My Perfect Family by Melanie Price
My mother is dead. I think I killed her.
Growing up, I tried to fit into my mother, Suzannah’s, new picture-perfect family when she married Glenn. But I couldn’t compete with my new stepsister Zara with her bright blue eyes and angelic blonde curls. As soon as possible, I left to live the life of my dreams on the other side of the world. I’d wanted to start afresh. Away from all the mistakes of my past...
But now I've returned home to repair my burned bridges. I'd hoped maybe we could finally become the perfect family my mother always dreamed of. Instead, I wake to a nightmare.
My mother has been found dead after an accident. And I can’t remember where I was last night. But I’m covered in bruises and have hazy memories of a terrible scream... We’d had our problems, but I would never have hurt her. Would I?
When I come face to face with my stepfamily for the first time in over a year I realise once thing for certain: it wasn’t just an “accident”. Someone wanted her dead. But why, and who could have gone this far?
Whatever the answer I won't stop until I discover the truth. Because I can't trust a single person in this family of mine. All I know is that each of us has a secret. Every one of us is a suspect. Even me…
About the author
Hello, welcome to my author page! I have been reading and writing for as long as I can remember, and finally I published my debut novel, The Mother-in-Law's Secret at the end of 2023. I'm an Australian girl living in London, and so all my books feature elements of life living between these two countries - with twists and turns galore!
Review
‘My Perfect Family’ is a right ripper of a thriller that will keep any reader on their toes! Melanie Price definitely knows how to write a compelling and exciting thriller. I had previously read ‘The Mother-in-Law’s Secret’ and loved it, so I was looking forward to picking this one up! I was not disappointed. Melanie’s books are stand-alone’s so you can embrace any of them as a new reader, but once you read one you will need to pick up the rest!
When Emily is told that their mother has died she just doesn’t believe it! She had only just meet her for lunch and was planning on meeting up with her later that night. But Emily got so drunk that she has flitting memories of that night and even believes that she might have sometimes to do with the accident. All of her family is being weird and Emily begins to question them and their motivations. Will Emily work out the truth?
I really enjoyed this book and devoured it in one day. It’s fast paced and pithy and you keep thinking ‘just one more chapter’ and then realise you have finished the book and it's hours later! This one really does have it all - tragedy, love, lies, weird family dynamics and plenty of twists and turns! Did I guess the resolution - no I didn't! It was a ‘pick your jaw off the floor’ moment!
The main character of Emily was someone you could root for right from the start. She is intelligent and feisty if a little bit naive at times. But she was determined to find out the truth and her emotions and reactions felt very authentic. Losing a parent is horrific and people react in so many different ways but Emily’s felt real and you felt all the trauma she was going through.
This was a compelling and fast-paced read domestic thriller, that is packed full of tension and great writing!
Let me know if you pick this one up!
