The Perfect Affair by Angela Henry was a thriller about a woman that has gone missing.

Paige notices her husband, Aaron, has become very distance. She catches him smiling down at text messages, forgetting about commitments, and exercising and losing weight. When she runs into her husband and his new colleague, Cara Morton, she is certain they are having an affair.

Aaron tries to break it off with Cara, but he keeps being drawn back to her. Then she goes missing.

There are so many characters in this story and a lot of stories within the story.

This book held my attention and I wanted to finish it to find out what happened next. However, the last few chapters of the book had me rolling my eyes a bit. There was just a lot going on. A lot of stories. A lot of coincidences. A lot. Just a lot. I was ready for it to end.

2.5 ⭐️s, but I’ll round up to 3⭐️s.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Select for the advance listen in exchange for my honest opinion. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was full of twists and turns and I did not know what would happen next. This was a great and thrilling read because of all the twists and the multiple perspectives. I am still in awe with how it all ended.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Perfect Affair by Angela Henry, an audiobook narrated by Rachel Handshaw is a hell of a gripping thriller with twists that will need to leave your jaw on the floor constantly!
You will get so many different emotions that it is complicated to explain in one sentence. I would say there is everything! Love and passion, lies and cheat, trust and betrayal, more lies and dark secrets from every side you turn.
The final twist knocked me off my feet! In my wildest dreams, I would not expect that turn!
I loved it! I absolutely loved it!

As a single narrator, Rachel Handshaw did a phenomenal job! She managed to adapt her voice to different characters and made suspenseful moments more suspenseful. I would say she is a great match for this book!

Aaron Nichols had everything but he didn't know that until he lost it. Aaron thought that Cara Morton was the key to something he missed but soon he found out that that was key to the hell.
Paige Nichols wanted support but got a slap in her face. Now she must decide how she plays this game to win.

Thank you so much, #NetGalley, #DreamscapeSelect, and #StormPublishing for #ThePerfectAffair!

Wow! Read in one sitting! Could not put this thriller down. Twists and turns you won’t see coming. If you haven’t read this author give them a go you won’t be disappointed.

When Paige Nichols crosses paths with her husband's younger and more attractive coworker at a faculty gathering, it becomes evident that a steamy affair is unfolding between them. Aaron, Paige's husband, looks at Cara like he once looked at her—full of love, longing, and sensuality.

When confronted, Aaron swears to end the affair, but will that be enough to salvage their relationship? As the story continues to unfold, Cara's startling accusations pose a serious challenge to the couple's already fragile bond. While Paige chooses to stay by her husband's side, the lingering doubts persistently gnaw at her.

Until one day... Cara Morton seemingly vanishes without a trace.

The two of them have many dark secrets, and Paige grapples with the unthinkable thought that the man she has loved for so many years might be a murderer. The police investigation brings dark secrets to the surface, unravelling new revelations. Cara is not who they thought she was, and her true intentions are far more sinister than anyone could have imagined.

"The Perfect Affair" by Angela Henry unfolds through a first-person perspective, predominantly narrated by Paige and Aaron, with a few additional characters contributing short chapters. The narrative's non-linear structure, travelling through different periods in time with segments labelled "Before" and "After" the central event, added complexity to the story, but it became a little confusing to follow at times.

While the multitude of possibilities the story could follow added to the allure of the book, the constant influx of information sometimes felt overwhelming. There were many inconclusive leads and loose ends that weren't fully explored until much later in the book, which left me grappling to understand the unfolding events. While it's highly enjoyable when writers foreshadow events, some parts felt dragged out, and by the time the reveal happened, I had forgotten what had been told.

The last 1.5 hours of the audiobook (or following chapter 40) were very action-packed, which I enjoyed, and it's where most of the interesting things happened. We got a few very interesting plot twists that were really cleverly thought out, and I gasped at some of the discoveries. Paige's chapters, in particular, stood out, portraying her as a more compelling and dynamic character throughout the novel.

Also, this books discusses a lot of different issues and readers should look up trigger warnings, etc. There's some explicit content, which is sometimes explicitly mentioned or implied: cheating, drug addiction, domestic abuse, child abuse, mental health issues, mental illness, substance abuse, etc.

The audiobook experience was enhanced by Rachel Handshaw's commendable voice work, expertly distinguishing between the characters and using different voices for each one. I thought, however, that some parts were a little slow, and I had to listen to them at 1.5x speed (both in terms of narration and plot progression).

In summary, "The Perfect Affair" proved to be an engaging read, and I was able to complete it in just two days. While I was hesitant at first, the story greatly improved as it progressed, becoming more interesting as you learned more about the characters and their lives.

Special thanks to Angela Henry, Dreamscape Select, Storm Publishing, and NetGalley for providing this compelling ARC in exchange for an honest review. I eagerly anticipate exploring more of Angela Henry's work in the future.

This book was really good. There were parts that were easy to figure out but also parts that kept you guessing and wondering what the heck was going on. There were quite a few twists in the story and sometimes it felt like the author was trying a little TOO hard to make it shocking. There was revelation after revelation which was interesting but felt unnecessary. Overall a great, thrilling book.

Pub Date: 15 Jan 2024

Professor Aaron Nichols has it all—a wife and two beautiful children, a new promotion at work, and a secret mistress on the side. When his mistress Cara goes missing, he’s seen as guilty before he has a chance to defend himself. But everybody in his life has been keeping secrets, including him, and it’s harder to prove his innocence when he’s being blocked at every turn.

The Perfect Affair by Angela Henry, narrated by Rachel Handshaw, is a mystery thriller that has some real twists. The POVs include Aaron, his wife Paige, and one of the offices on his case who is convinced of his guilt.

Honestly this was so twisty and fun. Aaron was a big, infuriating dummy throughout it all, but I did enjoy following his story. I loved how we slowly got to know Paige more throughout as we saw her POV and her past come out.

Some may complain there were a few too many twists, but they kept me on my toes. I called some of them which is always fun to do, but I wasn’t able to get them all. I’d recommend to those who love twisty thrillers and mysteries.

Thank you to Dreamscape Select, Storm Publishing, and NetGalley for the audio ARC!

I like “showbiz” stories and I did appreciate the author’s clear knowledge of spec scripts and general screenwriting. Is it possible to write an entire fully finished script in one night? Not something I personally can do but who knows.

It did seem like the story went a lot of different directions— the beginning focuses on a completely different tone than the end and the “twist” comes out of absolutely nowhere. I would give it a 3.5 because it was an enjoyable read but truly all over the place.

The Perfect Affair kept me hooked from the beginning! I loved that I thought I had it figured out several times, only to be taken along for another twist. The Perfect Affair is proof that no such thing exists. When Aaron is appointed interim chair he’s stressed and feeling disconnected from his wife Paige. Cara, a new professor, seems to always be there and is so understanding of Aaron’s new complicated role that their relationship quickly turns more personal than professional. When Cara goes missing, all signs point to Aaron. I enjoyed the multiple viewpoints and timelines, which I think helped develop the various layers in this story. The audiobook was a fantastic listen and I think any readers that are fans of mystery/thrillers will find The Perfect Affair a delight.

A sincere thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4⭐️

I love the book cover, it’s eye catching.

I had the audiobook narrated by Rachel Handshaw who does a good job with the voices and atmosphere. I think she added to the overall enjoyment of the book for me.

A mystery thriller, we are introduced with the prologue. Terri finds more than she’s expected when she wins the bid for the contents of a storage locker giving the reader a tease of what to expect.

Then the story reverts to introducing us to the main players.
Aaron works at a college gaining the prestigious position of faculty department chair. When his wife Paige attends a faculty social event she realises immediately that he is having an affair with colleague Cara. But then Cara makes an accusation that threatens to bring Aaron down.

It’s an easy enjoyable listen, there’s so much going on, it’s got a decent pace throughout, so many reveals twists and turns it will make your head spin. Some felt a bit convenient, others a bit out of left field. You had to concentrate to keep track of everyone involved and their motivations.
Its always entertaining which is what I want from a book.
I couldn’t say that the characters are very likeable, but I ended up feeling sorry for Aaron.

What tangled webs we weave. This book was a hard read for me. It really kept my attention in some spots and I was really bored in others.

Obviously this book is about an affair and both parties in it drove me crazy! The husband had a good thing at home and needed to get his head out of his behind. While his side piece was on anther level with her obsessed tendencies. I truly believe it was a hard read for me in part, because of how much I detested these two home-wreckers( I mean characters).

The husband is a professor whose affair turns his whole family’s life upside down and on display, when his mistress goes missing. There were so many plots and characters at play in this story. It was hard for me to keep it all together at times, however I LOVED the ending.

I adored the wife in this book and how independent she was. She was going to do whatever she needed to do for her family! She wasn’t the one, she didn’t play, she ate and left no crumbs 😂. So if you like a fierce woman this might be for you.

l've had a streak of disappointing thrillers lately, and The
Perfect Affair unfortunately fits right in. We Meet Aaron and Paige, a college
professor and a nurse, who are struggling in their marriage after
infidelity. Then the mistress goes missing. There were enough
characters and subplots in this one for multiple novels, and
jamming them all into one left me reeling and confused. It was
just too much. But each subplot had such potential--they were
great ideas, and each could have been the basis for their own
novels. Had Henry focused on fewer storylines, this would have
been a bigger hit for me. This was an audioversion, and I
enjoyed the narrator.

I gotta say, that was a pretty darn good thriller! Really had me on the edge of my seat as new things kept getting revealed. I couldn't even believe the main characters claiming to be innocent. Have to admit, the middle part was a bit far-fetched, but it didn't bother me as much.

Plus, it would be better to have a male narrator, rather than both points of view being read by a woman.

Overall, I highly recommend y'all give this one a try!

I loved this one more than I even expected to! It kept me guessing the entire time. There is a LOT going on. It’s about a woman whose husband has an affair and then his mistress tries to destroy their lives. There are sooooo many plotspins! Definitely recommend!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC! I love thrillers and this one did not disappoint. I was really into it at first. But somethings did start to turn me off. I feel like the timeline and the multiple POVs got too confusing. Between Aaron, Paige, Cara and the detectives POV I got too confused. It started turning into a mess for me. The twist did disappoint me as I was expecting something a little better. The cliff hangers at the end of each chapter are what kept me going and intrigued with the story.

Thank you, Angela Henry, Netgalley, & Dreamscape Select/Storm Publishing for the ARC. This book was an easy thriller read. I enjoyed this book a lot. I have never read a book from this author and Angela did not disappoint. The middle dragged on a bit but the ending was great!

I read a lot of domestic thrillers, and sometimes I find them with the same outline and different names of character types. The Perfect Affair was not one of those same olds/same olds. The book revolves around a married professor who is named Dept. Head. Everybody loved Aaron until he received his promotion. His peers ice him hot while Cara, a professor, turns on the heat. They have an affair, and Aaron breaks up with Cara to save his marriage. Then Cara disappears, and the police step in. This book kept me guessing and I loved every minute of it. The narrator was great!

The Perfect Affair
Angela Henry
This is the tale of a married couple and his infidelity. Aaron was a well thought of professor. He was unhappy with his home life or perhaps that was just an excuse. His wife, Paige, was a nurse but quit her job and was studying another career avenue. He met Cara, a female professor, younger, pretty, flirty, and looking for romance. Paige saw the couple together and surmised they were having an affair. She didn’t want to break up her family; she demanded Aaron end the affair. However, Cara had other ideas. She made an accusation against Aaron, then she disappeared. The police suspect Aaron of doing something to Cara. They begin investigating his and Cara’s relationship.
This tale had great potential but fell short in several points.
Too many people, too many points of view.
The writing was fragmented and confusing at times.

I listened to the audiobook and while the narrator’s voice was fine, I wish she had differentiated between characters a lot more. The storyline was intriguing and I loved the different POVs with the time jumps. All of the characters were realistic and Aaron’s self righteous attitude throughout the entire book was so infuriating!

An interesting story told chapter by chapter than and now from different POV’s. Lots of twists and turns along the way. Aaron has an affair and it comes to light after the affair partner goes missing. An investigation ensues and it is filled with a lot of not terribly likable people doing lots of awful things for terrible reasons. Well crafted, but hard to say I loved it as I didn’t find any of the characters had any redeemable qualities. The narration was terrific.