I could not get into this book, sorry. Trying to clean up my netgalley. Didn’t realize that I was forgetting to leave reviews on netgalley itself, My apologies.

Not as predictable as I has originally thought, this book had my interest from start to finish. I found the TV production part of the plot line to be very interesting. Perfect for anyone who's looking for a lighter suspenseful read.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I truly appreciate it!

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher.
I could not get into this book, it was too slow for my taste.
Unfortunately, DNF. I will try again at a later date

I enjoyed this book from the very beginning. After Carrie finds out she is pregnant and decides to keep the baby, much to the dismay of her husband Adrian, the search begins for her replacement while she is away from work on maternity leave. The temp they choose, named Emma, seems perfect in every way. So much so, that Carrie begins to feel threatened by her. Does Emma want to replace her and steal her job from her for good? Does Emma have a hidden agenda? Or is Emma simply innocent, and is this all in Carrie’s paranoid mind?

I enjoyed reading this book and enjoyed hearing both perspectives. Parts are told from Emma’s perspective, and parts are told from Carrie’s perspective. There is plenty of lies, deception and betrayal in this book that makes for a great storyline. Strap yourslef in for one heck of a ride, as you sail through all the twists and turns. I liked Carrie’s character. She seemed like a kind, loving, hardworking woman who was successful at what she did for a living. She also seemed to be a good mother after her child was born. Her husband Adrian, however, was much more unlikable. He was a very unkind, mean man who made no attempt really to be much of a father to their child, and seemed quite resentful and regretful of the fact that Carrie got pregnant in the first place.

I was shocked throughout the book when I read the various twists and turns, especially near the end when the real shocker of a twist in the story is revealed. I did not see that coming at all. What a great twist it was!

Carrie and Adrian are the “it” couple; highly successful with all the luxuries to show for it. Adrian is a script writer of popular show series; Carrie is an accomplished producer on his series. They have everything they could ever want. Or so they thought. Children were never part of their vision but when Carrie becomes pregnant, she’s so excited but Adrian is not. And now there’s a crack in their perfect world.
Enter Emma. Emma who never lived up to her parents expectations no matter what she did. Emma, who feared her parents’ disappointments but could never be the daughter they wanted her to be. But Emma is smart, young and eager and is perfect to fill in for Carrie while she is on maternity leave. But Emma has another agenda.
There are so many books out now in this genre. Psychological thrillers have become so popular and have become my favourites to read. I like to get into one, sometimes not even reading the jacket synopsis, and see where the book takes me. I like being surprised and not knowing as the book unfolds and I’m left to ponder how it’s going to play out.
This book “The Temp” didn’t disappoint. I knew early on that everything wasn’t always what it seemed. Who is Emma? And what does she really want? As more and more is revealed, there are some delightful twists and turns I did not fully expect. While a little was predictable, more towards the end, there were plenty of surprises in store.
Often a book is spoiled for me by an unlikable character but this one was not. I loathed Adrian pretty much from the beginning and throughout the whole book but it didn’t take away from the enjoyment of the book. I could find very few redeeming qualities in Adrian whereas I was endeared by both Carrie and Emma. Not just because they were both women, but there was a vulnerability in both that I understood and could relate to and couldn’t help feeling a bit of an emotional attachment to both especially as bits of their worlds crumbled around them.
With so many of this genre of book out, it begins to be tougher for an author to write one that stands out, the one everyone needs to read. I found this one better than many. It was not a 5 star for me, but still highly enjoyable, intriguing and suspenseful trip for me; solid 4 stars.
Thanks to net galley and the publishers for the privilege of writing a review by sending me this book free in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

This is my first novel by this author. Carrie, a successful TV producer is pregnant with an unexpected child and married to Adrian who is a successful screenwriter. Enter Emma, a young temp hired to cover for Carrie.

Is Carrie irrational in her fears and jealousy over Emma or is Emma out to take everything she has worked so hard for?

This book was good but is a slow burner and dragged a little in the middle. The last part though made up for it and the ending was full of twists.

Thank you to Publishers Group Canada for a copy of The Temp for review. Publishing December 26, 2108, The Temp is a slow burning domestic drama with a unique twist.

Carrie and Adrian work together on their hit television show. He is the show runner and writer and she is a producer. Their hit show wins a BAFTA for writing when Carrie announces she is pregnant with a baby they had not planned for. As Carrie deals with the realities of a pregnancy and caring for a newborn, Emma is hired as her maternity leave cover. The temp is surprisingly capable despite her young age and seems way too eager to please. As she wins over Adrian and then more and more people working at the show, Carrie starts getting suspicious. Is there more to Emma's motives than just working hard?

The Temp is a pretty slow burn drama. It takes a while developing Carrie's side of the job and her struggles through motherhood and the strain it puts on their marriage. I thought it moved a bit slowly through this part and took a while to build to the action. It did help make the motives for some of the more outrageous things that happen near the end clear and in context but I was hoping for a faster paced read.
That being said, it was a well rounded read, and I loved the setting being behind the scenes of the British television industry. As an avid television fan, this part was a real bonus for me and I really came to look forward to those parts.

I'd recommend The Temp to anyone who likes a slow burning domestic drama with a few surprises along the way.

Sometimes when I finish a book I wonder what it was about the blurb that drew me towards it in the first place. I guess going behind the scenes of a hit TV show sounds interesting and what is young Emma really after? Unfortunately, in this case, going behind the scenes wasn't interesting and I couldn't care less what Emma was doing. I didn't care about any of them. Dull, one-dimensional characters doing and saying the same things over and over and over. It was all so boring! Every bit of it, right from the very beginning, boring. It's slow and far-fetched. Just after the halfway point I started skimming. I was going to give the book two stars, but then we get to the "big twist" at the end and my eyes rolled into the back of my skull. Ugh! So much unbelievable shit happening there that just made me hate the whole book.

Carrie is a successful TV producer who is married to an award winning screenplay writer. They had decided early on in their marriage that they didn’t want children, but now that they are in the height of their careers, Carrie has fallen pregnant and she decides to keep the baby. In such a competitive industry, Carrie is worried about being replaced while she is on maternity leave. Emma becomes the temp who will be replacing Carrie and she is smart, willing and young. Carrie worries that Emma is replacing Carrie more than just at work as everyone adores her. Being on maternity leave is more isolating than Carrie thought it would be and she begins to wonder if Emma as some sort of agenda.

I was worried that this novel was just going to be a similar story to her first novel, but I was pleasantly surprised but the difference between the two! I loved that this one had tons of twists and turns that kept me guessing what each character was going to get up to next. I enjoyed that this book was mostly from the perspectives of Emma and Carrie and their relationship with one another. I also liked who real the book was in some aspects, like women finding other women threatening in the work place, because this is something that happens and it shouldn’t be this way. I did find the middle of this story to be a bit dragged out and long for me liking, but it did all come together to make it worth it in the shocking ending!

I also really enjoyed that we see Carrie struggle with staying at home with her baby or being a working mom and dropping him off at the perfect daycare everyday. I think a lot of women struggle with this and I can’t even imagine how difficult it is to pass your child off to a stranger. I enjoyed this novel much more than Michelle’s first novel and I can’t wait to read her next one!

Out December 26th!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Emma wants to work for the woman that she admires the most. Carrie has a charmed life - a top job producing movies, a new baby and a screenwriter for a husband. Emma lives with her parents who don't understand why she wanted to work in television.

Emma is hired as a temp to cover Carrie's maternity leave. This is when she notices that her perfect life might not be so perfect. She wants to get back to the office to keep an eye on her temp and her husband. When Emma loses her job, she creates a web of lies to protect herself.

A surprise reveal at the end made this book a page turner to see what happens to Emma, Carrie and Adrian.