I started out a fan, but somewhere along the road, I lost my attention span. Not a terrible book, just not for me.

A huge thank you to Netgalley, the publisher & Michelle Campbell for the opportunity to review an ARC of this book!

Four stars!
I am not a huge fan of legal thrillers, but you don't have to be in order to delve right into the storyline unfolding in front of you.

This story is told in dual POV (Madison Rivera and Judge Kathryn Conroy) as well as a moving timeline between past and present, giving a lot of backstory into Judge Kathryn's crooked past and how she came to be where she is today.

I feel like we all see a little bit of ourselves in Madison and the blindspot she held for the Judge, not wanting to ruin her perfect image of her.
This was an extremely fun ride, would recommend.

I'm such a fan of legal thrillers and this one delivered. I spent my time trying to figure out who was reliable in the dual timeline and dual narration suspense.

The plot is intricate and slowly unwinds to let the reader in, but keeps them guessing through much of the novel. I was slightly more interested in Madison and situation, but was still interested in Judge Conroy's background and what made her tick. Ultimately the cat may be my favorite character, but I had to know what was happening and why.

I both listened and read this one and might have enjoyed my listening time slightly more than my reading. Sarah Mollo-Christensen does a great job voicing both Madison and the judge. I never wondered who was the voice of the chapter.

If you are looking for a quick legal thriller, you need to read this one.

This was quite the wild ride. I really liked the back and forth POV between the two main characters and the jumping timeline from the past and present. I did listen to the audiobook and wish that the characters were voice by different people because it was a bit hard to keep the POVs straight with the same narrator until you got to know each character's distinct personality and "voice." I found this to be pretty evenly paced until the end which I found to be a tad lackluster compared to the rest of the book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was honestly so excited to read this book! The cover and description were so intriguing, however it ended up being a DNF for me unfortunately. I got about 25% in and just felt very repetitive and took a lot for the plot actually move forward. The characters were not super likeable and I never felt lost in the book and story.

I went into this book knowing that Michele Campbell always writes twists and turns. She did not disappoint on this one. It took some time to get into the story line, but once the ball started rolling, I was hooked. I loved the strong protagonist women. I loved how they worked together instead of against each other. Sure the story line was a little far fetched, but it was an entertaining read!

⚖️ This is a unique legal thriller for me… because there are no courtroom scenes. This is a behind the scenes story entirely, and I enjoyed it.

⚖️ I do think it started off slow. And I must say, there were way too many pages dedicated to Madison filling out her intern application and worrying how/if she should mention her brother Danny’s legal problems.

⚖️ Once you got past the overlong story setup, things started to get a little more interesting. The story is ultimately told in two POVs – Madison and the Federal judge Kathryn Conroy who Madison interns for. I much preferred Kathryn’s POV because that is where the meat of the story is. Kathryn was the only character who was truly developed IMO.

⚖️ There were some nice twists I didn’t anticipate until the very end, and I appreciated that.

⚖️ The story is totally believable. I imagine the plot of this story is taking place in real life somewhere right now. That is sad, but true.

⚖️ The ending was believable as well. Plot points were wrapped up quite nicely.

⚖️ If you like legal thrillers, intrigue, corruption, complex backstories, and family drama, then you’ll definitely enjoy this book.

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for an eARC of this book, which I have read and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I gave up on this book at 14%. Normally I'd try to tough it out until 20% but the plot wasn't grabbing me and I found the writing painfully amateur.

This started slow, but still kept my interest. This is probably my least favorite Michele Campbell books, but it was still a decent thriller that kept me guessing. I didn't care as much for the Judge's background, even though I know it was important to the story. I just feel like it should have focused more on the main character, Madison, instead. Overall, the twists kept me invested, so it was worth the read.

I found this book to be very interesting and intriguing. I would recommend this a friend because this is a book for everyone. I really enjoyed emerging myself into this book and it was just wonderful. This book evened my eyes to quite a few things and it’s one of those books that I’ll think about for quite awhile.

I enjoyed this book but it took a little while for me to get into it. It then became fast paced though a little predictable. Still, I would recommend thriller lovers read it!

The Intern by Michele Campbell did not disappoint. Michele is one of my favorite authors and when I see a new book by her, I want to read it even without reading the plot. All of her novels are well-written, gripping, and satisfying. If you haven’t read this one yet, get it right now!

Plot:

Madison Rivera lands the internship of a lifetime working for Judge Kathryn Conroy. But Madison has a secret that could destroy her career. Her troubled younger brother Danny has been arrested, and Conroy is the judge on his case.

When Danny goes missing after accusing the judge of corruption, Madison’s quest for answers brings her deep into the judge’s glamorous world. Is Kathryn Conroy a mentor, a victim, or a criminal? Is she trying to help Madison or use her as a pawn? And why is somebody trying to kill her?

As the two women circle each other in a dangerous cat-and-mouse game, will they save each other, or will betrayal leave one of them dead?

This book was pretty slow moving for me and overall just an okay read. I enjoyed the ending but was hoping for a little more from this book.

I have read a few of Campbell’s books and this was definitely my favorite of hers yet. A bit complicated at times (could have been the audio) but this was intense and quite the page turner, especially at the end. I did not know how everyone was going to make it out ok and I will just say I was satisfied with the ending. There are plenty of unlikeable characters in here as well as likable ones that do questionable things, and overall this was an entertaining and heart pounding legal thriller that I very much enjoyed and absolutely recommend.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the digital copy to review.

The Intern
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.2
Author: Michele Campbell

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Madison Rivera lands the internship of a lifetime working for Judge Kathryn Conroy. But Madison has a secret that could destroy her career. Her troubled younger brother Danny has been arrested, and Conroy is the judge on his case. When Danny goes missing after accusing the judge of corruption, Madison’s quest for answers brings her deep into the judge’s glamorous world. Is Kathryn Conroy a mentor, a victim, or a criminal? Is she trying to help Madison or use her as a pawn? And why is somebody trying to kill her? As the two women circle each other in a dangerous cat-and-mouse game, will they save each other, or will betrayal leave one of them dead?

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. I had both the audio and digital copy and favored the audio version. Madison has always admired Judge Conroy and when the opportunity arises to intern in her court, she is grateful for the opportunity. Then Madison’s brother Danny gets rolled on a drug possession and before he is officially sentenced, he goes missing in the prison system, she uses the intern opportunity to learn more about her brother’s case. In doing so, does this dig her down a deeper rabbit hole? The research into her brother’s case leads her to Judge Conroy, what secrets will she uncover here?

The story is narrated by both Madison and Judge Conroy in a dual narration, with past flashbacks. Both of our MCs are unrelateable narrators and entrusted into the dark part of legal world. Madison is in law school to become a lawyer and works hard, is outspoken, and loyal to a fault. Judge Conroy has had someone controlling her actions for a very long time, but has been a very successful Judge, with a tough exterior. I really love the lengths that the author goes to, they are surprising, unpredictable, and balanced with being believable. Judge Conroy lives in a dangerous, secretive world and invites Madison in. The characters were created with depth, were mysterious, secretive, and intriguing. The author’s writing style was complex, multifaceted, suspenseful, twisty, and unpredictable. The story is a slow burn, building the characters, the plot is delivered in twisty layers, it flows nicely, and has excellent pacing. I love the flashbacks of Judge Conroy’s life and we get to see how she got herself in this dark world to begin with.

This legal thriller was compelling, intriguing, and really kept me guessing until the end. I devoured in less than two days. The narrator does an amazing job with voice variation, and truly brings the characters from the pages into a movie that I can clearly see. My only con was the vast amount of characters and how they connect to our MCs and the webbs you had to deconstruct, and what their purpose was in the storyline. Having said that, I still loved this book and would recommend to other readers, personally I would do the audio. I love that the author is from the legal world and provided a great emphasis on the judge and intern relationship.

I love a good legal thriller!

This one was interesting. I really enjoyed the overall plot and corruption aspect. I am truly intrigued with stories about corruption. But I really struggled with the forced dialogue and how parts felt overwritten. I think this could have wrapped up sooner. With that said, I definitely loved how all the plot points were tied up in the end, especially the cat.

4 stars...

I enjoyed the legal thriller. I like how it was broken up into 5 parts...it was a little long, and took me longer than normal to read but it kept me on the edge of my seat wanting to know what would happen next!

I liked this book a lot! It felt fast paced and a quick read, even at nearly 400 pages. I was rooting for both of these ladies, regardless of their backstories and found the ending to be pretty satisfying. It’s a yes from me, and now I need to read Michele Campbell’s backlog!

This was an OK read. I don't get a lot of the hype leading up to it, I didn't enjoy it as much as most of the internet. It felt really predictable but was also all over the place with the pacing.


I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

I love Michele Campbell she’s a must read author for me! I was so excited to get an early copy in my hands and let me tell you this book did not disappoint!
Harvard law student Madison Rivera feels like her dream has come true, when she’s picked as an intern for prestigious Judge Kathryn Conroy. Madison has a looked up to Judge Kathryn as an inspirations and wants to follow in her footsteps. Madison’s is hiding a secret though her brother Danny was arrested on a drug charge and Judge Conroy is on the case. As Madison begins her internship she begins to realize maybe her idol isn’t who she says she is. But when Danny goes missing after accusing the judge of corruption, Madison may just be over her head, the pressure builds on Madison's shoulders as her mother pushes her harder to assist in finding what’s going on with her brother. As the judge brings Madison into her world she wonders if she’s pawn in the judges hands and someone in the dark is determined to kill Madison to keep the secrets hidden. Told in two POV one in Madison’s in the current time and in Judge Kathryn through Kathryn's POV, readers delve into her dark past. I loved this book I’m begging you to grab a copy and tell me your thoughts!