This is the first book I've read by this author, and based on the quality of this story, I’ll definitely be picking up more of their work. From start to finish, this was a fast-paced, suspenseful read that kept me hooked. I’m a huge fan of psychological thrillers, and this one absolutely delivered. The twists were unexpected and mind-blowing, and the story had me on the edge of my seat. I literally couldn’t put it down—it’s one of those books that keeps you up all night because you just have to know what happens next.

I loved the unique format of the book, told through recordings from a documentary about Kirsty and Hughie. It gave the story an interesting layer of depth, and I found myself really enjoying the “behind-the-scenes” vibe it added. The writing was so engaging, and the characters felt real and believable, which made the twists and turns even more gripping. Each twist was perfectly timed and took me by surprise, which is exactly what I look for in a psychological thriller.

The only minor issue I had was with the Scottish dialect and phrases. A few times, I was pulled out of the story when a character would say something I didn’t quite understand, but honestly, it’s a small thing. It didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book at all—it just made me pause for a moment to figure it out.

This was a fantastic read with great storytelling, plenty of suspense, and twists that will leave you thinking long after you finish. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good psychological thriller!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The new S.E. Lynes book starts out with a good mystery: a pregnant nurse sees her once boyfriend again for the first time in many years, since he ran away leaving a horrible note behind, but he pretends he is not that person. A whole story follows, as the nurse can't let go and has to dig in deeper to find out if that really is that boyfriend and why he reurned after so long. I thought the story was nice, but a little dragged on. I can't wait to read the next book!

I enjoy S.E. Lynes books, I have read a few, but I found this book slow and drawn out. Unfortunately I gave up in the end, I just couldn’t get interested.
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read it.

Loved it from start to finiish. When midwife Kirsty is leaving a shift she thinks she sees someone that used to be in her llife years back. When she confronts him he acts as though he doesn't know her. Was she wrong or is he lying. Also why is her friend starting to act strange. These are things she needs to find out and will soon wish that dshe had left well alone.
Brillinat storyline. Can't wanit to read more from this author.

Release: Jan 5, 2025
-SE Lynes
Publisher: Bookouture

Rating: 4/5 ★ 

From the very first chapter, the book draws you in with its compelling, suspenseful atmosphere. The premise immediately grabs your attention: it’s about a woman searching for the "perfect" partner, only to discover that things are never as ideal as they seem. The tension builds beautifully throughout the story, making it impossible to put down.
What really impressed me was how well the author develops the main characters. You’re never quite sure who to trust or how far anyone is willing to go for love. The psychological complexity of the characters keeps you on edge, and as the layers peel back, you realize there’s so much more to the story than what meets the eye. SE Lynes does a fantastic job of blurring the lines between love and obsession, showing just how dangerous our perceptions of relationships can be.
The plot is full of twists and turns, and just when you think you have it figured out, the story takes another unexpected direction. The pacing is spot-on, keeping you hooked from beginning to end. I found myself second-guessing everything, which made the final twist all the more satisfying.
If you're a fan of psychological thrillers or suspenseful love stories, The Perfect Boyfriend is definitely worth a read. It's not your typical romance; it’s dark, twisted, and impossible to predict. A thrilling page-turner that will leave you questioning what "perfect" really means.

Favorite Quote: 

"Love. It makes us do things we never thought we could. Makes us say things we never thought we would. It changes us, shapes us, for better or for worse. And sometimes, it blinds us."

The Perfect Boyfriend by S.E. Lynes is a deeply disturbing, dark and twisty read. The perfect domestic suspense, it has you going in one direction only to be wrenched the other way. The premise was top notch and had so many jaw dropping moments.

Pregnant Kirsty is leaving her nursing shift one night and spots someone from her past. Not sure she trusts her hormonal self she calls out his name. She is sure he pauses for a moment but he quickly keeps going. Not sure what to believe, she follows him. Biggest mistake EVER. From here the craziness begins, including the mysterious disappearance of her elderly neighbor, sightings of a red car she believes is following her, and murder.

Told through the POV'S of the two main characters, it alternates past and present to give the reader enough detail to comprehend the events that lead up to a what did I just read ending. I highly recommend this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the advanced copy

Kirsty is a midwife at the local hospital, and she is also 8 months pregnant. She has just finished her shift and is tired and weary. On her way home she, she can’t believe her eyes that Hughie her ex-boyfriend that disappeared without a trace Is right in front of her, only leaving a letter that her that he didn’t really love her. She approaches him but he tells her she must be mistake. That is name is Bryan Reynolds.
The things that follow meeting him messes with Kirsty’s head and her partner Dougie puts it down to be pregnant and tells her she needs to look after herself but with other incidents that happen after Kirsty is adamant that they are all linked to Hughie and as she investigates it all. She gets into all sorts of heaps of trouble.
This is another great, tense thriller from the author that keeps you on your toes throughout. I did feel that the messages between Kirsty and Barry (Hughie) where a bit long winded and not really needed for the gist of the story. But I enjoyed it, nevertheless. 4 stars from me.

I'm always excited to see a new S.E Lynes book on the horizon, you are always in for a thrilling read!

The Perfect Boyfriend certainly did not disappoint. Just when I thought I had the ending all figured out the twists started coming.

The writing, as always, seemed effortless and was so easy to get engrossed in. A definite page turner to be kept for a lazy day.

I think this is such an interesting premise. I enjoyed hearing Hughie’s story for the most part. However, this was almost a DNF for me around 40%. It was slow going, and by that point I felt like very few big events had actually happened. There were large chunks where Kirsty would review the same three or so events over and over again across MANY pages. Those few events did become important overall, but I didn’t feel like we needed constant review of them through Kirsty’s worrying. The reader gets the picture of Hughie for the most part from the very beginning also, which made it a little less of a mystery (although, as I said, I enjoyed hearing his side of the events at hand).
The twist (?) in the letter at the end didn’t add much to the plot overall and felt unnecessary. I also didn’t understand the reason behind the choice with Dougie. Why not let the reader in on that earlier? I couldn’t make sense of that.
My last comment (not a reason why I took stars away though, just something I felt important) is that I was unfamiliar with this author in advance, so I did not realize how Scottish the writing would be. As an American reader, I was definitely lost at some points. This is absolutely a “me” problem but I think it’s good for other American readers to know in advance!

This book had quite an interesting premise! Very unique, and I couldn’t wait to dive in.

A few things.
1. Kirsty and “Hughie” had way too long of dialogues. It was pages and pages and pages. Hughie’s were repetitive and Kirsty’s were manic.
2. It seemed quite far fetched

There were a few twists, nothing too shocking as you can see what’s going on early on. There was a random twist in there that didn’t seem to mean anything and felt odd and forced. They could have done much more with it than throw it in for shock factor.

All in all, not bad, and kept me wanting to read.

This author is one of my go tos, I really like her books. Always full of twists and surprises, she knows how to write a good thriller! I did find the main character Kirsty a bit annoying, she kept putting herself in risky situations without giving much thought to the possible consequences.
This was very cleverly written, I certainly didn't figure out what was going on before the big reveal - definitely a few surprises! The only thing that jarred with me was much of the dialogue being written in local dialect. I understood what it meant, I just find it unnecessary and a bit annoying. I feel the same with all books written like that, it's just a personal thing that I'm not keen on.
I really enjoyed this book and I would definitely recommend it along with all others written by this author.

This story takes place in Scotland where Kirsty Shaw is a midwife and only has a few days left to work before she has her first baby. While walking through the hospital, she spots an anesthetist who looks like an old boyfriend, Hughie Reynolds, from her past. When she calls out to him, he ignores her. She confronts him later and he tells her she has the wrong person. Lots of strange things happen in this book and there are some really good twists and surprises which makes this a good read overall. I did not like Kirsty at all because all she seemed to do was cry and I did not care for the writing when it was in the Scottish brogue. I found myself looking up words and trying to figure out what was being said. I love this author's books but this was not a favorite.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this very twisty book.

Midwife Kirsty is heavily pregnant herself when hm she is looking after a woman in labour when things start to go wrong. In the aftermath, her boss tells her to take a break and go and get some fresh air, but on her way back in to the hospital, she sees someone who disappeared from her life years ago. Or did she? And when her friends and family start to blame what she is seeing on her 'pregnancy brain' she is determined to prove them wrong.

Another cracking read with plenty of twists and turns, well worth a read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my combos this book.

Midwife Kirsty is heavily pregnant. She and partner Dougie are excited for the new arrival. Then, one day at with Kirsty spots her high school boyfriend, who had cruelly vanished without trace. He denies his identity, resulting in a spiralling set of events.

Told from the point of view of both Kirsty and ‘Barry’, each chapter is like a diary extract style. There’s flashbacks to the past as the back story is teased out. I was so completely invested in this book I couldn’t put it down. Twist after turn and nothing was as it seemed. Even after the big finale there’s more to reveal. This never stopped me guessing and I really enjoyed it!

This book had me hooked from the start to finish.
Through the pages we go on an emotional roller-coaster with midwife Kirsty.
Heavily pregnant Kirsty, believes she's spotted a ghost from her past; Hughie, whilst working in the hospital. No one believes her.
Incidents occur and she strongly believes that Hughie is behind it. How can she prove it? Her family and friends think her mind is playing tricks.
Who actually is Hughie?

The Perfect Boyfriend is an enjoyable domestic thriller, told from the points of view of Kirsty, a heavily pregnant midwife, and her ex-boyfriend, Hughie. There were some surprising twists, although I do have questions regarding them, particularly in relation to the suspension of belief required regarding one and wondering whether the other was really necessary for the plot. The Scottish vernacular is at times, difficult to read. Overall, I was invested enough to finish the book but it’s not my favourite of S.E Lynes’ titles. 3.5 stars.

Thank you to S.E. Lynes, Bookouture and Netgalley for my advance copy.

This was my second read from S. E. Lynes. It was a bit on the slow side and the twists were decent. Some were predictable, whereas others were entirely unpredictable.

We follow Kristy through ups and downs due to her past and present colliding. Truths will be bent and lies will be told.

Thank you to S. E. Lynes, NetGalley, and Bookouture for this ARC!

WOW WOW WOW! I absoluttely devoured this book!! I read this on a Sunday and came right back here on Monday to post! This was 5 huge starts and I can not wait to add this to my bookshelf! Be careful who you trust......be careful who you listen to....

𝒀𝒐𝒖, 𝑲𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒚 𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒘, 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚, 𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒖𝒙𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒓 𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒓 𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚. 𝑴𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒉, 𝒊𝒔 𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂 𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒎.

The premise of this book was solid, and the reviews were stellar, but it ended up just being ok with me. My biggest issue, through no fault of the author, was the vernacular. Most of the dialogue was just so far removed from what I'm used to that I had to really concentrate to decode what was being said.

Kirsty is heavily pregnant and is working her last few shifts as a midwife when she sees him in the hospital--the boy who broke her heart so many years ago. She calls his name, but he doesn't answer. When she approaches, he feigns puzzlement, but she knows it's him. Meanwhile, ominous things are happening in her neighborhood. An elderly neighbor goes missing, and there's an unfamiliar car that's begun appearing at odd times.

What unravels was definitely unhinged, but I just couldn't get invested in the story. I found the big twist to require much more of a suspension of disbelief than I usually give in thrillers. I kept reading to see how everything would play out. I've read other books by this author and have mixed reviews on many. I don't think this is the author for me, but there are many glowing reviews for all of her titles, so definitely give her a try if you're a lover of thrillers. This was 2.5 stars rounded up for me. Thank you to Bookouture for the early copy. At the time this review was written, this title was expected to publish on January 6, 2025.

The Perfect Boyfriend is a crazy wild read that keeps you guessing to the final page.

Kristy and Dougie are expecting their first child any day when Kristy sees a face from her past.

That face belongs to Hughie .

Hughie says he is not who she thinks he is. (Understatement)

Their story is unfolds with a dual pov and you want to tell Kristy just run for your life and leave the past alone.

Buckle up because it gets crazy: secrets, lies, murder, twists and turns that hit you rapidly.

The Perfect Boyfriend is a book you shouldn't miss.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the privilege of reading and reviewing this wild story.