Title:Best Day Ever
Author:Kaira Rouda
Published:September 2017, Graydon House
Format:ARC Paperback, 384 pages
Source:Publisher
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 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?Forcing us to ask ourselves just how well we know those who are closest to us, Best Day Ever crackles with dark energy, spinning ever tighter toward 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.
My thoughts:I’m a big fan of Kaira Rouda’s books and had the absolute pleasure of meeting her in person this past Spring at BookExpo when she was signing early copies of this latest book. I love when I get to meet my favorite authors and she is absolutely delightful – I even got a chance to talk with her after her signing later on that day and loved that. She is so down to earth and I had a great time talking with her.
This is such a creepy, sinister read…and it totally had me captivated from the start. It takes place over a 24-hour period and once you start reading it, you will be hard-pressed to put it down. You are taken down a wildly unbelievable, yet scary ride as you delve into the world that Paul Strom has created for himself…and what a world it is – in his head! He is quite a character – one I won’t be forgetting any time soon and not necessarily for good reasons.
What I loved about this book is the over-the-top craziness of it’s main character, Paul. He is narcissistic and controlling for sure, yet there is something equally sinister about him that lies just beneath the surface. He is the book’s sole narrator and as he drones on and on about the “best day ever” he has planned, he hints ever so vaguely that there is more going on if you just pay attention to what he is not saying. It’s creepy and it’s addictive because the more you read, the more you need to know what’s going to happen and what it is he’s really up to!
And what happens when his wife, Mia, questions him? Brings up topics that he’d rather not discuss? Could she possibly know what he’s up to? Mia has always done as he’s asked – she gave up her job when they started a family, she basically gave up her friends and now all of a sudden she’s grown a backbone? Does she know more than she’s letting on?
Kaira Rouda has really done a fantastic job of allowing us to get into the mind of a sociopath. It’s certainly not a place I expected to be when I picked up this book, but boy was I glued to the pages once I started reading. Just goes to show that you never truly know what goes on behind closed doors. I really enjoyed this book and the cover is just perfect!!!
My, oh, my! This does sound like a creepy, sinister, but very engaging book. I've read a different book by this author and I enjoyed that one a great deal. It seems she is now writing in a different genre.
Creepy sinister yes from me.