The Perfect Stepmother
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- Create Date：2021-06-25 21:31:08
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Karen King
- ISBN：B091PZ721L
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Caitlyn Lynch
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Lily’s mother died of cancer only a year ago。 When she finds out that her father is not only seeing someone else already， but planning to get married again， Lily is utterly horrified… and even more so when she discovers it’s Maria， a friend who helped Lily’s mother out during her cancer battle。 Something about Maria seems off to Lily， and when Lily’s little sister Emma vanishes， Lily just knows Maria is at the bottom of it。Every now and again I come across a book with a protagonist so utterly in Lily’s mother died of cancer only a year ago。 When she finds out that her father is not only seeing someone else already， but planning to get married again， Lily is utterly horrified… and even more so when she discovers it’s Maria， a friend who helped Lily’s mother out during her cancer battle。 Something about Maria seems off to Lily， and when Lily’s little sister Emma vanishes， Lily just knows Maria is at the bottom of it。Every now and again I come across a book with a protagonist so utterly insufferable， I just want them to be proven wrong about everything。 Unfortunately， Lily is one of those characters。 She was juvenile and determined to be right， no matter the cost to anyone else。 I felt desperately sorry for Maria from the beginning， having to put up with such a self-righteous， entitled little madam hellbent on sabotaging her life， and that feeling only intensified as the truth of Maria’s past was revealed。 She’d been through enough， and the worst part was， by the end of the book， even though Lily knew the truth， she still didn’t seem to think Maria actually deserved happiness。 I honestly despised Lily， and it’s rare I say that about a book character who’s not clearly intended to be a villain！The premise was interesting， but the execution left me cold as we repeatedly rehashed Lily’s desire not to have Maria around and Lily continuously searched for justification that Maria was an awful person who didn’t deserve to be happy。 By the end of the book， I was gritting my teeth every time the narrative moved from Maria’s POV back to Lily’s， and for that reason I cannot give this more than two stars。Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this title via NetGalley。 。。。more
J_Mc 251
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If the definition of a psych thriller is that it keeps the reader guessing until the last pages， then this one definitely qualifies。 The book starts with a tragic event and then immediately goes back in time to the months prior， working its way back to the present event， which occurs roughly halfway through。 The author does a good job of sowing the seeds of doubt about Maria （the title stepmother） right from the beginning。 Lily was well-written and the perfect foil for Maria’s secrets。 Were Lily If the definition of a psych thriller is that it keeps the reader guessing until the last pages， then this one definitely qualifies。 The book starts with a tragic event and then immediately goes back in time to the months prior， working its way back to the present event， which occurs roughly halfway through。 The author does a good job of sowing the seeds of doubt about Maria （the title stepmother） right from the beginning。 Lily was well-written and the perfect foil for Maria’s secrets。 Were Lily’s reservations about Maria legitimate or was she still grieving over her mother’s death？ Maria is the embodiment of “if someone is too good to be true…。” But the author didn’t make that obvious either。 A couple of twists felt heavy-handed and I’m not sure they were worthy of the story as they were more contrived than the main current。 And the end felt a little cartoonish。 But it is still a good beach read。 For a detailed review， please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks。 Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC of the book。 。。。more
Bianca Cataldi
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Lily has lost her mother Ruth to cancer and she’s now left to take care of her father Gareth and her little sister Emma， with the help of Seb， her boyfriend。 Nevertheless， less than one year after her mother’s death， Lily finds out that her father is dating Maria， the kind beautician who works in her own salon and also gives beauty treatments for free for cancer patients like Ruth。 Lily is raging: it’s too soon and Maria has to have ulterior motives to be with her dad， who is handsome and rich。 Lily has lost her mother Ruth to cancer and she’s now left to take care of her father Gareth and her little sister Emma， with the help of Seb， her boyfriend。 Nevertheless， less than one year after her mother’s death， Lily finds out that her father is dating Maria， the kind beautician who works in her own salon and also gives beauty treatments for free for cancer patients like Ruth。 Lily is raging: it’s too soon and Maria has to have ulterior motives to be with her dad， who is handsome and rich。 It turns out that Maria is actually a very nice lady， although one day Lily discovers that she’s getting threats in her post。 Why is Maria been threatened by anonymous people？ And why doesn’t she ever talk about her past？ Unfortunately， Maria did a huge mistake when she was very young and， although she has changed her name since， she hasn’t yet atoned for it， and now Emma and Gareth could be in danger too。 This one was an OK book for me。 I read it pretty quickly and I mostly enjoyed it。 It’s overall a nice read and there’s nothing terribly appalling about it。 Nevertheless， it has to be said that there are several things that I noticed。 First of all， the novel is really repetitive。 Sometimes it looks as if the author has a notebook filled with sentences （always the same ones） and she randomly picks one and put it into the novels and then she repeats the action until she has 300 pages filled with sentences that are actually more or less the same。 One example: Maria’s two fingers tapping on her wrist to calm herself。 If I’d read this sentence one more time， I would have screamed。 And so it goes for Lily thinking “Maria has something to hide” and for Maria thinking “I did something terrible ten years ago”。 Maybe， during the editing process， lots of this stuff could be cut out of the book in order to make it lighter and more enjoyable。 Also， the dialogues felt really staged， which reflected badly on the characters， making them look flat and not particularly easy to like。 Probably the only character I quite liked was Maria herself， while Lily seemed to me as a spoiled and irrational person。 All that business of her going “asking questions” in the salone is cringeworthy。 I know this sounds like a terrible review， but the book is OK， as I said at the beginning。 It’s an average read， probably okay for summer。 •Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review• 。。。more
Robyn
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Lily Metcalfe is still reeling from the death of her mother to cancer less than one year ago when her father， Gareth surprises her with news regarding his upcoming nuptials to Maria， his girlfriend。 Maria was Lily’s mother’s cancer support beauty specialist， so it came as a huge surprise that her father and Maria were dating and about to be married。 Lily is far from happy with how easily her father has moved on when her mother is not even cold in her grave yet。 Distrustful of Maria， Lily sets ou Lily Metcalfe is still reeling from the death of her mother to cancer less than one year ago when her father， Gareth surprises her with news regarding his upcoming nuptials to Maria， his girlfriend。 Maria was Lily’s mother’s cancer support beauty specialist， so it came as a huge surprise that her father and Maria were dating and about to be married。 Lily is far from happy with how easily her father has moved on when her mother is not even cold in her grave yet。 Distrustful of Maria， Lily sets out to find out the truth， especially since Maria is now stepmother to Lily’s five year old sister Emma。 Is Maria all she claims to be or does she have a devastating past that is about to collide with the present？The Perfect Stepmother is a domestic thriller that will pull you right into the story。 This is not a full of action type of story， but it is definitely a sneaky one as it grabs your attention right from the start and snakes its way into your mind preventing you from putting this story down。 This is not a complicated story， but the execution of it is done really well and also holds quite a few surprises along the way。 One of the central questions I found myself asking was “Is maria good or bad？” and Karen King does such a fantastic job of towing the line between good and evil like you are kind of on a seesaw wavering back and forth on the guilt or innocence of Maria。If you love a slow paced character driven domestic suspense， then you will definitely want to pick up a copy of Karen King’s latest， The Perfect Stepmother。 。。。more
Tiffany Jensen
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Well deserving of 4。5 stars。 Enjoyed reading this book very much。 The characters and backstory made the story move along well and the twist towards the end really shocked me。 I highly recommend this book。Thank you Net Galley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review。
Heidi Lynn’s BookReviews
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First， I want to thank Karen King， Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review。WOW！！ Karen King lured me into her latest book The Perfect Stepmother with her cryptic， intense and eerie prologue！！ Oh I just had to know what happened to Emma and if the Stepmother was really behind it！！ Ohh I totally agree with Lilly and felt compassion for her！！ Come on now Lilly’s Mom just dies of cancer and her father coviently marries her beauty specialist！！ Someone w First， I want to thank Karen King， Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review。WOW！！ Karen King lured me into her latest book The Perfect Stepmother with her cryptic， intense and eerie prologue！！ Oh I just had to know what happened to Emma and if the Stepmother was really behind it！！ Ohh I totally agree with Lilly and felt compassion for her！！ Come on now Lilly’s Mom just dies of cancer and her father coviently marries her beauty specialist！！ Someone who she adored and considered a friend！！ Now that is just creepy and wrong on so many levels。 He couldn’t just grieve her loss and be single for a while？！ Shaking my head at some men these days！ I loved Maria’s explanation of why she became a beauty specialist for cancer patients。 Even though I didn’t care for her character I did commend her on her career choice。 Ohh how we learn that The Perfect Stepmother is not so perfect after all！！ She has secrets about her past that she would rather keep hidden in the past。 The climax of The Perfect Stepmother was crazy good filled with a lot of suspense and major drama！！ I was at the edge of my comfy chair seeing how it would all unfold！ 。。。more
Stacey
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Thank you to @netgalley & bookouture for approving me to read this ARC in return for an honest review。 It took me a few chapters to get into this， my first thoughts were it was going to be quite predictable in terms of the relationship between Lily and Maria and I didn’t have high hopes。 However， this books absolutely got me。 I think it’s because I was so shocked by the plot and the ending， I felt so much emotion it literally made me LOVE the book。 I started reading with not much excitement， by Thank you to @netgalley & bookouture for approving me to read this ARC in return for an honest review。 It took me a few chapters to get into this， my first thoughts were it was going to be quite predictable in terms of the relationship between Lily and Maria and I didn’t have high hopes。 However， this books absolutely got me。 I think it’s because I was so shocked by the plot and the ending， I felt so much emotion it literally made me LOVE the book。 I started reading with not much excitement， by the end I was literally nearly crying， feeling sad and empathy for every single character at one point。 It did take a while to build up， and you don’t find out certain characters until quite late on but wow does it hit you！ The fact it covers grief， mental health and family dynamics as a whole is incredible and the way it’s written is incredible。 I felt so many emotions and it took me a while to get my thoughts together last night when I finished it。 I love it。 The whole story， the characters， the ending。 I loved it all。 I really cannot fault it and as soon as it’s out I’ll be buying a physical copy 😍 。。。more
Parijat
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The story was fast-paced but took it's own time to create the ambiance。 The mystery aspect was meh but the thriller aspect especially at the end was not bad。 Though not fully satisfied with how the story came out， it was not a total disappointment。 You may like this book if you are a fan of domestic thrillers。 The story was fast-paced but took it's own time to create the ambiance。 The mystery aspect was meh but the thriller aspect especially at the end was not bad。 Though not fully satisfied with how the story came out， it was not a total disappointment。 You may like this book if you are a fan of domestic thrillers。 。。。more
Elaine
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This is a contemporary， suspense-filled mystery which starts with the disappearance of a child， five year old Emma， then goes back to events leading up to this。Lily’s parents had a happy marriage and were overjoyed by the birth of Emma， some twenty years after Lily。 However， their idyllic life was torn apart by their Mum’s battle with cancer and it is almost a year after her death that the story starts， when her Dad informs Lily that he intends to marry someone who cared for her Mum， Maria。 Lily This is a contemporary， suspense-filled mystery which starts with the disappearance of a child， five year old Emma， then goes back to events leading up to this。Lily’s parents had a happy marriage and were overjoyed by the birth of Emma， some twenty years after Lily。 However， their idyllic life was torn apart by their Mum’s battle with cancer and it is almost a year after her death that the story starts， when her Dad informs Lily that he intends to marry someone who cared for her Mum， Maria。 Lily can’t say why but she just doesn’t trust Maria， even though she seems to love both Lily’s Dad and her young sister……This is a story of secrets， lies， revenge， mental illness， grief and family。 It is an enthralling read， a real page turner that has so many surprise revelations to keep you guessing right to the end。 If you enjoy family dramas， packed with mysteries， grab yourself a copy of this！Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for my copy of this book which I have voluntarily read and honestly reviewed。 。。。more
Bridget
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The Perfect Stepmother opens with the disappearance of little Emma the youngest daughter of Gareth who has another daughter Lily。 Gareth has a new wife， Maria following the death of his first wife， Ruth （Lily's mum）。 The story then goes back eight months where it is told from the points of view of Lily and Maria in the lead-up to Emma vanishing。 Lily is wary of her father’s new bride given that it is not yet a year since her mother passed and she believes there is more to Maria than meets the ey The Perfect Stepmother opens with the disappearance of little Emma the youngest daughter of Gareth who has another daughter Lily。 Gareth has a new wife， Maria following the death of his first wife， Ruth （Lily's mum）。 The story then goes back eight months where it is told from the points of view of Lily and Maria in the lead-up to Emma vanishing。 Lily is wary of her father’s new bride given that it is not yet a year since her mother passed and she believes there is more to Maria than meets the eye。 Maria， the owner of an upmarket beauty treatment salon， donates Fridays to cancer patients， giving them free access to her services。 However， she is hiding a harrowing secret that can’t be allowed to escape as， if exposed， threatens to ruin her marriage and her newfound happiness。This was a cracking thriller that positively whizzed along and I was certainly kept on my toes。 I kept thinking I had everything all worked out only to later realise that I didn't。 The Perfect Stepmother is a great tale of lies and mistrust。 Highly recommended。I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Bookouture via NetGalley。 This review is my own unbiased opinion。 。。。more
Kirsty Bookworm86
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BLOG TOUR REVIEW Review for 'The Perfect Stepmother' by Karen King。 Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Karen King， Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous Publication date 17th June 2021。This is the second book I have read by this author。 I have previously read Karen's 'The Stranger In My Bed' which I would also recommend reading。 I was originally drawn to this book by its interesting eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title。 The synopsis stated that this book is 'Perfect BLOG TOUR REVIEW Review for 'The Perfect Stepmother' by Karen King。 Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Karen King， Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous Publication date 17th June 2021。This is the second book I have read by this author。 I have previously read Karen's 'The Stranger In My Bed' which I would also recommend reading。 I was originally drawn to this book by its interesting eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title。 The synopsis stated that this book is 'Perfect for fans of Shalini Boland， Claire McGowan and Gone Girl。' I am a huge fan of Shalini and 'Gone Girl' so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement。 I am also a fan of Karen and if this is as good as 'The Stranger In My Bed' it is sure to be a gorgeous read。 I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture。 I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed。 Hopefully this won't be the first。。。 Watch this space！ （Written before I started reading the book）。This novel consists of a prologue， 62 chapters and an epilogue。 The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed。。。OK， I know yeah right， but still just in case！This book is based in England 🏴， UK 🇬🇧。 The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture。 I have actually visited and had holidays on England on several occasions so am looking forward to seeing if I recognise anywhere that Kennedy has based the book on。This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonists are Lily and Maria。 The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more， what they are thinking and what they are doing。 It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything。Wow！！！ Well fair play the first thing I must say is congratulations to Karen King on another HUGE success！！ Absolutely fantastic！！ I never did work out who had did what and that is quite a feat considering it is quite hard to shock me now thay I have read so many suspense and thrillers yet I never did see that coming！！ Anyway on with my review。。。。 As you can tell from the above I loved it！！！ This book is very well and smoothly written it just drags you straight into the storyline and keeps you in there under you have finished。 A true page turner this book has an absolutely compelling and addictive storyline that kept me guessing throughout。 I was continuously questioning who did what and who the victim was。 I loved the ending and thought it fitted perfectly。 The storyline is realistic and believable making it easy to picture what is going on。 I enjoyed that we got to see from both perspectives and see what was going through each person's heads。 Great descriptions throughout the book really putting the reader in the story and getting a good feel of what is going on。 The characters were very realistic and well rounded and again their personalities reflected the storyline and how they would act， etc perfectly。 The narration gave a really good in depth view of both Lily and Maria。 It is very thought provoking and makes the reader question what they would do in that situation。 I really felt sorry for a certain character when I found out what was going on and what had happened。 However I can't say too much due to not wanting to give anything away。 Needless to say I really seemed to click with both of the main characters at certain times while deflecting from them at others。 I am looking forward to reading more psychological thrillers by this very talented author。 Going from romances to psychological thrillers cannot have been an easy feat but you absolutely smashed it！！ Overall a page turning addictive psychological thriller that will have your heart racing。 Genres covered in this novel include Thriller， Noir Fiction， Psychological Thriller， Domestic Fiction and Psychological Fiction amongst others。 I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of 'Gone Girl'， Shari Lapena， Sheryl Browne and Sam Hepburn。 299 pages。This book is just £1。99 to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book！！！ Rated 5 /5 （I LOVED it ） on Goodreads， Instagram， Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook。 Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews #ThePerfectStepmother #Bookouture #KarenKing #NetGalley #BookReview #BlogTour #BooksOnTour@KarenKing @Bookouture @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86 https://kcmw86。wixsite。com/bookworm86https://m。facebook。com/Bookworm1986/？。。。https://m。facebook。com/Bookwork86/？__。。。 。。。more
AnneKR
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After Lily loses her beloved mother to cancer， she splits her time between her boyfriend Seb and tending to her grieving father and little sister Emma。 Not even a year later Lily is shocked and hurt to find out from her father that he has fallen in love and is getting married to Maria， the beautician who visited her mother weekly while she was sick。 Lily's shock turns to determination to find out everything she can about Maria。 Despite how sweet and charming she is， Maria never talks about her p After Lily loses her beloved mother to cancer， she splits her time between her boyfriend Seb and tending to her grieving father and little sister Emma。 Not even a year later Lily is shocked and hurt to find out from her father that he has fallen in love and is getting married to Maria， the beautician who visited her mother weekly while she was sick。 Lily's shock turns to determination to find out everything she can about Maria。 Despite how sweet and charming she is， Maria never talks about her past。 When Seb and her father brush off Lily's questions and doubts， she finds herself on her own to figure out what Maria is hiding。 When Emma suddenly goes missing， Lily realizes that it may be too late to expose Maria for the fraud she is。This is the first book I've read from this author and I really enjoyed it。 Told mainly from Lily and Maria's POV's， you see what's going on in Maria's mind and the fear of the past coming back to destroy the perfect life she's built for herself。 Lily will do anything to keep her father and Emma safe and is obsessed to proving Maria is hiding something。 The book was slow-paced， leading up to the truth about Maria and what Lily discovers。 Although I predicted some of the surprises and twists， the book was entertaining and a page-turner for me。 Looking forward to reading more from this author。Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book。 。。。more
marnie | once upon a time book reviews
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This cover with a lone woman standing behind the window gave me goosebumps when I first laid eyes on this book and I just had to know her story。 After reading the blurb， the following questions kept running around in my head。 What is she hiding， are her intentions pure and most importantly， does she have anything to do with the disappearance of her new husband’s little girl Emma？Karen King has crafted a gripping and addictive page turner that I found very compelling。 It is a slow burn， but the t This cover with a lone woman standing behind the window gave me goosebumps when I first laid eyes on this book and I just had to know her story。 After reading the blurb， the following questions kept running around in my head。 What is she hiding， are her intentions pure and most importantly， does she have anything to do with the disappearance of her new husband’s little girl Emma？Karen King has crafted a gripping and addictive page turner that I found very compelling。 It is a slow burn， but the tension and suspense that is built up along the way sets the story up well for its outcome。 You know it is going to be something big and there was no way I could put the book down until I knew how it was going to unfold。The book opens with Emma’s disappearance then rewinds back eight months to where it is told from the points of view of Lily and Maria in the lead up。 Immediately Lily has her guard up with her father’s new bride given that it is not even a year since her mother has passed and feels that there is more to her than meets the eye。 Meanwhile Maria is hiding something so harrowing and shocking that if exposed， threatens to ruin her marriage and her new found happiness。The Perfect Stepmother is not your normal run of the mill psychological suspense and there is so much more to it。 What I was not expecting was how it pulled on my heartstrings and had me shedding a few tears。 It plays out well， but what I loved the most was the ending！ Oh my goodness！！！ So good！ With that said I will finished this off by saying， this is a great read which I recommend you checking out。Thanks to Karen King， Bookouture and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of The Perfect Stepmother， which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily。 。。。more
Robin Loves Reading
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Maria is facing mountainous obstacles。 For one thing she is about to marry Gareth， the husband of a client of hers that passed away from cancer。 Gareth's daughter Lily is truly unhappy with her father's choice to remarry。 Her mother has only been gone a year， and Lily does not trust Maria。 More than having to win over Lily and her younger sister Emma， Maria is hiding a secret from her past that would ruin everything - her impending marrriage and her exclusive salon - if exposed。Will Maria and Ga Maria is facing mountainous obstacles。 For one thing she is about to marry Gareth， the husband of a client of hers that passed away from cancer。 Gareth's daughter Lily is truly unhappy with her father's choice to remarry。 Her mother has only been gone a year， and Lily does not trust Maria。 More than having to win over Lily and her younger sister Emma， Maria is hiding a secret from her past that would ruin everything - her impending marrriage and her exclusive salon - if exposed。Will Maria and Gareth marry without Maria's secret being exposed？ It doesn't help that Lily consistently proves her lack of trust in Maria， talking to her father and boyfriend Seb nonstop about the doubts she has about Maria。 Five-year-old Emma has already lost her mother。 What if her father's new marriage doesn't work out， what will happen to Emma then？In this thrilling novel by Karen King events of Maria's past slowly begin to reveal themselves。 Is Maria to be trusted？ While it is clear she loves Gareth， and Emma as well， does her unusually protective nature prove that there is something about Maria that gives rise to the feelings Lily has about her？There are shocking things that happen in this riveting story， While it is more than obvious there was something about Maria， I couldn't put this book down。 I just had to know what happened in her past， whether Lily was onto something， and would Emma be safe and other concerns。 The reader will know that Emma disappears， that is from the very first page。 However， the story is told in timeline fashion as to what led up to Emma's disappearance。 As the time got closer and closer to what happened to Emma was very intriguing， making The Perfect Mother an excellent read from beginning to end。 With excellent pacing， a couple of shocking plot twists and a surprising conclusion， this is a book that I definitely would recommend。Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review。 This is my honest opinon。 。。。more
KKEC Reads
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Published: June 17， 2021BookoutureI received a copy of this book for free， and I leave my review voluntarily。 Karen King is a multi-published bestselling author of fiction for both adults and children。 She has also written several short stories for women's magazines。 Currently published by Bookouture and Headline。 Karen writes about the light and dark of relationships。 Her debut psychological thriller， The Stranger in my Bed， was published by Bookouture in November 2020 and her second one， The P Published: June 17， 2021BookoutureI received a copy of this book for free， and I leave my review voluntarily。 Karen King is a multi-published bestselling author of fiction for both adults and children。 She has also written several short stories for women's magazines。 Currently published by Bookouture and Headline。 Karen writes about the light and dark of relationships。 Her debut psychological thriller， The Stranger in my Bed， was published by Bookouture in November 2020 and her second one， The Perfect Stepmother， will be published in June 2021。 She is also contracted to write three romance novels for Headline， the first one， One Summer in Cornwall， will be published on 29 April 2021。“YOU DON’T DESERVE TO HAVE A DAUGHTER。”Lily is reeling from the loss of her mother。 She is determined to be as supportive as she possibly can be for her father and little sister， Emma。 So when Lily spots her father on a date with the woman who gave her mother beauty treatments and learned they had be seeing each other， Lily is hurt。 Lily is angry。 Lily is positive there is something wrong with the situation。 Maria runs a high-end beauty shop and volunteers her time and talents to women battling cancer。 Maria dedicates much of her time to do whatever she can to try and help others。 So when Maria and Gareth announce they are getting married after months of dating， Lily is more shocked。 This picture-perfect family May just be ripped apart by another tragedy。This was the first book I’ve read from this author， and overall it was okay。 I found the buildup rather slow and slightly repetitive。 The character development was pretty good， though predictable。While entertaining， I figured out the twist halfway through the book。 I knew who did what and why， I figured out the big revenge motivation， and I knew how things would end。I don’t love being right about the ending。 I always think I know where a book is going， and when I’m wrong， and the authors surprises me， I love that。 Overall， the book was well done。 The plot was full， and the story arc was complete。 There was a slow build to a fast spiral as the twists brought the book to a close。 It was a decent read， with a pretty well-done twist。 。。。more
MeWriter
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The Perfect Stepmother is my first read by author Karen King。 A thoroughly enjoyable family drama with twists and turns coming at just the right intervals。 Well written and engaging - I am looking forward to my next read with this author！ Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC！
Angie
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Many thanks to #netgalley and #bookouture for this ARC in exchange for an honest review！When I read the blurb for this I was so intrigued！Since the days of Cinderella， the stepmother has always been that evil figure， the woman who turns the father’s head but does not fool the children！ So I dove into this book with the hopes of reading a compelling thriller with a wicked if not downright evil stepmother。Unfortunately it was not quite what I got！ Although not a bad book， it just didn’t live up to Many thanks to #netgalley and #bookouture for this ARC in exchange for an honest review！When I read the blurb for this I was so intrigued！Since the days of Cinderella， the stepmother has always been that evil figure， the woman who turns the father’s head but does not fool the children！ So I dove into this book with the hopes of reading a compelling thriller with a wicked if not downright evil stepmother。Unfortunately it was not quite what I got！ Although not a bad book， it just didn’t live up to the usual thriller standards and was just way too predictable！ Lily is still trying to come to terms with losing her mother to cancer a year ago， when her father announces his wedding to the woman who gave beauty treatments to her mother in the last phases of her life。 Shocked by how quickly the relationship is proceeding and how little everyone knows about her new stepmother， Lily decides to investigate。 But nobody seems to know anything about her stepmother’s past！The book started off well with Lily’s 6 year old sister going missing， then we ego back eight months and discover how everything led to this awful moment。 I thought there was a lot of unnecessary information that could have been left out。 For 60% of the book all we get is the family’s daily routine， without much else happening， except for Lily’s constant and paranoid suspicions。 I actually skipped a few pages because it was almost repetitive。The final part of the book was better， but I predicted the ‘twist’ early on in the story so was a tad disappointed that l was actually right！ By the very end it felt more like a Hallmark movie than a thriller。 I obviously can’t say more without giving away too much！ So if you’re into books revolving around family dramas with a nod to thrillers， you might love it！ Pub date: June 17th， 2021 。。。more
Farah
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I recently finished The Perfect Stepmother， which was a quick read suspense novel。 It wasn't the most original book and the ending was a bit of a let down however it did keep me intrigued throughout。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。 I recently finished The Perfect Stepmother， which was a quick read suspense novel。 It wasn't the most original book and the ending was a bit of a let down however it did keep me intrigued throughout。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Angela Mellor
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The Perfect Stepmother is a book with plenty of twists that will keep you turning the pages。Lily has a younger sister who is nearly twenty years younger than her， they are left devastated when their mother dies from cancer。 Lily struggles to adapt to the idea that her dad is dating only a year after her mother has died。 Within two years he has married Maria and lily thinks it is too quick although she has to admit her father is happy and Emma who is only four has taken to her。 Lily thinks there The Perfect Stepmother is a book with plenty of twists that will keep you turning the pages。Lily has a younger sister who is nearly twenty years younger than her， they are left devastated when their mother dies from cancer。 Lily struggles to adapt to the idea that her dad is dating only a year after her mother has died。 Within two years he has married Maria and lily thinks it is too quick although she has to admit her father is happy and Emma who is only four has taken to her。 Lily thinks there is something about Maria that she doesn’t trust but her boyfriend doesn’t agree but when Emma goes missing they have to agree。 This was a book of two halves for me， the first being quite slow and I thought very repetitive at times especially with Lily going on and on about how her father had moved on too fast and how Maria was hiding something。 The second half was totally different with a good pace and twists making you wonder who to believe。 I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for this Arc I received in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Stina
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After having thoroughly enjoying Karen's debut psychological thriller "The Stranger in my Bed"， I was excited at the prospect of her latest。 But THE PERFECT STEPMOTHER is more than just a thriller - it is domestic drama built on secrets， lies and mistrust。 It also examines how a person is defined by their past and how the choices made as a youth can haunt those for the rest of one's life。 The story was not what I expected and while it holds the promise of a thriller， it is also a moving stor After having thoroughly enjoying Karen's debut psychological thriller "The Stranger in my Bed"， I was excited at the prospect of her latest。 But THE PERFECT STEPMOTHER is more than just a thriller - it is domestic drama built on secrets， lies and mistrust。 It also examines how a person is defined by their past and how the choices made as a youth can haunt those for the rest of one's life。 The story was not what I expected and while it holds the promise of a thriller， it is also a moving story that had me in tears by the end。 With so many twists， the story leads to a surprising yet satisfying ending。 And I enjoyed every minute of it。The prologue opens with the disappearance of five year old Emma Metcalfe from her backyard。 But it's not your usual "missing child" trope so don't be fooled by it。 There is something far deeper at play beneath the surface。 Something that will shock Emma's family to the core。 But first we must go back to when it all began。。。seven months ago。Lily always had a simple dream: to be as happy as her parents were。 Always content in their suburban home， life was good for Gareth and Ruth Metcalfe and nothing phased them。。。not even when a surprise pregnancy resulted in their second child Emma， twenty years after daughter Lily。 But their love story was tragically cut short when Ruth succumbed to breast cancer when Emma was just four。 Sadly Emma doesn't remember a time when her mummy wasn't sick while Lily's memories go back further to the days they were happy。Still grieving the loss of her mother， Lily is shocked to discover her father canoodling in a cafe with another woman， even moreso when he announces they are to marry barely a year after her mother's death。 Believing her father to be going through the stages of grief and feeling lonely， Lily tries to convince her father to slow the speed of their relationship down。 But no sooner has he made the announcement than Maria moves into the family home and the date of their wedding is set for the the following month。 Lily is so enraged that her father could disregard the memory of her mother so quickly for the woman who had been her beautician until she died， she voices her concerns to boyfriend Seb who， at first， shares her doubts but accepts the fact that it's her dad's life and his happiness。No one appears to be listening to Lily and her concerns about Maria， who appears to be perfect and can do no wrong。 Her father and his new wife are so obviously in love and Emma adores her new stepmother。 Despite her father's pleas， Lily cannot make peace with his decision and is sure that Maria has an agenda; that she has manipulated her father and wrangled her way into his life for the perfect husband， the perfect house and a ready-made family。 But it's her over-protectiveness of Emma that makes Lily uncomfortable and soon Emma begins to display signs of a nervous child under Maria's care。 And when she offers to take Emma for a sleepover， Maria curtails those plans with her own citing that she， Gareth and Emma need time to bond as a family。 But Emma is her little sister！ And yet little by little， Lily feels as if Maria is slowly shutting her out of her own family。Unable to trust her new stepmother， Lily then makes a surprising discovery: there appears to be no trace of Maria beyond ten years ago when she set up her exclusive beauty salon。 Why is that， she wonders？ And why does Maria reveal nothing of her past？ And whenever asked she is quick to change the subject？ What is it that she is hiding？ For she is hiding something， of that Lily is sure。 So one day when she is called to collect a sick Emma from school， she does a little snooping in Maria's things and comes across an old photo of a couple face down in a drawer。 Are these Maria's parents？ And if so， why keep their photo hidden away and not on display？ She quickly snaps a photo on her phone and forgets about it。。。until the day it leads to an even bigger discovery。 And the truth about Maria's past is finally revealed。 But not before Emma disappears from her walled backyard whilst in the care of her stepmother。。。Intriguing from the very beginning， the story unfolds through the eyes of Lily and Maria throughout。 And although I enjoyed capturing both sides， I feel it removed the element of mystery of Maria a little， where the reader would be left questioning Maria's motives。 On the surface， Maria appeared to be perfect。 When she wasn't working in her salon， she was involved in various charities， taking part in fun runs to raise money and devoting one day a week to give free beauty treatments to cancer patients。。。which is how she met Lily's family。 How could someone so perfect be hiding a guilty secret？ Unless they were trying to atone for a mistake in their past？ But no matter how perfect Maria seemed to be， Lily was sure she was hiding something and because of that she worried for her father and her little sister。 There were times Lily appeared to obsess a little too much about Maria， but then had I been in her shoes I probably would have felt the same。 After all， no one really knew anything about Maria as she was such a private person。。。the question is， why？ Especially when innocent questions about her past were practically ignored and the subject changed。 Then one would have reason to be suspicious。 But as the story unravelled， so did the mystery of Maria as the truth is gradually revealed。 And although hints had been dropped throughout， the secret is a somewhat tragic tale that one can't help but shed a tear。While secrets and lies feature heavily in this book， so too does mental illness （though not till towards the end）。 THE PERFECT STEPMOTHER is more than secrets， more than lies， more than deception。。。it is about regrets and redemption and moving forward。 It is thrilling， it is touching and also a little bit sad。 You cannot read this book without going through a whole range of emotions。THE PERFECT STEPMOTHER is an intriguing story that is surprising and emotional。。。and certainly not what you would expect when beginning the book。 It is a mix of psychological drama， domestic thrills， mystery and suspense。。。all with a surprising and clever end。This is one of those books I cannot recommend highly enough。 It's gripping and emotional and leaves you wanting more。 THE PERFECT STEPMOTHER is a fantastic read that does not disappoint。I would like to thank #KarenKing， #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #ThePerfectStepmother in exchange for an honest review。This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic。blogspot。com/。 。。。more
Alyssa | TheMom。Who。Reads
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✨Book Review: The Perfect Stepmother by Karen King✨📖: When Lily and Emma’s mom passes away from cancer， Lily is shocked to find that her father is marrying again so soon。 Maria seems like the perfect stepmother but Lily senses secrets。 And when Emma goes missing， only Maria can be to blame。 What’s the truth， and what’s an accident from years before have anything to do with it？⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: This was my first Karen King book and now I need more！ King’s writing style was easy to follow and gave great p ✨Book Review: The Perfect Stepmother by Karen King✨📖: When Lily and Emma’s mom passes away from cancer， Lily is shocked to find that her father is marrying again so soon。 Maria seems like the perfect stepmother but Lily senses secrets。 And when Emma goes missing， only Maria can be to blame。 What’s the truth， and what’s an accident from years before have anything to do with it？⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: This was my first Karen King book and now I need more！ King’s writing style was easy to follow and gave great pull to keep you intrigued。 I really like that the beginning told you what was going to happen but not HOW it was going to happen。 The story flowed well and had blurbs sprinkled throughout from a mystery person that really kept me guessing。 I kept trying to figure out the secrets but was shocked to learn the truth。 I wouldn’t say this was an “edge of your seat page turner” but it definitely kept my attention and had me wanting to figure out the end！ For more of my reviews， visit Instagram！ @TheMom。Who。Reads 。。。more
Bridget Macleod
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The story is fast paced， gripping and it keeps you wondering what could’ve happened 22 years ago。 It is told in both Lily and Maria’s POVs， which allows you to get to know both characters and the way they think but giving you just enough information to keep you guessing all the way to the end。 I found myself puzzled as to who to believe and trying to connect the dots。Well-written， short chapters and a stepmother that seems too good to be true…this one had me on the edge of my seat！！If you enjoy The story is fast paced， gripping and it keeps you wondering what could’ve happened 22 years ago。 It is told in both Lily and Maria’s POVs， which allows you to get to know both characters and the way they think but giving you just enough information to keep you guessing all the way to the end。 I found myself puzzled as to who to believe and trying to connect the dots。Well-written， short chapters and a stepmother that seems too good to be true…this one had me on the edge of my seat！！If you enjoy mystery stories， I think you’ll enjoy this one！！！**Thank you Karen King， netgalley and bookouture for providing an eARC in exchange of an honest review。 All opinions are my own。** 。。。more
Lynn
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4。5 stars。 This is a new author to me but I will certainly be looking out for more by her。 I found this to be a gripping psychological thriller which was full of surprises and kept me hooked from start to finish。 I thoroughly enjoyed this boo
Sherri Thacker
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Your child goes missing！ What could be worse？ This book kept me glued till the end。 It appears Maria has lots of secrets that Lily is determined to find out what they are but then Emma goes missing。 Mental illness plays a huge part too。 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review。 To be published June 17， 2021。
Melissa
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First， thank you to the publishers at Bookouture and Netgalley for this e-ARC of The Perfect Stepmother。The Perfect Stepmother is about a family of four living a happy， charmed life。 Then Lily’s mother， Ruth， is diagnosed with cancer。 During her cancer treatments， she begins seeing a woman named Maria， the owner of an upscale beauty salon， who， out of the kindness of her heart， donates her Fridays to cancer patients， giving them access to her services for free。 After Ruth passes away， Maria ends First， thank you to the publishers at Bookouture and Netgalley for this e-ARC of The Perfect Stepmother。The Perfect Stepmother is about a family of four living a happy， charmed life。 Then Lily’s mother， Ruth， is diagnosed with cancer。 During her cancer treatments， she begins seeing a woman named Maria， the owner of an upscale beauty salon， who， out of the kindness of her heart， donates her Fridays to cancer patients， giving them access to her services for free。 After Ruth passes away， Maria ends up becoming a staple in her client’s family’s life， becoming a stepmother to older Lily and younger Emma。 But while Maria may seem a saint， she’s holding a dark secret that she can’t let escape。 But somebody knows and is willing to expose her at any cost。 Told in alternating viewpoints between Lily and Maria， we can see how strained their relationship is。 While Emma and Lily’s father， Gareth， love Maria， Lily thinks she’s holding something back from them all。 Determined to figure it out， Lily goes searching for anything she can find to figure out just who Maria really is。 This is a quick paced thriller that will have you on your toes。 Just when you think you’ve figured everything out， you realize that you haven’t。 Is Maria truly the bad guy， or is there something more sinister at play？ The Perfect Stepmother releases June 17！ 。。。more
Melissa
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I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 I was promised a “totally gripping psychological suspense thriller”。 This wasn’t it。 From the beginning the writing reminded me of a Danielle Steel book。 The writing is very simple and lacked any depth。 Everything was so repetitive。 The characters are unlikable and there are sometimes when Emma does not act like any 5 year old I’ve ever met。 This could have been cut by at least 100 pages。 It just dragged on。 And it w I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 I was promised a “totally gripping psychological suspense thriller”。 This wasn’t it。 From the beginning the writing reminded me of a Danielle Steel book。 The writing is very simple and lacked any depth。 Everything was so repetitive。 The characters are unlikable and there are sometimes when Emma does not act like any 5 year old I’ve ever met。 This could have been cut by at least 100 pages。 It just dragged on。 And it was easy to figure out what happened even if we didn’t get Maria’s side of the story until almost the end。 This book is not a psychological suspense thriller。 。。。more
Angel
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Unfortunately this book was definitely not a psychological thriller。 I would agree a family drama and a mystery but the psychological and/or thriller was not present for this reader。 Also there was marked repetition in the description of the stepdaughter。 If I had a nickel for every time the author wrote small daughter or young stepdaughter， well I'd have a lot of nickels。 Not a badly written book， could have used some more character development beyond she said， he said and drinking way too muc Unfortunately this book was definitely not a psychological thriller。 I would agree a family drama and a mystery but the psychological and/or thriller was not present for this reader。 Also there was marked repetition in the description of the stepdaughter。 If I had a nickel for every time the author wrote small daughter or young stepdaughter， well I'd have a lot of nickels。 Not a badly written book， could have used some more character development beyond she said， he said and drinking way too much coffee。 I probably wouldn't read more by this author but she did make me look up and want a salad sandwich。 Thank you to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Vivien Brown
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I really enjoyed this book。 The tension built up slowly and questions about Maria's past were gradually answered， while the reader is left trying to guess what exactly happened 22 years ago and if Maria really is a saint or sinner。 The story is told by two characters alternately， a technique I really like， as we get to see the action from opposite viewpoints and can understand and feel sympathy for both。 The little twist， hinting that things are not quite over yet， was the perfect ending。 I really enjoyed this book。 The tension built up slowly and questions about Maria's past were gradually answered， while the reader is left trying to guess what exactly happened 22 years ago and if Maria really is a saint or sinner。 The story is told by two characters alternately， a technique I really like， as we get to see the action from opposite viewpoints and can understand and feel sympathy for both。 The little twist， hinting that things are not quite over yet， was the perfect ending。 。。。more
Andrew
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I really enjoyed this well-written psychological thriller by a new author to me。The book starts with the ‘apparent’ abduction of Emma， whilst under the care of her stepmother， before back tracking some months to fill in the back story about events that led up to this and what appears to Emma’s sister to be a too perfect stepmother。 The stepmother， Maria， was originally doing free make up for Emma and Lily’s mother when she was dying of cancer， before developing a relationship and marrying the fa I really enjoyed this well-written psychological thriller by a new author to me。The book starts with the ‘apparent’ abduction of Emma， whilst under the care of her stepmother， before back tracking some months to fill in the back story about events that led up to this and what appears to Emma’s sister to be a too perfect stepmother。 The stepmother， Maria， was originally doing free make up for Emma and Lily’s mother when she was dying of cancer， before developing a relationship and marrying the father。 This all seems too fast for Lily， and whilst Emma and her father seem happy Lily has major suspicions and thinks she is too good to be true。 As a result Lily starts to turn into an amateur detective to find out more。This book had me hooked from the beginning as we learnt more about the situation and the unreleased past for Maria。 It kept me wanting to read on and in。。 It was quite a slow and steady build up back to the abduction， but in many ways that worked for me and gave it greater depth。 This all built up to a great ending of the book。 This is a new author for me but I will certainly be reading more of her books。 I am happy to be able to recommend this engaging book。Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing a copy of this book for me， for an an open and honest review。 。。。more
Emma
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