Member Reviews

J.P. Delaney knows how to create a story that isn't what it seems. Twists and turns are around every corner and when you think you have something figured out, another curve ball is thrown in.

Abbie has very fuzzy memories of the last five years of her life. Waking from a coma one would expect that. One would also expect a great deal of confusion as to how they got to where they are. Lucky for Abbie she has her husband by her side.

Soon after returning home Abbie is realizing a lot of things are not as they appear. She's also starting to suspect that multiple people are keeping things from her. Things that could reveal what really happened the night of her accident and how certain people fit into what happened.

A twisting and turning ride that will have you second guessing yourself right until the end.

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This book was so amazing! Definitely the most interesting thing I’ve read this year! I will be honest, when I first started it, I realized it was not at all what I thought it was going to be about, but very early in, I could not put it down. I read it in basically 2 sittings, which NEVER happens for me anymore. I simply don’t have the luxury of time to read that way at this point in life! But this book was an exception! Although not at all what I expected (and very strange at the beginning to me), I simply couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen in this story. I genuinely cared about Abbie and what happened to her and I was fascinated about the storyline and couldn’t wait to see what happened! What an intense ride! This is such a great read on so many levels and definitely doesn’t disappoint. The Perfect Wife will definitely be on my mind for a long time and will definitely be a book I recommend.

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In 1632 Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal as a monument to his late wife. In 2019 Tim Scott builds a cobot (companion robot) to replace his (presumed, as a body has never been found) deceased wife after mourning her loss for five years. And she's The Perfect Wife-an exact physical replica (although not totally anatomically correct) of his beloved Abbie-this technological marvel can also feel emotions, and has been uploaded with Abbie's memories of her life as a human. Sound crazy? This kind of invention is probably not too far away from becoming a reality. While J P Delaney is known for blending mystery with technology (his debut novel The Girl Before featured a house with more bells and whistles than a fleet of Amtrak trains), The Perfect Wife takes "artificial intelligence" to a whole new level. At first cobot Abbie thinks Tim created her because he and their autistic son could not live without Abbie, but ultimately learns his true intention-AI Abbie exists only to help find out what really happened to human Abbie. The first two thirds of The Perfect Wife passes quickly but fairly uneventfully-mostly dealing with the founding of Tim's business and his courtship with Abbie-but the last part is a runaway locomotive of twists and turns. The Perfect Wife is told in alternating POV's-between cobot Abbie and an unnamed narrator (the big reveal is the novel's ultimate "I didn't see that coming" moment). Comparisons to The Stepford Wives are inevitable, but unlike that campy classic the threat here does not come from the robot. Despite the subject matter, The Perfect Wife deals with very human afflictions of the heart and mind-love, loss, death, and a fate that may be worse than death...living with a person who doesn't want you to stay, but refuses to let you go.

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I was extremely excited to receive a copy of The Perfect Wife. I had thoroughly enjoyed The Girl Before and anticipated reading JP Delaney's latest endeavour.

With a techno-thriller vibe, The Perfect Wife inhabits the world of Silicon Valley where a start up company has developed a prototype for a "cobot." This Artificial Intelligence companion has been customized to fill an emotional void for the grieving CEO. As the story unfolds, we learn, as always, things are not as they seem. We delve into the personal and professional relationships of the characters. Dysfunction and intrigue abound.

Although the concept was clever, this novel fell short of my expectations. I just was not emotionally vested in any of the characters. Although the ending included a twist, it didn't pack the punch I expected. Perhaps someone with more of a tech background would have a greater appreciation, but it just wasn't for me. My rating is a solid 3.0

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What if you woke up one morning in what you perceived was a hospital, only to realize that you weren't a human anymore. You were in fact a representation of your former, human self -- with the same mannerisms, "thoughts", and even physical appearance. This is real life for Abbie and her technological, artificial-intelligence-crazed husband Tim in JP Delaney's The Perfect Wife. She's not herself -- she's essentially a robot re-programmed to be the Abbie that Tim and the rest of the world believe drowned in the ocean. But there's way more to it than that -- was Abbie unhappy? Did Tim kill her? Would Abbie have commit suicide and willingly left their son Danny behind? Can robot Abbie solve the mystery of what really happened to human Abbie? If you enjoy AI-based movies and continue to watch Minority Report over and over -- this novel is for you!

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Tim is a tech tycoon and when his wife dies, he builds an emotionally intelligent robot to replace her. Together they share a son with autism. The robot Abbie realizes that the real Abbie may not be dead after all and sets out to find out what exactly happened. Interesting read in a different genre than normal for me. The storyline about the missing Abbie was intriguing. I also enjoyed learning about the ABA approach to treating autism. The characters were interesting though the story was a little unusual. A quick sci-fi read.

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When Abbie wakes up from what appears to be a coma, she remembers bits and pieces of the past, but has no idea how she got where she is. Her doting husband, Tim, is at her side and promises to explain everything. Tim's explanations come piecemeal, but ultimately it's all very unbelievable. Abbie is actually a "robot" version of the real Abbie, who disappeared five years ago and is presumed dead. Many questions arise throughout this story: Can Tim be trusted? What happened to the real Abbie? Can the robot version of Abbie begin to remember the events of the past?

I've read Delaney's The Girl Before and Believe Me, and The Perfect Wife didn't disappoint. This is a great thriller with a bit of science fiction mixed in. The idea of creating a robotic version of a person doesn't seem so far off with advances in technology. I also suggest reading the author's acknowledgements after the end of the book; it give the reader an additional appreciation for the author's personal life.

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I was pleasantly surprised with The Perfect Wife. I did not realize that the book was science fiction before I started, but it really added to the story. This book made me question my perception of reality and morality. I would recommend if you like thrillers, and are open to reading about difficult topics.

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I've been debating if this is a 4 or 5 star read and I'm going to change this to a 5 star (rounding up from 4.5) read. It was engaging and disturbing and entertaining all at once and I couldn't put it down. The first 10% of the book had me reeling. I was horrified for the main character and didn't know where this story was going to go. A little Stepford Wives with a twist? I was actually quite frightened. But then I got into the story and I just wanted to see where JP Delaney was going to take this unique, well thought out psychological suspense.

I don't want to give anything away as this is such a unique and compelling story, but I loved the way the author took technology and where we could go with it and made it utterly disturbing yet believable at that same time. A free spirit woman and a genius scientist gone awry. A story told in past and present from 2 different voices wasn't anything out of the ordinary, but it was the cast of characters and the way they were portrayed that made the overall story an overwhelming unputdownable book. Cobots, Silicon Valley, and a son with autistism displayed in a way that was careful and believable. How could I not want to keep flipping the pages?

Abbie has come back to life after being gone for 5 years. Her life has changed but she remembers small things of her past. Her husband, Tim seems to fill in all her memories where she can't piece them together. And then there is Danny, their son. When Abbie went missing, they were just coming to terms with who Danny was and what needed to be done to help him. Can the "new Abbie" be everything she was meant to be? Can she come to terms with who she is now? Or will the past come crashing back into her future and change everything?

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes a good mystery. But this also plays on the psychological side and with what the future holds for humanity. With the many twists and what a strong character Abbie is, the men just might be left on the wayside. Be prepared to see what she can do and to what extent Tim will go to to have The Perfect Wife and perfect life.

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This book went in a completely different direction than I thought it would. I thoroughly enjoyed the character development and numerous plot twists and turns. I’d say the book is a techno-suspense, is that a genre? My only complaint is the ending, don’t want to give anything away but it gets a little confusing. This is another great book by JP Delaney, with the same fast-paced storytelling, suspense and twist of modern technology I’ve come to expect from their books. If you are at all interested from the book description go for it, you won’t regret it.

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Wow, this story felt very real, yet the twists and turns kept me guessing the whole time, all the way up to the end.
This novel presents the moral and ethical issues of artificial intelligence - what makes something man-made, human? If they have the capacity for empathy and emotion, should they be held to our human laws and more importantly, should they be protected as humans or treated as machines?

The non human protagonist was very well fleshed out as a free spirited woman caught in an abusive marriage to a scientific genius.
As her character became more human, her husband seemed to become more machine-like, spinning out of control.

An interesting aspect of this book was their autistic son, who was written about sensitively, yet presented in a realistic way.

The only issue I have with this book is the title, I almost didn't read it because the title is so unoriginal and seems so obvious, I thought it was going to be badly written and trite, which it is not at all.
Highly recommended for an interesting and an exciting read!

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Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC.

4 stars. Another well-crafted, unique story by JP Delaney. The dual narrator structure kept me guessing throughout. The subject matter and character arcs were ones I had not seen yet in the thriller genre but was well done nonetheless. Enjoyable and a nice change. Looking forward to more from this author.

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I wanted to love this book but unfortunately it was not the book for me! If you are into Sci-Fi thrillers, or books about robots, or just crazy stories in general - this might be a better fit for you! I can't review too in-depth without giving away reviews, but this was just not my cup of tea. I would definitely try something by this author in the future though if the synopsis sounded more up my alley, and if you have interest in this one I'd recommend you give it a try!

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"The Perfect Wife" was a very unique suspense/mystery novel, with a twisted romance (of a very different nature) thrown into the mix. I found myself rooting for Abbie and, at first, for her husband, Tim, as well. As this story unfolds you feel that it will reveal the truth of what happened to Abbie in the past and bring a reunion of sorts to the family. I have to admit, I did not see the twist at the end coming. I was completely thrown and found myself thinking about this book long after I had read the last page. Not only does the story capture you and bring you into the world of Abbie and Tim, but leaves one pondering the real possibilities of what will exist in our own future. I was given a copy of this book for my honest review, and greatly encourage anyone wanting to read something uniquely different in a mystery novel to get this book. You won't be sorry!

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I am surprised at how much I enjoyed this book! I'm glad I didn't know anything about it prior to reading, because if I had, I probably wouldn't have picked it up. It has a little bit of a sci-fi element to it, which I normally don't like, but in this book it's really well done. It's a thriller, but not the typical thriller formula, which was a nice change. Lots of twists, especially at the end, that I didn't see coming.

Thank you to Net Galley for the Advanced Reader Copy.

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I received a free copy from NetGalley. Nothing is what it seems. I'm not sure how to write about this one without some spoilers. Futuristic, sci-fi, but not traditional sci-fi, relationships, mystery and mayhem. A good beach read.

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Sorry but this book is not for me and I did not read. I am sure this will be an exciting read for some readers but it is just not what I am interested in.

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JP Delaney is a master at creating suspense and keeping you guessing until the very last page! This is such a wild storyline and as you read through you'll be shocked and delighted at the twists and turns and a glimpse into the workings of a character who just might be a little bit crazy. I highly recommend this book!

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5 PERFECT STARS!

Oh my Goodness?! What the FRAK did I just read? Like that was Weird, Wild and Completely Crazy and I loved every second of it.

“The Perfect Wife” by J.P. Delaney is a mix of science fiction, suspense and mystery with INSANE twists and turns. Your heart will pound and it will ache. NOTHING will ever be the same again.

Some people strive for perfection daily and will do absolutely anything to achieve it. Tim is that guy. He expects its from his employees and of course, he expects it from Abbie, his wife and perfection is what he gets. How, you ask? It seems impossible doesn’t it? Not quite.

I went into this almost completely blind and boy am I glad I did. I suggest you do the same. It’s exciting, riveting and a bit scary and It’ll keep you turning the pages way past your bedtime.

Another awesome buddy read with Kaceey! So glad you convinced me to grab this one!

Thank you to NetGalley, Goodreads, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and J.P. Delaney for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Posted on NetGalley, Goodreads on 7.1.19
Will be published on Twitter and Amazon on 8.6.19.

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JP Delaney is well known for her psychological thriller books. The Perfect Wife is filled with twists and turns to keep you wondering how the story will end,

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