Member Reviews
I was hooked wanting to find out more. Intriguing with twists and turns and my heart went out to Olivia, great character - time for life to give her a break. Thoroughly enjoyed it. The book was very well written. A lot of thought went into the plot. The only downside was it was rather slow in the beginning
This is a great story. The pace starts off very slow and then improves. The book is written in a dual timeline format. The characters were well developed and believable. A good book
I must admit, sadly, this book seemed more like a chore to read rather than something to do for enjoyment.
The characters were not very likeable, even Liv, the protagonist. I did feel sympathy for everything that she went through when younger, and it appears that her life would just be getting more messy as the book progressed.
While the start of this book was a hard slog, I did find that the pace and excitement picked up in the last quarter of the book. The bad guys were shown to be even more horrendous that we initially thought, and there was the surprise twist at the end which brightened up the book.
Olivia is married to Nate, not particularly happily especially after their son vanished a few years ago. Out of the blue Nate is also missing from a business trip but Olivia doesn’t seem to be that bothered although does try to discover what has happened. That is when she’s not watching the new neighbour across the road! I liked the description of the book but didn’t think it lived up to the promise and it was all a bit awkward. It wasn’t the sort of story to read every word avidly and in fact I did a bit of skimming - ok rather a lot of skimming as it didn’t really hold my attention the whole time. Didn’t like Olivia as she was a bit of a drip/doormat who was rather fond of the wine bottle. It would be a nice stocking filler for someone.
Great book, fast paced and punchy! Loved it and will look out for more from the author, anyone that loves a good thriller should look out for this one 😊
This was a really exciting read that kept me gripped from start to finish. It makes you question just how well you really know the people around you, especially the ones you should be able to trust and rely on.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.
This book kept me guessing till the very end!
With many twists and turns this novel kept me on edge and guessing till the end.
The books got more exciting as you got into it And the cast of characters wow..... Simply amazing set of people here!
The author builds tension that grows throughout the book and you find yourself unable to put the book down. I would definitely recommend this book.
Looking forward to reading more from this author!
Took a while to get going, lots of twists and many layers. Characters never quite came alive for me ,I kept going because I wanted to know how it ended.
A story with twists and turns
Will have you hooked
Very well written
An emotional read too
Thanks NetGalley
I enjoyed this one! I love a good domestic/psychological thriller and this definitely held my interest. There’s a few different layers and mysteries within the plot which kept me invested and also unable to guess what was coming. I don’t want to say too much about the ending to avoid any spoilers, but it was satisfying.
This is a bit of a slow burn, but the drama keeps it interesting. If you’re someone who loves a good psychological thriller and a neat and tidy ending, this is worth picking up.
Thank you, Netgalley, for this digital ARC!
This book was pretty good, as far as domestic thrillers go. They're not usually my cuppa, but I gave it a shot.
I'll say this, the first few chapters pissed me off. The husband was a cold, unfeeling ass. The new neighbor is an entitled, snobby bish, and the main character just seems so wishy-washy.
It gets better, but not a WHOLE lot. It's really easy to tell the good guys from the bad. A little too easy for my tastes.
Overall, not a terrible read. Not one I'd read again though.
Thank you to Netgalley.com, M. M. DeLuca and Canelo Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC. All opinions are my own.
Wow,It is written from the point of view of Olivia, a wife and mother, 5 years ago, her child (aged 3) disappeared and it despite a police search no clue regarding his whereabouts was found. Olivia and her husband Nate are existing, their relationship is at best chilly. Nate works away a lot on business . This time, he does not keep in touch and Olivia comes to realize that she has not known him throughout her marriage.
The book begins slowly describing the mundane existence of Olivia, little by little she finds out more and more about her husband. Then a friend from high school reappears, now in the police. She has never given up hope of finding out what happened to her little boy.
The suspense builds up through the book, there is a plot with twists and turns and events and feelings are understandable and believable. A real page turner and a great thriller.
Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Will definitely look for more from this author.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58446765-the-perfect-family-man
I found this an okay read, it took a while to get into it but then I realised what was happening and it got quite engrossing. This was definitely an easy read and I finished it in an afternoon
Would definitely recommend and will look into others by this author.
I was given an advance copy by the publishers and netgalley but the review is entirely my own.
Hard to get into this book and then when I thought I had a handle on it it seemed to go off at a tangent. Most of the time I wanted to just get to end. Not my favourite read but I do think that if it’s your cup of tea you will love it.
I enjoyed this book very much. Many plot twists and an expertly woven back story makes this one hard to put down.
I started out not really caring for the main character as she was much more interested in her new neighbors than her own husband but, as the story unfolds we see the reasons why she is so distracted and distant. After suffering many past traumas it seems only answers will bring her out of this funk. Olivia finds her stride midway through the book and turns into the strong female lead I love to read about.
Told in dual timelines with dual mysteries that are interconnected, this story is sure to keep you on your toes. Kudos to the author for writing a great mystery/domestic thriller. I look forward to her other books!
I found The Perfect Family Man to be an OK read. It took me a while to get into it and it had some twists and turns that kept me interested, it just did not blow me away as I hoped it would from the description.
Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for my ARC.
The Perfect Family Man is a twisty, gripping read. The story has the reader thinking about what they’d do if the same happened to them. Plenty of tension to keep you reading until the end. 5 stars!
The Perfect Family Man by M M DeLuca is subtitled ‘The Perfect Liar’ which captures the essence of this domestic noir. On the day her husband leaves for a business trip, a woman and her son move into the house opposite and Olivia is curious about them. Still grieving after her own son who disappeared five years ago, she soon sees the mistreatment of the child and is warned off. When her husband Nick doesn’t come home, she learns he hasn’t worked in his job for over a year. So, begin numerous lies and revelations, that deepen the mystery of her secretive husband and their deceptive marriage. An enjoyable tale of lies and secrets with a three-star rating as the story was somewhat fanciful. Interestingly, this is the fourth M M Deluca’s novel who has also published under the pseudonym Marjorie Deluca. With thanks to Canelo and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and are made without fear or favour.
Five years ago, my little boy went missing. Now my husbands vanished, too. I wish I could say that the tragedy of little Jack disappearing brought me and Nata closer together. But my husband is more distant from me now than he's ever been. Perhaps that's why I don't ask him exactly where he's going when he sets off on another business trip. Or perhaps I was too distracted by the woman moving in across the street with bouncing blonde hair and a cherubic toddler boy.
Oliva is grieving for the loss of her son Jack who went missing five years ago. Her husband Nate is about to leave for a business trip when Olivia discovers the Lake House across the street, that has been empty for five years, has now been sold. The new neighbour has a son who reminds her Olivia of her son Jack. Then Nate disappears.
What a rollercoaster read this is. The pace is slow for the first 30%. The chapters are written in the then and now format. The twists kept coming and the characters were believable. Secrets are revealed along the way. I quite enjoyed this book.
I would like to thank #NetGalley #Canelo and the author #MMDeluca for my ARC of #ThePerfectFamilyMan in exchange for an honest review.
The perfect family man is released on the 21st October 2021.
Thank you to Netgalley, Canelo publishers and M. M. Deluca for a free digital advanced copy of the perfect man in exchange for my fair and honest opinions.
The perfect family man is centred around livia and her husband Nate. When they goes on a business trip he doesn't return home, Olivia starts to become worried the worst is once again happening. When she bumps into high school friend Stefan who is now a police officer she finds herself leaning on him to uncover the disappearance of her husband. What she digs up is far worse than she ever expected and sends her world spinning.
olivia is our lead protagonist and I really enjoyed the way they author flips back and forth from her teenage years to her current day. As a leading lady it is clear that she has gone through a lot of trauma in her past. So early on it was really easy to feel sympathetic towards her current situation and in all honesty a little confused at where the storyline was going to take us. I must admit I was not expecting the story to go as it were but I loved the way the character progresses throughout the story. She sort of starts off as a busybody neighbour to doing her own investigation. It is clear that when she reconnect with her friends Stefan n that he provides Olivia with the confidence that husband clearly doesn’t. After such tragedy in her life it is no wonder she is the character that we meet at the beginning of the book but what is great is the personal growth that we get to be apart of as readers.
Is really interesting because we as readers don’t get to know anything about Nate so we don’t really know the Nate that Olivia have been married for the last eight years we know the mate that she uncovers information about. It kind of went from one thing to the other to another to another it kinda got a bit crazy but I loved every second of it. I did question early on why they were still together but as I continue to read the book it became more clear that if anything it was more Olivia’s need to be close to the neighbouring house that kept them where they are and obligation that kept him with her. So when lie after lie after lie after lie is exposed it wasn’t surprising but also it kind of was if that makes any sense?
I really like Stefan’s character but I must say I’m all about independent women and inner strength and I did find that a little bit of a let down that his arrival is what really perks her up as a character and helps her on her journey of discovery but I do understand why the author included his character it’s very poignant for her journey I suppose?! However he was really nice character so I can’t complain he was nice and his clear devotion to his friend is so obvious I couldn’t help but ask throughout why they weren’t married? But as you wait only time will tell. You will find that Stefan has such strong links to her past that going between past and present is really important to lay the groundwork to understand the importence of their friendship and the significance that it did have at the time for Olivia’s life an well being.
As a genre psychological thrillers you expect twists and turns all over the place I must say there were a lot more twists and turns in this than in some recent psychological thrillers I have read so that did make it a little bit more interesting.There were some that I had seen coming an others that well completely sideways but either way I enjoyed every aspect of this book. This is my first time reading a book by M. M. Deluca but I will be reading more from their collection as I found the prose was written so well throughout even in a book that is written in third person which isn’t my prefered but here this made absolutely no difference in this instance as it was enthralling and riveting so I didn’t care who was telling me what was going on I just wanted to know!
Would I recommend the perfect family man? Yes I would highly recommend it to anyone who really enjoys the genre psychological thrillers slash psychological dramas was full of mystery and I enjoyed the fact that we had to uncover what was going on along with the lead pragmatists instead of being fed information that quite often we are as readers that the main character isn’t privetik. This made it more exciting for every lead that she received to find out what bomb is going to be dropped next get summation mark and let’s just say there was a lot of bombs! It’s not even one of those books where you wanna guess how it ends because to be honest yeah you might see one thing or another thing come in but so much goes on that actually poo if you manage to get some more than you need to start writing because you have a very good mind. I would rate this book 4.5 stars out of five I really really enjoyed reading thisbook. I suppose I’m not rating it 5 purely because a lot did seem to be happeningbut I must say all of which are rounded off and ended perfectly well never to the latter part of the book.
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