The perfect life. The perfect love. The perfect lie. From the bestselling author of The Girl Before comes a gripping psychological thriller. . . .“Mind-bending . . . Delaney takes domestic suspense beyond its comfort zone.”—The New York Times Book ReviewNAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY • A COSMOPOLITAN NEW MUST-READ Abbie awakens in a daze with no memory of … NEW MUST-READ
Abbie awakens in a daze with no memory of who she is or how she landed in this unsettling condition. The man by her side claims to be her husband. He’s a titan of the tech world, the founder of one of Silicon Valley’s most innovative start-ups. He tells Abbie that she is a gifted artist, an avid surfer, a loving mother to their young son, and the perfect wife. He says she had a terrible accident five years ago and that, through a huge technological breakthrough, she has been brought back from the abyss.
She is a miracle of science.
But as Abbie pieces together memories of her marriage, she begins to question her husband’s motives—and his version of events. Can she trust him when he says he wants them to be together forever? And what really happened to her, half a decade ago?
Beware the man who calls you . . .
THE PERFECT WIFE
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This book was a wild, weird and totally unexpected ride into the world science fiction, suspense and psychological thriller. Combining a warning against Artificial Intelligence and a husband’s determination to have a perfect wife, this book is not at all believable, but it was definitely entertaining and absorbing. Abbie awakens in a hospital without any memory of her life, but her husband informs her that she had a terrible accident and is a great mom to their autistic son, an surfer and a talented artist. Abbie knows that all is not as it seems, and her memory evolves as does the book. This is probably the most original story that I have read in a long time. It reminded me of “The Stepford Wives” but it has so much more depth to it. Abbie actually has a personality and wants to make choices. This is a domestic thriller with so many secrets to be revealed and so much deception to be uncovered. Fans of contemporary psychological thrillers will enjoy this book, especially the twists and the unexpected revelations.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
The Perfect Wife by JP Delaney is a very mesmerizing novel which had me reading into the wee hours! I do not want to post spoilers, but the book has a twist at the ending which I did NOT see coming! Is Abbie dead or is she alive and in hiding? The plot of a genius robotics inventor, Tim Scott who idolizes Abbie Cullen, an artist, leads to the unthinkable. Maybe it is a fate worse than death? I enjoyed the book very much but was troubled by the ending. When a person spends hours thinking about the ending of a book, the author has been successful in grabbing the readers attention. Also, there is so much information about life with a child suffering from Heller’s syndrome or disintegrative psychosis. I felt so much compassion for Abbie in her efforts to help Danny and to protect him. The Perfect Wife is written as a very interesting and also disturbing book.
Publication Date August 06, 2019
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
WOW!!!! What a great book. I could not put it down till the very end and still wanted there to be more. I highly recommend this book
This review is also available on my blog: Wine Cellar Library
Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Perfect Wife is due for publication in August 2019.
First, I would like to point out that second-person POV is the most difficult for an author to use. Abbie’s chapters are written in second person and J.P. Delaney does a fantastic job of immersing the reader in the story in this way.
Admittedly, the beginning and the ending of this book frustrated me. I am not particularly a fan of sci-fi, and after reading the synopsis of this book, sci-fi is not the genre you would initially anticipate. (After reading the synopsis again, I suppose it makes sense, but it is not immediately apparent.) I must admit that I was turned off by the sci-fi element that is so crudely introduced to you in the first three chapters. I recall being equally turned off by the beginning of Stephenie Meyers’ The Host, but I ended up absolutely loving that book, so much so that I was inspired to draw again for the first time in years after reading it. But I digress. The point is, don’t let the sudden and unexpected reveal that Abbie is in fact a robot—who has been constructed by a mourning husband to be an emotionally capable replacement for the wife he lost—cause you do turn away from this book. As Abbie’s awareness grows and she experiences memories of real-life Abbie and discovers clues that indicate that real-life Abbie and Tim’s marriage was not what it appeared to be on the surface, you will struggle to put the story down. I finished this book in two short sittings.
As for my problem with the ending, it simply doesn’t make sense. Abbie’s chapter 83 is not congruent with the narrator’s chapter ‘TWENTY-SIX,’ which immediately follows chapter 83 in the dual storyline. I read these chapters three times each to see if I was just missing something, but I’m certain they are contradictory. Two different accounts of what happened are given here, and what happens in Abbie’s chapter makes what happens in the narrator’s description in the other chapter impossible. In fact, there are major plot holes pertaining to the ending as a whole, but I do not want to put any spoilers here. I feel that the ending, and these two chapters in particular, deserve a second look and major editing before the final book is released. This disparity has left me feeling incomplete and has made it difficult to rate the book.
Considering the storyline itself, I feel that robot Abbie is nothing like real-life Abbie, and this poses a problem. The characters in the story are taken aback by how “similar” robot Abbie is, but let’s be frank. Real-life Abbie wouldn’t put up with all the crap Tim pulls on her. Robot Abbie is just the “perfect wife” she has been told to be and lets Tim get away with far too much. However, the rest of the storyline is actually really good. The psychological struggle that robot Abbie experiences is relatable for anyone who questions their self-worth or relationships with others. She finds an inner strength as she becomes more independent, and she becomes more human even as she increasingly accepts her non-humanness.
After writing this review, I feel that 3/5 stars are appropriate until the ending is edited to make sense and be consistent with the rest of the story. I want to give the book a better rating, but I find that I am simply just too bothered by the inattention that was paid to details at the conclusion. This book could be exceptional with just a little more editing.
#netgalley #theperfectwife
I requested this book because it was listed as a psychological thriller but it really is more of a sci-fi genre which I really do not read. I tried to get interested in it but failed as it just did not hold my interest. I think sci-fi fans will really enjoy this. I did think the book was very well written. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Perfect Wife was very different than the books that I normally read, but I was craving a psychological thriller, and the plot intrigued me. This was also the first book that I’ve read by JP Delaney.
This was a well-written book, the plot was twisty and interesting, the characters well-developed and thought out. I liked Abby very much.
Overall, although this was a good book, I wasn’t a fan of the sci-fi aspect. Many people will love this book, but it wasn’t my cup of tea.
Wow! This story is so interesting! I loved trying to piece everything together and was completely thrown at the end. Twice! Amazing story. I loved that every chapter started with the past and you’re thrown little nuggets throughout trying to figure everything out. It’s also very thought provoking. Such an exciting, suspenseful thriller. I was captivated from start to end.
The Perfect Wife…JP Delaney This is the 3rd book by JP Delaney that have read. And it’s made me a fan forever. The Perfect Wife kept me wondering all through the book on how it was going to turn out. The ending was a total surprise!!! It doesn’t take too long to get to the heart of the story, but then it’s just a crazy guessing game about it might turn out. The characters are great. I didn’t like some of them, but then, I don’t think I was supposed to. Great editing on this book! Can’t wait to see what he writes next.
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thanks also to Penguin RandomHouse for the ARC.
The opening of The Perfect Wife truly grabs you. It makes you believe that Abbie has awakened from a coma, or otherwise recovered from a terrible accident. But, then the reality comes through – Abbie is a “cobot”, a companion robot modeled after Tim’s late wife, Abbie.
I truly had to suspend belief in this book. The vast majority of the book was told from two perspectives, and I wasn’t sure who the speakers/narrators were. In fact, after completing the book, I am still not sure. I found the concept intriguing, but ridiculous. I don’t believe, and I certainly hope, that we will ever be able to manufacture “cobots” with empathy and the ability to think for themselves. It would be horrifying to create these “perfect” companions.
I thought the parts of the novel dealing with autism and its treatment were interesting, and found it even more interesting to read the authors notes on dealing with autism in his life. Autism is a very real issue in our world and it seems to be a larger issue all the time.
I found the last few chapters to be truly bizarre and ridiculous, but it did exemplify the inner workings of a diabolical and manic mind to create a perfect being.
#ThePerfectWife #JPDelaney #NetGalley #Penguin #RandomHouse