A solid read with lots of mystery and intrigue, well written for the most part. It fell a bit flat in places though sadly.

Great cover and story concept however this one was not for me. I enjoyed the main character Lauren as well as the little girl Lolly however being set in the UK and me in America I struggled to understand some of the cultural translations and slang used to describe items or events. The writing style was pleasant and the book flowed well, I think some of my challenges were of a personal preference in regards to thriller or suspense books. All in all I would give this author a chance on another book in the future!

What a fabulous debut and Hayley Smith is one to look out for in future. I’ll definitely be reading any further books she releases.
The book starts really strongly, and I was quickly taken in by the characters.
It’s well written with plenty of twists throughout which meant I raced through it.

Okay, this was fast paced , however it fell flat for me. I wanted to love it, the premise of the book had me hooked. I felt the story dragged and it wasn't believable.

Didn't work for me but I would give another of her books a try in case this was a one of.

Thanks for the approval. 2 stars

Really enjoyed this book. It’s a story about friendship, revenge and never giving up. Loved the plot as it made me question if the character was good or bad. This book gives a complete closure on all characters which makes it stand out for me.
Thank you netgalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
It’s a 4/5 for me.

What an amazing debut novel! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It had me hooked from the get go. I had no idea what was going to happen and was hooked on all the little hints I was getting throughout the book. I could simply not put it down. The characters in this book felt well developed and so interesting. I loved Lolly so much. I felt like the character building really added to the story. My only reason for it not being a 5 star read would be sometimes the pace was slower and it felt a tiny bit repetitive. Other than that I very much enjoyed and will be looking out for what Hayley Smith writes next.

I am a prochoice mother. I don't think abortion is shameful or should be a secret. Our girl is ashamed of her's.
She is grieving and ends up with a man who knows all about how to manipulate a woman into complete submission. This poor girl lets this guy control her entirely. He is creepy and terrifying. As the story unfolds we learn that this girl/woman was groomed by a much older man as a teen and that was the only man she had ever been with, She has no ability to see red flags.
The book is creepy and I was terrified for her. However, I also could not understand why she even likes a man that much. Like what is the appeal?
I loved this so much! I also picked up the audiobook.

The Perfect Girlfriend by Hayley Smith was not what I was expecting but in a good way. I had the pleasure of having this book in both audio and ebook version and this book was so good I sped through those goodness way to fast for my liking. The twist and turns were so good and the ending was chef's kisses. Smith out did herself.

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

Lauren meets Jay at a music festival that they end up missing half of. From not keeping their hands off each other to Jay asking her to stay with him.

I would be so disappointed if I moved to a place thinking it was going to be some way to it being run down and a complete disaster.

Lauren has a past with her friend taking her own life and her boyfriend dumping her. But we later find out there is more to the story.

It did take me a long time to really get into this book unfortunately. I would say about 60% of it was very slow and boring but I’m not quitter. But finally the book started getting good and I finished it so fast once it picked up the pace.

I will say I’m very happy at the ending but I would have liked for it to pick up pretty early in the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the EARC! As always, my review is my opinion and thoughts. This review will be shared to my Instagram (@Alexandriavwilliams_) in the near future.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC/ALC. I enjoyed the narrator of this book but that's about all i enjoyed. The story starts out so unbelievable to me and it just got more cringe as I read/listened on. This was a miss for me!

In this debut novel we are introduced to Jay and Lauren who meet at a music festival and quickly slide into this whirlwind off the grid relationship. Things aren’t quite what they seem with these two though and the relationship quickly starts to turn. The first half of this book is a little slow to build up to and hard to connect with in places. It leaves you wondering a bit how the story will develop and if it is in fact a thriller/mystery. It isn’t until about the 46% mark where you start to uncover what is really happening and the story starts to take off. While I did enjoy reading this story and was impressed by the writing as a debut I did struggle a bit with the characters. I really disliked Lauren our MC, she made it really hard for me to connect to her because she just comes off as an annoying, naïve and needy. Jay on the other hand reminds me of about five ex-boyfriends!! He is your stereo typical controlling dominant throughout the book and you see the involvement from start to finish with his character. I felt like the ending was a little rushed and we could’ve spent more time on developing this part of the story as opposed to the build up at beginning of the book. Overall, I think it was an enjoyable read but not one that I need to pick up and read again.

This was easily one of the best thrillers I have read in a long time. There were so many unexpected twists and turns and I felt like I was constantly on the edge of my seat and on the verge of finding something out!. I have read a multitude thrillers over the years so hardly anything surprises me any more, but this book was wildly different!

I wanted to keep reading the book in one sitting, but I also didn't want to find out all the secrets immediately I wanted to prolong the feeling discovering a really sinister secret, I am not entirely sure how to move on after this book. It set the bar really high for thrillers to come!

Drop everything else and go read this book right away!

*ARC Review*

This debut novel by Hayley Smith was a really fantastic story. I enjoyed the unique plot line, and character development.

Hayley definitely has lots of potential in her writing skills, and I can’t wait to see what else she comes up with.

I didn’t see the major plot twist coming, but once I figured that out, I did predict the ending. Although, it was still very enjoyable!

I feel like any debut novel, it’s never a “perfect work” if that’s a proper term. There were definitely some plot holes, and a few moments I had to stop and say “wait what?” Because the progression/information didn’t really make sense.

But all in all, I really enjoy the book. I devoured the last 50% in an evening!

This one was not for me. I found the book to be very slow and I could not relate to the characters and their decisions. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #Bookouture and Hayley Smith for the opportunity to read an advance copy of The Perfect Girlfriend, to be published 20 July 2023. This debut novel records the life of a woman who has experienced a plethora of bad relationships and finds a new boyfriend in Jay who has some issues of his own. Overall, the novel was well put together but was a little slow. To read this book, it is recommended to review the triggers, particularly about sexual abuse. 4/5 Stars. #NetGalley. #Bookouture. #HayleySmith

I loved this book it was really fun and a wild ride with the twist at the end. I will say abuse is usually not a favorite for me but I enjoyed how everything played out. The FMC was frustrating at times but what character isnt. When he gave her drugs and she just took it that was a lot but I got past that . I enjoyed this wild ride it was fun and it kept me guessing.

The book started off a little slow to me and I found it a bit eccentric and weird. The end definitely summed up the book nicely and became more interesting. It was a little drawn out but I did enjoy it.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! This book was so captivating one world WOW! It was a fast paced and kept me guessing throughout a perfect book for psychological thrillers fans alike, from the very first page I drawn and couldn’t put the book down it was so good I read it in a day! The characters were likeable also.

Overall, I throughly enjoyed this book and all the plot twists that it presented!

Thanks NetGalley and Bookouture for the arc of The Perfect Girlfriend by Hayley Smith.

Wow!!! Absolutely brilliant and a must read if you’re a thriller book lover. Highly recommend! I can’t wait to read more from this author.

This is a must read for anyone who enjoys a good thriller!!
Absolutely loved the characters, the plot, the tension - impossible to put it down.
Certainly recommended!