Humm....what do I have to say about this novel? Well it’s a novel that should have been played out on the Lifetime Movie Network. I was excited for this book after reading and loving Frances previous book The Girlfriend. Unfortunately, I was left feeling disappointed! The pacing was off, the characters lacked dimension, and the plot was deficient in substance.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an e-arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

Actual Rating: 3.75 stars

The Temp is an absorbing domestic drama/thriller that I devoured in a day. While I didn't love the book I did find myself compulsively reading it until I hit the end. The book had me absorbed and I didn't want to stop until the final twist. One of the main reasons I have it a 3.75 stars (rounded up to 4) is because everything develops so slowly. Sure, it works for the story but I think had it been paced a little faster I would have enjoyed it more. What bogged it down for me was the technicalities of being a TV producer and writer being talked about over and over again. Other than this, I think the characters were developed well, and while I didn't connect with them on a deep level, they were interesting enough to hold my attention for the entire book. The twist is killer too. I think many people will enjoy it. I certainly didn't see it coming!

If your looking for a propulsive thriller that will slowly wind you up until the incredible twist, this is a book for you in 2019. I'm excited to see how the authors writing started and plan to read her debut in the near future.

For about 75% of the book - I was confused - where was the suspense? What is with her obsession? And then - boom - crazy shows up and then there's the curve ball and I was left thinking W.T.F. And then it all made sense.. While its a slow read for a majority of the book - its completely worth the read.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for this ARC. There was nothing absolutely moving about this book. The characters had some depth, but they failed to completely reel me in. The writing was fantastic, as per usual, I am definitely a fan of Michelle Frances. But this book fell short for me. I wasn’t left with my jaw to the floor and that bums me out. Hopefully you will enjoy it more than me.

Just when I thought I had it figured out there was a twist that threw me off track. At first glance it seems to be a story of a Temp trying to take over the life of the successful woman whose job she's working at but that is not it. There is something more to her obsession with the job and when things don't go her way things get crazy. A quick and crazy ride that keeps you guessing..

Enjoyed the previous book by this author & this one didn’t disappoint. Maybe slightly slow in places but kept my attention & left me wanting to read when I know I should be sleeping! Would recommend this book to anyone.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
It thought this book was a smart and addictive psychological thriller and it kept me interested the entire book.
It was a slow build with a lot of twists thrown in which led to a great and totally unexpected ending.

This story held my interest the entire way through. Although the ending did not come as a surprise to me, there were enough twists and turns to make this an enjoyable read.

The three main characters are a TV award-winning husband and wife producer-screenwriter team and Emma, a bright, young, temporary worker who takes the wife's (Carrie's) place during a pregnancy leave. Carrie's husband, Adrian, did NOT want children and this is clear throughout the book. Carrie, however, (in her forties) softens to the fact when her baby has finally arrived. Emma works full-time as Carrie returns on a part-time basis. Carrie resents her for her youth and brilliant writing.

The three characters are quite well defined. Others assist to create a level of suspense throughout. At the end the story becomes a real thriller and I found myself turning pages quickly!

A very good read - recommend.

Many thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for a good read!

I was thrilled to get a copy of this book in exchange for my review. Carrie and Adrian seem to have a great marriage. They are happy, compatible, and successful. They even agreed that they didn't want children. Until Carrie became pregnant and then she did.

Carrie doesn't want to leave while her new TV show is being developed. She doesn't want someone else taking over. But there has to be someone to help do her job. Bring in the temp. Emma is off but we don't really know how or in exactly what way.

The characters mostly develop and change for us as the story goes on. I say mostly because Adrian really doesn't. Carrie is going through a range of understandable emotions, those that come with having a baby and your life changing completely, (oh, and your career really taking off only to suddenly be paused and replaced by a newcomer and your relationship hitting a wall). Emma goes through a range we don't quite understand until we really know everything that she is going through. Adrian, though, he is that stubborn person who decides that life will not get in his way.

I liked that you thought this might be a derivative story you've heard before, the kind Emma would scream at on the TV. Then you find out it is not going to be that simple. Then you think you know where it is going only to see that it's turning in yet another direction. Then you get to Part 2. Part 2 brings on the craziness you just have to read. I have to admit that I thought it got a little repetitive in the middle of Part 3 for me. It did pick up again. I'm not sure what I think of the end. I'm still processing it. In a way it made sense and is how you would hope these situations come out. On the other it is very upbeat for the darkness of other parts of the book. Nothing wrong with being conflicted, though.

I have now read both of Michelle Frances books and I have to say they are both great and I’m happy I’ve read them.

The temp was intriguing and it kept me interested throughout the book. I thought the book had good twists to it and the characters I have to say I disliked all of them for their own reasons but in the end, I couldn't help but feel bad for Carrie, her son, and Emma, then there was Adrian who I thought was absolutely unbearable. But the characters and their personalities and the plot really made the story what it was.

The plot worked well with me I found It to be different. I read only mysteries and thrillers and I can't help but think a lot of plots head in the same sort of direction some way but this was definitely different and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

As the story went on the anticipation really grew and it took me for a surprise when I came to the end. I couldn't believe the truth of everything that came out it really shocked me because it was something I was not expecting or even crossed my mind. So I think the readers will be for a good surprise.
I highly recommend this book if you like fast paced thrillers.

Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a brilliantly written novel. The author writes very realistic dialogue and characterizations. She describes both sides of what it's like to be a temp and what's it's like to fear losing your job by the temp. Seeing both sides really enriched the story and I felt compassion for both Carrie and Emma although they were both on opposite ends. There was no clear winner since in the end they had so much too lose. This novel also brings to light the cut throat environment that is the entertainment business, it's every man for himself.
Really enjoyed this one.

Great thriller to keep you entertained during the cold, winter months! You'll find yourself conflicted on who the true villain of the story is and it will keep you turning the pages until the very end!

A heartfelt thank you to both Netgalley and Pan MacMillan for the opportunity to read this book early. Carrie and Adrian are riding the wave of creating an award-winning TV show, she as producer and he as the writer. Then she gets pregnant against his wishes, but almost at the moment of conception, she feels the influx of her mothering genetics. She keeps the baby and needs someone to sub for her at her job. Enter Emma, a young beautiful girl with great ideas. Until now, this has the makings of a traditional plot where the husband falls for the cute young thing. And that’s what Carrie is afraid of.

However, the first two-thirds of the book moves at a snail’s pace. Nothing much happens. Emma isn’t a well-defined character, instead she seems to flail. At one point she’s looking for something in Adrian’s beach house but we don’t know what or why, so it’s very hard to care.

The thrills and chills take off running in the last 20 percent of the book and that part is very good. If only the entire book could have been like this part. And then the flow is interrupted with knowledge that was never even previously hinted at. It jarred me. I read almost all thrillers so it’s hard to impress me, but this book needs some work.

For some reason I was expecting more of a thriller. That’s on me, possibly, I don’t always read detailed descriptions and plot summaries to avoid giveaways. But if you’re like me, fair warning…this is much more of a drama than a thriller. It has thrilleresque elements and even a death or two to spice things up, but the basics here are a power triangle struggle with three very uneven sides, two of which are taken up by a married couple and one by a young ambitious temp coming to work with them. Her motivations are slowly revealed throughout the book, but her drive and talent are undeniable. And that mixed in with a collapsing marriage is a recipe for…a lot of complicated dynamics. The married couple actually reminded me of the one in the tv show Episodes, they’ve been together for sixteen years, happy, wealthy, with good careers and a sort of self indulgent lifestyle being childless offers. Despite the fact that they are vehemently against having kids, they are surprisingly lack about any permanent form of contraception and when they get pregnant and reluctantly proceed with it, it ends up upsetting their perfect lives…permanently. It poses a lot of questions about the nature of their marriage and some interesting hypotheticals about marriages in general. In fact it’s sort of refreshing to read about someone willingly admit they don’t want children to such an extent in such a breeder oriented society. But it isn’t the only thing, one of them is an unethical plagiarist, the other is slightly paranoid about being squeezed out of her job. Emma the temp seems to be the nice decent person, but she has too much of an agenda of her own to remain as such. TV writing (like so many other careers when taken very seriously) turns out to be a deadly business. And so the book goes. It’s well written and entertaining enough. It read quickly for its length. There is nothing really to wow the reader here, but it tells its story in a perfectly decent fashion. Thanks Netgalley.

The Temp by author Michelle Frances is a suspenseful novel with a captivating plot line! There are many twist both big and small, some are easy to assume and some have your head spinning and very wrong! The characters are developed nicely, there are some you love and some you love to hate! All around, The Temp (Frances 2nd book) was great! Love this genre and would absolutely recommend this book to anyone else who loves the thriller genre!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy of The Temp in exchange for an honest review.

So, reading many thrillers over the years... I feel like it's getting bit tough to "wow" me. So many seem too familiar to me and I just haven't been that impressed.

With having read Michelle France's debut thriller, I knew I had to get my hands on her second novel. I was definitely intrigued by the book to begin with and kept my interest initially. Then it sort of fell flat for me in the middle and in all honesty was a tad bit TOO long for my liking.

Are there twists in this one? Of course... but for some reason it was just lacking that "wow" factor for me.

Carrie has become pregnant by her husband Adrian and they both work in the tv industry. Adrian is the writer and one selfish centered prick (sorry but he is haha). Carrie the producer has to take time off due to having her baby and 24 year old script writer Emma is hired to take her place during maternity leave. Something isn't quite right with Emma and Carrie is starting to come on to the red flags that she sees surrounding not only her but also her husband Adrian.

I absolutely loved the author's debut novel and she has an immense amount of talent. Her writing is crisp, on edge, and engaging to the max. But, I felt like this story was a bit repetitive and rushed at times. There are definitely some interesting themes to the story including infidelity, adding a child to a marriage where one partner is not fully invested, and overall motherhood.

I feel like the story kind of went off in an odd direction and then the author wanted that bang of a surprise at the end. It just left me a bit unsatisfied and wanting more.

Overall, this was a decent and entertaining read. I will continue to check out more from this author because I'm a huge fan! :)

3.5 stars rounded down.

Thank you to Kensington Publishing and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Publication date: 1/29/19
Published to GR: 12/10/18

I enjoyed this book and although I guessed one of the twists and I didn't guess the other so was surprised when that was revealed half way through. Well written, with good character development, ones you hated and ones you rooted for.

Emma would do anything to work for the woman who has the job she wants. Carrie is at the top of her game, with a dream career, a baby on the way, and a handsome screenwriter husband. For Emma, with parents who don’t understand her ambition and a serious misstep behind her, this temp position might be her last chance.

Carrie has given up more than anyone knows to get to the top of a ruthless business. She won’t give up this baby too. But with Emma filling in for her at the office, her perfect life starts to unravel. Her bank account is inexplicably overdrawn, her husband seems strangely distant and colleagues are all too happy to take Emma’s creative direction. Carrie finds herself dying to get back to work . . . until a letter left at her door changes everything.

I couldn't wait to read this, I love unreliable narrators! The Temp was exactly that and then some. The ending is so unexpected, I had to reread it! I have yet to read the author's other book, but I will be on the lookout for it. I love the writing style of Michelle Frances.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC of #TheTemp
Pub Date: 29 Jan 2019

Just a forewarning, you will not expect the ending and it will leave you completely shocked.

My husband picked up Michelle Frances's other book "The Girlfriend" mainly for the gorgeous book cover and I instantly fell in love with it. As soon as I saw she had another book available I knew without a doubt I had to read it.

This book is about two entirely different women trying to make their way in the TV industry. Carrie is a successful producer married to a handsome screenwriter named Adrian who has just won his first big award and finds out on the same night that his wife is pregnant with their first child. Emma is a young screenwriter trying to get her foot in the door and is dying to work for the woman who has the job she wants. After applying to Carrie's workplace, Emma takes over Carrie's job while she is away on maternity leave with her newborn baby. While absentee father Adrian is away at work at all hours and barely acknowledges the baby, a relationship starts to build between Emma and Adrian that goes beyond just working together. When Emma threatens to out Adrian with this secret from years before, Emma loses her job with her biggest influence and comes up with a way to get her revenge.

This was so well written and the plot was amazing. I instantly fell in love with both Emma and Carrie and loved how the story bounced back and forth between both of their points of view when telling the story. I hated the character Adrian on more than one occasion but I'm pretty sure the author wrote him that way so that the readers would look at him as the jerky, self=absorbed a**. The storyline was excellent and caught my attention right away and never let it go. I devoured through this book in less than 24 hours and honestly hated every time I had to put it down. I can definitely say I was not prepared for the ending at all. What I had preconceived of Emma turned out to be completely wrong and I was literally shook when I got towards the end of the book.

Excellent, excellent writing once again by Michelle Frances and I loved every minute of it.

Thank you so much to Kensington Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Who is the "good guy" and who's "bad" in this creepy thriller? You will guess until the end!

Carrie is a very successful TV producer about to go on maternity leave. Her job defines her and she has anxiety about Emma, her ambitious, young, temporary replacement and what exactly her aspirations might be for Carrie's job. But, you know, the show must go on...

Adding to Carrie's insecurities are her cut-throat co-workers, one of whom is her incredibly detached, emotionally unavailable husband, who can't handle that a baby cuts into their jet setting vacations and white furniture buying. He is well-written and spectacularly awful, even referring to his child by the wrong name at one point.

Thank you to Michelle Frances, Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!