I usually read a book in 2-3 days.... I started this book 2 weeks ago and I’m only 35% in..... Iva had to make myself pick it up.... maybe the good stuff happens past this point but I can’t get there. Unfortunately this is the slowest book ever and this is a DNF for me!

I just finished My Perfect Wife and to be honest, I don’t know how I feel about it. At times the book didn’t hold my attention but when it did get interesting, it was gold. More a domestic drama than a thriller, I didn’t really connect with any of the characters and hoped for more out of the ending.

From the blurb of this book I was very excited to dive in and enjoy all that this book had to offer, however, I barely made it through the book. I am the type of girl who will finish a book in 2-3 days MAX, and I'm going on over a week and a half with this book and still can't bring myself to sit down and read more. The cover is intriguing, the blurb is exciting, but unfortunately the book itself just doesn't deliver.

*Thank you to the author and publisher for extending a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review*.

I really struggled with this book. I felt like the book I was promised by the blurb was not the book I read. I was expecting a gripping thriller, and ended up putting the book down multiple times before finally finishing it. It felt like there was way more information given for certain parts of the story (the landscaping, repairing and selling artwork, Agata and Pyotr) that was unnecessary for the plot, while information that I felt was more important (Heather's childhood, Elizabeth's past, Lucas and Elizabeth's relationship/issues) was not covered enough.

I mostly enjoyed this book feeling tense for a lot of the time reading it and wondering what was going to happen next. I just got a bit confused towards the end with the 'it is him, no it isn't, yes it is' which seemed a bit jumbled and prolonged for me as if the author couldn't quite decide whether to write Ending A, B or C!
Aside from that it is certainly the type of book a lover of psychological thrillers, as I am, will enjoy. A strong cast of characters with some interesting themes; mental illness, power, human trafficking, blackmail, sexual abuse, greed, gambling and violence!
That list however shouldn't put you off because the themes are interwoven with events, personalities and relationships between characters. The truth is there but it appears to be a very dangerous game trying to find it and worlds will be rocked, never to be the same again.
There was a sense of impending chaos and a great sense of building up to significant events such as 4 July party, the move into the barn, open day at a boarding school, a sale of art and a pivotal business deal.
You can't help but feel torn between Elizabeth and Heather, two beautiful women in turmoil, loving and hating Lucas, Elizabeth's wealthy husband, completely bewildered by the actions and attitudes of Heather's parents, loving Elizabeth's artist brother Jude (is he the only sane one?) and fearing for Agata and Piotr, the Polish couple working for Lucas and Elizabeth Huxley.
What is important in life? Appearances? Wealth and power and control over another person? Or love? Seems like a simple choice but when all of them are tightly enmeshed it can be hard to single out the good. Not everything is as it seems. Paranoia, delusion, a clever trick of smoke and mirrors or reality? You decide.

It was a very interesting plot but poorly executed. The beginning of the book was horribly confusing to the point where I don’t think I ever had a clear idea of what was happening.

I was so unsure as to what this book was about but still I was pretty hooked on it from the get go.

The book switches perspectives between Elizabeth huxley and heather, which makes for a very interesting contrast.

All of the characters are pretty unlikable and the whole time you are constantly switching teams for who is the trustworthy one in this book which I actually enjoyed.

I also like how detailed the settings were. I could 100% see copper lodge, the pool, the barn, the gardens, Heather's parents place and judes house.

At times things got pretty wild, confusing and out of control so much so it seemed unrealistic but when looking at the mental state of everyone in this book I guess it made it more believable.

I did enjoy the book, the ending was a little unsatisfying and felt anticlimactic but you do get answers it's just not a dramatic ending. I would he very interested to pick up another book by this author.

Thanks to netgalley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest. This is not my usual genre, I’m more of a crime/thriller reader therefore am extremely pleased and grateful for opening up my mind to something totally different. 4 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

This book was good but not the gripping thriller I was expecting.

I’m not sure quite what it was but somehow the extra information did not come across as twists but as information that I needed to know earlier.

The characters are relatable but I think maybe the book was trying to do too many things in one. The story of Agata and Piytor could have been a book all to itself.

I feel the resolution was not complete and it left me with questions like what happens to Agata and Piytor? What did Heather’s mum think on her return home? Why was Lucas never brought to any kind of justice for all his many crimes? Not even a proper confrontation.

The synopsis on the back was just the sort of plot I enjoy so i was really looking forward to reading this book, However, the blurb, to me, suggested something totally different to the story I actually read. I have waited a few days before writing my review as I was not sure that the storyline was straight in my mind, or that I understood who had behaved badly with or towards whom. I'm still not totally sure and I think a sequel would be entirely possible as the book left a lot of my questions unanswered. So here goes....

Elizabeth is the wife of the dashing Lucas and mother to their two almost perfect children. They live in a splendid house called Copper Lodge. She spends her life trying to be the perfect wife and pleasing Lucas. After some sort of illness (we do not know any details) she now has the help of an au-pair called Agata from Poland. Meanwhile, Heather, the daughter of their closest neighbour who also happens to be the gardener at Copper Lodge returns to the village after several years to help her Dad with the gardens whilst her Mother is away. Heather shares some sort of past with Lucas which is slowly revealed throughout the book.
Heather, Elizabeth, Agata and Lucas seem to dance around each other, as characters are slowly revealed and it is hard to work out who is the innocent amongst all the happenings. Up to the very end i was still trying to work out who was manipulating whom. Then a sting in the tail! I am still not sure that I have understood who the 'baddie' actually was, Hmmm ........ Overall I did enjoy the storyline despite the characters being quite unlikable and The fact that all my presumptions about the storyline were wrong.

The story contains several trigger topics under-age sex, rape, abuse and exploitation to name but a few........

A big thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and the author for my advance copy of the book.

Thank you for the advanced read of this book.

The story is centred around a wealthy couple Lucas and Elizabeth and their family home.
Heather and her parents grew up on the family estate as the estate gardeners/ groundskeepers and have known Lucas and his family for a long time.
When Heathers mother is called away to look after her sick aunt, Heather has to return to her old home to take her mothers place at work. What she doesn’t gamble on is her old feelings for Lucas reigniting. The book goes on to follow what happens between Heather, Lucas and Elizabeth and some of the other staff.

I did enjoy this book, it’s well written and has a good plot, but I found some parts of the book irrelevant and not adding much value to the story. The characters were hard to get to like, all irritable in their own way (to me anyway). The positive is that it keeps you guessing until the very end who is actually the mad one and who is the victim!

Elizabeth Huxley is living the life Heather always dreamed would be hers. When Heather returns home to help her father tend the Huxley gardens while her mother is away, she is reunited with the man she has always loved, Lucas Huxley. Elizabeth seems to have it all but doesn’t seem happy. Is her life as perfect as it seems or is she hiding a dark secret?

Clare Boyd’s My Perfect Life is a story full of detail that features a slow build. I found this book difficult to get into and was disappointed by the ending. While a vague ending is often used to allow the reader to image where the characters would end up, a few more chapters to begin the wrap up would have been beneficial to my reading experience. I did not enjoy this book as much as I had hoped.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC copy of My perfect wife
Well I didnt love it or hate it. I was kind on indifferent. It was hard to decide who was crazy, who wasn't, characters were well introduced and relationships between characters were clear for the most part. Found that Heather, one of the main characters, and her parents had a strange relationship, didn't seem quite authentic. Story was from two women's viewpoints which was fine but maybe why I couldn't figure out which relationship was legit, turns out there was more than one character who dunnit. In all a decent story line, i would read more of Clare Boyd's books.

I was really excited to read the book having read the synopsis, but this book just didn't do it for me. I was about to DNF it, but I powered through because I wanted to see how the story ended.

The premise of this book is about a lady named Elizabeth, or so the perfect wife, who has everything she ever dreamed of (money, a handsome husband, kids, a beautiful house), but when I picked this book up, I thought it would be about a battered beautiful wife, or one that was being shunned to the shadows of an abusive, wealthy husband. *SPOILER ALERT* But that's not the case at all. Without trying to give too much away, I had a hard time finishing this book. It was necessary about the "Perfect Wife", or that she is a perfect wife. I think there could be a better plot to the story, but it just went everywhere. From the storyline of Heather (and her current life with her BF, her friends and her taking care of kids) to her past life with with her parents and the relationship she had. I felt it was just everywhere. I felt the story was lacking real depth. It just felt whiney, this poor rich wife, really typical and cliche. And the love relationship with Heather, how the engagement ended- it felt like a story just needed to be put in its place and the other relationship, I mean I get it, it was a relationship from her past- and the way it happened.. but I felt like it didn't really go anywhere I couldn't figure out the reason behind it. The other individuals in the story added onto the plot, but at the end of the book- after finding out what really was going on with Elizabeth and the other characters, it didn't make me want to root for them and I wasn't invested in them. I also didn't like the way it ended, it felt unfinished- why did all that happen and why did Elizabeth act that way at the end.

I had high hopes for this book, but unfortunately for me, it didn't do it. I don't think the title of the book matches with the story of the book. I give this book 2 stars. Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this book and share my honest feedback.

Glamour, wealth and beauty surround the graceful Huxley family on the cover of the magazine.

Lucas has everything he ever wanted, beautiful wife, cheeky children, expensive house with a grand garden, obedient help. The last thing he longs for is a business deal that can make him rich as a Rockafeller. And to seal the deal - he needs a picture-perfect event. As people say - it's easier said than done. The sabotage of the deal is in the works, and behind it stands a woman Lucas trusts the most. You would ask: what has his fellow done to deserve this pitiful treatment? Just remember - it always takes two to tango.

Great read, with multiple twists that make the reader question every story and every fact. I wish the ending was stronger and more detailed. Liked the characters, I think it would be great if Agatha's character was one of the narrators as well. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture publisher for a free and advanced copy of the novel.

A good domestic thriller. Two narrators with a house and a man in common. A real head spinner of a tale with twists all the way. Lots of characters with backstories that come out creating doubt in all. A good, unique read.

I finished this book a few days ago and have moved onto others, but I am still trying to figure out this one. The author does a great job of building and maintaining suspense throughout, and the characters are (for the most part) realistic. I am not sure about relatable, as there is some serious messing with minds going on, but it made them interesting and worked for the plot. I thought there were a few moments that were a bit too much, and there were a few loose ends. But overall, I would highly recommend this twisty domestic suspense in a heartbeat. For a full review, please visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks. Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC of the book.

This book was okay. I had high expectations, and the letdown was hard. It couldn't keep my attention. Just fell short of a great mystery.

Well... that was nuts! I’m not even quite certain how to process it all quite yet. Clare Boyd you sure do know how to spin a wild crazy ass story. A book filled with unreliable, unlikable, unhinged characters. This book kept me on the edge as my loyalties bounced between characters. I had no idea who to trust and if I’m being honest I still don’t! Told in third person from the alternating perspectives of wife Elizabeth and girl next-door Heather. Elizabeth is living her life walking on eggshells trying to prove to her husband Lucas that she is a worthy mother and wife. Heather has returned home to help out her parents and seeing Lucas Sparks her childhood crush. What follows is a story of miss direction, miss trust, deception, manipulation, secrets, and lies.

Neither Elizabeth or Heather were tremendously likable or sympathetic characters. Elizabeth clearly has major issues in her marriage to Lucas, but is it real or is it all in her head? Is Heather a femme fatale or a naïve girl? And is Lucas really a good guy or a manipulative predator? Not to mention Heather‘s father, what is up with him? My head was spinning throughout the story I didn’t know what was what. The story kept zigging and zagging twisting and turning until it came to a satisfying conclusion.

This book in emojis 🌼 🏊‍♀️ 🌸 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

*** Big thank you to Bookouture for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

I do love an unreliable narrator! And that’s exactly what Elizabeth Huxley is. Living in the lap of luxury, it looks like she has everything her heart desires: a gorgeous, attentive husband, Lucas, two adorable, perfect children, a magnificent home, with enough help to ensure that she barely needs to lift a finger to do anything. But Elizabeth’s life is everything but the perfect picture that it appears to be. Behind the facade, she lives a life of endless tension and stress, forever trying to prove herself to her husband and attempting to stay one step ahead of the black dog of mental illness that is constantly snapping at her heels.

But then there’s our other narrator, Heather Shaw, who grew up in the shadow of the Huxley’s beautiful house. Of course, back then there was no Elizabeth and Lucas was a lot younger and living with his parents. Heather’s own parents have always been employed by the Huxleys, working in their gardens, seeing to the landscaping and reminding Heather at every opportunity they had, that they were just serfs to the landowners and should always know their place.

But now Heather is back, and things are very different. She and Lucas are much older, and she certainly has a much better understanding of the ways of the world, although her father is still intent on reminding her that they are purely servants in the world of people like the Huxleys. It’s immediately obvious that there’s history between Heather and Lucus. Just what that is, we’re not quite sure but as the story unfolds it becomes clearer. The tension makes for an uneasy undercurrent as Elizabeth is tested to her limits with arranging the party of parties for Lucas’s new business partner that will launch him into yet another stratosphere of wealth and position. Can she do it? She thinks she can … she’d like to … but there’s that gnawing, niggling doubt. And now that Heather has appeared, it’s really put a spoke in the wheels.

How well do we know those who are closest to us … those who are meant to keep us safe and protected? And when we judge a situation … do we always trust ourselves to get it completely right? What if we’re entirely wrong? And what if it leads to calamitous results?

In The Perfect Wife, Clare Boyd brings all these questions to the fore. It’s a 4-star read and an intelligent and masterful look at social justice and family responsibility that will possibly make you re-consider the way you consider the situations you’re faced within your own life. Ask yourself if you’ve chosen to surround yourself with the most appropriate people to suit your lifestyle and your sense of morality. You may be surprised!