I may need to add another bookshelf for guilty pleasure books. I was intrigued by the description of this book. I’ve been reading a lot of psychological thriller books and this one sounded like it fit there. After reading it I’m not so sure of that. It was definitely psychological but more drama than thriller. My opinions of the characters totally changed from who I thought there were in the beginning of the book to who they really were at the end of the book. This book had some twists to it that I didn’t see coming. I do think you have to be a person who can suspend reality in reading to really enjoy this book. Some things just wouldn’t happen in real life. But other things it was easy for me to understand and were realistic to me. The main female character, Esther, is pregnant but it is not an easy pregnancy. She suffers from hyperemesis gravidarum. I had that in my second pregnancy. If you have never had this, it may be difficult for you to understand some of Esther’s thinking. In my second pregnancy the nausea and vomiting stayed with me for almost the entire pregnancy. I lost weight and was very malnourished. I had headaches every day and my anxiety was on maximum. I worried that I was doing something wrong, that I was going to lose my baby, that I wouldn’t survive and so many other thoughts. I didn’t know anyone else who had morning sickness like mine so I was positive I was doing something to cause it. The guilt I felt was tremendous. For this reason, I found the character of Esther to be believable. I’m happy to see this illness in a book. I think it is one of those illnesses that if you didn’t have it, or know someone who did, you probably had not heard of it. I’m not sure how much is known about the causes or treatment since my pregnancy many years ago. I hope someone is working on this and that there is some progress in it. I don’t want to go into Robin, her husband, as I’m afraid I’ll give away something. I think there were layers of things that were wrong with this couple, certainly more than her difficult pregnancy. I am going to wrap this as everything I want to write looks like a spoiler.
This is my second book by Charlotte Duckworth. I am looking forward to reading more books by this author. ( )

THE PERFECT HUSBAND . . .
After a difficult pregnancy, Esther is grateful that her husband Robin offers to put his career on hold so that she can return to the job she loves.
But Esther finds leaving her daughter Riley behind more challenging than she'd thought. And soon the new imbalance in her relationship with Robin brings old tensions to the surface.
OR A PERFECT LIE?
Then one day Esther arrives home from work to find Robin and Riley are missing. As the police investigate their disappearance, it becomes clear that nothing about this modern-day family is what it seems..
I found this book a very slow burn. I found Robin to be shallow, immature and most unlikeable. There were a few twists and turns and I didn't guess what happened which is always good. I will definitely try another book by this author.
Thank you so much Netgalley, Quercus Books and Charlotte Duckworth for giving me the opportunity to read an early copy of The Perfect Father ( )

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

This is one of those novels with chapters from different perspectives and timelines like "Now" and "Three Years Before" and "After". I found this very readable, although I didn't connect emotionally with any of the characters. It was entertaining, but forgettable. ( )