This has to be one of my favourite books this year - You start reading thinking "ah it's going to go this way" Read a few more chapters and then its "nope it's going to go a different way." Alex meets Carrie when they are at a support group together. Alex supports Carrie who is 20 years younger than her and is going through cancer. Alex has not got any contact with her twins so Carrie fulfils that maternal need. However are either or both of them what they seem? I love books that have a strong friendship element but one that has twists and turns. A really good read.

Alex has lost everything that matters to her , her husband and her children don’t want anything to do within her and now all she has left is Carrie her closest friend. Alex trusts Carrie but should she really ? Alex is dealing with anorexia and meets Carrie in a support group. Carrie is dealing with cancer .neither woman has anyone so they lean on each other it’s a perfect storm. If your ok with unreliable narrators and a few crazy woman this book is for you!

WHO BELIEVES A LIAR WHEN THEY'RE TELLING THE TRUTH?

Alex and her friend Carrie meet at a trauma support group. Alex has anorexia and Carrie has breast cancer. They become bestfriends in almost a mother/daughter relationship. But there are all kinds of secrets each of them are keeping.
I really enjoyed this read. There were twists on top of twists. It was a quick paced flow with no lulls in pace.

What started out as a really slow book ending up being a great suspense book. Lots of twists and turns ! So if you just hang in there and get thru the slow start you will be very glad you did it's worth the wait! Loved this book!

My thanks go to the publishers and Net Galley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.
At first I had my doubts. A very slow beginning left me wondering what I had gotten myself into. But friends, you've GOT to hang in there because while the start is slow...wham....you suddenly get smacked with twists and turns you didn't see coming and it becomes a book that you can't put down...and when you do it calls you until you pick it up again! The characters are so painfully flawed but written well. The plot it a slam dunk and the writing quite good.
Giving it a 4 star.

This was the first book I'd read by this author but I will be on the lookout for more! This was SO creepy I couldn't put it down!

HE PERFECT FRIEND is a dark psychological thriller by Barbara Copperthwaite. This book is full of twists and lies, and lie have you on hold until you read the last page. Who can you trust?

Two women, Alex and Carrie become best of friends after meeting in a self-help group. Alex suffers from anorexia and has no family to lean on, and Carrie is suffering from terminal cancer and also alone. They were there to help each other. Alex would do anything for Carrie, but when Alex tells Carrie her deepest secrets, can Carrie be trusted to keep them private? Time will tell.

She’ll do anything for you…

My name is Alex, and my world has been shattered.
My husband has left me.
My children won’t speak to me.
My friend Carrie is the only person I have.
She’s the only one I can trust to keep all my secrets.
She’d never do anything to let me down.
Would she?

The Perfect Friend is a character-driven novel with an appealing plot and a surprise ending. I enjoyed the interaction between the two main characters, Alex and Carrie. This book is full of twists and turns that you will not see coming.

A great psychological thriller that I highly recommend!

Many thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley for my digital copy.

Enjoyed this fast paced, tense psychological thriller. Thanks to publisher and Netgalley for the advanced reading copy.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

This is a book that really keeps you on your toes, filled with twists, turns and two of the most unreliable narrators. Alex and Carrie meet in a support group, and quickly become drawn to one another. Seemingly offering each other mutual support and friendship, it becomes clear that neither woman has been entirely honest with the other and the book is a breathless ride to discover the truth that lies beneath the surface of their friendship and who really wields the power. There are some heavy weight issues touched on as the book progresses; terminal illness, stalking, abuse and mental health issues that added an extra layer to the story, that in general worked well.
My opinion of the two women constantly changed throughout the book, and my idea of what a 'perfect friend' is or should be was challenged. The pace of the book was great, and I really enjoyed trying to get to the bottom of what the true dynamic of Alex and Carrie's relationship was.

My thanks go to the publishers and Net Galley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Great book! Who do you believe? The young Carrie or Alex a mother of two. I had such a hard time deciding. Alex seemed so kind to Carrie, but her life definitely had secrets. Carrie seemed so innocent and vulnerable. Don’t all perfect friends have secrets? Worth your time to grab this book!!!

I jumped at the chance to read this book the moment I saw it, as it seems like just the kind of thriller I'd enjoy. It started off well, however I found that there were too many twists in this book. It would have been a better read with less of the drama, that seemed to be tightly crammed in to make this seem more shocking. It kind of spoiled it a bit for me, but otherwise it was a good read. I'd love to read more from this author in future.

I have to be honest. I didn't find this book to be an unputdownable one. I still read it, but it was very slow. It didn't blow me away like other books I have read.

This book started slowly and I almost gave up on it. I did persevere but it only turned out to be an "OK" book

I was a bit torn with this book. I am really late in giving my feedback because I tried to read it several times before I finished it! Having never read any Barbara copperthwaite before I can’t compare. It was a decent thriller, but the slow start just put me off.
It is a real tale of who can you shouldn’t trust!

Meet Alex, attending a support group she has much to contend with in her life. This is where she met her friend Carrie, Carrie battled cancer and the group offers support to all who need it. Alex has many issues, she would do anything for Carrie sure guilt can make you like that. Carrie is a wee soul, so positive despite the hand life has dealt her but are Alex and Carrie both what they seem to be?

So the book splits into then and now, the then we don't know which character is is, just what they have gone through growing up. Now follows Alex, her daily struggles, recovering from anorexia, attending a therapist and fiercely protective to Carrie. She is a great friend, she feels guilty but why, what has she done. Her children and husband won't speak to her, her therapist is on her about her weight and behaviour and all Alex can think of is Carrie, how to help her and be the perfect friend.

With Alex being an unreliable narrator it adds to the intensity of the story, something is amiss but what. Why won't her family speak to her, what sparked her food and weight issues, why is she so drawn to Carrie? I hated putting the book down as I needed to know, I felt like I was watching a Murder She Wrote, I was suspecting everyone of everything, or Isa from Still Game, something wasn't right and I NEEDED TO KNOW!

The story covers some hard themes, cancer, loss, anorexia, grief, violence, counselling and whilst a lot of dark the book isn't depressing or doom and gloom. There is also loyalty, friendship, strength of character, love, personal growth. It is a busy wee book with attention to detail, nothing is thrown in just for the sake of it, it is well written and envelopes the reader from pretty much chapter one.

Some points I actually gasped out loud, a few times I put it down to tell my o/h what my newest theory was (he isn't interested but I still have to say) and I was almost always wrong wrong wrong. A book that will keep you on your toes, turning page after page, hooked, involved and constantly guessing. 4.5/5 for me this time, whilst I have bought two of this authors books before this was actually my first dance with her, it won't be my last, I will be bumping up the others on my TBRM. You can get a copy of the book from the 5th of July, let me know if you have read it!

A roller-coaster of a read that I thoroughly enjoyed. I just love a story where I am kept on the edge of my seat and The Perfect Friend is perfect at doing just that. Secrets, lies, loss and the enduring need for love and friendship, it is a truly gripping read and at times, a very moving story. Ms Copperthwaite handles the difficult themes of anorexia and bulimia with skill and compassion. Both Alex and Carrie are troubled characters - but are either of them who they seem? Read and see!

I'm not sure what to say about this book. It was good, but I didn't enjoy it as much as Barbara's other books. I'm not sure why. Could just be me!

I am a fan of Barbara Copperthwaite, I’ve read all her books so I was excited to receive a copy of this from Netgalley!
This book started out very slow for me. I kept at it, but to be honest it was just ok for me. Of course I will look out for her next novel, this one just didn’t blow me away like her other books have.

This book took off really slowly!! I was so very tempted to quit which would have been a first for me!! But boy am I glad I didn't! It's a book full of conflict and suspense. But most of all its full of lies!!
Who is telling the truth?? Between family and friendship it's never quite clear who the real liars are!!
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read this book.

You have done it again Barbara! Another fab fab read that had me reading into the small hours!
This tells the story of two characters who met at a local support group - Carrie and Alex. One an anorexic - the other a woman with cancer. They strike up an unusual friendship with Alex almost like Carrie's surrogate mother. Alex is estranged from her own twins and husband and Carrie is very much alone and this friendship appears to be perfect. With both harbouring secrets, the past will surely catch up with them both?
Sadly i dont feel i can tell you, the reader any more without spoiling the story but rest assured you will be gripped from start to finish. A superb storyteller is Barbara Copperthwaite!
Highly reccomended!