Her Perfect Secret

Her Perfect Secret

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-12-19 21:21:04
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：T.J. Brearton
  • ISBN：B09L1PZG98
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Summary

A gripping psychological thriller from the bestselling author of Gone。

It’s him。

Tom。 The boy whose mother I helped put in prison for life。

I recognize the sharp nose and flare to the nostrils。 His thick eyebrows and defined cheekbones。 But mostly it’s the eyes。 Sea green。

But my daughter， Joni， keeps calling him Michael。 And they’re here at the lake house telling us they’re getting married。

It can’t be him。 But even if it is， what can I say？ Suddenly I’m thrust back fifteen years， looking through photos of a violent and bloody crime scene。

I can’t be sure。

We haven’t been the perfect family。 Joni went through a rebellious phase。 Her dad had an affair。 But we got through it together。 I will do anything to protect us， to protect the life we’ve fought for。

Anything。

A gripping psychological thriller ready to be devoured by fans of K。L。 Slater， Teresa Driscoll， Lisa Jewell， Natalie Barelli， Shalini Boland， Alex Michaelides and Susanna Beard。

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Reviews

Lynda ，

This is a really well written psychological thriller and my first read by this author。 Whilst a bit of a slow burner it soon grabs your attention and never lets you go。 I really enjoyed this book and will certainly read this author again。 Briefly， Emily appears to have the perfect life with her husband Paul， son Sean and daughter Joni。 However when Joni turns up at their holiday home one day with Michael， and announces they are engaged， Emily is concerned。 She thinks Michael is actually Tom who This is a really well written psychological thriller and my first read by this author。 Whilst a bit of a slow burner it soon grabs your attention and never lets you go。 I really enjoyed this book and will certainly read this author again。 Briefly， Emily appears to have the perfect life with her husband Paul， son Sean and daughter Joni。 However when Joni turns up at their holiday home one day with Michael， and announces they are engaged， Emily is concerned。 She thinks Michael is actually Tom who was an 8 year old boy when she helped put away his mother for murder。 She cannot rid herself of this feeling so starts investigating。 She asks questions of the original investigation and very quickly learns that Tom’s mother is due for release from prison。 Can Emily get to the bottom of this mystery？As the case progresses we are drip fed information about both the original case and about Emily’s family and all is not as it seems。 This will have you on tenterhooks。 Twists and turns and heart-stopping reveals。 Ultimately all comes together in a very clever and shocking finale。 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 。。。more

J'Naia ，

2。5/5This is by no means a bad book。 But it's not great either。 My main problem was our MC。 The main character， though she had some good qualities， wasn't that great to me。 She was uninteresting and even in her best moments she felt like she was a unprofessional and overall boring person who happened to be caught up in the otherwise very interesting plot of this story。 Another thing is I didn't feel like I was reading about a person I felt like I was reading about a character （which technically 2。5/5This is by no means a bad book。 But it's not great either。 My main problem was our MC。 The main character， though she had some good qualities， wasn't that great to me。 She was uninteresting and even in her best moments she felt like she was a unprofessional and overall boring person who happened to be caught up in the otherwise very interesting plot of this story。 Another thing is I didn't feel like I was reading about a person I felt like I was reading about a character （which technically I was but that's not the point）。 It brought me out the story tons of times and that is the biggest downfall of this story。 I think if overall the character was better and I was more immersed this could've been more of a 4/5 star book but it is what it is 。。。more

Veronika Jordan ，

This is a book full of secrets， suspense and unexpected twists from one of my favourite authors。 It’s so good you’ll gasp out loud at some of the goings on。It may be called Her Perfect Secret but they are far from the perfect family。 Is Emily an unreliable narrator？ I wasn’t sure。 She certainly knows more than she’s letting on。 And what about husband Paul， who had an affair， although she insists they’ve worked their way through it – together。Then we have Tom， “I recognise the sharp nose and flar This is a book full of secrets， suspense and unexpected twists from one of my favourite authors。 It’s so good you’ll gasp out loud at some of the goings on。It may be called Her Perfect Secret but they are far from the perfect family。 Is Emily an unreliable narrator？ I wasn’t sure。 She certainly knows more than she’s letting on。 And what about husband Paul， who had an affair， although she insists they’ve worked their way through it – together。Then we have Tom， “I recognise the sharp nose and flare to the nostrils。 His thick eyebrows and defined cheekbones。 But mostly it’s the eyes。 Sea green，” but daughter Joni keeps calling him Michael and tells mum and dad that they are engaged to be married。 So is Michael really Tom， the damaged boy who Emily treated 15 years ago after the violent murder of his father by his own mother。 And if he is， then how did he meet Joni？ Was it a coincidence？ There are no coincidences in good thrillers -and this is far too sophisticated a thriller to resort to that old trick。 So did Michael/Tom plan it and could his mother be behind it？ I had no idea， but in a good way。And if he is Tom then is Emily safe with him in the remote lake house knowing what she knows and is Joni safe with him？ But is he the real danger？ I was exhausted trying to work it all out！ What a rollercoaster！Many thanks to the author for allowing me to be the ‘first brave’ reader （his own words） and giving my honest opinion along the way。 My review is totally unbiased。 4。5 stars。 。。。more

Jen ，

This was an interesting read with a lot of stuff happening， but it was rather long and I felt like some of the action just didn’t need to be there。 The story centers on Emily， whose daughter brings home a new fiancé who Emily （who is a psychologist） thinks she treated years ago when he was a child。 He had a different name and says he is not that person but she remains suspicious， as his testimony is what convicted his mother of a murder， and she is soon to be out of prison。 There is a vague cree This was an interesting read with a lot of stuff happening， but it was rather long and I felt like some of the action just didn’t need to be there。 The story centers on Emily， whose daughter brings home a new fiancé who Emily （who is a psychologist） thinks she treated years ago when he was a child。 He had a different name and says he is not that person but she remains suspicious， as his testimony is what convicted his mother of a murder， and she is soon to be out of prison。 There is a vague creepiness throughout the book when the characters interact， which I enjoyed。 There were some twists that I saw coming but a couple I didn’t see coming， and while the story was a bit over the top （no professional would act like Emily did with regards to her job！）， I was fascinated by how it all came together。 That being said， there was a lot of action that just didn’t need to be there， included 2 separate dramatic side stories which I honestly felt wouldn’t have altered the book at all if they just weren’t included; this aspect made me feel like the book was just trying too hard。 Overall， interesting read with some good surprises but is just a little “extra” in terms of both length and storylines。 Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Rekha Rao ，

4。5/5

Linda Strong ，

4。5 STARSIt should be a happy time 。。。 a time for celebration。 Joni comes home for a visit， bringing her brand new fiancee， Michael， with her。 This is a surprise to her parents 。。 especially her mother who is a psychotherapist。She recognizes him， only his name is not Michael。 It's Tom 。。。 the boy whose mother she helped put in prison for killing her husband。The sight of this young man sends her back 15 years， looking through photos of a brutal murder， and then working with the police to see what 4。5 STARSIt should be a happy time 。。。 a time for celebration。 Joni comes home for a visit， bringing her brand new fiancee， Michael， with her。 This is a surprise to her parents 。。 especially her mother who is a psychotherapist。She recognizes him， only his name is not Michael。 It's Tom 。。。 the boy whose mother she helped put in prison for killing her husband。The sight of this young man sends her back 15 years， looking through photos of a brutal murder， and then working with the police to see what then-8 year old Tom heard the night of the murder。。 or what he saw。This is a delicious psychological thriller， full of twists and turns leading to a nail-biting conclusion。 Narrated by the mother， present seeps into the past memories and back again。 Having read many of this author's books， I have found his character development to show these characters as human， vulnerable， and flawed 。。。 but they all work well together。 It kept me riveted to the pages from start to finish。 This is a real page turner 。。。 and I highly recommend for anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers。Many thanks to the author / Joffe Books / Books n All Promotions / Netgalley for the digital copy of this Psychological Thriller。 Read and reviewed voluntarily， opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own。 。。。more

Sue Wallace ，

Her perfect secret by T。J。 Brearton。THE PERFECT FIANCÉ OR A MURDERER’S SON？It’s him。 Tom。 I helped put his mom in prison for life。 She killed his father。I recognize the sharp nose and flare to the nostrils。 His thick eyebrows and defined cheekbones。 But mostly it’s the eyes。 Sea green。THE CONCERNED MOTHERBut my daughter， Joni， keeps calling him Michael。 And they’re here at the lake house telling us they’re getting married。SHE LOVES HIM。 BUT I KNOW HE’S LYING。It must be him。 But what do I say？ Su Her perfect secret by T。J。 Brearton。THE PERFECT FIANCÉ OR A MURDERER’S SON？It’s him。 Tom。 I helped put his mom in prison for life。 She killed his father。I recognize the sharp nose and flare to the nostrils。 His thick eyebrows and defined cheekbones。 But mostly it’s the eyes。 Sea green。THE CONCERNED MOTHERBut my daughter， Joni， keeps calling him Michael。 And they’re here at the lake house telling us they’re getting married。SHE LOVES HIM。 BUT I KNOW HE’S LYING。It must be him。 But what do I say？ Suddenly I’m thrust back fifteen years， looking through photos of a violent and bloody murder scene。I can’t be 100% sure。We haven’t been the perfect family。 But we got through it together。 I will do anything to protect us， to protect the life we’ve fought for。WHO DO YOU BELIEVE？A very good read。 Little slow but readable。 Likeable story and characters。 4*。 。。。more

Cindy （groundedinreads） ，

This was a super fast read filled with suspense！ 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。 3。5 stars rounded up

Hannah | Reading Under Covers ，

HER PERFECT SECRET by T。J。 Brearton reveals a woman unraveling when she thinks her daughter’s new fiance is the boy whose mother she helped lock away in prison 15 years ago…This is the first T。J。 Brearton book I’ve read and， I have to say， it was an enjoyable， wild ride！Not only was this book extremely fast-paced - I actually could not put it down - but it came in with those twists that made me lean into it that much more。 The time jumps， setting， and overall mystery kept me fully engaged。I did HER PERFECT SECRET by T。J。 Brearton reveals a woman unraveling when she thinks her daughter’s new fiance is the boy whose mother she helped lock away in prison 15 years ago…This is the first T。J。 Brearton book I’ve read and， I have to say， it was an enjoyable， wild ride！Not only was this book extremely fast-paced - I actually could not put it down - but it came in with those twists that made me lean into it that much more。 The time jumps， setting， and overall mystery kept me fully engaged。I did dock this one star for some unbelievability， but if you’re looking for a quick weekend read， I highly recommend picking this one up！Special thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。Publication Date: December 16， 2021 。。。more

Charli ，

I read through this one really quite quickly as it was very predictable and you can see the twist and turns a mile off。 Essentially a psychologists daughter introduces her new fiancé to her parents and the mum （the psychologist） recognizes the fiancé as is 99% sure that it’s a patient she treated 15 years ago while working on a murder case。 Is the fiancé only with her daughter out of revenge or is this just a really weird coincidence？ I’d go into more detail but I actually can’t recall the names I read through this one really quite quickly as it was very predictable and you can see the twist and turns a mile off。 Essentially a psychologists daughter introduces her new fiancé to her parents and the mum （the psychologist） recognizes the fiancé as is 99% sure that it’s a patient she treated 15 years ago while working on a murder case。 Is the fiancé only with her daughter out of revenge or is this just a really weird coincidence？ I’d go into more detail but I actually can’t recall the names of any of the characters， that’s how much of an impression the book made on me。 Thanks Netgalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

natemate ，

Calling all psychological thriller buffs: T。J Brearton's 2021 release， Her Perfect Secret， is one you do not want to miss。 Emily is a therapist， who fifteen years ago helped put a woman away for the murder of her husband after treating eight-year-old， Tom， the only witness to the murder。 Fast forward fifteen years， Emily and her husband are enjoying a vacation at a secluded lake when her daughter introduces her fiancé: a man who is the splitting image of the boy she treated。 I love an unreliable Calling all psychological thriller buffs: T。J Brearton's 2021 release， Her Perfect Secret， is one you do not want to miss。 Emily is a therapist， who fifteen years ago helped put a woman away for the murder of her husband after treating eight-year-old， Tom， the only witness to the murder。 Fast forward fifteen years， Emily and her husband are enjoying a vacation at a secluded lake when her daughter introduces her fiancé: a man who is the splitting image of the boy she treated。 I love an unreliable narrator， and this certainly does not disappoint when it comes to that。 Filled with flashbacks and a slow unravelling of the past， the narrative is suspenseful and undoubtedly chilling。 Just when I thought I knew what was happening， Brearton adds another level of complexity to the story and has me questioning everything I thought I knew。 Simply brilliant！Many thanks to Joffe Books for this ARC via NetGalley。 。。。more

Savilla Mountain ，

Emily， a psychologist， treated 8 year old Tom after he witnessed the murder of his father。 She helped him come to terms with what happened that night and his statement put his mother in prison。 15 years later， Emily’s daughter Joni introduces Emily to her fiancé， Michael。 But Michael looks so much like Tom that it takes Emily’s breath away。 Could it be Tom？ Why does he say his name is Michael？ Is he here to seek revenge for Emily’s role in his mother going to prison？What follows is a thriller fi Emily， a psychologist， treated 8 year old Tom after he witnessed the murder of his father。 She helped him come to terms with what happened that night and his statement put his mother in prison。 15 years later， Emily’s daughter Joni introduces Emily to her fiancé， Michael。 But Michael looks so much like Tom that it takes Emily’s breath away。 Could it be Tom？ Why does he say his name is Michael？ Is he here to seek revenge for Emily’s role in his mother going to prison？What follows is a thriller filled with lots of twists and turns。 I could feel something building early on， but it still managed to surprise me。 While I wasn’t racing to finish this one， I enjoyed it overall and would read more by this author。 Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe books for allowing me to read a free ARC of the book in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more

Kenneth Lingenfelter ，

Emily is a psychologist who had sessions with an 8 year old boy after his father was killed。 The boy said his mother did it and she pleaded guilty and was sent to prison。 Years later this same boy shows up with Emily's daughter as her fiance。 He has changed his name， but Emily recognizes him as the boy she had sessions with。 This is a novel I could not put down。 It has an ending that was not expected。 Emily is a psychologist who had sessions with an 8 year old boy after his father was killed。 The boy said his mother did it and she pleaded guilty and was sent to prison。 Years later this same boy shows up with Emily's daughter as her fiance。 He has changed his name， but Emily recognizes him as the boy she had sessions with。 This is a novel I could not put down。 It has an ending that was not expected。 。。。more

Haley Deserly ，

The psychological manipulation of this book is insane。 In the best way！ I absolutely adore T。J。's writing style and I couldn't step away from this story。 Emily is a therapist who believes that a patient from her past has come back into her life。。。 As her daughter's fiancé。 Why is he back？ Why is he pretending to be someone else？ Is this some form of revenge？ Is he even the same boy from fifteen years ago？ The current and past family drama kept me interested and wondering how it all tied together The psychological manipulation of this book is insane。 In the best way！ I absolutely adore T。J。's writing style and I couldn't step away from this story。 Emily is a therapist who believes that a patient from her past has come back into her life。。。 As her daughter's fiancé。 Why is he back？ Why is he pretending to be someone else？ Is this some form of revenge？ Is he even the same boy from fifteen years ago？ The current and past family drama kept me interested and wondering how it all tied together。I really wasn't expecting that ending。 Maybe I'm horrible at predicting suspenseful plots， but I genuinely gasped several times in those last few chapters。 Must read！ 。。。more

Shauni ，

I really enjoyed this。 It was fast-paced with some pretty cool twists。 I figured it out about half-way through， but I had fun seeing it all come together。 Many thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review。

Kay Oliver ，

I was immediately hooked。 A psychologist is on vacation with her husband at their lake house when her daughter shows up with her new boyfriend who they've never met before。 Turns out he may have been a patient of hers 。 。 。 And not just any patient but one involved in a murder case。 This story was fast-paced and ever evolving with so many twists and sudden turns I was reeling and desperate for answers。 The ending was satisfying。 The cast was well rounded and believable。 The setting was a perfect I was immediately hooked。 A psychologist is on vacation with her husband at their lake house when her daughter shows up with her new boyfriend who they've never met before。 Turns out he may have been a patient of hers 。 。 。 And not just any patient but one involved in a murder case。 This story was fast-paced and ever evolving with so many twists and sudden turns I was reeling and desperate for answers。 The ending was satisfying。 The cast was well rounded and believable。 The setting was a perfect back drop to the menacing lies and secrets and deceit。 This is a MUST READ！ 。。。more

Mark ，

Emily gets a surprise when her daughter introduces her fiance to her and her hubby， well 2 surprises， first that her daughter has a boyfriend never mind getting wed and secondly…。she recognises him， she hasn’t seen him for 15 years but she is sure it’s him…and she is also sure he recognises her…We then find out the whys and how’s and who’s and as the book thunders on a at a fast pace more and more becomes apparent and more lies and secrets are unearthed by the chapterI enjoyed this book， well wr Emily gets a surprise when her daughter introduces her fiance to her and her hubby， well 2 surprises， first that her daughter has a boyfriend never mind getting wed and secondly…。she recognises him， she hasn’t seen him for 15 years but she is sure it’s him…and she is also sure he recognises her…We then find out the whys and how’s and who’s and as the book thunders on a at a fast pace more and more becomes apparent and more lies and secrets are unearthed by the chapterI enjoyed this book， well written if a tiny bit OTT unrealistic at times but it was such a fast ever changing story it didn’t really matter too much， good characters， great settings and a low lying menace throughout meant it was a quick read with a keeness to find out the outcomeA good psychological drama adventure thriller family domestic mix up that will entertain any reader looking for all those things rolled into one 8/104 Stars 。。。more

Louise Wilson ，

Tom。 The boy whose mother I helped put in prison for life。 I recognise the sharp nose and the flare to the nostrils。 His thick eyebrows and the defined cheekbones。 But mostly it's the eyes。 Sea green。 But my daughter， Joni， keeps calling him Michael。 And they're here at the lake house telling me they're getting married。 I'm thrust back fifteen years， looking through photos of a violent and bloody crime scene。 Emily is a psychologist。 Fifteen years ago she had helped put a woman in prison。 Now， s Tom。 The boy whose mother I helped put in prison for life。 I recognise the sharp nose and the flare to the nostrils。 His thick eyebrows and the defined cheekbones。 But mostly it's the eyes。 Sea green。 But my daughter， Joni， keeps calling him Michael。 And they're here at the lake house telling me they're getting married。 I'm thrust back fifteen years， looking through photos of a violent and bloody crime scene。 Emily is a psychologist。 Fifteen years ago she had helped put a woman in prison。 Now， she thinks Michael is the woman's son。 But Michael is engaged to Joni， Emily's daughter。 His name was Tom when he was the prime witness to the murder of his father。 The story is told from Emily's perspective。 The pace is fast in this suspenseful read that's also been well written。 The plotline is gripping， filled with twists， this story held my attention throughout。I would like to thank #NetGalley #JoffeBooks and the author #TJBrearton for my ARC of #HerPerfectSecret in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Michelle ，

I read this novel as an ebook， starting in the morning of one day， and by 9% I knew I was going to stay up to finish it even if that required staying up past my bedtime。 By 2:45 am the next morning， I closed my ebook， stunned by the twists and turns of events throughout。 Logic and illogic played their parts because of what the characters had experienced prior to the story's time setting。 I find myself thinking about these characters and the what ifs even a day later。 I read this novel as an ebook， starting in the morning of one day， and by 9% I knew I was going to stay up to finish it even if that required staying up past my bedtime。 By 2:45 am the next morning， I closed my ebook， stunned by the twists and turns of events throughout。 Logic and illogic played their parts because of what the characters had experienced prior to the story's time setting。 I find myself thinking about these characters and the what ifs even a day later。 。。。more

Joyce ，

Emily is a therapist who fifteen years earlier worked with an eight year old boy who may or may not have witnessed his mother beat his father to death with a hammer。 His mother， to protect him， pled guilty to the murder and is now up for parole。 Emily and her husband Paul have two adult children， a son who is working across country who is en-route to visit and a daughter who has just come to their vacation home with a man she introduces as Michael， her fiancé。 Emily almost instantly recognizes h Emily is a therapist who fifteen years earlier worked with an eight year old boy who may or may not have witnessed his mother beat his father to death with a hammer。 His mother， to protect him， pled guilty to the murder and is now up for parole。 Emily and her husband Paul have two adult children， a son who is working across country who is en-route to visit and a daughter who has just come to their vacation home with a man she introduces as Michael， her fiancé。 Emily almost instantly recognizes him as the adult version of Tom， the boy she worked with in the past。 Her narration of both the incidents of the past and those of the present is gripping。 This is one of those psychological thrillers the reader should start reading when they have an entire day cleared for learning what happens next。 Thanks to the author and Joffre Books for an ARC for an honest review。 。。。more

AtomicBooks ，

This is a brilliant psychological thriller！ This is one of my favourite styles of psychological thrillers with its fast paced storyline and plenty of suspense to keep you on edge right to the very end。 This is one of those stories when you think you know what is happening and then everything ever so gradually is turned on its head！ I have read quite a few of TJ Brearton’s books now but this is the first psychological thriller I’ve read by the author and it is good as his police procedural books。

Carol ，

A captivating psychological thriller。 Its every parent's worst nightmare， when your daughter introduces her fiancee and its someone who you are not happy with。 What should Emma do， when as a practising clinical psychologist， she believes she first encountered Michael the fiancee， fifteen years ago on a murder case？ Is he out for revenge？An interesting and intriguing read， full of details， written from Emma's viewpoint， before and after。 It kept me guessing with a totally surprising ending。 Well A captivating psychological thriller。 Its every parent's worst nightmare， when your daughter introduces her fiancee and its someone who you are not happy with。 What should Emma do， when as a practising clinical psychologist， she believes she first encountered Michael the fiancee， fifteen years ago on a murder case？ Is he out for revenge？An interesting and intriguing read， full of details， written from Emma's viewpoint， before and after。 It kept me guessing with a totally surprising ending。 Well worth the read。 。。。more

LIsa Noell "A lot of snow！ Too cold to make a snow ball！" I'm loving it！ ，

My thanks to Joffe。books， T。J。Brearton and Netgalley。I just finished this book around 10 hours ago。 I suppose the fact that I can't even "for the life of me。" recall the main characters name， should say something！This book had my least favorite trope。 The unreliable narrator。 I had an idea that she wasn't to be entirely trusted from early on。 There were a few clues。 I don't， and will never like stories like this。 It just seems underhanded and lazy。Thing is that it gets even worse。 Unreliable is My thanks to Joffe。books， T。J。Brearton and Netgalley。I just finished this book around 10 hours ago。 I suppose the fact that I can't even "for the life of me。" recall the main characters name， should say something！This book had my least favorite trope。 The unreliable narrator。 I had an idea that she wasn't to be entirely trusted from early on。 There were a few clues。 I don't， and will never like stories like this。 It just seems underhanded and lazy。Thing is that it gets even worse。 Unreliable is one thing。 What happens here is compounded。 Willfull amnesia？ Nuts！Such a waste of my time。 。。。more

Lynette ，

This was a pretty heavily layered book but it was one of those pesky onions that the skin kept sticking and you couldn’t quite move past it。 The pacing just felt off and the story lingered on the same topic for a bit too long and then in the end it all crumbled together。 Emily is a psychotherapist and had a client named Tom who was 8。 He was a key witness to the murder of his father。 Fast forward fifteen years later and her wild haired daughter Joni brings someone home who looks just like Tom ex This was a pretty heavily layered book but it was one of those pesky onions that the skin kept sticking and you couldn’t quite move past it。 The pacing just felt off and the story lingered on the same topic for a bit too long and then in the end it all crumbled together。 Emily is a psychotherapist and had a client named Tom who was 8。 He was a key witness to the murder of his father。 Fast forward fifteen years later and her wild haired daughter Joni brings someone home who looks just like Tom except she calls him Michael。 Is it the same person？ And if it is， what is he doing there？ It was a good surface psychological thriller but the characters really irked me。 Their actions didn’t make any sense， they fell a bit flat in the way they were represented and I just couldn’t really get engaged as much as I wanted to。 It was a fun book overall and I give a solid 3。5 stars。 。。。more

Hannelore Cheney ，

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for the eARC。Emily， a psychotherapist and Paul， her husband， are stunned when their daughter， Joni， shows up with her fiance， Michael。 After so many short-lived boyfriends， they can't believe Joni is actually planning to get married。 But Emily is even more shocked: 15 years ago she treated a young boy who was in deep shock; he had seen his father killed by his mother。 But that boy was called Tom， wasn't he？ She's 99。9% point sure it's Tom， and wonder what game Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for the eARC。Emily， a psychotherapist and Paul， her husband， are stunned when their daughter， Joni， shows up with her fiance， Michael。 After so many short-lived boyfriends， they can't believe Joni is actually planning to get married。 But Emily is even more shocked: 15 years ago she treated a young boy who was in deep shock; he had seen his father killed by his mother。 But that boy was called Tom， wasn't he？ She's 99。9% point sure it's Tom， and wonder what game he's playing， is he seeking revenge because his mother spent 15 years in jail？This is an intense read and I had to keep reminding myself to breathe occasionally and what with the twists and turns of the story I couldn't figure out how it was going to end。 And the ending was one of those 'whoa， what just happened' ones， good stuff！Definitely recommended？ 。。。more

Ellen White ，

Emily was a psychologist， her husband PaulJoni their daughter arriving with Michel her fiancé Fifteen years earlier she had a case， those eyesName was different， she was sureSecrets that were hidden would they remainA duty to keep what she had at all costWould she still have if secrets became knownA chilling story， now would truth finally come outGiven ARC for my voluntary review and my honest opinion for Joffe…Dec12， 2021

Janell Madison ，

“Her Perfect Secret is my first T。J。 Brearton book and it left me wanting more！ I read it in one day！ I’ll be scooping up more books by this fantastic author！ And the selection to pick from looks AMAZING！” -Books and Pens on Green GablesAbout Her Perfect Secret by T。J。 Brearton- Joni and Michael decided to surprise her parents with their big announcement when they got to the family’s lakeside vacation home。 They’re engaged！！ Her parents are definitely surprised， since they’ve never met Michael。 “Her Perfect Secret is my first T。J。 Brearton book and it left me wanting more！ I read it in one day！ I’ll be scooping up more books by this fantastic author！ And the selection to pick from looks AMAZING！” -Books and Pens on Green GablesAbout Her Perfect Secret by T。J。 Brearton- Joni and Michael decided to surprise her parents with their big announcement when they got to the family’s lakeside vacation home。 They’re engaged！！ Her parents are definitely surprised， since they’ve never met Michael。 But， Emily， Dr。 Lindman， hides her wariness by heading inside to make drinks to toast Joni and MIchael’s engagement。 The problem is， she isn’t just wary because of the announcement。 She is shaken because she recognizes Michael as a former patient named Tom。 She knows it’s him。 She could never forget the young boy that the police asked her to work with as a psychotherapist after his father was brutally murdered。 All of the circumstances surrounding the case begin to haunt Emily as she remembers。 As Emily and her husband， Paul spend more time with the couple， she is more sure it is Tom。 How can this be？ Why is he calling himself Michael and how did he and Joni connect？ The story of meeting at college seems logical enough， but Emily just doesn’t buy it。 His mother， Laura Bishop， in jail for the murder of Tom’s father， has to be behind this。 She must be trying to get even with Emily for her role in Tom’s therapy and Laura’s eventual jail sentence。 Emily realizes she has to know more about the past fifteen years and what has gone on since the brutal murder。 She contacts her friend， Frank， and finds out something she never expected。 Is her family safe with Michael in the house？ Is he there because of Emily’s role in the case？ How can she warn Joni and keep within her ethical boundaries？ And， is Michael the only one to fear？Incredible book！ Five BIG stars！ Highly recommended！ I was given Her Perfect Secret as an early release book to read and review。 The book releases Dec。 16， 2021。 。。。more

Aileen （Ailz） Grist ，

There are so many layers to this story - it's like peeling an onion。 Each one seems to get to the heart of the incident and then suddenly we're off again looking at something else。 There's a lot of blame to pass around。Loved it。Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read a free advance review copy of the book。 This review is voluntary， honest and my own opinion。 There are so many layers to this story - it's like peeling an onion。 Each one seems to get to the heart of the incident and then suddenly we're off again looking at something else。 There's a lot of blame to pass around。Loved it。Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read a free advance review copy of the book。 This review is voluntary， honest and my own opinion。 。。。more

EILEEN ，

HER PERFECT SECRET is a compelling psychological suspense mystery that will keep you riveted trying to solve this mind-boggling conundrum。 Pages fly by to the dynamite， explosive finish you'll never see coming。 HER PERFECT SECRET is a compelling psychological suspense mystery that will keep you riveted trying to solve this mind-boggling conundrum。 Pages fly by to the dynamite， explosive finish you'll never see coming。 。。。more

Misfits farm ，

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 wha 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。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Her Perfect Secret

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Her Perfect Secret&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Her Perfect Secret&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0