Kirsty is just finishing up her day working as a midwife. She is 35 weeks pregnant herself and is ready to head home and rest. On her way out the door, she sees someone from her past and calls his name, but he claims his name is Barry and continues walking away from her. But Kirsty would know Hughie anywhere, he was her high school love after all. But she hadn't seen him since he suddenly disappeared when she was 18 years old. In the following days, Kirsty can't stop thinking about Hughie and why he would claim to be someone else, her neighbor and friend goes missing, and Kirsty feels like someone is following her, trying to do her harm.

This book was fast paced and full of twists, lies, and deceptions. The story is told from Kirsty and Hughie's POV. There was one reveal towards the end of the book that I was expecting more from, and I thought I knew where it was going, but it went nowhere. Just a like twist thrown in later with no purpose that it was not revealed sooner. Everything else was finished up nicely.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ALC for review. Expected publisction date is January 6, 2025.

What did I just listen to?? 😳🎧 I have whiplash from all the twists!

Finishing her shift at the hospital, pregnant midwife Kirsty sees her ex-boyfriend, Hughie - the same ex-boyfriend who ghosted her in college and left her devastated. Except, this man claims to be someone named Barry who has never seen Kirsty before. And that’s just the beginning …. Kirsty is left questioning her sanity and determined to figure out what is going on.

You’ll be questioning your own sanity, too, as you read this book! I was fully invested in Kirsty’s journey for the truth as she tries to figure out why Hughie is saying he isn’t Hughie and why he’s returned home. As she tries to sort this out, a series of strange events happen and while Kirsty is convinced they are all related, no one else around her is. Are all these events tied together or has Kirsty watched one too many true crime documentaries?

The audiobook’s narrator is absolutely fantastic! The book feels more like a conversation with Kirsty and really pulls you in. She did a superb job!

If you want to go on a wild ride, grab “The Perfect Boyfriend!”

Thank you netgalley, bookouture, and Bookouture Audio for my advance copy!

A twisty drama perfect for fans of messy relationships, Girl on the Train-style distrust of your narrator (but minus the substances), and 2nd chance romance-- erm, no, I meant murder.

Premise - Many years after she's ghosted by her high school boyfriend, Hughie, Kirsty is happily married, pregnant, and working in medicine. But then a new doctor joins the team - and despite a different name and his staunch denials, she's convinced it's Hughie, all grown up. But why would he come back if he doesn't want to be recognized? And is he behind the disappearance of her elderly best friend?

This is a gripping, twisty tale full of drama. Hughie is absolutely hate-able (in a way that didn't make reading his perspective any less fun) and Kirsty is a character I could root for. She's neurotic, sure, and maybe a little obsessive, but in a way that makes you wonder if maybe she's the bad guy... and isn't that fun? I loved being drip-fed the truths until the final shocking reveal. So fun!

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Tamsin Kennard. She's incredibly talented and I'll always jump on an audiobook if it's narrated by her! This was as good as her others and she did a brilliant job with both Kirsty and Hughie, as well as all the minor characters. I'd definitely recommend going with the audiobook for this story!

Thanks, NetGalley and Bookouture Audio, for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for this audioarc.
This is a psychological thriller about Midwife Kirsty who comes across a man from her past, her former boyfriend who disappeared years ago without a trace so she goes to him and talks to him but he has no idea who she is, or so we think that. This is dual POV from Kirsty and former boyfriend Hugh. Kirsty will do whatever it takes to reveal the identity of Hugh. Soon, secrets unravel and stuff gets pretty interesting. It didn't grasp me too much but I think that's because I was in reading slump. I didn't really like the narrator and I wanted more twists through the story. Not the best I've read but I enjoyed it and if this is your thing I would still recommend.

S.E. Lynes delivers a gripping psychological thriller in The Perfect Boyfriend, a story filled with suspense, twists, and a chilling exploration of obsession and deception. From the very beginning, readers sense that something is deeply off, but the full scope of the danger unfolds gradually, keeping the tension high and the pages turning.

The story takes a dark turn as bodies begin to pile up and an old boyfriend unexpectedly reappears. But is it really him, or is something more sinister at play? Refusing to accept his explanations at face value, the protagonist embarks on an intense investigation, uncovering secrets that push her—and the reader—to the edge of reason.

Lynes skillfully builds suspense, layering intrigue and psychological complexity with each chapter. The pacing is impeccable, and the revelations are both shocking and satisfying. For fans of psychological thrillers, The Perfect Boyfriend is a must-read—a haunting and masterfully constructed tale that will leave readers questioning what they thought they knew.

When I see S.E. Lynes on a cover, I'm going to read it, so when Netgalley listed this one, it was a no brainer. The Perfect Boyfriend on audio was the roller coaster ride I didn't know I needed.

Main character, pregnant midwife Kirsty is living her best life when, out of nowhere, she encounters a man she knows is a former boyfriend who disappeared years earlier. The past/present storyline, the mystery of is he or isn't he, our experience that pregnant main characters in thrillers usually are having hormone brains making the reader question everything......I was there for all of it.

I will not say more because the beauty of this one was going in cold and being gobsmacked at the end.....that is a gift I now pass to you.

Highly recommend on audio as Tamsin Kennard is a pro at telling the story with her voice.

This book releases January 6, 2025 and should go on the tbr right now.