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gabriellainman's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
CWs: car accident, murder, death
A psychological thriller perfect for readers who enjoy multiple points of view with a big dose of murder. Told from the point of views from Victoria, Anna, and Joey’s Diary, “The Perfect Family” focuses on the importance of family, and just how far a mother will go to save them.
The main character, Victoria, is a mother who tries to do what’s best for her family. Sadly, this is all Victoria’s character did throughout the whole story. Claiming to be a psychological thriller, I wish we had seen more into the psyche of Victoria’s character and why she acts the way she does. It felt like Victoria’s character had no development, and her chapters were incredibly repetitive. Anna, however, was a better written character. The daughter of Victoria, Anna sticks to her grey thought process and sticks by her mother throughout all of her choices. As the story progresses, we see Anna’s debate with her own moral compass. We also see Joey, the youngest child, through his diary entries that he writes throughout the book. Joey’s character was well written, and I wish we had gotten to see more of his point of view throughout the story.
The novel has a fantastic mystery buildup from the beginning: what happens during “The Song”? Why does Victoria become friends with certain side characters? Unfortunately, the buildup ends halfway through the story. The thriller aspect fizzled out, and the book felt repetitive towards the second half. The ending of the book felt like it didn’t fit with the rest of the story, and I wish we could have kept up the “thriller” vibe the story was giving in the beginning.
Thank you to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Death, and Murder
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