The Perfect Family by Robyn HardingPublication Date: August 10, 2021
Pages: 352
Add on: Goodreads
Buy the Book: Amazon
Rating: ★★★★
Source: From the Publisher
Genre: Fiction / Thrillers / Psychological
Publisher: Gallery Books / Simon & Schuster
The bestselling author of the The Swap takes you “on a wild psychological ride with this addictive thriller” (Palm Beach Daily News) about what happens when a seemingly perfect family is pushed to the edge.
Thomas and Viv Adler are the envy of their neighbors: attractive, successful, with well-mannered children and a beautifully restored home.
Until one morning, when they wake up to find their porch has been pelted with eggs. It’s a prank, Thomas insists; the work of a few out-of-control kids. But when a smoke bomb is tossed on their front lawn, and their car’s tires are punctured, the family begins to worry.
Surveillance cameras show nothing but grainy images of shadowy figures in hoodies. And the police dismiss the attacks, insisting they’re just the work of bored teenagers. Unable to identify the perpetrators, the Adlers are helpless as the assaults escalate into violence, and worse. And each new violation brings with it a growing fear. Because everyone in the Adler family is keeping a secret—not just from the outside world, but from each other. And secrets can be very dangerous….
“Unsettling and darkly sublime, Robyn Harding deftly explores twisted family dynamics and devastating secrets in suburbia in this stunning novel that will shock readers by the final page” (Christina McDonald, USA TODAY bestselling author of The Night Olivia Fell).
REVIEW
Robyn Harding’s The Perfect Family rips the mask off suburban bliss and shows just how messy life behind the manicured hedges can get. On paper, the Adlers are living the dream: a stunning house, two polite teenagers, and parents who look like they’ve got it all figured out. But when their home becomes a target for increasingly sinister acts of vandalism, their carefully curated image starts to crack, fast.
The story wastes no time. One morning, the Adlers wake up to eggs splattered across their porch. Maybe just a prank, right? Except it isn’t. The attacks get bolder, nastier, and much more personal. It’s clear someone wants to send a message, and each Adler has secrets they desperately want to keep hidden. Harding lets us see the world through the eyes of each family member, and it’s not pretty. Everyone’s got something to hide, and the tension just keeps ratcheting up.
What makes this book so addictive isn’t just the mystery of who’s behind the attacks, it’s the Adlers themselves. Thomas, the dad, is a real estate agent with a past he’d rather forget. Viv, the mom, is battling urges she can’t control. Their kids are tangled up in their own private disasters. Harding doesn’t sugarcoat their flaws; instead, she leans into them, making each character painfully real. They’re not always likable, but they’re impossible to look away from.
The writing is sharp and fast, with short chapters that bounce between perspectives and never let the suspense flag. Harding’s dark humour cuts through the tension, and every twist reveals just how fragile the façade of perfection really is. The book digs into everything from addiction and trauma to the pressure to perform happiness for the outside world.
If there’s a nit to pick, it’s that the ending might leave some readers wanting more; the final chapter comes quickly, and not every loose end is tied up. But the last twist lands with a punch, and it fits the messy, complicated truth of the story.
The Perfect Family has earned its praise for good reason. It’s a tight, tense, and deeply human look at what happens when secrets start to rot from the inside out. If you want a thriller that keeps you guessing and makes you side-eye your neighbours, this one’s worth clearing your schedule for.
