Title: The Perfect Girlfriend
Author: Karen Hamilton
Genre: Adult Thriller
Format: eARC from Netgalley
Series: NA
Star Rating: 4 stars

tw: child death, stalking, parental death, alcoholism, drug use, home invasion (violent and nonviolent), drugging, bullying, murder, infidelity

A special thank you goes to Netgalley and Wildfire for providing me with a copy of this book. Please know that this does not influence my rating or thoughts on the book itself.

I’m on that never-ending quest to get my Netgalley ratio up to an acceptable level. One night, I couldn’t find anything to read so I just randomly picked this one out, and holy cow, what a ride this book was. I stayed up way past my bedtime to read this book because it was just so enthralling! I haven’t read a good thriller in ages, since my last Greer Hendricks book, so I was in dire need of a thriller.

Juliette was one of the most wild main characters I have ever read about. The book was in first person so we were fully in her mind and boy, her mind was dark. She was so manipulative and convincing that for a while there, I bought into everything she was saying. Like why wouldn’t Nate, her ex, not love her? She tries so hard to be perfect, he should love her. Slowly, I was able to tear myself out of her manipulation but damn, she was good. That is what made the book so good for me. When a main character, who you know isn’t good, manages to convince you that they were perfectly normal and their thought process is perfectly acceptable. I can see why people join cults now.

As you all know, with thrillers, I struggle to write reviews. I don’t want to give too much away but I also want to convince y'all to read it. You all are just going to have to trust me when I say you need to read this book. I have a feeling that y'all will be very interested in Juliette and all she brings to the table. And you will live for the ending. It was one I certainly did not see coming.

Well I wanted to enjoy this more than I did. This novel was super all over the place and a bit delusional when it came to the characters.

I loved this book. I am trying to clean up my netgalley account and trying to leave reviews on books I forgot about. Sorry.

I did not enjoy this at all. I was ready for a twisted love story. I'm not sure what I expected but it definitely wasn't this. I didn't like the writing or the format. It was extremely repetitive...and you don't have to tell me a million times the characters are mentally disturbed....we all get it! I also really didn't like the slut-shaming in this book.

If the goal was to make you find the main character annoying they definitely chose the right narrator. I am sure I would have enjoyed this book much more if the voice was not so grating.

Wow was this book good! I didn't expect for the main character Lily to be quite as crazy as she was. Karen Hamilton did an amazing job with her. How else would you be routing for a character who was a liar, manipulative and as scheming as Lily. Why did she have me hoping that Nate would take her back and everything would be ok. At first you want her to see that Nate isn't worth it. Then you think maybe she will get him back. Read it to find out!

4 stars!

This takes obsession to a whole new level!

Juliette is determined to win back Nate who broke up with her six months ago. She will stop at nothing to become his ideal partner.

This was a wild and crazy ride that I loved following. I really enjoyed the inside look at flight attendant training and all that is involved in their career path. The author did a fantastic job engrossing me in the main characters obsessive, snarky and manipulative mind. I was gripped and entertained and couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to see what she would do next! It was a twisted and tension filled story that kept me on my toes.

Was this storyline completely believable? No! Did I have a super fun time escaping into the story? Yes! This was pure entertaining escapism. A perfect summer read!

One thing that strangely stood out for me was the amount of times “whilst” was used since I never use that word myself.

Thank you to the publisher for my review copy!

I really enjoyed this suspenseful read up until the end which I felt was rushed and much too abrupt. I also felt at times the story was a little repetitive.

I liked this book but some parts were better than others. The book is told from Juliette’s POV, so I found it interesting seeing through the eyes of sociopath. But the book got bogged down with too many boring scenes of her working as a flight attendant and trying to make friends. Although I wasn’t a fan of the ending, the book did hold my interest.

I am sorry for not reviewing fully but I don’t have the time to read this at the moment. I believe that it wouldn't benefit you as a publisher or your book if I only skimmed it and wrote a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for not fully reviewing!

This was a decent book!

It’s about a girl that is obsessed with her ex-boyfriend and will do anything to get him back. Therefore, this is definitely a Psychological Thriller.

I usually get annoyed at obsessive characters, but I didn’t get annoyed at this one! Juliette is defiantly unhinged, but I kept wanting more as I was curious as to what plan she would draw up next!

It’s a slow-burning book, but honestly, I was still very entertained and never had the feeling of “will this book ever end” which I tend to have with slow-burning thrillers/mysteries.

One thing I do wish I had more in the story is more steamy romance. Right as it got to the good parts, I felt like it was cut extremely short. I’m a sucker for thrillers mixed with romance so I definitely would have enjoyed this book more with those scenes but maybe it was made for a younger demographic? Who knows..

The ending was also quite rushed in my opinion, but I still enjoyed the story and the interconnection of the characters

Oh wow! What a compelling, brilliantly written psychological thriller "The Perfect Girlfriend" is, from a very talented debut author Karen Hamilton

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Perfect Girlfriend was not what I had expected. For me it was a slow burn that turned into something all over the place. I did not connect with any of the people nor did I find myself liking them. Just was not my style of mystery/thriller.

This book was fantastic-- I am mad at myself that I waited so long to read it! It grabbed me right from the start and I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.... and am still waiting. Amazing and I have already recommended it to some of my coworkers

This book was super strange and creepy! I read it very quickly. I wasn’t able to read my Netgalley copy but I did read the physical book after it was released and I really enjoyed it.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read and review this title. I will review this title at a different date.

Twisted. Addictive. Chilling with hint of disbelief. If you love warped psychological thrillers that won’t leave you alone, then THE PERFECT GIRLFRIEND is a #mustreadnow type of book!

Okay, deep breath. I finished THE PEFECT GIRLFRIEND by Karen Hamilton about an hour ago and I’m still processing.

If you’re wondering why you haven’t heard of Karen Hamilton before, it’s because this is her debut novel, but trust me, after you read this book, she’s going on your auto-buy list.

If you’ve read my latest novel – THE PATIENT – then you know I love endings that you aren’t able to tie up with a nice little bow. THE PERFECT GIRLFRIEND is one of those books. When I closed my kindle, I had to take a deep breath and let what I think continues to happen play out in my head.

There are so many twists, turns, impossibilities you didn’t see coming. And then there were the things you did…the plot twists you knew had to happen but couldn’t believe it when they did. I’m not going to give the story away, but if you enjoyed YOU and if you are one of those who enjoy a good train wreck, you are going to love this novel.
There’s hints of love, tons of betrayal, sadness and neurotic behaviour thrown in. The author brings you history of being in the travel industry front and centre in this novel and it adds elements of layers that only enhance the depth of the twists.

I started this novel Wednesday night and finished it this morning. I absolutely loved THE PERFECT GIRLFRIEND and I know you will too!

WHATTA RIDE. It’s super unbelievable with soap-opera levels of drama, which makes it perfect for a social distancing read. Go in for fun and stay for the crazy. The ending was abrupt, but it was a great distraction from the world.

The Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton is the book every parent should buy their son. The Perfect Girlfriend is the text book on obsession, delusion and the lengths love can go to.

Summary -

"...Goodbye, Elizabeth.'
Elizabeth, indeed, for fuck's sake! What had happened to Lily, babe, darling, sweetheart? He kissed me on the forehead and let himself out, shutting the door quietly behind him. Silence echoed, I gazed out the window, through the blur of raindrops, and watched as his tail lights disappeared, bubbling with fresh rage and humiliation. I loved him and yet I'd been unable to stop him making the biggest mistake of his life. He was mine. As I sat there-mentally deflating on the hardbacked sofa-it was then that my Plan of Action had been born. Elizabeth/Lily was disappearing into her cocoon and waiting to emerge as Juliette..."

Nate is handsome, well off and a successful airline pilot. He dated Elizabeth for a short time but she turned very controlling and it didn't take long for the shine of their relationship to wear off and for Nate to realize that Elizabeth was not really who she pretended to be. So Nate moved her out and helped her get settled in a new place and though he said they would stay friends, tried his best to never see her again. But Nate underestimated Juliette.

Juliette loves Nate and knows that she is what is best for him. She knows that Nate loves her as well, he just needs to learn that he does. Juliette also has the keys to Nate's home and all his passwords. He never changed them when he moved her out. She also found this cool app that allows her to track his calls and his GPS to let her know where he is at all times, and with who. Juliette has a plan and she will have Nate back and he will be hers.

Juliette is the Perfect Girlfriend and in time, she will be Nate's perfect wife.

Review -

Karen Hamilton has written JAWS in the form of a young woman. Juliette is relentless, single-minded and with the righteous fervor of a religious zealot. She loves Nate and she knows that he belongs with her. The lengths she is willing to go to and the laws she is will to break are trifles in her mind. Juliette is convinced that not only is it in Nate's best interest to be with her, but that it will do him harm to be without her.

The novel is told through the eyes and voice of Juliette and it is frightening to behold. More so because it comes off as being so right and logical. If she wasn't so openly manipulative, the reader might actually be cheering for her. Instead, there is some self realization that she is not as crazy as we would like her to. That Juliette is a lot more like ourselves than we care to admit.

A beautifully crafted and written novel of terror and love.