This book draws well on human insecurities and fears, taking a real situation of losing a mother and finding someone taking her place all too soon and being naturally suspicious of this.
The plot thickens as the stepmother is not all that she seems and is there really something sinister about her and her past?
I thought the tension mounted brilliantly and the characters were well developed and fairly likeable. The supposed crime never seemed to be much more than an accident, in my humble opinion, so that lessened the whole impact of the story for me unfortunately but still a reasonable tale for the genre and worth a read.

I love a good backstory and this did not disappoint. You find yourself learning about their backstories before the plot takes off. It was a little slow for my personal taste, but once you found the plotline, it picked up. Learning about Lily's missing sister was a fun process, but the ending was a tad bit predictable. Fun story, though.

This is a real rollercoaster of a ride that grabs you from the first page. I loved it, full of of twists and turns, I didn’t want it to end!

The Perfect Stepmother by Karen King is a fast paced, psychological suspense thriller I found myself unable to put down.
Short of two years ago, Lily’s’ mother dies of cancer, leaving her father, not only a widow, but a single parent, caring for Lily’s five year old sister, Emma. When her father remarries the beauty therapist of her mother, Lily is full of questions and doesn’t trust the motives of her new step mother, Maria.
Why is Maria so guarded about her past?
Why does Maria seem so over protective towards Emma?
And, is Maria really as perfect as she seems?

I really enjoyed this book. Thank you to Karen King for creating such detailed characters but still keeping this book fast paced.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read this Arc.
I have to admit this is the first book I've read by Karen King but it most definitely won't be the last.
The Perfect Stepmother is a psychological thriller and it's certainly a thriller. I was hooked from the first page. It was full of twists and turns and I was kept on the edge of my seat throughout!! That ending wow it promises exciting things to come!!

The Perfect Stepmother is a Psychological Thriller and, boy, Karen King does not hold back. The storyline begins with the outset of Lily visiting her childhood home where her new stepmother resides with Lily's father and young sister, only to discover that her sister has disappeared.

We then get to know Lily and Maria, the stepmother, well enough to get an idea who they are. Bit by bit we learn of their back stories before the gripping storyline takes off and takes us on a jawdropping journey and revelations.

It's a gripping read with a great flow and pace to the storyline. The chapters are kept short and alternate between the two main female characters, each showing their perspective

I could not put the the book down and picked it up at every opportunity I got and finished it within a couple of days. I just had to find out what happened and how it ends.

I really enjoyed this book and every scenario I had for the ending was wrong so that’s a good sign. When Lily discovers that her dad is planning to remarry she is shocked. Not only has her mum not been dead a year but the woman he intends to marry was her mums friend in the last few months of her mother’s life. As Maria starts to take over her father and sisters life Lily’s concerns extend more than jealousy as she starts to question just who is this woman and why is she so over protective of her little sister Emma. When Emma goes missing the story starts to turn on its head. Great read and great characters.

At first, I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me to review this book. Keep in mind that my review, however, is my true opinion on this book.

“The Perfect Stepmother” is a true thriller! It might not sound like it or look like it at first glance, but it certainly is!

This story is so scary. All of the secrets. All of the unknown. When you finally think you know, what is going on, there is a major plot twist! It is perfect!

This is a psychological thriller. And if I could, I would highlight the "psychological" and make it big! It is very psychological! And the psychological moments and the function of this in the book work just as it is supposed to. It makes the characters scary, and it makes them more alive.

What I also loved in this book, was the family dynamics and relationships. Here, I would have to say, that there is a major plot twist as well. When you think you know all the characters and their relationships with each other, you are proved wrong. Especially the relationship between Maria and the girls is what I loved - you will know what I mean when you have read the story.

The shifting perspectives made the story more dynamic. And even though the first few chapters might seem a bit boring without too much suspense, it will all make sense later on. So I promise you that the excitement will be there later on. Just keep reading at it will all make sense to you at some point!

This book has a crazy lot of psychological moments of suspense. It is just as I love it!

#ThePerfectStepmother #NetGalley
A good read.
Lily has always had a simple dream: to be happy like her parents were. Content in their sweet suburban home, nothing in life had phased her mother and father, not even when they’d had a ‘surprise’ second child, Emma, nearly twenty years after Lily.
But their love story was cut tragically short, when – after a devastating battle with cancer – Lily’s mother died. Lily was heartbroken, but also desperately worried about her grieving dad, not to mention five-year-old Emma.
So Lily is shocked and concerned when he suddenly decides to remarry, less than a year after her mother’s death. It feels far too soon, and Lily finds herself furious with him – and his new wife, Maria, who can apparently do no wrong. She seems madly in love with Lily’s dad and instantly bonds with Emma..
I loved Maria and Emma. Lily was just ok.
Narration of the story is good.
I'm doing more promotion on its release date among my fellow Authors Bloggers Family Friends and followers.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me an advanced copy of this psychological thriller.

I love this fast paced thriller I actually read it in a couple of hours. The characters are easy to relate to and I couldn’t wait to find out what happened.