Thank you Bookouture for an e-galley if The Perfect Friend in exchange for an honest review! Alex and Carrie are best friends who met in a support group. Alex is anorexic and Carrie has terminal cancer. But how much do they really know about each other? The Perfect Friend is a very twisty domestic drama. I am not a personal fan of too many twists in one book and this one went a little overboard for me. It was an interesting story and if you like to be kept on your toes, this could be a better fit for you. It definitely got a lot more exciting in the last third of the book as everything was revealed and it all came to a head. If you like a book full of surprises and psychological twists, The Perfect Friend will be published July 5, 2018.

I enjoyed The Perfect Friend quite a bit. It was My only problem with it is that it followed the exact same formula of all of the other "twisty" thrillers out there - and as a result, nothing came as a surprise to me, at all. The first twist? Not huge - I had guessed it early on since 2 recent reads (The Woman in the Window & The Day I Lost You) both followed similar themes and made this easy to guess.

I was a bit annoyed at some points too where the author intentionally left out information, leading us one way, and then adding an "oh yeah, but THIS is actually what happened" later in the book. I was just... not thrilled.

The story was good, it was all good, the ending was good - but I was bored because I figured almost everything out really early on. It's a pretty quick read so if you are looking for a thriller with an emotional side, this is it. But... if you read a lot of thrillers, don't expect anything shocking or new.

Alex is trying to sort out her life, her anorexia, her divorced husband and her estranged children. She takes Carrie under her wing, when they meet at a counselling session and rapidly become the best of friends. Lies from both sides sends this tale into a whirlwind of twists and turns, I could barely catch my breath reading this amazing book. loved it so much, would highly recommend.

This was my first Barbara Copperthwaite book. Having heard lots of praise for her previous work, I had high hopes to start with, and amazingly, this book stoop up to the expectations!

I have to admit, while reading the fist half of the book, I thought this was going to be just another average story. Luckily, I was wrong! My opinion quickly changed after the first twist was revealed, and then another one and then another... There were so many layers of lies in this book that when I though I knew what was going on and who was telling the truth, more lies came to light and I kept guessing until the very end.

I would definitely recommend this gripping and twisty book to any thriller lover out there!

Crazy twisty story. Had my actually gasp a couple of times. Just read it, it's that good. Thank you publisher and netgalley for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

A trauma support group provides the meeting place for Alex and Carrie, the main characters in The Perfect Friend. As they interact in each other’s lives they form a friendship but not a perfect one. Carrie and Alex lie to each other, to themselves and to those around them.
Issues of cancer, anorexia, spousal abuse, and death normally evoke feelings of compassion and concern. Not this time. By the time their interaction ends, neither character is likeable or redeemable. To remedy this, the author resorts to a weak ploy, four chapters of background and excuses are tacked on to make us care. But weak excuses and illogical background fail to move us.
#netgalley #theperfectfriend

This is a thriller formula book. Though, to compare it to The Girl on the Train and Behind Closed Doors is a bit bold.

It starts exactly like two other books I've read this year - with a monologue held in a support group, and from there on you're introduced to the leading character. Through that also comes her attitude towards others and descriptions of other characters (the proclaimed, Girl on the Train part I guess) that you soon start suspecting isn't all it's cracked out to be (the proclaimed Behind Closed Doors part, I guess).

This book makes for a challenging guessing game, I'll give you that.

But it doesn't surprise at all in terms of its structure, character development, and even action.

It's perfect for psychological thriller lovers who like to make personal predictions about what's going on and then read it all in one night to see if they'd been right. I think this is what they call a book club book.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Perfect Friend follows the story of two females, Alex and Carrie. They meet one day in a support group and quickly become friends....best friends.

Alex's husband has left her along with their two children, a boy and girl who are twins, and neither of them will speak to her. Alex is devastated. What happened to her family? What could she have done so terrible that even her own children want nothing to do with her?

Carrie is a single woman. She has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and doesn't have much longer to live. Alex wants to do everything for her, and make her last days memorable. They become good friends.

Carrie is all Alex has. The only friend she has, and since she has no family, Alex confides in Carrie. Carrie would never do anything to hurt her friend, and she can be trusted, can't she?

This was my first book I have read by Copperthwaite and it was very well written. I love how her writing quickly draws you into the storyline and you are hooked from the start. This was a great thriller book, and it keeps you turning the pages. There were shocks and twists right to the end of the book, which I love. There were many shocking reveals throughout, and a few times I couldn't believe the twists and turns that took place. I was definitely shocked a few times, in a good way!

This is a must read for fans of thrillers. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first book by Barbara Copperthwaite, it won’t be my last. A friendship that starts in a support group , both keeping secrets and telling lies. There is a shocking twist fairly early on which I didn’t see coming at all. Then later on I started to guess what was happening, or did I ? This is a cleverly written thriller with some very good surprises.

This is my first novel from this author and in the whole I did enjoy it. I struggled with the beginning, it was overloaded at times and somewhat confusing. I’m glad I persevered with it though. A good solid read once the novel got established.

I’ve been meaning to read a book by Barbara Copperthwaite for awhile, so I was thrilled when I got the opportunity to read “The Perfect Friend”. (Which will be available on July 5th)

Alex, is suffering from Anorexia, and no longer has a relationship with her husband or twins.

Carrie has been diagnosed with terminal Cancer.

They meet in a support group, and Alex feels almost maternal towards Carrie. She makes it her mission to make the rest of Carrie’s life, all that it can be...

But, Alex is a self proclaimed “liar”. Does she have an ulterior motive or is she the “perfect friend”?

I have to admit that I was not fully invested in this story till about the 50% point....the story did not grab my interest right away...

I’ve read a LOT of thrillers this year, so I am finding it hard to figure out a fair rating, for that reason.

The first twist, was also a twist in an earlier read this year.
The second twist, was a twist in a different book recently read.
I won’t mention the books, so that other readers can be surprised when I was not.
If you have not read THOSE books, I am sure YOU will enjoy this book more than I did because you will have more jaw dropping moments than I did!

At 50%, I started to enjoy the book more...the second half definitely moves at a faster pace...

And, I did want to find out if either of these women could be considered a “perfect friend”, and if the ending could surprise me..(some of it did!)

I am going to go with a 3.5 rating as I think that readers who don’t guess the first two reveals WILL find this book satisfying.

Thank You to Netgalley, Bookouture and the author for the ARC I received in exchange for my candid review!

This psychological thriller took me on a roller coaster ride of twists and turns. Alex freely admits she is a liar – she lies to everyone about her anorexia, she lies to the reader, and she lies to herself. What is she looking for in her friendship with Carrie, a women dying from cancer who she met in a self-help group? What does Carrie need from Alex? The Perfect Friend explores the dynamic between the two women. I really enjoyed the development of the psychology of each woman and they affected each other.
Thank you to NetGalley, BookOuture, and author Barbara Copperthwaite for the opportunity to read this fabulous psychological thriller in advance of publication.

This book was very interesting. At the beginning, I found it to be confusing and felt that the author was trying to do too much within the story. However, as I read further I realized that she was actually creating an amazingly deep and complex story that had many twists and turns: some were revealed openly and some took much longer to unravel. There was one point where I realized that I was completely mistaken in my understanding of parts of what I had read so far, which was a neat twist in itself. After that, I found myself reading much more carefully and questioning everything that was happening. In addition, the deeper exploration of how sometimes souls can recognize each other without conscious acknowledgment is skillfully illustrated by the experiences of both Carrie and Alex and their growing friendship. “The Perfect Friend” is one of the best psychological thrillers I have ever read. This was my first Barbara Copperthwaite novel and I can’t wait to read more!

I just finished reading The Perfect Friend by Barbara Copperthwaite #ThePerfectFriend #NetGalley and found I had different feelings at different times throughout the book. The beginning, to me, was a bit "slow" and I was almost ready to give up on the book when all of a sudden it turned around. At any given point I didn't know who to believe, who to trust. Was Carrie who she said she was? Was Alex who she said she was? Were they really so much alike or very different from one another. As the story progressed I felt bad for Carrie, then hated her then loved her then hated her again. Same with Alex at the beginning I felt bad for her then hated her. I really liked how the author got to the ending - although if I was Alex I'm not sure I'd really make the ending decisions she did......overall I found this to be an entertaining book and glad I did not give up on it.

A great read that kept me guessing throughout. I really enjoyed this read and will be looking for more by this author. Twisty and compelling.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Bookouture and Barbara Copperthwaite for the opportunity to read this wonderful novel.
Ms Copperthwaite has delivered a fast-paced, action packed thriller that will keep you guessing until the very last page. I devoured this book in one sitting. I have enjoyed every one of Ms Copperthwaite's novels, and have never been disappointed. Her books just get better and better.
If you enjoy thrillers, I don't think you will be disappointed reading The Perfect Friend.

Who can you trust? Your family, your counsellor, your best friend?
Quarter of the way through I was hooked but thought it would probably go to be a predictable ending but it weren't.
Lies, deciept, maybe murder. How do you leave a life of lies when that's all you know??
"If you put a frog in a pan of boiling water they'll jump straight back out, but if you put them in a pan of cold water and slowly turn up the heat they'll boil alive."

Barbara Copperthwaite has excelled herself, once more, with this terrific, tense and terrifying, twisty thriller. My goodness, I just can't imagine how she manages to dream up characters capable of such dastardly deeds. Just when I think she can't possibly get any better, my favourite writer of dark and daring deeds blows my socks off.

The Perfect Friend, scared me so much I really don't think I'll ever dare trust anyone, ever again!

On the surface it's a novel about friendship, surviving and learning to live with your own failures. Beneath its a seething maelstrom of lies, deceit and corruption that made my head reel.

The perfect Friend introduces us to two lovely ladies who become friends through a support group which helps people who are finding it difficult to cope with what life has thrown at them.
Both are damaged and traumatised. Despite their difference in ages they have become firm friends.

Alex is the elder woman. In her struggle to cope with her husband leaving her and offspring she can no longer speak to she has succumbed to the debilitating condition of Anorexia. With a lot of love to give she is pouring her affection into her friendship with the younger woman Carrie, almost young enough to be her daughter, Carrie is sweet and bright and cheerful despite fighting cancer.

The two women are drawn together and would, it seems, do almost anything for one another.

And maybe, not the most reliable narrators to tell this story.

Alex feels there is something she must make up for and throws herself into supporting her young friend who has become like a surrogate daughter to replace the one Alex is unable to spend time with any more.

But nothing - absolutely NOTHING, is quite what it seems and secrets and lies are peeled back, to reveal deeper layers of deceit and confusion. Reading it, I was swept along so swiftly I didn't even see the rapids coming until I'd hurtled over them and rose from the deep spluttering and in denial.

A fabulous convoluted cornucopia of trickery which will have you looking at your best friend and wondering .... what if??

I have been meaning to get around to reading some Barbara Copperthwaite and now I have finally tried one of her books!

"The Perfect Friend" is dark, captivating and positvely brimming with secrets and lies. Seriously, you cannot afford to trust anyone who is present here! An exciting psychological thriller that in parts was harrowing and emotional, Copperthwaite is a skilled writer and plot-master. I was sold from the first few pages and this continued right until the explosive and stunning finale!

Many thanks to Bookouture for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I love psychological thrillers and this certainly does not disappoint. I really enjoyed The Perfect Friend, couldn't put it down stayed up long in the night to finish it. The characters are very well portrayed, and the story a completely dark absorbing read, very cleverly plotted with plenty twists and turns.
This is the second book I have enjoyed by Barbara Copperthwaite and I will definitely be looking out for more.