The Perfect Family

The Perfect Family is the latest book by Canadian author Robyn Harding and is a suspenseful story that includes complicated family dynamics, secrets, and the struggle to keep up the façade of having the 'perfect family'. 

The Adlers appear to be the ideal middle-class family which includes sought-after home stager/mom Viv, her successful realtor husband Thomas, their college-aged son Eli, and teenage daughter Tarryn. But when someone suddenly begins harassing them and vandalizing their perfect home, the secrets that they've kept from each other are revealed. 

By using the POVs of each of the Adlers, we see how their secrets are tied into the overall story and could potentially be the reason for the family to be targeted. These four characters were well-developed, each with their own flaws and motives and this bird's eye view into their lives will have readers second-guessing their initial predictions. I think readers will be hard pressed to figure out who is terrorizing this family and why, which makes for an interesting and entertaining read.

The strength of this book is in the writing with the complicated family dynamics and the building tension as their stories/secrets converge. The ending was a bit weaker than expected, but still satisfying. While I wouldn't call this a thriller per se, The Perfect Family is my favourite Robyn Harding book to date and is an engaging domestic whodunnit with wonderfully flawed characters, making it a perfect addition to your summer reading.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada for my advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 4 stars

Author: Robyn Harding

Genre: Suspense, Canadian

Type and Source: eBook from publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada

First Published: August 10, 2021

Opening Line: I stood alone in the street, watching 

the silent house turn down for the night.

Book Description from GoodReads: The bestselling author of the The Swap explores what happens when a seemingly perfect family is pushed to the edge... and beyond in this “propulsive, constantly surprising” (Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, author of The Girls Are All So Nice Here) thriller.

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….

This twisty, addictively page-turning suspense novel about a perfect family’s perfect façade will keep you turning pages until its explosive ending.