This is a real slow burner and it took some time before it grabbed me, but once it had it was compelling. You get to know each of the characters through a range of points of view but, for me, there isn't a likeable character among this cast. Despite this, you are gradually drawn into their world by almost morbid curiosity to see what depths they will sink to next. It is definitely one of the stranger and more disturbing books I've read in recent years and yet there's something about it which is oddly satisfying.

A depressing slow burner of a book that I never really got into until the last quarter of the book.
I disliked all of the characters though I think the author did this purposely, however I do like a plot where I can relate to just one character.
I did find the book predictable, that said it had a couple of good plot twists and some hard to read moments but overall I was disappointed.
The Swedish setting was a bit different and sounded lovely and the book was quite well written, much too slow for me though.

Well written deeply disturbing novel which I found distressing to read in parts. None of the characters were likeable but that resonated with the storyline mixed feelings with this novel hence the 3 stars. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

I must admit I’m not generally a fan of the domestic thriller. The ones I’ve looked at seem to present a very narrow view both of women and of families, and to favour pace over prose.

I thought I’d give this a go though, because it includes that endlessly fascinating trope of escaping the rat race to live the dream.

Merry and Sam are living with their baby in rural Sweden, in a cottage he inherited from a relative. He is trying to establish himself as a filmmaker, she is caring for their baby, baking and growing vegetables. They have left their home in New York under slightly murky circumstances.

We see first the beauty of this new life, then its downsides. It is the arrival of Merry’s childhood friend, Frank (Frances), that brings things to a head.

The positive about this book is that the writing is gorgeous. You get a real sense of the beauty of the Swedish countryside and the appeal of the life they are living. Later, you see how the same setting can be claustrophobic and threatening. It’s the ideal combination – you get to both bask in Merry and Sam’s idyllic lifestyle, and to see it fall apart and realise it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.

I didn’t enjoy the story, though. In part this is to do with the structure of the book. We already see the problems in Merry and Sam’s life before Frank’s arrival, then we have to repeat the same journey from envy to disillusionment from her point of view. When the crisis happens in their lives, there is a police investigation in which the protagonists are interviewed and go over much of the same ground yet again.

More than this, though, I found this book profoundly depressing in what it says about women. There are various archetypes in the book, all of them negative. Frank is successful in her career and travels the world but it’s only because her mother didn’t love her enough. She’d give it up in a heartbeat to have what Merry has.

Merry feels confined by her new life but can’t think what else to do. Sam takes it for granted that Merry should do all the household chores. Neither Merry nor Frank seem to think any less of him for it, nor to question what they themselves expect.

The three protagonists are depressingly predictable. There is no grit that makes them run against type, no sense that they have complex emotions and drives that exist beyond the frame of the story. I had a strong reaction to the twist at the end, but I don’t think it was the one I was meant to have.

Sam is a former anthropologist with an interest in masks and Merry was a set designer. They are interesting choices but I didn’t feel the implications were explored. Are these characters more interesting than they appear? Has their potential been stifled by the limited roles they are allowed to play? Or were they made for this?

I really could not get into this book, I kept trying, To me I found it very annoying the more I read of it, The male character, i seriously wanted to beat him round the head with a walking stick, and the woman character made me so frustrated for letting herself be treated this way, well done to the author for releasing these feelings in me, that has never happened before with any book, I did not read to the end but I did tell my daughter to have a read

I was really keen to read this book as the plot sounded great and along the lines of a domestic psychological suspense. I found the book quite hard to get into and it took until around 35% for it to feel like it was getting going. I've seen from reviews that others have stopped reading at this point but I was determined to plough on. I ended up reading the book in just over a day and enjoyed it, although it wasn't quite what I had initially expected. I didn't take to any of the characters but I feel that was actually intended by the author. I got the impression that none of the characters were actually supposed to be likeable so the author really succeeded there. It added to the sense that you didn't know who to trust. The first person narrative also helps with this as we're only seeing things from the perspective of each character and what they say about themselves and each other. It's quite a dark book and discusses some difficult topics alongside the suspense element. I've given it four stars, with one knocked off for the fact that I couldn't get into for so long .

I tried, I really tried to get through this but at 35% I gave up. The characters were so dislikable & I just didn't want to keep on reading to find out just how awful they were.

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me try & read this book. It may appeal to some readers, but it is definitely not for me I'm afraid.

I finished the book but found the characters slightly contrived and didn't warm to any of them.

The idea of the book felt better than the actual one.

A good read, gripping and interesting, enjoyed reading it and would recommend! Wasn’t very keen on the ending but overall a good book!

I dont think ive ever encountered a book like this, or even a plot close to it. The story is extremely hard for me to comprehend, and 99.9% of other parents will feel the same. You never know what goes on behind closed doors and this book proves that point. Its very sharp and clever, set in a superb environment thats almost as empty as the hearts of the characters. Its superbly written and correctly makes you feel nothing at all towards the main characters, as it should.

I couldn’t put this book down and devoured it in two sittings. It was relentlessly dark and I feel a bit disturbed after immersing myself in it! It was difficult to read at times - particularly Merrys relationship with her son and how she treated him was really upsetting. It was a perfect picture of how messed up relationships can be and what you see is not always what you get. If you like domestic thrillers/dramas this is definitely for you. Thanks to HQ, Netgalley and the author for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley & HQ for this ARC. First, holy cow, I'll never have a friend who will go through such great lengths to ensure my happiness, which is not entirely bad? I alternated between annoyance and dislike for the narrators, which doesn't mean I did not enjoy this book, I definitely did. It just means these people are plain old out of it. I've never experienced some of the things the female narrators endured, so their struggles were not relatable for me, albeit understandable from a mental standpoint, but crazy nonetheless. Maybe saying they're crazy is too harsh. The one thing this book lays heavily on his mental health, so while it may not be relatable to some or even tangible to others, mental health is still very real and it can affect every aspect of daily life, even down to mothering and managing what comes with being the matriarch. There is a line from one of the detectives, that they don't seek to punish for a crime, but to understand and heal, and I feel that is what our justice system is desperately missing, that sort of empathy; that women and mothers aren't all bad, but they are like a lot of other women: women who struggle, women who can't adjust, women who need help. This book had a deep, underlying message of the time-old phrase: it takes a village. We, as Americans, have really lost touch of that, of the sense of community that comes with supporting mothers, especially mothers who have made mistakes trying to adjust to taking care of another person. This book was a well-written testimony to humanizing and forcing you to empathize, to see that even though something is heinous and unimaginable, the person committing is still a person, still an imperfect being. It was a very quick read, I definitely recommend it.

Predictable … oh so predictable

This was a really predictable book from the start. I was hoping there was going to have a major twist but I felt I was still waiting at the end.

That being said this is a psychological domestic thriller, set in the wonderful landscapes of Sweden. The husband and wife live a supposedly idilic life with their baby son. However, not everything is as it seems and when a childhood friend comes to visit… truths are revealed.

This seems such a good plot and I still love the setting which is a perfect juxtaposition to the plot, but *sigh* I felt the whole story lacking. Firstly, the predictability of the book was annoying, as I could guess what was happening throughout. Even when the plot is trying to lead you to believe something else, you know it is just a rouse. This made me put the book down and come back to it weeks later.

Parts of the book were good and I thoroughly enjoyed the first person narrative between all three main characters, it really gave a good balance of insight into what they were thinking but also not truly trusting their thoughts. However, these people do not seem believable, considering the events and the genre … they are obviously unstable but not psychotic. From fiction, it is believed that psychotic murderers are clever and smart but these accounts were not from people who always thought several steps ahead. Also they were enabling each other - cult like!

In conclusion, the writing was good and the idea was interesting, just not sure about the characterisation.

I really sisliked tbe 3 characters in this book,as in really disliked them but then that means the author did a good job!!!
The narrative style was different but good and the storyline at times was so unbelievable,it was believable!!!!
A dark and compelling story with an unuusal setting,

A great story as to how many things are kept hidden and can be misconstrued. Thoroughly enjoyed this and you really felt emotions towards the main characters

This was a Brilliant read! Addictive storyline, struggled to but it down until I had finished it! Really enjoyed it

Fantastic read, gripping and a story that you never knew where it was heading. I really enjoyed it and would recommend

A dark and harrowing tale set in the beautiful Swedish country side, You Were Made For This is a sophisticated psychological thriller that takes a sharp look at marriage, friendship and the truths of motherhood most people love to sweep under the carpet.

Merry has all the baking, fruit picking and household managing figured out. Husband happy, baby happy, what more do you need? Well, for starters maybe friends. Poor woman is stuck at home all day in the idyllic Swedish country side, in a tiny village where her only acquaintances are the family next door. Now that doesn’t sound so much fun. So Frank, her childhood friend announces her visit, Merry’s enthusiasm is totally understandable.

None of that cheerfulness lasts long however, because you need to be blind not to see that these two women just simply don’t like each other very much. I guess we all had some friends in our lives we just couldn’t let go, even though after our lives went separate ways we had nothing left in common. But any distraction could work, so Merry welcomes Frank with open arms.

Any household where things are just too much in order and everyone is all smiles at all times is a suspicious one, and good old observant Frank starts picking up some not so pleasant vibes around Merry and her husband, Sam.

As the three of them spends some more time together, it becomes blatantly obvious that they are all flawed in some ways, quite unapologetically so. Neither of them are pleasant people, and the facade they hide behind is so perfectly the opposite of who they really are, that I was instantly drawn to them. As their masks started slipping, I had a sense of foreboding, and prepared myself for the worst.

The writing is absolutely brilliant, and the lack of dialogue tags was a clever way of blurring the lines between unsaid truth and the lies covering it. Once all pretense falls away and we see their nasty side in plain view, we can rest assured: they are all assholes, who deserve each other.

A haunting story, You Were Made For This is a perfect summer read for fans of domestic suspense.

You Were Made For This has all the elements of a domestic thriller, which I often enjoy reading, and though it was slower-paced than I expected, I still found it an interesting read.

There are various disturbing, dark parts to this story and I found that for most of the novel I was in a state of rage with certain characters. I don't want to give too much away but it very effectively highlights how 'subtle' pyschological abuse and control can be - it's not always full on fights and slaps. Merry and Sam's relationship is put under the microscope by Frances - supposedly Merry's best friend - coming to stay, and you realise that here we have another very questionable character! No one in this novel is hugely likeable, but this adds to the allure of the story because you really feel like you're delving into a world of dark thoughts and feelings - there are some twisted things going on, both in the characters' minds and in reality.

The setting in Sweden was a bit of a welcome change from US and UK-based novels (not that there's anything wrong with them, but it's nice to read about somewhere completely different) and I really liked that there was an element of mystery, too - I won't say what happens but I definitely swung between characters when trying to work out who was responsible. It made me doubt people and then restore my faith in them - and then doubt them again!

I really liked Michelle Sacks's writing, though I felt some parts could have been shortened a little and the complete lack of speech marks sometimes made it harder to follow (though this also made the novel stand out more). However, I would still recommend this to anyone looking for a well-written domestic thriller.

You Were Made For This is a darkish, psychological thriller. It’s about a perfect family – husband, wife, child – and her best friend, and its told from the perspectives of the three different adults. None of the characters are particularly likeable, but they are well drawn and have complicated back stories. The family has relocated from the States to Sweden and the setting is slightly unusual and therefore reasonably interesting. Although I could see where it was going from quite early on, and it loses some pace and energy in the last third, I nonetheless enjoyed it.