After your best friend accuses your boyfriend of something horrible, who would you believe?

Zara and Ivy are life long friends and are living together when Zara meets Henry. He is everything she has been looking for. Zara has always wanted marriage and a family and thinks she may have found the possibility with Henry, until Ivy accuses him of something horrible. Zara doesn’t know who is telling the truth and is torn about where her loyalty lies.

This was another that was just ok for me. I didn’t like the characters but I couldn’t stop reading till I figured out the truth.

The Perfect Match is available January 19,2023

Thank you to @netgalley and @emblabooks for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I received an E-ARC with a request for my honest review.

This psychological thriller is set in Bath and follows Zara, who is a wedding planner and lives with her best friend Ivy.

Zara has always dreamed of finding a husband and starting a family, and suddenly Henry comes into her life and sweeps her off her feet.

With devastating incidents involving her best friend and a mysterious woman stalking her, she must determine who she can trust.

Is Henry the man of her dreams? Can she trust Ivy?

This psychological thriller makes you switch between the characters on who Zara can trust, and it does make me feel for her as all she really wants is a happy life and to be noticed.

Everyone in her life seems to be living in a different world to her and I felt uncomfortable for Zara as she tries to fit in.

There is a part of the plot which could cause trigger warnings for some, and the way the characters are treated may not be for all readers. I felt it added to the shocking nature of the storyline, but also added to the mystery as you don’t know who is telling the truth.

Overall, a mind baffling psychological thriller where a woman wanting to find love must work out who she can trust.

I was really invested in this book,it had me right from the first page.I really enjoyed the portrayal of Ivy and Zaras friendship it was a bit reminiscent of Blair and Serena from gossip girl.The dialogue flowed well between them and I kept highlighting many of the conversations between the two because they raised such valid points.The writing was brilliant and the characters were well developed.Witty,Twisty and unpredictable:I highly recommend.

This was a fun and twisty thriller that shows a surprisingly amount of growth for the main character. This was an enjoyable fast read but then the ending!? No notes. Thank you NetGalley for gifting me this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks you to Net Galley for this advance copy. I really enjoyed this book. It was twisty and you never knew what was going to happen next. I like that in a suspense. Unpredictability is a definite plus. There were some times when the lack of communication drove me a little bit nuts between the characters but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment. I especially liked how the author ended the novel. I would definitely recommend this book.

This book will keep you on the end of your seat! Every time I thought I had the "bad guy" figured out another twist popped up that had me requestioning everything. I highly recommend this book, I read it in almost a day.

Another great read from Dandy Smith, this is a psychological thriller with a real contemporary feel. The story was super gripping, making it hard for me to put it down!

The story is about best friends Zara and Ivy, Zara, having split from on/off boyfriend, Luke, due to them wanting different things, finds herself 'rescued' from unwanted advances at a wedding by a handsome stranger. The stranger turns out to be the highly affluent Henry Frith. Henry and Zara quickly find a deep connection, that not even an early encounter with Zara's alcoholic mother can deter. Zara is upset to discover that Ivy wants nothing to do with Henry and is keen to split them up. Being fed different stories from Ivy and Henry, Zara isn't sure who to believe, what is real and what is fabrication? This is a story of intrigue, suspicion and ultimately murder.

This is such. well written story. I found myself really invested in the story, which came from some great character development of the character of Zara.

This is a book I would 100% recommend to readers of the psychological fiction genre.

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an advance copy.

Interesting plot,good storyline,a lot of colourful characters that can sometimes leave the reader confused as there is a lot of action with each character and at the end of the book leaves the reader puzzled.

Loved the cover, loved the writing, loved the characters but mostly I loved the twists. Such an awesome book. Definitely recommend.

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for letting me read this arc.

All thoughts and opinions are my own

Thank you to #NetGalley, Embla Books and Dandy Smith for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy of THE PERFECT MATCH, to be published 19 January 2023. This was a unique domestic thriller in that there were three relationships (a man and two women) so intertwined, it was difficult to discern the boundaries of each. I had to laugh when Ivy said to Zara “I’d never go to bed with a man who ate bran flakes for breakfast.” For some reason, that phrase stuck with me! This intriguing plot had numerous twists and turns which made it quite enjoyable to read. What do you think about what Ivy said to Zara? #NetGalley #ThePerfectMatch. #EmblaBooks

I loved this book. I love anything with a flawed character and this one did not disappoint. I felt that the cover was what drew me to the book and I was in love with everything about this book. Can't wait for more from this author.

I requested this book due to the cover, and I wasn't at all disappointed with the story. Toxic people surround Zara. She wants a happy ending to a life that started rough. She thinks she's found someone to give her a happy life, but things are complicated. Loved this book due to the flawed characters and intense relationships. The author does a beautiful job illustrating the complex relationships between Zara's friend, lover, and parents. The book is fast-paced, with lots and lots of drama. Thanks for the advance review copy.

So much left unsaid! I LOVE all of
the twists and turns throughout the book. It kept me on my toes and made it so hard to put it down for even a brief moment. The author really brings the characters to life and the story is so relatable. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I cannot say enough great things! I hope there is a sequel…I just gotta know what happens in the end please and thank you! My mind is driving me crazy! This is a must read!

The Perfect Match by Dandy Smith
Pub Date: January 19, 2023
Book 93/100 in 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @emblabooks for a digital copy of this arc.

It’s always been Ivy and Zara, Zara and Ivy since the first year of university. They’ve been inseparable, like sisters, for ten years. Zara’s mother is an alcoholic and her father left them years ago to start a new family, one that doesn’t involve Zara. Ivy Holt comes from money, although she doesn’t inherit any of it, she likes to flaunt the thought of it in front of her other friends.

Ivy vows to never be tied down to a man or start a family but that’s all Zara wants in life. When Zara’s on again off again childhood sweetheart, Luke, leaves her once again to travel abroad, she decides it’s time to date other men.

She meets the man of her dreams, Henry, at a party. He’s wealthy, handsome, and sweeps her off her feet. He immediately becomes everything she wants and needs while she slowly pushes Ivy and Luke away.

Should Zara listen to the lies her friends are feeding her about Henry’s dark side or should she marry this man she’s only known a few months?

This book was everything I wanted and more! There was romance, friendship, and murder. I couldn’t stop reading this psychological thriller and the way it unfolded in the end left me stunned. This was my first book by Dandy Smith and one of my favorite books I’ve read this year!

This was a good book but wasn’t a perfect match for my reading preferences. It ended well as expected but was a bit predictable.

The Perfect Match by Dandy Smith is another engrossing read by Smith!
What a ride! I couldn’t put this book down until I read the last word.
Edge of your seat suspense! A captivating psychological thriller that has twists and turns galore.
Very well written with an intricate plot and well developed characters. A must read.
It was captivating and it hooked me from the very first chapter
If you haven't read One Small Mistake, you should it was an amazing debut thriiler!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Embla Books,
Thank You for your generosity and approving this eARC!

The Perfect Match was a pleasant surprise and proved itself to be a heart-pounding read! Thank you to Netgalley, Embla Books, and the author for allowing me to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A complicated friendship between our FMC (Zara) and her best friend (Ivy) set the stage for a riveting thriller. Zara's mother is an alcoholic, her wealthy father wants nothing to do with her, and her best friend is one of the few people she is very close to in her life. Throw in the fact that her ex-boyfriend of 15 years is also best friends with Ivy and that Ivy is strangely possessive of Zara to shake it all up. Things get even messier when Henry Firth, a rich socialite, shows romantic interest in Zara at a party. As the story progresses, relationships become more and more entangled, and the boundaries between love, care, and abuse become blurry very quickly. Who is the villain? Who can Zara really trust?

There is so much to this book... Interweaving relationships, complicated pasts, and characters with many facets... I could not put it down! It is extremely sobering at the end and is as much a commentary on trauma as it is an exploration of friendship and true love. The ending was fantastic!

So many of the characters are morally grey at best, which is what makes them relatable and gives you the feeling of, "I know someone exactly like this." Dandy Smith truly knows people and is skillful and honest in her delivery of human nature with all its highs and lows. I absolutely recommend this book and finished it in just a few hours!

Note for publisher: There is a small typo (I don't have a page number on Kindle. It's at 14% through the book when Zara is talking to her father about her mother on the phone and he says: "You mother's not my bloody responsibility." You should be your! I am not sure where things are at in the editing process but wanted to point it out in case it was missed.

I love this intense, climactic thriller. I was incredibly invested in the characters and plot. Readers are going to love this incredible novel.

A good if complex story of the main character Zara’s best friend Ivy and her Boyfriend Henry….all 3 have lots going on and lots for the reader to get to know….then there is a death…who is to blame?
Well written and very descriptive writing on personalities and characterisation's
An interesting read if nit an easy read at all times