A prominent family with many dark secrets....... when a couple agree to a suicide pact, one of them survives....... flo,jess and ezra their 3 children are left to plan their funerals, but only 1 body was found.. lots of gossip going around the village about jackson their father..... what?? He did have a thing for underage girls..... He was very cruel to Ezra and Jess, but never to flo, but why?????
When clearing out their family home, they receive a call to inform them Ezra had been in a car accident and didnt make it..... Ezra and Amber had just broken the news they were getting married,, her mother had tried to tell them they couldnt, but why does ambers mom know something they all dont????? Can Jess and Flo find the answers to all the secrets that are hidden in Amlett house??
This for me, was definitely a page turner. It was eerie!!! Vut kept me guessing, i liked the way the author writes separate chapters for the different characters. Highly recommend

The opening chapter is OMG so compelling. I was hooked immediately. I love the different perspectives on their parents and the house.
I love books that make me think about what I would do in situations. Scary noise outside? Oh well. I am not going out there. Someone calling from a dead person's cell phone number? Oh well? I am not answering.
Someone looking in the windows? I guess I am closing the blinds.
I love how absolutely panicked the sisters were.
The overall theme with the smell had me so freaked out I was not able to think about my own life for a while. I am not sure that's a proper escape from stress, but it is indeed an escape.
This was absolutely mad and I loved it.

I’d like to thank Boldwood Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Perfect Parents’ written by J A Baker in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Jackson and Lydia Hemsworth appear to be the perfect parents to Florence, Jessica and Ezra who are shocked to learn of a joint suicide pact when Jackson and Lydia throw themselves off Newport Bridge into the fast-flowing river. Jackson’s body is found but Lydia’s is still missing, presumed to have been swept out further into the sea. Following their father’s funeral, Flo, Jess and Ezra start the process of clearing Armett House and are surprised that their neighbours are showing hostility towards them.

‘The Perfect Parents’ tells of a family and what goes on behind closed doors. The plot is well thought-out and the chilling undercurrents coupled with intrigue and twists and turns turn this into a tense psychological thriller. The story is told through the eyes of the parents with input from their children and it becomes more tense as the drama unfolds. Despite guessing earlier on what was going to happen, it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of this novel and there were enough surprises along the way to keep my interest.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I really enjoyed it.

Lydia & Jackson Hemsworth live in a big fancy property, Armett House and they are the parents of Flo, Ezra and Jess, who are all grown up and left home.
The parents throw themselves off of a bridge in a suicide pact. They have a funeral for their father but the mother’s body has not been found. Lots of dark secrets and lies come to the surface and the locals are very hostile towards Flo, Ezra and Jess. What really went on at Armett House?

A great story which was a bit of a slow burn, but the pace got up as the story started unfolding. There were a few twists along the way and I found myself gripped to the story in places desperate to find out more.

Thank you to NetGalley for my early review copy.

I’m not sure how Baker does it but she does it again with The Perfect Parents.
A well written and clever story that had me glued to my Kindle.
J A Baker has once again created great characters that suck you into their lives and story. The twists in this book caught me by surprise. An absolutely unputdownable, addictive page-turner.

Thank You NetGalley and Boldwood Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

3 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books!

The beginning of this book was really interesting and kept me hooked but unfortunately it crashed and burned half way through. I got really bored because everything was happening and nothing was happening all at the same time.

I feel this book could have been a lot shorter and then would have been a page turner. Love the ending . All and all not a bad read.

When the story starts a couple is on a windy rainy bridge getting ready to jump off the next thing we know we’re being introduced to the children at the memorial Florence, Jessica and Ezra. the fathers body was found but not the mothers. The family held a certain status in the community but it seems after their memorial all bets were off. Armett House is a big and rambling ancestrial home until the mother passes or declared dead they really cannot do anything with it it will be left to the three children. As Florence and Jessica try to muster up enough courage to tie up loose ends it seems everyone in the village wants to come and tell them exactly how they felt about their parents and mainly their dad. This started at the memorial when certain people could not hold back from spouting diggs and Florences direction but when someone did it to Jessica she slapped her the only problem is this woman has a missing daughter and most people in town think her dad is responsible. All three kids loved their mom and only Florence had any affection for her father because she was treated with kindness and sympathy while he would beat Jessica and Ezra and tell them what a mistake they were but when Florence finds a diary from her mother she starts to wonder if her mother even loved her. There’s a lot happening in this book because if they thought their dad was horrible they haven’t seen anything yet and they will also learn their mother wasn’t as innocent as she pretended to be. There’s way more to the sport then this brief or not so brief summary are usually love every JA baker book I can get my hands on she has such a great twist and although I found this story lacking a little I still found it engaging, I just think the problem was it was interesting and I kept reading it but didn’t realize I had been waiting so long for something to happen that never happened I did like the end but again usually her endings are satisfying in this one was not so much I know some people will love this book as Miss Baker is a phenomenal author whose books I never pass up and this one was pretty good it just wasn’t my favorite. I still recommend it because there is a lot to love in this thriller/mystery I want to thank Boldwood Books and NetGalley for my free arc copy. Please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

3.5 stars
This is more of a family drama than a psychological thriller, but is still a good read.
The book begins with Lydia and Jackson throwing themselves off a bridge into the depths of the river below.
Their three children, Florence, Jessica and Ezra are heartbroken at the loss of their mother but are relieved in some ways that their father is gone.
They agree to sort out their parents things together but they discover a few secrets that have been buried over the years.
There’s more shocks in store for the family and they wonder how they will get through this.
Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Family drama and secrets abound, but I just couldn’t connect with any of the characters. At times it felt like there was too much happening, which made it difficult to get a real grasp on the characters. The storyline was a bit too unbelievable for me!

They look like the perfect family to everyone but inside the house it's a different story. Behind closed doors Jackson Hemsworth controls his family his marriage is a sham and his children are afraid of him. A brilliant read!

This is the first book I’ve read by this author, so I was looking forward to getting stuck in.

Jackson and Lydia Hemsworth live in a country residence called Armett House. They have three adult children; Florence, Jessica, and Ezra.

One day, Jackson and Lydia throw themselves off a bridge in an apparent suicide pact, and as their children look into the reason for this act, they start to uncover more and more dark secrets.

Well-written, this kept me gripped apart from the glaringly obvious error relating to the family’s relationships (which I won’t elaborate on due to potential spoilers), and this suggests a lack of thorough research in this particular field. Even though it’s a subject with which I’m very familiar, I think other readers are quite likely to spot it as well. This was very disappointing, but I still finished the book and enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

I dis enjoy the premise of this story, but this book unfortunately fell flat for me. The characters felt one dimensional and plot was far fetched. The writing was a bit dry and I honestly struggled to finish this book. Sadly, this is a 2.5/5⭐️ for me.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Boldeood Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts! .

The story is unique and interesting, the plot moves at a good steady pace, and the characters are fully developed. This author consistently produces unique plotlines and interesting stories.

I enjoyed this book but I had guessed a few of the secrets along the way.

I will look out for more books by this author

Thanks to netgalley for this arc

4 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

Ezra, Jess and Flo have the perfect parents. A large mansion/house and are successful adults in their own right. Then their parents jump off a bridge in a joint suicide pact. Nothing is the same and secrets are spilled.

This was a great storyline. Constantly twisting and turning as all the secrets are revealed. There was a section in the middle of the book that I found hard to get through. No new reveals and just Jess and Flo wallowing in grief-maybe that’s more a reflection of my own tiredness though. I persevere and it picked right back up in pace. The final chapter almost an after thought with a huge reveal.

Recommended.

The first J.A. Baker book for me. While I enjoyed the story I guessed almost immediately what had happened. The writing was good enough to keep me interested enough to finish the book though.
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This one fell flat for me. While the beginning was great, it slowly went downhill after that. I didn't feel the full emotion that I usually feel from books, especially given the content of this. It became dull mid-way through, and the ending, while a little surprising, didn't improve this. The plot overall was a great idea. The execution, however, just did not work for me. Two and a half stars.

Thank you, Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.

The Perfect Parents by J.A. Baker is a fast-paced read that virtually propelled me through the pages.

The Hemsworth parents have presumably thrown themselves off of a bridge to their deaths in an apparent suicide pact. Jackson had always ruled his family with an iron fist, and this seems to be a final way to exert control over his wife Lydia. Left behind to come to terms with the event are their children, Ezra, Jessica and Flo, but as they convene at their imposing childhood home, they must confront a past that had a further reach than any of them could ever have imagined.

While I enjoyed the pacing of this narrative, I felt that the multiple POVs prevented me from ever fully engaging with any of the characters, and for this reason they became slightly less empathetic. Nonetheless, this is a solid read that I had difficulty putting down once started.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

I've read a couple of other books by this author that I enjoyed, but I didn't enjoy this one quite as much. It wasn't as gripping as I had expected, and I was confused about some details that I can't explain without being a spoiler. It wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't my favorite. It was interesting enough to keep reading to find out how it ended, it just wasn't what I had expected.

Wow. This book will make you hug your parents and thank them for all they have done! Lydia and Jackson go to the river together to commit suicide. We won't know for a long time why they did what they did as the novel then focusses on their children: Flo, Jessica, and Ezra. It's a wonderfully convoluted and dark story about flawed characters and how they attempt to live with themselves and others, all while keeping secrets from their loved ones and lying to anyone who questions strange events. Go in blind and be ready to gasp your way through this delicious "meal" as you have NO clue about what it takes to be a "perfect" parent!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!