“Even when you have nothing left in your life, hope is the one thing that can never be taken away.”
If you were hooked by The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose, you know the thrill of a story that keeps you guessing until the very final page. Fans of psychological thrillers and domestic dramas will love stories that blend gripping suspense, shocking plot twists, and dark secrets lurking beneath the surface of seemingly perfect lives. Today at What We Reading, we’re rounding up the best books like The Perfect Marriage that are sure to satisfy your craving for tension, intrigue, and unexpected turns. Whether you’re hunting for novels similar to The Perfect Marriage, tension-fuelled stories to keep you up all night, or domestic thrillers centred around marriage and betrayal, this list has something for every thriller fan. Every recommendation here is perfect for readers who love page-turner novels, psychological thrillers with twist endings, and stories that delve into the dangerous secrets hidden in ordinary lives.
The Perfect Marriage Summary
Sarah Morgan is a successful and powerful defence attorney in Washington, D.C. At thirty-three 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. A struggling writer, he begins to tire of his and Sarah’s life together as she is constantly working. Out in the secluded woods, at Adam and Sarah’s second home, Adam engages in an affair with a woman named Kelly Summers.
Then, one morning, everything changes. Adam is arrested for Kelly’s murder. She had been discovered stabbed to death in Adam and Sarah’s home. Sarah soon finds herself playing the defender for her own husband, a man accused of murdering his mistress. But, is Adam guilty, or is he innocent?
The Tenant – Freida McFadden
Kicking off our list of the best books like The Perfect Marriage is Freida McFadden’s new 2025 thriller, The Tenant. Blake Porter is riding high, until he’s not. Fired from his job as a VP of marketing and unable to make the mortgage payments on the new brownstone that he shares with his fiancée, he’s desperate to make ends meet. Enter Whitney. Beautiful, charming, down-to-earth, and looking for a room to rent. She’s exactly what Blake is looking for. Or is she?
Because something isn’t quite right. The neighbours begin treating Blake differently. The smell of decay permeates his home, no matter how hard he scrubs. Strange noises jar him awake in the middle of the night. And soon Blake fears someone knows his deepest, darkest secrets. Danger lives right at home, and by the time Blake realises it, it’ll be far too late.
Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn
No list of books similar to The Perfect Marriage would be complete without mentioning Gone Girl, still one of the most influential domestic thriller novels of all time. Nick Dunne finds himself waking up on the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary to the jarring realisation that his beautiful wife, Amy, has disappeared. Worse still, the police have him pinned as their primary suspect.
Amy’s friends reveal that she was afraid of him, that she kept secrets from him. He swears it isn’t true. A police examination of his computer shows strange searches. He claims that they weren’t made by him. And then there are persistent calls on his mobile phone. But what exactly did happen to Nick’s darling dearest?
Check Out The Best Books Like Gone Girl
Big Little Lies – Liane Moriarty
Madeline is a force to be reckoned with. She’s funny, biting, and fiery; she remembers everything and forgives no one. Celeste is the sort of woman who makes the world stop and stare. Yet she is paying a heavy price for this outward perfection. New in town, single mother Jane is so young that many mothers in the neighbourhood mistake her for a nanny. She comes with a mysterious past and a sadness well beyond her years.
These three women are all at different crossroads, but will all end up in the same shocking destination. Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies is a book similar to The Perfect Marriage that tackles husbands and second wives, mothers and daughters, playground dramas and the little lies that have the potential to turn deadly.
Check Out The Best Books Like Big Little Lies
The Widow – Fiona Barton
When the police began asking questions, Jean Taylor turned into a different woman. One who enabled her and her husband to carry on when more bad things began to happen. But that woman’s husband died last week. And Jean doesn’t need to be her anymore.
There’s a lot Jean hasn’t said over the years about the crime her husband was suspected of committing. She was too busy being the perfect wife, standing by her man, whilst living with the accusing glares and the anonymous harassment. Now there’s no reason to stay quiet. There are people who want to hear her story. But the one lesson Jean has learned in the last few years is that she can make people believe anything she wants…
You Shouldn’t Have Come Here – Jeneva Rose
Another one of the most popular Jeneva Rose books, You Shouldn’t Have Come Here, follows Grace Evans, an overworked New Yorker, booking an Airbnb on a ranch in the middle of Wyoming. When she arrives, she’s pleasantly surprised to find that the owner is a handsome man named Calvin Wells. But there are things Grace discovers that she is less a fan of: a lack of cell phone service, a missing woman, and a feeling that something isn’t right with this town.
Despite her uneasiness and misgivings, the two grow close and start to fall for one another. However, as her departure date draws nearer, things between Calvin and Grace begin to change for the worse. Grace grows wary of Calvin, and his infatuation for her seems to turn into obsession. Told from dual perspectives, You Shouldn’t Have Come Here is a thrill ride and a cautionary tale of what can go wrong when you open your house and heart to a complete stranger.
Check Out Our You Shouldn’t Have Come Here Review
A Slow Fire Burning – Paula Hawkins
When a young man is found gruesomely murdered in a London houseboat, it triggers questions about three women who knew him. Laura is the troubled one-night-stand last seen in the victim’s home. Carla is his grief-stricken aunt, already mourning the recent death of yet another family member. And Miriam is the nosy neighbour, clearly hiding something from the police investigators.
Three women with separate connections to the victim. Three women who are – for different reasons – simmering with resentment. Who are, whether they know it or not, burning to right the wrongs done to them. When it comes to revenge, even good people might be capable of doing heinous things. How far might one of them go in this gripping thriller that mirrors The Perfect Marriage in its themes of hidden secrets and revenge?
Just Married – Kiersten Modglin
Another one of the best psychological thriller novels like The Perfect Marriage, Kiersten Modglin’s Just Married follows the story of Grace and Ryan, a newlywed couple who set out on a secluded honeymoon in a remote cabin in the woods. Their getaway takes a dark turn when they receive a chilling note: “She’s dead, you’re next.” Despite the ominous warning, Ryan dismisses Grace’s concerns and refuses to contact the authorities. As the situation worsens, Grace begins to question her husband’s motivations and whether she can really trust him.
The narrative is told through both Grace and Ryan’s perspectives, revealing that both of them are harbouring dark secrets. Grace knows about the terrible thing Ryan did years ago. Grace has a murky past of her own, one that could change everything.
The Maid’s Diary – Loreth Anne White
Kit Darling is a maid with a snooping problem. She’s the “invisible girl,” compelled to poke into her wealthy clients’ closely guarded lives. It’s a harmless hobby, until Kit discovers something she can’t forget in the home of her brand-new clients: a secret so dark it could destroy the privileged couple expecting their first child.
When homicide cop Mallory Van Alst is called to a scene at a luxury waterfront home known as the Glass House, she is confronted with evidence of a violent attack so bloody it’s unlikely the victim is alive. But there is nobody. The homeowners are gone. The maid is missing. As Mal begins to uncover the secret that sent the lives of everyone involved on a devious and inescapable collision course, she realises that nothing is quite as it seems.
The Lying Club – Annie Ward
If you loved The Perfect Marriage, Annie Ward’s The Lying Club is a great book to read next. At an elite private school nestled in the Colorado mountains, Natalie, an office assistant, dreams of having a life like the school mums she deals with every day. Women like Brooke – a gorgeous heiress, fiercely loving mother, and serial cheater – and Asha, an overprotective mother who suspects her husband of having an affair. Their fates are bound by the handsome Nicholas, whom Natalie loves, Brooke wants, and Asha needs.
But when two bodies are carried out of the school one morning, it seems that the tensions between mothers and daughters, rival lovers, and the haves and have-nots have shattered the surface of this isolated, affluent town, where people will stop at nothing to get what they want.
The First Wife – Erica Spindler
As a child, Bailey Browne dreamed of a knight in shiny armour swooping in to rescue her and her mother. As she grew older, those dreams changed, becoming one of a mysterious stranger who swept her off her feet and whisked her off to her mundane life. Then, suddenly, there he was. Despite the decade difference in their ages, Logan Abbott and Bailey fall madly in love. Marriage quickly follows.
But when Logan brings her home to his farm in Louisiana, her dreams of happily-ever-after begin to unravel. A tragic family history Bailey knew nothing about is brought to light, along with whispers about the disappearance of his first wife, and rumours about other missing women from the area. And when another woman vanishes, all signs point to Bailey’s new husband.
What Lies Between Us – John Marrs
They say that every house has its secrets, and the house that Maggie and Nina have shared for so long is no exception. Every other night, Maggie and Nina have dinner together. When they are finished, Nina helps Maggie back to her room in the attic and into the heavy chain that keeps her there. Because Maggie has done things to Nina that can never be forgiven, and now she is paying the price.
But there are many things about the past that Nina doesn’t know, and Maggie is hellbent on keeping it that way – even if it kills her. Because, like with The Perfect Marriage, in this house, the truth is far more dangerous than lies.
Rock Paper Scissors – Alice Feeney
Another one of the best thriller books like The Perfect Marriage all about the buried secrets in a seemingly happy marriage, comes from Alice Feeney in Rock Paper Scissors. Things have been wrong with Mr and Mrs Wright for a long time. When Adam and Amelia win a weekend away to Scotland, it might be just what their marriage needs. Self-confessed workaholic and screenwriter Adam has lived with face blindness for his whole life. He can’t recognise friends, family, or even his own wife.
Every anniversary, the couple exchanges traditional gifts, and each year, Adam’s wife writes him a letter that she never lets him read. Until now. They both know this weekend will make or break their marriage, but they don’t randomly win this trip. One of them is lying, and someone doesn’t want them to live happily ever after.
Check Out The Best Books Like Rock Paper Scissors
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
