i really enjoyed reading this!! it was a page turner the whole time i couldn’t put it down. however, the beginning and middle were a little meh. there were some things going on that didn’t add to the plot and felt weren’t necessary. it was also a little predictable. i can say that i really did enjoy myself tho! it was a fun, gripping read. truly had me looking to make sure i locked my doors. 👀
thank you netgalley, bookoture, and julia crouch for a copy of the arc <3

I enjoyed The Perfeft Date even though it was a bit far fetched in places and as much as I love dogs, the constant dog walking, dog warnings of imminent danger,more dog walking was a little tedious.
There are plenty of tense moments and you do become invested enough to want to know who is messing about with Caz and her life. Will she ever figure it out?
The perfect Date is a well written book,with good characters that carry the story well. A quick entertaining read.

I've never read anything by this author before, therefore it won't be the last. Both the characters and the writing were excellent. This book holds it all, from thrilling suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat to unexpected turns and twists. You shouldn't skip reading this one, I assure you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Quite pacy and interesting but I didn’t enjoy the ending as it was too far fetched and I guessed the baddie quite quickly. Still an easy quick read and fans of the thriller genre will enjoy it I’m sure.

This was a quick read for me and a classic who dunnit. It kept me guessing throughout because each character was so unreliable. This would be a great book for someone who enjoys a more mystery based plot than thriller.

This fast paced page turner, with short chapters and lots of intrigue kept me guessing. Dog walker turned house-sitter/dog walker. Caz really should’ve asked more questions rather than making assumptions about her estranged, old friend. I definitely didn’t see all the twists coming. It was an easy one day read for me. I liked it.
Thank You to NetGalley, Bookouture and Julia Crouch for the opportunity to read and enjoy this ARC.

Wow! This is a rollercoaster of a read and I just couldn't work out where this novel was going to go! I had my suspicions of who the murderer was but things happened that made me go another way. Slight concens half way through that something might happen to bridget jones as i just fell in love with this dog and her name. Very very good book and wouldn't hesitate to recommend. Thank you for letting me review this title

Overall this is a good thriller book and will be a fun read for anyone who enjoys a classic thriller. I thought the plot twist was predictable, but I think it’s mostly because I have read so many thrillers like this one.
I loved the multiple Friends references in the book so that is a bonus!

#ThePerfectDate #NetGalley
Good one.
The book revolves around Caroline (aka Caz), a teacher from London who came back to Brighton to take care of her disabled mother after finding the dead body of a man she dated on one of her walks. Bad luck seems to follow her around, as she finds the body of another man she dated while walking her dogs. She met both men through a dating app, but is it just a coincidence?? When Marcy, an ex-childhood friend and a wealthy divorcee in the present, asked her to house-sit and take care of her dog for a week, Caz agrees. After all, that's the life she would have led if Marcy hadn't spoiled it for her. The plot thickens when odd things start happening around Caz, and the spiral of events that transpire will have you enthralled.
I didn't like the ending. Although the story was good.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me an advance copy.

Caz must be the unluckiest person to use a dating app, after only a couple of dates she finds Ash's dead body. Moving back to Brighton and swiping right on Harry she has high hope for a future, until she finds his body too. Is it pure coincidence or is someone setting Caz up for murder.
This is the rollercoaster ride that Julia Crouch takes us on. As the storyline progressed I found it changed direction from what I imagined the story would be about. The 2 murders are almost as an aside. Having said that it doesn't detract from what I found a good read
3.5 rounded up

I love the plot about someone’s dates getting killed! I really didn’t start getting into this book until 50% in.. then I was hooked! I felt like it was a little predictable but I still enjoyed the story!

I really enjoyed this book! At the beginning, I wasn’t sure how the author would pull this all together, but she still managed to shock me and make a super exciting thriller :)

This book seriously had me questioning every character, who is the bad guy/gal here?! The plot-twist was amazing and I will definitely be recommending this suspenseful read to my fellow reader friends!

Toxic friendships and relationships build into a full on cat and mouse race for the truth. It was lovely to have adorable dogs as part of the story and I’m sure that if Caz’s dog Joe could have spoken he would have solved the case a lot quicker😊.My suspicions to who was responsible kept changing and that’s all down to the authors brilliant writing skills. A sure hit for lovers of mystery thrillers. If you’ve not read any books from this author I highly recommend you give her a try. Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the Arc.

Heart pumping, nail biting suspense, who is it? Cat and mouse type games surround Caz in this twisty story of past and present.
Caz was using a dating app and her date ended up dead and she’d been arrested for his death, but the charges were dropped. She decides to move back to her hometown to start over and help her Mother. She didn’t expect what happened next to happen again in her hometown.
A suspenseful thriller that makes Caz believe she’s being stalked or framed, having 2 dates end up dead. A mysterious package is delivered to her while she’s housesitting for an old friend that only makes her feel like she’s lost her mind.

Bravo on the ending no one will ever guess

Caz is on an early morning walk with the dogs she walks when she makes a horrifying discovery...a dead body...and the worst thing is, she dated this man. What's even worse is that this isn't the first time this has happened... When Caz is asked to house sit for an old friend, she doesn't realise that things are about to get even stranger and creepier... A brilliant and tense thriller that keeps you turning the pages and guessing until the very end. Full of shocks and surprises. I loved it and can't wait to read more books by this author!

What if every time you found ‘the perfect date,’ he showed up dead the following day?

Freaky, right?!

Just ask Carolina ‘Caz’ Sessions, dog-walker extraordinaire. After the first time she and her Border Collie rescue mutt, Joe, discovered a former date in the bushes when out walking, she realized it was more than a coincidence. Moving back to her childhood home to reduce stress after the first ‘Incident’ doesn’t look like it was the best option … it’s still happening! This realization drives her to delete the dating app that started it all … SeeMe.

Does this swift action stop her dates from dying?

When she bumps into an old school friend, Colette Stevens, and agrees to house sit for a week, Caz’s past comes back to haunt her and dead dates resurfacing is only one in a list of traumas she’s now dealing with. It’s not the break she was looking for at all. You’ll be yelling at the choices Caz makes and shaking your head at her seeming naivety. The twist will pop out of nowhere and you’ll agree that Crouch really knows how to write a suspenseful domestic suspense novel!

If you haven’t read anything by the Queen of Domestic Noir yet, put this one on your list! It’s dark and twisty and very addictive and focuses on toxic relationships.

If you love dogs, this one’s for you, too.

I was gifted this copy by Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

"The Perfect Date" by Julia Crouch is the perfect summer read. I was immediately captivated by the premise, drawn into the book's gripping world of tension and intrigue.

The book revolves around Caroline (aka Caz), a teacher from London who came back to Brighton to take care of her disabled mother after finding the dead body of a man she dated on one of her walks. Bad luck seems to follow her around, as she finds the body of another man she dated while walking her dogs. She met both men through a dating app, but is it just a coincidence?? When Marcy, an ex-childhood friend and a wealthy divorcee in the present, asked her to house-sit and take care of her dog for a week, Caz agrees. After all, that's the life she would have led if Marcy hadn't spoiled it for her. The plot thickens when odd things start happening around Caz, and the spiral of events that transpire will have you enthralled.

There's nothing I like more than a good psychological thriller, and this one fits the bill perfectly with mysterious deaths, an original premise, and red herrings aplenty to keep the pages turning. All of the characters are vividly described and well-drawn. I especially liked Caz’s gay best friend, Damian, and her artist mum, Ruth. They had colorful personalities!

While some of Caz's decisions felt downright stupid, such as going back to the isolated scene of the crime, hiding things from the police, or hooking up with the wrong guys, I still liked her and rooted for her. A woman who loves dogs is a woman after my own heart. I liked her dog, Joe, who seems smarter than his owner, and her connection with him and the rest of the dogs she took care of. I also loved the setting and writing.

With themes of toxic friendship, dating, dog caring, stalking, and abuse, the author has weaved a tale that I enjoyed reading. Although I had my suspensions, the author managed to throw me a curveball I didn't see coming. In sum, the characters are impressive, the plot is exciting, and the writing is super. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a unique tale with distinct characters.

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.

WOW

This book was spectacular. Julia Crouch has such an interesting way of making you doubt and distrust every single character in this book.

I like thrillers that completely blindsight me. And when I tell you I was BLIND-SIGHTED by this plot twist! Like I said, every character seemed suspicious at one point or another, including the main character, Caz, which brings into question unreliable narrating. I love novels with an unreliable narrator/storyline. This book truly had that!

I won’t put spoilers, but there were some moments within the book (towards the end) that felt a little unrealistic. If this storyline had happened in real life, I feel as if the scenario would have ended differently. Regardless, I wasn’t necessarily upset about it I quite enjoyed a change! I really liked how everything came full circle (back to Ruth) at the end.

This book single handedly just got me back into thrillers after a slump! Rating it 4.5, but rounding up to a 5!

*thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC!*

When dog-walker Caz stumbles across a dead body while working one morning, the horror is amplified by the fact that this isn’t the first body she has found. Oh, and the fact that the dead body is a guy she’s been seeing, which is exactly the scenario that occurred 8 months previously and blew up her life.

Still reeling, when her former best friend - and dog walking client - texts asking her to house- and dog-sit for a few days, it seems to Caz that some time alone is just what she needs to recover. But there’s something off about the state in which the house has been left. And why is the over-friendly neighbour digging graves at night…?

I enjoyed The Perfect Date a great deal even if, as is the case with most thrillers, it stretches credulity at points. And while at times I wanted to shake Caz, her actions stay just this side of explicable, while the secondary characters - especially Caz’s gay best friend Damian and artist mum Ruth - are well drawn and relatable.

4/5 stars, and I’ll certainly be on the lookout for other Julia Crouch novels.