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A review by palmsygal
The Perfect Son by Freida McFadden
3.0
I enjoyed it but was a bit disappointed considering I thought the previous novel I read by Freida was a 4.5 review for me!
This time, the plot twist was a bit too predictable, you can probably guess quite easily who has actually committed the crime within the first half.
I did like the multiple POVs, however I was a bit sad that we never got a Liam POV. I think even after everything is unfolded, it would’ve been great to get some in depth into Liam’s mind, as we have only learnt about him for others’ perspectives.
There was a lot of repetition in this book that I didn’t find in Never Lie - one thing I really praised in Never Lie was that every chapter was different and you learnt new things each time, which was not conveyed at all in this book, which was a shame.
Another thing that irked me: what happened to the grandad? I get it. It was put in there for another ‘hidden, secret info’ ploy. But one chapter and then bam, never again? No clue what happened to him, no clue if he ended up happy, no clue if he was actually guilty of anything, no idea. Just my opinion though, that irked me slightly.
The ending, gosh. Not needed, in my opinion. I understand Freida was looking for another shock factor and ambiguity, but I think it almost ruined the main ‘plot twist’ of the story.
All in all, I know I’m spewing a lot of negativity, but I did still enjoy the novel. I like how fast-paced it was, the story was interesting, and i actually really liked Hannah’s character (which I know might be controversial). I simply think there was a lot of repetition, a non-shocking plot twist, and a lack of rounding everything up properly.
This time, the plot twist was a bit too predictable, you can probably guess quite easily who has actually committed the crime within the first half.
I did like the multiple POVs, however I was a bit sad that we never got a Liam POV. I think even after everything is unfolded, it would’ve been great to get some in depth into Liam’s mind, as we have only learnt about him for others’ perspectives.
There was a lot of repetition in this book that I didn’t find in Never Lie - one thing I really praised in Never Lie was that every chapter was different and you learnt new things each time, which was not conveyed at all in this book, which was a shame.
Another thing that irked me: what happened to the grandad? I get it. It was put in there for another ‘hidden, secret info’ ploy. But one chapter and then bam, never again? No clue what happened to him, no clue if he ended up happy, no clue if he was actually guilty of anything, no idea. Just my opinion though, that irked me slightly.
The ending, gosh. Not needed, in my opinion. I understand Freida was looking for another shock factor and ambiguity, but I think it almost ruined the main ‘plot twist’ of the story.
All in all, I know I’m spewing a lot of negativity, but I did still enjoy the novel. I like how fast-paced it was, the story was interesting, and i actually really liked Hannah’s character (which I know might be controversial). I simply think there was a lot of repetition, a non-shocking plot twist, and a lack of rounding everything up properly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death