Sarah Morgan is a successful and powerful defense attorney in Washington D.C. At 33 years old, she is a named partner at her firm and life is going exactly how she planned.
The same cannot be said for her husband, Adam. He is a struggling writer who has had little success in his career. He begins to tire of his and Sarah’s relationship as she is constantly working.
Out in the secluded woods, at Adam and Sarah’s second home, Adam engages in a passionate affair with Kelly Summers.
Then, one morning everything changes. Adam is arrested for Kelly’s murder. She had been found stabbed to death in Adam and Sarah’s second home.
Sarah soon finds herself playing the defender for her own husband, a man accused of murdering his mistress. – Goodreads
TL;DR: The synopsis is the most interesting part about this book. Le sigh.
You read the synopsis, and you think, “Wow, that sounds like a fucking rollercoaster, I must read it now.”
Exactly what happened with me. I read the synopsis, and I knew I’d be missing out if I didn’t download it onto my Kindle sooner. So, I did. I started to read and got excited the more I read: the writing was engaging, the characters seemed interesting, and the plot was getting juicy fast. I kept reading…
…and reading…
…and reading…
…and – *looks up at the clock* – reading…
At the 90% mark, shit hits the fan. No, you did not read that wrong. At the 90% mark is when stuff – besides the husband-accused-of-murder part, which we already know from the synopsis – things finally start to happen. At the 94% mark is when we finally get the “twist.”
Wait, was that even supposed to be a twist? Come on, it’s so obvious…right? That twist was so bad because it was so standard. Now, I’ve read at least 50 thrillers now, and this “twist” left me feeling thankful the story was finally ending because, good lord, did I get bored. It left me with no tingles of “OMFG” or chills down the spine or a mindfuck (definitely not a mindfuck) because there were literally no clues throughout the book: it was just, tada, here’s the twist, and here are the reasons – that all happened off-page to shock you, mind you – why it’s the twist. Smart, huh? *wiggles eyebrows sarcastically*
Very disappointing since based on the title of this book on Amazon, we are promised “a completely gripping psychological suspense.” We get that for, like, 10% of the book and then afterward, it’s just Sarah Morgan, our kickass criminal defense attorney trying to find evidence while trying not to choke her husband for cheating on her for a year, as well as said husband being our pathetic and utterly lame piece of [insert your favorite curse word here].
But at least he’s handsome.
Seriously, that’s all Adam Morgan’s got going for him. Being handsome and a cheater. I swear, almost every dude in every thriller I’ve read so far is just copy paste. As for his wife, she’s supposed to be kickass, but she’s not. Not even at the twist, #sorrynotsorry.
Last thing: I don’t know anything about criminal defense or the justice system (besides the fact that it’s shit here in the US), but I do know that the way they are portrayed in the book is so off.
I sound angry AF at this book, so you’re probably wondering why I’m giving it two stars instead of one star. The reasons are 1) I’ll admit, the first 30% or so of the book is interesting – I was practically glued to my Kindle, and 2) that synopsis deserves better!
Content warnings
The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose features cheating and cheaters as well as violence, murder, and strong language. Please read at your own risk.
Read: 02/20/23 – 02/21/23
topazreads.com 