. When she wakes up, she finds out that she has been in a coma for 3 months! DI Watkins visits Maddie and tells her that the shooting case is closed - Max was the perp. Dom only visits Maddie once in the hospital; she doesn't remember much but she does remember the slap, and then buying three train tickets. Dom reminds her that she was "seeing" Max. Really? She actually tells Max that she wants HIM to give her a second chance. Is she that gullible or is she desperate? Once Dom has her released from the hospital...the REAL truth comes out. You find yourself asking:
-who really shot Maddie, and who did she really "choose"?
-Annabel has a telling diary
-What was Max's role in everything?
- Were Dom and Lucy lovers?
And that is just the beginning of the conclusion that promises to be as exciting as the beginning. This book is a true page turner. Six stars!!! Many thanks to Bookouture and NetGallery for giving me the chance to uncover this gem!!!

How do you find your way to an ordinary world after the unthinkable has happened? For Maddie Castle, life is divided into BEFORE and AFTER. She remembers her life with husband, Dom and twins, Aidan and Annabel as a happy one. Now, her life is spent alone in one room, trapped with memories that seem to become increasingly vague and unclear until Maddie isn’t sure what really happened to her family. If you like stories with twisted plots and red herrings, you’ll love this story