This was incredible, super gripping and had me on the edge of my kindle!

Paul plans to take his wife away for the weekend to their Lake House for the best Day Ever. They have been together for 10 years, have 2 boys and seemingly live a very charmed life. He is the very unreliable voice in this book and has an over inflated opinion of his self and his charm.

Albeit older, there are clear nuances in the dialogue from Mia that are laying subtle changes in her view and opinion. For Mia was a successful copywriter, who hasn’t worked since she had the boys. She is smart, beautiful, confident and sharp and whilst she has been more anxious of late, he hasn’t seen these more assertive nuances for what they are.

The problem is that Paul doesn’t really feel much in the way of emotions. He has learnt to mimic normal people’s responses. He considers he is excellent at pre-empting and anticipating the responses he needs. He enjoys the challenge of this. Essentially he demonstrates psychopathic tendencies.

He makes himself sound likeable and clever, but his controlling ways and lack of tolerance soon show. The Best Day ever quickly goes into decline as Paul objects to Mia’s intent to return to work. They plan an evening meal. Both have different intentions for the night ahead and so the scenes play out.

Suffice to say, despite his charm Paul’s arrogance permeates and he is not a particular likeable character. You read this story wanting him to get his comeuppance. There is a nice twist in his and Mia’s plans that becomes evident. Most of it is thoroughly enjoyable, the specifics not overtly predictable. The only disappointment was the storyline about the whereabouts of the boys. Without introducing spoilers Paul’s view and thoughts were totally unrealistic and I struggled to ignore what for me was a glaring faux par. Everything else knitted together well. The story had an engaging and enjoyable tempo

It was supposed to be the best day ever - in his eyes anyway. The book unfolds and as it does you realise things are not quite what they seem and what should be a romantic break is not at all.

I had to keep reading to find out how it would turn up - would good win and all that - but found it quite uncomfortable reading. I did enjoy it though and thought the writing was very clever.

A great book where nothing is at it seems at first. The events unfold over the course of one day and are told by Paul, a successful rich businessman and a perfect family man. I like stories told by unreliable narrators and Paul is a great one. A quick, easy and enjoyable read.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Brilliant. I still have shivers running down my spine. This book pulled me in from the start. Paul's character is written brilliantly. Paul is the narrator for most of the book and it is only as the story comes together piece by piece that we are able to see the world how other people see it. This book is very cleverly written. Different aspects of Paul's character are told piece by piece. His manipulative and controlling ways and his affect on Mia makes this book a really good read.

Best Day Ever was a great psychological thriller that I loved. A great twist that I did not see coming.
It was sinister from the first few pages and this continued throughout.
Have a read I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

Paul Strom is whisking his wife Mia away for a romantic getaway, the kids have been left at home, he's planned a romantic dinner, even a playlist for the drive down. All he wants in life is to support his family and have a happy home. And to have the best day ever with his wife. He's sound a real catch doesn't he? Well as the book progresses, narrated by him, you soon realise it would be more desirable to catch herpes. Despite his declarations little slips of information soon make you realise this is a dangerous man, who has hidden in suburbia as the perfect family man. But now the façade has begun to slip and this is the story of how his best day ever pans out...his idea of the best day is not your average day at the lake!

This is a pacy and edgy thriller that kept me entertained throughout. There's no big surprises, just the gradual unveiling of a truly despicable creature. This felt very much like the beginning of a story rather than a standalone. The character of Paul is compelling enough to make you want to read more (even though you hate him). He made me think of a coarser Trumpesque middle American version of Tom Ripley. The author has created a great character here, I hope we get to read more about him.

This book was a brilliant and eerie representation of what lies behind the American dream.

Paul Strom is an arrogant narcissist, Mia Strom his downtrodden and underestimated wife. The characters felt extremely real and I was reading faster and faster in anticipation of what came next.

It isn’t always easy to read, at times my anger against Paul as a woman made me want to reach into the pages and slap him! In the end though, rooting for Mia kept me going. There were a few twists and turns, and I enjoyed seeing the same scenarios but from different perspectives. A gripping read.

I was kindly sent a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

While this wasn't the novel for me -- I found the narrator cold and unpleasant -- the story is well-crafted and the main characters flawed and disturbing. A decent domestic thriller, but not one that clicked on a personal level. Dedicated fans of the genre will probably enjoy.

Well what a deceiving book title this is. I couldn't put it down and read it quicker than I've read a book in a while and I'm a slow reader!

The whole book takes place over a day, and is extremely well written, with so much content packed into it.

It is written from the perspective of Businessman, Husband and Father, Paul Strom. Well what an arrogant, self-centered, egotistical man he is. There are some great chauvinistic comments, like when talking about women saying they should "Look good, take care of the kids" and referring to his wife saying "At home these days, I am king of our castle and my queen needs to fall back in line". I really disliked him. But how well written his character was!


There are some great lines written in this book from Paul's' perspective and they actually make you laugh in places. I kept wondering if I knew anyone like this or even if someone like this actually existed. If they do then I'm glad they're not in my life! It makes you think a lot when you're reading it, about what some women may well go through in real life. In parts it's some underlying form of domestic abuse.

There are a lot of twists and turns in this book, and when I read the synopsis that this was a psychological thriller, I couldn't understand after reading the first 100 pages or so of the book, where the thriller part was going to come in to the story. I soon realised that the author was teasing us and very cleverly leading us into a real roller-coaster ride.

This book has such a twist at the end, so without saying anymore and giving any spoilers, you'll just have to read it and find out for yourself!

I look forward to reading more from this author.

I’ve had my eye on this book for a while, so when the chance came to review it I grabbed it with both hands! Kaira is a new to me author who, after this book, will be a go to author from now on.

The book starts with Paul who I took an instant dislike too. He’s arrogant, moody and a little bit creepy….. ok, a lot bit creepy! Certain things he said and did would have had me running for the hills but that’s what had me gripped to this book. Set over a thrilling 24 hours there was enough tension you could cut it with a knife. It’s a dark, thrilling and gripping read, saying that the first few chapters did seem to go slow but once to story kicked it up a gear I was enthralled until I turned the very last page!

If you love a good page turner and thrillers are your kind of read then you must read Best Day Ever as soon as you can….. you won’t be disappointed!

Mia thinks I have a dark side.Paul Strom has got a beautiful house and two gorgeous boys. But Paul does not want to hear anymore . I think she would have known .

This his one of the best psychological thrillers I have read. The book is written in the first person and It was soon obvious that his is a very damaged soul. This story was expertly written and the tension twists and turns in unexpected ways.

I was hooked from start to end! Literally could not put this book down! Creepy in a fascinating way

This was a different style of thriller from the norm but had me hooked from the beginning to the end. And would definitely recommend this to other readers . Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to, review this book

An interesting beginning but very slow to get going. Having the narrative by the predator was interesting but he liked the sound of his own voice too much.

The story of Paul and Mia. Alpha mail Paul and doting wife Mia but Paul has secrets and he doesn't want Mia to be part of his life any more.
This book is an uncomfortable read.I hated paul,his smugness ,his description of women,his pompous attitude. Did I say I didn't like Paul?!
What a clever way to write a book. It is so well written that you actually hate the book from Pauls View point because you really believe the character of him.
This is a page turner. Suspense is rife and you take this roller coaster journey at your own peril.
I can't say any more without spoilers. Lots of twists,lots of turns and a fab ending. get reading.
Thanks Netgalley,the publisher and author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Really liked the premise for this - husband who wants to kill his wife, but decides to create the perfect day for them both as he builds up to it. Makes for what sounds like a chilling, calculating sociopathic leading man. Alas for me, it fell well short of the mark, for a few reasons.

Firstly, it was too easy to spot that Mia, his wife, wasn't quite as clueless as she was meant to seem, so a big absence of real tension. Secondly, a lot of the dialogue felt clunky and awkward, and forced, so didn't flow - read almost like a wooden soap opera script at times. Lastly, as we trundled through the final third, it was to predictable, the kids not being in the house, the fact that he'd killed before which was meant to come as a reveal, but actually had been easy to second guess. I get what the author was tilting at, but Paul was too much of a caricature than a character, and would struggle to recommend as a result.

Confession: I have a thing for creepy, narcissistic, psychotic men.

Books with an arrogant, psychopathic male narrator really seem to be my bag. American Psycho, A Pleasure and a Calling, and now this, have all been 5 star reads with terrifying and disturbing men at the centre of the story.

This book was nothing like I had expected it be, but for all the right reasons. I had seen a lot of reviews rating this poorly because they felt it was too slow, but for me, that made this book all the more sinister and menacing.

We follow Paul and Mia on their journey to their lovely country house. Paul is determined to make it the 'best day ever'. At the end of the day, he is murdering his wife, but in the meantime, he wants her last day alive to be pleasant and full of love. As the story progresses, we fall deeper and deeper into the narcisisstic mind set of Paul Strom. Successful businessman, and loving husband and father.

I loved how angry this book made me. When a book can conjure up such strong emotions in me, I know it's a good'un. Paul is such an arrogant, horrible man. His mental journey through the book gets darker, seedier and more pathetic with every turn of the page. It's gripping.

I can't fault the bulk of this book, it's one of the most skin crawlingly creepy books I've read in a long time. I can, however, fault the epilogue. To me it felt unnecessary and sort of ruined a certain aspect of the ending... (More info / spoilers on what I mean here will be on the GR review behind spoiler tags).

At the end of the day, this won't be for everyone. I personally love slow, descriptive novels where we step into the shoes of a madman and follow all his wild and disturbing thoughts, but they aren't for everyone! This is a 380 page book, set over 24 hours, so you can really get a feel for the pace of the novel from that. If you umming and arring over this one, personally, I'd say read it! Do it! But I won't be offended if you don't get on with it.

This book was fantastic. A perfectly paced, spine tingling horror-thriller. Fully recommended to any slow thriller lovers out there.

I came to this book without any background knowledge of preconceptions. The first person style isn't usually my bag but I quickly became intrigued as to where the characters were going. We are introduced to Paul and his younger beautiful wife, Mia. They are setting off on a long awaited chidfree weekend. To be honest I felt that the book was a bit of a slow burner but I didn't want to give up and I'm so pleased that I didn't and I became more and more drawn in to the relationship and how the story developed. Some interesting twists and turns but I don't want to give the plot away - I would not want to meet Paul to be honest but the characterisation was well drawn.