The Perfect Wife

by Hannah Price

She is the wife every man dreams of.

She is the daughter-in-law every mother dreads.

When newlyweds Paul and Emily return from their honeymoon the future looks golden. Then they receive the devastating news that Paul’s father has collapsed and rush to his hospital bedside.

Grief soon draws them into Dorothy Mercer’s grand, suffocating house near Windsor.

Dorothy is ill and exacting, and while Paul works long hours in the city Emily steps in with saintly patience. Neighbours call her a rock. The GP calls her a blessing.

But Dorothy is not ready to give up her home. Or control. And she is determined to make sure everyone sees Emily for who she really is…

Set in a village where everyone knows your business and no one sees the truth, The Perfect Wife is a taut, twisty psychological thriller for readers who devour Lisa Jewell and Louise Candlish.

Full of razor-sharp observations, that builds to a chilling reveal it will make you turn the final page and question everything that came before.

Genres: Thriller

246 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 5, 2025

Reviews

[Susan Belman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of those books where I definitely wanted to keep reading — mostly because I needed to know what the endgame was and how we were going to get there. The setup is great: newlyweds Paul and Emily move in with his widowed mother, and on the surface Emily is the dream daughter-in-law. Kind, patient, helpful… honestly a little too perfect. Meanwhile Dorothy (the mom) is an absolute nightmare and Paul is basically clueless and floating through life, so it’s easy to get sucked into the family tension.
But here’s the thing: for a psychological thriller, it didn’t fully deliver on the “thriller” part for me. The manipulation is definitely there — Emily plays her role a little too well, and watching Dorothy spin out is entertaining — but I kept waiting for the payoff. Why was Emily like this? What was her motive? Had she done this before? Who taught her how to play people this way? The book hints at answers but never really gives them, and that left me wanting more.
Overall, it’s a good, engaging domestic drama with solid tension and two women whose power struggle you can’t look away from. I just wish it had followed through on some of its darker threads instead of stopping right before the “aha!” moment I was hoping for.

[Fifi Sitotombe · Rating 1 out of 5]

A whole lot of nothing

Really disappointed in this book, i was looking forward to a thriller and just felt like I was reading a whole lot of nothing. It could have been 75 pages and been much better, felt like it was all dragged out, too much description without much of a story. Absolutely would not recommend- only persevered to the end because I don’t want to leave books unfinished

[Amy Louise · Rating 2 out of 5]

A slurry of similes.

[Nikki Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Monotonous, no character development or history of characters. It advertises as a physiological thriller but the whole book is about her taking care of her mother in law and every sentence written had to add about 3-4 descriptive words that are unnecessary and annoying. I finished it in hopes it would have a good ending but it never answered any questions about the story line and not even a cliffhanger.

[Thundyr Myah · Rating 1 out of 5]

boring and predictable

It seemed to drag on forever, and it was so obvious and predictable of what was going on and what was going to happen

[Jodie Devereaux · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a boring book. I struggled through it hoping something good would happen and it never came.
I judged this book by the cover thinking it would be good and was highly disappointed!

[Naomi · Rating 1 out of 5]

it was a whole lot of similes, unreadable. Nothing really happened and in the end you'll get a hasty predictable end. I'm sorry but this story was really hard to get through.

[Bev Shoesmith · Rating 1 out of 5]

Glad to get to the end of this, boring and predictable. One of the most uninteresting books I've ever read.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not too exciting because the ending is no surprise

[Sandra Matthews · Rating 1 out of 5]

Has to be the worst book I’ve ever read - don’t know how I struggled through 😭

[Nancy Cerny · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first book to read by Hannah Price. I was not happy with this one, I read it to the end to see how the story played out, I was not impressed. Too much description and little story to tell. Based on other reviews, I selected it. I've read other books based in England, this story just got too much for me. I wanted to finish it before I gave up on it. Sorry, wish I could give it 5 stars, 3 was pushing it.

[RALPH D. LICASTRO · Rating 1 out of 5]

Book with no plot

This was a waste of time unless you enjoyed reading endless metaphors and personifications inanimate nouns and verbs. There was no plot and therefore no plot twists.

[Tatiana Ceja · Rating 2 out of 5]

I almost didn’t finish this one — and honestly, I probably should have trusted my instincts. The story just repeats the same ideas and scenes over and over again, which made it feel incredibly drawn out without much real progression. I kept waiting for a big twist or payoff, but spoiler alert… there really isn’t one. The only “reveal” comes in the last few pages, and it’s basically exactly what you already think is happening the entire time.

I will say the writing itself is easy to read, which is probably the only reason I pushed through to the end. But overall, it felt frustratingly predictable and way too repetitive for my taste.

[Christine Large · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't recommend this book unless you like an irrational amount of similies, metaphors and imagery. It was just out of control and very repetitive. I ended up skipping most of the text just to get to the actual story which actually was not very good. Sorry, the author just needs to write a good story and not rely so much on the imagery

[Becca Davis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve never read a book with so much personification and figurative language. I feel like that was the whole book, while it was also very predictable. I’m just one to finish a book when I don’t like it.

[Melanie Knickerbocker · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really disappointed by The Perfect Wife. I went in expecting a psychological thriller and instead felt like I was reading a whole lot of nothing. It dragged on with way too much description and not enough actual story. This could’ve been at least 75 pages shorter. I only finished it because I don’t like leaving books unfinished.

The setup is what kept me going at first. Newlyweds Paul and Emily move in with his widowed mother, Dorothy, and the tension is immediate. Emily is almost too perfect, Dorothy is absolutely unbearable, and Paul is completely clueless. The dynamic is uncomfortable in a way that makes you want to keep reading just to see where it’s headed.

But for a thriller, it never fully delivers. The manipulation is there, and watching Dorothy spiral is entertaining, but I kept waiting for the payoff. The book hints at deeper motives and darker threads but never really follows through, which left me feeling unsatisfied.

Overall, it reads more like a dragged-out domestic drama than a psychological thriller. The premise had potential, but it just didn’t hit for me — and I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re looking for something truly thrilling.

[Gemma Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Yes there was a lot of descriptive writing, someone else mentioned a slurry of similes and I totally get that. At times it was repetitive, i.e., husband saying 'I don't know what I'd do without you,' every other breath but... I was invested.

I let the text carry me along, enjoying the prose as it worked with the story. This is not a tense, fast-paced thriller, it's a slow burn, building to an ending that has no twist, you know what's coming yet you're still keen to get there.

Seems like the reviews have been very mixed but I would certainly read another Hannah Price again.

[Rochelle Greene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love her writing style!

Great saga! Beautiful literary writing, poetic and powerful! I was there with them. characters I’ll miss and think about from time to time! Great winter break read

[Sandi Barter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful Read

Eloquently written from the characters description along with the dialogue that seemingly falls from one page to the next. Bravo to a well written book from beginning to end.

[Dawn Prueter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great reading this book

I enjoyed reading this book. The ending will surprise you. I liked all the action, as well as the day to day monotony that sometimes occurs in life. Again, a very well written and good book

[Granny Moran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional!

I devour psychological thrillers, and Hannah Price delivers a clever story. One of my favorites. Can't wait till April when her next one, " You belong to me" comes out. If they had 100 stars I would give this book all ten!!!

[Karen Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Starres out great but didn’t pay off

I thought this started out great but stalled forever in the middle. I kept reading… Assuming that would be a great payoff, but there wasn’t.
The ending was neither interesting at nor shocking.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Watch out for the quiet ones!

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow burn read that kept me curious and wanting to know how it would end.
Nothing super surprising about it.
Some very poetic insights sprinkled throughout.

[valerie clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant Story From Start to Finish

[Annette Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poor ending

The ending of the story was inevitable it was disappointing, an anticlimax. Paul was a weak character, more of a bit part player in a play.

[Melissa Carlson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book

Was a little slow moving for me. I also thought it was predictable and you knew what would happen. Still a good read though.

[Louise Malae · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea!

[rachel driver · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a bloody boring book.Only kept reading hoping something would happen.

[Alison Fenwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story

Easy ready.A good story with a bit of a twist. Well worth a read.

Ideal for anyone who likes light reading with a surprise