Best Day Ever by Kaira Rouda- Book Review

I will admit I am a sucker for a good cover. The week this book came out, this cover stuck out among all of the other books. The bright red crunchy envelope just called out to me.

I am also in the mood for good horror/psychological thrillers with the approach to Halloween, so I got this one on a whim. I knew nothing about it, didn't even read the inside jacket except to verify that it was a thriller, and impulse purchased this sucker.

I was glad I did because it hit the spot at the right moment and just in the right way.

Told completely in first person, this is the story of a narcissist, abusive, womanizer named Paul. He is taking his wife, Mia, up to their holiday cabin right at the change of season. He plans to have the best day ever with her after a few situations that have strained their marriage. He plans to have a good meal, sex, and murder her (not a spoiler), so he can head off with his fling who is much better than his wife. Paul uses people until he is done with them and then discards them through violent means. This is going to be the best day ever for Paul until he turns into the driveway and sees Buck, the neighbor who cares for their cabin in the off season. Buck just won't go away and keeps appearing at the wrong time not to mention Mia is getting a little too close to Buck for Paul's taste.

First up, one needs to know this is not literary fiction nor does it set out to win the Pulitzer for writing. I state that because I think reviewers on occasion treat every book written equally and they shouldn't. This is a weekend/vacation/Halloween/sit by the fireside and just release for a few hours type book. You know what you are going to get.

With that written, there are some moments that are jaw dropping in terms of plot, but I completely did not mind because I knew what I was getting. How things play out throughout the book are pretty elaborate and that is completely ok with this type of book. This isn't a bad book, but it is a fun book.

Paul, as a character, is creepy, over the top, and completely in love with himself and his needs. He thinks he is fooling everyone. He thinks he is more handsome than most men. He thinks all women want to instantly have sex with him, while he deems them worthy or not. Paul is pond scum and the great thing is Rouda treats him as such. She does not try to make him empathetic, there are no lessons learned, and he isn't redeemable. He is loathsome and you cannot wait to get his comeuppance. This is what makes the novel fun. He is the heel about to get his. How that happens is a little over the top, but who cares?

I did enjoy that the final chapter is the entire book retold from Mia's point of view too. It was a nice little bonus.

I gave this one 3.5 stars, but not a bad 3.5 stars. It is a- you know what you are going to get type of book and I enjoyed it a bunch. Trigger warning for abuse told in the first person by the abuser.