The Perfect Marriage

by Briana Rodney

This is not a love story. This is the lie Shannon had to survive.

Shannon Brooks thought she built the perfect marriage—steady husband, beautiful home, a future she could finally breathe inside. But after giving birth to their daughter, the walls of that perfect life begin to bend. Twist. Break.

Her medication makes her foggy. Her memories slip. Shadows move when she swears nothing is there. Her husband, Reggie, insists she’s “overreacting.” His cousin Carrie smiles too easily, helps too much, holds the baby a little too close.

And when Shannon finally wakes up from the haze, she discovers the
someone has been rewriting her reality… and it wasn’t her mind.

Now she must pretend to be fragile. Pretend to believe the lies. Pretend she doesn’t know the two people she trusted most have been drugging her, isolating her, and planning something far darker than betrayal.

Because while they were busy breaking her—
Shannon was learning exactly how to destroy them.

What happens when a woman pushed to the edge decides she’s done surviving quietly?

A twisted psychological thriller about postpartum unraveling, hidden infidelity, gaslighting, and a mother’s terrifying fight to reclaim her sanity, her daughter, and her power.

The perfect marriage was a lie.
Her revenge will be the truth no one saw coming.

Perfect for fans of Colleen Hoover’s Verity, Greer Hendricks, and domestic thrillers with emotional depth, shocking turns, and a heroine you’ll root for until her very last breath.

298 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 13, 2025

Reviews

[cierraaa. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I—
Wow. I feel like I was set up SO WELL to be failed miserably. 😞 the ending chapters were all over the place and confusing, and the middle went on for entirely too long. Great premise, not so great execution.

[K. NI'KOLÉ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished this psychological thriller and whew… the mind games was MINDING 😮‍💨

This story follows a woman name Shannon navigating marriage, motherhood, and postpartum while slowly realizing that not everything... or EVERYONE... around her is what it seems. The gaslighting? Heavy. The manipulation? Insane.

What really pulled me in was the postpartum angle and how grief, exhaustion, and trust can be weaponized when you’re vulnerable. The therapist subplot? Chef’s kiss. That was the turning point where everything started clicking, and once Shannon started putting two and two together… yeah. Game over.

And listen… without giving too much away, the way things unfold toward the end? Let’s just say patience ran out and consequences clocked in ON TIME.

Also… I just gotta say this real quick... Ain't NO way a woman moving into my house, playing mommy 2 my child, and getting too comfortable. Shannon had patience I simply do not possess. No ma’am. No Pam. No ma’am again. Couldn’t be me fr. 😭😂

Overall, this was a really solid psychological read with themes of motherhood, betrayal, healing, and reclaiming your power. I could 100% see this as a Lifetime movie... and I mean that in the best way 😭📺

If you like messy thrillers, psychological twists, and a woman finally getting her lick back... add this to your TBR.

[Bree Chantell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished “The Perfect Marriage” in TWO days! I cannot tell you the last time I completed a book in such a short period of time, but this should speak volumes because babyyyyy… I was STUCK. Every time I turned the page, I was like “oh no, I have to keep reading because who the hell does Reggie think he is?” and “when is this Carrie lady leaving?”

If you need to feel what it’s like for a woman to shed - painfully & silently, Shannon is your girl. I saw parts of myself in Shannon’s experience because no woman wants to question the authenticity of the love in what she believed to be her happily ever after. Shannon’s story grips you by the heart and doesn’t release you until she’s made her way back to self, and for that depth of intensity, I will forever be a reader of Briana Rodney!

Here are some of my “Cause to Pause” Quotes:
* Fear seats people where guilt can’t.
* I’m learning that I don’t have to earn rest by surviving something first.
* You are not unlovable because someone couldn’t love you well. Your truth is still yours, even when someone tries to rewrite it.

[Lo Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

This psychological thriller was heavy but so good. We follow Shannon, a surgeon who married her high school sweetheart but realized her husband wasn’t present in the marriage. Becoming pregnant with their first child should have been the happiest time in their relationship but Reggie didn’t share that sentiment. This story shows the struggle of postpartum, depression, and betrayal. It sucked me in from the beginning. What Shannon went through was pure evil and all she wanted was for her husband to help her through. But was he the blame for it all or was it his “cousin” Carrie. This was a heavy ride but I enjoyed it. This could easily be a movie I watch on a Sunday on Lifetime! Y’all know the ones I’m talking about.
The ending *chef’s kiss*

A mother will do what’s needed to survive for her child.

One of Briana’s best stories thus far in my opinion.

[Ashley Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

READ IMMEDIATELY !

If you’re looking for a psychological thriller, this is the book for you !

I read this book in one sitting because I could not put it downnn ! The unraveling, the suspense, the betrayal, the manipulation goes crazy !

Please read this book, you can feel the pain & the vulnerability. I need this as a movie NOW !

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. From the very first page, it captured my attention and kept me completely hooked. The writing style is engaging and beautifully done, making the story flow in a way that feels both immersive and emotionally resonant. What stood out most to me was the message it delivers for women navigating motherhood, postpartum, and the long, often complicated process of healing. It felt honest, validating, and empowering in a way that’s rarely captured so well. And as always, I’m a sucker for a truly satisfying get-my-lick-back moment—this one did not disappoint.

[Quiantra McGhee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just wow! This book touched soo many topics that I think a lot of women go through and never get the chance to Grow through. From the postpartum, to the grief, to the mind games, and the hallucinations it just grabs you each page. I can see this as one of them Lifetime movies