Member Reviews
O.M.G! This book was insane (but in a good way)! I literally could not turn the pages fast enough! If you are looking for a fast, compulsive read- then you are going to love The Perfect Family by Robyn Harding.
This book was told in four POV’s by each of the Adler family members. Who was holding the biggest secret? Each chapter brought you closer and closer to the finale of this show stopper!
One of my favorite things about a book are short chapters (which this book has), and the ability to never drag on or become mundane. This book had everything that I wished for, plus the story was absolutely fantastic!
The Perfect Family is my first Robyn Harding read, but it will not be my last. I currently plan on reading all of her other books as I write this review. Do I recommend The Perfect Family? You bet I do! Put this on your list if you love suspense/thriller novels as much as I do.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Gallery Books for the opportunity to read this advanced digital review copy in exchange for my honest review.
This is a very good mystery thriller. Everybody has secrets that they keep from one and another as we meet the Adler family in a multiple POV structured story line. This is my first book by this author and it won’t be my last. I couldn’t put this book down.
I’ve never met a Robyn Harding book I didn’t like, and this book is no exception. In The Perfect Family, domestic thriller queen Harding brings the drama and deception when a seemingly “perfect family” begins to fall apart at the seams after an escalating series of vandalism attacks on their suburban home.
The Adlers are, by their own description, “house proud,” and they care a lot about appearances. Patriarch Thomas is a real estate agent, selling homes to other well-off residents of Portland, and mom Viv is an interior decorator. So it hits them especially heard when their picture perfect home comes under repeated attack by vandals. (What do the neighbors think?)
It’s through this series of attacks that we learn that everyone in the Adler family has a dark secret under their perfect, golden surface. Harding’s skill in characterization really shines here, as we learn why all four members of the family think the attacks are directed at them because of something they’ve done. The book tackles tough and timely issues like rape, blackmail, sex work, kleptomania, and more. As always, Harding provides an open, conversational and thoughtful-provoking examination of issues that are causing shame within the family.
I must confess that my favorite character by far was the budding young feminist, daughter Tarryn. Tarryn is the only one whose secret doesn’t cause her shame, but it does place her potentially in harm’s way. All four of the characters are extremely well-drawn and sympathetic even when they are doing ridiculously stupid things. I really enjoyed meeting all of them and spending some time in their heads with their thoughts and fears as they alternated narration of the book.
Overall, this is less of a traditional thriller and more of a family drama, but unlike the many lesser books in this category these days, there is plenty of suspense, mystery and intrigue throughout. I think one reason I love Harding’s work so much is that she taps into the imperfection and messiness that all of us have in our lives. In this book, as in her others, she shows that, in the words of Norman Bates, “we all go a little crazy sometimes.” She invites us to empathize with the messiness and fears of her characters. Her books also always touch on important and timely social issues and have something worthwhile to say, if you’re listening.
This book may not be your jam if you’re looking for a traditional murder mystery, but then again, I can’t see any suspense fan putting this one down. I definitely couldn’t. I really enjoyed losing myself in the Adlers’ perfect-looking but in fact very messy family as it was exposed to the world step by step, symbolically through the public destruction of their house.
Harding is an exceptionally talented and thought-provoking suspense writer who has quickly become one of my favorites. I look forward to reading her next book as soon as possible. (Can’t she write like, a book a month for me to read? I don’t think that’s unreasonable.)
Many thanks to Gallery Books, NetGalley and Robyn Harding for the ARC. 4+ thoughtful and drama-filled stars!
This was a fun ride, and I finished it quickly because there was just so much action. The story centers on the seemingly-perfect Adler family- Thomas and Viv, and their 2 kids Eli and Tarryn. It stars innocently enough with their house getting egged, which seems like a simple inconvenience, but soon escalates to a scary level of harassment.
Turns out all 4 family members have a pretty big secret, and those secrets may or may not be causing the threatening behavior against them. Instead of sharing their secrets, they all try to figure them out on their own, which leads to additional problems, not to mention distrust between them.
This book was very fast paced- new things just kept happening! I could empathize with the family- it really made me think about what I would do in a similar situation where you are seemingly powerless and can't get any help from the authorities. Much of the trauma they experienced could have been solved if they were just more honest with each other, and I thought the author did a good job of tying it all together and making it clear that they brought a lot of this onto themselves.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to those who like domestic suspense and mysteries.. I think I have read other books by this author but am going to go back and see if I missed any! Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Wow! Y'all this is my second book from Robyn Harding and I have really enjoyed reading them! Excellent writing and the storyline with the characters are amazing. Definitely thought this one was a creepy read which is perfect for me... must have read!
Robyn Harding has a string of successes: The Party, The Swap. The Arrangement…now she is back with The Perfect Family. Thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley, I received a copy in exchange for this honest review. The “perfect family” is the Adlers: Realtor Tom, his interior designer wife Viv, and their kids, Eli and Tarryn. From the outside, they really do look like the perfect family, which is great since the parents’ goal is to LOOK perfect. They have the perfect house, yard, cars, etc. — but each one of them has a secret. Maybe that is why their house suddenly becomes the target for vandals, with escalating actions that start with eggs being thrown, and progresses to more serious acts including slashed tires, rocks through windows, etc. But whose secret is the key to this mess?
Thomas went to a bachelor party, got drunk, and is being blackmailed by (supposedly) a stripper who emails him compromising photos that she will send to pretty much everyone he knows unless she is paid $50,000. Vivian has a klepto problem that she can’t seem to stop, despite the escalating danger her actions are causing to her family. Son Eli, home from college for a break, has decided to drop out of school after his role in an incident of hazing (ok, it was really torture) threatens to ruin him. And Tarryn, the one everyone else is assuming may be the cause of the problem (she IS a high school girl, after all), is making good money in her room at night, “camming” with strangers for money. TBH I hadn’t heard taking off your clothes and indulging male fantasies via the webcam on your computer called camming, but it makes perfect sense. And really, I need to get out more…or read more.
Anyway, things escalate, secrets threaten to ruin lives, and the perfect family may not be so perfect after all — and worse, the neighbors might find out! It’s well done. Four stars.
Are the Adlers the face of the perfect family or the perfect facade?
Thomas and Viv Adler, and their children, Eli and Tarryn, live in a beautiful house, drive fancy cars, have successful jobs. They’re the envy of the Oregon town they live in.
Not everyone seems to care for them though, which becomes apparent when their house is egged one night. Thinking it’s a lame prank by kids, they’re not too perturbed...until things start to escalate in the form of punctured car tires, smoke bombs, and more potentially deadly events.
Who could be doing this to them? Do the Adlers have enemies? One thing is apparent: Each one of them has a secret that they are keeping from each other, and each of their secrets have consequences that could provide a motive for someone wanting to harm the family.
I am a huge fan of Robyn Harding, and was thrilled to read this book. Her writing is smooth and seemingly effortless, and I loved getting to know the characters and their juicy, dark secrets. The suspense ramps up as we learn more and more, and the story is expertly told from the four POVs of the family. At times wicked fun and other times disturbing, I was here for it!
The one slight negative is the ending. I think it will be one that folks either really love or really don’t love. I didn’t love it. I needed to know a bit more. Maybe that’s just me. Regardless, that won’t stop me from recommending this to fans of suspense while eagerly awaiting Harding’s next book.
Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will be released on: 8/10/21.
Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com
We have all envied the family down the street that seemed to have it all. A beautiful house, the latest model cars and children who were accepted to prestigious colleges. But does anyone realize that the appearance of perfection is just a mirage? Vivian and Thomas seemed to have it all, Thomas was a successful real estate agent, and Vivian a home stager and interior decorator. They lived in a beautiful home and had two children, one attending a prestigious college and one still in high school. Their life was going smoothly until they started getting harassed. It started out as harmless pranks and escalated to dangerous life threatening acts. All the family members were hiding secrets from each other and wondered whether something they had done had caused this violence. As the violence escalated their secrets came out and unraveled their image as the perfect family. This book was highly addictive and deliciously satisfying. I enjoyed the way the author peeled back each character's layers of secrets and how each character dealt with them after being exposed. A great psychological thriller not to be missed.
This book was told from different POV from each family member of the Adler family and what compelling secrets they all had to hide from each other and the world. Unsettling shockingly dark secrets of the seemingly perfect picture suburbia family living at it's best! What starts out as seemingly innocent pranks terrorizes this family to the point they must face their lies to each other and what each is guilty of..... but who's lies are to blame for the slew of attacks that they are facing?! This addicting suspense did not disappoint with many twists and turns yo an exploding ending!! Great writing, great plot, great characters, great execution of an ending! Thank you Netgalley for the copy to review and give honest feedback on, and what a great read it has turned out to be!!
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview The Perfect Family by Robyn.
This is a family drama vs. thriller in my opinion, but still a good read. Written in the POV of four characters, each charaacter reveals a bit more with each chapter. Lots of subplots and domestic drama, Harding keeps you on your toes and keeps you turing each page to find out the WHO and the WHY...
I found the characters difficult, but that's the fun of it anyway. I was a bit let down at the end, but that may be intentional, so that's that.
Good read.
3.5 stars
Robyn Harding is a must read author for me. It started with The Party and has been going strong since. The Perfect Family is no exception. I read this book in a day because I had to know what was going to happen! So many secrets. So many family flaws. The characters are well developed and complicated. There are twists and turns that are smart rather than gimmicky. I never figure out where things are going and I didn’t in this book either. I enjoy how she describes the setting and she really captures teenage characters well. Some authors try to write teenagers and it’s almost comical how hard they’re trying and how bad it comes out. Not the case in Robyn’s books. Tarryn and Eli were both so realistic and the issues they faced are relevant and real. I appreciated also how the counselor in the book was 1. Never referred to as a “guidance” counselor- thank you so much for that!!!! And 2. Caring and involved and ready to support her students. Ms. Harris was a minor character, but she was a big deal to me ❤️ I also liked how the family was so messy and complicated and simple communication would’ve solved most of the issues in this book, but in real life, that communication isn’t always so simple and I think that was captured well. Another five star read from one of my favorite authors. Thank you for always approving my requests to read these early. I will always post my honest opinion and so far I haven’t been disappointed.
A twisty and fascinating mystery focusing on a seemingly perfect family and the secrets that they harbor... Loved it!
This book will not disappoint! Harding does it again! was a quick read and kept you wanting to know more throughout the whole book!
This novel is surprisingly amazing! And it will keep suspense fans very entertained throughout it all!
Thank you to Gallery Books and Net Galley for an advance of this title in exchange for my honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed this book until the end. I felt the end just cut us off without resolution. That said, it was intriguing to find that every family member had something they were hiding. So, who was vandalizing their home, putting them all in danger? I'm not sure if the author plans to make this a series, or if the author wanted to leave us on pins and needles, but that was frustrating.
Many thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for this advanced copy!
The Perfect Family follows the story of a husband, wife, and their two children who look perfect on the outside. Inside, however, they each have their secrets. One morning, they wake to find their house egged and chaos ensues.
What I liked : it was a fast paced read, the writing was great, I very much enjoyed each of the characters, the anticipation was built well
What I didn’t like : there was a lot going on, some of the ‘secrets’ felt really unnecessary, the ending was somewhat disappointing.
I would definitely call this a mystery and not a thriller. Overall, I enjoyed this quick, fast-paced read and look forward to reading more from Harding! 3.5 stars (rounded to 4)
Thomas, Viv, Eli, and Tarryn are your successful, happy, well-off, unremarkable American family. They wake up one morning to their house egged and chalk it up to silly kid pranksters. But as the pranks escalate, each member of the family is revealed to have secrets...secrets that might elicit serious, even life-threatening, ramifications.
I truly enjoyed this read! I found the characters relatable and sympathetic, even though they were obviously flawed — aren’t we all?! The plot seemed scarily believable and I didn’t guess almost any of the plot twists. I found myself constantly excited to get back to the book. Not only is it a thrilling read, I thought it was a fantastic view into family dynamics and psychology. I was pleased with the ending.
A definite recommend!
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC. Opinions are my own.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC. I've read all of Robyn Harding's books. They are usually quick reads for me but I enjoy them. This book was quick - very fast paced and suspenseful. The Adler family is anything but the perfect family. Thomas and Viv are the parents of Tarryn and Eli. Each family member has a secret - very shameful, dangerous secrets. Thomas works in real estate, while Viv fills her time with her home design business. Eli has dropped out of college but won't tell his parents why. Tarryn is in high school and very surly to her mother. A person or a group of people begins harassing the Adlers at their home - throwing eggs at the house, flattening tires - and worse. Each member of the family feels that it is their secret that has brought on the vandalism and tormenting. The story is twisty with surprises but I especially liked the last few sentences of the book. The Perfect Family is a great book for fans of the suspense/thriller novel.
Thanks to Gallery Books and Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.Viv and Thomas seems to have a perfect family with their college soccer star son Eli and high school daughter Tarryn, but when their house is repeatedly vandalized, they each start wondering if it is because of a secret each of them is keeping from the rest of the family. This was an entertaining quick read. It is my third from this author and I have enjoyed them all. Each character's secret is revealed early on, so you are wondering who has made someone mad enough to provoke the vandalism. Overall a good read and I look forward to her next book.
This book was written as if you took five separate stories and merged them into one book. Each of the four characters had their own issue/story and then there was one intertwined mystery. This book felt disjointed and annoying at times. I’ve read several books by Robyn Harding, but this was not a favorite. Thanks NetGalley for advanced copy.
An intense, page-turner this is easily a 5-star read! A story full of family secrets and various points-of-view, settle in for a twisty read that will have you full of suspense!