WOW! What can I say? Kim Slater has done it again and knocked her latest psychological domestic thriller THE GIRLFIREND straight to the pool room ("The Castle" movie reference there....meaning it takes pride of place). It has to be one of my favourites of hers to date...of which there are so many! So where do I even start to reel off thy ways it totally hits the mark?

So if you're think you're having a bad day...put yourself in Jennifer Fincham's shoes.

Jennifer and husband Cole throw a Halloween party ever year. This year they are combining it with her birthday and celebrating the of end of renovations to their now stunning home. They have thought of everything - costumes, make-up and black marquee in the backyard ("you don't want your halloween party to look like a wedding, do you?") complete with special effects that will make their party the talk of the town for months.

But then in the midst of preparations, Cole leaves the house in a rush, jumping into his Range Rover and speeding away. All under the watchful eye of their 13 year old son Miller, who also witnessed his father stumble on the back patio as if he were drunk and unknowingly drop his secret phone. He hurriedly rushes downstairs to retrieve it before anyone else can...and pockets it for future use. After all, he knows his dad's passcode.

Just as Jennifer is making the final preparations before the guests arrive, there is a knock at the door. Thinking some guests have turned up early, she opens the door to find two police officers standing there.

And her world comes crashing down.

Cole was involved in a road traffic accident, rolled his car and was pronounced dead at the scene. Her beloved husband of fifteen years...gone. She is devastated. How does she even begin to tell her children that their daddy isn't coming home? Ever? And the party? What the hell is she supposed to do about the party?

But if she thought that was the end of her world...things are about to get a whole lot worse.

A day after the tragic event there is another knock at the door. A woman is standing there with a baby in tow. Her name is Sara Nordstrom, announcing she is Cole's girlfriend and the baby is his son. And what's even worse...she claims that she is the legal owner of the house in which Jennifer and her children live, their cars, their assets and all of their money. Essentially, Jennifer has nothing. What the hell?

Jennifer throws Sara out and endeavours to make enquiries with Cole's accountant about the allegations regarding their property and assets. If anyone would know, Corinne would. But it seems the news isn't good. A year ago, Cole was facing bankruptcy and Sara bailed him out with a watertight legal agreement that should anything happen to Cole or the loan defaulted, then all property and assets would go to Sara. How could Cole do this to her? To them?

But Sara has an idea. A compromise, albeit somewhat unconventional. She wants her baby to have a family. To have siblings, something she never had. And so she proposes that she and baby Rory move in with Jennifer and her children, and share the house that Sara said Cole had promised was to be theirs. Is she out of her mind? Even moreso, is Jennifer? For even considering it?

But Jennifer has a plan. To keep your friends close...and your enemies closer. Sara is up to something, of that she is sure. But what, she is yet to find out. However, this is only the beginning of her troubles...because things are about to get even worse...a whole lot worse!

WOWSERS! Buckle up, people, you are in for a bumpy ride! And what a ride it is! Kim Slater has done it again with this fun and speedy thriller that will have you racing through the pages till the very last page. I devoured this in one day, stopping only for dinner (how dare a meal get in the way of a good thrilling read???), and I enjoyed every flipping minute of this rollercoaster. An affair, plenty of secrets, moody teenager...and a cuckoo. Who doesn't love a cuckoo in the nest? And throw in a whole bunch of crazy and you have a spectacular fun and entertaining read. This one is bound to get under your skin and leave you breathless. The fact I guessed the who didn't spoil it for me. I found it fairly obvious...but it was the why I didn't get until just before the reveal.

But it was Jennifer's secret that surprised me...or did it? OK, so I had an inkling. But only a teensy one...lol

Overall, THE GIRLFIREND is one addictive entertaining fun fast paced thrill ride a minute that I devoured and is one of Kim Slater's best thrillers to date! I loved loved loved it! Every flipping minute! And it was great to see the return of DI Helena Price and DS Brewster. I hope they continue to pop in.

I would like to thank #KLSlater, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheGirlfriend in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

A highly recommended psychological thriller full of secrets and lies. I could not put this book down - it kept me gripped and awake till the early hours of the morning.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this gripping arc.

This was such a great fast-paced read! The characters were well written with ones I liked and ones I hated ! I'd definitely read more by the author!

You think you’re having a bad day?

Jennifer is planning a huge Halloween/birthday bash! A monster event she throws with her husband Cole. But not this time. He just stormed off leaving her to put the final touches on the party alone.

A knock on the door and Jennifer’s world is about to change.

Two police officers are there to share the horrible news. Cole died on the side of the road after rolling his car. Jennifer of course is devastated. How does she tell her kids? How will she possibly move on?

But that’s not the worst part….

Another knock on the door and a young woman is standing there, baby in tow, ready to move into ‘HER’ home! Wait…what?

A fun, speedy thriller I flew threw in only a few sittings. A typical K.L. Slater book that will keep you guessing throughout with enough red herrings to throw you off track! (At least for me).

I’m a bit hit or miss with K.L. Slater’s books, but I really enjoyed this one. Made for a perfect weekend read! And now I’m ready for her next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

Brilliant twisty thriller that had me hooked from the get go. I was guessing throughout and loved the way it threw me and made me doubt what I was thinking! loved it.

After reading nothing but ravishing reviews of K.L. Slater’s latest novel, I was highly delighted to receive it in ARC from thanks to the generosity of the publishers and NetGalley. The following represents my unbiased and honest review. First up, I have to say that all adjectives that have already been attributed to this novel – fast-paced, twisty, shocking, satisfying – are all true.
The novel starts with a police visit to the beautifully renovated Nottinghamshire home of Jennifer, a woman happily married to Cole and mother of their two much-loved children. The police officers' news that Cole is the victim of a fatal road accident that happened just as the family was getting ready for a Halloween party would be bad enough – but it is soon followed by another, even more disturbing visit: that of young mother Sara who insists that her baby boy Rory was fathered by Cole and that she has in fact been financing Cole’s life for several years. As the legal owner of the house that unsuspecting Jennifer calls her home, Sara decides to move in and gradually extends more and more of a hold over Jennifer. The two women uneasily try to navigate life with the three children, but things get even more unbelievable and sinister until all secrets are laid bare and Cole’s murderer is revealed. Highly addictive, this is a stand-out novel in the busy contemporary thriller market that deserves its 5/5 rating. More please, K.L. Slater!

Absolutely brilliant from KL Slater. This had me hooked from the first chapter right through to the last!
The girlfriend is every loyal wife's worst nightmare.

The Girlfriend by K.L. Slater is another page-turning thriller that is hard to put down. With twists and turns throughout, Slater knows exactly how to progress the plot. Great character build up, leaving you with high emotions for each one.

Definitely recommend this book!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Jennifer's husband has died in a car accident a woman claiming to be his girlfriend, shows up with a baby at her front door.

This book is a wild ride! Brilliantly developed characters and a well paced unfolding of the plot. I really enjoyed this, it a page turner!

As soon as I read the synopsis and saw the author, I knew I wanted to get right into this one! As usual, this did not disappoint; I was thoroughly entertained by the whole story.

Jennifer Fincham is home one night with her children, Miller and Sylvie, getting ready for a party when there comes a knock at the door. It’s the police, there to let her know that her husband, Cole, has been killed in a single-vehicle accident. He was dead on the scene, she is now a widow, and their children no longer have a father.

Just as Jennifer is coming to grips with her husband of 15 years being gone, there comes another knock on the door. Sara Nordstrom is standing there with her infant son, Rory, asking to come in to talk. When Jennifer asks who she is and what she wants, her entire world shatters. Sara had been having an affair with Cole, and due to financial difficulties unbeknownst to Jennifer, was funding his life. Their lives. Their house? Sara’s. Their cars? Sara’s. Even the joint bank account - all Sara’s. Now, she’s come to collect what is rightfully hers.

Jennifer immediately reaches out to their lawyer and finds out not only is this true, but the attorney was sure she was aware of the situation, because Jennifer actually signed the papers. This wasn’t a forgery; it wasn’t a scam. She trusted and signed whatever Cole put in front of her, as he ran the finances in the house. In doing so, she literally signed away the life they’d spent 15 years building.

I wondered why so much was in the synopsis - that’s all really juicy stuff! But this was all JUST THE BEGINNING of what turned out to be a twisty, bendy psychological thriller that was definitely a page-turner. I read this book in one sitting because I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. The entire thing was four-star material (aka, great), but then I got to the last few chapters and I’m going to up that to 4.5, rounded up. It doesn’t have the feel of a book I’d usually give a five-star rating to, and the ending might have been *overly* twisty if that’s a thing, but I thought this was a fantastic psychological thriller.

(Thank you to Bookouture, K.L. Slater, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)

Jennifer is setting up their annual Halloween party, when her husband, Cole, leaves the house unexpectedly. Cole is in an accident and has died. The next day Sara, along with her baby boy, shows up at Jennifer's house claiming to be Cole's girlfriend and mother to his child. She insists that the house belongs to her, as well as all of the family's belonging. Sara gives the ultimatum that Jennifer and her children can leave or let Sara and Rory move in.
And that is just the beginning of this crazy story.

Is it a little farfetched at times? absolutely! Does it still work for a great read, Yes is does!!

I'm still reeling from all the twists and turns and unexpected events.

Holy Cow what a book.

Thanks to netgalley and Bookouture for the arc.

Another very good Slater story with twists and turns abounding. Jennifer's husband dies in a car accident and suddenly a woman claiming to be his girlfriend, shows up at her door with a baby, that she also claims is her husband's.
The story gets really wild and intense from that point on.
Crazy but well defined characters.
If you like never knowing what to expect next, you'll love this.

The plot of The Girlfriend sounds crazy, but it works brilliantly. As I read the book my mind was constantly trying to figure out the next twist. Imagine being recently widowed, discovering your partner was cheating and there is a child involved you didn't know about. Also, the other woman is taking over your house.

I am still processing the possibility that something like this could happen in real life, even though this book is fiction. That's a bitter pill to swallow AND that's just the beginning of the book!

When you find yourself easily distracted and you’re not that fussed about returning to the book - you know this isn’t the books for you.

What sounded great and started with promise. Became wildly unbelievable and unbearable slow. I enjoy KL Slater’s writing I just didn’t enjoy this book. I felt that it was better described as a family drama than a crime fiction novel. True there was ‘crimes’ involved but ultimately it was focused on Jen and Sara and their weird relationship.

I often felt that this book spent far too much time describing things that were not beneficial or related to the plot. And that once Cole was killed and the plot described on the cover had begun. Well that was it! The police investigation was downplayed and the focus of the entire book was the women’s living arrangements and the children’s adaptation to their new lives.

It’s such a shame that I didn’t enjoy this book. I really detest leaving low scores for authors that I have enjoyed previously. But for me this book was too far off kilter to what I’d read before and didn’t have enough substance to warrant the amount of pages given.

Thanks to NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I knew it was going to be a different read when there was no prologue. There’s almost always a prologue in psych thrillers. Instead, this one uses the first few chapters of “real-time” action to set the stage for the events that follow. I really like this approach. It felt more like watching the opening of a crime show with the whole set-up that occurs before the opening credits. There are multiple suspects, multiple motives, lots of clues and hints, and red herrings. If I had to nitpick, I would say that the ending felt extremely rushed. Otherwise, it had everything you’d expect from a solid psych thriller. For more details, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. This review was written based on a digital copy of the book from Bookouture.

I could not put this book down! The storyline kept me guessing until the very end.
A brilliant read, highly recommend this author. Every single K.L. Slater book I have loved.

KL Slater has done it again!
I just adore their books. Always super engaging and gripping. I get so wrapped up in the stories - and this book was no exception to that.
I wasn't too keen on the ending of this book, but the exciting build up certainly made up for it.
And interesting premise that isn't as straightforward as it initially makes out to be.

Thriller fans, and KL Slater fans, you will NOT be disappointed!

The Girlfriend by K.L. Slater

I was so excited to be granted the opportunity to read the latest book by one of my favourite authors.

Cole and Jennifer Fincham are hosting an elaborate Halloween party that shows of their grand wealth and gives Cole a chance to do some networking for his building business but just as they were setting up Cole is called away and Jennifer cannot get in contact with him, then the police show up at their door and give Jennifer some earth-shattering news, Cole has died in a car accident, Jennifer and their two children, thirteen-year-old Miller and five-year-old Sylvie are all beside themselves with grief.

Then the next day beautiful and young Sara turns up on their doorstep holding her six-month-old baby Rory in her arms, claiming that she was Cole’s Girlfriend, Rory is Cole’s son and that the house they live in actually belongs to her so that they should all get along and live together or Jennifer, Miller and Sylvie can get out. Jennifer does not know what to do, she can see that Rory looks just like Cole and Cole has cheated on her before so she has no reason to doubt Sara but does she want to stay with her under one roof every day being reminded of her husband’s infidelity.

I loved everything about this book. It was a true edge on your seat thriller.

I could relate with the characters and as soon as one chapter ended, I had to read the next one.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Bookouture for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review

When Jennifers husband is tragically killed in a car crash her world falls apart. When, a few days later, a young woman with a baby turns up on her doorstep little does she know this is only the beginning of her nightmare.

The woman says she is her Husbands girlfriend and the baby is his son.

With everyone keeping secrets and telling lies this thriller will keep you guessing right to the end.

A great page turner that I read in two sittings as I didn't want to put it down.

Jennifer and Cole Fincham have a lovely life, their own business, plenty of money, big house, two children, life is good for them. Or is it? Cole is under a lot of pressure, Jennifer seems oblivious, their son Miller is very troubled. After a tragic event, an attractive young woman turns up, and there are shocks all round.

I enjoyed this book. To appreciate the plot you really do need to suspend all belief of the norm and just go with the flow. The scenario of the house share really beggars belief, and the involvement of Ellen a little odd, but as light entertainment it’s got it all.

A perfect holiday read when you don’t have to think too deeply.

3.5* rounded up.

Thank you NetGalley.