A psychological thriller that's a real page turner, filled with surprises and twists.

'I'm beginning to realise that there's more to him, a lot more, and I have only uncovered the top layer..'

Synopsis
Lauren is part of a band playing at a festival and there she meets Jay. Things move pretty quickly from there, she moves her life and her belongings to Jay's cottage in the middle of nowhere, with no phone signal and at the forests edge.

Both Jay and Lauren have secrets, but Jay's are pretty dark. As Lauren tries to figure out what those secrets are, she has to remember to try to be the perfect girlfriend.

'He said I had to stop worrying, stop being so suspicious of everything, chill out more..'

Thoughts
Gripping, page turning and suspenseful, I had to read it in one sitting to find out what happens. The author did a great job at weaving everything together, all the secrets, all the lies - to one satisfactory conclusion.

I want to say thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and Hayley Smith for this advanced copy. Even though I thought the beginning of the book was slow, it picked up in the middle and came all together and revealed the answers to my questions. The ending was very twisty and I would have never guessed the ending. I could not turn the pages quick enough and I would definitely recommend this book to be purchased for my library. I cannot wait for another book to be published by this author!

Unfortunately, it's a no from me.

I don't really like the way the story is written. I didn't like or get attached at any character. The guy seems stupid, the girl is too, their friends are even more stupid. Since the beginning, the first chapters and the summary of the book, we KNOW for sure that the guy is weird but the girl is weirder.

I didn't have any interest in that story after reading a few chapters...


Still, thanks to Netgalley and to the publisher for this SP !

Excellent story from start to finish, This book truly left me guessing the whole way through, fantastic read and i could not recommend this enough to someone looking for a dark thriller story

I smile at my boyfriend as I set the table ready for the delicious dinner that’s bubbling on the stove. I know I’m everything to him. I’ve made absolutely sure I’m his perfect match, in every way…
Jay and I have only known each other a short while, but whenever I gaze into his gorgeous green eyes I know he’s the one. His little house by the deep forest’s edge is perfect for the two of us – there’s no internet, no phone signal, and no neighbours. I’m about as far from my past as I could be. No one knows where I am, and I need to keep it that way.

After Lauren meets Jay at a music festival, within a week she is living with him. Her past relationship was with a married man that went on for many years with Lauren convinced this guy would leave his wife for her, unfortunately this was not the case and Lauren's heart was truly broken. She has a sister but they are as different as chalk and cheese, she is no longer employed, lost her closet friend to suicide and she has no idea why this happened...she is truly lost and was definitely the reason Jay seemed so attractive to her. Jay's home is no palace, no pone connections which leaves Lauren even more isolated. But what about Jay, is the perfect boyfriend that Lauren is trying to convince herself of...as hard as she tried doubts are slowly starting to form in her head.

Personally, I found Lauren a little annoying, but the way she lives life presented us with snippets her character showing us how she was thinking and also what her dreams were for her life moving forward. Sometimes dreams may or may not come true, as the reader you will have to wait and see what the results are. Well paced and with information provided in snippets as the book progresses, this enhances the dramatic side of the story and held my attention all the way through and I was surprised by those suspenceful and tension filled moments that I did not see coming, also an ending that was also a surprise and finished off the story in a very satisfactory manner.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book, all opinions are my own.

I am not going to go to in depth with my synopsis of this book. I think it is best to go in blindly with this one. This book made me uncomfortable, and often creeped out. But it was a real page turner! I finished this read in less than 24 hours. Even thought it gave me the chills at times, I just had to know what is going on.

What I enjoyed:
- although I didn’t really like any of the characters…they were still super interesting and well written
- This is a fast paced read. We jump right into everything within the first few chapters
- Seriously, it gave me the creeps. This would be a great spooky season read!

I look forward to future work by this author. Solid 3.5 stars out of 4, rounded up to 4 stars. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

First, this book could never be described as boring. There were some truly disturbing elements (check trigger warnings) which made me feel uncomfortable while also glued to the page. The characters are largely unlikeable, but for some reason I found myself really caring about what was happening. The book seemed a bit predictable and slow, until about halfway through when something is revealed which completely flips the story on its head. Everything from there just steamrollers and it's impossible to not get caught up in it.

WARNING: Trigger warning for violent sex/rape scenes.

What woman hasn't compared herself to her boyfriend's ex?! The Perfect Girlfriend was a twisty, turny, creepy take on jealousy, revenge, and blissful love.

"I won't question him, I won't challenge him, because I need our relationship to work. Because I have secrets too."

This was an addictive thriller that I read in one sitting. I could not get enough of this warped love story. I cannot wait to see what Hayley Smith comes up with next!!!

Lauren and Jay meet at a music festival and soon start living together in Jay's run-down cottage out in the country. Jay takes care of her. He keeps the keys safe; he looks after the money; he does most of the errands; all while Lauren stays at home more and more. But Jay has secrets like the locked room he doesn't have keys for, so he says. But Lauren has secrets too so she tries to be the perfect girlfriend.

This was a page-turner for me, even though it's a bit of a slow burn. For a large portion of the book we get to know Lauren's past and all about this relationship. The narrative is interrupted now and then with a mysterious scene of a kidnapped girl being abused. Even though neither of the main characters are all that likeable I cared about what was happening to them. Things kept switching back and forwards for me thinking one then another was the 'bad guy'. While the ending wasn't surprising it was fast-paced and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Debut novel from this author and for that applause is due, there are some cracking ideas and scenarios and sub stories throughout the book, parts of it are troubling and dark, parts intriguing and others just very readable as the ‘plot thickens’
We don’t find out the crux of the matter until half way past and things made more sense after that, one of those ‘aha, right’ moments where it all falls into play, I guess it’s fair to say before that I was a bit confused occasionally as to why the main character was doing what she was doing…but that’s a side issue and all in all a very worthy debut and a good solid story with multiple issues needing sorting by the various people we meet, much promise for further reading from this author

Oh this was a great book. I could not put it down!! The storyline was unique and kept me entertained. I felt like there was always something happening with the twist of how everyone’s relationship related. Great read!

The Perfect Girlfriend by Hayley Smith is a most impressive debut, and I was hooked from the very start.

Lauren meets Jay at a music festival and the two move in together almost immediately. Lauren's life is a mess, and living in a remote wood where Jay handles most of the decisions seems to suit her current needs, though her efforts to keep the peace become frustrating to witness. Jay is intense and secretive, and it soon becomes clear that Lauren will take extreme measures to protect secrets of her own.

Overall, this is a twisty thriller that will keep you invested in the lives of these very well-drawn, complex characters. I look forward to reading more from this promising new author.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC.

Great story, a little slow to start as the stage is set, but once I got further into the book, fully invested in it, and wanted to see how it finished. Lauren the protagonist made some seemingly bad decisions, but was relentless in her pursuit of the truth. She has secrets of her own though. The character of Jay was menacing and well-written. Overall a really good book, even though it took me a while to get into it. Great debut.

A great debut.

The Perfect Girlfriend follows Lauren and her new relationship with Jay, whom she meets at a festival. What starts off as a whirlwind romance, becomes uncomfortable to read as we see Jay change. We know from the off Lauren has instigated their meeting and she is running from something but it’s not until around halfway we get the first big reveal.

Overall a thrilling read which I devoured in a day.

Thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the ARC.

A wildly exciting thriller. Things were off in this story and I knew something was going to happen . . . So many explosive twists in this dark tale. Wow!

Holy moly!!! What a crazy, awesome, messed-up, thought provoking, can't put down book! If you like psychological thrillers, this is one to check out. The people and scenery are off just enough to create an anticipatory nervousness for the reader. There are hippies, potential ghosts, odd characters, secrets, lies, drugs, alcohol, sex, abuse, control ... it can be dark one moment, and then sensual and falsely comfortable and welcoming the next. Lots of twists and turns with continual excitement. An excellent debut novel for Hayley Smith! This would make a great book club book to discuss all the different personalities, story sidelines and unanswered questions. It's definitely a new favorite for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the eARC.

A debut thriller that is so well written characters that come alive.I was so involved so many twists and turns ,I could not put it down.A new author I will be following and recommending.#netgalley #bookouture

The Perfect Girlfriend by Hayley Smith is a gripping psychological thriller that delves into the dark and twisted mind of the protagonist. As she paints a picture of the perfect relationship with her boyfriend Jay, the reader is drawn into her web of deceit and manipulation. Smith expertly builds tension and suspense as the protagonist's secrets and true nature are slowly revealed. The story explores themes of obsession, control, and the lengths people will go to in order to maintain their façade. With its compelling narrative and complex characters, The Perfect Girlfriend will keep readers guessing until the final page. Smith delivers a chilling and unsettling tale that will leave a lasting impression.

A very good read from a new author. Lots of twists and turns and a good pace. I will look forward to this author's future books.

Hated jay - but that’s the sign of a good author to bring out such emotions! This book was everything I look for in a book. It was so exciting. The plot was fantastic. It really had me on the edge of my seat, and my heart racing. It was very well written and flowed well. Hit me right in the feels…,.