This story started off a with a bang. We meet our main character, Tess in the hospital after she has been stabbed and her 8 year old son is missing. Immediately, I got the feels for the mom. There was instant panic for the well being of her child. The story flashes back to where it all began with the death of her husband. This is where the story really slowed down for me. I don't know if it was the heaviness of the topic or the pacing of the actual events, but it was rough to get through. Toward the end, when things started getting real, I couldn't put the book down. The ending is insane and threw me for a loop. You will love it!!!!

This was a good psychological thriller that dropped enough hints and decoys along the way to keep me turning the pages to see how it all unfolded. A quick and absorbing read and I did NOT guess the ending, but it made perfect sense in retrospect. I love it when I don't guess the ending!

What a fun read! The Perfect Son is an impressive debut novel. It’s a twisty, well-written, character-driven mystery and I devoured it in one day. ⁣
⁣
North does a great job at creating compelling characters, especially with Tess and Jamie. Tess’ grief as she navigates life without her husband feels real and I was invested in the outcome of her story. ⁣
⁣
While I figured out the major twist part way through the novel (and had my own OMG moment then), that did not take away from my enjoyment of the rest of the book and the ending added another great 😮 moment !⁣
⁣
Perfect for cold fall days, with a cozy blanket and a nice glass of red 🍷. ⁣
⁣
Pick think one up!⁣
⁣
Thank you to @netgalley and @berkleypub for a copy in exchange for my honest review. ⁣
⁣

Very well written storyline definitely was not sure where it was leading. Was certainly suspect about the mental health of the main character. Really liked the story but found something missing in building the suspense.

This is the story of a woman who wakes up in the hospital knowing she has been stabbed and that her son is missing. The story leads us back in time to the moments leading up to this event. Her husband was killed and she feels something more nefarious may be at play. I really wanted to like this book as the story line sounded really good, however i found it to be a little dull and quite predictable. There was very little in the way of climax or big suspenseful events. It was, however, well written and the characters were well developed and planned out. I just personally like a little more fast paced action packed thrillers.

The Perfect Son was suspenseful, twisty and the author made me feel Tess’s pain and heartache as if it were my own. This book is very fast paced and after each chapter I didn’t want to put the book down. I read it in a day and a half. Sometimes not knowing what your about to read when it comes to thrillers is a good thing and that’s what I would do with this book. Just pick it up and read it. You won’t regret it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unputdownable! Absolutely riveting, shocking. and downright chilling. Make sure you’re not busy when you start, because you’ll likely not get much in besides reading! Well written, and offering of all the necessities of an extraordinary thriller!
Will make sure I buzz it up!!

Clear your calendar and don't start reading this book late at night as you wont be able to put it down !

Its a sad story as Tess has lost her husband in a plane crash and she is struggling to go through the process of grieving.

You cheer for her, you wonder is she needs more help than she is getting.

Things begin to happen like phone calls , she is followed, someone has been in the house.

I don't want to give anything away about The Perfect Son but this is one book that will stay with me for a long time.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkely Publishing Group to allow me to read The Perfect Son.

Tess has just lost her husband in an airplane crash and as she grapples with her complicated emotions and friends and family that do not necessarily have her best interests in mind, her son Jamie is the only thing ensuring her will to survive. When she awakens in the hospital, she realizes that not only has she been stabbed, but the unthinkable has happened and Jamie is missing.

This was a fast, fun read with a fabulously unreliable narrator at her finest. Multiple narrators tell Tess’ story and the reader must figure who to really trust. I knew that there was some kind of major twist coming at the end, but I did not predict what actually happened and I loved it. I highly recommend this to all fans of psychological suspense and look forward to reading more from this author.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Berkley Books and Laura North for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Tess loses her husband, Mark, in a tragic plane crash. She and her seven, soon to be eight year old son Jamie, are having a difficult time coping with their grief and there is constant tension in their home. Along comes new friend Shelley, a grief counselor who appears to be a friend in need. She also seems to get along with Jamie particularly well. Also in the mix is brother-in-law Ian who insists that Mark borrowed money from him.
I would say this is a very slow burn. I was about 80% of the way in when things began to happen. Before this the author was setting the scene with hang up phone calls and car chases to keep us guessing. But I will say the author describes grief very well. I’m sorry but this is a miss for me.
Thanks to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Months before their son's eighth birthday Tess' husband Mark dies in a sudden accident that has left her world turned upside down. Tess tries to keep everything together for Jamie and herself. She tries to be a good mom to Jamie, but some days are harder than others. Tess is grieving the loss of her husband Mark. All she has left is Jamie, but continuing to parent after such a tragedy gets hard sometimes. Thankfully, a grief councilor named Shelly shows up at her door after Tess' mom calls and asks for her assistance. Shelly seems to know exactly what Tess is going through and it doesn't take long before the two of develop a strong friendship. However, when Tess overhears a conversation between Shelly and a man with ulterior motives, she begins to suspect that maybe Shelly isn't everything she claims to be and maybe a friendship with Tess is not what she really wants. Things escalate when Jamie's eighth birthday finally arrives. The day after Jamie's eighth birthday, Tess wakes up in the hospital with a stab wound. Her son is missing and she believes she knows exactly who has taken him. Now, in the hospital and with nobody who will listen it's up to Tess to discover the truth about what happened to Jamie, and what she has to do to get him back.

The first thing I have to say is wow! What a debut! This was such a fantastic read. I gobbled this book up in less than 24 hours. My only regret about reading it was starting it at 11 PM. Oh well.

The writing of this book is amazing! It grabbed me on the first page and didn't let go until the book was finished. The way that Tess' grief was portrayed was mind blowing. North forces us to see Tess completely destroyed and desperate to hold on to what is left of her family. She focuses on Tess' deep grief in a way that really makes you feel for all the characters involved in this painful journey. Everything becomes tied together in a crazy literary knot that just leaves you thinking.. wow.. just wow.

I know there isn't much critique on anything in here, but it was all good. Characters, settings, story line, writing, ending; it was all done so well. This is one of the best thrillers I've ever read.

I strongly recommend reading this book. It was an entertaining psychological thriller that will keep you pinned with interest until it's over. Seriously, it's definitely worth the read.

This novel is epic! It offers an unsettling look behind the closed doors of a household, and is the very definition of a modern-day mystery/thriller! Looking for your next page turner? Seriously, look no further than here!

...I'm certain of four things...
ONE--I'm in the hospital.
TWO--I've been stabbed.
THREE --You're alive.
FOUR--Jamie is missing.

The Perfect Son began with such promise. I was genuinely intrigued. However, from Chapter 2, I knew how the book was going to end. Once again, we have an unreliable narrator. This story has been done so many times before, but better. It's as though the author wasn't even trying to hide the twist.

Sure, there were a few trivial pieces of the puzzle which didn't click immediately. However, upon completion of the novel, I discovered that the most likely reason they didn't click was because they were so far into left field, no rational reader would figure them out. They were clearly added as (poorly done) red herrings.

I just finished another novel very similar to this one in concept...I gave it an even worse review. Both are new on the market. Come on, authors, be more creative! Quit rewriting the same tired story lines and expecting great reviews. Readers are savvy and are, quite frankly, incredibly burned out with this formula.

Really, the only people I can recommend this to are readers who NEVER partake of this particular genre. Otherwise, prepare yourself to be bored to death after you figure the "twist" out on page 10.

**Thank you to the NetGalley and the publisher for providing my review copy.

Real talk - in the first 100 pages, I thought about putting this book down several times. Being in Tess's head is BRUTAL. I can't imagine what it's like to lose a husband but the author gives Tess's feelings in her aftermath a VOICE... and it's almost hurtful to hear it. The decisions she makes. The decisions she WON'T make. And I'm very glad I stuck with it as it all makes sense when you get towards the end. Is she crazy? Is she making YOU crazy? Ok, maybe she's not so crazy after all!

I understand why the author stated in the acknowledgments (have I reiterated enough how everyone should always read these?) that this took her emotions and left her exhausted. This isn't a fun subject matter to be writing about. The aftermath of Tess's husband's unexpected death. The months after leading up to her son's disappearance. The author takes us on a journey leading up to the disappearance, and glimpses into the present day through interviews and statements. Grief is no joke, y'all... and you never know how you are going to deal with your emotions until you have to go through it.

I hit a point in the book where I got REALLY interested - well hello there you big old red herring - should I take a bite? But no... it can't be THAT obvious.. can it? And if it is... then what else will show itself?! If anything? This is my brain sometimes reading thrillers, fyi. While what I originally thought didn't pan out, I did see the major alert before the bell rang. I think most avid readers of thrillers probably will. But here's what the thing is with this book. It's not so much about any big twist, or to keep you guessing to the end - it's really a story about grief, sadness, loss, feelings, friends and family.

Despite having pretty high hopes for this one it unfortunately ended up a miss for me. Mostly because I figured out the major plot twist less than 1/3 of the way into the book. I continued to read to see if I was maybe wrong but the more I read the more I was certain I had it figured out. In all fairness, I read A LOT of domestic thrillers and maybe I just figured it out because of that. It was definitely an intriguing story and had all the right pieces to make for a great thriller had I not figured it out too early! Worth the read if you're not the type to figure out the mystery to early!

Upon waking in the hospital, Tess Clarke, has one thought on her mind: she must find her son! Something happened on the day of his birthday party. She can't recall exactly what but it ended with her being stabbed and Jamie being gone.
The format was interesting. We have excerpts of interviews between Tess and her doctor, interviews with two individuals tied to the incident, and the bulk of the story told through flashbacks of the days leading up to the big event.
We discover that Tess had been struggling the past few months with extreme grief. Her husband had recently passed in a terrible accident and she was having a very difficult time with every day life. You come to understand fairly quickly that Tess is an unreliable narrator at best.
A grief counselor, hired by her family, arrives at her cottage one day and begins to aid Tess with her healing. The two quickly form a close bond and before you know it, Shelly, seems more of a friend that a professional service provider.
Tess also has her brother-in-law, Ian, sniffing about, seemingly obsessed with his brother's estate. He claims that her husband owed him a bunch of money but Tess can find no evidence of that in their finances.
She begins to suspect him of some suspicious activities going on at the house that are really scaring her. What is he after really?
While I did enjoy the format and the pacing was nice and steady, I was completely bummed that I knew the twist to this 35% in. It definitely had an affect on my opinion of this story. The writing was good, just really predictable for me.
This being said, while the overall plot and reveal didn't work for me, I did see a lot of promise in North's writing and I would absolutely pick up future works by her. I look forward to it actually!
Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley Publishing Group, and Netgalley, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. I appreciate the opportunity!

What’s it about: Tess’s life is in chaos. Her husband died, and a series of shady characters pop up after his death. She tries to find normalcy and raise her son. Disaster strikes at his 8th birthday party and she’s in the hospital. How did she get there? What’s really going on?


What I liked about this book: Goodness, I loved so many things about this book! If you’re looking for a book with a lot of shocking reveals and a shocking ending…you’ll love this book. I enjoyed the characters and dialogue. This book is a page-turner.

What I disliked: It’s hard to say but if I had to pick something…Tess seems too trusting at times.

Overall impression: I highly recommend this book. It’s very memorable. 5/5 stars.

Special thanks to NetGalley for providing advance review copies in exchange for my honest review.

A very good suspenseful book! A Mother's grief combined with suspense will leave you racing to the end. A must read!

WOW!! This book had me feeling all the feels. Imagine losing your husband due to a tragic accident and finding yourself mourning and raising the child you had together all alone. Your son is the only thing you have left in your life after losing your husband and you will do anything and everything in your power to keep your son safe and happy. You will protect him at all costs and ensure he leads a happy and healthy life despite the pain and sorrow you are both enduring.

I loved Tess’s character . She was a smart, caring and interesting woman who seemed to really love her husband and seemed liked a really great mom. Her character was a very likable character. As for her brother in law and grief counselor turned new best friend I was weary of them and didn’t trust the . They didn’t seem to have Tess’s best interests at heart and even seemed to be working together to bring her down many times. It felt as though they were trying to get the money Tess was getting after her husband’s death.

As the chapters unfold you get the bigger picture of what is going on and it all comes together. Without giving too much away I absolutely LOVED this book! There were so many shocking surprises and twists that I did NOT see coming and I loved that. I thought I had it figured out but boy was I wrong! And that shocking reveal at the end….ohh I loved it!!

Well done for a debut novel! You must read this book now!

The Perfect Son by Lauren North is a stunning debut that will stay with you long after the final page has been turned. This one ticks all of the boxes for me as a compelling, suspenseful, and twisty psychological thriller.

Tess Clarke is grieving the sudden death of her husband, the result of a plane crash. It is only concern for the welfare of her young son, Jamie, that keeps Tess motivated enough to even get out of bed in the mornings, so crippling is her grief. As she struggles to keep her life with young Jamie afloat, Tess meets Shelley, a grief counsellor who is mourning the loss of her own young son. Shelley provides a sounding board for Tess, and the two quickly bond over their shared grief. Adding to the stress of Tess's circumstances, her brother-in-law, Ian, appears, demanding repayment of a loan that Tess knows nothing about. As the difficult days that follow are marked by a series of unsettling events, Tess begins to wonder whom, if anyone, she can trust, knowing only that her first priority must be to protect her precious son.

This is a read that had me completely gripped from beginning to end. The suspenseful unease settles in early, and only intensifies as the story progresses. I cannot wait to see what the talented Lauren North has in store for us next.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this fabulous ARC.