"The Perfect Girlfriend" by Hayley Smith

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The Perfect Girlfriend" by Hayley Smith is a well-crafted and engaging psychological thriller that held my attention from start to finish.

The book follows Lauren, a 30-year-old woman with skeletons in the closet. Her past is filled with bad decisions, and the present isn't any different.  She meets a guy named Jay at a music festival and moves in with him, trying to be the "perfect girlfriend". They live in a little house on the edge of a deep forest, where there’s no internet, no phone signal, and no close neighbors- just what Lauren needs to escape her traumatic past.

At first, love is in the air, and all is well in their corner of paradise. However, Jay has secrets of his own that slowly unfold as the story progresses. Lauren's idyllic new life soon shatters as those dark secrets in both their pasts reveal the snake in paradise.

I enjoyed the book very much, although I had a hard time connecting with Lauren. She made many dumb decisions, some of which caused me to roll my eyes, and many the times I wanted to shake some sense into her. The unsettling atmosphere and feeling of dread grew the more you read. Like witnessing a car accident where you can't look away, I couldn't stop reading as she made one stupid choice after another.

The author keeps the readers on their toes and encourages them to read the next chapter to find out what is really going on. The plot moves at a steady pace, and the author does a wonderful job of providing just enough detail to paint a clear picture of the characters and settings. The characterizations are interesting, and the suspense is nicely maintained until the climax at the end.

The book is loaded with surprises, dark twists, and creepy moments. The story grabbed me right from the beginning with rich storylines and some well-drawn characters. Lauren grew on me, and I rooted for her, but one of the secondary characters, Lolly, was my favorite.

I liked the writing and the way the story unfolded before my very eyes. The author doesn't give us all the information at once. Bit by bit she uncovers more and more pieces from the past and fills up the dots. I have to admit, some of Lauren's choices demand a suspension of belief (surely no one can be that stupid), but it all makes sense as the plot unfolds.

I debated between giving it 4 or 5 stars, but the spectacular ending caused me to give the book full stars. I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy psychological thriller novels with a bite and like reading about a character's ability to overcome their own life struggles.

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.

* For more info about the book: "The Perfect Girlfriend" by Hayley Smith