Not a Perfect Science: A Novel

by Hadley Leggett

When the secretly miserable wife of a renowned marriage expert accidentally befriends the undercover journalist investigating him for fraud, all three must confront the consequences of their deceptions.

Dr. Darren Mitchell’s groundbreaking research can measure love on a brain scan, and he’s built an empire teaching couples how to make marriage last. Meanwhile, Nora Mitchell has played the devoted wife and mother, sacrificing her dream of becoming a journalist to support Darren’s skyrocketing career. She keeps her resentment buried deep—until a glamorous new neighbor moves next door.

A successful journalist and recent divorcée, Erika is everything Nora longs to bold, unapologetic, and fiercely independent. Their instant friendship awakens a dangerous desire in Nora to imagine herself outside her husband’s shadow. But unbeknownst to Nora, Erika didn’t arrive by accident. She’s investigating an anonymous tip alleging every scrap of Darren’s award-winning research is fake.

As Nora’s unwitting revelations lead Erika closer to the truth, and as Erika’s influence drives a deepening wedge in Nora’s marriage, both women must ask What are we willing to destroy to have the lives we were meant to live?

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Marriage, Ebooks

316 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication December 1, 2026

About the author

Hadley Leggett writes twisty family dramas that explore truth in shades of gray. Her first novel, All They Ask Is Everything, won the 2025 Nancy Pearl Book Award and the Rising Star Award from the Women's Fiction Writers Association. Before becoming a novelist, her winding career path included degrees in medicine, biochemistry, Spanish, and journalism. She currently lives in Seattle and is the mother of three children, three cats, and a very sassy rescue pup.

Reviews

[Mary Jackson _TheMaryReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the very beginning I could not stop reading, This authors writing draws you on and you can't put the book down. I cant wait to read more by this author.
Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required, and all views expressed are our own.

[Heather Frimmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hadley Leggett has done it again! As with her incredible debut, Not A Perfect Science drew me in immediately with a compelling premise, realistic, flawed characters who you want to root for despite their bad choices, and a swiftly moving plot. When I read one of her books, I need to clear my schedule so I can sink right in. Stop scrolling and buy this book now!

[Lauren Parvizi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoughtful examination of marriage, friendship, and gender roles, Not A Perfect Science will make you think and feel in equal measure. The storyline is inventive and page-turning, presenting the kind of “what if” scenario you’ll want to debate with your friends, but the characters make this book especially meaningful. If you’ve read Leggett’s debut, All They Ask Is Everything, you know she’s a master at nuanced females. That same gift is on display here with Nora and Erika. The women couldn’t be more different, and yet, don’t be surprised to find yourself relating to both of them, rooting for each to find her way forward, even when it seems impossible they’ll make it through together. Book club fiction at its best!

[Gigi Ropp · Rating 5 out of 5]

For some odd reason, I’ve always been drawn to books that seek to scientifically quantify love/attraction. While I would have loved a bit more on that science, I found myself drawn in by such dynamically different women that were so different yet so incredibly well-written. Came for the plot, stayed for the women. Typical me.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

From Amazon first reads. Started out with strong funny female main characters but by midway story became too cutesy with too perfect characters.

[Erin Quinn-Kong · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored Hadley Leggett's debut, All They Ask Is Everything, which explores the messy parts of motherhood. And her second novel, Not a Perfect Science, which explores the messy parts of marriage, is just as good!

As a mom to young kids and a journalist, I identified with both Nora and Erika feeling lost in their own ways. I really enjoyed seeing their friendship develop, and I also found the plot of this book so smart. Leggett's background as a science writer shines through as we learn about the brain scans Darren, Nora's famous husband, is using to measure love.

I don't want to give anything away, but just know that Leggett is back with page-turning fiction featuring whip-smart commentary on issues that real women are dealing with every day. Highly recommend!

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a Perfect Science is a compelling exploration of marriage, ambition, and the quiet ways a life can drift off course. Hadley Leggett writes with a sharp emotional clarity, capturing the ache of a woman who has spent years performing happiness while slowly losing sight of herself. Nora’s voice feels authentic and deeply human — tender, frustrated, hopeful, and painfully aware of everything she’s sacrificed.

The arrival of a bold, self‑possessed neighbour shakes something loose in her, and the friendship that forms between them is electric in all the right ways. It’s intimate, unsettling, and full of the kind of subtle tension that keeps you reading just one more chapter. Layered beneath that is a thread of professional intrigue that adds momentum without overshadowing the emotional heart of the story.

What really stands out is how Leggett handles deception — not as a dramatic twist, but as a natural extension of people trying to protect the versions of themselves they’ve built. The novel asks thoughtful questions about identity, desire, and what it truly costs to reclaim a life you’ve quietly handed over piece by piece.

A smart, absorbing read with rich characters and a slow‑burn intensity that lingers long after the final page.

With thanks to Hadley Leggett, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC

[Katie Camden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hadley Leggett has written another sharp, nuanced story of women at odds, though whether there’s truly any villain in the story is difficult to know for sure. Nora is a frustrated stay-at-home mom and wife to an accidentally famous therapist. Darren created a popular technology that claims to scientifically demonstrate how compatible a couple may be. Erika is a disgraced journalist and recently divorced woman who moves next door to the family and while becoming a close friend to Nora, seeks to bring down her husband for fraudulent research.

There’s no way these two women can each get what they want. Erika’s not being fully transparent about her motives in befriending Nora, Nora’s unsure about whether giving up her own career aspirations to marry Darren was ever the right choice, and neither is sure Darren or his research can be trusted.

This book provides everything—humor, heartbreak, the depth of women’s friendship, the impossibility of having it all (because women can’t win whether they choose career, or family, or both), and a race to find the truth. I loved these characters and their stories. Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union for the ARC!

[Farah G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Erika is an award winning journalist who loses everything when her abusive, charismatic, and bitter ex husband frames her as a reporter who exposes her sources.

Determined to dig her way out of the graveyard in which her career has been dumped, Erika decides to expose the well known marriage guru who made her believe that her relationship with her ex husband was worth investing in by showing her brain scans that purported to prove that they were intensely compatible as a couple. That was instrumental in influencing her decision to marry her ex in the first place!

So she moves next door and managers to make friends with the man's wife. But when Erika and Nora become close friends, and she falls in love with their children, things start feeling a lot more complicated...

This is an engaging and insightful story with well-drawn characters. Amusing, honest, and enjoyable reading.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

[Athena Bertolino · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. It can be hard to follow up a fantastic debut novel with an equally exciting sophomore novel, but Leggett has done it and is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers (bonus stars for being a local author!). This story was a joy to read, hard to put down, and full of her usual musings on social issues and family complexities wrapped into engaging and relatable characters. For the first third I was worried it would be too predictable, but as with life, there were enough almost imperceptible twists and turns to keep things interesting and not quite on the track you expected. Well done! Thanks to @netgalley for the advanced copy and @hadley.ink for making it available.

[Taralyn Knox · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book in relate to

I found myself empathizing with Nora so much during this book. Our lives are different of course but so similar. I could feel her pain and doubts and feelings of inadequacy so well. The author did so great at portraying them.
Erika was awesome too. It was fun to see her grow.
The antics of the kids, and Cookie, were enjoyable.
The mystery was well written and left you hungering for more information.
I could barely put the story down.
I'm so glad I chose this as my First Reads this month!

[Frannie Burd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nora and her husband, Darren, seem to live a charmed life. Darren is a famous researcher who writes books and holds seminars on using brain images to determine if you and your partner are suited to a life together. They have three children, and Nora has temporarily left her career to
stay home with them.

When Erika moves next door, she and Nora become fast friends. Erika is everything Nora wishes to be: independent and career-oriented. But is Erika just learning about Darren's research, or has she used it in the past to drive her life choices? Meanwhile, Darren is having major issues at work: the circumstances suggest that his research is flawed. How long has he known about it? And what, if anything, is he doing to correct it?

I found myself really enjoying this one. The plot is sufficiently different to keep the reader invested in the relationships and their eventual outcomes.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really loved this book. This makes 2 books in a row I couldn’t put down!

[Catarina | cat literary world · Rating 2 out of 5]

Than you, NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me early access to this one. All opinions are my own.

Meet the Mitchell’s - they feel like the perfect family: famous dad, stay at home mom and four kids. However, appearances might be deceiving. At the same time, meet journalist Erika who is trying to save her career. How will these characters come together? Erika will try to prove Darren Mitchell science is not so scientific after all.

Darren Mitchell is famous for his brain scans to measure love among couples. Coming from a scientific background myself, the synopsis felt like we were uncovering a grand scientific scandal instead of dealing with something not so precise as is the case of love. I expected something more wow, like a disease that was no longer treatable or whose treatment leads to adverse unknown side effects.

The first 60% of the book is mainly from Nora’s (Darren’s wife) perspective. Nora gave up on her dreams to be a stay at home mom, and, although the book raises important questions, this was not the plot line I expected from the synopsis, which made me feel like it was kind of boring.

“No one ever asked men how they managed to “have it all” because the answer was simple: most of them had a wife.”

I felt like only between 80 and 95% it was interesting, raising questions about the different access women in science have to tenure positions when compared to their male counterparts. I felt the book would have gained a lot to focus more on academia than on the family life, as it ended up feeling like any other book out there. But this might reflect the expectations I had from the synopsis that were not fulfilled. The characters also felt very plain.

[Literary Side Quest · Rating 4 out of 5]

This pulled me in quickly with its messy, layered relationships and the sense that nothing was quite what it seemed. I really liked following Nora, especially as she starts to question her marriage and the life she’s built around Darren’s success. Her friendship with Erika added a lot of tension, and I kept waiting for things to crack open as the truth started edging closer.

I also liked how it explored identity within marriage and how easy it is to lose yourself in someone else’s story. It kept me curious the whole way through, and I found myself wanting to see how all the threads would come together by the end. A gripping and thought-provoking read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Kitty Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A science test that claims to accurately screen for proof of love is the clever and original background for this satisfyingly emotional novel. Women's fiction at its exciting best. Loved it.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nora was fed up to there with her celebrity husband, author of the bestselling series of Marriage Magic books. As a psychologist who actually could prove marriage compatibility with MRI scans, Darren Mitchell was a star, and his marriage seminars were always full of eager participants.. But it seemed to Nora that their marriage might be on the rocks. Darren relied on her not only for emotional support, but for supporting his work in every other way, ignoring her love of journalism-she became a Texas mom of four without any time to follow her own career aspirations. Lately he's been coming home late every night, leaving her to battle it out with her teen-age daughter, the two middle school sons, and Conner, five, who was deathly allergic to everything.  Their new neighbor seemed to be having a problem keeping her little fuzzy dog off their lawn and Conner was falling in love with this super-allergen.
Erika was livid and powerless. She was an independent woman and a sharp NYC investigative reporter before meeting Ryan who swept her off her feet. He was handsome, he was rich, and he gave her the space she needed to do her job. Even though he was perfect, she decided to attend a Marriage seminar with Ryan and allow them to compare MRI readings of their relationship. She found that he really loved her-at least, until after the wedding when he became his true sociopath narcissistic self. When she tried to escape their abusive marriage, he found the women Erika interviewed for her #MeToo article and revealed five of their names, trashing her career and poisoning any hopes of further employment. When she was at rock bottom, a tipster contacted her about a potential blockbuster story concerning Darren Mitchell and his work-Redflags82 contacted her with knowledge that all of Mitchell's research was flawed, and gave her leads to prove it. All she had to do was move near the Mitchells, make friends with his wife, and gain entry to Darren's office where he kept his files. As their new next door neighbor, she began accomplishing these goals. Who could have known that Nora was unhappy in her marriage too or that they would become besties?
Leggett's novel was a great look under the hood of a celebrity marriage and how things are seldom what they seem. While the book could be humorous, like when Nora and Erika bonded over a loud bitch session as they jumped up and down on the kid's trampoline, it could also be sad. Inevitably, Nora had to find out that Erika was using her to get at the story, and when it happened, their new friendship would be tested, could they rise above it? And what would happen to the Mitchell family when Darren was shown to be a fraud and Nora couldn't even get a job as a mom's group coordinator with her lack of recent experience? This is more than a story of female friendship-it's a call for women to take back their power, especially in a world still tilted towards men dominating the workforce.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. This was an interesting one, the idea of brain scans and data to determine the quality or compatibility of a relationship was a great idea for a plot! Nora is a stay at home super mom and the wife of Darren, a world famous relationship expert who has built his career on using scientific data to help marriages, with his own "perfect" marriage as the shining example. Woof. Darren is frustrating in his seeming cluelessness, and Nora, gah, I was getting stressed out just reading her life, and I myself am a stay at home, homeschool mom of four! Enter Erika, a divorcee, disgraced journalist, and intent on taking Darren down after his "science" led her to marry a truly terrible man. She plots to befriend the family and get close with Nora in order to get insider information.

While I liked what the book was doing, I had a hard time connecting with the characters, though I could relate to Nora the most. Some of what frustrated me about her though was the fact that she willfully chose not to communicate with her husband about literally anything she was feeling. To be very clear, I am not defending Darren, he is so willfully ignorant of everything happening in his marriage I just wanted to slap him. It was hard for me however to root for anyone, even Nora, when it seemed like none of them were willing to take responsibility for their own choices (or avoidance of making them in some cases), though by the end it did feel like they had all finally figured themselves out. Speaking of the ending, it felt a little rushed, and a little too schmoopy for me personally, but I did really like getting some hopeful resolution for the main characters. Overall, I would recommend this for someone who wants a story about a woman navigating marriage and motherhood while finding her voice and identity outside of the societal expectations placed on her.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own and freely given.

[Janet Fiorentino · Rating 4.75 out of 5]

“Not a Perfect Science” is Hadley Leggett’s sophomore novel, and it asks an intriguing question: What happens when the life you’ve built looks perfect to everyone else but may not be what you really want?

Nora appears to have it all. Her husband, Darren, is a celebrity-level researcher who writes books and holds seminars claiming that brain imaging can reveal whether couples are destined for a successful relationship. They have three children, and Nora has temporarily put her own career on hold to raise them. A successful husband, a family, and a seemingly happy marriage. What more could she want?

Then Erika moves in next door, and Nora begins to see her life a little differently. Erika represents the person Nora might have been if she hadn’t put her own ambitions aside for her family. But Erika has more than a passing interest in Nora’s life. She’s investigating Darren and his research, which may not be as solid as he claims. And Erika has personal reasons for wanting to expose him, adding another layer of intrigue to the story.

I was drawn to the premise and especially to Nora, whose struggle to balance motherhood, marriage, and her own identity felt relatable. How often do we put our own dreams aside for the people we love, only to wonder what we’ve given up along the way? That said, I found Nora and Darren’s relationship frustrating at times. Perhaps that was exactly the point, but I sometimes struggled with their dynamic.

Still, Leggett is a talented writer who digs beneath the surface of her characters to explore their motivations, contradictions, and flaws. Her characters feel complicated in ways that make them interesting, even when their choices are difficult to understand.

Ultimately, “Not a Perfect Science” is a thoughtful exploration of marriage, motherhood, ambition, and the sometimes uncomfortable process of finding yourself again. It’s a reminder that a life that looks perfect on paper may be far more complicated behind closed doors—and that it’s never too late to ask what you want for yourself.

[Nicole W. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

TL;DR: this had such a promising start and fell so so flat for me in the last 30% or so. The more I think about the ending, the more irritated I get.

The beginning of this is brilliant. Two women and alternate narration between them. Great themes - of love and the patriarchy and sisterhood. Great premise - part mystery and part contemporary fiction.

I was super hooked at first. Erika and Nora were both compelling, if deeply flawed, characters. I both liked them and recognized their issues. It's hard to make a morally gray and still likable character. I would be friends with them, and their characterization felt consistent.... Until it didn't.

The end hit really hard and fast. It was wild in regards to pacing. Suddenly everything was happening all at once, none of the threads were given enough time to actually resolve, and the story got super predictable and unbelievable all at once. I also started to hate the characters again. The "twist" was obvious, and the pacing just ruined it for me. Couple that with the fact that suddenly the subtle weave of feminism became an outright shout and I felt like I was getting lectured, made this way more heavy handed and way less enjoyable.

It's a bummer, because I did like this initially. I thought it was really well developed all the way until the 70% mark, which is when the dialogue became cheesy and the story faltered.

If you're okay with some lecturing, if you're up for a genre-bending mystery and can handle a sudden shift in pace, or if you're just looking for a book that has a super unique premise, this could still work for you. It just did not work well for me.

[Kathleen Basi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Erika has a grudge to settle. A journalist with a passion for bringing injustice to light, she found herself blacklisted after her abusive ex-husband outed her sources to keep her from ruining him. She only married the guy in the first place because the MRI scan done in the marriage therapy clinic of Dr. Darren Mitchell assured her that she and her ex were a great match. Now, she's determined to out him as a fraud--and she's willing to do just about anything to see justice done, even if it means bending her ethics.

Nora Mitchell, married to a famous husband, is miserable: stuck in a marriage she's not sure she should have entered in the first place and now paraded around the TV circuit as evidence of their blissful marriage, evidence of her husband's success as a therapist.

When Erika befriends Nora, it starts as a calculated way in to the family. But she soon discovers that she loves not only her new friend, but Nora and Darren's delightful children. The deeper into her lies Erika gets, the murkier things get. Who's really the villain here?

Hadley Leggett has a genius for creating incredibly realistic characters with big hearts and big capacities for screwing up. She never takes the easy, obvious route, instead crafting nuanced and complex worlds where a tug on one thread impacts everyone else in the story. Even the villain turns out to be sympathetic. Hadley Leggett is truly a brilliant world builder. A book well worth your time.

[Linda Dominick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great premise, and I enjoyed all the characters growth. They all realized at some point that:
some things are not meant to last forever
everything takes work
the easiest thing to do is take the one you love the most for granted
just because you know someone doesn’t mean you really know them
some of your worst enemies could be sitting right next you
Nora was strong, and ran the house, raised the kids, knew everyone’s schedules frontwards and backwards. She was a force to be reckoned with if she even suspected anyone wanted to hurt her family. I don’t think the kids and her husband would survive without her.
Things I loved about Nora – she never gave up, she really was missing friendship from her life, and became quick friends with Erika. Even though she was thinking about unhappy she was and wondered if her husband was cheating, she was still present for her kids.
Darren, her husband, was so lost in his work that he ignored his family and never communicated his worries about his business.
The relationships felt relatable and the struggles felt real. And all of the plot twists were perfectly timed.
This was a refreshing read that kept me on my toes as the family began to unravel, and the outcome was a bit shocking and unpredictable. This was such a great book about family, a struggling marriage, trust, and new beginnings!

[Liza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Want a book that’s the literary equivalent of watching a train crash happen in slow motion—you know what's coming, but you can't look away?

Not a Perfect Science by Hadley Leggett is exactly that. I loved that it’s set in Texas and explores the complex dynamics between friendship, marriage, and motherhood.

Erika, a recent divorcee, wants to salvage her besmirched journalism career by exposing the fraudulent research of a famous love expert, which may or may not have negatively impacted her marriage. So she befriends the researcher’s wife under questionable pretenses.

As Erika learns more about Nora, who’s secretly miserable in her marriage, their friendship grows. Erika wants to come clean, but it becomes harder to tell Nora the truth because she doesn’t want to ruin the friendship. But the longer she keeps the secret, the more guilt-ridden she grows, knowing she’s going to destroy her friend’s family that she’s come to love.

Will Erika go through with it to save her career, or will she put their budding friendship first?

[Susan Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fun to read. It made me think, and I enjoyed it from cover to cover.

The premise of this story hooked me immediately. Of course, I wanted to know more about a “secretly miserable wife of a renowned marriage expert” and find out how their relationship plays out. Especially since that marriage expert is famous for his research using brain scans to identify (and nurture) love that lasts, and someone is intent on discrediting his data. The plot involves a new friendship formed under pretenses, family drama, questionable ethics, and a suspenseful unraveling of events.

Like most books I love, this story is full of secrets, with people deceiving others… and themselves. The characters are richly drawn, and all have a lot to learn before they can be happy in their circumstances. I highlighted numerous lines related to work, motherhood, and marriage because they were so well said and relatable. This is the second (terrific) novel by Hadley Leggett that I’ve read, and I’m already looking forward to what she writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and the author for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Maureen Griswold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific ingredients for a fun, tantalizing premise: sparkling celebrityhood with a behind-the-scenes unhappy marriage, an investigative reporter with personal and professional debacles determined to expose the celebrity, and the promise and lucrative use of functional MRI (fMRI) brain imagery for making happy romances and marriages — all combining to explode into major media, major science/technology scandals. Juicy!

The characters and the dynamics keep the plot intriguing, and the exploration of gender roles are vivid and pertinent to our times. As a veteran of numerous MRI scans and as a past research participant in a study of fMRI brain study, I even got a kick out of the science and the diligence author Hadley Leggett paid to exploring and describing the science related to fMRI brain research. The last third of the novel is fast-paced as scandal exposure looms and ticks down, making this all-around entertaining read.

[Melanie Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a Perfect Science hooked me with its premise, but I stayed for the relationship between Nora and Erika. Watching their friendship grow while each woman carried secrets of her own created a constant sense of tension. I found myself wondering how long the truth could stay hidden before everything unraveled.

I also appreciated that the novel asks bigger questions about identity, ambition, and what happens when you've spent years living for someone else's success. Nora's journey felt especially compelling as she began to imagine a different future for herself. The ending came together a little faster than I would have liked, but the emotional payoff made it a satisfying read. My sincere thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free advance review copy.

[Janene Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was looking forward to Not a Perfect Science by Hadley Leggett, her sophomore novel having enjoyed her debut. I thought the topic was clever albeit the science I didn't quite understand at times. The characters drew me in and I stayed for the resolution. I thought Nora both relatable and likable, the family dynamics entertaining. The deception experienced was multi-layered and I was very interested in its delicate unraveling and resolution. I found myself frustrated with Nora for not being more communicative. It seemed disingenous with her background but it worked with this storyline. While gender roles may have been a theme, I think it could have been better developed. Overall, this is a book I enjoyed and would recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

[Christy Taylor · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

This was such an entertaining read! I quickly became invested in both Erika and Nora and enjoyed getting to know them and learning their backstories as their friendship developed. Hadley is a great storyteller, and I switched between print and audio because I was so eager to hear what happened to both women as the story unfolded. Victoria Villarreal was a fantastic audiobook narrator! I really enjoyed the Houston setting and could hardly wait to see what transpired from Erika's investigation into several tips she had received about Nora's husband. I also fell head over heels for Nora's youngest son and Erika's dog, who developed their own special bond. Last but not least, this title is perfect!

[Jamie Cheval · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The premise of this story really intrigued me. It sounded fresh and original, like something I’ve never read before. Leggett is a very good writer, and the story mostly kept my interest throughout, but I felt slightly let down by the last quarter. It had such a promising start, and perhaps it ended up being a bit too ambitious? Lots of themes discussed here. Discussion of gender roles, love and ambition were thought-provoking, but something just didn’t land for me. It was maybe 80-90% there, but lost some of its sparkle towards the end.

With that being said, I still really enjoyed this. It just didn’t live up to its strong start. 3.5 stars.

[Cori · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

This book has great characters and an underlying mystery that had me curious to know how it would play out. Nora is the wife of a famous relationship scientist and she is struggling a bit as a mom and with her role in taking care of everything in the household. Then Erika, a new neighbor moves in and they become friends, but Erika is there with an alternative motive. I really liked the friendship between these two and Nora and her husband, many parts seemed realistic in lots of way. Thank you to Uplit Reads for including me on the campaign with an early copy of the book publisher and a Netgalley ebook to read. This book is available to Amazon Prime members early with the First Book program. Pub Day Dec 1st 2026