The Perfect Couple

by N.J. Cracknell

Their life looks so perfect on the surface. But the facade is beginning to crack . . .

Nevin and Gloria both have successful careers, as well as two adorable kids and a picture-book cottage by the sea. But at forty, Nevin is experiencing some discontent. He’s a successful author, but his latest plot is not for a book . . .

As Nevin sets a plan in motion that will allow him to escape his marriage, he conspires against Gloria. But he should have thought it through a little more. Because each of them have their own agenda, and everything is about to go very wrong.

There’s no such thing as a perfect marriage—or a perfect crime . . .

Genres: Thriller, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Mystery, Family

238 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 14, 2024

Reviews

[Jayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many "perfect couple" books, so little time!

(There are 12 "The Perfect Couple" books listed on GoodReads!)

This "perfect couple" book was fast-paced, entertaining, twisty, and unputdownable.

WHY NOT 5 STARS?
Until the last two chapters, N.J. Cracknell's "The Perfect Couple" was a crackin' good read.

Yes, in the beginning, "The Perfect Couple" was perfect.

The book's bizarre and implausible ending was the reason for the absence of that fifth star.

The book's last two chapters included waaay too many eye-rolling and "shock factor" reveals.

I listened to the audiobook read by Dennis Kleinman and Hannah Curtis.

Both narrators did a superb job with the narration.

[Mickey · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the outside, Nevin and Gloria seem like the perfect couple. They lived in a beautiful seaside cottage, had great careers, and two kids. However, not everything is as perfect as it seems.
I felt like this one started off pretty strong, but at some point, it just seemed to lose its flow. All three of the main characters were flawed and unlikeable, and some of their actions just seemed a little bizarre.
There were a few twists throughout, and it was filled with unreliable narrators.

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wild ride.
Whew

[Tracy Fenton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Perfect Couple is the story of Nevin and Gloria. To the outside world they seem to have it all. Successful careers, two children and a beautiful home by the sea. However the reality is quite different, as they both want to escape their marriage and will stoop to some pretty desperate measures to achieve what they really want.

With plenty of shocking reveals, a couple of clever little twists and turns, The Perfect Couple is a quick and addictive read.

I love books with unreliable narrators and I love books with utterly unlikeable and despicable characters and The Perfect Couple definitely has both of these.

If you are looking for a quick and easy read that is entertaining, amusing and despite bordering on the implausible at times, guaranteed to keep you reading just to find out what/why and who, then grab yourself a copy of The Perfect Couple by NJ Cracknell as it’s free on Kindle Unlimited or 99p on Amazon UK.

[Sonja Charters · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a deliciously dark read with twists aplenty.

Gloria and Nevin appear to have the perfect marriage - good jobs, 2 lovely children and beautiful cottage by the sea.
But as we learn more about them, we soon see that things are not quite as they seem.

I didn't particularly love our main characters, but this is definitely how we're meant to think.
Nevin wants out of the marriage, and as he sets his plan to work, he realises that Gloria has her own agenda.
Nevin's best friend Felix adds some interest and colour, but we soon find that he's also manipulating the situation.

The events seem a little odd as I'm sure the couple really could have just split up and divorced - but all the same, I got sucked into their world and raced through to the surprising end.

The writing style worked well and I loved the short chapters which helped to create a fast paced read.

This author is new to me, but definitely one I'd read again.

[Ashleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok this definitely wasn’t a ‘thriller’ and all the characters are awful but I did enjoy this read !

[Tinowa Oreggio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good. Moved quickly. Good narration.

[Brandy Wine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book. Kept me guessing. I love books like these where you think you have it figured out and it’s completely wrong.

[Stephanie Casimiro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining. This book will not win any literature awards but it's an Entertaining read with predictable characters.

[Robbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘The Perfect Couple’ by NJ Cracknell is a quick-to-read, entertaining thriller, however, it falls short of being anything spectacular.

The story follows the perspective of our three main characters. Nevin, Gloria & Felix. Nevin no longer wants to be married to Gloria and Gloria no longer wants to be married to Nevin. However, instead of getting a divorce like normal people, Nevin and Gloria choose elaborate schemes involving Nevin's best friend Felix, to break off from each other. Unfortunately, not everything goes to plan.

I gave this book a 3.5/5 stars as I somewhat enjoyed most of the story. The prologue and first couple of chapters left me wondering if this would be a slow burn, however, the plot picks up quickly and you’re then well-invested in the story being told. There are plenty of twists and turns along the way, although ones you may see coming as the author drops subtle hints and on occasion tells you the twist to come as opposed to just letting them play out. This didn’t take away from the story though and made the following chapters a must-read in most instances.

Although the book is described as a psychological thriller, I found the book to be somewhat humorous on occasion. The interactions between all three characters and their very different personalities created many moments of soft chuckles. The book was not overly dark, though it did touch on some dark themes hence the thriller aspect of the book.

My main disappointment of the book was that I was enjoying the back-and-forth between the husband and wife. I could have done with a few more chapters of them bickering and scheming as it made for a fun plot. The second half of the book became pretty standard and that is why I would not consider this book anything close to amazing or spectacular. It started off with a rather unique and fun plot and slowly turned into a generic crime thriller that you may have read or watched a hundred times before. The main plot twist of the book could be seen coming from a mile away; although that may have been intended as the author as I mentioned dropped obvious hints throughout the book.

Overall, I enjoyed the story for what it was. If you’re looking for a quick read to hit your yearly reading goal; I would recommend giving the book a go as it does contain some fun elements and is written quite well. However, if you’re expecting to experience an amazing story that you’ll be thinking about for days to come, then this may not be the book for you.

[Lori Jean Zuber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nevin and Gloria appear to have a perfect marriage. Nevin is an author and Gloria is a literary agent. They have two children and their house is right by the sea. As Nevin’s 40th birthday draws near, he realizes that he is unhappy in his marriage and develops a plan to change everything. He wants to get away from her and have a quiet life with his two children. Nevin’s flamboyant friend arrives for the party, and we learn he is directly in the middle of this conflict.

The thread woven through the tapestry of this novel is remarkable. The narrative is divided between Nevin, Gloria and Felix. Each of them has their own agenda. NJ Cracknell has done a wonderful job switching us between characters. The novel is fast-paced, and the twists and turns are incredible. Just when you think you have everything figured out, you will find you are wrong! I really enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it!.

[Marte Haga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok. Not excellent and not bad. Writing is fine, not too repetitive and no unnecessary details and descriptions. Plot is also fine, but just fine as in okay: nothing very original and nothing that will stick with me after closing the book. A wife, a husband and the husbands friend. A pregnancy. And a plan to get rid of people holding you back, but there are several plans and several people that are in the way and someone is in on all the plans ... All in all, maybe a bit too twisty with a little lacking of credibility as not one of the narrators can be trusted to tell the truth. And, this might be just me, but I'm really getting a bit sick of the whole concept of "unreliable narrators". It can be fun, once in a while, but lately it seems like nearly every single thriller has narrators that are either unreliable or have a psychopath diagnosis. I miss thrillers with more "average" people

[Jacqueline Moxon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well written and gripping novel. Felix has shades of Mr Ripley. Spoilt, amoral and entitled, though definitely charming and captivating. Gloria and Nevin, on the other hand, are far from the perfect couple. If their relationship was so unhappy, why on earth did they not simply separate? Were all these complicated machinations really necessary? An entertaining story, if you don’t take it too seriously, but very dark and rather unreal. I definitely felt very sorry for the two unfortunate children of the marriage. I enjoyed reading it for its excellent writing style more than for the rather grim story itself. It is a pleasure to read such fluent use of language. Lots of twists and turns and very satisfying eventual end.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book didn't live up to expectations for me. There seemed to be big holes in the plot, and things that just happened with no realistic consequences.
The 3 main characters were all fairly dislikeable, and didn't feel real to me - perhaps I'm just lucky never to have met people like this.
On the plus, the story moved along at a pretty good pace, and there were cliff hangers at the end of many chapters which kept the pages turning. There were several twists in the plot, the main one I had spotted but forgotten about so that was good.

[Emma Langford · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the first 111-120 pages really engaging and loved the fact that all 3 characters had their own agenda and were all lying/plotting about destroying the other. I found after this point the story took a turn but not for the better. Although none of the characters were particularly likeable, I found I disliked Felix the most. The twist at the end did not wow me. It was a quick read and fairly enjoyable, and loved the viewpoints of different characters, unfortunately it lacked something for me at the end.

[Jill Coates · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, I grew with what other reviewers have said that none of the main characters were particularly likeable but that seemed to add to it as you didn’t root for any of them. Were it real life I would feel very sorry for the children involved.
The short, snappy chapters suited me and I liked seeing things from each character’s perspective. The end very good although I did have an inkling that was where it was heading so not a complete surprise.
All in all I enjoyed it and would recommend to you.

[Nicola Richardson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this book and really wanted it to end. The main characters were not likeable and none of them seemed to have any redeeming qualities at all, so I didn't actually care who did what to who and why. They were all as ridiculous as each other and it was never obvious who was telling the truth or just being manipulative. I was glad to get to the end and forget about them!
I read a review copy

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

They are the perfect couple, or aren't they? In the surface everything seem as is supposed to be, they look very happy together, but appearances can be deceiving, what you think it is truly is not.
What started as a sweet story ends up as a horror one. With lots of twists and turn on every chapter the story will keep you on your toes, wanting to keep reading to figure out what is going on.
Very good psychological thriller.

[Crystal Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

To start, I would like to thank the author & Bloodhound Books for this amazing ARC read. ♡
All i can say is prepare for whiplash because this one will keep you guessing and glued to your seat. I absolutely loved how it was told from three different perspectives and how all those intertwined to form one giant web of mysteries that had me engrossed to figure it out.
I think if you like this genre of books, you will not be disappointed when it comes to this one!

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was nothing what I expected. Not sure who the bad guy really is, even after reading it, there were at least three of them. I did feel sorry for the children, but the adults...nope. I didn't really like the ending all that much, but it had to end somehow. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.

[Anitra Mansson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as I thought I had it figured out there was a new twist revealed. I must say I, I personally, did not expect the last twist. It was easy to sympathize with Nevin, who always seemed on step behind. This book is a great read, more surprising rather than a thriller. I would definitely recommend.

[Eunice Coorlas · Rating 4 out of 5]

After 15 years, most marriages lose a little bit of the luster. However, this couple has taken it a bit too far. Add to the mix the husbands lifelong friend and we have a situation developing. The performances were exceptional. The story was very good and held your interest through to the shocking end. Well worth the listen.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this from Bloodhound books as an ARC. I really enjoyed this book. I love a good psychological thriller and this hit the mark for me. There were a lot of twists and turns to this story that is what kept me interested. If you like psychological thriller then you should read this book.

[Yvette Salmon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book would be better than it was. I didn’t like most of the characters couldn’t warm to them. Also there was chunks of the book where I found the story was missing something. Sorry not a great fan.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It takes a special skill to take three utterly unlikeable, selfish and manipulating characters and weave a compelling thriller that keeps the reader engaged to the end. But that's exactly what the author managed superbly in this fast-paced, page-turner. It's twisted perfection!

[Sophie Bristow Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Perfect Couple” by N.J. Cracknell is a book filled with secrets, lies and deceit.
The characters are all pretty unlikeable and it’s hard to show them any empathy or compassion.
A well put together story with lots of interesting plot elements.
Highly enjoyed and recommend reading this one.

[Julie Warren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit different

A well-written novel with attractive characters. It was a bit different from other books of a similar genre. But even if you can guess some parts of the plot, there are definitely some unexpected twists. Would recommend

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an interesting premise, I definitely had a few of the twists figured out, especially a large one, but I enjoyed it anyway. This was definitely not my favorite book, and all of the characters seemed unlikeable to me, but it was twisty and interesting.

[Linda Jarvis · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh

It was very twisted in so many ways. Until the very end, I believed Felix was in love with Gloria. Then, to find he was in love with Nevin for all those years,I was totally thrown!

[Michelle Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suprising

Not exactly what I was expecting but it was really good. So many twists. Definitely a thriller. The ending was a bit of a shocker. I would recommend reading this book.