So many secrets and lies lots of sadness and pain. The story is set in the present and in the past. Kat is desperate for a baby, she is waiting news of their adoption plans to get an orphan baby from China. They have been there before but were let down at the last minute. Nick her husband is reluctant to apply for an English baby he says they won't stand a chance and anyway he prefers to help a baby from China. While Kat is waiting for news she bumps into Lisa an old friend from her teens, her very best friend until tragedy struck and their friendship was destroyed. Surprisingly they chat and get on really well and promise to keep in touch but is Lisa really as friendly as she seems. There's a niggling doubt in Kat's mind but when events take a turn for the worse Lisa is there to offer comfort and perhaps a solution to their problem. This is the sort of book that runs away with you, I was desperate to get to the ending, it's a bit of a bumpy ride but in the end I was gobsmacked at the outcome. I enjoyed the book immensely thank you for the ARC

I almost didn't read this one. I was expecting yet another Single White Female clone. And boy was I wrong!

The Surrogate surprised me again and again. While I was bugged by how naive our main character seemed, it turns out that she (and a few other unexpected characters) had some hidden dark depths.

Very quickly, the book I thought I was getting turned into something else entirely.

Now, I confess that I didn't love the ending. The book had turned into quite a suspenseful thriller and the ending? It died with a whimper.

But I'll happily try the author again!

You can't improve on perfection, can you? Well, Louise Jensen has.
She must have some sort of magical power when it comes to writing because The Sister, her debut novel was perfect, then along came The Gift and that too was perfect and now we have The Surrogate, which is just so far beyond perfection it's scary! How does she do it?! 
The Surrogate sees Kat and her husband, Nick, settled in their marriage and careers. They look like the couple who have it all. Apart from one thing. Kat wants a baby but she isn't able to get pregnant. After a failed adoption and the stresses and costs that go with it, they are on the verge of giving up their dreams of being parents. 
Enter Lisa. 
Lisa is Kat's childhood best friend, the best friend Kat thought she would never see again because, well ... You'll have to read the book to find that out! 
Once again, Jensen has knocked it right outta the park with this one. Not shying away from topics that may not be touched upon too much, Jensen shows us the murky world of surrogacy. The depth of her research into the subject is clear, as is her ability to create the most twisted of characters. 
I was fully immersed in this one, I could not put it down, Jensen has a way of gently weaving her plot, the intricate details and the exquisite way she tangles the reader up in her web of lies, deceit, and deception is just fascinating. Her characters are needed, there isn't one which you don't understand the reason for, the whole cast are integral to the tale and all play an important part, whether big or small. 
Kat is one of my favourites. She is a nice, normal girl. She had a bit of a shitty start to life but then she met Nick. Gorgeous, kind, and caring Nick. And they fell in love. Kat is so relatable. I can see her, just like me, sitting in my Pj's all day, or perhaps upgrading to leggings and a baggy T-shirt if I have company, slightly worried about my weight and what my other half thinks about the extra pounds I've obtained but not really bothering to do anything about it. 
She is most women out there, she has a job she a loves, a husband she adores, and a life she has always craved. Although there is that one missing thing. A baby. Again, Jensen has developed a side to Kat that is so relatable. She has this empty space that she knows only a baby will fill, but she can't do that. Although Nick is happy as they are, Kat is desperate to give him a child. So desperate she is prepared to revisit the past she left behind so get one. 
What follows is the most thrilling ride ... Kat and Lisa are back together but what happened to break them up? 
I read this in one sitting, no, it's not fast paced but it works, as always with Jensen's writing. It builds and that is part of the beauty of her writing. We don't need millions of dead bodies (I can't believe I said that either!!) car chases, and gun fights. We don't need an alcoholic police officer whose team hates him more than he hates himself (not complaining about those books BTW - I do love a grumpy old copper!!) what we get instead is a chilling journey, a thrilling ride, and the most heartbreaking story I've read for a very long time. 
Jensen does that. She has this way of writing a psychological thriller that will get under your skin, that will get your heart pounding and your adrenaline flowing whilst at the same time taking you on an emotional rollercoaster. 
If Louise Jensen could bottle up her writing talent, she'd be a gazillionaire.

**3.5 Goodreads Stars**

"Revenge whispers the voice inside my head. I drain my drink to silence it."

With a title like The Surrogate, readers can expect one wild Lifetime-Movie-of-the-Week ride of a thriller. I am not a fan of gimmicky titles, but I read the description of Louise Jensen's book and thought it might be worth a try.

Admittedly, I couldn't put it down much like I can't turn off a new Lifetime Movie despite its predictable ending and a familiar cast of characters. The book isn't stale, but the ending is so wild (and for those of us who read suspense and thrillers, a bit easy to figure out early on) that it took me a few hours to digest. The Surrogate is a guilty reading pleasure, like a pint of ice cream you eat in one sitting.

The story is told from the perspective of Kat, who seems to have a normal, comfortable life with her husband, Nick. Everything seems perfect except for one thing: she can't get pregnant. Nick and Kat have suffered through two failed foreign adoptions, and are mourning their losses. That is until Lisa walks into Nick and Kat's life. 

Lisa was Kat's childhood friend, and she reappears in Kat's life when the two awkwardly run into each other. Kat and Lisa become close friends as adults despite the fact that their childhood friendship did not end on good terms. Lisa offers to help Kat and Nick have a child by being a surrogate. In her haste to have a child, Kat accepts Lisa's offer. Soon, however, Kat questions Lisa's motivations for being a surrogate, which leads Kat to dredge up long buried memories of her torrential teenage years. 

Jensen's writing will draw you in, and Kat's story will keep you turning the pages. I rated this book 3.5 stars because the ending seemed so completely unbelievable, and I felt like none of the characters had any redeeming qualities whatsoever by the end of the book. I read this book in two days, though, and if you start reading it you probably won't put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley, Louise Jensen, and Bookouture for an advanced reader copy of The Surrogate.

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion. All I can say is "wow"! I rarely give a book 5 stars and there is nothing negative about this book. I really could not put it down.

When I'm in the mood for a fantastic psychological thriller, Louise Jensen is an author who always "wow's" me!!! The Surrogate packs a twisted and chilling punch that entertained me the entire way through. I had an initial theory of where Louise Jensen was taking the storyline, but she blew me away with some seriously well-timed twists and turns. My theory was completely wrong (way, way, waaaaaaaay wrong) which is one of my favorite aspects to Louise Jensen's writing, she ALWAYS surprises me. This novel was paced perfectly and I actually finished it in one day because I couldn't put it down-- so addictive! The Surrogate is a 5 star novel that is a 2017 must read! I am already looking forward to reading what Louise Jensen comes out with next!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers, Bookouture for this review copy.

Kat and Nick have tried everything to become parents. They have tried to adopt from overseas, but the adoption has just fallen through again, for the second time. Kat is resigning herself to the fact that she will never become a mother. That is until she bumps into her long lost childhood friend, Lisa. She hasn’t seen Lisa for many years and their history holds lots of secrets. Lisa is the key to Kat’s dreams – she offers to become a surrogate mother for Kat and Nick. Is there more than meets the eye to this though?

Wow, what a book! Very difficult to review without giving away any spoilers, but this is a book that is full of lies, secrets, deceit and questions. I honestly didn’t know who was what, who was telling the truth or who was lying – it honestly did seem that every single character had a secret. Kat and Nick have a steady marriage until Lisa shows back into Kat’s life, and then Lisa’s back and all of these secrets start reappearing from many years before. I did guess some of the story, I mean let’s face it, the surrogacy story was never going to be smooth sailing, but I didn’t guess it completely right. The story veered from one thing to another, when I thought I’d made my mind up as to what the heck was going on, it changed track again!

The story switches between the present and the past, from different characters perspectives. It’s not necessarily a fast paced story, but it builds up the suspense at a good speed leading to an ending that I just did not expect. This book had more twists and turns than a rollercoaster, with the heart thumping feeling to go with it! If you like psychological thrillers, then definitely read this one….you will not regret it!

Five Stars!

Ever since I read Louise Jensen’s debut The Sister I've been a huge fan of her writing, but OMG The Surrogate her latest and most adventurous book yet plant her firmly on my list of “must read” authors. The Surrogate’s title misled me, I thought it would be a “heart warming” tale, how wrong could I be! It turned out to be dark and very twisted, a tale shrouded in lies, buried secrets and betrayal I really think this is the authors best book yet and it definitely one of the best psychological thrillers I've read this year.

The Surrogate starts so innocently Kat and her husband Nick have tried everything to become parents, and are on the point of giving up. Then a chance encounter with Kat’s childhood friend Lisa gives Kat and Nick one last chance to achieve their dream. What appears to be the perfect arrangement soon turns into something much darker, phew the sense of malice radiates from the pages early on and this increases as the plot becomes more complex.

There were numerous characters in The Surrogate but what a dysfunctional bunch they turned out to be. I couldn't help sympathising with Kat’s plight, I can’t begin to imagine the heartbreak, the emotions and the feelings of failure woman like Kat go through, so desperate are they to have children. I love a book where you find it impossible to trust any of the characters, and I found I couldn't trust any of them, rather like the main character Kat I found paranoia kicking in as my mistrust of each character grew. Each character seems to be hiding something and I wasn't wrong, when these secrets begin to surface I found myself lost for words. The Surrogate is told in two time frames and I do enjoy a book that moves between the past and the present, when it's done well I find it heightens the mystery and suspense as you are never quite sure when the two will collide and Louise Jensen makes sure the two collide in the most shocking and spectacular fashion.


Full of twists and turns I found my head spinning, from the opening chapter I felt a sense of dread that stayed with me until I reached the heart stopping conclusion. The ending may have seemed a little far fetched but when I read a book especially one that holds so many surprises I'm happy to suspend disbelief and “go with the flow”. For me personally a psychological thriller has to have an element of surprise a “OMG” moment, The Surrogate has lots of theses moments and I literally read this book in one sitting. Would I recommend this book? It's a huge and definite “yes” from me.

Review maybe altered slightly and edited prior to publication on my blog

Ok.. wow had to recover a little bit from this book.

I have been a big fan of Louise Jensen since her debut of The Sister. Of course, I jumped on the wagon to read her newest novel The Surrogate. I was overly excited that I was approved on Netgalley for this one!

Kat and her husband Nick are doing everything in their power to become parents. Unfortunately, heartache after heartache for this couple in getting their dream of becoming mother and father. Out of nowhere, Kat runs into a long time childhood friend Lisa.. who decides to do an amazing favor for her friend Kat and become her surrogate.
But, everything isn't always perfect is it? Slowly, we start to see things that are falling apart and Lisa isn't really who she says she is. Or as a matter of fact, is Kat who she says she is?....

I can't say too much about this plot since I don't want to give any spoilers away. But, novel is definitely entertaining and keeps you on your edge trying to figure out what the HELLO is going on ;). I do have to say that my attention span was waving in and out in the middle. I was getting quite annoyed with Lisa and Kat's relationship. I was hoping for the story to add up and was getting frustrated.

But, overall the ending is what made this book. I have to say TOTALLY not what I was expecting AT ALL. So cookies and ice cream for Louise! I am a long time fan of Louise and will be looking for her next novel.

Overall, 3.5 stars rounded up on this one.

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for an advanced arc.
Expected publication date is 9/26/17.