Knowledgeably and powerfully written, The Other Girlfriend delivers on every level, oozing intrigue in the first chapter and evoking all the emotions. I am in awe of how the author presented us with a main character whose every vulnerability you can identify with – her guilt and how she deals with it is totally believable. I have to say there was one point where I was so angry with one of the characters (I’m deliberately not giving spoilers here) I felt my jaw tense. The story looks at the much misunderstood subject of agoraphobia and all its manifestations. It's about losing sight of yourself. Guilt. Self-loathing for those weaknesses you perceive in yourself and believe others will see. It looks at how you are diminished when, through coercion and manipulation, someone takes away the part of yourself that is fundamentally you. I experienced all the emotions while reading The Other Girlfriend. Very close to the end, I had to stop – quite literally. In fact, I was so affected by the narration, I walked my dogs while I gathered my emotions. The protagonist’s growth throughout the story is inspiring, truly. Realising that all the coping mechanisms she employed weren’t her failures, but her strengths sent out a strong message. I’m quoting a line here that will stay with me: ‘I was my past. My choices. My Guilt. My fears. But I was also more than that. Or at least I could be.’ Utterly compelling reading, The Other Girlfriend is inspiring and I wouldn’t hesitate to highly recommend it. The ending was perfect and hugely satisfying. Well done, Alex Stone.

Lizzie Green fell in love with her best childhood friend, Tom. Tom was in love with Hannah.

Lizzie, her friend, Rebecca,Luke,Tom and Hannah went away for a weekend and during the weekend, after much alcohol was consumed, there was a tragic event.

Hannah died, and Lizzie was responsible.

The friends covered up the death of Hannah, and made out that it was either a suicide or accident, but it changed them all, and changed their relationship with each other.

Lizzie is consumed with guilt, and still hankers after Tom, she just cannot move on. She still loves him. She is agoraphobic and suffers from OCD.

Ten years later, Tom makes a reappearance, and suddenly Lizzie is not sure that she wants him in her life after all.
And she is suddenly unsure that she was actually responsible for Hannah's accident.


I really did enjoy this book, it gripped me from the start. I felt that the Lizzie character was stronger than she felt herself to be, but Tom, in my mind, was manipulative and selfish and dishonest.

All in all a very good read.

I really struggled to get into this one. It just seemed as if nothing ever really happened and it's all about woman who needs to develop a backbone and tell the sociopath to do one. There wasn't any big reveal or and suspense or tension. From the moment Tom reappears, he just seems like a type A prat and you know he's just trying to use and manipulate her. It deals with Beth's issues in quite a realistic way but otherwise, if the guy who didn't think you wetengood enough shows up 10 years later with his wheelie case........ pick it up and slap him with it and then tell him where to go! I jusy felt annoyed the whole book by why she was even trying to tolerate him to be fair. I love thrillers and mysteries and this book was neither however, it for like character driven chic lit about mentally ill vulnerable women and the idiots who try and take advantage then you'd probably enjoy this! Just not if you want a thrill. It is well written and they certainly delve back in time enough to give a good picture or who the characters are

chilling debut 4**** Alex Stone brand new novel The Other Girlfriend was engrossing, powerful and emotional story that i throughly enjoyed. Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced review.

Description sounded very good but somehow it didnt live up to my expectations. An OK read.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC

Lizzie Green once loved Tom Murphy with a passion that bordered on obsession all she wanted was his love to be returned then one night something terrible happened and Tom left Lizzie broken hearted she swore she would never let him hurt her again she loves him not Now ten years later and Tom turns up on Lizzie’s doorstep still as charming as ever and Lizzie knows he still has the power to break her heart and destroy her life again
I really enjoyed this book totally recommend
Thank You NetGalley and Boldwood Books
I just reviewed The Other Girlfriend by Alex Stone. #TheOtherGirlfriend #NetGalley

The Other Girlfriend by Alex Stone had a wonderful setting along the coastline that seemed magical. This book had some twisty psychological manipulation happening. But I was left not really sure if I enjoyed the book. I did not like Tom at all and never really connected with Lizzie/Beth. The story seemed flat to me and never really anything intense happening.

#TheOtherGirlfriend #NetGalley @BoldwoodBooks

The Other Girlfriend by Alex Stone


Lizzie Green now an adult , has created a new life for herself and is now known as Beth - due to a trauma she experienced with her best friend / boy friend Tom . Ten years later he knocks on her door , and wants back in her life.
I enjoyed the storyline , it had a few twists to keep me interested , but sadly I was left with the feeling that , for me , it wasn't quite hitting the mark . I couldn't quite get into the character Lizzie / Beth .

Lizzie Green once loved Tom Murphy with a passion that bordered on obsession. All she wanted was his love to be returned. Then one night something terrible happened and Tom left Lizzie broken hearted. She swore she would never let him hurt her again….

It is now 10 years later and Tom has turned up on Lizzie's doorstep. This is everything she has ever wanted, she cannot believe it is happening. Lizzie thought that after the 'incident' that happened years ago she would never be worthy of Tom's attention again. Next thing we know, within 24 hours it seems that Tom has made himself right at home and Lizzie is struggling a bit with her feelings as to whether this is really what she wants or just what she fantasied about for so long. Is reality the same as dreams?

Did I enjoy this? yes to a degree but not as much as some others have. I found Lizzie quite irritating and was not a fan of Tom at all. In saying that I quite like reading a book with unlike characters but these two just tended to grate on my nerves a bit too much and really by the end I was not really bothered by what happened to either of them. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

A quick easy read from a new author to me! A believable story which scanned 10 years of friendship between 2 friends! I would read this author again!

I'll start with some positives. I think the portrayal of mental health in the book was good, the way Lizzie has to navigate in the world felt realistic. It was also a fairly quick read.

Unfortunately the rest didn't really come together for me. I thought the plot was quite one-dimensional - you had the central mystery of what happened to Hannah and that was.. it. There weren't any side characters or side plots to become invested in so the whole book was a bit of a slog through Lizzie's internal monologue of can she trust Tom, can she not and that got boring and repetitive quite quickly.

I wouldn't personally recommend this book but there are some 5 star reviews so clearly it will find its audience.

I really hate writing bad reviews as I know the author has put a lot of work into writing their book. BUT...this one was not for me. It is told from a single point of view, that being the main character Lizzie. All she does throughout the entire book is hem and haw about what she's going to do about Tom. Over and over again she keeps going back and forth...ad nauseam. There is a lot of internal dialogue that is quite repetitive and very slow going. The whole time I was reading it I kept waiting for something to happen and it never really did. To me the big secret was a big dud, I figured out what the big reveal was gonna be pretty early on. Tom is the worst kind of human being, one that is only out for himself while he pretends to have your best interest at heart. He was very manipulative and Lizzie let him be, she was very immature and weak-willed. I loathed both of these characters for different reasons. I felt no suspense, thrills, or mystery reading this one so I am not sure how to categorize it. Many reviews give this book five stars, so please make up your mind about reading this one and don't go by me.

Lizzie and Tom had been best friends from childhood all the way up to the day of the incident.

After the incident Lizzie becomes Beth, wanting to try a new life after dealing with panic and agoraphobia. 10 years later Tom turns up at Beth’s house, she hasn’t heard from him since that day and he tells her he will be staying a while. He’s come back to be with her.

I was so sad for Beth constantly, Tom treats her horribly and she doesn’t try to break free. Tom was an odious character and the ending didn’t satisfy me there had been any justice.

I find it a struggle to read books when those with mental health conditions are exploited and I feel that this wasn’t really resolved.

This could be a great novel if there was a bit more meat to it.

It’s my first time reading one of Alex Stone’s books and what a great one to start with. The plot while not exactly an original one was gripping and kept me wanting to keep reading and I would have easily finished it sooner if I hadn’t been at work . Despite Beth’s doubts and insecurities, there are hints of how strong she would have been if Tom hadn’t made her feel guilty ,so I mentally cheered when she discovered the truth. I’ll definitely be checking out the other books and if they are anything like this one, then I have a lot to look forward to.

Thank you NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Alex Stone for letting me read “The Other Girlfriend” in exchange for an honest review.


„She loves you, she loves you not”.

I adore true cover. It’s simple enough, with amazing colours. If I’d judge a book by its cover, I’d be absolutely in love. It’s beautiful 5/5 ⭐️

The story is told from the POV of Lizzie,now going by Beth. She left Lizzie behind, reinvented herself. Then, after ten years, Tom shows up on her doorstep. They have been the best of friends, spent their childhood together and went to the same uni. Then Hannah comes into Tom’a life. She’s the daughter of the owner of the company he always wanted to work for. They start a relationship. Tom keeps telling Lizzie it’s all for their future… until it’s not and something tragic happens. Let’s not forget that Lizzie is “a tiny bit” obsessed with Tom. That never changed. But what is Tom up to now?

The story changes between now and then. The writing style was super easy to get into, very fluent and descriptive. I felt for the characters, Lizzie was really relatable in a way. Tom I did not like from the beginning. MAke up your mind, man. The story was well thought out and placed, it all made sense.

Wow I really, really enjoyed this book! It hooked me from the very beginning and kept me on my toes throughout the entire story.

Lizzie had a friend in Tom since she was small, they did everything together. They even arranged it so that they went to the same university. At uni, Tom met Hannah whose father owned the company he had always dreamt of working for and so began a relationship. Tom kept telling Lizzie this was all for their future and it is her he really loves. Alternate chapters are present day and back at university where something happened that both Lizzie, who now calls herself Beth, and Tom have kept quiet for ten years. Tom has now turned up on her doorstep by chance finding her living in her parents home and invited himself to stay.- she hasn't seen him and he hasn't contacted her since it happened. She always wanted him to come back but at the same time finds it rather unsettling as she has kept herself to herself and pretty much hidden away since that fateful day. What is Tom after and is Beth safe from whatever the truth is?
This is an enjoyable read that I found myself racing through. There's an excellent tension between the pages and the mystery of what the “incident” was is kept until late in the book so as not to give too much away. There are hints and the reader ( as I did) may draw their own conclusions- which may or may not be correct. One to make you think about life and how sometimes the things we think hold us back can actually be turned the other way around- a strength and a gateway to other things. I admired Lizzie and towards the end it took my breath away. A cleverly thought out plot, well executed and one that kept my attention right the way through.

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A fun read. 5 🌟
Lizzie Green once loved Tom Murphy with a passion that bordered on obsession. All she wanted was his love to be returned. Then one night something terrible happened and Tom left Lizzie broken hearted. She swore she would never let him hurt her again…. Now, ten years later, Tom turns up on Lizzie’s doorstep still as charming as ever. Lizzie knows he still has the power to break her heart and destroy her life again. But Lizzie can’t say no to him…. Can she?
Wow. What a book it was. Thought provoking.
Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for giving me an advance copy.