The Perfect Family is a fast-paced thriller with an intriguing premise. Someone is targeting a family of four, vandalising their house and even threatening their lives. But why? The so-called Perfect Family is actually far from perfect, and their secrets are slowly revealed throughout the course of the book.
Although this story kept me turning the pages, I found the family difficult to like, and was disappointed the threads weren't all resolved by the last page. But overall, an enjoyable read.

Someone bears a grudge against the Adler family, but is it against all four of them or just one? Could it be the father, Thomas, a real estate agent who has something to hide after an indiscretion at a bucks’ night? Or is it against his interior designer wife, Viv, who’s a kleptomaniac? Their son, Eli, refuses to say why he suddenly dropped out of university and his underage sister, Tarryn, is running a risky online business. Told in four personal narratives, none of them know each other’s secrets.

It starts out innocently enough with what seems to be childish vandalism with eggs thrown at their house under cover of darkness but soon escalates into more serious damage to their property, including fire. The police are of little help so the family are left to investigate in their own way.

The characters are clearly defined. Thomas and Viv are all about appearances and success and so are at odds with the less-driven Eli and Tarryn, who is an edgy, cynical teenager.

This is a smooth, binge-worthy read for anyone who likes a rapid-fire thriller. With each family member having something to hide that is only revealed to one another as the novel unfolds, it works well for the most part. Not everything is fully resolved and the conclusion leaves a few unanswered questions which may appeal to some readers but not those who like all the loose ends in their novels tidied up.

This is the first Robyn Harding book I’ve read and will definitely look out for more of her titles. Recommended as a great reading alternative when you’ve exhausted all the thrillers on television!

(Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Australia for the ARC.)

Enticing concept and cover, the 'action' begins straight away, placing the reader right in the story. It delivers what it promises, keeping you guessing until the end.. Nicely done!

Every year I stumble across a handful of books that fall outside my usual genre/go-to author, and yet prove to be a hugely enjoyable and exciting read. The Perfect Family is one of them.

Outwardly, the Adler family is a picture-perfect representation of upper-middle class suburbia: a big house, nice cars, successful parents and kids attending prestigious schools. This facade starts to crack after the family home is egged one evening. The work of bored youths no doubt, the family reasons. But then, events quickly escalate: apples are thrown at windows, a smoke bomb explodes on the front lawn, a hooded figure is seen prowling around the house at night; in the morning, car tires are found to have been slashed. The police say their hands are tied and the neighbours start to gossip: what has this perfect family done to deserve this? Inwardly, the Adlers are deeply flawed individuals; each harbour dark secrets that are somehow related to the attacks. The only question is: how long can things go on for before someone gets hurt – or worse?

Having never read a Robyn Harding book I was super impressed by this novel. The character development is excellent, and the author does a great job of little-by-little revealing the inherent flaws of each Adler. The plot is twisty and the pages fly by – I got really “sucked in” by this book, which doesn’t often happen. The plot is chilling and believable and the writing very good.

As a final note, after reading some of the reviews of this book, there is some degree of conjecture regarding the ending: it seems most people fit in either the “love it” or “hate it” camp. I was in the former; I think it provides one final, fitting point of suspense. Overall I rate this book 5/5 stars, mainly as a result of its ability to induce a “can’t put this book down” response in me.

My sincere thanks to Simon and Schuster Australia and NetGalley for their provision of an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I knew I was going to enjoy this book when George Michael was mentioned at the beginning.
I liked the way the story unfolded from each person in the family’s perspective. There was a tiny bit of repetition but I think that was due to the same story being told from four points of view.
The plot kept me guessing and I was riveted to the end....
Thank you NetGalley for the free copy.
#ThePerfectFamily #NetGalley

NB: free copy received for honest review

The basic 'seemingly happy family with secrets finds themselves the target of harassment - whose secret is the case?' premise is sound enough, but having established it, the book more or less just goes in circles of reminding us that they all have secrets and they are being harassed and they all have secrets which could have led to this harassment and perhaps it is because they have secrets that they are being harassed for their secrets. The early momentum is quickly lost in this repetition. By the end, my interest in the characters and their predicament had grown pretty thin.

'The Perfect Family' follows four characters, each with their own secrets and inner struggles, as their household is facing anonymous harassment. The novel unravels each of these secrets as they try to understand why this is happening.

This mostly unlikable family was difficult to read about as I only kept turning the pages wanting to at least know the big why. Unfortunately, the ending was too open and completely unsatisfying. Character motivations didn't always seem believable and a lot of the plot relied on miscommunication which is not something I enjoy reading about, especially in excess.

There were also just a few things that bothered me like the abundance of toxic masculinity that would sometimes be pointed out but not really challenged, or moments that very much read as an older author pretending to understand younger generations.
There was also one point when a character was referred to as something along the lines of a 'self-absorbed millennial' when they were probably at least 10 years too young to fit that generation.

There were some interesting bits and pieces along the way but overall too many things brought it down for me overall.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for giving a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It’s a story of a Adler family who are full of secrets and facade. Thomas and Vivian Adler are the couple having trouble relationship with each other and with their children holding secret of their own.Eli Adler is elder son timid, coward, and Tarryn Adler youngest daughter of the family rebellious, unapproachable.

Each character has a secret which has a series of repercussions faced by all the members. Each and every character is flawed and distorted. It’s strange but not one character I liked, yet the story of the book is interesting that kept me hooked throughout. It was bit frustrating at times as none of the characters were acting sensibly but by the end of the book I tried to understood why, but still I would have preferred few characters to behave accordingly to situation.

This is my first book by Robyn Harding and I really enjoyed it. It was a fast paced and kept my interest till the end. All the characters are so entangled that sometimes it’s hard to understand the reasons for their actions. I enjoyed the multiple perspectives that connected story throughout while I was reading, I knew which character I was following. Lastly ending could have been better, still I enjoyed it despite few flaws this book is actually awesome read and I am going to definitely check more books from this Author.

The Adler’s are a family where each person is hiding a secret - but someone outside of their family knows. The family home is being targeted by unknown person/s .... but who’s secret is to blame?

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. I really enjoyed this storyline and each of the characters within the Adler family. No one is innocent, but who is to blame for the harassment inflicted on the family at their home? Well written, intriguing and not able to be put down - this is definitely a must read for 2021!

The Perfect Family by Robyn Harding was fast paced novel that had escalating tension, different voices that were believable, and good read, I was literally swept into the drama within the first few pages.
The Alder family appeared on The surface to be the perfect family, living in a wealthy neighbourhood, with all the trimmings of successful life, But under the oh so perfect veneer, each person kept their secrets well hidden from view. Only now someone had found their weaknesses and the were under attack. At first, the incidents were minor, but events quickly escalated and the family was literally falling apart.
Robyn Harding has written a compelling story of a family more concerned by outward appearances than family cohesion. It was only under extreme duress, that they discovered what was really important in their lives, however before that, they would suffer in a way they never dreamed possible.
I commend this excellent book to any reader. I gave the book four stars.

Thank you for allowing me to read this book. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Wow, what a great story. It’s always a thrill to find a new Author that can write such a wonderful and thrilling book. I couldn’t believe the mess the Adler family were in, and it really did have me glued to the seat wanting to find out what was going to happen. Brilliant!!
From the outside the Adler family looked to be doing very well, they had a beautiful home and a couple of nice cars. Both Thomas and Vivian had jobs they enjoyed, while their son Eli and daughter Tarryn seemed to be doing ok. However, like a lot of families the Adler’s had their secrets. It wasn’t until their home had come under attack that each family member thought they could be the ones responsible for the sudden vandalism inflicted on their house. I really did enjoy this book from the first page, right through to the last page. A very entertaining and captivating read. 5/5 Star Rating.

If you like dysfunctional families, each member with their own messes to sort out, with a dash of mystery as to who out there might dislike them and their actions enough to take action themselves, then this’ll suit you. It’s a quick read and very fast-paced, although it did flick a little too quickly between the multiple narrators for my tastes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC.

This is a good read told from each family members point of view.
There is definitely no such thing as The Perfect Family.

I would have given it another star but I didn’t like how the book ended

Goodreads review -
Robyn Harding is becoming one of my favourite authors. Her books are always immersive and addictive, and The Perfect Family is no exception. The characters are flawed but not entirely unlikeable, the plot moves swiftly and the suspense held taut until the end. I really enjoyed this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for my unbiased review.

I loved the book! It drew you in quickly and kept you on edge with the family secrets swirling. So curious to learn each family members secret and storyline.
Highly recommend it.
New Author for me with Robyn Harding

another new author to me, absolutely loved it. the adlers seem like the perfect family, but is it just a facade? The thing I loved the most about this book is that I couldn’t decide which Adler I hated the most. All were very unlikeable characters for me, but I needed to know their stories. A twisty, turny book that kept me guessing, highly recommend!

If some of the best things about being a writer are creating stories that entertain, amuse and intrigue readers. Robyn Harding has hit the jackpot.

I read this novel in one sitting … five hours of intrigue, mystery, tension and excitement. The plot is excellent and the writing superb. A family that presents as well to do, affluent and secure on the outside but filled with devastating secrets on the inside. They are secrets that can destroy individuals, family and friends. The author has created a novel that will leave a lasting impression on the readers with a new understanding of ‘secrets’.

I highly recommended this five (5) star novel.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for an advance copy of this book.

I read it in three hours. Extremely tense and suspenseful book, beautifully written, I had no idea of who was harassing this family or whose secret was the cause. It's written in third person narrative but from the viewpoint of each member of the family, who are not reliable nor remotely trustworthy. No one is being honest with themselves let alone their family. Clues and red herrings abound, but it doesn't coalesce until the end and even then it's not over.

Lessons to be learnt: teenagers, tell your parents what is going on with you; couples, don't keep secrets. And if someone is trying to blackmail you, go to the police.

Interestingly, the weakest part is the police who do nothing for this rich white family. If they had've investigated, they could've saved everyone a lot of time and effort and some wasp bites.

First-time reader of Robyn Harding and I cannot put this book down and I have only read the first two chapters. Looking forward to reading more of her books.