Michelle Frances’ The Temp is a thrilling exploration of ambition, power, and betrayal in the high-stakes world of television. The story centers on Carrie, a successful TV producer with a dream job, and her temporary replacement, Emma, who steps in when Carrie goes on maternity leave. At first, Emma seems perfect—too perfect. As tensions rise and secrets unravel, the story takes a dark turn, leaving you questioning who is the real threat.

Frances crafts a tense, psychological drama filled with complex characters. Carrie is driven but flawed, while Emma’s charm hides a chilling determination. The dual perspectives offer insight into both women’s lives, keeping readers torn between empathy and suspicion.

With its themes of workplace competition, the sacrifices of motherhood, and the cost of ambition, The Temp feels both timely and deeply relatable. The pacing is steady, building to a gripping climax that delivers a satisfying twist.

If you enjoy slow-burn psychological thrillers that delve into the messy, competitive side of professional life, The Temp will leave you intrigued and unsettled. A must-read for fans of domestic and workplace suspense!

entertaining read with lots of twists , even though it did take me a while to get into but that actually helped the story more because it made it impossible for me to want to put the book down

I loved The Girlfriend, and maybe I went into this one with expectations too high. Decent read. This had decent twist, but not overly impressed.

This was a quick, entertaining read with lots of twists. This was written in such a way that it makes the reader think that the story is heading in a certain direction but a major plot twist turns the story in a completely different direction that I did not see coming. I have enjoyed all of Michelle Frances’ books and highly recommend her to fans of psychological fiction.

Whew!!!! This book right here. Awesome read. You cannot go wrong with this book. Highly recommended. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on my review.

Unfortunately I didn’t love this one as much as I was hoping to. I liked the idea behind it and the storyline, but it fell flat for me. I can see why some people love this one, but it just wasn’t for me.

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

The Temp was... okay. I disliked most of the characters so it was hard to keep me engaged, however i really did want to find out the climax of the novel so i guess it got me there.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Carrie and her husband, Adrian, seem to have it all, successful careers in television production, awards, a great marriage. But when she finds out that she's pregnant, Carrie wants more. She wants a baby. What she quickly discovers that she doesn't want is Emma, the temp filling in her position while she's away from the office. While Carrie struggles to balance her newborn and her job, Emma is effortlessly stepping into Carrie's shoes and getting close to her boss and her husband. And it's becoming more and more obvious that Adrian isn't going to embrace his new role as a father. The tension that permeates their relationship since Rory's birth keep the two of them from comparing notes and realizing that Emma is too good to be true. I much prefer that to books where the characters just never bother to hand a conversation. The story moves slowly until the plot finally starts to twist and things quickly escalate and the ending is....well, it's an ending. I'm not sure it fit with the rest of the book or was remotely plausible. It definitely didn't go where I thought it was going.

I really enjoyed this book but I have to say that again, I really struggled with the characters. I don't think I actually liked any of them and Carrie was the best of a bad bunch although i felt that some of the characters weren't really all that different to those that we find in every other book that is out there at the moment.

There were some good twists. Some I saw coming a mile off -and one that I didn't imagine at all which was fab.

I felt that the book could have been a little shorter. There were bits that were dragged out and I couldn't figure out why, but all in all, this was an ok read.

While I really enjoyed The Temp and thought it was an intriguing, fast read, the ending fell just a little bit flat for me. However, I loved the twist with Emma being the child that Carrie gave up as a teenager! Carrie's husband Adrian made me want to smack the hell out of him on every page, especially after the baby was born and he couldn't have cared less. The build up throughout the book was intense, especially between Carrie and Emma and between Emma and Adrian. And while I liked the conclusion, I still felt maybe there was a little something missing.

This book started a bit cringeworthy for me. Not because of the writing or story, but because it starts with a woman prepping for maternity leave. I myself had a baby recently, and while there is nothing but joy on the baby side, there are things that you don’t expect to happen on the life side which can cause confusing feelings. Carrie, the mother in this story, experiences confusion over leaving her work and personal life behind. Combined with the young temp who is doing very well in her place, causes her to rethink her original plan with her maternity leave.

What happens after this is a wild ride filled with twists that made me want to sneak away and read more and more.

I really enjoyed this book!

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

After reading 'The Girlfriend' I was really looking forward to reading this book, "The Temp."

It was a highly addictive and entertaining read from beginning to end. I thought the plot was so cleverly executed and I really enjoyed getting to know each of the characters and seeing how their stories developed throughout. I loved that the story was told from the two different viewpoints. There were plenty of twists and turns that were a complete surprise to me.

I am really taken with Michelle Frances' books and she is now a firm favourite of mine.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Kensington Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

This book was soo good! I loved that I read it one sitting. This book is best to go blind. After reading the synopsis i was expecting 0ne book but what i got is so much better.

This book gives insight into the life of a successful tv producer. This book tells the story of Carrie, who becomes unexpectedly pregnant, and her team to cover her whilst she is on maternity. It tells the story of the suspicions between Emma and Carrie.

I found this to be a slow burner and it was far too long. The story was stretched out over 450 pages and i lost interest.

But it has the makings of a great novel and i did enjoy it.

A good second novel! I'm getting to really become a fan of Michelle Frances. Her tense atmospheric writing style just keeps you wondering and wound up trying to figure out what's coming next I love when I feel like I'm on the edge rushing to finish a thriller to see the ending and her books have both checked all of those boxes. Full of questionable characters and slow tense building up The Temp had me breathless and intrigued!

I absolutely loved the fact that I could not predict what was happening in this book. THAT is when you know you have a good read! It's an easy read that I finished in one day, but I don't think lived up to Michelle's earlier book. Still really enjoyed this one!

At 40-something Carrie and her husband, Adrian, had written off children, instead embracing their dream careers as television producer and script writer, respectively. When Carrie becomes pregnant it seems like a sign and she embarks on the journey despite Adrian's hesitation. While not happy about leaving her role temporarily, Carrie is even more unhappy about the young women filling her shoes. Emma is smart and willing to do whatever it takes, but she also seems too willing to take up the seat right next to her husband too.

Adrian is a selfish, full of himself man, Emma is a peppy employee (and unreliable narrator), and Carrie is a typical new mom in the midst of both a mid-life crisis and a marriage that might have more secrets than truths. While the life Carrie and Adrian leads seems easy, like a problem like this couldn't come between them, it is Emma who reveals the cracks in their surface. We follow the three from the office to production sets and from house to house as Emma charms everyone, but leaves a sour taste in Carrie's mouth.

While Michelle Frances is a talented author and the television world seemed like a perfect change of pace for my usual thriller readers, The Temp just didn't have the wow factor I expected. I don't know how else to put this, but I was bored while reading this book. The characters didn't have many redeeming qualities and following them down a very predictable path grew tiresome. While the unique setting and character backgrounds were what drew me to the story, the thriller aspect felt so much like every other domestic drama out there right now. And honestly, the big twist was hinted at far too early on. While this may be a hit for others, it was a miss for me.

Good premise. I found this book to be needlessly longer than it should have been, the first twist was a good idea but the twist at the end was for me, a giant eye roll.

This was a gripping, absorbing read. I appreciated that there were no ludicrous twists at every turn to keep readers hooked but instead relied on a well-developed story with interchanging narrative viewpoints. It's a sharp take on the creative and entertainment industries and what it means to be a working mother or a young woman trying to make it in a rapacious work environment. The husband is a narcissist that's an all-familiar type in this hyper capitalist modern world, unfortunately.