“FABULOUS.” —B.A. Paris, New York Times bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors and The BreakdownTHE PERFECT MARRIAGE IS THE PERFECT ILLUSION.Paul Strom has the perfect life: a glittering career as an advertising executive, a beautiful wife, two healthy boys and a big house in a wealthy suburb. And he’s the perfect husband: breadwinner, protector, provider. That’s why he’s planned a romantic … beautiful wife, two healthy boys and a big house in a wealthy suburb. And he’s the perfect husband: breadwinner, protector, provider. That’s why he’s planned a romantic weekend for his wife, Mia, at their lake house, just the two of them. And he’s promised today will be the best day ever.
But as Paul and Mia drive out of the city and toward the countryside, a spike of tension begins to wedge itself between them and doubts start to arise. How much do they trust each other? And how perfect is their marriage, or any marriage, really?
Forcing us to ask ourselves just how well we know those who are closest to us, Best Day Ever crackles with dark energy, spinning ever tighter toward its shocking conclusion. In the vein of The Couple Next Door, Kaira Rouda weaves a gripping, tautly suspenseful tale of deception and betrayal dark enough to destroy a marriage…or a life.
Praise for Best Day Ever
“Highly entertaining and truly surprising!” —Kate Moretti, New York Times bestselling author of The Vanishing Year
“Best Day Ever is a creepy, spine-tingling and utterly addictive tale of domestic suspense.” —Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, bestselling authors of The Good Widow
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#CreepyPaul goes off the rails in Kaira Rouda’s Best Day Ever, all in the span of 24 hours. Rouda gives us a front-row seat to a day in the life of a modern day psychopath and his seemingly perfect marriage…but all is not as it seems. Clever and disturbing, Best Day Ever will keep you biting your nails and flipping the pages. Five enthusiastic stars.
I picked up a free ARC of Best Day Ever at BookExpo, and I’m so glad I did. The first few pages *appear* slow — the narrator Paul Strom divulges the perfect details of his perfect life as he and his perfect wife set off for a perfect weekend getaway. But you quickly realize that something about this person is very, very wrong.
I don’t want to give anything away in this review since I think it’s best to go in knowing as little as possible, but I read this entire book in one sitting. It is chilling, twisted, and fast-paced. The entire narrative takes place over the course of 24 hours, and I couldn’t put this book down until I knew what happened at the end of the day.
This book doesn’t come out until 9/19/17, but I HIGHLY recommend adding it to your TBR list!
To be honest, the first 120 pages was lacking in any kind of action, they were a struggle. However, once I passed that, WOW, it got very good! I realized the lack of action was the ultimate set up for the shocking results of the story. It was a great story. With a great plot. Once I got into it, I couldn’t put it down. It’s definitely worth the read!
Paul Strom is the perfect husband to wife Mia and father of two wonderful boys. He has created a perfect life for his family in the suburbs and at their lakeside summer home. Now Paul has planned a wonderful weekend at the lake for just he and Mia and he has named it using his favorite line, “the best day ever”. It is not until Paul and Mia begin their trip to their lakeside house that you start to feel just a tad uncomfortable and maybe decide you may not want to go with them on this trip. The twists begin and slowly piece by piece the suspense begins until you dear reader say, “yikes”.
She does a perfect depiction of a narcissistic man- very much like our soon to be Ex president
I truly enjoyed this book. It’s an original storyline, one I’ve never read before. I was unsure the first few pages, but then I was hooked. I couldn’t put it down. Dogs didn’t get walked and chores didn’t get done!
This was a great book. Nothing like I was expecting. I can’t see a Flex vehicle without thinking about this book. Marital bliss? Summer home, the family that seems to have it all. I highly recommend this one.
What an entertaining book! Each chapter is presented by the time of day, which can only have been a labour of love (or pain) for Mia Strom. Paul muses how lucky he is to have such perfect wife and two sons, and through his point of view we learn what a narcissist he is. Although this book is listed as a psychological thriller, I found myself swept along by the laugh-out-loud character of Paul Strom. Kaira Rouda has cleverly drawn a man who believes he is king of his own world, a man who has it all, and a man admired by his wife’s former colleagues at the ad agency since it would have gone down the tubes if not for his genius. In a word, Paul Strom is brilliance incarnate—in his own head. You either want to slap him or run and hide.
Kaira Rouda is an exceptional writer and someone I will be following in future. She has created a complex character around Paul Strom and a plot which is hard to forget. This makes BEST DAY EVER extremely high on my list of recommendations. One that will be added to my best ten books for 2019.
I could not put it down. It is a wonderful first person account of a true narcissist. Brilliant.
So this is a book that’s a bit of a slow-burn suspense wise, but holy moly, once it gets going you can’t stop reading. I was up all night, I just absolutely couldn’t put it down. Fantastic twists and a satisfying ending.
Best psychopath character that I’ve ever read, Paul is twisted, clever, and creepy!
I really liked this book. If you liked Gone Girl you will love this twisted story.
This is such a wickedly delicious read!
I love stories with unreliable narrators and Paul Strom is the worst.
I can’t recall of a more despicable character in recent fiction.
Paul is a self-centered, manipulating, controlling, arrogant jerk.
He has a inflated sense of self-worth. He’s sexist, has a problem with denial and no problem at all with deceit. A complete narcissist.
You’ll have big fun hating this guy.
That’s what makes the story so juicy. It is told in the first person in Paul’s voice.
It’s taking a journey into the mind of totally delusional, and possibly psychopathic, man.
On the way to their cottage on Lake Erie to enjoy the “best day ever”, Paul and his wife, Mia, have a minor disagreement. What starts as a crack in the veneer of their relationship opens up to a chasm filled with ugly truths.
The tale is peppered with landmines exploding with did-not-see-that-coming twists and revelations.
When it all comes to a head, you’ll be left aghast.
The ending is altogether perfect.
Paul has a plan, but it has got nothing to do with being the…..”BEST DAY EVER”.
Greatly recommend. Brava, Ms. Rouda!
Freaky is all I can say about the main character! You will keep turning the pages to find out what has happened in this twisted story! What a nightmare Mia is married to!
This book just kept getting better as the main character revealed himself and his true self.
I normally don’t read psychological thrillers and even though I gave it 4 stars I probably won’t want to read any more. Paul was so twisted I could hardly stick with it but I kept going just because I really wanted to see him get his.
Couldn’t put this down! A fun read.
The writing was fabulous-a real page turner. Kept you on the edge of your seat the entire book.
This book definitely kept me guessing, I could not put it down.
The husband was predictable but it was interesting with a twist at the end,