This is a slow burner of a thriller but keep with it because it’s very good. I spent most of the book wondering about motive and what would happen next. I was really surprised by the plot twist at the end. This is a book that I will keep thinking about, the characters really get inside your head.

Having read and really enjoyed 'The Girlfriend', I was pleased to get this next book from Michele Francis. Set in the world of TV, this is the story of Carrie and Adrian, a married couple who also work together, and Emma, who steps in when Carrie goes on maternity leave. Carrie quickly becomes paranoid that Emma is better at the job, and cuts her leave short, but has to agree to job share with Emma. But what exactly is going on with Emma? Why was she sacked from a previous internship, and why does she seem obsessed with Adrian and Carrie? This is a great page turner which will keep you on the edge of your seat. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
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Thoroughly enjoyed this book! When life doesn't go to plan, how much else is impacted.

I thought the finale on this was quite obvious throughout however it didn't stop it being well written and enjoyable to read.

THE TEMP by MICHELLE FRANCES⭐️⭐️
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Relived now I’ve finished this book! First of it was along the same lines as the last book I read (I didn’t know this going into it as I didn’t read the synopsis and went into this book blind) but the characters wasn’t as good and hardly had any suspense to it, you practically found out what was happening half way through and just dragged from there. Bit of a disappointment as I recall enjoying her previous book.

This is a really good read. When Carrie gets pregnant Emma gets appointed to cover her maternity leave. There is a lot to this plot. I guessed some of it and some of it was a total shock. I was gripped the whole way through. This is a very cleverly written book. I would definitely recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Thank you for allowing me to read and review this book.

I was super excited to read this book as I absolutely loved this authors first book from last year. Sadly this one wasn’t as good for me.

While the story line was good and kept you gripped right from the beginning, I felt that in some places it became a bit too far fetched, which is a shame because until just over half way it had such a good plot.

This book was a very good one of its genre, psychological thriller with strong relationships, the female characters especially well developed. Carrie unexpectedly finds herself pregnant, her husband Adrian who is very egotistical is not keen, Emma comes in to take over Carrie's job. Emma is a great likeable character and you realise she is not out to undermine Carrie. There is a twist in the story although some of it is a bit far-fetched I still found it a very good read.

Brilliant read and I absolutely loved it. I thought I had it sussed quite early in it had huge twists and turns throughout. Excellently written that made you keep reading, even it it meant a v late night! Thank you Michelle, loved both your books now. Can't wait for the next one.

I loved this book. Its sharply plotted, the characters are well developed and it keeps you turning the pages right until the end.

Carrie and Adrian are the darling couple of the tv industry. He had an award winning show and Carrie has just announced her pregnancy. The pregnancy is a shock to a couple that don’t want children but Carrie is over the moon until the temp arrives at her office to cover her maternity leave. Emma is just perfect and fills in too well leaving Carrie upset and rejected. Soon it becomes clear that Emma is taking too much on and someone will be in danger.

I throughly enjoyed Michelle’s previous book and was so pleased when I got the chance to read this one. It’s well written and gripping. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

WOW this book blew me away. I read it in one day because I couldn't put it down. Amazing story that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Huge 5 stars.

Carrie is a television producer at the top of her game when she falls pregnant. Her husband is a writer and isn't overly keen on them having a child. Cue Emma, the temporary replacement who is due to take over during Carrie's maternity leave and in theory, make their lives either. Carrie becomes increasingly paranoid that Emma is trying to steal her life. I was a huge fan of Michelle Frances' previous book The Girlfriend and The Temp certainly doesn't disappoint. It is a gripping, unpredictable read and I quite literally could not put it down- I read it in one sitting on holiday. Can't recommend highly enough!

A slow read, this book had me gripped in bits and pieces. The story starts with Carrie the producer and Adrian the writer of a TV show. They are a couple till Carrie falls pregnant and then enters the temp Emma who wants Adrian and her job.
The story comes with its twists and turns, the writing flows as Emma tries hard to hitch her claws in. Emma is likable, her relationship with her newborn son was loving. The end has its twist which makes the slow, slightly predictable story worthwhile. A good thriller

The Temp is a slow burning thriller that gets better the more you read.
When I started this I was lulled into thinking I’d picked a book that wasn’t a thriller as it sets off with you getting to know and meet Carrie and Adrian, they’ve been together years she is a producer for tv shows and he is a writer so appear to be the perfect team until Carrie falls pregnant and Adrian really doesn’t want this baby. Carrie is replaced by a temp, Emma, who is amazing at her job and has an unhealthy obsession with Adrian and here the thriller starts to up a pace.
The characters were well established although from the start I wasn’t keen on Adrian nor Emma and was firmly in Carrie’s corner. I liked seeing Carrie establish a good relationship with her son even if Adrian preferred to not acknowledge him at all. I’m not going to go into the ins and outs as this will spoil the twists that make this book get better. I didn’t get the twist at the end but it was a good one and glad I read to the end as the beginning was a little slow so don’t let this deter you.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

After coming across Michellle Frances's internationally bestselling debut novel 'The Girlfriend' and having deemed it such a solid start to her career, I was excited to get my mitts on a copy of this, her second novel. This is the perfect thriller to settle down with on a cool, windy autumn day, and in the end it leaves you with a warm, fuzzy feeling that jumps off the pages.

Essentially, this is a book about ambition, deception and betrayal and how each can leave a lasting impact on a persons life. Carrie is a TV producer and a career woman in an extremely high pressure job. Married to Adrian, who is also in the industry, when she discovers she is pregnant which would require time off, she is terrified that, Emma, the temp is trying to take more than her job. Is it paranoia, or does Emma really have a secret agenda?

There are some unexpected surprises throughout the book, but some of them were rather obvious. Normally, this would affect my overall enjoyment but, here, it actually didn't matter to me as it was great in many other ways. The writing, as with her debut, is excellent, flows well and grabs you early on. I also feel that if you're one of those thriller readers that need some believability to the storyline, you'll appreciate this one a lot. The plot, up to a point, is certainly something that I could see happening in real life. Jealously, paranoia and a lack of communication leading to unbearable situations and feelings. Michelle's novels focus on fraught relationships between female characters and the potential for fear to build up and spiral out of control to the point where the individual cannot think logically anymore. Naturally, this leads to a ratcheting up of the tension towards the back end of the book.

Many thanks to Pan for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

After reading and enjoying The Girlfriend I was eager to see what Michelle’s second book was going to be like. I have to say I was not disappointed.

Everything starts off as a normal women’s fiction style book. A couple who work in the TV industry are at the top of their careers but then Carrie discovers she is unexpectedly pregnant. Her husband, Adrian, really doesn’t want a child but seems to go along with things to keep Carrie happy.

As Carrie prepares to go on maternity leave, Emma, a temp takes over her duties but is everything as it seems with Emma ? Emma is great at her job and all her colleagues rave about how good she is so why is Carrie so suspicious of her ?

After a pretty tame start the book suddenly starts to take a more sinister turn and the twists and turns keep coming. The book develops into a gripping psychological thriller with an ending I did not see coming. A real must for any one that enjoys a psychological thriller and if you enjoyed Michelle’s first novel you will love this one.

Thank you to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

This was a slow burning read but worth it. I loved how Frances mapped out and opened up all the three characters, Carrie, Emma and Adrian.
I have read Michelle Frances's The girlfriend and it was also a above average thriller.
The Temp isn't as fast paced as The Girlfriend but still pretty satisfying, psychological thriller, but I don't understand why book cover pushes the reader into the idea of one woman stealing another woman's life.
One thing I really enjoyed in this book is that you get to know how TV production business works. Frances has worked in Entertainment and you can tell experience talks. I have never known how TV sector worked behind the scenes, so it was definitely eye opening to read how Script Writers / producers / other TV crew operated. Also Carrie's dilemma as a mum between her child and her career, the visit to the 'Outstanding' nursery, the descriptions were so vivid and accurate, I really enjoyed reading this book. Only criticism will be that it could have been shorter. After 60% I got a bit distracted but the end was worth the read.

This was yet another novel that promised to be a twisting thriller but fell short of the mark for me.
The problem was that I went into this thinking it was going to be some dark and twisty thriller which is maybe my fault for having those expectations for this book but I just felt so underwhelmed. I didn’t see the twists that did occur, but they just didn’t have enough impact for me. The characterisation was well done and I found myself hating Adrian for being the massive tool that he is and feeling sorry for both Carrie and Emma, despite the fact that Emma started doing questionable things. Similar to through his eyes, I’d maybe say this was more of a contemporary with some twists so if that’s more what you enjoy then I think you’d enjoy this, but I’m used to my thrillers being a lot darker and shocking which definitely made this more of an average read.

Carrie is a successful TV producer in a high pressure job. She is talented, liked and well-respected. She and her husband, Adrian, an award-winning screenwriter, decided years ago that they did not want to have children. But now, as they are both hitting the peak of their careers, Carrie discovers she is pregnant and is shocked to realise she wants to keep the baby. But in a competitive industry where time off is seen as a sign of weakness, Carrie regards the prospect of maternity leave with trepidation. Enter Emma, the temp, who is everything Carrie could wish for as a cover: smart, willing and charming. Carrie fears that Emma is manoeuvring her way into her life, causing turmoil in her marriage and work. The problem is everybody else adores her increasingly isolated from Adrian and her colleagues, Carrie begins to suspect that Emma has an agenda, or is she just being paranoid?

‘The Temp’ is a delight to read, incredibly engaging for the reader and I was engrossed in the story from beginning to end. This has been billed as a thriller and whilst there are some thriller threads running through, it is not a true thriller. Instead, we have a detailed read focusing on three central characters and the suspicion that engulfs their lives, they are all engaging and whilst not especially likeable they are realistic and there are traits that as a reader can be supported. Despite not fitting into its given genre there is still something in this that kept me engrossed and kept me wanting to know more.

Frances explores a very real issue of mothers working and does so with aplomb and sensitivity whilst still creating an exciting read. I for one, was taken in by the suspicion surrounding Emma and enjoyed the process of Frances revealing the truth. This brings me to my next point that the plot is incredibly clichéd. I had pretty much every twist worked out early on as I thought there was only one conceivable resolution and I was proved to be right. Now, this is not a massive problem as like I say it works well for the plot and it did not necessarily detract from my enjoyment but again this is another reason that ‘The Temp’ is not a true thriller.

I have touched on the characters already but I must emphasise how perfect a character Carrie is, yes she is not one hundred percent likeable but she feels real and the decisions she makes are credible, Carrie is the only one that I was rooting for throughout. Adrian and Emma are good characters and fit in well to the book but some of the decisions are beyond ridiculous and they lost a bit of credibility for me. I did enjoy the overall effect that Frances is going for, exploring the changing relationships between Carrie, Adrian and Emma, they are an intriguing trio and reading about their lives provided nothing but pleasure.

‘The Temp’ is an engrossing read, exploring the relationship between a working mother and child and the complications that arise from work. ‘The Temp’ is a book saved by the wonderful character creations of Frances.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an advance copy.

Well, of all the outcomes I had in my head for how this one was going to play out, I never quite envisaged it happening quite like that!
Set in the world of television, we follow Adrian and Carrie, married writer-producer duo, and Emma, the temp that is brought on board as maternity cover when Carrie finds she is pregnant. Carrie is worried that Emma will either stink and ruin things or that she will be brilliant and totally usurp her - kinda damned if you do... So she keeps a close eye on the two of them and it isn't long before her hackles are up and she starts to get really worried for both her job and her marriage.
This book was a bit of a slow burn for me, but then that's how the story needs to be told. There is a lot to get to grips with before the reveal will have the impact that it does and so sadly it is a necessary evil that just needs to be accepted. But please, if you do feel it is dragging a bit for you, stick with it, trust me, when it goes boom, it delivers a big bang and a fair few aftershocks to accompany it.
Where do I start with the characters... Well, I pretty much hated all of them. Not my people, definitely. Emma was a bit whiny but then I guess with parents like hers you can't really blame her for acting like she does at times. Carrie and Adrian, well, he was just obnoxiously horrible and she was, well, I'm not sure, I never did get to grips with her. Maybe it was the hormones!?
The plot was well crafted and, on the whole, also well executed. It was set in a world of which I knew nothing so that in itself was interesting, the power games, the fawning, the pretence, the backbiting and stabbing, and the masks they all wear. All a bit false on the face of things. Definitely a cut throat world. But intriguing nevertheless. It also held my attention quit well, especially in the latter stages.
All in all, a good second book to follow The Girlfriend which I also enjoyed. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.