... thrusts readers into Abbie’s new world and the cultish dynamic of her husband’s cutting-edge company, Scott Robotics. What is Tim willing to do to make sure he has the perfect wife? ... Psychological thriller enthusiasts will love being floored by page five and blown away by page 91. Discovering the identity of the unknown narrator amid the shocking conclusion is like stepping on a land mine. Readers will crave answers to the questions: Is there such a thing as a perfect person, and how far will science go to achieve one?
... puts — almost perfectly — a high-tech spin on the stories of Frankenstein and Pygmalion with a tinge of the Stepford wives. Delaney includes just enough technology while keeping the focus primarily on the characters ... smoothly alternates between the new Abbie’s narrative and the couple’s past ... Abbie is a compassionate character and is instantly appealing ... Delaney’s subtle approach in depicting Tim’s controlling nature, his pathological obsession with work, and his neurosis about perfection add to the tension and the possibility of violence ... The intriguing plot leads to a chilling and surprising finale that perfectly caps The Perfect Wife.
Readers may need to suspend their disbelief at points but will be rewarded with a fresh take on the domestic thriller that will leave them satisfied, although, perhaps, at times, perplexed.
At the onset, this book is a bit difficult to comprehend, as the cobot Abbie speaks in the third person, referring herself to 'her' not 'I' or 'she' as one would normally see in a novel. Once that hurdle is passed, it becomes easier to visualize her as a piece of equipment, though she encompasses almost all human traits ... With a narcissistic A-driven scientist protagonist along with excellent information on autism and its many differing treatments provides the reader not only with some salient facts, but also a cause for reflection on both on the illness and the mind of a crazed man ... A provocative read. One cannot help but wonder if this is a sign of the future.
... [a] compulsively readable psychological thriller ... Delaney keeps the suspense high throughout. The highly unusual setup sets this one above the thriller pack.
The tension between the inherited and innate is portrayed nicely, and the ethical questions surrounding Abbie are interesting ... The twist—or, rather, twists—is genuinely surprising and quite disturbing, but it feels like a slap in the face by taking away what little agency had been given to the female characters. A well-paced page-turner with a sour ending.
