WOW!! This book!!! Holy cow!!! So many lies ... who can be trusted? NO ONE!! I wasn't sure what was going to happen next but I had to keep reading. So many twists and turns throughout the whole book. When I thought one thing, it was another!! And on and on and on. This was a great book. Well written. There are some heavy subjects - anorexia, cancer, physical abuse ... so much packed into this book. I highly recommend this one if you're looking for a psychological thriller unlike any other!! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy for my honest review. Will definitely look for more books by this very talented author.

I was excited about this book, as I'd seen it floating around twitter for a few days, and then I spotted it on NetGalley so I requested it. So, thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity.

I think one of the biggest issues I had, was that I didn't find out the story was being narrated by TWO women until approx 70% of the way into the book. The chapters are not labeled so the narrative was a bit unreliable (ALTHOUGH, PLEASE KEEP IN MIND I HAD A NetGalley COPY, SO I’M UNSURE OF HOW THE FINAL PUBLISHED VERSION APPEARS).

I feel Copperthwaite did a good job dissecting Alex’s mental health and kind of laid it all out for us to see. It’s so eerie how similar Alex was to a few people I’ve met in my lifetime, not necessarily suffering from anorexia, but struggling with mental health in general.

Carrie, I feel, was a product of her raise, and her actions reflected her need to survive on her own. Again, mental AND emotional health plays a huge part here.

Copperthwaite’s novel shines a rediculously blinding light on mental health, how it effects us as people and how it effects our interactions with our environment. How we can inadvertently veer off our desired paths in life through lying to ourselves and others.

I just read my new favorite book of 2018!
ALL THE STARS!
This book was so amazingly written. Every detail, twist, character, and lie were all woven together so intricately, but with purposefully placed threads that were already unraveling. Turning each page, unraveled these threads one by one.
I'm in awe of how the author put this all together. She combined all the things that make a psychological thriller keep you up all night but she managed to flip everything you think you know...quite a few times! I was so flipped around by the end of this book!
If its twists you are looking for then READ THIS BOOK! This is now my new favorite twisty book! I guarantee you that you won't know what hit you!
I give this book 5 stars across the board. Cheers to Ms. Copperthwaite for rockin my world with this book. Well played.

*INSERT STANDING OVATION HERE*

Thank you #NetGalley, #Bookouture and the author for my free ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Look for this book on release day July 5, 2018. My review is on goodreads and will be posted on Amazon on release day.

I really enjoy this authors books and this is yet another one to add to the list.

Alex has issues, she has an eating disorder which she attends a group which is where she meets Carrie. There is quite an age gap between the two women but I enjoyed the sort of mother/daughter/friend relationship that they have. I did wonder why this lovely woman would be alone and have such an estranged relationship with husband and children. This slowly gets unravelled the further into the story we go.

Carrie comes across as very much a fighter. She isn't in a good place when we get to meet her but she is making the most of her life and I think she welcomes the friendship and attention that she gets from Alex. It goes to show that age is no barrier when it comes to being friends.

As the reader gets further into the story we learn more about both women. It's hard to say too much more about the actual story line itself. To do so would give too much away. It's one of those books though that will have you wishing your friends were reading it at the same time so you can compare your thoughts on the many twists and surprises.

The Perfect Friend is an enthralling read that once grabs you, doesn't let go. It is a dark and tense read that will have you tearing through the pages to unravel more about the characters pasts. With plenty of twists and turns, it certainly keeps the reader on their toes.

I really enjoy psychological or domestic thrillers and this was a great one. I would recommend it to other fans of the thriller genre.

What a grand opening! This is a must read! Alex attends support group meetings for anorexia. She befriends Carrie, learning that Carrie has cancer that had returned with a dire outlook. One of the first things Alex does is to throw a surprise fundraiser for Carrie. About $18,000 has been raised. Yet, Carrie really isn't happy about this. All she wants is to be left in peace. We find out that Alexs' mother had been abused and that just about everyone has a secret. Alex finds a box on Carrie's doorstep. It has the words "I'm watching you" on the outside. Alex opens it to find a picture of her with Carrie - what???
In the past, Carrie had dated and fell in love. (Carrie is 24 - Alex, 44) Alex doesn't know that Carrie had dated the same man - and that he (Simon) dumped Carrie for Alex. Alex swears she would never do this.
In the meantime, Alexs' twins come to visit her and want to learn the truth about their mom's breakup with David, their father. The truth is one of Alexs' secrets. Another threat to Carrie is averted by Alex. She reads the note, "there are no secrets from me." with a picture of Simon! Carrie's car is damaged, and Alex' counselor wants her to take a "step back from Carrie." Alexs' counsellor, Rosie, tells Alex - "It's time to accept that your husbandand children are dead." Wow. Yet Alex continues to lie in group therapy that she does have an (essentially) estranged family. Alex begins piecing together Carrie's life (no social media, two contacts on her cell phone, great parents who never see her, etc. People are missing, Alex begins to doubt Carrie's illness - even though she does check up on her - and she does
get chemo & radiation... Eventually, Alex follows Carrie into the chemo room.. Another box shows up in front of both Alex and Carrie. Who is Andy?
Alex and Carrie have a heart to heart talk. Though not all of the puzzle pieces, by any means, fall in
place, a deadly plan is in the works...
GREAT READ! MANY thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for this wonderful read!!!
Alex knows that something dodgy is going on, but she cannot place it.

Think this book will appeal to everyone who enjoys psychological thrillers. It was absolutely brilliant, a gripping page turner full of twists and turns. I love the way Barbara writes, drawing you into all the characters and I cannot fault the skill of her writing.

I can thoroughly recommend this book, well done Barbara and I only have four more words to say "what a fantastic ending".

Summary
This story revolves around two friends- Alex and Carrie. These two become quick best friends, bonding during support group sessions. Alex is battling anorexia and Carrie's battle is cancer.

Alex has destroyed her relationship with her husband and children, or so she believes. She lives in a chronic state of guilt and despair. Feeling isolated and hopeless, she clings to her new friend Carrie, no matter what the circumstances.

Carrie is new to town, but makes it known that she has a wonderful, supportive family. Her life is practically perfect, except for her diagnosis of a aggressive form of cancer.

Is everything as it seems? Or are there lies and deceit found around every corner? Why does everyone around them keep disappearing? Where is Joanne, Simon and Smudge? Who is Natalie?

Summary

There is a whole bunch of lying and a whole lot of surprises in this book! I feel this isn't your typical suspense/mystery book, I feel it touches on alot of deeper subjects in addition to the twists and turns. Basically, it is a bit deeper than that. It touches on how people adapt to mental illness and grief and how they compensate for it. Being an Emergency Room nurse myself, I deal with people going through major life events and I get to see how they cope with it. I felt the author really captured how people that are so consumed with anorexia function. Alex had to lie to cover up more lies. It was a way of life for her.

Well thought out book. I often had to stop and wonder who was lying and why. There were many lies being spun, but in the end they were all explained away. They are truly friends until the end or are they?
#Theperfectfriend#NetGalley

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of THE PERFECT FRIEND by Barbara Cooperthwaite in exchange for my honest review.***

1 STAR

I love a good thriller with twists and turns that leave me stunned. THE PERFECT FRIEND was a dishonest rip off of the books I love. Twists for the sake of shock that seem to be written simply to be provocative by assuming readers will buy anything turn mr off. I didn’t trust any of the characters, nor did I trust Cooperthwaite to give me s real story.

I do not recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the early copy of The Perfect Friend. So riveting, kept me engrossed for hours. Who was telling the truth? An ending I did not see coming. Wow!

Wow, wow ,wow. I never saw that ending coming. Had me constantly wondering who was speaking truth. Loved this book.. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the early copy of The Perfect Friend..

Secrets, lies, manipulations and more secrets.

“… I am a liar. There isn’t a single aspect of my life that isn’t ruled by deceit. It seeps into everything, a poison that weakens, taints, kills all it comes into contact with. The biggest distortions are those I tell myself…”

Alex who is estranged from her husband and children, is suffering from anorexia. She meets Carrie, who has terminal cancer during a support group get-together and takes her under her wing and becomes her new best friend. She would do anything for her, but can she trust her? Can she trust herself? Can we?

The Perfect Friend has all the elements of a psychological thriller and some more.
An absolute treasure! A compelling, delicious and un-put-down-able read.

Thanks to Barbara Copperthwaite, Bookouture and the NetGalley for providing me with a copy.

A great read, full of suspense and great characters. Just when you think you have it all figured out.. Bam. Wrong, another twist. A real page turner. Highly recommended.

It’s a good story but the writing drags a little at times. On the whole the truth about Carrie is a real good twist. The truth about Elise and Edward was something I guessed before it was reviled. Alex’s seems like a untrustworthy narrator and that adds to the suspense. While there were many twists and turns and this book kept the suspense going I did not enjoy it as much as I should have. Probably because it needs a lot of editing to make it succinct. There are a lot of details which don’t add much to the twists or the plot and could be done away with.

**Thank you to Net Galley and Bookoture for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an unbiased review.**

‘The Perfect Friend’ by Barbara Copperthwaite published by Bookouture on July 5th

Hey, I had heard much about this author and read many reviews and soundbites but never a book, so it was with high expectations I started ‘The Perfect Friend’ and wondered what ‘new thing’ this author could being to the psychological genre of books I so enjoy reading.......
The book is based on Alex and Carrie, two women of very different ages who meet at a group for people who have suffered trauma and life changing events...Alex is battling anorexia ( amongst other things including the estrangement of her hubby and twins ) and Carrie is suffering from terminal cancer...both hard hitting subjects and both handled extremely well and with great insight ...Alex arranges for a party for Carrie and fundraises for her so she can do things she wants to before she dies......and then it starts...page after page of intrigue and shocks and a storyline that keeps you guessing right to the last word....smugly on at least 4 occasions I thought I had worked the story and book out and 4 times I was wrong.... the book lulled you into thinking you ‘knew’ what was going to happen and Detective Fearn was about to apply to the Met, such I thought my prowess for solving mysteries, when WHAM the story got ya, changed and off you went again feeling nothing but awe for the authors brilliance at telling a story and wrong footing the reader!!
The characters are believable and real and drew me in immediately and the way they told their respective sides of the story was like they were talking to you ( or me!!!)
A truly brilliant work of fiction and I will deffo be reading the authors previous work
You cannot not enjoy this book!!
10/10 5 stars ‘ awesome’

Amazing books that keeps you guessing right up until the end . Brilliantly written and fantastic characters . Loved it

Be prepared to have either an open mind or a very suspicious one when reading this book.Nothing is as it seems this is the first book I have read by this author and she spins a good web to draw the reader in.I really didn't know what was totally going on, and wondered if everyone was as they seem.I enjoy twisty books like this, it kept me page turning as fast as I could read.It was very good, no spoilers just enjoy and be prepared for an interesting read Thanks to the publishers and netgalley for an ARC.

Insightfully written. Like the subject the book became addictive. Duplicity and twists provide a rollercoaster read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.
The Perfect Friend is my first book from Barbara Cooperthwaite and I enjoyed it. As a lover of thrillers, I thought I had it all figured out a quarter into the book. I was right but wrong. Barbara kept spinning the story, adding a twist here and there, to throw you off. I would recommend The Perfect Friend and will be looking out for Barbara's future books.

Oh, Barbara, you wee genius, you! Bloody hell!

In case you didn't know, I'm a massive fan of Barbara Copperthwaite's books. As soon as I finish one of her books, I eagerly begin to anticipate the next one. So when the opportunity to read The Perfect Friend early came my way, I threw my schedule right out of the window and quickly lost myself between the pages of this devilish plot.

The story is told through Alex. Her husband left her, her children don't speak to her and she suffers from anorexia. While attending a support group meeting, Alex meets Carrie. These two women hit it off immediately, despite their age difference. But with secrets galore, will their friendship survive? And that's all I'm telling you!

Prepare yourself to be entirely led up the garden path. Nothing is what it seems and for the longest time, I wondered whether or not Alex was a reliable narrator which definitely added to the intrigue. I did have some bits figured out but other twists left my head spinning and at some point I just completely gave up trying to figure out what the heck was going on.

True to form, Barbara Copperthwaite once again manages to come up with brilliantly believable and realistic characters. Alex in particular faces an uphill struggle and I pretty quickly found myself completely invested in her, sympathising with her and rooting for her all the way. We also get glimpses into the disturbing and heartbreaking past of one of the characters but it takes a while to discover which one it is.

The Perfect Friend is yet another utterly compelling, gripping and totally addictive psychological thriller by one of my favourite authors. With a multitude of secrets and skeletons in the closets, this will have you glued to the pages. I feel this author's writing keeps getting better with every book and this twist-y tale is, in my most humble opinion, her best one yet. I don't know what more I can say? I'm a fan.

So strap yourself in and enjoy the rollercoaster ride!