About The Perfect Friend
She’ll do anything for you…
My name is Alex, and my world has been shattered.
My husband has left me.
My children won’t speak to me.
My friend Carrie is the only person I have.
She’s the only one I can trust to keep all my secrets.
She’d never do anything to let me down.
Would she?
My review of The Perfect Friend
I have loved every single Barbara Copperthwaite book that I have read, and this book is no exception. The Perfect Friend is a slick, tense and menacing psychological thriller that is very much character driven, and I couldn't put it down.
The Perfect Friend is told from Alex's point of view, a woman who we first meet at a support group. She is a recovering anorexic, who lives alone. Her husband left her, and her children do not speak to her, but we don't know why. We are also told that she is a liar. From the very moment I was introduced to this character, I wanted to learn more about her. Why did she have no contact with her children? What happened to her marriage? I was instantly drawn to her, to her vulnerability and her need to be accepted. I wanted to understand her.
At the heart of this book is the friendship that Alex forms with Carrie, a younger woman who attends the same support group and who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. The friendship models very much that of a mother and daughter relationship, with Alex in the nurturing role. But why does she feel the need to nurture and befriend Carrie? Is the friendship one sided? and would Carrie hurt Alex? This relationship between these two women made for fantastic reading. Both have secrets and both are not what they seem. I was riveted to the page.
What Ms Copperthwaite does so well is to build growing uncertainty and bubbling unease within her books. There is a deep sense of maloevelance that I couldn't shake off. Something bad was going to happen. The tension kept on building and when the final reveal cane, it really did shock.
This is a clever and thought provoking read. Although a psychological thriller, it's a book that is deeply rooted in female friendships. It's about how women support each other and nurture each other. There are so many serious issues in this book that I can't go into without giving things away, but these issues are dealt with in a sensitive and understanding way.
The Perfect Friend is a refreshing psychological thriller that is very much character driven. This novel works so well because I connected instantly to Alex. It took me a while to suss out if I liked her or not, but as the novel progressed, I realised that this fact was no longer of importance. I needed to know how her journey would end. I loved every single page.
With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy.
The Perfect Friend is published on 5th July by Bookouture.
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