This was, easily, one of my favourite books for the summer of 2020.

'How far would someone go to replace you?'

Margot seems to have the picture-perfect life that many women would dream of. The fashion editor of Haute, she and her husband just welcomed a beautiful baby girl. But when her best friend, Winnie, loses her own newborn, things become strained between the two of them.

And then she's got Maggie, her maternity cover (whom she picked herself) that seems to be taking over her job -- and infiltrating herself into her life.

A bit of a slow burn, it is a story of love, betrayal, grief and redemption -- with the twists and turns towards the end making it an unforgettable novel.

An intriguing book, that combines the glamorous world of fashion with the complicated dynamics of female friendship, the baggage we carry and the ups and downs of motherhood. If you are looking for full-on, grab you by the throat from the first page type of thriller this may not be for you, but as a more of a slow burn psychological thriller that draws you in as you read further I would recommend it.

The book is told from the perspective of three women. Margot is fashion editor at Haute Magazine; about to go on maternity leave, she appears to have it all. Maggie, her maternity leave cover, is a talented journalist but no fashionista, and seen by Margot as a safe pair of hands to temporarily hand her role over to, but no real long-term competition. The third woman, Winnie, is Margot's childhood friend, who tragically loses her own baby at birth, and then cuts Margot out of her life.

The book started a little slowly for me but picked up as the story developed - well written, I found myself much more engaged as more twists were thrown in and it tackled some big issues such as friendship, jealousy, insecurity, grief and cyber bullying. It kept me guessing until the end, when I was definitely on the edge of my seat.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

As Haute Magazine's fashion editor, Margot's life is the embodiment of teenage dreams. Awaiting the arrival of her first baby, at the same time as that of her best friend Winnie, she is instrumental in choosing acquaintance Maggie to temporarily step into her shoes. When Winnie's son is stillborn, the chasm that opens up in their friendship appears unbreachable, teenage insecurities resurfacing and Margot's unease growing at her work stand-in's continued success. Margot has been replaced by a new girl before. Is the same about to happen again?

Described as "A gripping debut of female friendship and rivalry", I was very impressed with this novel. Initially presuming from the first pages that Margot being usurped by Maggie would be the crux of the story, in truth there were so many more meaningful narratives that were woven together in the characters' experiences, from Winnie's tragic stillbirth, Maggie's imposter syndrome and Margot's survivors' guilt. Written in 3 sections and voiced from the perspectives of each of the women, the exploration of Winnie and Margot's bond as schoolgirls and the secrets that had shaped their future relationship was particularly impactful. The visceral pain felt by Margot as a victim of unkindness pulled at my heart and was a stark illustration of the lasting impact had by cruel words and rejection in formative years.

The element of suspense was a continual presence bubbling beneath the surface of the story being unearthed across the pages, ultimately culminating in a reveal that I didn't see coming, the ending satisfyingly tying all loose strings together. I could definitely see The New Girl making a transition to our screens as a TV Mini Series and having very wide appeal.

Thumbs up from me and 4 stars to this tense and gripping read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harriet Walker and Hodder & Stoughton for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fabulous book - the fashion world side was Interesting and it’s so well written. I could not put this down - mainly the story of 3 women and friendships, , school, life and work and relationships .
A great ending and I would recommend you read this I loved it!

Margot and Winnie have been best friends for years and when they fall pregnant at similar times they couldn't be closer, until tragedy hits and Winnie loses her baby Jack and struggles to face a still pregnant Margot. In parallel, Margot is hiring her maternity cover at work, it was her that suggested Maggie apply, so why is she suddenly feeling threatened by her temporary replacement.

With a bit of a slow start, I did wonder at first how much of a thriller this book was going to be. Throughout part one you're drip-fed tiny snippets of Margot dealing with Winnie's rejection, jealously towards Maggie and flashbacks of someone called Helen. Once you get to part two we get to see Margot from Winnie's perspective, retelling their school days when they were once a group of three friends with Helen.

Everything came to a head right at the end and it was definitely a 'must keep reading to the end' for the last 20-15%

Well-imagined characters and a creeping sense of unease drive this novel, as fashion editor Margot finds herself increasingly threatened by Maggie, her maternity cover, and bewildered by the sudden loss of an important ally when her old friend Winnie drops out of her life. As Margot grapples with new motherhood and the fear that her career is at risk, her paranoia builds.

I originally tried to read this book in the same week as Helen Monks Takhar's Precious You, which was just so intense and crazy it made this similarly All About Eve tale seem a bit low-stakes. I had to put The New Girl down because of that but when I returned to the book, I found it a great deal more rewarding with some nice twists at the end. Maggie has taken over Margot's place at a fashion magazine (this isn't a Devil Wears Prada story, though there are some good visits to the shows - it's definitely set in South London suburbia). Margot, about to have her first baby, is haunted by memories of her friend Winnie whose son Jack unfortunately died shortly after his birth, and a trauma dating back to her geeky adolescence at school when she and Winnie were involved in a tragedy. When she starts receiving threatening messages, are they from Winnie - or Maggie, or one of her friends? I warmed to both Margot and Maggie and wanted the best for them - and you will too as the story unfolds.

I liked this book enough to read it quickly, and want to get to the end to find out what the reveal would be, but I was a bit disappointed in other ways. I found that the three characters all sounded the same, so I had to really concentrate to tell who was narrating at any given point. I also felt that the central secret wasn't a big enough deal to justify all the fallout. I did like Maggie and Margot as characters, and actually wanted more on the fashion journalism - the bits that focused on the office/fashion week etc, I really enjoyed.

The New Girl by Harriet Walker has depth and is layered... around our insecurities, the baggage we carry from our past, and about the complex relationships between women.

I loved this book from start to finish. Margot, Winnie and Maggie are three very relatable strong women interwoven into a nerve-racking plot steeped in love and loss and the intensity of our own worst impulses.

This novel shows the true depth of female friendship and how it brings out both the best and worst of us. The story revolves around Margot an editor at a well regarded magazine and her maternity replacement Maggie, over time their lives begin to blur into one as Maggie manoeuvres her way into all aspects of Margot's seemingly envy inducing life.

Little does she know Margot is suffering from the loss of her relationship with her best friend Winnie.

I had no idea where Harriet Walker would take me on this journey but I enjoyed the plot immensely and would certainly read another novel by this author.

I saw this on NetGalley and it really appealed - although I did think it reminded me of the 2017 TV series 'The Replacement' starring Morven Christie and Vicky McClure - so I thought I would give it a go.

Here's the blurb:

"Glamorous Margot Jones is the fashion editor at glossy women's magazine Haute, and pregnant with her first child. Margot's used to her carefully curated life being the object of other women's envy - who wouldn't want her successful career, loving husband, beautiful house and stylish wardrobe?

Maggie, a freelance journalist, certainly knows she doesn't measure up. So when Margot gets in touch to suggest she apply for her maternity cover at Haute, Maggie seizes the chance at living a better life - even if it's only temporary.

But the simultaneous arrival of Margot's baby and a brutal end to her oldest friendship sends Margot into a spiral of suspicion and paranoia. Are Maggie's motives as innocent as they seem? And what happens at the end of the year when Margot wants her old life back - especially if Maggie decides she doesn't want to leave?"

The book starts with Margot pregnant and her best friend from school, Winnie,  who is also pregnant, having a stillborn son (I think readers need to know this - as this could undoubtedly be a trigger for some people).

Margot is trying to sort out her maternity cover at work - and decides to suggest an acquaintance who she's met on a previous work trip - and Maggie ends up getting the job.

Whilst Margot is on maternity leave she starts social media stalking Maggie - and gets concerned that Maggie is doing things in a different way and if not better than she did, and won't want to give up the job when Margot returns a year later.  Interestingly the TV series that I thought about when I read the blurb is referenced at this point - with Margot finding it too close to home to watch it!

Since her tragedy, Margot's best friend Winnie has distanced herself from Margot - which Margot kind of understood initially, as her beautiful baby daughter Lila would be a constant reminder of Winnie's son who died.  But there is clearly something that has happened in Margot and Winnie's past that ties them together - and it involves a girl called Helen.  This is hinted at - and Margot even gets trolled by a social media user called @HelenKnows - but initially you don't know if these are linked and what happened.

As well as professionally, Maggie starts to encroach on Margot's home life - beginning dating her husband's best friend.

So far, so suffocating!

The second phase of the book gives the back story on Margot, Winnie and Helen at school and you see everyone in a different light.  I found my allegiances switching chapter by chapter!

The third and final part of the book builds tension up and up.  There are some really short chapters that add to the pace (it actually made me laugh a bit as I, like many, am in the midst of homeschooling - and one of the tricks my 9 year old has been taught is to do short sentences when you're trying to build the excitement!) but it builds and builds and twists and turns and is brilliant! You are almost holding your breath during one scene.  I don't want to give too much away - but it was excellent.

Overall the book is very well written and structured and just a fantastic, escapist read.  I sometimes find 'new Mum' books a bit predictable, samey and without much depth - and have actually avoided them for a while as I felt they'd been 'done' (and maybe I'd moved on as my youngest was now 8) - but this felt like a 'proper' book, where the situation it was based on was just part of the storyline.  Having said that, it definitely captures the slightly manic stressed-ness of new motherhood, and the politics that can exist in female friendships at times.

This is described as cross between 'The Devil Wears Prada' (it's set in a fashion magazine) and 'Gone Girl' (it's a psychological thriller) - but I think it stands more than sufficiently on its own merit!

It's already out on Kindle - and a total bargain at £2.99 - and out in hardback in a early July 2020.

Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for my advance review copy.

This is a well-written story - the characters are rounded, believable and you can really see where they're coming from. I found it harder to get into than I expected but it was worth it to keep going, and I did care about how it was all going to end.

This was a really easy book to get into and one of those that I read pretty much consistently until I finished it - always a good sign.
As a thriller, it's a lot milder and slower paced than others I've read, but it worked in this setting.
I wouldn't even necessarily categorise it as a full thriller, as there's also a lot of focus on the friendships between the female characters, their relationships with partners, career worries, motherhood and cyberbullying. All of this made the primary characters a lot more human than having an obvious victim and obvious antagonist.

I think my only criticisms are that I would have liked to see a bit more fleshing out of the Winnie as an adult character, and I don't think this should be marketed as a thriller.

Overall though, an enjoyable book.

This wasn't what I had been expecting, but I really enjoyed it nonetheless!
I was able to relate to Margot's struggle with losing her identity after becoming a mother and the pull between work and family and I found the three-way narration enjoyable. I found myself on the side of each of the women at various points and there was a good twist at the end.

I was really looking forward to this book since I recently became a mother and enjoy reading about themes like motherhood. Unfortunately, I struggled to get into the story and found the characters dissapointing. They complain a lot and there seems to be no end to their insecurities. The last part was much better than the first part of the book and that me upgrade my initial rating.

My thanks to Netgalley for my copy of The New Girl.

The book is presented as a three way narration between Margot, Winnie and Maggie and the format works very well. The plot plays with your emotions like a kaleidoscope in that it is always compelling; sometimes thrilling, often quite chilling and at times reaches out to your own psyche with the familiar forms that our egos take on.

There is a little bit of all of us women in these three characters and a little bit of the characters in all of us and that makes the story a very recognisable one.

Margot is a fashion editor for the prestigious glossy women’s magazine Haute, a job which she enjoys and is highly regarded for. However, it is now time for Margot to hand over her coveted role whilst she goes on maternity leave to have her first child. Eager to ensure she has control over her replacement, Margot gets in touch with Maggie, a freelance journalist, who Margot has met at fashion events in the past. Maggie jumps at the chance to apply to work in such a prestigious role, even if the better and more glamorous lifestyle it will lead to for her is only going to be temporary.

When Margot’s daughter arrives, her feelings of immense love and joy are marred with huge upset, as her daughter’s birth leads to the end of her oldest friendship with Winnie. Margot is sent into a spiral of suspicion and paranoia leading her to question everyone and everything, including Maggie. Are her intentions as innocent as they seem? Or at the end of the year, when Margot will seek her old life back, what if Maggie decides she no longer wants to leave?

I absolutely loved this book from the outset and thought the setting in the world of fashion was just so perfect for this twisty story. It provided such a fascinating insight and I really felt like I was there with Maggie experiencing all of the opportunities her new role gave her. All of the outfits and events were so detailed in their descriptions!

The way in which the chapters would alternate from the perspectives of Margot and Maggie, in the first and third person respectively was really effective and I was addicted to their story and experiences. They are both such fascinating characters and many a time I found myself eager to keep reading ‘just one more chapter’ to find out what would happen next for them both.

The three part structure for the book worked really well too, and I liked how part two, from Winnie’s perspective, gave the context for the secret she and Margot have always had to keep. The prologue which set a scene of a woman having fallen from a great height with blood coming out of her head was immediately intriguing too. I had this in the back of my mind as I was reading and found myself wondering how it would tie in.

Fashion, friendship and fear are all at the heart of this story and I could really feel myself empathising with Margot as she becomes increasingly anxious and worried. The tension really built in the final part of the book and I never saw the turn of events and revelations coming at all! It was so clever and perfectly delivered. I also liked how the final chapter left me feeling happy and hopeful about the future for these characters.

The New Girl is such an incredible debut and I am excited to see what Harriet Walker writes in the future!

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the arc of The New Girl and Harriet Walker❤️

Thank you to Harriet Walker for writing this gripping and page turning book❤️

Thus follows Margot whos first time pregnant and is a fashion editor for a magazine❤️ Lady called Maggie steps into Margots role while she is on maternity leave this story alternates between the two woman's perspectives , one is suspicious of the other woman who's has the fashionable life while the other is jealous as only has a temporary fixture in her life in which she always wanted her whole life 🥺, There is also a third perspective of a lady named Winnie she is the best friend of the main lady in the story Margot, but Winnie is grieving a loss of her baby at childbirth 😭 so she abandons and leaves her friendship with Margot❤️

This book was very interesting to read I loved the alternative with the three perspectives and you get hooked into the stories of the 3 different woman which I loved and I feel sorry for Winnie, I love all 3 characters I love how captivating and thrilling and twisty it was it was the edge of the seat type book read very quickly ❤️

Well done Harriet Walker❤️

Definitely recommend
4 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐

Great read with lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing. The author writes in a way where you are second guessing throughout which made it unputdownable.
A compelling read, well written with you not knowing which character to back

The New Girl was a pleasant read with a touch of intrigue and thrill. A new mum, paranoid that she's being replaced in all aspects of her old life, has to deal with old and new friendships and an age-old horror she's never properly reconciled. Margot and Maggie are both immediately likeable in different ways, and I found myself rooting for them both at various points throughout the story. It was a quick read - blown through on a sunny bank holiday morning - and the story wasn't bogged down by loads of extraneous detail. Some of the sentences were clunky and required re-reading, but it was generally a good read. Though not what I'd ordinarily read, I did enjoy the book and would be intrigued to read another Harriet Walker soon.