This was an enjoyable, well-rounded read. I found the characters relatable and likable, barring Lily, who I could not warm to.

While I found Avril and Sandy pleasant, I'm not sure I would want to befriend Lily, I think the author could have softened her brittle and shallow edges a bit. Although I suppose with that husband of hers, you can't blame her. Actually... no. Scrap that. Her excuses were thin and ultimately destructive, these two ridiculous people were parents, after all. Anyway, who am I to judge? I suppose to each his own, sometimes people have a strange idea of what a good trade-off is.

On that topic, I do feel that we never got to know Poppy, which is a pity. I'm not sure why this is, I think it was a bit of an omission on the author's part, especially considering later events. I liked Bethany very much, she was relatable, and I think very indicative of your typical misunderstood teen, and one who in many ways had more common sense than some of the adults. (Which made Lily's behaviour even more abhorrent. If I were Avril I don't think I would have spoken to her again, not in a hurry).

I also liked Sandy and Clare, I think they added a bit of level-headedness to the inhabitants of Westford Park. Well, Clare more than Sandy for sure. But even that aspect is an insight into what it must be like to live with the memory of abuse. Awful, simply awful. The ending seemed a teeny bit rushed to me. I enjoyed the twist(s) in the tail, but I do think there were a few loose ends that needed more attention.

But don't let any of that put you off, it was a quick and easy read, enough to make me investigate Natasha Boydell's previous books, some of which sound quite appealing.

3 and a half stars rounded down.

With its gorgeous residences, security, pool, and boat house, Westford Park seemed to have all one could ask for in a neighborhood. Up until someone went missing and everyone's secrets were made public, everyone felt safe. Was it really as safe as it appeared?
Three families who lived in the idyllic Westford Park neighborhood were the subject of The Perfect Home. You nearly felt as though you could move there and take up residence as the fourth neighbor alongside Avriel and Stuart, Lila and Eric, Sandy and Clare, and all of their kids. It was that realistic. But it was like a cross between Criminal Minds, Desperate Housewives, and The Stepford Wives!
I read this book in two days because I found it to be so engaging throughout and found the conclusion shocking—you never know who to trust. Without a doubt, I suggest this one!

Ooh these were such an amazing bunch of characters, all of them seemed so intense! The thought processes they had were so entertaining.

I love books that sweep you in with the perfect location and lifestyle and then turn you upside down with twists and be unable to hold back your suspicions, if you have similar tastes, this needs adding to your TBR.

I loved how the book demonstrates the difference in relationships between the mothers and how protective they are of there ‘own’ this is such a cleverly written book and I’m excited to read more by the author.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW.

Review for 'The Perfect Home' by Natasha Boydell

Well done Natasha on an absolutely tension packed and page turning thriller!!!

AN ABSOLUTELY UNPUTDOWNABLE, TENSION FILLED AND SUSPENSEFUL BOOK THAT WILL KEEP YOU UP LATE AT NIGHT UNTIL YOU TURN THE LAST PAGE!!

Wow!!! This book is fantastically written and had me hook, line and sinker from beginning to end. The descriptions were so in depth and vivid that the hair on my arms was standing on the ends and my heart was pounding throughout. The synopsis, title and cover were perfect for the storyline.

A HUGE success by the extremely talented Natasha Boydell!! This may be the first book I have read by this incredible author but it most certainly will not be the last! I absolutely loved this unique page turning explosive page turner. I was absolutely absorbed throughout this suspense filled thriller that is filled with tension, drama, family, suspense, secrets, paranoia, community and omg the ending!!! I DID NOT see the twists coming at all!!! Just when I think everything had been worked out and things were settling down BOOM came shocking ending!! A MASSIVE CONGRATULATIONS Natasha!! It is getting harder and harder to shock me but by God you did that over and over and over!!! One of the most gripping unputdownable psychological books I have read this year!!! You have one hell of a talent and I cannot wait to get hold of your previous and future books. I cannot remember the last time I was so hooked by a book but you managed that big time!!! I loved that the book is told from different perspectives and each of their stories/chapters were perfectly weaved together to show us everything that is going on and how each of the characters are thinking and feeling throughout. The storyline is filled with shocks, suspense, tension, deceit, and everything you could ask for in a gripping thriller!!. There was so much going on and it kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. It was one of those books that I was either reading it or thinking about the plot and itching to pick the book back up again as I just HAD to know what was going to happen next and at the end! Natasha's fantastic evocative descriptions ensures you are completely absorbed into the storyline with the characters coming to life all around you! This book is absolutely addictive and I read it in one sitting. It kept me on the edge of my seat, biting my nails with my heart absolutely pounding throughout especially at the end! I really am looking forward to the next book by this extremely talented author. A gripping, all consuming addictive page turner!!!

Clear your schedule before you start as I read this in one sitting as I could not put it down!! Absolutely hooked!! I would absolutely love to see this turned into a movie!!!!

The characters were all strong and realistic and thanks to Natasha's absolutely fantastic writing skills they all come to life when you are turning the pages. The storyline surrounds three main female characters called Lily, Sandy and Avril who are all mothers who become friends, as do their children Poppy, Bethany and Mick. Natasha clearly cares about her characters, even though I was not a huge fan of them but Ill come to that shortly, and she really brings them to life with her in depth descriptions and fantastic characterisation. Each of the characters are multi-layered with strong personalities. As I previously mentioned I was not actually a fan of them and this normally ends with me struggling with the book as I usually like to connect with the characters but in this case it didn't actually make a difference as I was completely invested in the storyline from beginning to end! Thanks to Natasha's fantastic writing skills she has managed to put extremely unlikeable characters in such a fantastic storyline that you can't help but be addicted to the book regardless of how you feel!!! I will stop here as I will give too much away if I say anymore and I really don't want to spoil it for future readers so I wont say anything else and let other readers make their own minds up about how they feel about the characters.. Regardless of whether you love or hate the characters they all worked perfectly together to make this an addictive and gripping storyline!!

Overall an absolutely fantastic, unputdownable and addictive page turning thriller!!

#ThePerfectHome #NatashaBoydell #BoldwoodBooks #BoldwoodBloggers #BookAndTonic #BoldBookClub #RachelsRandomResources #rararesources

@NatashaBoydell @BoldwoodBooks @BoldwoodBloggers @BoldBookClub @BookAndTonic @RachelsRandomResources @rararesources

https://m.facebook.com/Bookworm1986/?ref=bookmarks

https://m.facebook.com/Bookwork86/?__tn__=%2As-R

https://www.instagram.com/bookwormwhitlock86/

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/34299953-kirsty-bookworm86

https://mobile.twitter.com/kcmw86

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/profile/amzn1.account.AFZ2XZBSFHIHXBXGZLBQ666XVK4A?ie=UTF8&ref_=ya_mb_l_prf

Having never read a book by Boydell before I was excited to get started on The Perfect Home.

It did lack a little on the thrill side for me, but this didn't distract from my enjoyment of the book.

Boydell created some great characters in Avril, Lily and Sandy, they were brilliantly written and there was so much more to their characters than met the eye.

It's a fast paced domestic thriller that has twist upon twist to hold your intrigue. Narrated from various POV, it allows us to venture into the darkness of the women's pasts. We start to unravel their secrets and lies, leading us to the big reveal at the end, which I didn't see coming at all.

An easy, enjoyable read that I wouldn't hesitate in recommending.

A great read. I enjoyed it as I did with previous books from this author. A fast paced thrilling read that keeps you hooked from the first page.

I do love a good psychological triller and the premise for this one was intriguing. A teenage girl goes missing from the posh Westford Park housing estate in July 2024.
After a newspaper article reporting on the disappearance, we go back to 2023, where families are moving into Westford Park. They are all looking for a new start for their own reasons.
The main families are -
Avril Jones (a part-time teacher) and her family - husband Stuart, son Tom (12) and daughter Bethany (15).
Sandy Delahaye (an artist), her son Micky (16), her wife Clare and their daughter Isla (4).
Lily Sanderson (a housewife) and her husband Eric and daughter Poppy (15).
The story draws you in straight away. You want to know what happened to the missing girl and what are all the secrets the residents of Westford Park hold. As you get to meet the characters, there is something a bit dark about each family. They are paranoid and overreact to things. What has happened in their pasts, for them to feel this way?
Westford Park seems idyllic with its clubhouse, swimming pool and gorgeous houses. It looks like the kind of place most of us would dream of living. Yet the continual dark undercurrent throughout the story means we always look out for bad things coming up. It’s an unnerving book to read – in a good way – as you are always waiting for things to change, a threat to appear…
Avril, Sandy and Lily become friends as do their teenage children Poppy, Bethany and Micky. Things seem to be going well for everyone. But there are threats and secrets coming out and a constant undercurrent of paranoia. Can their friendships hold up, when the cracks appear?
A really good read that I enjoyed from start to finish.

Thank you Netgalley, Boldwood Books and Natasha Boydell for the eArc of The Perfect Home.

Ive read several of Natasha's books and I have enjoyed all of them so far. This one is no exception. The premise of the book surrounds a new gated estate and 3 families that has moved within a few weeks of each other., Each POV is from the mother of each family. All 3 very different lifestyles and personalities but manage to strike up a friendship, and so do their kids. This leads into a twisty, medium paced thriller when one of the teens go missing. Someone is holding a secret, and other got expelled from their previous school because of a rumour.

The first 1/2 of the book is quick a slow burn. You get a really good idea of what both the teen and adults are like, the life and personalities. You see the friendships getting stronger and then the threads fray once doubt starts to set in after one of them goes missing.. The second half picks up pace, being more plot driven and even though the ending isn't a slap in the face, it makes for a very real and relatable ending.

3.75 stars rounded to 4

I honestly think this was my first novel by this author. It was definetly a treat. This book got 5 stars from the very first few pages! I enjoyed this book a whole lot! This should be a must read for all thriller lovers!

An enjoyable read. It took me a while to get my head around three different families and who belonged to who, in terms of spouse and kids though!

The three families have moved into a luxury development with security and a community feel (think Stepford Wives), but they all have backstories and secrets, that come out with twisty consequences and some of the twists were fabulous! I totally related to the fears of the mothers, Avril, Lily and Sandy, when it came to their teenagers - I've been there - and their loyalty to their own children created a slightly sinister tension in the women's otherwise close friendship.

The pace was great and the ending was pretty explosive!

3 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Natasha Boydell and Boldwood for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I first discovered Natasha and her superb books when I was invited to read and review 'The Fortune Teller' in April 2024. Since then I have been rather impatiently waiting for her second book to be released. Well ladies and gents the wait is over because Natasha's new book is here! Her new book is called 'The Perfect Home' and it was released on 21st June 2024. I thought that her previous book was good but for me, 'The Perfect Home' was even better! I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'The Perfect Home' but more about that in a bit.

I have to be honest and say that I wasn't keen on any of the characters but that's not such a bad thing because at least it meant that I didn't favour one character over the other. I didn't warm to any of them because I got the impression that they were all rather two faced and that the side of their personality that they presented in public was different to the side that they were presenting at home. In that sense, they were a bit like Jekyll and Hyde. I also got the impression that each of the main characters were keeping something hidden and that they would do anything to keep it that way. Maybe that's just my suspicious nature and I have read too much crime fiction where I believe nobody and suspect everybody.

It's no word of a lie when I say that I was drawn into the story from the very first word on the very first page. From then on it was almost as if the book had developed a hold over me and it was a hold that I wasn't going to break. I found it nigh on impossible to put the book down for any length of time. My Kindle was well travelled that day because it went everywhere with me. I couldn't bear to miss a single second of the story. Besides I had developed my own theories as to what was going to happen so of course I had to keep reading to see if I was on the right track or if I had wandered off in the opposite direction. This was one of those books that proved to be rather addictive in the sense that the story stayed with me whether I had the book in my hand or not - if I wasn't reading the book, then I was thinking about it. If I had to put the book down for any length of time then I would immediately look forward to being able to pick the book up again. I was so wrapped up in the story and in the lives of the characters themselves that I didn't realise just how quickly the time was passing and how quickly I was getting through the book. All too quickly I reached the end of 'The Perfect Home'. I found 'The Perfect Home' to be a gripping, tense and dramatic psychological thriller that certainly kept me guessing.

'The Perfect Home' is extremely well written and then some. Natasha certainly knows how to grab the reader's attention and draw them into what proved to be one hell of a story. For me, 'The Perfect Home' was more of a slow burn type of story and as the story continued, the pace of the action gathered momentum. Natasha certainly cares about her characters and this shines through in the very vivid and realistic was in which she describes them. She describes them so well that they seem just as real as you and I. Natasha's characters also have several different layers to their personalities. Reading 'The Perfect Home' felt like being on an at times rather scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride with several twists and turns along the way. I love the way in which the author makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story and at the heart of the action. That's how I felt anyway.

In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'The Perfect Home' and I would recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Natasha's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

Three families move into the prestigious new development at Westford Park. This new housing estate with its high level security, lively club house, pretty boating lake and secluded woodland offers a new start for all of them as each family is hiding secrets which, if exposed, could ruin everything. Gradually, the ladies, Lily, Avril and Sandy form a close knit bond whilst at the same time their teenage children, Poppy, Bethany and Micky become firm friends. All should be well in this paradise but soon cracks start to appear and when one of the teenagers goes missing tempers start to flare, with disturbing consequences.

I’ve really enjoyed reading this domestic thriller, which looks at the dynamics of a small group of people who each have something to hide. There is much to discover, lots of loose ends which need tying up and more than enough teenage angst to make you ponder just what is going to happen next. The characters are well thought out, some of them I liked more than others but collectively they gel together well, making each of their stories entirely plausible.

The Perfect Home is a great example of showing that despite outside appearances seemingly perfect there are often secrets bubbling under the surface thus making the perfect home something of an enigma. I read the book in one sitting and can well imagine this as an ideal story to take on holiday to read poolside, or when you have an easy afternoon planned in the garden, as once started you won’t be able to stop until the story is told.

It’s a gated community, surely you’re safe there, but are you? This novel focuses on three families as they move to the exclusivist Westford Park development. Pricy homes, with a swimming pool, boating lake and country club on site. They quickly make friends but it appears that each family has its own secrets and they may soon be exposed. This is a gripping thriller that drew me in from the start. It’s pacy and progresses at speed with a few twists to keep you guessing. Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and the author for the chance to review.

A wonderful psychological thriller, fast paced, brimming with suspense and mystery. All is not what is seems in the perfect neighbourhood. Three families become fast friends all bringing their own demons with them. The ending was unexpected, but very cleverly executed. A very good book.

I loved that this book was a tame, domestic thriller. I enjoyed on it switched between the 3 main characters. There were a few red herrings that were a little obvious

Today it is my turn on the blog tour for The Perfect Home by Natasha Boydell

📚 Book Review 📚

The Perfect Home by Natasha Boydell

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Until the girl went missing, we thought it was the perfect place to live… When we move into the exclusive Westford Park housing estate, we feel safe at last. More like a country club, it has everything we might need – beautiful houses with big gardens, a pool, a boating lake, extensive grounds. It’s also got 24/7 security.

Our new neighbours are lovely too. We start to make friendships that feel like they could last a lifetime.

It feels like nothing could possibly go wrong here.

It’s like our secrets haven’t followed us here.

Or that’s what we think at first…

My Opinion

The Perfect Home is an interesting psychological thriller, that was easy to read. Westford Park has been sold as the ideal place to live but it soon becomes clear that not everything is as it seems. Natasha Boydell drip feeds the reader information to just add to the suspense. For me The Perfect Home did get off to a slow start but it was definitely worth the wait.

Rating 4/5

I received an E-ARC with a request for my honest review.

This tense crime thriller is set in a new exclusive housing estate called Westford Park, and follows three women who have recently moved in with their families.

The women soon begin a new friendship and start to disclose secrets from their past which have led to them moving to Westford Park.

Westford Park is meant to be a safe place to bring up families, however when a teenager is found to be missing, it results in apprehension and tension arises between the women’s friendship as they try to find her.

What secrets are the women hiding? Will the missing teenager be found?

This crime thriller is tense throughout with the pasts of some of the women causing them to be on edge even though they have moved for a fresh start.

The friendship built between the women was lovely to see, as they wouldn’t be likely to become friends in different circumstances. The same with their children, as they all have their normal teenage insecurities and secrets they are working through.

There are a few light moments too as the women get to know each other and start to have a laugh with each other.

Overall, a tense crime thriller, where a teenager goes missing in new estate meant to be an exclusive and safe place for families.

3.5 stars rounded up. This is an interesting psychological thriller. It is well written and easy to read. For me, it started interesting but didn’t completely pull me in at first. However, I did hit a point where I wanted to know what happened and didn’t stop reading.

There are quite a few characters and they are mostly well developed. I think we could have learned more about the teenagers since they do play a large role in the unfolding of the story.

Though I found the story engaging and there were definitely twists I didn’t see coming I do not think this book fully delivers as a thriller. I’m not sure I would classify it as such. It was much more character driven than plot driven I think. I found it interesting to see how the many different relationships grew and sometimes fell apart as the story progressed.

Overall, The Perfect Home is a quick, engaging read with some thought provoking elements for discussion. It would make a very good book club pick.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A new neighborhood sells the dream of being absolutely safe and secure.
Lily, Sandy, and Averil become close as do their kids: Poppy, Bethany, and Mick.
Boydell does a good job of slowly revealing the paranoia and secrets of all of them.
Some are insipid and some are egregious.
Personally, I thought all the characters were not very Likable, especially Poppy. Her stunt toward the end was reprehensible.
A place is what you make of it. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t.

Three families have moved into an upscale neighborhood, each hoping for a fresh start.
Sandy is Mickey’s mom and was able to free them from her abusive ex before meeting and marrying Clare. The two used a donor to have Isla together. But Sandy is always looking over her shoulder, wondering when and where her ex will pop up again.
Lily likes to think her marriage to Eric is one that all her friends envy. But their daughter Poppy knows that outside appearances can be faked.
Avril is anxious to move forward, with her husband Stuart and their son Tom, after being ostracized due to their daughter Bethany being expelled for an apparent bullying incident.
The new upscale neighborhood is advertised as safe and the perfect place to raise a family which is what drew each family in. But when bad things start to happen, each believes it’s their past coming for them. As the women get to know one another better, they also wonder how trustworthy their neighbors really are.
This was a suspenseful and fun read! I always enjoy a story that takes place in neighborhoods where the dirty laundry of the residents is aired. If you enjoy thrillers and other books from Natasha Boydell, you won’t want to miss this four star read!