Billie Spencer-Tate has just been fired from her job as paralegal working at a New York law firm. She’d tracked down a defence witness for a case where a young nurse was being sued by a surgeon for defamation. The nurse had been in a relationship with him for a few months but broke it off, telling her friends he was controlling, cruel and sexually abusive. She later sent a text to a friend in the hospital HR outlining all the ways in which he was abusive and controlling, but accidently made it public so Dr Grange then sued her for defamation.

Working on the defence case, Billie found another ex-girlfriend of Dr Grange’s who had also been abused by him, but when it came to the trial she changed her story and said Billie had asked her to lie in court. Furious with losing her job and Dr Grange getting away with what he'd done, she became determined to stop Dr Grange getting away with hurting any more women. Billie decided to become a vigilante, getting close enough to him to become the next girl in his predatory sights.

Billie is a great character; a little flawed, a little damaged but not afraid to take risks or above breaking the law herself to get justice for Grange’s victims. It’s a dangerous game she’s playing but she’s smart and devious and very technologically resourceful. Told from Billie’s point of view, this is an intelligent, contemporary thriller full of twists and surprises which makes a gripping, tense and compulsive read. Billie’s love of music from the sixties onwards is a backdrop to her actions and comes complete with a spotify playlist at the end of the book.

The Next Girl by Australian author Pip Drysdale is an absolutely gripping story with many unexpected twists and turns in the plot. It was extremely difficult not to keep reading - I was hooked and was compelled to continue!

The main character, Billie, is captivating but as she the narrator we only really see things from her point of view - her reality is the only perspective we, as the reader, can latch onto. A thrilling read with many surprises!

Highly recommended read.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from Simon & Schuster (Australia) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have another book by Pip Drysdale but I must say I have not read it yet so was not sure what to expect. So I dove in and started reading and I am glad I did. This is a thriller for sure and one I couldn't put down. The way it is written it is as if the main character, Billie, is there talking to you, telling you her story.

Her story which begins with a bad day at work and continues with a crazy idea that leads her (and the reader) on a wild ride. Billie is a great character who you love but don't always understand. The pace of the book is one that keeps you enthralled and unwilling to stop.

This is a heart-pumping, mind-blowing, crazy ride read! It is everything you want from a book like this and more. I love it and can't wait to read more by this author soon.

I'm new to this author's work but now I want to go back and read her other works! The blurb was intriguing enough to start with: "A bad day at work. A drunken night. A rogue Instagram follow. That's all it takes to ruin a life..." I didn't know quite what to expect but I was happily hooked from the first page and found myself compulsively reading page after page in equal parts horror, fascination, and almost glee. The building suspense was something I couldn't turn away from, like watching a trainwreck you knew was bound to happen. I don't want to give much away because it's best to go into it blind, but suffice it to say I was horrified at how far the heroine was willing to go yet I couldn't help rooting for her until the end. This was a fast-paced, well-researched, compulsive page-turner I highly recommend for people who love suspense/crime/thriller novels.
Thank you to #netgalley for the ARC.

The Next Girl is a standalone psychological thriller by bestselling Australian author, Pip Drysdale. The bold compelling cover drew me in to pick up this exciting and unique mystery story. The style of the book has the main character talking directly to the reader. I rather enjoyed this different style of narrative and it make me continually wondering about whether what Billie is telling us is the whole truth and her careful timing in what to reveal and when to the reader. I loved Billie as a character. She had depth and some morally grey motivations and behaviours. What I didn’t love overall was the mystery which felt a little all over the place. Its hard to say more without spoilers but it felt like the story was leading in one direction but then kind of went in a different direction. The author pulls all the loose ends together and ties everything up with no cliffhangers. I liked the writing style and found the book easy to read, engaging and made me want to keep reading. Overall, I’d highly recommend and I will be looking for future releases by this author. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an arc.

A bad day at work. A drunken night. A rogue Instagram follow. That’s all it takes to ruin a life …

Pip Drysdale has done it again!

Billie wakes up in a strangers bed and has no recollection of how she got there or what happened last night. As the day moves on she pieces it all back together again. Billie is working as a Paralegal at a Law Firm and it is because of her she lost a case. This is when all the fun stuff happens and we learn more about Billie and her past. She has an unhealthy addiction to get justice and that makes for an absolutely addictive read and it had me mind blown at times. I don’t want to give too much of the plot away as I enjoyed going in blind with this read and I am so glad I did.

What I loved:
* Fast paced – I did not want to put this book down.
* Wild ride until the end chapter
* Amazing main character – I was cheering for Billie.
* The QR code at the end for a playlist on spotify.

This is another author I love that is an auto read for me. I was lucky enough to get a Netgalley copy in advance – Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Australia.

I gave this one all the stars and more.

Thank you Netgalley, Simon & Schuster & Pip Drysdale for the ARC of this book.

This was one cracking book! It was gripping, suspenseful and twisty.

The chapters were short and easy to read, the way the story was told from one POV almost like a diary telling was really entertaining and overall I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

Cannot wait to read more Pip Drysdale in the future

After reading The Paris Affair I was keen to read more from Pip Drysdale.

The Next Girl comes out November 30 and is full of twists and turns that kept my attention and my heart racing.

Billie is a complex character who is dealing with some big struggles including being fired from her job as a paralegal in New York. In her efforts to prove her innocence she ends up on a dangerous path and unveils her addiction to some very dangerous behaviours.

I really enjoyed this book. It really did keep me on the edge of my seat. Whilst Billie made some questionable choices and there were times I was feeling anxious on her behalf she was also likeable and had a vulnerability about her that made it hard to not cheer her on.

Definitely give this book a go if you like being kept on your toes.

Thank you to #netgalley, @simonschusterau and @pipdrysdale for this advanced copy. #TheNextGirlPipDrysdale #netgalley

I have loved Pip Drysdale's books, so when I was approved to read this one, I was so excited as I couldn't wait to get my hands on and read it.

The Next Girl is Pip Drysdale's best book yet. I loved everything about it. Billie and her being a hot mess, waking up in a stranger's bed and not knowing why. If you love thrillers, this one is definitely for you to read.

I loved the playlist from Spotify as well. I will miss Billie and her adventures.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Australia for allowing me to read this book for my honest review.

I give this book five stars out of 5.

The Next Girl by Pip Drysdale is out on 30 November 2022.

My advice for reading this book would be to just jump right in and enjoy the ride. While there are some implausible and frankly ridiculous parts, it's the kind of book where it really doesn't matter - it's a legit page turner, full of suspense and twists. You'll probably be bamboozled with the constant explanations of burner phones and passwords and screenshots and apps and whatnot, but it's hard not to be invested in Billie's vigilante adventures. She is every bit as frustrating a character as you'd expect an emotionally broken, 20-something in New York to be (somewhere towards the start she says "I'm a Virgo and I love Sex and The City" and I mean, COME ON hard eyeroll but it does get better from there); and the ending was a little naff - but the very last bit had me cheering, t be honest. A fantastic holiday or beach read, or when you want a completely unputdownable escape.

I loved this clever, modern mystery which features amazing characters and a touching back story. Plenty of detail to keep you guessing and some genuinely funny descriptions and dialogue, too. Absolutely great!

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Australia and Netgalley for the advanced electronic copy of this book. The Next Girl was high on my hotly anticipated releases for this year, and I was so incredibly excited to be approved - and devoured this in one day. I love and continuously recommend all Pip Drysdale’s books and this one surpassed my high expectations! The best parts of this fast paced thriller are the stalker vibes, suspicious characters, murder mystery, relatable and personable main character and novel story line. Cant wait to add this to my ‘recommended and must read’ list for family and friends and will be eagerly (and impatiently) waiting for Pip’s next book!!

Another addictive read by the author with plenty of surprises!

A bad day at work leads to a drunken night and the next day Billie wakes up in a strangers bed. She can't remember a thing. Her day only goes from bad to worse when her firm loses a big legal case because of her and Billie sets out to right some wrongs. But the only way to do that is to meet this predatory man and become the next girl, putting her own life in danger.

The authors characters are always so unique. A little damaged and always fierce, they keep you turning the pages until late into the night. I loved the backstory flowing through this and while I had a feeling about some of the supporting characters, I didn't guess the direction this one was taking in the end. Another fast moving and suspenseful novel. Highly recommend! 4.5*

I am such a big fan of Pip Drysdale’s thrillers and I was dying to get my hands on The Next Girl. So when I did, there was no waiting, I dove straight in. If I hadn’t been so tired, I would have read it in sitting. As it was, it was 2. I was hooked from the very beginning, and I couldn’t wait to find out how it was going to finish.

Our main character Billie is a hot mess. And not just because, as the book opens, she wakes up in a strangers bed, with little recollection of how she got there or who he is. We soon find out that Billie has a lot going on that she keeps hidden from the world. But the night before, she was drowning her sorrows and her life is about to go from bad to worse.

I really don’t want to say too much about the plot as it is best to go in fairly blind. I will say that it will have you turning those pages needing more. If you have read Pips books before, you will know that things are not always as they seem, and it is pointless trying to figure things out. Just go with it and be surprised.

I loved the addition of all the musical references throughout the story, and the QR code at the end to get the playlist. The Next Girl is set in New York and it made me want to go there even more than I already do. One day.

So, in short, I loved Billie, I wanted her to win, and you have to read this book. Publishes in Australia on November 30th, I have pre ordered my physical copy for my shelf. Thank you Simon and Schuster for my advanced copy to read.