When I read the description of The Perfect Wife by J.P. Delaney, I thought the plot sounded great. I was really looking forward to reading it. Then when I started the book, I was so confused and wasn't even sure I had the right book.

Tim Scott, a tech billionaire, has lost his wife Abbie, but is she missing or dead? In an effort to bring her back, he creates an emotionally intelligent companion robot, or a cobot, in her image with her memories. Did Tim create her as a replacement for the wife he loved, to act as a mother to their autistic son, to launch his career even further, or for some other reason entirely?

When I read the first chapter and learned that Abbie was an AI I was so confused. Sci-fi isn't really my genre, and I don't think I would have requested this book had I realized that's what it was. However, I did find it intriguing and wanted to keep reading to see where it was going. I almost DNF this book, but decided to stick with it. The plot was well paced and moved quickly, and the chapters were shorter which I prefer.

This book is told from two different perspectives, one from Abbie, the cobot's point of view, and one from the point of view from someone who worked at Tim's tech company. We don't learn who is telling the second point of view until the end, and it was a big surprise. I honestly didn't see the ending coming which was nice for a psychological thriller.

What this book does is question is the difference between being human and being a self-aware AI. The author has a child with autism, and brings up some different teaching methods for Danny, Tim and Abbie's son throughout the book. The biggest question is could the cobot possibly be the one to help Danny with his learning and behavior and could it do it better than an actual human?

I think this book would be good for anyone who likes thrillers with some sci-fi mixed in.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballentine Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.