Thank you to Shalini Boland, Bookouture, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of a digital advanced reviewer copy in exchange for an honest review!

DNF at 43 percent.
I chose to not finish this book because although the 1st chapter sets a good hook on the reader to keep going, I felt like the plot was taking way too long to develop. At the 40 percent mark, we are still getting back stories on the characters. Especially with this being a shorter novel, the character development should be quick and we should be well into the "meat and potatoes" by the 43 percent mark. The storyline I read up until my stopping point did not keep me interested in the characters.

I did not build any rapport for the characters and thought they didn't make any great decisions. If the husband is being hunted for loads of debt, they will surely find you if you decide to "hide" out at a family member's house.

This may be a great read for someone else, but it wasn't for me.

Centring around two marriages this book by Shalini Boland has an explosive start and lots of promise.

Two young women are the storytellers and the lives of Emily and Dani lead us through the facade of lovely lives with glamorous locations, which inevitably hide secrets and lies.

When both husbands start to behave oddly their wives are concerned. Linked only by their place of work could the problems be linked? Emily and Dani both try and help their husbands but the lives of both families spiral quickly and the end result is very dark.

I really enjoyed the first two thirds of this novel and the ideas were good. I felt the last third was a little rushed and although the last chapter had a great twist this was a 3.5 for me.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Emily is a young wife with a young son struggling to make ends meet. She plans a surprise party for her husband but he is not pleased. something is very off. He eventually tells her he has been laid off and money will be tight for a while but later tells her he is in trouble and the have to leave now. But the story is only starting.
This book is full of tension with many twists, turns and characters. It keeps you engrossed until the very end!
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for granting me an advance copy

A fast paced page turner with interesting plot.
Shalini Boland writes intriguing thrillers which are easy to devour in one sitting.

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of A Perfect Stranger from Shalini Boland from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinion. I have to say this was a fantastic psychological thriller. This was so fast paced and will keep you guessing and reading to the very end. I found this to be an extremely enjoyable read that was full of twists and turns.

Excellent book! I was confused, yet, hooked from the beginning. I had no idea where this could possibly end up going. It's about slow to start. But once you get into it, you understand why all the background. Highly recommend!!
Thank you netgalley, the publisher and author for the chance to read this advanced copy.

This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Miscommunications, misunderstandings, and secrets - how can this NOT end in a murder…. or does it end there??

I’m still on the fence if this is a psychological thriller or just a thriller but, either way, it was enjoyable. And the twist in the last chapter, while it tied everything perfectly together, I never saw it coming! Well done!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity for the ARC!

My synopsis:

Emily is a mother of a 4 yr old son, Josh, and pregnant with her 2nd, Her husband Aiden is a top car salesman at his job. Until one day Aiden comes home and tells Emily he is being layed off and needs to find another job. Things start to get twisted from there and for reasons I won't mention they need to move and quickly.

Dani is the well to do wife of Marcus who is Aiden's boss. Living her best life, until her husband starts acting out of character. She starts suspecting something is going on with him, but what?

Such a great suspenseful book. Keeps you on your toes and makes you fearful for the family. The ending was very shocking! Didn't see that twist coming! I definitely recommend reading this book, if you are looking for suspense and the shock factor!

I can't wait to check out the rest of the books by Shalini Boland.

This book was a fast-paced read which I'm glad of as I just wanted it done; it could have been so much better.

I feel like the reveal with Aiden came far too early in the book and it was a rather dull and generic reveal that it felt really predictable; because it was revealed so early that it felt like all the rest of the story was just pointless. The big climax and the subsequent reveals I never saw coming but by the time I just couldn't care less.

As for the characters, none of the adults were likeable in the slightest, I felt the things they did didn't make sense and their dialogue was really clunky and cringey.

This could have been so much more and I wish it was.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and Shalini Boland for the copy of this book. All views are my own.*

Wow, what a ride. Another great one from Shalini Boland. This one is filled with lies and deception galore and an ending I didn’t see coming. Thanks to NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this book.

A Perfect Stranger
By Shalini Boland


Since the first story I read by Shalini, I have loved her writing style and her stories. What can I say, she did not disappoint with this story either. I read it in 2 sittings and it was definitely and unputdownable book for me.

Two women, Dani and Emily, both love their husbands to pieces. Both husbands have secrets they are keeping from their wives.

Emily’s husband Aiden, works for Dani’s husband Marcus as a high end car salesman. Emily and Aiden live very modestly with their 4 year old son & are soon expecting another child. Aiden comes clean with Emily and tells her that he has racked up an enormous amount of gambling debt. Not sure what to do and trying to keep her blood pressure down, Emily relies on her godmother Bianca who lets them live in one of her rental homes, until they can get their situation sorted out.


Dani & Marcus live very extravagant lifestyle but are having a difficult time starting a family. Marcus has started hanging out with some sketchy people & has become distant with Dani. Dani is not happy about their situation so she hires a PI to get the answers she is looking for. Answers she may not be happy with but she must confront Marcus with them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advanced copy of this book in turn for my honest review of this book. I really enjoyed this story and found it hard to put down.

What an addictive page turner, with lots of twists and totally unpredictable. A great domestic thriller. The cover drew me in and then the story had my jaw dropping. Highly recommend. Thank you bookouture and netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. #netgalley #aperfectstranger

This was such a good book and very addictive. I really enjoyed this one and I hope this author writes more like this one. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Emily and Aiden are happily married, looking forward to the birth of their second child, and making plans for the future. But, unexpectedly their world changes when Aiden finally admits he has a problem that is putting all of them in danger. With few options, the couple makes a drastic decision.

A Perfect Stranger is told from two points of view – Emily and Dani, the wife of Aiden’s boss. As the story progresses the reader is drawn into the lives of these two women and how they cope with revelations and upheavals. Although this book is a domestic thriller, with a fair amount of twists, I found the pace to be a bit slow and the characters largely unappealing. The conclusion was a bit of a surprise, but the final twist seemed to be tacked on, almost like an afterthought. Overall, this wasn’t one of my favorite Shalini Boland books.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

Emily and Auden were settled with a son Josh and another child on the way until Aiden says he's not happy at work and they need to move as they can o lo get afford their home. However, it appears there's a lot more to it.
I had no idea of the twist that came at the end of this book and was not expecting it at all

A Perfect Stranger by Shalini Boland
Emily’s world wasn’t perfect but it was hers and she was happy, a husband, a son and a baby on the way.. Her husband Aiden was pulling away from her and to try and make him feel better she threw him a surprise party….. A party he gets so drunk at, he finally admits what has been bothering him. A secret so shocking Emily can hardly breathe.
She finds out they are all in danger and they must all run and hide….. The man she thought she knew, now a stranger to her but how safe they will be? Will running save their lives or is there more to this story than her husband is letting on?
Right from the start I felt like everyone was hiding something and on one count I was totally wrong. I completely misjudged Dani and I adore that the author made me do this. The twist at the end had me gasp so loud I made my kids jump!!! I did not see it coming. I felt like I was one two punched! Such a great way to wrap up the book.
Really enjoyed the seedy feel to some of the chapters and the contrast of the quiet life in the countryside, it really kept the whole book interesting. I sat outside and read this in 4 hours. I was hooked! The pace sped up and pulled back in just the right places, so much so I was fidgeting in my seat. I love a book that gets right under your skin and you thirst to know more. Usually I hate more than one point of view but reading from Emily and Dani’s perspectives was genius.
Such an expertly written thriller, it imbues the plot with a wonderfully eerie sense of foreboding that will grip you and hold you until the very end.
5 stars! Easy. If you are looking for a book you won’t want to put down, this is it!!!
Thank you bookouture and netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It is quite an intense thriller and it is kind of follow the flow. You will enjoy this book if you enjoy dark marriage, lies, betrayal…thriller!

Emily and her husband Aidan is expecting their second kid within a month. When there are already enough stress to deal with, Aidan lost his big-commissioned job. Not only have to leave their roomy house, they have to change their name, move to a remote place to live, terminate the connection with their friends. Why? Because Aidan owed a loan shark money…and they are in danger!!

They have been living careful enough in their new identity, until one day, a stranger lodger arrived….

I have to say I was expecting more suspense and twists along the story. But the ending was really a surprise!

Excellent read
Fast paced. great storytelling
Got through this in a day
What a twist..
highly recommended

We know from the prologue that someone is dead. Our job is to find out why.

And oh, the journey to why is complicated and twisted. First we have Emma, the unsuspecting wife (and this time the secret is not an affair!) who is heavily pregnant. And that always ties my stomach in knots, because I know that she's going to be vulnerable at some point as she tries to prevent the baby from coming too early. And as if that weren't enough, she's also trying to protect her 4 year old, Josh, from what she just learned about her husband, Aidan.

And then there's Josh's boss and his wife. They seemingly have it all. Marcus owns a luxury car dealership. And Dani is his always perfectly put together wife, who didn't come from money but now that she does, acts like she's so much better than Emma.

But looks can be deceiving. And once again Shalini Boland pulls off a tense tale with an ending that's so full of twists and turns they tumble over themselves in the final reveal. And I mean that in a good way, as the final ending is a jaw dropper!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advance reader's copy of another great psychological thriller from Shalini!

I'm normally a huge fan of Shalini Boland's domestic thrillers. However, this book seemed to move a bit slower for me. Told in alternating perspectives- I was very invested in one of the characters storylines. However, the other character was a bit less interesting to me. I kept wanting to skip her chapters to get back to the story I was invested in. There was a big twist at the end but it almost seemed like an afterthought.