Member Reviews

"The Intern" is an intricately told legal drama that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire read. Told in multiple voices and multiple timelines, you'll find yourself wondering who to root for or should you just root for everyone. I really enjoyed this fast paced ride and devoured it in just a couple days.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an advanced reader's copy of this book for my honest review.

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I'm loving all the new legal thrillers I'm seeing in 2022 and 2023 and I'm loving how female-forward they all are, as opposed to the male-dominated legal thrillers of the 80s and 90s.

The Intern has two female main characters: Madison, a young Harvard law student who is concerned about her own brother's case in the legal system, and her idol, a prominent judge who just happens to be assigned to Madison's brother's case. What transpires is a fun cat-and-mouse game between these two incredibly smart and strategic women.

This is a really fun legal thriller, more loosely tied to the law. It's not a courtroom drama, but more of a showdown between these two women who aren't sure if they are enemies or allies.

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NetGalley Review — my rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️/

“The Intern” by Michele Campbell is a novel about ambition, class, family, and murder. When Madison gets an internship with her idol, Federal Judge Kathryn Conroy, what could go wrong? Well, everything.

I honestly expected so much more from this one. It was pretty slow throughout and no notable twist in my opinion. Fine, but forgettable.

I still very much appreciate the ARC, @stmartinspress !

“The Intern” is out October 3!

#netgalley #michelecampbell #theintern #stmartinspress

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This one was super fast paced and reeled me in from the beginning. I loved the dual narratives, which helped flesh out the two main characters, especially the judge, and also provided more detailed storytelling There were some great twists that kept me invested, but also some plot points that made me feel like you had to suspend your belief.

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The Intern is a legal thriller about a Harvard law student working hard to create a path to a career she has always dreamed of. She lands an internship at the chambers of a judge whom she has idolized since her younger days and whom has put her brother behind bars. Little does she know what she has signed up.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an eARC to The Intern by Michele Campbell.

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This is an excellent mystery and roller coaster ride of excitement! Harvard law student Madison looks up to the federal judge teaching one of her courses. The judge Kathryn invites Madison to apply as an intern in her office. A dream come true! Until it isn’t. This is a fast-paced thrilled that alternates points of views and features a variety of interesting characters. Great read!

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𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯 is a legal thriller which made me turn pages, roll my eyes frequently, and laugh a bit at implausibility of plot line. I mean, I’m always one for a good mafia style corruption story involving a judge. But the naive law school student just hit me in the wrong spot - she’s smart enough for Harvard, but so life stupid. And once again, women are the dupes - tired of that trope. Decent legal thriller with a terrifically weak female lead. Yet, it entertained me on a long flight so there’s that.

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If you like legal thrillers, this is the book for you. Told from the perspective of Madison, a Harvard law student, and Kathy, a federal judge, this book does not disappoint. I really enjoyed the characters and especially liked the chapters from the judge’s past. It gave insight into her life and why she did what she did. Fast paced, heavy on the action, twists and turns.. it was hard to know who to trust at certain points.

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It's been a while since I've had a psychological thriller that lived up to every sense of the word. When I say this book had me in a chokehold... Literally one night, as I was laying in bed attempting to sleep, I tossed and turned and finally just had to get up and get my kindle to keep reading. I just could not rest until I knew how the story would end. This is my first introduction to Michele Campbell, and it was a great first impression.

The Intern isn't the type of psychological thriller that will spook you, per se, but I was so incredibly engrossed in the story and the characters. I liked the aspect of the moral dilemma that Madison faced, and I also really liked the women supporting women message sewn in. I think so two topics would make for a great book club discussion.

Overall, I highly recommend this read and will definitely be reading Michele's other books. This one is a great read for fall!

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‘The Intern’ is my first Michele Campbell novel. The book takes place in Massachusetts, and has a few twists and turns incorporated. At first I was disappointed at how Harvard law student Madison was depicted as quite naive and with poor judgement skills. However all in all it was an interesting read with some unexpected plot twists.

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I love books and shows that involve law and this one didn't disappoint. It was more about the corruption behind those in power though. Madison is a current law student whose brother is arrested under false pretenses. It turns out that one of Madison's mentors is the judge on the case. She applies for an internship for the judge for her own gain and to possibly help her brother. That's when things go wrong. Full of suspense, Madison realizes she is in over her head and that the corruption involving the judge, her brother's lawyer, and the arresting police officer goes deep.
This book had me guessing the entire time. I like the flashbacks of the judge's life. It helped you see how she became what and who she is now.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book.

#SMPInfluencers

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Having read all of Campbell’s books, I can say that this one is my favorite. I wasn’t feeling well yesterday, so sitting in bed with tea and this book was the perfect way to spend the day. The pages flew by until I hit the last page some hours later.

The story is convoluted in the best way. Told in alternating points of view, we see the story from Judge Kathryn Conroy and what got her to this point today. Then we see Madison interning for the Judge, the inspiration for all Madison strives for. It should be the perfect internship. And even though Madison is keeping a massive secret, Kathryn is too.

Madison is a great character, though she should know that they cannot use an unsigned form against you to get you to cooperate. It doesn’t matter if you omitted things on it because it’s unsigned. But this story hinges on the fear created by lying to a judge, so it works in this story. I loved all the characters, even the ones you loved to hate. cough Madison’s mother, who was a huge gaslighter. She was downright awful, but written so well that I loved raging at her.

The more we learn, the harder it is to put the book down. The story draws you in with the drama, the fear, and the unveiling of secrets. Every time you think there can’t possibly be more, there is. It’s twisted, intense, and an absolute blast to read.

My thanks to St. Martin’s for the advanced copy.

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This book had some great twists and turns. It was well written and enjoyable to read. Michele Campbell is a great author and I enjoy all of her books.

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This is a story about a fantastic caregiver opportunity, if you can survive it.

I really love a good legal thriller! This one had some unique twists & I found that I was equally as interested in both of the narrators which is rare! I would love to see an adaptation of this one- I think it would translate perfectly.

Thank you so much @netgalley & @macmillan.audio for the advanced audio copies & @stmartinspress for the eArc!

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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. I have enjoyed Campbell's previous works, so I was excited to read this one especially since it was a legal "thriller". This initially started off great, but it just did not grab me like her past books did.

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The Intern by Michele Campbell
Genre: thriller
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Format: ebook

This book follows Judge Kathryn Conroy and Harvard law student Madison Rivera. Both have things they’re trying to hide. When Madison becomes an intern for the judge, she leaves out one important piece of information that connects her to Kathryn.

This book has a lot of the things I enjoy in a thriller:
- fast paced
- dual/alternating POV
- twists

I also enjoyed the legal setting and finding out more and more about the corruption going on behind the scenes.

Where this one fell flat for me:
- lots of build up without much pay off
- the ending was enjoyable but rushed
- it was a little too predictable for me

I liked how this one wrapped up, but it was missing some of the wow factor I look for in a thriller. I never really felt like I was on the edge of my seat.

Did I generally enjoy reading it? Yes. Would I recommend it to others? Not sure. I think there are other thrillers that I’d prioritize on my TBR over this one.

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press for my eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

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"The Intern" by Michele Campbell is a whirlwind of action. This book hooks you in on the first page and makes you want to keep reading to find out how it ends.
Madison is a law student who looks up to the judge that is teaching her class. Kathryn, the judge, is looking for someone to intern for her courtroom. Madison is thrilled when Kathryn asked her to become her intern. But does Madison know what she is getting herself into when she starts to work for Kathryn. As they work together issues begin, that they have a hard time controlling.
This book is a great action packed thriller. Highly recommend

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If you’ve been on the Suits train recently and are looking for more legal drama, give this one a try! 💼

The suspense and tension are high when promising law student, Madison, gets in over her head as an intern for her law professor, who is actively serving as a federal judge and was just accused of corruption ⚖️

This is a fast-paced, cat-and-mouse read that is propelled forward by a dual pov structure 😼🐭 The judge’s chapters were my favorite between the two perspectives because Madison’s character became inconsistent over time. She could be bright, astute and mature one chapter and then came across as very dense and childish the next. Her circumstances would make anyone lose their marbles a bit, but I felt like we were getting two different characters sometimes. Kathryn, however, remained steady throughout, and I liked seeing how she reacted to her ever-changing situation that grew more and more complicated as details were revealed 👀

The two women are wrapped up in this mess, but they have to decide whether they can work together and trust one another or not. As the plot thickened, I couldn’t wait to see how they got out of this impossible position, but I didn’t love the direction it went in the end 😕

Ultimately, I didn’t feel that the resolution was very realistic, and it wrapped up too neatly for my liking given everything they went through and all the pieces and players involved. But I liked the journey we took to get there, and would recommend checking this one out if you’re in the mood for a good legal thriller!

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Very clever psychological thriller with one heckuva plot and well-developed characters. Most of the story you are not sure who to trust but then the action speeds up and you cannot turn the pages fast enough!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!

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I was so incredibly excited for this book, because It’s Always the Husband was fantastic. So I don’t know if it’s my mood, a different emotional state, or what but this was just awful. The writing was unbearable; it was like a bad YA novel written by a high schooler taking creative writing. The first few chapters were exposition visa dialogue, and the descriptions were bland or cliche (or both). And Madison was an idiot. She’s so annoying that I couldn’t stand another minute in her head. Finally, the plot was just dumb.

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