Fast paced, suspenseful and oh so good! I couldn't put this one down. Looking forward to more by the author. 5 stars!

Evelyn is a therapist and her architect husband, Paul are going to have a relaxing family vacation at the lake; but Evelyn soon learns that not everything can remain perfect.
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Admittedly, I lost the Kindle I was reading this on and just found it so this is such a belated review and I feel so bad. But while this novel starts slow, it creeps to a fever pitch speed and as the story unfolds it becomes one of the best Psychological thriller novels I’ve read in so long. Highly recommend this one; especially if you like this authors prior work!
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Disclaimer: This book was received for free as an Early Readers copy from Joffe Books, the thoughts on this book are completely my honest opinion. Thank you for the opportunity to read it. (even though I didn’t finish it in time, I’m still going to say it)

The main character, Emily, is a therapist who occasionally helps the police. One day fifteen years ago, the police brings her a little boy whose father is murdered. The boy could be a witness to what happened.
Fast forward fifteen years, and Emily’s daughter is bringing home her fiancé who just happens to remind Emily of that little boy from fifteen years ago..

Apart from the mystery of how many times I can say ‘fifteen years ago’ in one review, there’s of course the intriguing plot of whether Emily is right or not. Is the boy really back? Or is she being paranoid for some reason? Or if he’s back, why? Is it all a coincidence, or does he have a secret agenda, maybe revenge?

I loved this mystery aspect of the story. I also liked that we went back to when Emily first started seeing him, the details revealed to us through her therapy session notes and police reports. But for the rest of the book, I found it all a bit disjointed. I felt the story became all over the place after a while, and some details were complicated and some didn’t make sense in the end. I felt like the story kept building and building, and while the twists were surprising, there wasn’t a hint anywhere in the story, so much so that I felt cheated. And that made it all anticlimactic.

This was an enjoyable thriller, and the ride was sure mysterious and exciting.

Oooh!! One to inveigle you into the pages and keep you there.
Many years ago, Emily, a psychotherapist, treated an eight year old boy in conjunction with the police as he had seen his mother kill his father. Wind forward and Emily is expecting her daughter to arrive back from university with yet another boyfriend. The boyfriend looks just like Tom, the young boy, only Joni introduces him as Michael- her fiance. Emily racks her brains to try and remember any information that might tie in with what Michael is telling them- the trouble is that as he was very much a minor at the time the case notes were sealed. She is worried about her daughter as at the time something didn't quite ring true and when she makes a few calls things could be about to get even worse.
This is just the sort of book that I love. Pretty much an instant mystery from the beginning that as the pages turn although some parts are answered the mystery gets ever deeper and more complex and you cant see where it is going. I liked Emily- although very protective of her daughter she has an instinct for the truth and hence a radar for when things don’t sit right. A wonderful twist that I didn't see coming and a brilliantly thought out plot. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

This was so fun! Thrillers are still fairly new to me, so I don’t have a lot of experience with reading them, but I really enjoyed this! The premise was exciting. The characters were a little boring at times, but overall I enjoyed them.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

HER PERFECT SECRET by T.J. Brearton is a psychological thriller that you won't be able to put down! The story revolves around Emily, who works as a psychotherapist. Years ago, she helped a young boy, Tom, unlock his trauma-filled memories and put his father' s killer behind bars. Now, years ago, her daughter is bringing her boyfriend Michael to family dinner. But why does he look exactly like Tom? What is going on?

Here is a gripping excerpt from Chapter 1:

"For a moment, I can't move. Locked on his eyes, it strikes me again that Tom's were the exact color. But how can I really remember that? It doesn't seem to matter, because I'm suddenly thrust back fifteen years, flicking through photos of a violent and bloody crime scene. The man on the floor of the kitchen, his head beaten in, a shining pool of dark blood surrounding him."

Overall, HER PERFECT SECRET is a fast-paced psychological thriller with plenty of twists. One highlight of this book is how many thrills and twists there were. There were a few reveals that I wasn't expecting at all. Also, there was plenty of tension and excitement to keep me interested. I did take off 1 star, because the book felt overly long to me, especially near the end. I'm not sure the final plot developments were necessary. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of thrillers in general, you can check out this book, which is available now.

I really liked this book was a first from this author and it won't be the last.... Thanks Netgalley for and ARC of this book

This was a super fast paced book with so much suspense. It was filled with so many twists and turns, and so many moments I did not see coming. I was speechless at times! I was super captivated my this story and it hooked me from the beginning. I can’t wait to read more from this author as it was such a fun and suspenseful thriller!

Honestly, I struggled to find anything I liked about this one. The premise sounded fantastic, but unfortunately, the novel missed the mark on almost every factor for me.

This was a slower read for me. I think maybe it was the sheer number of flashbacks - not my favorite thing.

There was some suspense to the story, however I don't think I met a character I liked. It was a little hard for me to feel invested in any of them.

There were definitely a few surprises and I'm pleased to say that I didn't see exactly where it was going.

An okay read. I'd try the author again.

A fast-paced and twisty thriller that hooked me from the beginning and kept me engrossed all the way through. A secret from the past placed the heroine in an impossible position. Loved it!

This was a really good book! I wanted to know what would happen and had a hard time putting it down. I would definitely recommend this book!

Emily is a clinical psychologist and she is spending a few days at her lakeside holiday home with her husband Paul. Their daughter Joni, who is coming to visit from university, arrives with a new boyfriend Michael and announces that they are engaged. Emily is shocked a she is sure that he is the boy she knew as Tom and treated him 15 years earlier after he had witnessed the killing of his father. His evidence led his mother to plead guilty and be sent to prison for his murder. But why has he changed his name and history? Emily’s suspicions go into overdrive and she is determined to solve the mystery. How did he meet Joni and was it a coincidence. His mother is due to be released on parole and Emily realises that her and Joni could be in danger after discovering all the lies, secrets and deceit. This was a gripping read, full of twists and turns. A highly recommended read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Joffe books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is a really well-written psycho-thriller, such a suspenseful atmosphere page-turner from T.J. Brearton.

Emily's daughter brings home a fiancé, who Emily gets a strange feeling about. She soon realised that he looks like a grown-up version of a child she once was a therapist for who witnessed his father's brutal murder, he is adamant he isn't the same person but instinct tells Emily otherwise.

Although slightly unbelievable in parts, the twists and shocking turns in this book were incredibly thought out. Including an audible gasp at one point.

Emily is a therapist who helped treat a young boy named Tom who witnessed his father’s murder 15 years ago. Present day, Emily believes that Tom, now an adult guised as Michael, is engaged to her daughter. Emily digs into her old case files trying to find clues to prove that Michael is actually Tom and in doing so, discovers some pieces of the puzzle that may not fit as well as initially thought. This book is so gripping that I couldnt have put it down even if I had wanted too, which coincidently I didnt want too. The story is so unpredictable and tense full of suspense and mystery, I loved it.

I enjoyed reading this book. It had a good story to it. I liked the variety of characters in it. It was a well written book. I hope to read more books by this author.

Hmmm, another story with an unreliable narrator. I’m sorry but this has been done way too many times and couldn’t capture my attention enough.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in return for an honest review.

Her Perfect Secret by TJ Brearton is a fast-paced psychological thriller that keeps you guessing until the end.

When Emily & Pauls daughter shows up with new fiancee Michael, Emily believes he is the young boy who witnessed a brutal murder and who she interviewed as a police consultant. So what is he doing here and is he who he says he is?

As I said earlier, this one kept me guessing until the end, but I found that I was getting a bit of whiplash between all the characters and their actions. Constantly changing my mind about who is in the right and who isn't was a little exhausting.

Although I enjoyed it, I would have preferred more of a build up of suspense rather than the suspicions jumping around through all characters.

This book was amazing! First time reading a book by this author and I look forward to reading more by them. I highly recommend this book!

Emily and her husband Paul relooking forward to spending a quiet week at their bakehouse in the Adirondacks with their adult children when their daughter, Joni, shows up with a young man she says is her new fiancé, saying his name is Michael Rand. however, Emily, a psychologist, swears he is someone else - a young man she treated 15 years ago after he watched his mother brutally murder his father. And his reappearance can't be a coincidence. So what does he want, and why is he back now, lying about his true identity?

First of all, this book takes place in Lake Placid, one of my favorite places, though I'm nowhere near bougie enough to own a lakehouse there. So it was really nice seeing the descriptions of the surroundings and atmosphere of Placid. If you're also a fan of the High Peaks, you will probably enjoy this one too.

On to the actual book itself, I enjoyed this one very much. It was interesting to think about ow to "pro" someone is someone who they say they're not. Alex goes about it in probably all the wrong ways, and that leads to some very tense and suspenseful events, which make for good reading. Unraveling the mystery in this one was really great - and there were some intense twists and turns that lead up to the end.

I didn't guess the ending myself, I have to say, though I could see how the author laid the clues. Hindsight is 20/20, after all. I really enjoyed how the author pulled together all the strings and plot lines to create an ending that really hit. It was perfect.

Overall, this was a great thriller from start to finish, perfect for a long weekend getaway, when you need your own "week at the lake"!