Reading Between the Wines book review #29/130 for 2024:
Rating: 4 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book: The Perfect Couple
Author: Jackie Kabler
Available now!

Sipping thoughts: I called what was going on early on even though I was torn between two story lines. I was surprised to know why and was extremely shocked with the turn of events (the last 15%). The last part of the book moved the book from three to four stars.

Cheers and thank you to @Harper360 and @Netgalley for an advanced copy of @ThePerfectCouple.

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I waited a while to read this based on the mixed reviews. I see why people are torn in how to rate it. It isn't really a stark thriller, but maybe drama? IDK, it wasn't that thrilling for me. I enjoyed the setting in Bristol. I liked the writing style. The story was a bit far fetched and hard to get on board with at first. It was just predictable for lack of a better word. If you want a really exciting thriller, this isn't it. 3 stars.

The perfect couple is a very twisty and gripping yet slower paced psychological thriller. Some areas may stretch things a little too far but it didn’t stop me from enjoying the story. I enjoyed the serial killer and missing person twist it kept things rolling for me. The police procedural was nicely written and the chanters were complex. This is a nice keep you guessing twist and turns book if that’s what you’re looking for, I recommend it!

Let me start with I would really rate this book probably at 3.5. I did enjoy the book even though I felt it was a bit slow at times and not really a thriller. It was more of a cozy mystery with a little thriller action. There were some surprise twist and turns for sure. I LOVE the cover of the book too. I think it was the perfect cover and made me want to read it. Gemma and Danny recently moved to Bristol and life doesn't go as planned (which it never seems too). As you get to know more about Gemma and Danny after he goes missing, you begin to realize that their marriage is full of lies. While the book is not really gripping or a complete thriller it was a fun, easy to read mystery told from several points of view. Some of the plots were fun to figure out and others were surprising. I would certainly enjoy reading another book by Jackie Kabler. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

Full review to come on Instagram and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

Thanks Netgalley for a free copy! It was a quick read and great story. I was kept guessing and had a hard time putting it down. I rate this book a 4.1

OMG THIS BOOK. As your average crime-lover youngster, I went into this already having high expectations and whew! It did NOT disappoint! I did not expect this book to go where it did.

3.5 stars. This was an interesting read. You feel the confusion Gemma feels, and at time you even suspect her. I could easily imagine an ending with Gemma as a central reason for everything. There is much more to it. It’s not a predictable plot. It’s well written and keeps you engaged. The ending is truly surprising. The one thing I don’t like about the book is the title. It doesn’t really relate to the book. ‘The missing husband’ would be more apt.

This book was SO good! It reminded me of Gone Girl, how the twists and turns just kept coming. This book had me literally saying "what!!" while I was reading it. I can easily see this book as a movie or TV miniseries. I am recommending this book to all of my friends who like psychological thrillers, and can't wait to read more by this author. I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The perfect man and the perfect marriage? That is what Gemma believes she has found in her husband, Danny. The couple recently moved and is about to celebrate their 1 year anniversary. When Gemma returns from a quick business trip, Danny is nowhere to be found. Her fear quickly escalates when she finds out there is a serial killer on the loose and he is killing men that look just like Danny. She begins to work with the police, but do they believe everything she’s telling them?

A slow burn psychological thriller that is full of twists and suspense. Gemma returns home after working away from home for a couple days and finds that her husband Danny is missing.
She calls the police to report a missing person and finds that they are already investigating the murder of two young men who look just like Danny.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the advance ecopy.

Gemma and Danny have been together for a year. The relationship seems to be solid ... the couple is seemingly happy.

But then one night, Danny doesn't come home. When she reports him missing to the police, she's stunned to discover there is a serial killer running rampant ... and the photos of the victims all look just like Danny.

When the police investigate, what they find is more questions. Why is there no trace of him i their home? Why has no one except Gemma heard from Danny in weeks?

Is she telling them the truth .. or is there something more sinister in the works?

This started out with a genuinely interesting plot, although the writing seems a little choppy. I would like to say it got better the more I read ... but I can't. There's nothing unique or magnetic about the characters. The police were not credible at all. I found myself skipping pages to get to the end ... which was less than satisfying. Not the worst I've ever read ... but very disappointing.

Many thanks to the author / One More Chapter - Harper 360 / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Great mystery. Really connected with the characters in the story. I would recommend this book who likes a good mystery. Thank you for allowing to read this book.

This had me going to the very end, I thought I knew “who done it” but you will be surprised. This book just goes to show you, sometimes you need to take matters into your own hands to get things done, and be persistent.

This is a gripping, twisted thriller that goes in surprising directions I would have never predicted

I feel like I’ve read this plot line a million times. Husband goes missing, wife is suspected, etc. the twist at the end was a little unexpected but also somewhat unbelievable. The book seemed to drag on & on...

I would try another book from this author but this one was a disappointment. Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for this ARC.

Gemma, a freelance journalist, and her husband of 18 months, Danny, is an IT Specialist. They have recently moved to a new home in Bristol. Gemma has just returned from an overnight business trip and is disappointed that Danny is not home. He had promised to be there with dinner fixed for them. When he does not show for several days, Gemma is so upset by now that she contacts the police.

Detectives Devon Clarke and Helena Dickens have a big case on their hands. Two young men in the same age group and looking very much alike, have been found murdered. They talk to Gemma, trying to calm her, and promise to look into Danny’s disappearance. They are shocked to find that he looks very much like the two men who have been murdered. They wonder if they could have a serial killer on their hands.

After much checking, the detectives learn that Danny never started his new job in Bristol and he could also be a part of a new online dating service as were the two murdered men. When other clues emerge, the detectives are convinced that Gemma murdered Danny. But did she? If so, where is his body?

There are so many events that make the detectives wonder if they truly are looking at the true suspect. The story perfectly fits the word “whodunit?” I enjoyed this book very much and my only complaint is that it could have been shortened. It’s frustrating to read a book that seems to be overstuffed with words and more words. Other than that, this is a good mystery and one that readers will not want to miss.

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

The Perfect Couple was a really enjoyable, page turning read that kept me guessing until the end. One of my favorite things about this book was that it felt like the perfect blend of domestic suspense and police procedural. The story was told from two different viewpoints: one from Gemma's point of view where she was dealing with the fact that her husband had gone missing and the second point of view was from the lead inspector who was trying to solve the two recent deaths that had recently occurred and then also gets drawn into the case of Gemma's missing husband. The fact that there were two recent deaths of men that looked like Gemma's missing husband really had me guessing. I could not figure out what was going on and was kept guessing the entire time. I love the way the author set this book up. I found myself trusting Gemma and rooting for her...then questioning her...then trusting her all over again. It made up for a really fun reading experience in the end. Even when I started to "think" that I knew what probably had happened, there were still twists that I didn't expect as well as the fact that I couldn't figure out the why's behind it all. The night I finished this book I fully intended on getting things done - instead I sat wrapped up in my book until I turned the last page. I was just completely immersed in the best of ways. Also, I love the way this book ended! I won't say anymore for fear of spoilers but it just gave me a very eerie feeling. I cannot wait to read more by this author!

Overall, I'm sure that you can already tell that I really enjoyed my time reading this book! I think that readers that enjoy domestic suspense, those readers that enjoy police procedurals, and those readers who enjoy a page-turning, suspenseful read should definitely pick this book up! This is an author that I plan on reading more of and will be watching for future releases! An easy book to recommend.

Bottom Line: A suspenseful read that kept me turning the pages as fast as I could!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher as part of a TLC book tour. Honest thoughts are my own.

I would say this was a perfectly “fine” book. I had a little bit of a hard time getting into it, but pushed through. I think this storyline is a bit overdone personally, but I did enjoy the main character well. This book was also a bit slow for me.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I am sorry I just could not finish this story, for whatever reason I was not able to get into the book from the beginning. I am sure others will enjoy this book very much.