3 Stars
Be careful of friends and Temps. That is the lesson our main gal is going to learn when she takes her maternity leave. We all know that when we leave for our vacations, we woke night and day to make sure there is NOTHING left for chance, at least, that is the desire.

Because should things not go smoothly, the powers that be might realize you have been faking it and getting by all along.

This book touches on that and more.

I could not get into this book. The women at the beginning are too catty, to negative, and too unlikable. The book starts with an unfortunate miscarriage which seems to haunt the friend more than the woman it actually happened too...And even the side characters are negative towards each other. I couldn't get sucked into this world and I found myself skimming the pages even though I just started the book and it should have been captivating me.

I've heard the second section of the book is a lot better and faster paced, but I couldn't feel bad enough for the woman in the novel to get there to see for myself.

Meh. This one just didn't land for me. The blurb makes it sound like a twisty thriller and uses the phrase "whiplash-paced," which I strongly disagree with. It's a suspenseful story, for sure but most of the "tension" between the characters made me roll my eyes. Maybe it's because I've never held a powerful job or wanted to have a baby. I felt the characters made decisions that created their distress and then didn't take responsibility for those choices.

Margot is fashion editor at a famous magazine and about to go on maternity leave. She chooses a temporary replacement for herself that she sees as non-threatening. Of course the temp Maggie loves her glamorous temp job and doesn't want to leave it. So that creates a lot of tension for sure, but both of those women chose their situations so I couldn't find any sympathy for them. Plus they aren't that likable anyway. And then there's Margot's oldest friend Winnie, whose baby dies and she can't handle being around Margot anymore. For some reason this chasm between them brings up a weird incident from their past in school. It was a lot going on and it feels like the author tried too hard to connect all the dots.

I didn't hate this novel, I kept reading because I did want to know what happened. But I don't think I'd recommend it.

Happy Publication Day to The New Girl!

How far would someone go to replace you? A new mother on maternity leave grows increasing paranoid about her ambitious young temp in this debut from the fashion editor at The Times.

I found the beginning of this book intriguing and then found myself let down by the middle and end. I was expecting more thriller with some fun reveals, but I got more literary drama and commentary on being a mom, female insecurities, and friendships then I originally signed up for. Not a bad book, it just didn’t really resonate with me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 for me. But just because I didn’t love it, doesn’t mean you wouldn’t.

I loved hearing about the fashion industry, and I didn’t realize until I finished that the author really is a fashion editor. I recommend this book for women that like literary fiction, or fans of The Devil Wears Prada.

Thank you Ballantine Books and Netgalley for sending me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The New Girl was a satisfying read, albeit not a thriller. Margot, with the perfect job at Haute, the perfect husband and perfect life is on maternity leave and suggests that a former acquaintance would be a good substitute while she is out on leave. Roles reversed and Maggie thrives in her new job while Margot grows more and more despondent, Both characters were well developed and the scenarios in their lives seemed very realistic. Never having worked in the fashion industry, it seems that the jealousies would be exacerbated, as they are portrayed. Made me ponder how much truth there is to the theory that self confidence is key. Many thanks to Harriet Walker, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book, published today!

Margot is having a baby. It should be the happiest time of her life. But she is worried, anxious, and stressed about her replacement, Maggie, whom she had a hand in selecting. Maggie is doing a great job covering for her, but Margot is afraid she’s doing too well. Add it to that Margot’s best friend, Winnie, has suddenly cut her out of her life which has added to the paranoia. What will happen when Margot is ready to return to her job?

The New Girl started as a slow burn for me, but about a third of the way into it, a match was lit and it caught fire. I loved that it was told at times from Margot’s, Winnie’s and Maggie’s perspectives,alternating between the three but never retelling any part of the story. The characters were real and relatable, the story was suspenseful and intriguing and the ending had a great twist. This is easily one of the best thrillers I’ve read this year!

Maggie is The New Girl at Haute, a London fashion magazine. She is doing a “maternity cover” (filling in for the fashion editor during her maternity leave). Her friend, Margot, is the very pregnant permanent fashion editor, who suggested Maggie apply.

Margot believed, “Maggie would be so indebted to me for giving her a year in the job that she wouldn’t consider screwing me over to keep it. I pictured Maggie‘s earnest excitement when I first mentioned the vacancy to her: that sort of gratitude didn’t run out within twelve months.”

The newborn son of Margot’s best friend Winnie recently died. Winnie no longer speaks to Margot because the sight of a pregnant woman makes her sad. With no female friend to vent to, Margot now thinks Maggie is plotting to be named the permanent fashion editor. Is Margot just paranoid with all the pregnancy hormones coursing through her body? Or is Maggie really plotting against her?

The author, a long-time fashion editor at The Times, definitely gets the setting correct. However, that is the only connection I felt between The New Girl and The Devil Wears Prada. I think the Gone Girl analogy is also incorrect. I identified the villain quickly unlike in Gone Girl. However, my biggest complaint is how purely unlikeable all the characters were. I especially thought Margot was a whiny baby throughout. Overall, not the book for me, unfortunately. 2 stars.

Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book about female ambition, motherhood, and envy. Both of the characters were well developed and the plot was compelling.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Margot is going on maternity leave from her job as a high powered fashion editor. Her best friend is also pregnant but loses her baby and shuns Margot. Maggie is filling in for Margot at work, but she seems to be taking over Margot’s life in the meantime. Things get creepy and Margot gets scared. Is it a thriller? I guess, but i didn’t get a real thriller vibe. It’s not a bad story, it just fell a little flat for me.

Being an editor of a fashion magazine is a dream job. Seeing fashion before it comes out, rubbing elbows with the rich and famous, wearing fabulous clotbes.
This is Margot's life. It is a hard world to navigate. One where you really don't have friends. Margot and her husband are having a baby. She is trying to decide who will step into her shoes while shes gone on maternity leave. Step into her shoes, not own them. She had gotten to know a free lance journalist, Magge on a trip she had taken. They were the only two women and a bond had been created. Maggie is excited to take over for the year of maternity leave for Margo. At least ishe won't be living fast or feast. It will be nice to get a steady paycheck.
As time goes Maggie loves the work. It's her turn to wear designer clothes. It's her turn to be on the cover of Haute magazine. It's her turn and she won't give it up.
A novel of suspense. Characters that hold you enthralled and an excellent ending!

My Two Cents: I am a sucker for a good thriller, but this one hit especially close to home. Having recently been on maternity leave for four months from a small PR agency, I immediately connected with Margot’s character.

Like Margot, I wasn’t really worried that I would lose my job, but there’s this sense of insecurity that also stems from being so disconnected from anything besides this new tiny baby. On the one hand, you want to treasure all of those little moments, but on the other hand, no one really talks about just how mentally and physically exhausting it can be. You have no control over life with a new child, especially your first, and everything is just a roller-coaster trying to figure out what to do, how and when to do it.

Work is so much easier to control and know where you stand. So when someone takes over your role for four months, you want the person in your role to do well and know that the job is covered, but at the same time, you don’t want them to do it better than you. That’s exactly how Margot felt about her replacement Maggie who she helped to get the temporary role. I loved how well Harriett Walker depicted their relationship. Margot and Maggie’s feelings and misunderstandings were so realistic and natural. They both had a lot of insecurities mixed up in the other one and yet had been friends previously and were then thrown together even more when Maggie began dating Margot’s husband’s best friend.

Throughout Margot’s struggle with meeting the demands of being a new mom was a lot of underlying anxiety and a toxic friendship with Winnie, a supposed lifelong friend. Winnie was pregnant at the same time as Margot, but devastatingly lost the baby and lashed out at Margot. I can’t imagine suffering through that kind of loss – having the entire nursery set up and go through labor only to have that baby die is unimaginable. I imagine that it would be difficult for Winnie to see her best friend have her living, breathing, growing baby after just losing her own, but it’s hard to justify Winnie’s passive aggressive cruelty. The creepiest of all was taking a selfie with Margot’s baby while trying to befriend Maggie who was babysitting.

We’ve all had our share of toxic friendships, but as much as I anticipated the climax having to include the baby, I was still appalled and on the edge of my seat. Going after a newborn no matter the cause is straight-up off-limits. I was breathless reading the last few chapters.

Thankfully, my maternity leave was much less dramatic and downright boring. It was definitely a welcome change of pace to go back to work, even if only for a few short months before being quarantined at home like most the world!

he New Girl by Harriet Walker, a debut book for this author was a very interesting tale about friendships, jealousy, being insecure and hurts between women. It revolves about three women, Margot who seems like she has it all, a fabulous career, married and pregnant. Winnie, her childhood friend who became pregnant before and gave birth to a son, only to have it die almost immediately leaving her and her husband grief stricken. And Maggie who is hired temporarily to fill in for Margot at the Haute magazine during her maternity leave. In the beginning of the book immediately Winnie loses her newborn son and refuses to talk to Margot, her best friend who is still pregnant. Without giving away spoilers, the most I can share with you is the book is broken up In three parts. The first one between Margot and Maggie, Margot’s temporary replacement at work. The second part of the book is a flashback about Margot and Winnie when they were school girls which gives us more insight into their dynamics and friendship and what transpired during this period of their life. The third section alternates between Margot, Winnie and Maggie in the present. The first part of the book was rather tedious but I hung in there and the second and third part really picked up and I was totally engrossed in the book. It had some twists and turns but for the most part it was an in depth study of women and what transforms them into who they are today.I think this was an an excellent study of women and their trials and tribulations and I would say never judge a book by it’s cover and we are all are part of what transpired in our life and who we are today. I want to thank net galley and the publisher for this ARC I received for an honest review.

DNF 15%
I hated to DNF this one so quickly but I really was not enjoying it. The premise was so interesting, and I love a good fashion industry related story, but the fact that both lead characters have the same name was just way too confusing and I had a lot of trouble following the story because I kept mixing up the characters. I may try to pick this one up again later though.

I liked this book because it was different from many others on sale these days. A new, interesting plot, not the same as other books. I would read other titles from this author as well.

This just didn't do it for me. I was hoping for something more thrilling, but I never really got invested in the story or characters.

I felt like parts were missing, or maybe I skimmed over it, because some stuff just didn't really add up.

I could relate to the insecurities around new coworkers, and at first I thought I was on Margot's side. But then everyone was in some way neurotic and/or mean, so it was hard to connect with any character.

*Thank you to Netgalley, Ballantine Books, and Random House for the ARC, for which I have given an honest and unbiased review*

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

The plot sounded so intriguing, but the characters did not engage me as much as I had wanted them too and seemed a bit flat. The twist did genuinely surprise though, so I will give it a three and a half

“I first felt the baby move the day Winnie’s son was born. Born, and died an hour later.” So begins Part One of Harriet Walker’s riveting thriller The New Girl. After learning of her best friend’s tragedy, pregnant Margot Jones rushes to an interview at glossy fashion magazine Haute where it’s time to select the woman who will replace her as fashion editor while she is on maternity leave.

Enter Maggie. She is everything that cool, blonde elegant Margot is not. Irreverent, self-deprecating, socially gifted and talented, she has soon captivated the entire staff at Haute. Fearing that Maggie may become a permanent replacement, Margot is consumed by jealousy and insecurity. Winnie is mired in grief and does not return any of Margot’s calls or messages. After her daughter is born, her continuing maternity leave is marked by depression and online threats. Those threats escalate and Maggie fears for her safety and that of her daughter. Is her stalker anonymous or could it be someone from her past - or closer to home?

The New Girl is the first from Harriet Walker. I hope she is at work on her next! Juicy details from the world of high fashion and magazine publication combine with the worries of new mothers and real problems between friends and spouses. This is definitely a 5 star read!

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House and Harriet Walker for this ARC.

So twisty! Margot and Winnie have been best friends forever, haven't they? Margot thinks so and she's crushed when Winnie ghosts her after Winnie's newborn son dies. Margot, THE fashion editor at a high style magazine is pregnant too. Maggie is the younger journalist chosen to sit in for Margot while the latter is on maternity leave. Told by Margot, Maggie, and Winnie, this is more than the blurb suggests. Is Maggie the new girl? Who is Helen? It's less a Devil Wears Prada than it is about these three women and what they know about each other and, more importantly, themselves. It's quite suspenseful and there's a lingering question that won't be resolved until the last pages. Your assumptions will be turned upside down at the ending. Surprisingly relatable characters (given their jobs), some great descriptions (Walker has captured the decorative styles of the moment- loved it!), terrific storytelling and a tricky plot made this a great read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I admit that this was different than I expected and I greatly enjoyed it.

This was purportedly a thriller that turned out to be not so much of one. A little disappointing in that regard. To me it was more about female relationships. And that age-old bitchy adage that 'her success somehow diminishes my own' that has kept so many women from succeeding in their careers. (Do a poll on how many American women would ever vote for a woman to be president and see.)

Margot is the beautiful, thin, and very stylish fashion editor of Haute Magazine in London who is pregnant with her first child. She suggests a young freelancer named Maggie to take over the reins when she goes on maternity leave. The only problem is that Maggie turns out to be too good at the job!

Margot's other problem is that her best friend Winnie from school years has dumped her after the tragic loss of her own baby and Margot has no idea why...or could it have something to do with what they did to their friend Helen so many years ago? And who is the nasty internet troll who is picking on Margot, using the avatar 'HelenKnows'?

All in all, this is a pleasant chic-lit novel with good character development and a nice twist ending. You can't help but feel bad for Margot and all she is going through during a time when she should be so happy--so much of it is of her own doing, from her mental angst. The story is told from multiple points of view of the three main women in the story: Margot, Maggie and Winnie. Whose version of the story should the reader believe?

I received an arc of this new novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinions. Many thanks for the opportunity.

Debut novel The New Girl by Harriet Walker is a fast paced thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. I devoured this novel with the need to know the ending. Walker brilliantly displayed how social media can be a carefully choreographed dance. She showed how the intricacy of social media can play a role in every relationship and how an internet troll can tear you apart from behind the screen. The question is who is behind that screen?

She asks the age old question. Can Female Friendship survive jealousy?

Walker creates an in-depth character study on women using her characters and their relationships with each other. Told from alternating chapters from the character’s points of view she displays contrasting characteristics of women and the choices they make. Two women with the same name, Margo and the other going by the nickname of Maggie, have made different life choices but one is aspiring to be like the other.

When Margot, a fashion editor at a glossy magazine, Haute (Think Vogue) goes on maternity leave, Maggie steps into her job. We are left questioning if she is only stepping into her job or also her life? Hailed as Single White Female meets The Devil Wears Prada I was hooked immediately. Walker describes with great intensity how women can be opposite sides of the same coin. Two women with the same name are very different people. Walker nails how difficult it is to hand over a career that she painstakingly built, while also being happy about bringing new life into the world. She also heartbreakingly details teenage alienation and cancel culture before it was a think. My heart ached for these characters.

Walker perfectly nails the delicate balance of being disappointed for yourself, while being happy for a friend.

I loved this book and cannot wait for you to get your hands on it. The ending did not disappoint!

Thank you Random House Publishing Group Ballantine and NetGalley for a digital ARC
In exchange for an honest review.
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