The Perfect Home

Author: Daniel Kenitz
Publisher: Scribner
Date Published: January 14, 2025

As someone who grew up on the OG fixer-upper shows and loves the dynamics of the couples on those HGTV reality shows who buy/sell/fix/flip homes, this book really struck a chord!

You know them – the shows with magazine-quality curated cushions, fixtures, knick-knacks, and unlimited budgets. Those shows where houses are finished in a week without the stars getting anything more than a strategically placed speck of drywall dust on their perfectly makeup-clad faces. I’ve always wondered what the backstory was of those couples who seem so…well…perfect! Well, this book goes there!

Before there was Dawn and Wyatt, there was…just Wyatt. A man who thought he was above the reality show audience, who just wanted to tell the uneducated masses about ways to enhance their homes. But then Dawn came along, the Lucy to his Desi, and America fell in love with them. Mostly with Wyatt, while Dawn provided the comedic relief. And then they become even more perfect when they become parents to twins.

But there is a danger to fame, and that is that once it’s achieved, how much is too much? Wyatt feels he has to find better and more dramatic ways to keep his audience engaged and up the viewer ratings, so while in the throes of withdrawal from a fertility drug, he hatches a plan that he thinks will be a surefire ratings boost. The “he said, she said” drama that plays out will have you on the edge of your seat. This is a standout debut novel from Kenitz and I read it in one “stay up late until it’s done” book fever!

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for an advance reader’s copy!