The Perfect Marriage

by Kimberla Lawson Roby

The New York Times bestselling novel from the author of the Reverend Curtis Black series...

ADDICTION. DECEPTION.
PRETTY PICTURES HIDE UGLY SECRETS.

Denise and Derrek Shaw are the perfect American couple. Happily married for fifteen years, they have a wonderful daughter, Mackenzie, successful careers, and a beautiful home in a posh Chicago suburb. They are attractive, respected . . . and hiding a shocking secret: a dangerous addiction to drugs.

It started innocently enough. Denise occasionally used prescription drugs to help her deal with the long hours and demanding nature of her job. Derrek, also under pressure at work, began using cocaine socially with some of his colleagues.

They can quit whenever they want to. At least, that's what Denise would like to believe . . .

As her job becomes more stressful, Denise can no longer get through the day without a fix. Derrek realizes his harmless habit has become anything but, and desperately wants to get clean. However, his attempts are derailed when there is a sudden family tragedy. Once soul mates, now this husband and wife are quickly losing the immense love that had been the cornerstone of their marriage. With her parents spiraling out of control, Mackenzie makes an unexpected move to take matters into her own hands. Is her sacrifice too late-or is there still hope? Is there a final chance to save the Shaw family?

Genres: Fiction, Audiobook, African American, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Adult Fiction, Family

Audiobook

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

New York Times Bestselling Author, Speaker, Encourager of Women & Podcast Host, Kimberla Lawson Roby, has published 30 books which include her faith-based, nonfiction titles, THE WOMAN GOD CREATED YOU TO BE: Finding Success Through Faith—Spiritually, Personally, and Professionally and THE WOMAN GOD CREATED YOU TO BE: Companion Workbook & Discussion Guide, as well as some of her novels, such as CASTING THE FIRST STONE, SIN OF A WOMAN, A SINFUL CALLING, SISTER FRIENDS FOREVER, A CHRISTMAS PRAYER, THE PRODIGAL SON, THE PERFECT MARRIAGE, THE REVEREND’S WIFE, IT'S AS THIN LINE, and her debut title, BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, which was originally self-published through her own company, Lenox Press. She has sold more than 3 million copies of her books, and they have frequented numerous bestseller lists, including The New York Times, USA Today, The Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, Essence, Upscale, Black Christian News, AALBC.com, Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com, Wal-Mart, The Dallas Morning News, The Austin Chronicle and many others. Kimberla is also the host of The Woman God Created You to Be Podcast.

Over the years, Kimberla has spoken to thousands of women at conferences, churches, expos, workshops, luncheons, libraries, colleges, universities and bookstores. She shares her own personal journey straight from her heart and has a strong passion toward helping women become all that God created them to be.

Kimberla is the 2013 NAACP Image Award Winner for Outstanding Literary Work – Fiction, the recipient of the 2017 SOAR Radio Trailblazer of Honor award, the 2017 Southwest Florida Reading Festival Distinguished Author award, the 2017 AAMBC Christian Fiction Author of the Year award and the 2014 AAMBC Female Author of the Year award, the 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013 African-American Literary Awards Show (New York, NY) Female Author of the Year award, the Blackboard Fiction Book of the Year Award in 2001 for CASTING THE FIRST STONE, and in 2001, Kimberla was inducted into the Rock Valley College Alumni Hall of Fame (Rockford, IL). Additionally, in August 2020, she was named by USA Today as one of the 100 black novelists you should read, and in February 2021, her nonfiction book, The Woman God Created You to Be: Finding Success Through Faith—Spiritually, Personally, and Professionally, was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Instructional, giving her 4 NAACP Image Award nominations in total.

Kimberla’s books deal with very real issues, including women empowerment, sexual harassment, racial and gender discrimination in the workplace, problems within the church (and the consequences), Christian/family/moral values, drug and gambling addiction, marriage, infidelity, single motherhood, breast cancer, infertility, sibling rivalry, domestic violence, childhood sexual abuse, mental illness, and the care-giving of a parent to name a few. In addition, Kimberla’s books offer a message of redemption, forgiveness, and the realities of everyday life. Kimberla resides in Illinois with her husband, Will.

To share your thoughts with Kimberla regarding her work, please e-mail her at: kim@kimroby.com

Reviews

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book, while being moral about drugs and not doing it, was NOT accurate in the eyes of the pain of a family touched by drugs. It's obvious the author didn't watch her husband pawn everything, or overdose, all the late night visits to the ER. Finding hidden drugs, or hide money from your spouse. or gone through the period where popping two pills isnt enough, but 10-11 or crushing and snorting or injecting. This book was very G rated as far as lives of drug addicts go. Too much of the la di da going on in it. Very fairy tale happy ever after. most recovering drug addicts dont just move on and be all happy ever ever, theres setbacks and relapses. and from what i understand, withdrawals arent just moodiness, its the shakes and sweats and feeling like your skin is being peeled off your bones. very intense. thats just me though. if you're going to write about something which would impact people, or send a message, write something that has a lot more impact and research into it.

[Amiee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this one pretty quickly. It's a short quick read and not well written.

I had given up the Rev Curtis series but when I read a synopsis of The Perfect Marriage, I thought I would give the author another try.

It was essentially a waste of my time.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are lots of "so-so" reviews of the book. I just think I'm a Kimberla Lawson Roby fan no matter what she writes so I think it was a good read (pun intended) ;-). The Curtis Black Series is awesome but this was a nice break from the good Reverend Doctuh! The Perfect Marriage taught me a lot about drugs, addiction, drug addiction and how easy it is to get caught up; and gosh, all the secrets! This was a short read that I wanted to go longer. For some reason I wanted Denise to react a little more to all the losses Derick took with their finances. I was furious about the college fund and Lord Jesus all the money on gambling and the lottery tickets at the gas station. I wanted Denise to fall for Butch, or to maybe learn a little more about Wilma & Charles. I enjoyed the read for two days and am now headed to Barnes & Noble to pre-order "A House Divided".

[Sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will always support KLR. However, I just felt like this latest was not as good as I anticipated. The plot had a lot of potential. But the characters were under developed.

[Arthur Kittler · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'll try to make this review short like the book. It'll also be underdeveloped like the characters in the book.
One reviewer said it got him inside the lives of REAL drug addicts. These weren't real, it's a book of fiction. A book with potential; but mostly it was a thinly veiled attempt at a lesson in morality. Don't use drugs and pray a lot.

[T M · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was awful. Very short and superficial for an attempt to get into the heads and lives of drug addicts. Honestly her books overall get worse with time (just real simple and full of meaningless details), but I'm a loyal fan and continue to read.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read all of this authors books and this one did not disappoint! The story deals with a couple that seemingly have the perfect marriage, home, jobs, cars, all the things money can but but secretly they are drug addicts but sees it as nothing but a way to relax after working everyday. The abuse of drugs brings about a terrible turn of events and it forces the couple to look at their lives for what it really is. Kimberla really takes you on a ride in this novel and to say it was a great read is an understatement. I really thoroughly enjoyed this novel and the moral to this story is you have to finally come to yourself and realize when you have a problem before you can truly deal with and come out of a situation. Great book Mrs. Lawson-Roby, keep up the great work!

[Amber Hatfield · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure why I decided to read this. Maybe because of certain friends of mine in the past who are still living the lie that they are okay and "not a drug addict". This book was short and basically a quick tale of their fall from living above their means to living like the normal people do. They start getting high, using a little bit of drugs, but of course the amount quickly grows. They spend an unfathomable amount of money on pills and cocaine, have a wake up call, get help for their addiction and then live happily ever after. Unless this book comes down in price, I would not recommend spending $8.00 on it.

[Jessica Lynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was just terrible. I decided to speed read and try to power through since it was so short. The book was amateurishly and awkwardly written, and the situations described did not feel authentic or accurate. I've read many novels about drug use and abuse, and this one seemed poorly researched and thrown together hastily. I felt that the book presented as though a child had written it. I am legitimately surprised that it was even published.

[Minty McBunny · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow, this was extremely bad. It reads like a high school student got really ambitious and inspired to write it after watching a Lifetime movie. Nothing about it, from the clunky dialogue to the completely off base descriptions of drug use, feels genuine. Just cringe inducingly bad, start to ridiculous, improbable finish.

[Gemini · Rating 3 out of 5]

If Tyler Perry Wrote a Novella…

This storyline was interesting. It illustrated how easily a person can spiral out of control from addiction. The delivery was preachy and sometimes a little bit cheesy. It felt like on any given page you’d come across Madea, a bad wig, and random bouts of singing. It wasn’t terrible, but it’s definitely geared towards a certain demographic.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kimberla Lawson Roby tells the story of a "perfect" couple. Denise and Derrek seem to have everything going for them. They are college educated, have highly successful careers, a great daughter, and all the material things they could want. Behind all this, the couple is hiding a deep secret, they are doing drugs. It starts out innocently and gradually increases as time goes on. What will it take to get this couple back on the right path or will the forever be addicted.

This was a good book by Roby. The Perfect Marriage definitely is an eye-opener to tell you that no marriage will be perfect and that the past can always come back to haunt you. This book did a great job with keeping my attention from beginning to end. While I enjoyed this book, I will have to say that this was not my favorite book by her. There were some things that I was left wondering at the end. There was mention of Derrek's relationship with his parents in the middle of the book and his past; however, there was not much details given on that relationship. I will be reading more from this author as I am a fan of her work.

[Ang · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a reader of several of Roby’s past works, I must admit this one was quite disappointing.
The pace of the story line was entirely too fast. As a result the characters were underdeveloped, the story wasn't as heart wrenching as I expected and the book itself was entirely too short. I finished this book from beginning to end within a couple of hours. Perhaps $2.99 is a better price point for this e-book.

[Constance · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first time reading a novel by Kimberla Lawson Roby. This was a very quick read, with a plot good enough to keep me interested. Although I appreciate that Roby is a clean writer, the characters vocabulary could have used expansion. ‘Wow’ is used throughout the book a little too frequently. If my husband just told me he blew through our daughter’s college fund, I’d use some words a lot stronger than ‘Wow’.

[Carol Hornsby-mccoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Tell me money isn't the root of evil. It was sad to see how Denise and Derrick threw money away. But even more so how it took her child to bring them both back to reality. "And a child shall lead them"! Great job!!!

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read but really short...more like a novella. The story moved fast but felt like it was missing something. I expected more.

[Carmen Blalock · Rating 5 out of 5]

According to the dictionary the definition of perfect is: being entirely without fault or defect, flawless. Life would be grand if it was like that, and to have a marriage like that is a dream come true, but dreams do sometime come true, right?

Denise and Derrick Shaw have a great life: they have a strong loving marriage of over sixteen years, a twelve-year old daughter Mackenzie that is so close to sainthood that she just makes everyone smile at how great she is, they each have great jobs that afford them such a comfortable living that they don't want for anything, a beautiful five thousand square foot home that they were planning to retire in, what more could a person ask for? Life as you would know it is perfect in the Shaw household, that is until someone opens that closet door and the skeletons start to fall out that they had tucked neatly away. Slowly one by one, old wounds open back up and when that happens you need a way to get some of the stress off of you. It is how you choose to relieve that stress that will decide if you are handling it or just hiding it.

The Perfect Marriage is a great story and I enjoyed every minute of it. I enjoyed the story line and the drama, the emotions, the highs and the lows of the characters and that is what keeps me coming back to this author. Roby keeps you engrossed in the story and you can understand why she is a New York Times Bestselling author and NAACP Image Award winning writer, Roby keeps you wanting more and more. Great job as always Kimberla, looking forward to reading more of your works.

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this wasn't exactly the most well-written book, I not only thoroughly enjoyed it but also respected it. The author chose to tackle something that is not written about often. And if it is, certainly not to the extent it was in this book.

The narrator had a beautiful voice and did a good job making each character an individual. She was very easy to listen to :)

Derrek and Denise are married and have a thirteen-year-old daughter, Mackenzie. They both have high paying jobs, and don't want for much with their expensive cars and large house in Chicago. They take lavish vacations and are still very much in love after all those years together.

However, they are both addicts. They started off with cocaine and quickly got hooked on more. Derrek ends up making huge financial mistakes, and their life just starts to altogether unravel. Most of all, with their daughter.

It was interesting and really sad to be privy to the mind of an addict. I thought Roby did a great job portraying what it is like to be stuck in that mindset and not realize the severity of your choices.

Wasn't too long of a book but still took me a little while to get through it. Not always the most engaging but I still have to give it 4 stars for being the first fictional book I've read of its kind.

[Kim G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vicodin= popping pills
Cocaine= snorting
Crack= smoking the gutter rocks

Denise and Derrek the drugs they were doing, Feeding their false emotions it was ok to use coke to take the edge off. To relieve the day's stress, just a little this time now and then won't hurt. Then you lose everything the money, a big house, expensive cars, and that's still wasn't enough. It had to take something tragic and for a person to sacrifice their life for the couple to realize what their addiction was doing to their little family. Denise and Derrek had some childhood trauma; they both suppressed it, which lead to their addiction. I wanted to throw the book across the room when I read what Derrek was buying lottery tickets in part of the story. And in his delusional mind was telling him it was a genius idea. The couple got the help they need to stay clean and to keep their family together. The couple realized they weren't the superficial couple they were before, and all that material stuff didn't matter. I am glad they put God in their lives to keep them strong and keep up with the meeting they will have for life. A well-written story with, great message. Well done, Kimberla Lawson Roby.

[Yolanda Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

It started a little slow to me. It was very sad to see how drugs affected this family. The book had a very good message about trying to live a perfect life and what seems perfect on the outside might not be so perfect on the inside. I felt really bad for the daughter to be subject to all of this and what she had to do to get their attention.

[Stephanie Woosley Erb · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really bland and simple. I kept waiting for the twist or turns but there were none in my opinion. No layers to it.

[Carrian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a buddy read with my husband. It was a fast read and I didn't utterly hate it, but the writing wasn't great and the dialogue was not believable and the characters woefully underdeveloped. It was like a G version of drug abuse. I wasn't annoyed enough to quit on the book so that says something? Maybe. I will say that this story had potential if she had built the characters out more and expanded and had someone to help her create better dialogue. Yea, I should really give it 2 stars but whatevs LOL

[Jassy Tamyra West · Rating 3 out of 5]

Addiction is terrible! Denial is even worse.
A family that does drugs together stays together ?
Wasn’t a bad read, the characters were very frustrating because of their denials and their actions resulting from the addictions. But, that’s what made it interesting. If everyone was functional addicts it wouldn’t be a real story.🤷🏽‍♀️

[Melanee · Rating 1 out of 5]

THIS book is the reason why I avoid urban lit...and the audible version was excruciatingly painful to listen to! She over enunciates and is robotic in tone. Just overall awful!

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read but an eye opener to how fast you can lose everything when drugs are being used.

[M.C. Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to start my literary reading journey in 2013 off on a good note thus first novel of the year is The Perfect Marriage by Kimberla Lawson Roby. The Perfect Marriage introduces us to Derrek and Denise Shaw with a seemingly perfect marriage. Derrek and Denise live in the plush suburbs of Chicago with their preteen daughter Mackenzie. Life is picturesque for the couple from the outside looking in, however a closer look reveals the ugly truth for Derrek and Denise. Derrek is a loving husband and father to his wife and child. However, the relationships with his immediate family has been strained since childhood. Derrek's relationship with his brother Dixon is closely examined and causes an emotional climax for the reader. Sometimes those that we keep at a distance teach us so much about ourselves and how short our time really is. Denise is overworked, preoccupied, and misunderstood by those around her. Her father's great expectations of perfection have clouded Denise's judgement of logic. Denise and Derrek resolve life's chaos through substance abuse resulting in a dark haze that has dire consequences in every aspect of their lives.


The Perfect Marriage is an amazing book that causes you to reflect and reasses the choices we make and how we respond to life's imperfections. Roby has taken a taboo subject and brought it up close and personal with a soft intimacy and class that very few writers can accomplish. Denise and Derrek are authentic, relateable, and transparent enough to weave a cautionary tale of choices and the lives we so desperately live through others. The Perfect Marriage is a sharp, emotional, and a intense tale of two passionate lovers running from their past and conforming to societies ideals of making things better. I enjoyed this novel and you will too!!

[African Americans on the Move Book Club · Rating 4 out of 5]

Certainly no marriage is without issues. If you are married and have never had trouble then that would need to be reevaluated. Mrs. Roby delivers a tale of gut wrenching truth that no one expects to deal with in any lifetime.
Derek and Denise Shaw are a very well to do couple, nice source of income for both, happily married with a teenage daughter named Mackenzie and jobs that allow them to live and have the best of the best. What reason would either one of them have to have a terrible dark secret that isn’t so hidden from sweet Mackenzie? Could their high salary jobs be the very thing that is causing them to have a life that is slowly spiraling out of control to the point that a roller coaster seems not so frightening at all?
The Perfect Marriage is packed with twist and turns that even a rattlesnake preparing to strike couldn’t coil and twist up. An innocent little problem that Denise has that she says she can stop whenever she is ready to takes such a major toll on the family that Derek who is harboring his own issues in his heart, but at best tries to lives as best as he knows how is now trapped in a lifestyle that only gets worse from where he is now. This entrapment leads to a bigger secret and deception that many would say no marriage can survive.
Is love really enough? Does love truly conquer all? Kimberla Lawson Roby takes us on a journey that will leave you upset if you read the book entirely too fast. The Perfect Marriage is definitely a book worthy of reading for every married couple or even those considering marriage

Sophia Brown
AAMBC Reviewer

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stumbled across this audiobook at my library while searching for a recovery book for my recovery books and was pleasantly surprised. I wasn’t familiar with the author or this book, but the synopsis captivated me, and it’s a fast-paced read. Derreck and Denise are both successful in their careers despite Derreck’s upbringing with drug addicted and neglectful parents. Both Derreck and Denise are good parents and have the seemingly perfect marriage with the world as their oyster, but what starts as an innocent relief for pain from injury quickly turns into an addiction and want for something stronger to relieve the stress that accompanies their successes. Their secret drug addictions and denial of such lead to a downward spiral that portrays just how a “functioning” addict can move through the motions of everyday life without suspicion until the world comes crashing down around them. While The Perfect Marriage is relatively short, it packs a punch in how quickly “having it all” can change to regret and despair. The sadness that accompanies this book is their thirteen-year-old daughter, MacKenzie’s, misguided attempt to get her parents’ acknowledgment in just how drug addiction is devastating all of their lives. While this isn’t the next literary grand slam, it is still a book that kept me interested, invested, and one that I can recommend.

[Cheryl Durham · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading several books from The Reverend Curtis Black Series (Be Careful What You Pray For, Sin No More, The Best Kept Secret, Too Much of a God Thing and Casting the First Stone) and Deep Dark Secret, One in a Million, Changing Faces, It's A Thin Line and Here and Now, I wasn't prepared for this. While I loved the title, which had me curious from the very beginning and the depiction of the plight of the Shaws, their secrets, family unravelings due to drug addiction and the facades that go on behind close doors, I wasn't ready for the trauma that would rest with Mackenzie

The author did a fantastic job in creating the characters, depicted their journey and acquainting the reader with how you can appear to have it all together and how it can come crashing down. There were so many twists and turns in the book. I could truly sympathize with each character...withe exception of Denise's father (although I'm sure we all know someone like him...an expensive suit never makes rubbish attractive). But, my heart went out to Mackenzie. She went to extreme measures to get her parents to look at the devastation that drug addiction had on the family. Amazingly, it took a downward spiral and losses for the Shaw's to be at their happiest.

[Latiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in a few hours. I don't like reading or watching anything that has to do with addiction. I am probably one of the few people that did not love Denzel Washington in Flight.

Simply put: I don't like addiction. Who does? I have never been affected by it and so far neither have any of my close friends or family members. However, I am a reader and supporter of Roby's work and I don't skip any of her titles, regardless of content.

She did a great job at illusrating Derrek and Denise's spiral into drug abuse. She captured all of the signs that I have read about or viewed in movies-lightweight use, denial, heavier use, cleaning out bank accounts, erratic behavior, etc.

I had no sympathy for either character, but I definitely felt something for the daughter-especially at the end. It was sad that she had to go through such lengths for her parents to shape up, but apparently it was the catalyst needed to heal this family.

Overall, I think this is a good read.