The Perfect Girlfriend
Hayley Smith
332 pages
Bookouture
pubished Jul 20, 2023
Amazon | US Audio | UK Audio | Goodreads
Listen to a clip here.
About the book
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?
A completely addictive psychological thriller packed with incredible twists you won’t see coming. Perfect for fans of The Housemaid, The Split, and The Serial Killer’s Wife.
My Review
I was a little unclear where this one was heading at first but it is a solid debut. The characters had secrets and kept me guessing what they might be. Even Lauren’s when she was our narrator. I wasn’t sure if she was unreliable or just not letting me into that part of the story. None of the characters were very likable but I really wanted to know what was going on and if Lauren’s decisions were as bad as they seemed. It was almost like yelling at a horror movie in the why are you doing that??? And then I’d find out a little more about the situation and it would make the decision worse, not better.
I both read and listened to this one and Katie Villa does a good job as narrator. She skillfully brought the story to life and kept my interest.
This one ends up being pretty dark so make sure and check trigger warnings if you have any. If you are a fan of dark suspense novels with secrets and twists, you should definitely check this one out.
About the authorHayley Smith is married with three children and lives in a north Derbyshire village. She has worked as a graphic designer, youth worker and musician, and has been involved for many years in organising music festivals and gigs. She studied English Language and Creative Writing with the Open University and is an avid reader of psychological fiction. Having a penchant for all things alternative, she often dips into the counter-culture scene for writing inspiration, producing quirky rough-edged characters and dark, unpredictable twists, turns and moral dilemmas. You can follow Hayler on Twitter here.
Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Hayley Smith here: https://www.bookouture.
Leave a Reply