Brilliant book, would highly recommend this book, could not leave it down, wanted to read it in one go as the suspense was thrilling right to the end with lots of shocks and mystery. Even at the very end was still a shock and such a mystery with lots of intriguing characters. A brilliant psychological thriller.

Shalini Boland books are always an immediate selection by me as her books have interesting characters, original plots and fun twists. While I don't think this one quite lives up to her earlier books, it still has enough excitement to recommend. Mostly a story about two women, Emily and Dani and their husbands who they love very much but who also have become strangers to their wives. Emily is expecting her second child and has a young boy named Josh. Her husband sells cars for a living but lately his commissions have been few and far between and he is acting elusive and strange. Dani is married to a wealthy man, but he is not the man she thought she married. Instead of acting like a wealthy man with class, he goes out and drinks all the time and invites all kinds of strangers to their house and pool. There is also some parts written from the viewpoint of an unknown man.

AHow the two women get together and their connections is the first real twist of the book. The actual 'stranger' doesn't show up until later in the story and seems to be shoehorned in to further the idea for the main twist in the story. There is an element of fear as both women find out they never really knew their husband and the readers are hoping along with the women, that they will find a way out of their predicaments. I did wish the women were not so naive and the men not so awful but it was a good, fast read. Thanks to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for a review.

Wow shalini had done it again! A fantastically gripping thrilling read that kept me totally absorbed from start to finish!
Twists, turns, deceit, intrigue and shocks throughout! With a totally unexpected ending!
The very best psychological thriller centred around two very different couples with contrasting lifestyles, homes, careers, and aspirations but intrinsically linked to each other!
How well do any of us know our husbands? Or our husbands know us? Once secrets are revealed everything changes in the most dramatic of ways that you wouldn’t even guess at leaving you the reader full of admiration and awe at the storyline!
Thank you netgalley for this early read.

# this title started out as an Audible release in 2021 and that version is available via Audible! #

This is my 14th book I have read by the author and am borrowing something I read written by a friend re this author and this book that sums it up ….’she has never let me down yet with one of her books’ ….( thanks Carol ) this is 100% true, again we have a tense psychological thriller with good sturdy characters and a story of lies, mis-trust, addiction, secrets and mystery BUT with a menacing undertone throughout that we only find out the truth about at the very end, it’s there, all the way through, niggling away that there is something more behind this already thrilling thriller and as say right at the end we find out, and what a truth it is 😎
Spun as always by the author magically and you have no choice but to keep turning page after page
Brilliantly done
I loved the reason this book came to be that is mentioned in the acknowledgements 🤗

10/10
5 Stars

Emily is married to Aiden. They have a three year old son Josh and she is pregnant with their second child.
Dani is married to Marcus.They live in an exclusive area of Sandbanks. He owns a car sales room. They have been trying for a baby for three years.
Aiden works for Marcus.
Aiden is in trouble, he and Emily need to escape and lie low.
This drew me in from the get go.
Told from the points of view of Emily and Dani we learn about their husbands.
I disliked Marcus especially when he started to invite 'the lads' round. He didn't respect Dani at all.
The cottage seemed like a lovely safehaven for Emily and Aiden but the tension felt palpable tight up to the climatic end.
Overall I thought the plot was well executed although I did guess one of the twists.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Two marriages. One Is in financial jeopardy. The other has become an obsession with fertility.
Boland is very crafty through most of the story and then toward the end, throws a curve ball that shatters everything.
I love It when an author does that because I didn’t see it coming. Normally, I loathe surprises, but literary surprises are completely welcomed.
One question has to be asked, however, just who is the real victim?
I know my answer, but you need to read the book ti see if yours matches.

I’m a big fan of Shalini’s, her books always drag you in and then you can’t let go until the end.
Perfect Stranger was no different…it was a simple storyline but I couldn’t put it down. The twist at the end was a welcome surprise too!!

I love a read that is just no effort and has you so hooked from the first sentence you just keep turning the pages without even noticing. This one is a fast paced easy read that I flew threw. I found myself getting annoyed when I’d have to leave it down to actually do LIFE 😬🙃. It’s told from Emily and Dani’s point of view but they are polar opposite’s when it comes to there lives and it makes you wonder about the connection. I loved the storyline and although the information was free flowing you are still only told so much and certain aspects left you waiting until just the right time which worked so well. It really leaves you not knowing where it’s going … but in a good way 😉. It ended a bit to quickly for me as I really wanted more but that just says how much of a must read it is.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to

A perfect Stranger, Boland

Two marriages, colliding together, to form betrayal, and murder!
Wow, this book was full of excitement, starting with a gripping prologue, and ending with a super surprising twist, that I never even imagined!
This book is fast and engaging and hard to put down.
It was my first time reading Sharini Boland, but now I will read all her books!
5 stars for the shocking ending!

Thank you NetGalley for this preview book!

A Shalini Boland book is a guaranteed great read and they dont come any better than this. So many twists right until the very last page . BRILLIANT !
Many thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this excellent ARC which I highly recommend

I really enjoyed this thrilling book of intrigue and deception. The story opens with a bang when Annie returns from shopping to discover her husband’s murdered body. But who is Annie and why has her husband been murdered?

I like that the story is told by the two main protagonists, Emily and Dani with a small input from a third, obviously evil, mystery man. Emily is pregnant with her second child. Her husband, Aidan, works for Dani’s husband Marcus and as far as Emily is concerned they are a normal happy family with no more worries other than that she would love one day to buy their own home. Dani lives a life of luxury thanks to Marcus’s successful car sales business. The only cloud in her life and it is actually a big black cloud, is that she is desperate for a child. However, these two seemingly normal couples have dark, dark secrets which made me keep on reading to find out what has gone so horribly wrong in their lives and how it will be resolved. Everything comes together in a violent and shocking climax with a real twist at the end.

This book had a lot of potential However as the plot went on the storyline got more unbelievable and the ending really let it down as it was so predictable.

📚BOOK REVIEW 📚

📖 Book - A Perfect Stranger
✍️ Author - Shalina Boland
📕 Publisher -Bookouture
🗓 Publication Date - 11th JULY 2022
I have read books by this author before, so looking forward to this! Thanks @netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my review!

Annie is married to Aiden and they have a young son called Josh.. after being made aware that her husband has got himself into debt and they run away, trying to escape, ALSO changing Their names. surprises at the end of the book, there was a secret that came out about Annie - did not expect that but because it was told to us the very end wil.l there be another book - loll!?

Enjoy!!


https://www.instagram.com/Bookstagramshaz

This book had its ups and downs, so I had to give it a 3.5 star rating. I thought the setup took too long, but man once it got going, it was very interesting, all the way to the last page! I never expected the ending the way that it happened. That being said, I felt that the ending was a little rushed – it happened so quickly! There was a lot of repetitiveness as well. It is a fast, interesting read, so I would definitely tell anyone to give it a try.

This book was unputdownable! All the Stars.

The Author never fails to write an unputdownable book. I think this could be the best yet!!!

Two marriages. Three little lies. Someone’s going to die…

Emily is married to Aiden, they have a young son Josh, another baby on the way and are happy, but money is an issue. Aiden has been acting strange lately so Emily decides to throw him a surprise birthday party to cheer him up, but when she sees his reaction she thinks she made the wrong call. Dani is married to Marcus, they have everything they could possibly want, except for a family of their own and Dani is desperate for a child. Both couples are keeping secrets that will have far reaching consequences on the rest of their lives.

A Perfect Stranger is a dual narrative told from the perspectives of Emily and Dani, two women who are quite different in their outlooks on life and clearly don't like each other but, scratch the surface and they're more alike than they realise. This latest domestic thriller from Boland is full of promise right from the start, the prologue is dark and filled me with excitement for what lay ahead. The characters are realistic and mainly likeable, the chapters are short and the unknown persons occasional input provided that extra shot of suspense. One thing you can guarantee with this author is that element of surprise in every one of her stories and this was no exception. I love her style of writing and the way she holds her readers attention from beginning to end, delivering twist after shocking twist. I was completely immersed in this book, it kept me awake till the early hours of the morning, finishing it just after 2am because I knew I wouldn't sleep till I saw how it ended. Loved it!

I'd like to thank Bookouture and Netgalley for the auto approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

How well do you know your husband?
Emily, is about to find this question out in another explosive story from brilliant writer Boland!
Two marriages. Three little lies. Someone’s going to die…

A Perfect Stranger is yet another page turning psychological thriller that may lull you down a thrilling hole that you might not want to leave!

Lots of twists and turns in this psychological thriller to keep you hooked.
IMO its pretty much a slow burn. But an amazing story nonetheless.

Told from different POVs, Danielle, Emily and a mystery character.
Being able to see their lives from the readers perspective was thrilling and added so much mystery to the bag. Seeing their struggles, marriage and lives.
Both are somewhat likeable in their own ways but also have their flaws.
This author has a way with her intriguing writing that pulls you in and sets you right smack dab in the middle of the plot where you literally feel your heart racing along with the characters. 

If you've read her books before this is another one you need to add to your ever growing TBR list. Its one you're not going to want to miss!

A must read for all mystery lovers and am eagerly waiting for her next book.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Bookouture,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Another cracker from shalini. The books never disappoint. This one is no exception loved it from the first to the last page.
.5 stars from me!!

A Perfect Stranger | Shalini Boland
Genre: Domestic suspense/thriller

This is my first read by author Shalini Boland but I’ve already downloaded other books by this author and will continue to read more. The author weaves an intriguing mystery and deep dive into the lives of several families and family secrets.

After an explosive start, the story is slower paced as it builds character depth and development, but once it gets going the story twists into a nice little knot that the author masterfully unravels leaving you guessing as to what will happen next. I really enjoyed this character-driven domestic suspense story and read it across one sitting. The story was well written, the characters relatable and detailed, it was difficult to pick a favorite.

I’d recommend this to fans of authors like Ruth Ware, Freida McFadden, Lisa Jewell. Overall, it was a fun, easy to read novel which would appeal to anyone who likes mystery stories.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

This was yet another great book by Shalini Boland. I've read a few of her books and each one has kept me wanting more until the very end. She does a great job of keeping the story moving at a good pace, even in times where a book would normally slow down a little.
This book is full of twists and surprises. The multiple POVs were interesting to follow and great to see how they came together. Loved the plot and characters. Definitely a book I would recommend to anyone who loves thrillers, mysteries, and a not-so-easy to guess ending to a book.

******************Spoilers***********************

I loved seeing how Dani and Emily's stories came together at the end. And the mysterious POV strown throughout was a good touch.
I kind of wish the prologue wouldn't have mentioned the names of the characters, because it made it too easy to see it coming once Emily started talking about their new names several chapters earlier than his death.
The first twist in the book was terrific, I did not see it coming. However, the second twist on the last few pages was an even bigger shock.
I like how Shalini Boland always leaves the book with a little bit of an open-ended ending. I like that we'll never know for sure if Emily decides to tell Dani about the affair or if she just decides to keep it to herself. I like that we may never know for sure what goes down between the two now that they will be living together, but that we get to come up with our own idea of what happens.