A compelling journey of domestic abuse twisted into a thriller! I really enjoyed this book; it kept be hooked wanting to know the outcome whilst discussing hard hitting topics such as abuse sensitively. I haven't read anything from this author before but will definitely be reading more from her!

Lauren meets Jay at a folks music concert, they have sex, she agrees to move in with him. Lauren has had many misgivings in her past. We learn early on about a woman named Nell who was Lauren’s best friend. We learn of a man named Martin who sexually abused Lauren. Lauren doesn’t have any support from friends or relatives all of them having disowned her due to her personal history. We don’t learn what parts Nell and Martin play until much later on.

Lauren moves into Jays cottage in quite literally the middle of nowhere. The nearest neighbor over 2 miles away, no internet or cell reception. Jay is not agreeable to society’s demands and essentially lives off the land, teaching Lauren to do so as well. Jay brings home road kill, Lauren learns to cook the road kill and become a homemaker of her own delicious food used from the vegetables and herbs that she and Jay grow. Lauren also finds a passion for interior design while she works on projects around the run down cabin. They earn money by busking in the local town.

Jay is quite controlling. He keeps the money, he keeps the keys to the camper van after encouraging Lauren to sell her only car. He keeps her cell phone and often leaves her with no mode of transport or communication while he “works”. Jay is also secretive and when Lauren makes discoveries and asks questions, Jay becomes violent.

Jay has a group of friends called Phyl, Maria and (Phyl’s daughter/Maria’s stepdaughter) 9 year old Lolly who is mute due to trauma. Rick who is Jay’s best friend and appears to dislike Lauren with a passion. The friends are cruel to her and she spends most of her time away from them “being antisocial and a party pooper” according to Jay. 9 year old Lolly appears to be Lauren’s only source of comfort and her, Lolly’s comfort as well. There is a lot of drinking when the friends are together and throughout the book Lauren is given a “special kiss” at nearly every chapter. Which results in her awakening to rough sex injuries without any memories.

We hear tidbits of BDSM via another point of view belonging to Jay.

This book was absolutely agonizing for me to read. I almost skimmed through but resisted the urge. At the halfway point is when Lauren’s purpose is brought to light and where the story begins to become more interesting and believable though somewhat contradictory to the earlier chapters. Lauren continues to make stupid decisions and have a naive outlook on her relationship with Jay.

I could not, in good conscience, give this book any more than half a star. I mean I had to give it one star because there is not an option for half a star.

In my opinion: The context leading up to the last half could’ve been more worthy of my time as a reader. Instead it fell very flat, caused me to suspend my belief as a reader for Lauren’s plight, and grated on my nerves. However, I do appear to have an outlier opinion as others have rated this one kindly. Read at your leisure, I’m eager to hear other opinions.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Perfect Girlfriend by Hayley Smith is out NOW!

Beautiful. Engaging. Just wow! Loved this one so much. Do read this one. A wonderfully thrilling and suspenseful story. One I could not put down. I highly recommend this one.

He loves me…He trusts me…He shouldn’t…

An interesting debut from author Hayley Smith with some interesting scenarios and ideas with a plot that thickens into the dark and troubling about halfway through.

Set against a remote and claustrophobic backdrop, thirty year old Lauren meets Jay at a music festival and it's love at first sight. Having previously dated a married man who dumped her, her parents had ostracised her for bringing shame to their family and her estrangement with her sister. Not to mention losing her job and her flat and is staying with a friend who pretty much wants her space back. And her best friend committed suicide. Stepping things up a notch, Lauren moves into his isolate cottage without a second thought, despite its lack of WiFi or phone service or even neighours, for that matter. And so closing the chapter on her old life, begins a new one.

But Jay, however, is hiding secrets. So is Lauren, for that matter, with her own skeletons rattling around in her wake. But her perfect new life soon begins to splinter when both of their secrets start to surface. As the story unfolds, she realises that Jay isn't the perfect man she'd at first thought. Secret and controlling, Lauren starts to wonder if she's made the right decision in moving here.

The unfolding story was like a car crash that you couldn't look away from despite Lauren continuing to make one stupid decision after another. But the setting was atmospheric and a perfect storm for such a tale. There are plenty of surprises, dark twists and even some creepy moments that will have you turning the pages until the end. Despite the suspension of belief needed for some of Lauren's choices, this is one nail-biting addictive read.

For a debut, a cracking read and mostly enjoyable.

I would like to thank #HayleySmith, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #ThePerfectGirlfriend in exchange for an honest review.

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

This book was so Good! When I tell you I locked my self in the a room to read this I am not kidding! I was a page turner for sure. I can't wait to read more from this author.

There is a few things you need to know before I launch into my review :

1. The Perfect Girlfriend, is out tomorrow
2. Free on Kindle Unlimited, so you really do not have an excuse
3. The Perfect Girlfriend screams "thriller of the year" and you don't want to be the only shlep to miss out.

Now, let me tell you about this pretty ole book right here. The cover instantly grabbed my attention. The title, innocent enough, paired with a wilting flower, had me curious. Little did I know that within the pages, this book would pack such a gut punch it would take me hours just to get over what I had just read. Yes, my little soul suckers, this book is THAT good.

The suspense was immediately present, I was never once bored, my attention never lost. It became impossible to put down the book let alone attempt to travel while reading to get to the bathroom, so, I did what other psycho book lovers do, and I just "held it" .

That was a REALLY bad idea, as when I got to the big twist, I nearly wet myself...

Oh Well,

The Perfect Girlfriend, WILL be the book of the year and you heard it here first. Don't believe me? Check out this teaser :

He loves me. He trusts me. He shouldn’t.

Jay and I have only known each other a short while, but whenever I gaze into his deep green eyes I tell him 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 we are, and I need to keep it that way.

He wants me to stay here where he can keep me safe from the outside world. I don’t question him, I won’t challenge him. I have him exactly where I want him. He has to think I’m the perfect girlfriend, far better than the one before. Because I know what he did.

All I have to do now is play my part and bide my time. So I tell myself Jay doesn’t have a clue who I really am. I’ve been so careful. Haven’t I?

Oh, where do I even begin with The Perfect Girlfriend by Hayley Smith? This gripping debut novel took me on a rollercoaster ride of secrets, psychological games, and spine-chilling twists that left me breathless. From the moment I started reading, I couldn't tear myself away, eager to uncover what lay hidden within the pages.

The story revolves around Jay, my boyfriend, who seems to be the perfect match for me. We've created our little haven in a secluded house near a deep forest, far away from the prying eyes of the outside world. But beneath the surface of our seemingly idyllic life together, secrets lurk, and I'm determined to keep them hidden at any cost.

As the pages turned, I found myself drawn deeper into the chilling atmosphere, not knowing whom to trust or what would happen next. Hayley Smith's storytelling prowess kept me on the edge of my seat, heart pounding, as the plot unfolded with unexpected twists and turns that left me gasping.

The novel's ending was a true masterpiece, delivering a surprising twist that I never saw coming. This psychological thriller is a must-read for fans of eerie and intense storytelling, and I'm eagerly awaiting the author's next creation. Kudos to Hayley Smith for a fantastic debut, and a big thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with the ARC that gripped me from start to finish.

Absolutely gripping read. I literally cannot fault this book. The characters and the plot are excellent.

In the beginning it was kindle of dry for me. It didn’t start to get good til towards the end. It did have some good twists to it, and a very nice ending. Definitely worth a read.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Bookouture for the ARC of#ThePerfectGirlfriend by #HayleySmith. As her debut album she did a wonderful job. Maybe I am in need of a hair color change.

Lauren meets Jay at a festival and straight away the pair of them click, it’s like they were meant to be and nothing can stop that. After a few short weeks Lauren moves in with Kay in his cottage in the middle of no where. There is no Wi-Fi, no phone signal it’s just Lauren, Jay and they’re surrounding. This suits Lauren fine though as she wants to run and hide from her previous life so this suits Lauren down to the ground.

Not long after moving in Lauren discovers that Jay has secrets, he disappears for hours on end and when she asks where he has been he becomes cagey, so for a while she accepts this. Jay is looking after Lauren, she doesn’t have to worry about a thing, he makes her feel safe and that’s just how she likes it.

As the book progresses it becomes clear that Lauren also has secrets that she is keeping from Jay, and soon both of their secrets become too much and their relationship struggles to survive. Both Lauren and Jay want to keep their secrets just that way but the consequences could end up being deadly.

I was hooked right from the start of this book, it was fast paced, easy to read with plenty of twists and turns. As far as a debut novel goes it doesn’t get any better than this and I cannot wait to see what else Hayley Smith will have in store for her readers in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advance copy of this book in exchange for this review.

Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Edit - After sitting with this one and re-reading it via audiobook, I've decide it deserves to be bumped up to 4 stars.

I think think was an great debut. It was fast paced and twisty.
I did struggle with some of the MC's decisions at various points, but all of her decisions were based on a master plan.
While there wasn't a big twist in the end, the ending was great nonetheless.
I will definitely be checking out future books by Hayley.

Side note, this book has one of my all time favourite dedications - "For my parents, who taught me to read."

I enjoyed this book a lot. I have been reading a lot of thrillers in the past two years, but I honestly felt that this story brought something new and refreshing to the table.
Lauren meets Jay at a music festival where she is performing. They hit it off right away. Just at the right moment, because Lauren her life is in shambles. Things move very fast and Lauren moves into his cabin. Jay is a big fan of self-sufficiency; so there is no phone, no neighbors and they grow their own vegetables. Slowly Jay takes over Laurens life, the only thing she has to do is be his perfect girlfriend, but Lauren has secrets of her own.
This book is very fast paced and that is a pro but also a con. Pro because it keeps you turning pages and wanting to know more. There is enough action and suspense to keep you enthralled. On the other hand it moves so fast, that as a reader you know things are going to go sideways. Let’s be honest, who moves in with a guy she doesn’t even know the last name of? Someone desperate… and I must say when the plot twists are revealed you come to understand Laurens brass decisions better.
I loved the building up suspense and the overall creepy vibe this story gave me. You know something was coming… but I was pretty far into the story before I realized what truelly was going on.

The Perfect Girlfriend by Hayley Smith was an excellent slow burn thriller.
A thrilling, addictive and twisted read.
It was a slow burn mystery, but it held my interest just because it was a good, well-written mystery.
The characters kept the story moving and kept me glued to the pages.
The writing techniques used throughout the book add to the story and keep the plot moving. There are plenty of secrets to be revealed and lots of twists.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Bookouture for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for a Copy of the perfect girlfriend. Wow this book was the slowest burn of a thriller. From the very start I had Get Out vibes but then how you think you know how the story ends. The writer did a great job obviously telling the story and characters all had interesting stories that kept open the absolute thrilling twist the book went 150% the pace and it isn’t till after the book is over to be sure there wasn’t another twist coming. This was a brilliant concept that came from the author’s own short story. This was a great debut a definite hit

First I’m going to start off with some trigger warnings for this one: rape, abortion, drugs, drug rape, child grooming.

So this book was hit and miss for me - I feel like it only really started to come together in the last 30 percent. For the first 70% I was literally like girl what are you doing, and actually even near the end I was like - not gonna like call the police or anything?

I found both the female and male MC rather annoying and completely unlikeable 😅

3 starts as the fast paced ending really redeemed the rest of it.

This was a fast-paced and entertaining thriller. I liked the narrator, I didn't get bored with the story, and was pretty invested throughout without zoning out too much. I thought it was paced well. I thought overall it was good.

I thought this had just the right amount of twists. Nothing groundbreaking here but it was enjoyable and kept me interested in the outcome. Each character isn't entirely what they seem so it was fun to unravel what each character is delving into.

I'd recommend for those that like a quick thriller with some decent secrecy surrounding most of the characters.

This was so bad - I wish I’d DNF’d it. The title makes no sense, the characters are boring and aren’t fleshed out at all. They have no personality. You are thrown into the middle of something at the beginning of the book and it moves so quickly and makes absolutely no sense? Who in their right mind moves in with a man they just met and what man moves a woman in he just met? And they’re suddenly in love? And she’s just ok with no outside contact? And he isn’t suspicious at all? And they never talk and they’re always arguing and NEITHER OF THEM HAVE A PERSONALITY. The plot is boring and makes no sense until halfway thru the book and then it is just predictable. The writing was choppy, there was no suspense, nothing enjoyable. Steer clear.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC of this book

A true psychological thriller! I loved that there were many characters involved and each complex and diverse in their own way. The story building through the first half was enthralling in itself, but I was completely hooked and couldn’t put it down after that point. What an impressive debut novel.

This was an interesting book. It starts with a hint that somethings have happened in Lauren's past, and she's starting over. For the longest time, it focuses on her rebuilding her life with her new boyfriend, Jay. She doesn't have friends, her relationship with her family is strained, and Jay's friends don't like her. She comes across as a somewhat unreliable narrator until she tells you what's really going on about halfway through. At that point, the book takes a left turn and becomes a thriller that keeps you turning the pages until you reach the end.

I must say that, while I liked the story overall, I struggled to relate to Lauren. As I mentioned, she's a somewhat unreliable narrator, and then when you learn what's going on inside her head, it doesn't get better. Throughout the book, she makes decisions that left me questioning her motives and her sanity. It does pay off in the end, though, which is why I can definitely recommend this book. It's a great first novel, and I'd be curious to read the short story about Jay and Lauren that inspired this book.