The Book:
The Perfect Family by Robyn Harding, 2021
Published August 10th 2021 by Gallery Books
Date read: August 9, 2021
The Characters:
The Adler family: Thomas and Viv and their children Tarryn and Eli
Buy it on Bookshop.org | Amazon
The Plot (from Goodreads):
Thomas and Viv Adler are the envy of their neighbors: attractive, successful, with well-mannered children and a beautifully restored home.
Until one morning, when they wake up to find their porch has been pelted with eggs. It’s a prank, Thomas insists; the work of a few out-of-control kids. But when a smoke bomb is tossed on their front lawn, and their car’s tires are punctured, the family begins to worry. Surveillance cameras show nothing but grainy images of shadowy figures in hoodies. And the police dismiss the attacks, insisting they’re just the work of bored teenagers. Unable to identify the perpetrators, the Adlers are helpless as the assaults escalate into violence, and worse. And each new violation brings with it a growing fear. Because everyone in the Adler family is keeping a secret—not just from the outside world, but from each other. And secrets can be very dangerous….
This twisty, addictively page-turning suspense novel about a perfect family’s perfect façade will keep you turning pages until its explosive ending.
The Twist:
Tarryn’s friend Georgia was the one sending messages on the cam site, in order to scare Tarryn into quitting.
Viv had stolen $10k worth of pills from a teenage drug dealer. He had set the fire and slashed the tires.
Emma was the one blackmailing Thomas, since he treated her like crap at work.
Eli had hired Finn to do the minor vandalism on his parents’ house, but the kids took it too far. He was confronting them and telling them to stop when his mom shot him.
The Ending:
The family hadn’t been harassed in months, but then the house was egged again in the epilogue.
The Review:
Thank you to Gallery Books for this gifted copy.
This is my favorite book of Robyn Harding‘s so far. I’ve read Her Pretty Face and The Party, but not The Swap or The Arrangement (yet).
It’s evident from the start that every family member has a secret, but whose secrets are bad enough to warrant the attacks on the Adlers’ home? I really enjoyed the multiple POVs, since the reader gets to discover each person’s secret before the other characters. Everyone was convinced the pranks were their fault, and it was a lot of fun to untangle the lies and figure out who was really at fault. I was definitely committed, and the book flew by.
I do have to say that I was somewhat disappointed by the lack of resolution at the end.
Other than the ending seeming too good to be true, I really enjoyed this domestic thriller. I love books like this where multiple characters are at fault and blame themselves, without knowing what else the other characters are doing to add to the problem.
If you’ve read this author, which book of hers has been your favorite?
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