Holy monkey, it is rare that something surprises me or actually gives me a twist, this book, though absolutely did that things you thought were predictable or not, what you think you have figured out is wrong, and everything you think you know can easily change. This book is written in a transcript format that alters between the main character, Kirsty who is also a midwife and near the end of her pregnancy. She has a loving spouse named Dougie and a neighbor and friends that she is very close too. Then suddenly she sees a man from her past who claims he isn’t. The man that she knows he is, her neighbor disappears, she seen things that nobody believes, and even her spouse wants to believe it’s something else. Will she be able to solve the mystery of the missing neighbor? Will kirsty figure out why her former boyfriend is pretending his is someone else? Will she make it to her delivery date alive?

I would absolutely recommend this book to a friend. It was intriguing, kept me listening, the narrators voice was quite soothing and she did a good job at different voices for the characters. One twist….im not sure why it was in there. Although it was interesting and surprising…it just seems so random and tossed in there. But give it a go! Thanks #Netgalley #theperfectboyfriend

I received the audio version of The Perfect Boyfriend from Netgalley in return for my honest opinion. The narrator, Tamsin Kennard is excellent, she does male voices and accents particularly well but i feel that she is used too many times to narrate similar genres and I personally find that quite confusing as when she's using her normal voice it brings back characters from other books I've listened to, but as I said that's a 'me' problem.
I found the story very slow going, especially at the beginning. Lynes has a wonderful way with words especially in a descriptive form but sometimes I feel she spends too much time telling us what someone is wearing for instance, in an over detailed way. I also found it very frustrating that Kirsty's theories and fears were dismissed by so many people and so she lacked action.
It was an interesting story that just about held my interest but it was also very convoluted, how many identities can one person have? There were a number of twists and turns, most of which the reader would never expect but the ending topped them all. Not a page turner as such but it was an interesting listen.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me this audiobook as an arc. This is the first book I have read by this. Untie and I will probably be reading more. This book was filled with twists and turns and at the end when you finally think you have it another twist you never see coming is thrown in . I think the narrator did a good job. Took a bit to get into the book but once the plot started to pick up I liked it.
Older people are dying and they are not sure why. Then someone from her past resurfaced but is it really him or is it just someone who looks like him . It keeps you guessing and the back story really makes you secure in the path and then the whole floor collapses.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this audiobook, the narrator did a great job in keeping my attention and the story is full of twists and turns with a shocking ending.
Highly recommended.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture audio for letting me review this audiobook.

I listened to this audio and thought the narrator did such a great job. I love how she did all the various dialects and voices. Even though it was just one narrator I could clearly tell when a different character was speaking. I would definitely recommend listening to this one if you want to check out this book.
For the story, I thought this was very entertaining. I had no idea where it would go. I found it interesting how with everything happening it was hard for everyone around Kirsty to even believe the things she was saying. I liked how we eventually learned all about Hughie and his past.
It was a slow start and I’m not sure why each chapter began with a transcript number. Besides that, I enjoyed the audiobook. I can honestly say I didn’t see the ending coming.
Thank you for the ALC 🖤

I really enjoyed The Perfect Boyfriend! It was a fast-paced, gripping read with plenty of twists and turns that kept me hooked. The story is told from the main character’s POV, which worked really well in building suspense and pulling everything together. The characters were strong and engaging, making it easy to stay invested. Yes, the plot was definitely far-fetched at times, but that only added to the fun. If you love thrillers that keep you guessing, this one is worth a read!

This one really had me in the first half but lost me towards the end. I was really interested in how this would pan out but didn't fully love the explanation and found it a bit convoluted. I did enjoy the main character and her relationships but thought those were cut off pretty quickly as well. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was great as an audiobook with a likeable main character who the author successfully portrayed. Good drama and suspense with a few unexpected twists at the end. Well worth a listen or read.

I thought this book was gonna be a real page-turner. It's about a lady named Kirsty. Years after school, she sees her old crush, Hughie. But get this, he acts like he's never seen her before! Like, totally doesn't know who she is. Back in the day, Hughie was practically family to Kirsty. Then, poof, he vanished. No goodbye, nothing. So, when he shows up again, you'd think she'd get answers, right? It felt like it should be a mystery, but it just wasn't exciting.

I got a free copy of this book from the publisher, but this is my honest opinion.

I liked the narrator's voice. I liked the ideas behind the book.

Due to my own personal life circumstances and trauma, certain events in this novel were triggering and I did not continue reading.

The story is very gripping and wow the ending is a big surprise. I thoroughly recommend this book, another thrilling read by this talented author

The book kept me on my toes the whole time.

The wholebook gave major chills. It was fast paced, well written and the narration was on point.

I am a tad biased because S.E Lynes is one of my go to authors for psychological thrillers but they have never disappointed me and I have high expectations!

If you love books that will have you all up in knots, grab this one today

4 stars

Kirsty, a pregnant midwife, is about to have her first baby. It’s the end of a hard shift and Kirsty thinks she sees a ghost from her past but this man doesn’t appear to know her. Can it really be the boy who cruelly walked out of her life leaving just a note or are the pregnancy hormones making Kirsty lose her mind.

The idea of the transcripts initially seemed a little odd but I liked the idea of jumping from perspectives and that helped follow the flow of the story, I think it would have gone down better for me though if it was put as diary entries.

In typical psychological thriller style there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing and I was guessing right up until the end, I did not see it coming.
I really enjoyed this story and found that the narration by Tamsin Kennard really drew me in and enhanced the images in my mind.

I would most definitely recommend this audio book to any psychological thriller fan.

This book was a typical psychological thriller. There were lots of creepy moments with Hughie and he's such creep. It did not quite keep my interest.

#netgalley #ThePerfectBoyfriend

Thank you for the ARC copy to Netgally
I am almost done with this book. So far has been really interesting

The premise for this sounded so good and I was hoping to be enthralled immediately. It is the story of Kirsty who, many years after high school, bumps into her old boyfriend Hughie, who does not recognise her and insists she is mistaken. During high school, Hughie was an extended part of Kirsty’s family, so his disappearance from their lives, with no explanation or warning, was devastating for Kirsty and her parents. His reappearance after many years opens many questions that have remained unanswered for Kirsty. This could be a suspense novel, but definitely not a thriller.

I received an AC from Bookouture through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Kirsty, midwife, pregnant with her first child, finishing a long hard shift in the hospital encounters a ghost from her past, her sixth form boyfriend - 'the perfect boyfriend' of the book's title. Yet at an early point we learn he was far from perfect, dumping her without excuse and running off into the distance. And is this really her ex-boyfriend?

This was a long audio book. Whilst I definitely enjoyed it, there were some elements of repetition for me that irked me a little. So much time spent to-ing and fro-ing about whether or not Kirsty had really seen her ex, Hughie. So much time exploring whether her mind is unravelling or whether there really are clues that all should be seeing and not just Kirsty. Some of this didn't work for me. The book's layout - split into transcripts by KS and transcripts by HS - was also a little odd. At what point was KS supposed to be recording these transcripts? She was talking as if it was in the moment but then why would there be interspersed transcripts from HS also? Why would he be recording transcripts at all? It did all tie together in the end - and I am glad for that - but I also found far too many of the characters a little annoying or unlikeable. Overall, for me it's just a 3.5 rounded down to a 3

Unexpectedly encountering someone who brutally abandoned you when you were a vulnerable teenager many years ago is bad enough, but when he appears not to recognise you and claims that he is not who you think he is, it is far worse.

This is the premise of Lynes' new novel which delivers bountiful dividends on its promise of suspense and intrigue.

With a plot that gets progressively more complicated and increasingly compelling, the loose ends are, eventually, neatly tied up and this is undoubtedly this writer's best work so far. An easy 3. 5 stars, the only element I did not like was the final relationship twist at the end which felt a little unnecessary but was not problematic as such. Well worth a read for thriller aficionados!

I received an Audio ARC in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio!

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Writing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narrator(s): ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tropes, etc: Mistaken Identity, Going Crazy or Being Gaslit, Missing Person
POV: Dual, 1st Person. Transcripts.
Cliffhanger?: No

Brief Summary: Years after he left her high and dry, Kirsty sees her ex-boyfriend Hughie walking through the hospital where she works. When she approaches him, he tells her he’s never met her and she sees a different name on his badge, but she’s sure it’s him. When her neighbor disappears, Kirsty suspects Hughie had something to do with it.

The Praise: This was a fun read. It was very twisty and kept me guessing. And the most shocking twist for me wasn’t even the main one!

The Critique: A thing I dislike about this genre in general is how quickly spouses are willing to write off the main character’s concerns, implying that they’re not all there mentally. In Kirsty’s case, it was implied that her pregnancy hormones were driving her to see things and become paranoid. I know this is often essential to the story’s progression but it just bugs me because why don’t any of these people trust their partners?!

Final Thoughts: This was interesting and had some surprising twists! It will definitely keep you guessing and make you want to reread to see which clues you missed.

This is the first book by S E Lynes and Im so glad I did! I really liked the synopsis and the premise of the whole story and S E Lynes delivered, The storyline was told on 2 POV's. This duel POV in first person which worked very well in building the characters and the plot line. This book starts out slowly and soon gathers pace throughout the book. Each character is well defined, different in their strengths and easy to follow. I love the foreshadowing and even if you do work out the finale, the twists are good and believable.

I will be picking up more books by S E Lynes in the future. Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for this eArc.
This book ws also narrated by Narrated by Tamsin Kennard who, as always, brings books into another dimension with her voice.

4.5 stars , 4 stars for other review sites .