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magyklyxdelish's review against another edition
4.0
This is one of the better slow burn thrillers I’ve read. I find myself attracted to books with unreliable narrators.
This book has a lot of twists and you come to realize pretty quickly the type of person Paul is.
This was a quick read and it had me hooked from the beginning even if I did see a lot of the “twists” coming.
4/5 ⭐️
This book has a lot of twists and you come to realize pretty quickly the type of person Paul is.
This was a quick read and it had me hooked from the beginning even if I did see a lot of the “twists” coming.
4/5 ⭐️
coreyw's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sarahkheeter's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I was definitely interested and engaged, but it actually felt kind of anti climactic. Interesting direction to choose to narrate from the narcissist perspective and somewhat cathartic ending.
novelvisits's review against another edition
4.0
Originally on Novel Visits: https://novelvisits.com/best-day-ever-kaira-rouda-review/
{My Thoughts}
What Worked For Me
A Creepy Narrator Speaking Directly to the Reader – Paul Strom proved to be one of the creepiest, most narcissistic narrators ever! From the very first page, you sense that something about Paul is off, very off. You’re just not sure why or how, but as the pages go on the hairs on the back of your neck will start to rise and you’ll know he definitely cannot be trusted. You’ve got to love an unreliable narrator and the fact that Paul is speaking directly to the reader, shaping a story in which he won’t look quite so bad makes him both pitiable and scary. You won’t want to be friends with Paul; you won’t want to ride in a car with him; you won’t really want to hear his slanted take on his life with Mia, but you won’t be able to stop listening.
“I wonder if she is asking me for something, for some understanding. Some type of compassion or empathy. I’m not good at those emotions, or, if we’re being honest, any emotions except anger. Rage lurks deep inside me, ready to lash out whenever it’s needed.”
One of Those Tense Car Rides – Let’s be honest. We’ve all had them. You and your significant other are going somewhere, but right before you leave something happens. It could be one person is running late, or that one had to do ALL the packing, or maybe both of you just had bad days, but as the car doors close, the tension between the two of you is so thick you could cut it with a knife. You know what I’m talking about, right? Well that was the car ride Mia and Paul shared on their drive to the lake. They were both on edge. Paul wanted things to be perfect and little was. Mia didn’t really want to be going, but was irritated when Paul made them late. Throughout the journey, they’d snipe, rally and be nice, and then snipe again. I loved that Rouda used the confines of a car to build so much tension. Brilliant!
Foreshadowing to the Max – In Best Day Ever, Kiara Rouda proved herself to be masterful with foreshadowing. Right from the start you knew things weren’t going to end well for someone, but the puzzle of what had happened still needed to be solved. She layered on the mystery of who Paul was and how he got that way, giving the reader hints along the way. She left Mia’s story largely untold, making her even more of a mystery. I found myself jotting down notes as to where I thought her story was headed. Sometimes I was right, but other times wrong. I liked that Rouda gave just enough to keep me engaged and wanting more.
What Didn’t
Slow Middle – I really liked most everything about Best Day Ever, but did find it a little slow in the middle. After the car ride, I would have liked to see the pace pick up a bit.
{The Final Assessment}
I read Best Day Ever in a single day, which I almost never do. That alone says a lot about Rouda’s book. It had that can’t-put-down quality to it that was a breath of fresh air in my reading life. As a psychological thriller it wasn’t “edge-of-you-seat” tense, but instead more of an edgy jigsaw puzzle. A puzzle that I wanted to finish, so I could know what this creep was up to and why!
Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.
{My Thoughts}
What Worked For Me
A Creepy Narrator Speaking Directly to the Reader – Paul Strom proved to be one of the creepiest, most narcissistic narrators ever! From the very first page, you sense that something about Paul is off, very off. You’re just not sure why or how, but as the pages go on the hairs on the back of your neck will start to rise and you’ll know he definitely cannot be trusted. You’ve got to love an unreliable narrator and the fact that Paul is speaking directly to the reader, shaping a story in which he won’t look quite so bad makes him both pitiable and scary. You won’t want to be friends with Paul; you won’t want to ride in a car with him; you won’t really want to hear his slanted take on his life with Mia, but you won’t be able to stop listening.
“I wonder if she is asking me for something, for some understanding. Some type of compassion or empathy. I’m not good at those emotions, or, if we’re being honest, any emotions except anger. Rage lurks deep inside me, ready to lash out whenever it’s needed.”
One of Those Tense Car Rides – Let’s be honest. We’ve all had them. You and your significant other are going somewhere, but right before you leave something happens. It could be one person is running late, or that one had to do ALL the packing, or maybe both of you just had bad days, but as the car doors close, the tension between the two of you is so thick you could cut it with a knife. You know what I’m talking about, right? Well that was the car ride Mia and Paul shared on their drive to the lake. They were both on edge. Paul wanted things to be perfect and little was. Mia didn’t really want to be going, but was irritated when Paul made them late. Throughout the journey, they’d snipe, rally and be nice, and then snipe again. I loved that Rouda used the confines of a car to build so much tension. Brilliant!
Foreshadowing to the Max – In Best Day Ever, Kiara Rouda proved herself to be masterful with foreshadowing. Right from the start you knew things weren’t going to end well for someone, but the puzzle of what had happened still needed to be solved. She layered on the mystery of who Paul was and how he got that way, giving the reader hints along the way. She left Mia’s story largely untold, making her even more of a mystery. I found myself jotting down notes as to where I thought her story was headed. Sometimes I was right, but other times wrong. I liked that Rouda gave just enough to keep me engaged and wanting more.
What Didn’t
Slow Middle – I really liked most everything about Best Day Ever, but did find it a little slow in the middle. After the car ride, I would have liked to see the pace pick up a bit.
{The Final Assessment}
I read Best Day Ever in a single day, which I almost never do. That alone says a lot about Rouda’s book. It had that can’t-put-down quality to it that was a breath of fresh air in my reading life. As a psychological thriller it wasn’t “edge-of-you-seat” tense, but instead more of an edgy jigsaw puzzle. A puzzle that I wanted to finish, so I could know what this creep was up to and why!
Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.
kayrenee521's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Infidelity, Sexism, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death of parent, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, and Mental illness
nailahm's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
rmarcin's review against another edition
3.0
Best Day Ever is a husband’s attempt to take his wife away on a romantic getaway weekend. The only problem is that the husband is an egotistical psychopath. This is evident very early in the book. What isn’t evident until much later is how sick he actually is. However, if you are a fan of psychological thrillers, you will be able to figure this one out very early on. Spoiler alert: when it is mentioned in the book that Paul‘s parents were dead from carbon monoxide poisoning, it was not a stretch to realize that Paul was the one that caused the poisoning. When Mia complains of being sick, and the doctors can’t figure it out, I knew that he was poisoning her. I was not aware of all of the possible affairs that Paul was having/had, or that he had been fired from his job. However, when he kept glancing at his phone, I knew that that was a woman contacting him. The ending was not as obvious, in the fact that her parents, Buck, and Mia had all planned to take Paul down, and did it so efficiently. Mia played her part very well.
#BestDayEver #KairaRouda
#BestDayEver #KairaRouda
linzeyslife's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't like this book as much as I hoped I would, or as much as everyone seems to like it.
I enjoyed it enough to read the whole thing but nothing was surprising really. Maybe one little thing (wont mention it because i don't want to spoil it.) was a surprise but nothing that made my head spin or jaw drop. And the ending was predictable in my opinion which I really don't like in a book.
I LOVED The Favorite Daughter so I expected to like this as much. I will say, Kaira Rouda has got the crazies down pat! I think I just like the female "Hollywood star"crazy in The Favorite Daughter MUCH more than the asshole, egotistical male crazy.
I read The Next Wife as well and enjoyed it more than this one. Again, maybe I just like the female crazy more than the male crazy.
Edit: you know what I loved? The playlist at the very end of the book. I almost skipped it until I kept going and that had me laughing out loud. Probably my favorite part of the whole book.
I enjoyed it enough to read the whole thing but nothing was surprising really. Maybe one little thing (wont mention it because i don't want to spoil it.) was a surprise but nothing that made my head spin or jaw drop. And the ending was predictable in my opinion which I really don't like in a book.
I LOVED The Favorite Daughter so I expected to like this as much. I will say, Kaira Rouda has got the crazies down pat! I think I just like the female "Hollywood star"crazy in The Favorite Daughter MUCH more than the asshole, egotistical male crazy.
I read The Next Wife as well and enjoyed it more than this one. Again, maybe I just like the female crazy more than the male crazy.
Edit: you know what I loved? The playlist at the very end of the book. I almost skipped it until I kept going and that had me laughing out loud. Probably my favorite part of the whole book.