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I’m always on the search for a gripping, engaging and twisty thriller. When I read the synopsis for The Perfect Girlfriend by Hayley Smith, I was instantly intrigued so I had to read it.

What is The Perfect Girlfriend by Hayley Smith about?

The book follows Lauren a violinist with a traumatic colourful past she wants to graduate from. When she performs at a music festival she meets Jay – a handsome green-eyed music fanatic. A whirlwind romance follows with Jay asking Lauren to move in with him.

With no access to the internet, no phone signal, no neighbours and miles away from any of Lauren’s friends and relatives, it’s Lauren’s chance to start again and become the perfect girlfriend… But there’s more to Jay than he’s letting on. And Lauren is determined to uncover the secrets of Jay’s past, but at what cost?

The Perfect Girlfriend By Hayley Smith review

The Perfect Girlfriend in general has all of the hallmarks of a twisty psychological thriller. Although I did find it a little bit slow to start, once I got into the story I was hooked and found it an addictive page-turner.

The book addresses many distressing themes, the author does an excellent job of telling the harrowing story but the disturbing scenes are written with a ‘fade to black’. I think this was a really good choice by the author as it doesn’t make the book uncomfortable to read. All the while, the scenes are descriptive enough so no story is lost to this technique.

Hayley Smith has done a wonderful job of the characterisation of Lauren, this helped me as a reader build an empathetic bond with her, and made me route for her!

What I enjoyed most about this book was that it wasn’t an unbelievable plot like many of the other psychological thriller books I’ve read. The narrative is dark and twisted enough to be engaging but believable enough to be plausible in real life.

The only thing I would have liked to have seen in this book is more depth, background and context to the various friendships in the book. I feel Jay’s friends (particularly Rick) needed a bit more substance.

Overall, I’d definitely recommend this book to any lovers of thrillers. I can see The Perfect Girlfriend translating really well into a TV series or movie. Just be aware that there are some very dark and heavy themes in this book – I’ve listed some of the book’s trigger warnings above! I think this was an excellent debut novel from Hayley Smith, and I hope she continues to write more twisty thrillers!

I listened to this book in audio format, and the narration by Katie Villa was a really good performance. She captured the personalities and voices f the characters perfectly. I’d definitely recommend listening to The Perfect Girlfriend on Audible! I feel like audiobooks are fantastic for people (like me) who like to get immersed in a book. Remember that your first Audible book is FREE and your audible subscription comes with access to the Audible Plus library.

For those who prefer to read on digital e-readers, this book is also available on Kindle . It’s also available in paperback for those who prefer a physical copy!

Have you read The Perfect Girlfriend? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Please leave any suggestions for future books for me to read in the comments!

#ThePerfectGirlfriend #NetGalley

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