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The Perfect Stranger
Stella McKinney has a great life. With a Malibu beach house, doting husband, and a flourishing business, everything is coming up roses-until it isn't. When her beloved husband Grant begins behaving out of character and devoting more time to his career, Stella has reason to question his fidelity for the first time in their marriage.
As Stella's quest for the truth morphs into a sick obsession, the last thing she expects is a perfect stranger to show up at her door, a beautiful woman who knows intimate details about Stella and Grant that no one else could possibly know.
With her marriage and idyllic lifestyle at stake, the only way to uncover the truth is to ask herself how well she really knows her husband-and ultimately, how well she knows herself. And as Stella discovers, sometimes the truth is downright terrifying.
As Stella's quest for the truth morphs into a sick obsession, the last thing she expects is a perfect stranger to show up at her door, a beautiful woman who knows intimate details about Stella and Grant that no one else could possibly know.
With her marriage and idyllic lifestyle at stake, the only way to uncover the truth is to ask herself how well she really knows her husband-and ultimately, how well she knows herself. And as Stella discovers, sometimes the truth is downright terrifying.
300 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 4, 2019
166 people are currently reading
435 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
November 16, 2019
Maybe 2.5? I mean her writing style is easy reading so it’s not hard to get through.. But the story was just silly. Parts were totally predictable, & others were completely unbelievable (but not in a cool action movie type way, more like a contrived, eye-rolling type of way!) The characters weren’t good or bad, just meh.. & their actions (& reactions) left me scratching my head! I just read the review I wrote for the last book I read by this author, & it could literally word for word go for this book too.. So I’m thinking we’re just not a good fit. Ah well.🤷🏻♀️
March 9, 2019
The writer did an amazing job of keeping you on your toes from the start. Poor stella is she just imagining things? Are her concerns about Grant real? This was such a thrilling and suspenseful book always keeping you wondering. Stella and Grant have their issues then you throw Lucy in and things are that much more interesting. Such great detailed characters and story line. I look forward to more books by this author! I received this book free for my voluntary honest review.
June 4, 2019
I won an advanced copy of this book and I absolutely loved it. The story sucks you in from the beginning and has you wanting to read it all. It was a shorter story then I'm used to so I was done in a few days.
March 29, 2021
Ridiculous. Stella is a straight up fool.
March 8, 2019
What an incredible journey Marin Montgomery took us on, through the lives of the characters in this novel!
Stella McKinney thinks her life is near-perfect, with her doting husband, a beautiful house and a flourishing business. When Grant, her adoring husband, starts to behave out of character and begins devoting more time to his career, Stella has reason to question his fidelity for the first time in their marriage. As Stella's desperate attempts to find out the truth become an obsession, the last thing she expects is a perfect stranger to show up at her door. A beautiful woman has knowledge of intimate details about Stella and Grant with which no one else could possibly be familiar. With her marriage and idyllic lifestyle at stake, the only way to uncover the truth is to ask herself how well she really knows her husband and herself. As Stella discovers, sometimes the truth is downright terrifying…
I must mention how much I loved being at the couple’s Malibu beach house. Marin Montgomery’s beautiful writing style made this, for me, a magical place to be.
“The Perfect Stranger” is a story of wedded bliss, love, happiness and wonderful times. But it is also a very sad tale of anger, fear, hate, self-loathing and doubt when events start to take a down-hill turn.
The book is told mostly from the perspective of the main protagonist, in the third person and the characters were so well written and developed, that I was keen to follow their lives for all of them including those who had secrets and dubious intentions. On reflection, though, the most outstanding for me was sweet and scatter-brained Stella and Grant for his delightful charm.
Eventually, this suspenseful and intriguing thriller, which I happily recommend to lovers of this genre, comes to a wonderfully fulfilling conclusion.
{Thank you to Hidden Gems and Marin Montgomery for a free copy and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.}
Stella McKinney thinks her life is near-perfect, with her doting husband, a beautiful house and a flourishing business. When Grant, her adoring husband, starts to behave out of character and begins devoting more time to his career, Stella has reason to question his fidelity for the first time in their marriage. As Stella's desperate attempts to find out the truth become an obsession, the last thing she expects is a perfect stranger to show up at her door. A beautiful woman has knowledge of intimate details about Stella and Grant with which no one else could possibly be familiar. With her marriage and idyllic lifestyle at stake, the only way to uncover the truth is to ask herself how well she really knows her husband and herself. As Stella discovers, sometimes the truth is downright terrifying…
I must mention how much I loved being at the couple’s Malibu beach house. Marin Montgomery’s beautiful writing style made this, for me, a magical place to be.
“The Perfect Stranger” is a story of wedded bliss, love, happiness and wonderful times. But it is also a very sad tale of anger, fear, hate, self-loathing and doubt when events start to take a down-hill turn.
The book is told mostly from the perspective of the main protagonist, in the third person and the characters were so well written and developed, that I was keen to follow their lives for all of them including those who had secrets and dubious intentions. On reflection, though, the most outstanding for me was sweet and scatter-brained Stella and Grant for his delightful charm.
Eventually, this suspenseful and intriguing thriller, which I happily recommend to lovers of this genre, comes to a wonderfully fulfilling conclusion.
{Thank you to Hidden Gems and Marin Montgomery for a free copy and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.}
March 10, 2019
This is the page turner I have been looking for! From beginning to end I did not know who to trust, who was losing it, or who was pulling the strings. This was an excellent blend of love, jealousy, rage, and mental illness that keeps the reader absolutely on edge until the last page!
May 4, 2023
Not great, not horrible. Didn't have any big wow factor for me. Kind of seemed like it was a copy and paste of about 4 or 5 other books with a similar plot. Husband cheats. Wife gets suspicious, friends aren't who they seem to be.
October 12, 2023
3.5 stars. This was a fast and fun read, but the ending made me drop the rating.
February 25, 2024
3.5 stars. Some predictable elements, some far fetched elements. Despite being a short book, took me longer than usual to get through, though nothing specifically wrong with the book I can pinpoint.
May 7, 2025
I would give this book negative stars if it was possible! The writing was atrocious! At one point I literally Googled the author to see if this book was translated from another language to English! The editor should be fired! Typos gallore! The characters and the ridiculous story line.. I'm done! Ugh waste of time for sure!
March 10, 2019
Stella has it all, a great home, loving husband, a business that is doing great. Then Grant, her husband starts acting strangely. Stella has never worried about Grant being true to her before, but now something isn't right. When a perfect stranger comes knocking on Stella's door telling her things she shouldn't know about her and Grant, well that gets Stella wondering and worried. Just how well does she know her husband? Or herself? This was a good story, I enjoyed it very much. Thank you Hidden Gems for a free copy of this book for me. I voluntarily reviewed it.
March 14, 2019
This book totally got me thinking something else was going on completely! It had some really good twists and turns to it. The manner in which the story is told had me believing something different was going on and that someone else was to blame. The story is based around a woman called Stella and her husband Grant. They both have busy and successful lives, the perfect home and marriage. Stella starts to feel her husband is acting strangely, going to the gym, showering as soon as arriving home, not answering his phone and being distant.
She wonders if he is having an affair. In response he tells her he has made her another appointment with her psychiatrist and that she needs to start taking her medication again. None of this helps her to believe him and she begins to be even more paranoid, following him and accosting him in the street when she sees him with another woman.
He has a long weekend business trip coming up and her psychiatrist thinks this could be a good time for her to concentrate on what she wants to happen next in their relationship, or what steps to take. A time out to relax and not be at each other’s throats. That evening a stranger, a woman, comes to her door and she mistakes her for someone else and invites her in. What happens next is terrifying and could be the death of her. This strange woman knows a lot about both Stella and Grant. Intimate details no one else should know!
A great psychological thriller with lots of surprises, plenty of characters who have secrets to hide, questions as to whether you can trust the one you love or even friends and even about your own sanity. How much can you cover up mental illness or memory issues, without it badly affecting a relationship or have others take advantage of the situation? An intriguing read that leaves you wondering what might happen next, but also in a manner which leaves you not knowing who is telling the truth and who is lying. I received an ARC copy of this book from Hidden Gems and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
She wonders if he is having an affair. In response he tells her he has made her another appointment with her psychiatrist and that she needs to start taking her medication again. None of this helps her to believe him and she begins to be even more paranoid, following him and accosting him in the street when she sees him with another woman.
He has a long weekend business trip coming up and her psychiatrist thinks this could be a good time for her to concentrate on what she wants to happen next in their relationship, or what steps to take. A time out to relax and not be at each other’s throats. That evening a stranger, a woman, comes to her door and she mistakes her for someone else and invites her in. What happens next is terrifying and could be the death of her. This strange woman knows a lot about both Stella and Grant. Intimate details no one else should know!
A great psychological thriller with lots of surprises, plenty of characters who have secrets to hide, questions as to whether you can trust the one you love or even friends and even about your own sanity. How much can you cover up mental illness or memory issues, without it badly affecting a relationship or have others take advantage of the situation? An intriguing read that leaves you wondering what might happen next, but also in a manner which leaves you not knowing who is telling the truth and who is lying. I received an ARC copy of this book from Hidden Gems and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
April 21, 2019
Don't miss this one
I will not repeat what the story is about. I'm sure you've read that already or you wouldn't be looking at the reviews to decide if you want to read it. I also will not give any spoilers. I say go for it. It's a fast paced book with some romance and betrayal and a good ending. If you are On the fence I say give it a try. I recommend it.
I will not repeat what the story is about. I'm sure you've read that already or you wouldn't be looking at the reviews to decide if you want to read it. I also will not give any spoilers. I say go for it. It's a fast paced book with some romance and betrayal and a good ending. If you are On the fence I say give it a try. I recommend it.
April 22, 2019
Don't Bother
Looking for an easy, mindless read? You've found it in The Perfect Stranger, and that's the only "good" thing I can say about this book. I'm not sure it went through the editing process, but if it did, the editor should be fired. The plot is completely predictable and the ending carries on for far too long. This book is a stinker. Skip it.
Looking for an easy, mindless read? You've found it in The Perfect Stranger, and that's the only "good" thing I can say about this book. I'm not sure it went through the editing process, but if it did, the editor should be fired. The plot is completely predictable and the ending carries on for far too long. This book is a stinker. Skip it.
July 28, 2021
This book moved really well, but I was disappointed at the ending. I feel like it was so much drama, and then just ended.
January 28, 2024
This was not as good as her others. I was bored and couldn’t wait to finish.
June 20, 2020
Stella has it all – Doting husband, decade of marriage, dazzling business. It is all hunky dory till the time Grant, her husband starts behaving in a questionable and out of manner. Stella has every reason to believe her spouse is cheating on her, but each time she confronts, he leaves her flabbergasted in denial.
Lucy, Stella’s best friend, have known each other for a long time. But is Lucy actually a friend, let alone her best buddy.
Everything goes down south when a Perfect Stranger knocks on Stella’s door one night, when Grant is out of town. Secrets begin to spill out that shouldn’t ever have happened.
Does Grant really have an affair?
Or is Stella hallucinating due to her past?
Who is that Perfect Stranger?
Is Lucy really a friend?
What are they all hiding from each other?
Rating – 3/5 Stars
Recommendation – Moderate
Conclusion,
This wasn’t a page turning thriller for me. A lot of predictable plots swayed in between and din’t really churn out as a gripping book. There were some plots that kept me going , while some were a disappointment. I did really miss all the nail biting experience of turning pages.
Lucy, Stella’s best friend, have known each other for a long time. But is Lucy actually a friend, let alone her best buddy.
Everything goes down south when a Perfect Stranger knocks on Stella’s door one night, when Grant is out of town. Secrets begin to spill out that shouldn’t ever have happened.
Does Grant really have an affair?
Or is Stella hallucinating due to her past?
Who is that Perfect Stranger?
Is Lucy really a friend?
What are they all hiding from each other?
Rating – 3/5 Stars
Recommendation – Moderate
Conclusion,
This wasn’t a page turning thriller for me. A lot of predictable plots swayed in between and din’t really churn out as a gripping book. There were some plots that kept me going , while some were a disappointment. I did really miss all the nail biting experience of turning pages.
March 13, 2019
So the first half of the book I didn't really care for. Everyone was cheating on everyone and everyone was lying. It was hard to actually like anyone in this book. So I put this book down for a few days and picked it back up yesterday. I am so glad I did. The rest of the book is really good. Everything you think you know, you don't. When all is said and done with the book I had no idea that was what was going to happen. So I say this if you are having trouble reading the beginning of this book to continue it is worth reading until the end.
*I received a free copy of this book via the Hidden Gems and am voluntarily leaving a review.*
*I received a free copy of this book via the Hidden Gems and am voluntarily leaving a review.*
June 7, 2020
Awesome Domestic Thriller
This is the second book I’ve read by this author —the first was good this one is better.
Unexpected twists and turns keep you flipping the pages to see what comes next.
Con:
Poor line editing and proofing. While I understand how easy it is to have typo errors and conversion errors while formatting an ebook -the errors in here IMO were due to “seeing what you expect to see” vs what is really there. If a book has a lot of these I can’t enjoy it no matter how good the story is and while this book doesn’t fall into that category, I hope the author is made aware in order to prevent readers from looking somewhere else.
This is the second book I’ve read by this author —the first was good this one is better.
Unexpected twists and turns keep you flipping the pages to see what comes next.
Con:
Poor line editing and proofing. While I understand how easy it is to have typo errors and conversion errors while formatting an ebook -the errors in here IMO were due to “seeing what you expect to see” vs what is really there. If a book has a lot of these I can’t enjoy it no matter how good the story is and while this book doesn’t fall into that category, I hope the author is made aware in order to prevent readers from looking somewhere else.
September 19, 2023
This was an audio book for me.
“Jealousy, Sex, Rage, and Revenge
Two couples.
Lucy And Adam
Stella and Grant
On the surface all great friends, but they are all hiding secrets
Secrets that may destroy a marriage.
Each with their own personal vendettas
That ends a with a twisted, ending.
Authors gave a habit in Suspenseful novels for leading you in the completely wrong direction.
So by the end, you have all the characters as suspect.
I liked this story, even though some of the main characters were quite despicable.
“Jealousy, Sex, Rage, and Revenge
Two couples.
Lucy And Adam
Stella and Grant
On the surface all great friends, but they are all hiding secrets
Secrets that may destroy a marriage.
Each with their own personal vendettas
That ends a with a twisted, ending.
Authors gave a habit in Suspenseful novels for leading you in the completely wrong direction.
So by the end, you have all the characters as suspect.
I liked this story, even though some of the main characters were quite despicable.
July 10, 2023
I feel for Stella because even though she had her own secret, the way Grant and Lucy were gaslighting her in this story was BEYOND insane, BUT it will all come full circle to make sense. I listened to this on audio and thoroughly enjoyed this. Even figuring out what was probably going to happen along the way, did not take away from the anticipation. The one twist I did not see is what made me rate it 5 stars. I was listening in my car while driving when I legit yelled “Oh 5 stars for sure” when it was revealed 🤣
March 30, 2019
Sensational thriller!
I loved this book because it had twists and turns to lead you down one thought road, only to know you took a wrong turn. Yes, I did figure out part of it pretty quickly, but the other part was a surprise ending! No disappointment here! Marriage and best friends along with an affair and a suicidal woman leads to a fantastic story!
I loved this book because it had twists and turns to lead you down one thought road, only to know you took a wrong turn. Yes, I did figure out part of it pretty quickly, but the other part was a surprise ending! No disappointment here! Marriage and best friends along with an affair and a suicidal woman leads to a fantastic story!
October 13, 2024
All I can say is wow, I genuinely was thinking of DNFing this book half way through and I’m happy I didn’t. I love how it had you on one twist (that ended up happening) but also a completely different twist that I didn’t see coming at all (but feel that I should have). I love an unreliable narrator 🤪
June 17, 2025
The Perfect Stranger isn’t my typical thriller pick, but it still delivered a compelling read. The pacing was steady, the characters were layered, and the mystery unfolded with just enough tension to keep me intrigued. A solid choice for anyone looking to branch out into a slightly different kind of psychological suspense.
March 13, 2019
I reviewed this book under an Arc program. I think a plot of story is bit complicated. In starting I didn't find a story quite gripping but when I decided to stick to it then it started unfolding in a nice way. But surely this book could have been better.
April 1, 2019
This is a story of a well to do couple that should everything their dreams would desire. One slip, one
mistake can change their lives. What if someone doesn't want you to live happy ever after and what if that someone is a person that you trust?
mistake can change their lives. What if someone doesn't want you to live happy ever after and what if that someone is a person that you trust?
January 31, 2020
Audible Library. I have true hate on for the protagonist Stella. She was selfish, spoiled brat. She has a mentality that she thinks she deserves everything and can get away with everything, but on one else should be allowed to have anything.
September 16, 2021
Really twisty. The part about them role playing totally surprised me. Grant was pretty likeable, so I was glad in the end that he was as sweet as he seemed! I hate Lucy because I know people like her lol
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 19, 2023
So, I thought the narration was good. The story itself is improbable but I still enjoyed it. There were several twists that I didn’t think of at the time of reading. The writing style is quick and easy to read.
August 22, 2023
Stella loves her husband so much and just wants to keep her marriage together. Poor Stella suffers from mental illness and short term amnesia. The book has sex, affairs, friendship, betrayal, and murder. This thriller will make you not want to put it down. It’s addicting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews