WHOA.
This book took me ALONG time to read. I had to digest in small bits. I'm glad I stuck with it, but it wasn't easy.
What I loved: can't say I fully loved anything about it.
What I liked: It was twisty.
What I hated: All the characters. I couldn't really like any of them.

Definitely one to stick with...not for readers who prefer more fast-paced books. Like the MC, readers of this book need to be in for the long-game.

Actual stars: 3.25

Fans of Gillian Flynn will enjoy Karen Hamilton's The Perfect Girlfriend. It maintains a creepiness factor throughout. The downside for me was that I found the characters so unlikable that there was no one I could "pull" for or even root against. This is not due to my only liking sweet and kind characters; one of my very favorite characters in recent books is Kepnes's Joe Goldberg, so I'm fine with creepy and wicked. I kept wanting a bit more depth to Lily/Juliette's character, but I largely found her more annoying than menacing. That said, the book did keep my interest because I did want to know just how far she would take things. I look forward to more by the author as I think that she will only improve with time.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin for my ARC of The Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton. Juliette always has a long game - spurned by an ex? No problem! Apply for and join the same company as ex boyfriend Nate’s. Want a nose about the exes flat? No worries, she’s got copies of his house keys, phone passwords, spyware. She knows your every move and she’s not afraid to use any tool at her disposal. She will have her happy ending. Deliciously sinful. Like a desert you know you don’t need but want, The Perfect Girlfriend is that book!

Everyone has an inner psycho. They might stuff it deep inside of themselves, but it's there. Juliette, our main character, is unafraid to show it to the world. She has suffered a huge heartbreak but she is determined to win back the love of her life by doing whatever it takes. Many people go through bad breakups, but most move upward and onward. Not Juliette. She does things that jilted exes dream of doing, but would never dare.

The story is narrated by Juliette and the reader literally gets into her head and is privy to her real thoughts and feelings. At first, Juliette seems like an average gal who is dumped by a guy that she was really into, but there are telltale clues sprinkled here and there that tell me that she is a little off. Eventually, I realized that Juliette's head is totally screwed up. Poor Nate. I wonder how he felt to be on the receiving end of Juliette's obsession. She lives in a world that is far from reality. I felt sorry for her, so I rooted for her. I wanted her to win back her Prince Charming and have her happily ever after.

This book is about obsession, revenge, bullying, stalking, family relationships, friendships, and an inside look into the life of a flight attendant. There are times when I cringed and groaned and said "No you didn't just do that" but I loved the premise. The writing is strong, the story is entertaining and easy to read, and if you've ever had your heart broken, you'll live vicariously through Juliette.

It's not a book, it's an obsession -the best domestic psychological suspense title of 2019! I burned through the pages -TPG is my top gift recommend for those suffering from suspense withdrawal.

You won't want to do anything else but isolate yourself and read.

This is one of those I wasn't too sure of at first.

Our main character is...different. I didn't like her, but I also didn't like any other character in the book.

Yet, I kept reading.

And, oh, I'm so glad I did.

Before I knew it, I was rapt - completely engrossed in this psychological thriller. And the ending made everything worthwhile.

Very nicely done!

*ARC Provided via Net Galley

Sorry but I didn't enjoy this book at all and got halfway through and was still waiting to find out what Juliette had in mind to win Nate's love back.

A main character that you love to hate, Lily doesn't know how to take no for an answer. Psychotic and twisted, I read it till the end, hoping she would get her comeuppance.

I love books about crazy exes and this one did not disappoint. I loved all the scheming going on, that elaborate wedding plot had me cringing.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley, Karen Hamilton and Wildfire for my free ARC.</i>

<i><b>I loved him and yet I'd been unable to stop him making the biggest mistake of his life. He was mine.</i></b>

Juliette loved Nate. Nate decided to end his relationship with Juliette. Juliette cannot let Nate go and will do anything to get him back. And thus begins our story.

<i><b>Once upon a time, I could walk up to him and hug him any time I pleased. Now, I am not allowed. Those are the rules. I have not been given any choice or say in the matter.</i></b>

Juliette is both highly problematic and also sympathetic in moments. After being dumped by Nate, an airline pilot, Juliette becomes a flight attendant to worm her way back into his life. She is methodical, disciplined and tries to stay three steps ahead of everyone else. It honestly sounds exhausting, but Juliette is nothing but dedicated.

<i><b>He thinks he doesn't want me, but he's proving that he does. It's all up to me to help him come to terms with his feelings so this whole mixed-messages thing stops.</i></b>

This book is very much along the lines of Kaira Rouda novels or "The Last Mrs. Parrish." I found it hard to put down because I wanted to see what Juliette would do next. I think my mouth dropped open as some of the pieces fell together at the end. I felt like I should have seen it coming, but I was so invested in what was in front of me, I wasn't really trying to piece it together like that.

Some people may hate the ending, as it is not the cleanest, but I didn't mind. After all the events of the book, it seemed fairly realistic. It thought this was very well written and while Juliette was far from a good person, I did have sympathy for her, especially as we learn about her background. I didn't want her to succeed, but I did want her to get the help she very much needed.

<i><b>If you love someone, set them free. If they come back, they're yours. If they don't, make them.</i></b>

Wow! I don't know if I have ever read of a character like Juliette, the main one, in The Perfect Girlfriend. She is completely out of her mind but in a way that you are tearing through the book to find out what on earth is going to happen to this psychotic woman! I keep thinking throughout...who does this!? Who is so obsessed with a man that they go through all she does just to be with him- even when he makes it clear it is not mutual. But I guess that's what makes it so great- you have no idea where this story is going and you can't put it down. This was an incredible debut novel for Karen Hamilton and I will be looking for more from her in the future. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

"If you love someone, set them free.
If they come back, they're yours. If they don't, make them."

This line perfectly sums up the narrator Juliette. Juliette is obsessed with her ex-boyfriend Nate and is willing to do anything to get him back. She stays at his apartment when he's gone, stalks him on social media, and gets hired as a stewardess for the airline he works for; all within the first couple of chapters.

The beginning of the book was a bit slow and the ending left me wanting more; but, it was a very well written and ultimately engaging read.

4.5 stars

If you love someone, set them free.
If they come back, they're yours. If they don't, make them.



Juliette knows that she and Nate were meant to be together. They have a long history and even though he broke up with her, she knows it was meant to be. She just needs to make sure that he gets with the program. Stupid man.
So Juliette gets herself hired at his airline. (He is a pilot) and she keeps an "eye" on him.


BTW: Juliette's investigative skills are off the chain.

It did take me a minute to get Juliette's fascination with Nate..because he is a bland douche in my opinion but us girls gotta stick together..... So I jumped on board.
Juliette took me on some wild adventures in this book. She might be a tad bit different but I still loved her crazy ass.


People just judged her wrongly. So what if it felt like people should go running from a room when she entered?
No one had such a hard life as poor Juliette.


I really did enjoy this book. Even if it took me fifty eleven million days to read it. I'm in a book slump and working non-human hours at work and I still loved the heck out of Juliette's world. So if you fall into the nutter loving world when you are reading this is the book for you. Then when people ask why you loved it so much...…


PS> I would have given it the full five except the ending gave me blue balls.

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

3.5 stars

Full disclosure: As a flight attendant for a US airline, this was a tale of two halves for me.

For the first 50% of the book, I was enjoying the true portrayal of a flight attendant’s life...the training, the co-workers who overshare on the jumpseat (we call it jumpseat psychology), the expectations of the passengers and that flight attendants HATE working LAS VEGAS flights!! (Although I don’t fly International so I deal with all of that WITHOUT the rewards of 3 days of sightseeing, or trips to salons- my overnights at airport hotels are WAY too short for any of that!!)

I loved how Elizabeth (Lily) who was now going by her middle name Juliette , had carefully formed a POA (plan of action) to get her man back, including getting a job as a flight attendant at the airline he worked for, as a pilot.

She had given Nate his “space” for seven months and was now going to reinsert herself into his life as a more “sane”, confident version of her previous self. Had she continued to play this role, her plan may have worked, and I would’ve liked to see the story continue to play out in this direction, with a more plausible, (but not necessarily happy) ending-after all, this is a psychological thriller, not a romance.....😉

But Juliette is far from sane.

Two traumatic events from her school age years, have forever scarred her, and made her into the unhinged, delusional woman that she is today.

I was totally engaged in the first 50% of the book....her shenanigans were fun to read about as she strategized on how to win Nate back.

Another CRAZY flight attendant..(second one I have read about this year...) I can deal with, for the sake of a good story, but the second 50% of the book was way “over the top” and the ending a hard sell for ME!! 😕

I promise you-most of us are just normal people like you, despite the jet lag!

REALLY!! 🤣

I would like to thank Netgalley, Karen Hamilton and Harlequin-Graydon House books for the ARC I was provided in exchange for my candid review!

Available March 26, 2019 in the US !!

This story was something else!!!!!!!!! It's very difficult to write a review without giving away some of the important details.
Lily/Juliette was some kind of piece of work! I've never read about a character so devious in any story I've had the pleasure to read, ever! The thing about this story was that you could actually see these things occurring. Frightening!!!. Certainly ended too soon for me, surprisingly.Definitely, worth a read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Juliette has met the love of her life in Nate, a handsome and charming pilot. Even though Nate broke it off with her six months ago, Juliette knows that Nate is in love with her too. She has made it her life mission to show him that he loves her, and to rekindle their relationship. After getting a job as a flight attendant, so she can be around him more, she slowly starts to put her plan in action to remind Nick how she was his ‘perfect girlfriend’, and how she will stop at nothing to win him back.
“The Perfect Girlfriend” is the first novel for author Karen Hamilton. A former flight attendant, Hamilton’s experience sets some truth and fact in a novel of psychological, obsessive fiction.
This novel really has only four characters; Juliette, Nate, Bella and Miles, and each one has a unique and slightly dysfunctional personality that adds character to the novel. Juliette (although right from the beginning you can tell that her psychological functioning is not what one would consider “normal”) is hilarious, passionate, and determined as Hell. Her POA (plans of action) lists were something that the Type A Personality in me relished and envied (granted, mine wouldn’t involve stalking……probably). Although Nate is the victim and Juliette is, for all intents and purposes, the “villain” of the novel, Hamilton has written it in such a way where a reader will actually root and cheer for Juliette, and wait for Nick to get his come-uppance.
A novel that is set all over the world (sometimes only from the interior of a plane), “Girlfriend” will take you on a thrill ride. A deranged yet lovable main character, exotic and charming backdrops and a creative storyline will leave you unable to put the book down until the very end. The ending itself is both surprising yet not unexpected, and left me wanting more.
Hamilton definitely has some writing chops, and her writing education has paid off with her debut novel. A unique, suspenseful novel, “Girlfriend” has given me high hopes for whatever Hamilton writes next.

The Perfect Girlfriend was a bone-chilling, wild ride! A story of obsession told from the point of view of the stalker; Juliette is a master manipulator who’s always got a plan. Juliette was terrifying, yet I somehow still found myself rooting for her at times. And every time I thought she would give up on her quest to make Nate love her again, she would do something even crazier, until you finally realize that Juliette will never give up. “If you love someone, set them free. If they come back, they’re yours. If they don’t, make them.”

Thank you to the author and Harlequin for the opportunity to read in exchange for my honest feedback!

Y'all, let me tell you....The Perfect Girlfriend is GOOD!

OMG this book had me on the edge of my seat! Juliette was the most creepy, wonderfully deliciously crazy characters ever, and I couldn't put this book down! I stayed up until 2am to figure out how everything would end and the book hangover was definitely worth it. For anyone who's seen Fatal Attraction and liked it, this book is definitely in that lane and you do not want to miss it. This is the first book I've read from Karen Hamilton, and I am absolutely looking forward to her future novels...she is a suspense genius.

5 out of 5 stars for The Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton, which comes out March 26th.

No matter what Juliette says, she is a stalker. She is delusional when it comes to her former lover, Nate. Juliette believes that they will get married. Nate is an airline pilot, so Juliette becomes a flight attendant (of course) for the same airline that Nate works for.

When Juliette was ten years old, her brother died while swimming. Since he was under her care at the time, Juliette has continual guilty feelings. Although she is now in her upper twenties, Juliette is still obsessed with this incident - it was an accident. On the other hand, Juliette was treated very badly by schoolmates 20 years ago. She plots revenge on Bella (who happens to be Nate's sister) who treated her the worst.

Juliette becomes friends with Amy, a girl she meets while in flight attendant training. She needs to find out how to use Amy for one of her plans. First, she steals a spare set of Amy's keys. Still in possession of a key to Nate's place, Juliette goes there often when Nate is not present.

After many schemes and quite a bit of underhanded doings, Juliette finds a way to get on a Flight to Las Vegas.
(Nate just happens to be co-piloting on this one).

The plot continues to become even more treacherous and certainly increasingly interesting to the reader when Juliette and Nate are in Las Vegas. Some of the outrageous things Juliette does include; (but absolutely are not limited to!) an affair with Bella's fiancé, locking Nate in the bathroom, spyware placing and MUCH, much more -I hate to give away too much!

There are many twists that are absolutely weird and wild! Juliette REALLY manages to go to an insane degree of manipulation and deceit!!! An absolute MUST read!

Many thanks to Harlequin-Graydon House Books and NetGalley for and absolutely jaw-dropping roller coaster ride!

Have you ever been infatuated with someone? Maybe wondered if you were crazy? This book will make you feel a lot better about that. The writing really draws you in, and sweeps you up in the main characters intense obsession with Nate. I was quite surprised by the twist, and I did see the ending coming but still enjoyed it. I liked how the story was not tied up neatly in the end, it really helped highlight how hopelessly trapped the characters were in the situation. I really enjoyed reading this!