<blockquote>”But the people who lived there only looked perfect. They had done horrible things. They kept horrible secrets. People like that made me sick. Fakes. Phonies. Pretending they were better than everyone else, when they were rotten inside. Now, they were stressed, panicked, falling apart. The thought made me smile.”</blockquote>

<b>Multiple narrators tell the story in this heart-pounding thriller. There are short chapters, alternated between family members, and the tension is kept high!</b>

The Adler family is being terrorized. But they can’t figure out why or by who. On the outside, they look so perfect. Thomas and Viv both have successful careers. Their son is a popular college student and thriving athlete. Their daughter is…well she’s a teenager so she’s mostly an angry crank, but still not as bad as a lot of teenagers.

It started as annoying pranks. The house was egged, etc. But it soon escalated to more serious incidents. Tires are slashed and the hedges are set on fire. Ms. Harding builds the suspense by slowly feeding us slivers of the secrets each family member is hiding, from the world and each other. And they are doozies! But which family member has enraged someone enough to muster this much anger?

I’ve enjoyed every book I’ve read by this author and am already anticipating the next one!

Sincere thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

<b>My Rating: </b> 4 ⭐️’s
<b>Published:</b> August 10 2021
<b>Pages:</b> 352
<b>Recommend:</b> Yes

#ThePerfectFamily #RobynHarding #NetGalley #GalleryBooks #BookReviewer #InExchangeForReview #ARC #JustFinished #PsychologicalThriller

After publication my reviews can be found at Amazon, Twitter, GoodReads, Barnes and Noble, BookBub, NetGalley, and Edelweiss

@rhardingwriter @GalleryBooks @NetGalley

I love this author and I loved this book. It was twisty and had so many things happening to keep you suspenseful. To me, all the characters were unlikable but in the best way possible! Thank you for this copy!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

The Adlers are the perfect family and they are being harassed by an unknown group of people. This was a decent read, I definitely wanted to know who was harassing the Adlers. But I didn’t like any of the characters. I didn’t care about them at all.

That said, I think this is a good suspense novel that readers will enjoy. It will be a good book club pick and lends itself to discussion.

Oh the secrets! A nice suburban family of 4, Dad. Mom, high school sister and college brother. Acts of vandalism and harassment start and every family member has secrets hidden that might be the cause of those acts. Fun reading and trying to figure out the truth. The further I read, the more complex the family became. Held my interest until the last page!

The Adler family is the perfect family. A family people envy. Thomas and Viv have amazing jobs, the best cars and live in a beautiful home that is inside an amazing posh neighborhood. Their son, Eli is in his first year of college at a prestigious school. Their daughter, Tarryn is also a top notch student.

Everything was perfect in their lives from their boutique clothing to their perfect manners. Then one night, their house was egged. It’s only pranks”, the police said. But the pranks continued and escalated to the point that they were terrified. The police won't help.

Is this perfect family really so perfect? What secrets do each of these family members have that they they are all thinking that it is because of something they have done. How far will these pranks go or will they stop?

Thomas and Vivian Adler are the parents of two. Thomas is a successful real estate agent and Vivian has an interior decorating company. Something happened at a recent bachelor party Thomas attended that has left him very nervous. Vivian has a bit of a bad habit that she is working to control. They live in a very nice house and appear to be a great family to their friends and neighbors.

Their son, Eli, has just finished his second year of college and has decided to not go back. Something happened this year that has left him very disillusioned, thus his decision to not return. Their daughter, Tarryn, is 17 and is a good student, but does not put herself out to make friends. She has recently undertaken some risky behavior that could blow up in her face.

When they wake up one morning, they are furious to find that their house and car have been pelted with eggs. This activity continues late many nights with fruit and rocks being thrown at their window. With each family member hiding a secret, they wonder if this is retaliation against them. Why is this happening to them?

I liked Eli and found him to be my favorite character. He’s strong and caring. Thomas means well but is too concerned about his image, thus making him tend to go with the crowd. Vivian is a silly goose. She is weak and needs to learn to stop falling on her sword for everyone. Tarryn made me growl. That little brat needed a swift kick in the butt. This idea of walking on eggs around teenage girls or boys is so stupid. But, all of this made them somehow a “typical” family but certainly not the perfect family.

Copy provided by NetGalley and Edelweiss in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A tense look at a family pushed to the brink

The Adler family looks perfect to outsiders. Good jobs for husband Thomas and wife Viv, two lovely children in Eli and Tarryn, and a gorgeous home. But things begin to crack when they wake up one morning and find that gorgeous home covered in eggs. They are sure it was just a prank by some neighborhood kids. But it's followed by a smoke bomb, punctured tires, and more. Thomas sets up cameras, but they only catch shadows. The police offer little help. As things escalate with each supposed prank, the family grows more and more fearful. Especially because every family member is keeping a secret--and as the violence against them grows, the secrets only get worse.

"But the people who lived there only looked perfect. They had done horrible things."

This is definitely a page-turner with some twists. There's a lot going on in THE PERFECT FAMILY--each family member has secrets and lies. It's an interesting premise, that dark secrets can pull everyone apart, even entire families. I was always expecting just a little bit more: a slightly bigger secret or surprise than what happened here. Still, the book offers an excellent commentary on keeping secrets and putting pressure on your children. It was difficult to find a character to root for, though the two Adler children were certainly sympathetic. I also found the ending to lack a bit of resolution.

"I realized that everyone in my family had secrets. And mine might be the worst of all."

Overall, though, this mystery offers thrills and twists. While it wasn't perfect (ha) for me, I enjoyed it. It's not my favorite Robyn Harding book, but it's worth a read. The twisted dynamics of the Adler family are intriguing and often terrifying, especially as the suspense ramps up.

The Adler's, I can safely say, are NOT the Perfect Family as the title might suggest. They are one of the most dysfunctional families you will ever meet, but they sure are interesting.. You have Viv, Thomas( Not Tom and NEVER Tommy), Eli( just Eli) and Tarryn(call her Tarry at your peril). They are being targeted by vandals and the violence is escalating with each act. Problem is, why are they being targeted? It's hard to determine because each family member is harboring a dark secret. The fun part is figuring out what and if that is the root of the violence. Each chapter is told from each one's POV and only gives you so much info until you can circle back. I read this in one sitting as I just couldn't put it down. Would highly recommend as a fun, quick paced read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for my advanced copy.

Thrillers are my favorite. It was puzzling, intense and a fantastic read. A domestic family drama that was a quick read.

The Perfect Family is filled with family drama and suspense. Each member is keeping secrets from the other family members. I liked how Harding tells the story from different family member’s point of view. It kept the story unfolding quickly. I recommend this book.

This is a story about how perfect people can seem if you don’t know them at all.

After reading this book, I have more empathy for the kids throwing eggs at the house than I do it’s inhabitants. I think this is a good read for readers who want a well paced, stressful mystery & don’t need the characters to be likable, or compelling- just equally likely to be at fault.

Thank you so much Netgalley & Gallery books for this eArc!

I didn’t find much suspense in this suspense novel. Not many thrills in this thriller. There was an obsessive narrator telling us how they hated this family. Then there were chapters told from the POV of the family members that made me hate this family. How are they perfect? Perfectly awful? Sure, they pretend. Who doesn’t? That’s what reality TV and social media hath wrought. I was hoping the ending would make the repetitiveness and the annoying character worth it.

Robyn is truly a fantastic author, after reading “The Arrangement”, I became a fan. “The Perfect Family” did not disappoint either.

I really enjoyed this one, I liked the different characters points of views. You really were able to see how each character was feeling and figure out their secrets. It came together well, and the ending was great! It read easily and was enjoyable! Fear, suspense and mystery all brought together in a tangle of lies.

I definitely recommend this read! I loved it!

Thank you to Robyn, Gallery and NetGalley for the review copy!

This book kept me on my toes and guessing and also left me with some unanswered questions which sometimes frustrating but also can sometimes be incredibly mysterious and fun.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A family of four is being targeted. The question is, by whom and for what? Each family member has secrets and sins.

Interesting novel. Fun read.

A thriller with family drama! Quick read!

Someone keeps vandalizing the Adlers house, however, the Adlers aren't sure who.

The pacing of this was great, short chapters. It also follows multiple points of view which add to the story! I really liked we got to see a whole 360 of the story pretty much.

I did find this very predictable and was naive at times.

THE PERFECT FAMILY
Robyn Harding
Gallery Books
ISBN-13: 978-1982169398
Trade Paperback
Domestic Thriller

THE PERFECT FAMILY is quite the wild ride. Those readers who are familiar with author Robyn Harding’s other novels know that she always surprises and never disappoints as she strips and flays the secret skin of domestic life in the city and the suburbs from those who have the most to lose in the reveal. This is particularly true in THE PERFECT FAMILY, Harding’s newly published thriller that arrives for the last and uncertain days of this summer.

THE PERFECT FAMILY concerns the four Adlers of suburban Portland, Oregon. Titled notwithstanding, the Adlers singly and collectively are anything but perfect. Mother Vivian is a commercial and residential interior decorator who is adept at staging homes for resale and turning down-heeled castles into dream homes. Her husband, Thomas, is a high-rolling real estate agent, one of those people who seemingly knows everyone and who has the Midas touch when it comes to matching the right people with the right --- and very expensive --- home. While both Vivian and Thomas are very good at what they do they are also quite adept at living beyond their means, or at least right up to the edge of the string. Son Eli, who has just returned from his prestigious college, has announced that he isn’t going back and seems more interested in playing first-person shooter computer games than looking for a job or doing anything else, really. As for daughter Tarryn, she is in the throes of high school adolescence, something that is difficult even in the best of circumstances. She seems dead-set on getting in her own way while being as obnoxious as possible in every conceivable manner to almost anyone who will listen and to many who won’t. This steaming domestic cauldron is bad enough but hits a new low when the Adler’s home suddenly becomes the target of vandalism, starting with eggs, then bricks, then vehicle damage. At first, it seems as if the Alders were randomly targeted by neighborhood urchins, but it gradually appears as if the family home has been specifically selected. The question, of course, becomes why the Adlers would be picked. That is going to be tough to sort out because each member of the family has a secret. Vivian has a very bad habit/compulsion that she acts upon when in the homes of strangers, and due to the nature of her work she has lots of opportunities to do so. One act, in particular, catches up with her. Thomas, for his part, recently attended a beery bachelor party that he can barely remember. He doesn’t have to because one of the entertainers at the party is sending him compromising photos and demanding money to keep the photos out of the hands of his family members. Eli’s college career has been derailed in great part because of a horrific hazing incident that he witnessed but did not participate in. He is torn between loyalty to his friends and doing what is right, and just wants to avoid it all. As for Tarryn, she is in danger of failing because she is up all night on her computer. It’s not for term paper research, either. She has a side business going and is cleaning up in disguise and under a pseudonym. One of the problems is that someone seems to know who she is. The Adler house could be under attack for any number of reasons, but no one in the family can reveal what their role might be. Talk about your slinky handcuffs. The individual family members are going to have to tear off a scab or three to get to the truth and stop the carnage. None of them may have the courage to do so.

Harding handles the narrative chores wonderfully in THE PERFECT FAMILY by advancing the story through the alternating first-person point of view of each family member. No one gets to hog very many pages at one time so that as a result things clip along very quickly, even as the suspense builds to a wonderfully excruciating level. It’s one of those books where, if you stop reading, you will spend a great deal of attention wondering what will happen next, and why. Of course, you won’t stop reading since you will be too busy dodging the plot M-80s that Harding tosses into the mix right up to the very last page to set this compelling work aside before you are through. Recommended.

Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
© Copyright 2021, The Book Report, Inc. All rights reserved.

This was a hot mess , a 4.5 ⭐️s for me and I loved it. Everyone in this family was hiding something and I enjoyed watching all of them second guess themselves on everything. It had a great pace and the plot really worked for me. Nothing was boring about this and I liked how the author picked a single family members for each of the chapters. Nothing predictable and really enjoyed it.
I highly recommend it.
Thanks Galley Books via Netgalley.

I can not recommend this book enough! I read The Perfect Family in one day. This thriller/suspense book is one of best books of 2021.. I appreciate net gallery and selected publishers for this early copy

We all have a family in our neighborhood that seems perfect. Great couple, nice kids, they have it all together. But, in reality, no family is perfect and we never truly know what’s going on behind closed doors.

The Adler Family is that family….Dad Thomas is a successful realtor. Mom Viv is a starting her t design business and stages houses. Eli is a college athlete, home for the summer and refusing to go back but will not say why. Tarryn is a sullen teenager, delving into the darker side of the internet. One summer night, eggs get tossed at the house and things escalate from there till the ending when things really come to a head.

Told in each of the four voices, the chapters are short making this a fast read. Plus so much is happening in each chapter with the character, that you will not be able to put it down. I’m a fan of Ms. Harding’s previous books, especially The Party. I love her writing and her twists and turns, she seems to have her finger on the pulse of current issues facing families today. I must admit I am not a fan of ambiguous endings, I like an ending to end. I recommend this book, and would love to hear what others think of the ending. I can’t wait for Ms. Harding’s next book.

Thanks to Ms. Harding, Gallery Books and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.