| Title | : | The Perfect Son |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 237 |
| Publication | : | First published October 18, 2019 |
Erika Cass has a perfect family and a perfect life. Until the evening when two detectives show up at her front door.
A high school girl has vanished from Erika's quiet suburban neighborhood. The police suspect the worst--murder. And Erika's teenage son, Liam, was the last person to see the girl alive.
Erika has always sensed something dark and disturbed in her seemingly perfect older child. She wants to believe he's innocent, but as the evidence mounts, she can't deny the truth--Liam may have done the unthinkable.
Now she must ask herself:
How far will she go to protect her son?
The Perfect Son Reviews
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Here we have a book that was, for me, a fairly mediocre read. The characters were standard—and in some cases flat out stereotypic, while the plot just never really engaged me.
Author Freida McFadden is certainly ABLE to write, but her attempt to build suspense was riddled with a fully distracting plethora of obvious red herrings. Any reader of psychological thrillers will see through these misdirects, which at times were almost amateurish and painfully transparent.
Beyond the troubling red herrings, the work also suffers in terms of character development. From the teenage bully to the bookish girl; the Xanax popping overwhelmed parent to the school principal, these characters never rose from the page in a way that made them particularly interesting. Instead of investing in any of them, I found myself mentally leaving the story, angry with the stereotypes.
If you search for the title The Perfect Son, the number of results is almost overwhelming. McFadden’s use of the title, in spite of the commonality, is almost representative of the entire book. The characters, plot development and even the attempts at setting tone, were all basic and, again, common—as if the author was somehow following a prescriptive approach straight out of “How to Write a Psychological Thriller”. All the boxes for necessary elements were checked, but without any flourish or particular creativity.
Three stars for a book that was solid, with a good foundation. Unfortunately the story itself was cookie cutter, lacking any real style to set it apart from a hundred others. -
This is definitely one of my favorites from Freida.
How far will a Mother go to protect her son? From a young age Liam has shown some psychotic tendencies and his Mother has done everything in her power to keep it a secret and to make sure her son stays out of trouble.
But is that a good thing?
With the turn this book takes I would say yes. Absolutely amazing plot line! -
The quality of writing is not why you’d read this book. This is plot driven, which is fine, except it looks so much like one person is guilty of what happened, you know it can’t be that otherwise this wouldn’t be a suspense novel. What it turns out to be is, for me, not satisfactory.
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while ultraterrified by a heartbreaking
prey/victim's point of view, I was easily
amused by erika's agitated family life,
her weird son and murderous father:
what a gripping well written story! ♡ -
4.0 stars
I love the concept of a sociopathic child but too many books missed the mark. So I was delighted to find one that worked really well for me. Despite a few implausible moments, I found this to be a gripping thriller with a complex family dynamic. I want to say more, but I don't want to spoil the book for anyone. If you love domestic thrillers, then you'll definitely want to check this one out. -
The pacing of the story was quick that I thought this is one of those mystery thrillers where in you could easily predict who did it. My goodness! I never saw that twist coming, it's not perfect by any means, but if you are looking for something light yet mind blowing mystery thriller that would put you on the edge of your seat then this is definitely the book for you.
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THE PERFECT SON is a psychological thriller by bestselling author Freida McFadden.
This is the fourth book I have read from this author, and having loved these novels, I was eager to start reading The Perfect Son. As an avid reader of psychological thrillers, I can only say, treat yourself and read all of her books! Her books are so good!
Her Standalone Books Include:
Baby City (2015)
The Surrogate Mother (2018) (Read)
The Ex (2019) (Read)
The Perfect Son (2019)
The Wife Upstairs (2020)
One By One (2020)
Want to Know a Secret? (2021)
The Locked Door (2021)
Do Not Disturb (2021)
Do You Remember? (2022)
The Housemaid (2022) (Read)
The Inmate (2022)
Never Lie (2022)
This is my review of The Perfect Son.
The story centers around a respected family and a mother, Erika, and her concerns that her favorite teenage son, Liam could be suffering from mental illness. Erika also has a younger teenage daughter, Hannah. When Liam gets accused of a terrible crime, Erika has doubts of his innocence.
Was Liam a psychopath, responsible for another girl’s disappearance? Erika's teenage son, Liam, was the last person to see the girl alive.
Is Liam also guilty of setting off a carbon monoxide leak, and almost killing another family?
The POV alternates between Erika and Olivia, a classmate of Liam.
Erika wants to believe that Liam is innocent, but as the evidence mounts, she has to come to terms with the truth. But how far will she go to protect her son?
This is a fast-paced Whodunnit mystery novel, with short chapters and relatable characters which makes for a gripping read. Lots of red herrings with a twisty ending that will keep readers guessing all along the way.
Another great read! -
Audio - 3 Stars
Story - 2 Stars -
Wow! This 5-star thriller that is in part We Need To Talk About Kevin(Lionel Shriver), part Defending Jacob(William Landay) and part The Wrong 'Un ( Catherine Evans) is a page turner of note.
I raised the question whether you ever know who you've married in the last book I reviewed and this takes the question a step further. Do you know any members of your family and what would you do if you suspected your child in a psychopath? An excellent read for those who enjoy a gripping read. 5 stars! -
I love how her books are always so twisty and the baddie usually pays in the end. I love revenge.
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Another quick and enjoyable thriller by Freida McFadden!
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Quick, easy read with a twist at the end that I didn't see coming, although I generally don't try too hard to figure out who done it because I like to be surprised. This was a nice alternative to some of the heavy reading I've been doing lately. There are some unpleasant occurrences, obviously, but it's fiction so those don't need to be taken as seriously as the nonfiction I've been reading. All in all, a pleasant change and reasonably well-written.
Three stars from me is equivalent to four stars from some reviewers and even five stars from others. A book has to be exceptional to get four stars from me and a classic to get five stars. -
I have only recently discovered Freida McFadden and The Perfect Son is the third book I have read from her back catalogue in the last month.
As a mother of two boys, I have always hoped they would grow into polite, well mannered, balanced, happy and healthy young men. I’ve protected them, defended them and guided them as best I can. However that is not the case for Erika Cass – the main character in this psychological thriller, The Perfect Son. Mother of two children, her oldest son Liam has displayed unhealthy and extremely worrying behaviour since kindergarten. Now in his mid-teens, a female student has gone missing, seemingly abducted and Liam was the last to see her alive.
The beginning of this book gripped me immediately. The dilemma Erika faced with her potentially dangerous son, trying to protect him from himself and stop him becoming a threat to others was interesting to read and the steps she took did start to verge towards implausible, yet the story was enjoyable and twisty.
I’m not sure I would have behaved how Erika did and this did slightly marr my enjoyment of the book and up until the final reveal this would have been another 5 star from me, but the story, in my opinion, became slightly unbelievable and fell at the final hurdle – reducing my rating to 4 stars.
Overall I would still recommend this book, as I read this together with a group from my online book club and the majority of them LOVED this ending. -
People kept telling me to read books by this author and I am sure glad I did! I finished this one in one sitting- super fast paced with a great twist! The story centers primarily on Erika, how has always had some concerns that something isn't quite right with her son Liam. When he gets accused of a heinous crime, she has to question both her loyalty and beliefs she has held close her entire life.
The book moves at a fast clip- though it's primarily told from Erika's POV, you also get some chapters narrated by Olivia, a classmate of Liam's who has a big crush on him. The chapters are short and easy to fly through. Erika is a relatable character- even when she made decisions I didn't agree with, I felt that I could empathize with her plight. The teenaged daughter, Hannah, was clearly written by an author who has had a teenaged daughter and was also very authentic.
The end of the book was great- I expected a twist and kept trying to think up crazy scenarios as to what might really be happening but was still completely floored when it all came to light.
Overall, fun read that I recommend. I have already bought a couple more books by this author and will be reading more soon! -
Wow.. what a creepy family....edge of seat crazy. The ending was strange.... didn't like it.
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"The Perfect Son" is a perfect quick and easy "Whodunnit?" read that keeps readers guessing throughout the book's entirety.
Is Liam, a teen boy from a respected family, a psychopath responsible for another teen girl's disappearance?
Is Liam also guilty of almost killing another family by setting off an "accidental" carbon monoxide leak?
Readers learn in Chapter One that even though Liam is his mother's favorite child, she doubts his innocence and fears that he is mentally ill.
I especially liked this book's fast-paced flow and twisty ending.
The author's strategically placed red herrings kept me totally engaged and continually second-guessing myself.
I listened to the audiobook and both narrators did a superb job.
I always enjoy Freida McFadden's books and look forward to listening to future titles by this talented author.
4.5 stars. -
3.5 ⭐️
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After reading and devouring The Housemaid and The Housemaid's Secret, I knew I wanted to keep McFadden's backlist in my back pocket for 2023.
Her popcorn thrillers are the perfect slump buster. They are easy to binge, great on audio, entertaining and don't require a lot of brain power.
This was available at my library without a hold so I dove right in.
I binged the audio in a day and while I liked the narration there is one part of it that made me laugh. I can't say what it is so you'll just have to listen to know what I mean.
You do have to suspend some disbelief but if you're up for a dark and twisted tale about psycho/sociopaths then give this a go.
3.75 stars. -
I can’t remember the last time I was this disappointed in a book. How this book is averaging a nearly 4.5 star review baffles me. There was more advanced writing in, “See Spot Run.” I found it irritating everything was explained as if the target audience were in first grade. No character development. All tell, no show. The “twist” at the end was painfully predictable.
Goes to show there’s a book out there for everyone, and we are all entitled to our own opinions. If you’re looking for an incredibly simple, predictable read with flat characters this might be right up your alley. -
4✨
My fave part about reading freida McFadden books is that I always predict what’s going to happen and I am never right in my prediction Lmao.
Every.single.time.
I’m so sure too, only to be wrong. -
A fun, fast read. I'm really glad I discovered this author.
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3 stars audio
2 ridiculous stars story -
Told in different POVs, we learn about Liam’s past and personality. His mom Erika has her doubts and can’t fathom her perfect son is a murderer, but is he? This is a page turner, I read it in one sitting!
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Ellie is married to a loving husband Jason with two beautiful kids. Yet her favorite child is Liam who is the complete opposite of his sister Hannah. Charming,handsome,intelligent and I’ll mannered,Liam is adored by peers and envied by strangers. Ellie believes he is a perfect child but all that glitters is not gold.
When Liam starts to gain interest in a girl like Olivia,suddenly Ellie turns into a helicopter mom who wants to save him for any impending distress of teenage love or angst. While her husband refuses to put a tight leash on their son , she refuses to believe that her handsome son is growing up before he eyes.
Liam is too preoccupied with his new fond romance to believe any rumors about his deceptive personality. As far as he’s concerned, if there’s no proof of his erratic behavior than he doesn’t give any rumors leverage. Olivia will stop at nothing to get Liam to herself despite the warnings she constantly gets.
As Ellie juggles her personal and professional life..The rumors about Liam’s perfect personality begins to turn grim and she will do nothing to protect Liam at all her costs even it means sacrificing the ones that she loves.
This was a perfect five star read! I read this in two days, never wanted it to end! Perfect characterization, splendid consistency and a breathless ending!
I really loved how book delved into sociopaths and the psychology behind It. I really wanted to love Liam and understand his actions. On surface level he was such a fickle character but deep down he had a heart of gold!
Outstanding novel, It would be hard to top this! -
This was my first book by Frieda and I throughly enjoyed it! It was a page turner for sure! I went in figuring I would know exactly what was going to happen, but I was very wrong! I didn’t expect that twist!
Just how far will a mother go for her son?!
Can’t wait to read another book by Freida!
Highly recommend this one! -
What a story !!!
Erika is slightly over 20 years married to a loving husband and the mother of two teenagers.
One of those teenagers, her son Liam, is an outstanding son...in oh so many ways....
It seems like there is something going on with this perfect son.
He is perfect, but also has a history of odd behavior.
One day, Liam's classmate and love interest disappears...and the real trouble starts.
Is Liam a perfect son or a killer ?
Nothing is, as you think it is.
The twists are massive and the end of the story is so surprising, it will blow your hat off !
Bravo, Freida McFadden:
You did it again !
I blew through this book in one day, since I could not put it down - I only put it down once for a few hours, because I had to go to work.
I would highly recommend this book - it was a pleasure to read this story. -
WOW! What an amazing book. I loved it! The twists and turns had me guessing until the very end. I can't say enough about this author's writing style and how well her stories flow. I finished the book yesterday and am still going over it in my mind in awe and surprise. A definite must read for fans of psychological suspense. This is one of the best books I have ever read in this genre. I can't wait until her new one comes out!
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Five stars for sure!!! Wow well written keeps you guessing till the end 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
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4.5/5
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One of the best twists at the end, and the whole story was enthralling. Loved the different chapters with different perspectives.
