Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Dream Girl.

I'm a fan of the Tess Monaghan series so I was eager to read Dream Girl.

Dream Girl is about Gerry Andersen, an elderly author whose seminal work, Dream Girl, made him famous.

When a freak accident at home turns him into an invalid, he needs to rely on his nurse, an odd woman, and his assistant.

As he recovers and pops pills for the pain, he is being plagued by strange phone calls from the woman of his famous novel.

Is he losing his mind, going the same way of his mother? Who can he trust if not himself?

Dream Girl is a psychological thriller that pays homage to Misery and Gaslight, but instead on focusing on the thriller aspect of the story (yes, there s a dead body or two), the narrative is focused on Gerry, a horny, adultering, annoying man with little to no redeeming qualities, except for his talents as an author.

He is selfish, bratty, entitled and has serious mommy and daddy issues.

The author takes readers into Gerry's past and reveals the events in his childhood, adulthood and relationships that have shaped him into the unlikable man he is now.

The tone and writing style is different from the author's usual style; it's cold, formal and speaks existentially about authors and the writing process, which I didn't appreciate in a story I thought was a straightforward thriller.

Naturally, the women in Gerry's life is far more interesting; his three wives, including his nurse, his assistant and his extended family.

The ending is satisfying in a way, but not entirely:

What was the point of Gerry's story?

Revenge? Is it a reference to the #MeToo movement, in which the women he's disrespected and treated poorly finally get the upper hand?

Why bother tormenting/gaslighting him in the first place? He hardly seems worth it.

This wasn't my favorite from the author, but I'd recommend any fan of the author's to give this a try.

I was really hoping for more of a thriller/mystery with this book. I have read other books by the author and enjoyed them but this one fell a little flat for me. Gerry Andersen is a best selling author who has a freak accident and ends up confined to a hospital bed in his apartment, cared for by his assistant and his night nurse. He starts receiving late night phone calls from a woman claiming to be "Audrey" who is a made up character in one of his novels. No one believes him and he begins to question his sanity while in a drug induced state from pain medication and sleep aids.

I will start by saying that at the end of the book the story came together and everything wrapped up nicely however I found that the way the novel is written felt very disjointed and hard to follow. I assume this is intentional given the drug use and the ending (trying not to have spoilers) but it made for an awkward read. The book also ended in less than 20 pages which felt like I slogged through the story just for it to end abruptly. Most of the characters, Gerry included, are not likeable and weren't well developed. Again, not sure whether this is planned by the way it ended or unintentional.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

I’m really sorry but have to give this a one star. I’ve not read from this author before but the premise of the book sounded interesting. I just can’t get on with the writing style though and had to give up about a third of the way through. Clearly, I’m in the minority as I can see plenty of people enjoyed this but I’m sorry it just wasn’t for me.

So this one took me a bit to get into. Maybe it was the tone the book started off with? I’m not sure what it was but it seemed to drag on me for the whole book.

The writing is good, and I enjoyed the references to both books and movies. But the Police not investigating properly seems an easy way out. It would have been way better if the characters actually had to dodge a more inquisitive detective.

This is the first book I have read by Laura Lippman. Its an unusual plot about what goes on in a writer's mind. It took me a while to understand it, but maybe thats because of the American references. Certainly something different.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC. This was the first book I've read by Laura Lippman. I have seen her books and fairly high reviews for them. I enjoyed this book but I probably should have started with one of her other books before reading this. Gerry is a popular writer of some acclaim. His books sales have made him somewhat comfortable. When he moves to Maryland to care for his ailing mother, he buys a home close by and has a mishap on the stairs in his new place. His caregivers seem to have his best interests in mind but have plans of their own that aren't revealed until near the end. Dream Girl reminded me very much of Stephen King's Misery. It is the story of a writer recovering from an injury and starting to suspect his caregivers of causing harm to others. It did have a few good twists on that story and I enjoyed reading it. It was a quick read.

Gerry Andersen is a successful writer with Dream Girl being his magnus opus. Following an unfortunate accident he is bedridden in his Baltimore apartment until his recovery and he has hired Victoria to oversee his affairs during the day and Aileen as a night nurse. Is Gerry being haunted by a character in his book, is he suffering the beginning of dementia, is it his pain medication causing hallucinatory dreams or is someone messing with his head? I really enjoy the conundrum of trying to work out which of these, if any, is the truth.

This is a sort of homage to ‘Misery’ and I really like how there is such effective use of books and films to highlight what is going on in Gerry’s life. This is a well written slow burner mix of dark incisive humour spiced with tension and suspense. It has several really good twists and at least one jaw dropper which makes you wince. The fact that for about half the book we’re inside Gerry’s head allows for a sharply focused insight into his relationships and his personality. The truth is that Gerry is not very nice, his thoughts are not always pleasant and I think it’s fair to say that he lies a long way down the misogyny spectrum. Very few of the characters are likeable but they are most certainly interesting. The ending is excellent, it’s certainly dramatic and doles out just desserts. It’s probably fair to say it’s unlikely but it is extremely visually creative. I have to admit, I like it!!!

My only issue with the book is the timelines for Gerry’s thoughts are all over the place, they’re random which takes some getting used to. Conversely, it’s actually clever because it mirrors Gerry’s rambling and uncertain state of mind. In fact who looks back on their life in linear fashion, I sure don’t!!

Overall, this is another book by Laura Lippman that I’ve enjoyed. I really like her wit, precision and incisiveness.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Faber and Faber for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Gerry Anderson is a 61year old novelist who after having a debilitating fall is being looked after by his PA Victoria and night nurse Aileen.
Gerry had a major bestselling book called Dream Girl but hasn't written anything in quite a while.
He moved to Baltimore to care for his mother in her final days and never returned to New York.
One day he has a phone call from a woman claiming to be his inspiration for Dream Girl but Gerry has always told people the woman in his book wasn't real.

Has his past come back to haunt him?


I tried really hard to like this book as I've read most of the authors books and enjoyed them but this story did nothing for me at all.I did finish reading it but found it hard going.
Thank you to Netgalley and Faber&Faber for the ARC.

Little bit of a slow burner this one, with some interesting twists and turns. Its dark and mysterious. Lots of time hopping that made it a little confusing at times.
Gerry is not a likeable character but that doesn't hinder the book. The book has some bizarre moments, and also touches on the #metoo movement..
Lots packed in,

First off...I’ve been a fan of this author. Her stories are never boring or cookie-cutter, but this....WOW! I thought one thing, then it turned into something else. And the twists and turns just kept coming. I actually started to feel a little disappointed with the development, when POW! The last twists are doozies. Only a writer with Lippman’s skill could pull this off without the plot becoming convoluted and losing the reader. Very unique!

Harold Bloom’s The Anxiety of Influence looms large here! I applied for this when I saw that Megan Abbott, the queen of noir, had praised it. I loved how it had me second-guessing all the way through. Stephen King’s Misery updated for today’s world - and transplanted from NYC to Baltimore, a character in itself.

Dream girls who become nightmares........

Laura Lippman has suited up her main character of Gerry Andersen in the attire of a successful sixty-one year old author still riding on the coattails of his 2001 bestseller, Dream Girl. We find him in the process of closing a deal on a condo in Baltimore. He's left behind his former life in the Upper West Side of New York City. Regrets weigh heavy on him. The move wasn't really in his life plan. But Gerry had the care of his mother suffering from Alzheimer's to consider in Baltimore. Ellie went faster than what the doctors had stated. Gerry's current address is Limbo.

As Gerry gives his agent a tour of his new condo, we begin to get a tour of Gerry's past life. Married three times to three vastly different women, we get a sense that Gerry has a difficult time when it comes to decision-making. His past will begin to seep in at various moments in the storyline. Lippman will even have us visiting Gerry's complicated childhood and his relationship with his father. The man is a walking, breathing bestseller himself. Lordy!

But Fate has a powerfully wacky sense of humor. The once elegant architectual feature of a floating staircase will toss Gerry rapidly down its backbone by one unfortunately misplaced step. Yup, our guy Gerry will now be spending week upon week in a special hospital bed on the main floor with his leg in traction. The good news is that he has a very dependable assistant, Victoria, who will run his errands. The not-so-good news is that he must muddle through with a napping night nurse, Aileen.

Wowza! Laura Lippman has created the perfect storm in the likes of ol' Gerry and his unexpected life change. Lippman laces this one with wry humor and some laugh-out-loud situations that border on the macabre. She threads through references to the 1979 literary horror novel of Ghost Story by Peter Straub. It's a brilliant touch as to one's fruitless efforts to bury the past that keep rearing its ugly head as it resurrects with jolting surprise. Good, good stuff.

Dream Girl will have an appeal to readers who enjoy a burst of craziness in their literary diet. What keeps the pages turning is Gerry's exasperation and pure helplessness at the mercy of his past and current decisions. Success should ring independence. Not in Gerry's new world. Lippman certainly sends in the clowns with her characters with pointed hats. Dream Girl doesn't keep a lid on things once Pandora's Box is opened. A rollicking roll in LaLaLand. Bravo, Ms. Lippman, just bravo.

I received a copy of Dream Girl through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to HarperCollins Publishing and to the talented Laura Lippman for the opportunity.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for a review. Though I enjoyed the setting and details of the story (having spent some time in Baltimore recently, it all checked out) I had a difficult time with the story. Ultimately I think it was because Gerry is just not a likable character, despite being the main character and having the book written from his perspective. I did like that the ending tied up a lot of details neatly, but this story was just not an enjoyable read for me.

Dream Girl is sort of an up-to-date homage to Stephen King's Misery. It is more in the realm of psychological thriller than horror. The main character, Gerry Anderson, is a successful fiction writer/College Professor. Although he has been asked before, he is very uninterested in writing a memoir. In fact, he tries to lead as private a life as possible. He is 61 years old and not very in tune with social media. He suffered an accident and we meet him as he is bed-ridden and reflecting over his life. His Magnum opus was his first literary work, Dream Girl. The plot revolved around the inspiration behind Dream Girl, his family history, and his relationships with women in his life. Most of the action in the book happens in the flashbacks. Gerry isn't a very good narrator for telling you much about what is happening in the current timeline. You know just enough to keep the book going. I found the book to be a chore to read and was not enamoured by the character of Gerry. I did, however, enjoy the ending. Many times the ending of books can make or break how you feel about the story. Here, the ending works pretty well.

"Dream Girl" is advertised as a thriller, but I found it more to be a horror novel. It was interesting to me, how the horror-iest things happen "off scene".

The author sneaks in literary and movie references and also inserts a past character from a different book, which I love to see!

It took me a little while to get into this book but once I did, I read it pretty fast. This was a good thriller from Laura Lippman and I am looking forward to more books from her in the future

I’ve only read one book by Laura Lippman previously but will definitely be picking up more.

Although slow-moving, this book is certainly not boring and I was sucked in immediately. Bed-bound after an accident, Gerry begins to believe he is being harassed by someone claiming to be a fictional character from his best known book. The story moves between Gerry’s memories (jumping around a bit which is a tad disorienting, but this is maybe intentional) and the mysterious events that you are never sure are real or not. The writing is great; I’ve gotten very tired of psychological thrillers with poor writing and obvious predictable “twists” but this one kept me guessing.

Recommended to anyone who loves slow burn thrillers, especially the thrillers that drop lots of references to classic mysteries and thrillers.

"Everything is in the before moment. That's where life is richest, in that moment of possibility and anti-say it, the audience screamed at the screen-pation. ... And then the ball finds its slot and the story ends even as it begins." (Dream Girls, Laura Lippman)
Thank you William Morrow and Custom House and NetGalley for providing access to Laura Lippman's new book Dream Girls for review. This was a great thriller and the ending, yes!! The almost tongue in cheek play on the idea in the quote above about anticipation, well done. I can feel who how Ms. Lippman was indeed waiting for the ball to find its slot with her plot and her resolution.

I am almost never fully satisfied by the end of a thriller and yet this one was just right, I really appreciated how Ms. Lippman took the reader on a complicated story, at times with shifting tone and focus, and generated some uncertainty in the reader about what kind of person Gerry Andersen really was and if how he viewed himself was really accurate (was he really a good man?), and then had such a delightful and insightful end that, for me, explained all of this. I appreciate the intentionality of the story and the creativity, and I think delight, Ms. Lippman showed in writing and sharing this story.

PLOT: Gerry Andersen, famous writer, is forced to consider his past relationships, his most famous character, and if he is losing his mind after an accident leaves him in the hands of a possibly manipulative nurse (themes of Misery are intentional and well respected, especially with a theme about books and movies and reality vs fiction woven into the plot.... it works!). Is he losing his mind, being gaslit, or is someone trying to hurt him and exact revenge for something he may or may not have done? Is he trying to create a past that misrepresents who he really is and was?

THOUGHTS: There is a lot to enjoy about this thriller, even horror, book. First, Ms. Lippman has a strong focus on intentionally creating confusion, I felt as unsure and even scared once or twice, about what was happening to Gerry... there is a create theme of anticipation and I just love how Ms. Lippman takes this seemingly small part of a memory, a former friendship, and then perhaps makes the whole plot about that theme.

Second, I love when writers weave in connections, purposefully, to other books and movies and shows a respect for her idea, plot, and the broader genres she is examining. In some ways Gerry is doing this work for her via his role as author, teacher, and of course protagonist and I appreciate those moments of connection to real world books, movies, and culture.

Third, I respect a slow burn that is also somehow a fast read. The book is atmospheric, at times does play with tone and style and I think intentionally makes you question if Gerry's own ideas about himself are really fair to others in his life... He seems unaware of the harm he has perhaps created, thinking himself a good man or just someone who can and does move on with his life... and yet, it seems it is this thinking and his past that are keeping him from now moving on after his accident. This is thought provoking as is the idea that a theme was how Gerry didn't want to write his memoirs and yet... this book becomes in a way his memoir. That was well done as well.

Fourth, as noted above, I loved the end. It made me smile and then sit back and say how interesting and I like how the end tackles some of what might be a criticism of the book (shifting tone, confusion or seeming inconsistencies with how Gerry is portrayed, moving alliances or sympathies) and makes it all work. It was rewarding to the reader and also respectful of the reader who might have been wondering about some of these aspects of the writing and the plot.

I think this is a great book for mystery lovers and worthy of thought provoking discussions in book clubs. I hope people appreciate the writing and plot development, how Ms. Lippman is playing with themes a bit, and that the plot is worth the time.

Thanks to Netgalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Gerry Anderson is a novelist in his early 60's that has recently relocated from NYC to his hometown of Baltimore to care for his mother who has Alzheimer's. Soon after her death, Gerry has a freak accident leaving him bed ridden and in need of round the clock care. He starts receiving notes and calls from a woman claiming to be the Dream Girl that was the subject of one of his novels, but there seems to be no evidence of these calls causing Gerry to wonder if he is losing his mind.

This book was ok for me. Gerry was not the most likeable guy. He was something of a womanizer and had 3 ex wives. I had a hard time keeping the 3 of them straight let alone all of the other women he encountered that were featured in the flashbacks that were present throughout the book. Overall the flashbacks weren't always easy to distinguish and they skipped around to many periods in Gerry's life and featured too many people he had known. I am not sure how much of it was relevant to the story. Not my favorite Laura Lippmann novel but I have read most of her books and I am sure this won't be my last.