You Were Made for This

By: Michelle Sacks

Narrated by: Stephanie Willis, Jeremy Arthur, Caroline Slaughter

A gripping thriller for fans of The Woman in the Window and The Perfect Nanny, Michelle Sacks's You Were Made For This provocatively explores the darkest sides of marriage, motherhood, and friendship.

Doting wife, devoted husband, cherished child. Merry, Sam, and Conor are the perfect family in the perfect place. Merry adores the domestic life: baking, gardening, caring for her infant son. Sam, formerly an academic, is pursuing a new career as a filmmaker. Sometimes they can hardly believe how lucky they are. What perfect new lives they've built.

When Merry's childhood friend Frank visits their Swedish paradise, she immediately becomes part of the family. She bonds with Conor. And with Sam. She befriends the neighbors, and even finds herself embracing the domesticity she's always seemed to scorn.

All their lives, Frank and Merry have been more like sisters than best friends. And that's why Frank soon sees the things others might miss. Treacherous things, which are almost impossible to believe when looking at this perfect family. But Frank, of all people, knows that the truth is rarely what you want the world to see.

©2018 Michelle Sacks (P)2018 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"A worthy page-turner...Sacks stuffs her sentences with intrigue and terror, and her prose effortlessly weaves between each of the narrators, giving them a distinct voice that's all-too-easy to be convinced by. She keeps you on the edge of your seat as the tension ratchets up...A gripping, smart, dire family drama."—David Canfield, Entertainment Weekly

"Haunting...Sacks deftly engages the complexities of motherhood, infidelity, and misconduct in this novel. Her storytelling shines most when Merry's alleged closest friend, Frank, arrives for a visit...Sacks explores the ways in which unhealthy relationships can wreak irrevocable damage on those involved—and everyone surrounding."—Megan McCluskey, TIME Magazine

"An engrossing tale that probes the darker corners of motherhood, friendship, and marriage."—Good Housekeeping

Nothing unique or exceptional

None of the main characters are especially likable. I take that back, they’re all absolutely dreadful!
The plot, the twists, the consequences all feel familiar and unoriginal.
The end was pretty dissatisfying, even after the author dropped a real kicker of a final line. If the book had been written differently, the last line would have hit different too.
All this being said, I could NOT stop listening to it! Kudos to the voice actors/narrators on that one!

Pessimistic and disappointing

This book did not have much mystery. There was no thrill to it. It seemed more like a memoir than any twist or thrill. The performance was great though, I thought. I liked how there were three readers for the voices and each one did a great job. I just wish there was a twist and not so simple and predictable.

Dark but good

The subject matter is very dark and there is child abuse. It’s a disturbing book. I think it’s well written. The characters are broken and really horrible. I don’t think you have to like characters in a book to make it good.

Dark and twisted

loved this book! I couldn't put my ear buds down. good twists and went fast.

QUESTIONS.

This story left me with more questions than answers. certain facts were not clarified. I would have liked a few things answered.

So worth the credit!!!!

Got me right from the start!!! And continued all throughout. I couldn't put it down was one of those that you say one more chapter one more chapter. I like to stretch out my book, but I had to keep listening. Spoiler: I wish there was an epilogue. But I suppose we finish it the way we would like it to be. As is life.

A dark story

This writer can certainly write. The most well written book I’v read in a very long time. Narration is perfect. This book however goes to places which are very disturbing and will stay with me for a very long time. It explores things I hate to think can happen. The end was somewhat unsatisfactory also. It was never boring and I finished it in two days.

What was the point?

There was no point. Nothing.
There was no mystery. Nothing to solve, nothing notable at all. Could have been great if done differently.

Beautifully tragic

What a beautifully written tragedy about 3 of THE MOST dysfunctional maladjusted people ever! Sweet Jesus, these people need help. I dont believe any are innately evil, but they are all morally corrupt!

great read!

Dreadfully slow/a sleeper

Although the story is well written, the plot does not evolve very fast. I spent three quarters of the book waiting for something to happen. Lots of descriptions of landscape, of tortured souls. The main characters all have hangups and hearing their tormented thoughts is completely depressing. There are a lot of questions not answered at the end of the book. Nothing is really explained or resolved and after 8 hours plus of listening, you are wondering why you bothered. Do not bother. Save your credit and if you really want a book on reflections and inner angst, buy a documentary.