Take one overbearing mother and add in a young woman on the prowl for a rich husband. That sets the stage for the beginning of The Girlfriend. Laura lives for her only son. Her husband has golf and his own affair, so she is basically alone and unloved. But I couldn’t understand her making her son her “sun”, her be all and end all, around which her whole world revolved. I mean, the son is 24 and starting his doctoral internship. I didn’t find her sympathetic at all. But neither was Cherry, the girlfriend. Growing up poor, she has vowed to find a rich husband. It almost doesn’t matter whom. I loved that I disliked both of these women so that as each tries to screw the other over, it’s just fun to watch.

The book has a slow burn and initially, the tension builds slowly. Then, you get a real twist half way through and the speed picks up. I felt like a pinball being ricocheted, as the deceit and lies pick up. And as it goes on, the book gets darker and more twisted. It’s a wild ride that never lets up. Highly recommend!

My thanks to netgalley and Kensington Books for an advance copy of this novel.

Let me start by saying that this is NOT a psychological thriller. So before you go into this book, you should reset your expectations. This is a demented and twisted domestic drama. I would like to thank my GR friend, Ms. Chelsea Humphrey for reading this book before I did and setting my expectations right.

What we have here, folks, is another case of mis-labeled, mis-marketed genre. Of misrepresented literature. This is not, I repeat, this is not a “chilling domestic thriller”. This does not mean you should bypass this book by any means. Now that we have gotten that out of the way, let’s get on with the review.

The Girlfriend is so, what’s the word? Oh right, EFFED UP. Seriously. Let’s start with Laura. The woman has a severe case of Oedipus complex. She is so in love with her son, it literally makes her insane. Then there is Cherry, who is so deceptive and manipulative that you basically wish she were real so you could punch her in the face. And Daniel. Poor stupid, naïve Daniel.

You might be asking yourself why you should read this book if all of the main characters are “unlikeable”. Let me tell you why. This book is like a train wreck that you CANNOT tear your eyes away from. You just have to keep watching (reading) the horror with your mouth wide open, jaw on the ground. This book is so messed up, so twisted that you have to keep reading to find out what happens to these horrible, horrible people.

This book is addictive, so be prepared to want to spend every waking moment with your nose in it. It is fast paced and you won’t even notice that it is 450 pages. I ripped through this book in less than 2 days. I highly recommend putting this book on your 2018 radar.

Laura, a successful and wealthy woman, has a very close relationship with her son Daniel until Cherry comes into the picture. Suddenly, all of Daniel's time is consumed by Cherry. Laura tries to establish a good relationship with her future daughter-in-law but they start off from the wrong foot. Laura begins to find out things about Cherry that causes her to suspect Cherry has ulterior motives by being with her son. This is a thriller about two women fighting for the heart of one man.

The plot is cliche, I know. The book started off a bit slow, I must say but by the first 50 pages, the plot starts to pick up. It was like one minute I was trying to get into the book, then the next, I couldn't put it down. Practically finished the book in two days. I couldn't wait to see what Cherry would do next or for Laura to put the pieces together.

The book was refreshing. It reminded me a lot of the Lois Duncan books I loved reading back when I was in junior high school. Haven't read a book like that for a long time. I definitely recommend this book. Only thing I'd like to point out is that the ending was a bit weak. It ended and I thought, "That's it? Could you elaborate?"

Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

The Girlfriend by Michelle Frances, if your looking for an interesting yet disturbing book to read this is the one for you. Cherry grew up poor and from the poor part of London and she's fallen in love with Daniel who is affluent and comes from a welltodo family and has everything that Cherry desires, the only person in her way is Laura, Daniel's mum, who has some issues of her own to deal with. Pick up this book and turn the pages to find out all the mischief and mayhem that Cherry brings into Daniel and Laura's life, lies are told and there's no going back..... there are more twists and turns in this story that will keep you interested and intrigued.

2.5 stars

I'm not a big fan of books that overly explain characters inner thoughts or feelings. This story was told from 3 POV's, so unfortunately this style of writing was everywhere. I almost gave up, but it reads fast, so I decided to see how things played out.

The only POV I cared for was Daniel, but he was a minor player compared to his Mother and his girlfriend Cherry. Both of these two characters deserved each other. Fake, narcissistic, emotionally needy, manipulative, and selfish are just a few words to describe what they are made of.
What unfolds here is a poor representation of women who behave badly when it comes to getting what they want.

ARC provided by NetGalley

The Girlfriend was definitely a suspenseful and tense story I didn't want to put down. Daniel and his mother, Laura, had a special relationship until Cherry came along. Through manipulation and the need to have a better life, Cherry focuses on falling in love with Daniel.

I was on the edge of my seat as their relationship developed and Daniel and his mother unraveled. It made you think about what I would do to protect someone I loved from a bad situation, even if it might cost me everything.

Read all my reviews at: https://brainfartsandbooks.wordpress.com

I truly enjoyed reading this book as the characters were all really well described and came to life on the pages of this book. Laura is a wonderful mum to Daniel. And a successful, young doctor with a trust fund is exactly what Cherry is looking for. Cherry comes from the “wrong side” of the tracks and has left her mum (who she is embarrassed of) back where she came from to start a new life. Everything would be great if Cherry wasn’t a manipulative, goal-digging, selfish person. All throughout the book I wondered why she just couldn’t get along with Laura. Laura was such a nice, caring mum to Daniel and welcomed Cherry with open arms until Cherry became a psycho. This book quickly turns into a suspenseful and tense thriller with me cheering for Laura and telling her to watch out for Cherry. This book had me on the edge of my seat and the only reason I didn’t give it a higher rating was because it was really predictable. Still, a really great read that I recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley, Michelle Frances, and Pan MacMillan for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t think I would put this book in the “psychological thriller” category; it was more of a family drama/suspense read. The characters were so unlikable and I relatable, but I think that’s what we expect from suspense reads—it keeps you on your toes.

The mother in this book is so overbearing, almost obsessed with her son, that I wanted to reach in and slap her a few times. Those type of characters drive me crazy, personally, but it worked well with the plot. Had the mother not been overbearing, perhaps we would have read another story entirely.

The scene where Cherry kills the puppy and then sends it to the actress almost made me want to stop reading. I felt like that was unnecessary and could have been avoided. It was hard for me to get past.

The ending felt a bit rushed—we’d been exposed to such in depth inner monologue throughout, and then the ending was done in the blink of an eye. I would have liked more.

Overall, not what I was expecting after reading the previous reviews, but it was enjoyable.

I received an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I love the feeling you get when a book surprises you and then jumps right into your top 10. For me this book had it all, suspense, drama, shock confessions and a well-delivered ending.
The plot is brilliant, a steady pace with endings at each paragraph that meant I was going to lose a lot of sleep because I just needed to read one more page. While the story may not of been unique, it certainly held its own by the added shocks and twists.
Cherry wants it all, money and a new life away from the life she has. Daniel has that life and Cherry will go to all lengths to get it, even if it means crossing his beloved mum. Laura like most mums will do anything for her son and only wants the best for him but at what cost? Each character has so much substance making the reader feel so many different emotions towards each of them at different times through out the book.
I couldn’t put this book down and read it in two sittings; it truly is a brilliant book that deserves 5 star+.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly this book was pegged as a psychological thriller but I am not quite sure it really sat in that Genre. For huge stretches of the book I felt I was waiting for the huge twist, it got to the point I felt I was missing out on other elements of the story as I was so keen to guess how and when a twist may occur. That being said it is a great story and a really enjoyable to read but perhaps if it was labeled as a family saga I would have enjoyed the read and the final reveal a little more as I was expecting something more dramatic based on other psychological thrillers I read.

The story is told from the point of view of Laura, the mum and Cherry, the girlfriend. As a mum I was initially drawn to Laura but then about a 1/3 of the way in I thought perhaps she was a little overbearing and possessive of Daniel. I started to think was Cherry really that bad? Cherry wanted to marry a rich man but she also seemed to genuinely love him. However, as the narrative progresses you can see just how manipulative Cherry is. She holds a very low opinion of her own mother, she sees herself as a better person than her and she knows Daniel is her ticket to a better life. She also has an unhealthy obsession with her Ex she seems intent on showing of to him how well she has done for herself. Cherry's personality was dark and I felt this was extremely well written, the only part of the story I had an issue with was the scene of animal cruelty as I am not sure there is ever a place for this.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

A psychological thriller about fixation, possessiveness, relationships, motherhood and the great lengths humans can go to protect the ones they love.

Laura is working for the Drama department in a TV network, living in an expensive house in one of the best neighborhoods in London, but in an unhappy marriage with her estranged and often cheating husband. The main joy in her life is her son, Daniel – a trainee doctor, young, smart and full of energy. After his graduation and moving back home, Laura couldn’t wait to finally spend some time with him, completely unaware that he might meet Cherry and have well… other plans. Cherry is ambitious and smart, strikingly beautiful, but she’s not your everyday girl. Soon things escalate quickly and the reader is left bidding for who would win the war or in that case Daniel – the mother or the girlfriend?

Both Laura and Cherry have their flaws, yet one is driven by love and the other by something a bit more fixated – a fantasy idea that turns into an obsession. For someone as smart as Cherry and supposedly so ambitious, I’m a bit surprised of her ultimate dream – marrying someone rich and never working again. How is that sustainable? It’s the 21st century, women who are ambitious don’t want to just sit around and wait to play a housewife. If she found her jobs tedious and menial, then why suddenly her ambition ends with being married to someone? As we follow her actions later on, the reader gets the idea that she’s some kind of a sociopath and what she wants is not logical or even achievable in the way she thinks she wants it.

Laura, on the other hand, is driven by a sharp sense of control and over-protection. Losing her first-born baby, she’s put everything she has into raising Daniel and making him the person she wants him to be. She educated him, traveled the world with him, culturally broadened his horizons. And yet he seems to be a bit too naive for all that time and money invested on him. Marrying a girl on a whim only to make her happy because he can’t handle an argument between her and his mother? He claims Cherry is the woman for him, because they never run out of things to talk about and yet they barely talk about anything in the glimpses of dialogue we get from them. He seems like this prize everyone is fighting for and all you want is to shake him up a bit and tell him to open his eyes and see for himself.

The novel offers a good dose of suspense, it’s a page-turner and you won’t feel satisfied until you turn all the pages and find out what happens at the end. With plot twists here and there, you can have a hinge of how things would turn out, but you can allow yourself to be surprised. The pace was good in the first half of the book, but afterwards I felt like it could have sped up a bit more. Once it was established who’s motivated by what, too many pages were filled with Laura’s inner turmoil, which the reader was already aware of it as it’s understandable, considering the situation.

If you’re looking for an addictive read – that’s the book for you. It will keep you late at night reading and make you side with one or the other. It’s both suspenseful and exciting, it will make you ponder on the extremes of human motivation and is it possible to ever stop the deeply-wired feeling of control within us.

I have kindly received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and Kensington Books in exchange of a fair review.

A dark and twisted story, suspenseful and well-plotted. I read this in one night.

Cherry is a girl with a plan, and she wants to better herself. She meets Daniel and sees a way out. His parents meet her and aren't as thrilled by their relationship. Then the manipulations and lies begin, and the book takes off.

I enjoyed this book, even though I thought the ending could have been stronger. I recommend it. Thanks to Pan MacMillan, Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The victim in this story is Daniel, a young physician just starting out in his career. The two women in his life are both a piece of work. His mother, Laura, is a rich, snobby overprotective and overbearing women who thinks Daniel’s new girlfriend, Cherry, is a gold digger. Laura does something horrible in her efforts to keep Daniel and Cherry apart. Then there is the girlfriend, Cherry, who is beautiful, poor and determined to get what she wants. Cherry will stop at nothing to get her revenge and her man. This is a suspenseful story that kept me interested right up to the end. I only pray I do not turn into a woman like Laura and I never have a daughter-in-law like Cherry.
I received an ARC from the publisher and Netgalley and this is an unbiased review.

Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into this book. Writing is somewhat flat and there is very little intrigue.

THE GIRLFRIEND by Michelle Frances is both a new author for me her debut novel is a thrilling psychological thriller based on the fall-out following an unforgivable lie. There are three main characters involved - a mother Laura, her son Daniel, and his new girlfriend Cherry.

Laura has issues of a husband who has had a mistress for the last 20 or so years, but she is consoled by the close bond she shares with her handsome, kind, and intelligent son Daniel who is studying medicine and is starting his residency at a nearby hospital. However, Daniel soon meets Cherry. Young, beautiful and smart, Cherry up to now has lived her life waiting for the ‘gold ring’ of a prince to come along and after meeting Laura decides she wants Laura’s life.

Laura had sensed something in Cherry right from the start and knew without a doubt that she had to protect her son. Cherry sensed the same thing from Laura and knew if she were to get anywhere with Daniel, she would have to sever the close ties between mother and son. But then tragedy struck and an unforgivable lie was told it started a chain of horrible consequences that might just destroy some lives forever.

Bottom line: Fabulous psychological drama from a brand new author. Looking forward to more!

Marilyn Rondeau

“The Girlfriend” by Michelle Frances

This was a great book in terms of the events; it was always moving forward and developing. Each section has the date clearly on it, which helped when the timeline went back and forth between the characters. It had my attention the entire time. You could really feel for the characters and was rooting for the antagonist (until the hypothetical switch was flipped).

It was well written. There was a emotional connection with each the main characters and their seemingly personality flaws. My favourite part of a book (which is a make it or break it for me) is the ending, and well, this was surprise ending!

#Netgalley #TheGirlfriend
Book Published: January 30, 2018
Review Published: January 2, 2018

A crazy girlfriend, an unlucky son, and his sad mother who wants the best for her son. This book takes you on a roller coaster ride. It has a lot of pages but yet you finish it quickly because you can’t put it down.

This book threw me for a loop. You always hear about Moms and their sons girlfriends or wives. This book took it to a whole new level though. Was very suspenseful, and easy to read. Recommend very highly!

A very addicting book, even though not a lot happens. There’s a lot of drama and “suspense” (if you can call it that) that more borders on paranoia between the main characters of each other.

The Girlfriend follows a slightly obsessive rich mother (with a kind of weird relationship with her son) as she meets his new, girlfriend who is from the wrong side of the tracks. While the mother mentions several times that she wants the best for the girlfriend, due to outside factors (mostly her friends, and the girlfriend’s lack of openness) she becomes suspicious of her true intentions. Which meanwhile pushes the girlfriend to be suspicious of the mom.

Definitely more of a soap opera type than a “psychological thriller” but also addictive.

This novel, set in Kensington, England, pits the two women that love twenty-three-year-old medical student Daniel against each other: His mother Laura and his new girlfriend Cherry. Daniel never wanted for anything growing up. Cherry, on the other hand, lived in poverty and is desperate for a way out, even if it means lying a bit on her resume and pushing her mother out of her life as much as possible.

Both Cherry and Laura initially hope to have a great relationship with one another, but misunderstandings and awkwardness give way to simmering tension that just gets worse and worse. I could see things from both women’s perspective, but I found myself siding with the mother more. As their lies become more convoluted, they manage to destroy each other bit by bit—damaging the other woman’s career and other relationships, which leads to a wonderfully suspenseful ending.

I enjoyed this book, which will be RELEASED JANUARY 30, 2018. Thanks so much to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this novel.