Kaira Rouda

Paul Strom has the perfect life and is the perfect husband. That's why he's planned a romantic weekend for his wife Mia at their lake house. But as Paul and Mia drive out of the city and toward the countryside, a spike of tension begins to wedge itself between them and doubts start to arise. How much do they trust each other? And how perfect is their marriage, or any marriage, really?

Best Day Ever

chloe mcpherson

***BOOK REVIEW***
⭐️⭐️⭐️
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So this book is told entirely from Paul’s point of view, he has planned a little getaway for himself and his wife Mia, and he wants this day to be the best day ever. But of course things don’t go accordingly to plan. 
What I liked about this book is that it’s told from a character who is manipulative and narcissistic, which doesn’t happen a lot. Paul is literally the most annoying character, and I have never hated a character so much in my life, which i imagine how the author wanted me to feel. 
I did think some parts were boring but I liked the ending. 
With the ending and the characters I give this 3 stars. .
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"I glance at my wife as she climbs into the passenger seat, and I am bursting with confidence. Today will be everything I've promised her...and more." Paul Strom has the perfect life: a glittering career as an advertising executive, a beautiful wife, two healthy boys and a big house in a wealthy suburb. And he's the perfect husband: breadwinner, protector, provider. That's why he's planned a romantic weekend for his wife, Mia, at their lake house, just the two of them. And he's promised today will be the best day ever. But as Paul and Mia drive out of the city and towards the countryside, a spike of tension begins to wedge itself between them and doubts start to arise. How perfect is their marriage, or any marriage, really? How much do they trust each other? Is Paul the person he seems to be? And what are his secret plans for their weekend at the cottage? Forcing us to ask ourselves just how well we know those closest to us, Best Day Ever crackles with dark energy, spinning ever tighter towards its shocking conclusion. In the bestselling, page-turning vein of The Couple Next Door and The Dinner, Kaira Rouda weaves a gripping, tautly suspenseful tale of deception and betrayal dark enough to destroy a marriage...or a life. 'A tensely written, shocking book that will hold readers on the edge of their seats to the very last page.' -- Publishers Weekly

Sam Kiszonka

So I am going to jump straight in and say that I hated Paul, the main character. Like I actually despised the guy. 
But I did really enjoy the book, it is definitely different to books of the same genre, it has that quirkiness that makes a book stick with you. Even if you only remember it because of your hatred for Paul. 
So as you can probably tell Paul is not a nice guy, however I don’t want to go into too much detail of the book and ruin the ‘Best Day Ever’ because I believe it is a book everyone should read.

The story is told from Paul’s POV which allows us insight into his many narcissistic thoughts. It did take me awhile to get used to the authors writing style, I think this was mostly due to Paul’s narrative. However once I was into the story I couldn’t put the book down.

The book starts with a married couple off to enjoy ‘The Best Day Ever’, the story however takes many twists and turns along the course of the day. The book tackles the sensitive subject of emotional abuse which might be upsetting for some people. 
I however enjoyed seeing Paul’s wife, Mia, grow throughout the book. The author has done a fantastic job delving into an ugly marriage and a controlling, narcissistics mans head, whilst still managing to create an enjoyable story.

This book is a dark, twisted tale of marriage, deception and betrayal. I would highly recommend it to all thriller/ mystery fans!! You may want to put the book down at the start due to the douche bag MC, Paul. But it is worth sticking with, he doesn’t get any better throughout the story, but the storyline and other characters more than make up for his douche baggery!!

I would like to thank Harlequin Australia and the author for providing me with a copy of this book.

Tanya Sutton

As Paul and Mia are driving out of town toward their lake house, having left their boys behind with their sitter, there's obvious tension between them. Paul notices but is determined that they will have the best day ever, no matter what.

This story takes place over the course of a little more than 24 hours and should be gone into with as little background information as possible. It has a slow start but Rouda begins to drop hints almost from the start. This is surely intentional because, as a reader, you can't help but realize that something isn't right almost from the get-go. The tension continues to build slowly but steadily until the end, leaving you on edge as you wait to see what will happen next. The story is told from Paul's perspective and will give Joe Goldberg (from YOU by Caroline Kepnes) a run for his money as the worst guy around. Despite being a bit predictable and playing with a very familiar theme in the suspense thriller genre, Rouda's expert build-up of tension pulls you in and doesn't let go. This is a book that must be read in one sitting. (4.5 stars)

(Thank you to Graydon House and Harlequin for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)

Jolie

Ever have a title to a book that sticks to you because it reminds you of something/someone? Best Day Ever is such a title. When I first saw it, Spongebob Squarepants song “Best Day Ever” started going through my head and stuck. So now, instead of being disturbed by the title, all I can think of is the little yellow guy singing that song. Actually, thinking about it, this song does seem to fit Paul Strom and Best Day Ever perfectly.

Best Day Ever fits the mystery/thriller genre. This book has a way of stringing you along, making you think that you know what is going on. Then, BAM, the twist comes and you have to rethink what you read. I, for one, was shocked when certain events happened. But, if you go back and read the book again, there are subtle hints about what is going on and what will happen. Very subtle hints that were hard to catch the first time through. That is what made this book fantastic in my eyes.

The plot of Best Day Ever is a man taking his wife on a much-needed weekend away at their lake house property. But there is a strange tension between them from the minute they start driving. I began to notice that things were not quite right with Paul around that time too. What sealed the deal for me was when he was talking about the drive to their house. There was a curve that you had to hit the brakes for.He made the comment that it wouldn’t take much not to hit the brakes and that the lake would be a great place to hide a body. Talk about total creepiness!!!

I thought Paul was off from the first chapter. He seemed too good to be true. The way that Mia acted around him also made me a bit leery of him. For someone who was so in love with his wife, he didn’t act it at times. I also had a feeling that her “special gift” that was in the dashboard wasn’t something good. The more the book went on, the more Paul started to become more sinister. His love for his boys turned from something great to something that was obsessive. Same thing with Mia’s trust fund that her father set up for the boys. Still, I was surprised at how evil he was and how he blamed his childhood for him being the way he was.

I am going to admit, I didn’t like Mia at first. I couldn’t understand why she was so indifferent to Paul and seemed to be baiting him. At the same time, my guard was up because I knew something wasn’t right. But the more stuff that was leaked the more I realized that something was up with their marriage. I was shocked when everything went down at the cottage. I wanted to bring her out of the book and apologize to her for judging her like I did.

While Mia and Paul didn’t have sex, it was mentioned a few times in the book. Paul seemed to think that he was a stud with women lined up. Because the book didn’t go into his relationships, I am going to go out on a limb and say that he wasn’t such a stud. That it was all in his head and he actually was horrible in bed. That the women stayed because he paid for everything. Well, Mia stayed because, at one point, she loved him.

The end of the book was not what I expected. There is a happy ending but it is overshadowed by Paul. I felt so bad for Mia because well…you need to read the book.

4 stars

My Summary of Best Day Ever:

Best Day Ever is a psychological thriller that took me on a rollercoaster. I didn’t know what was going to go on from chapter to chapter. I loved it!! This book had me glued to the pages and gave me the chills while reading it.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Violence, language. There are sexual innuendos but nothing graphic is ever written. There is also a very graphic scene where a woman is beaten.

I would like to thank Kaira Rouda, Graydon House, Harlequin and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Best Day Ever

All opinions stated in this review of Best Day Ever are mine and mine alone

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Best Day Ever

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