Lauren meets Jay at a music festival in a twist of fate. They fall in LUST immediately. After just two days of knowing each other, they decide to move in together at Jay‘s place. As they get to know one another, Lauren realizes that Jay may not be all that he seems. He is very closed off about his past. He seems to be hiding something. He also has a temper, and is very possessive of her. His friends also make her uncomfortable, and she starts to wonder if they are all hiding something.

Through twists and turns, you finally learn the motivations of each character.

I did not especially enjoy this book. Only because it seemed very choppy to me. There were random scenes where the main characters sister was visiting them, and there was also a meeting of her parents that just seemed awkwardly placed.

It had potential, but unfortunately I was lost in the storytelling.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookoture Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and found myself finding reasons to go on walks just so I could listen to more of it, I loved the narration and how the story all fitted together. There were many twists along the way and I found it fast paced and was completely invested in the story

This was fast paced and exciting. I liked the twists and turns and I didn't guess what was coming which was engaging.

"The Perfect Girlfriend" by Hayley Smith is a fast-paced read that keeps you on the edge of your seat as the layers of mystery gradually unfold. Initially, I found myself questioning the motives of the main character, Lauren, but as the story progresses, the truth is revealed in a thrilling and satisfying way. The book is filled with twists and turns that will leave you breathless.
I must applaud the narrator, Katie Villa, for her outstanding portrayal of all the characters. Her performance truly elevates the listening experience, bringing each character to life with their unique voices and emotions. Katie Villa’s talent adds an extra layer of immersion to the story, making it even more captivating.
If you're a fan of suspenseful thrillers, this book is definitely worth a read or listen.

A very special thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the complimentary audiobook.

This started off as an interested domestic suspense. I had a hard time following along with the narrator and there were too many things going on in the story. I found myself tuning out and then having no idea what was going on. I struggled to connect with the MC and struggled to understand why she made the decisions she did. I was interested enough to see to the end, but the ending seemed to drag on for a little too long in my opinion.

I downloaded this audioARC from NetGalley and listened to it while doing some Admin.

3 stars from me means that I believe the author achieved their aims and it’s a good book and that I personally liked but did not fall in love with it.

I hadn’t realised the sexual element that would be so prominent in this novel - I tend to flick past descriptions of sex as I find them boring and in this case I really didn’t like hearing about the drug-fuelled sado-masochism that the main characters indulged in. Not only is it not my thing, I don’t think it was needed for the murder plot.

I can see that it was part of the development of the narrator’s character - having been groomed by her first love from the age of fifteen, she was clearly vulnerable to further abusive relationships, so I guess one with a man who was into S&M when she wasn’t sure it was her thing is one way to show the escalation of abuse. But, to be honest, I think just deciding to get into a relationship with someone so quickly and the internal monologues in which she convinced herself that things were OK that were not OK (like selling her stereo and her car and keeping most of the money from their busking) were more powerful.

The underlying plot was a good one, and I’d say if you like domestic noir in which the worm turns, you will *love* this book.

Finally, for all my quibbles around the sex scenes, I am in awe of the author’s ability to write. This is a debut novel that reads like it’s been written by someone who is into double figures in terms of the notches on their writing bedpost.

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

This book was not what I was expecting at all! Katie Villa did a fantastic job with the narration, so much so that I thought there was more than one narrator at times! The story is about a girl and her boyfriend living off the grid and playing music, but they both have alternative motives that are slowly revealed. I really liked that I couldn’t predict where it was headed and would definitely recommend if you like thrillers or mysteries!

THIS is simply INCREDIBLE.
I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this gritty, gripping and original read.
The story flows with brilliant narrative, fascinating characters and an impending feeling of dread and fear for the reader.
Truly chilling and compelling storytelling, gorgeously narrated and written with an incredible eye for detail , a beautiful talent .
This author is one to watch.
Definitely a 5 star recommendation.

The premise for this book has so much promise and sounded like it was going to be the kind of book I loved, but sadly it just missed the mark for me a few too many times.

A story of two damaged people with secrets to hide coming together to start a new life, but there are way too many red flags being ignored for it to be realistic, the relationship is so dysfunctional and uncomfortable, and neither main character is particularly likeable. There is a huge amount of information thrown at us in the opening chapters, and we are introduced to lots of character names but with very little background on who they are or how they fit in so it’s a little difficult to keep on top of. Then about halfway through we get to what is probably the main ‘twist’ but it comes from nowhere and doesn’t really fit into the rest of the narrative and makes the whole relationship being Lauren and Jay even more confusing and strange.

The writing style is descriptive and full of colour, sounds and scent, although some of the conservational pieces are a little stilted and awkward. The conclusion to the story feels clumsy and very far fetched with too many coincidences, and a story that is hugely unbelievable. A disappointing read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture audio for this arc for review consideration. All views are my own.

The Perfect Girlfriend
Hayley Smith
Lauren is the perfect girlfriend for Jay, she made sure of that. The two met at a music concert and immediately fall in “love.” About a week later she is living with him in a ramshackle, isolated cabin in the middle edge of the deep forest; there is no internet, no phone service and few friends. Jay wants to live off the grid, to be self-sufficient.
Lauren has unresolved issues from her past; she dated a married man, embarrassed her family, lost her job and apartment, had a falling out with her sister and a dear friend died. She finds pleasure and contentment tending Jay’s garden. Jay, has secrets, deadly secrets.
Lauren is a fascinating character; she is brilliant, a mastermind, driven and determined. She was willing to place her life on the line if necessary. As I read this book I questioned the actions and decisions made by Lauren but farther in to the story I realized why Lauren reacted the way she did. Jay was very good except when he wasn’t. Jay’s only redeeming quality was his beautiful green eyes. The secondary characters were well fleshed out and complimented the plot. The descriptions are so well done I could see the scenes as they played out on the stage behind my eyes. Author Hayley Smith sets a creepy ambience in this tale, the reader knows something bad is going to happen but doesn’t know what and can’t stop it anyway. While this book is a fast-paced thriller the author allows the suspense to build to a crescendo. From the excellent way this book is written to the fantastic plot I thought author Hayley Smith was a seasoned writer, but this is her debut novel. Kudos to Hayley Smith!

This was such a fun listen, the narrator did such a good job omg!! I'll definitely be looking out for more audiobooks by her!!

I liked a lot of this story, but there were some parts that didn't make sense/weren't as believable as others. I really liked how she had intentionally put herself in his way in an attempt to get answers about her best friend, I loved that there was an endgame. It also put a lot of things into perspective: why she was so suspicious of everything (I mean, I would be too, because he's not a very good liar but the types of things she was asking etc. made more sense when we found this out), why she accepted his invite to live with him after knowing him for two days (when I heard that I was like??? Girl please, a crumb of self-preservation). Before that, it was definitely giving the vibe of another thriller where she unknowingly lands in the path of a horrible guy etc. but this was really well done. The whole thing was a performance she put on, and I loved that even the reader is fooled by it until she chooses to reveal it, that was so so clever and I didn't see it coming!! There were times where I was really frustrated that she couldn't see through his lies/inconsistencies - because if it's meant to be believed that she had the upper hand by choosing to be there for answers, then how did she allow herself to fall so terribly deep into that relationship. That being said, he took advantage of her weaknesses and even if his lies seemed to have more holes that substance to them, the reader holds an advantage of perspective that the MC doesn't. There were some moments where I think she should've put things together though...

The MC wasn't particularly likeable, at times she is even a little irritating - she's constantly going on about how her sister is so much better and snobby for it etc. a lot of the time I was just going "therapy, babe...therapy" in my head. I could definitely empathise and sympathise with her. She had an awful experience at 15 that dragged on for years, I can't imagine what that does to a person, especially when she had little to no support from her family and friends. I hated seeing how he twisted those vulnerabilities ugh Jay deserves a good punch in the face and to be locked up for life (I guess he got what was coming for him). I think the way the tone of the story shifts between panicked exhilaration when she stumbles onto a clue or finds something new to investigate to something more desperate and harrowing is so so clever. It really brings the listener into the story and into her experience in this house and this relationship; it's terribly jarring but it adds to the general feel of claustrophobia and panic which is always a good thing in books. I was rooting for her wholeheartedly!!
I liked her relationship with Lolly, it felt like a tether, like a safe base that kept her grounded at times when the rest of the adults were gaslighting her into next week.

The scene where her sister comes to her with information about Jay feels like it was just added to move the plot along, as a way to tell the reader what was happening in a convenient way. Jay mentions that he was looking for the MC as much as she was seeking him out, I think it would've been really cool if we got a dual POV or even more of those third person segments where we could see where she slipped up, or where he suspected she knew more than she was letting on. That would've been a way to tell the reader what was happening on both of their sides, the growing distrust, the paranoia, the competing truths etc. which would have added to the mystery and anxiety without necessarily making us side with him (often when you read the first hand POV, it's easier to empathise with the character, but third person could have got the info across without risk of this). I don't understand why she didn't suspect him from the start though...like she suspected the others, rightfully so, but her being so eager to overlook his weirdness threw me off (because I was under the impression that she sought him out for revenge, so? idk). Maybe I watch too much true crime but if she went there for answers, why isn't he the first suspect.. and in that vein, why would she accept an unknown drug from him to begin with????? Wouldn't anyone's reflex be to? Not swallow it? Idk it felt like certain things were conveniently in place to get the plot moving along.

He was so overwhelmingly creepy from the very start it was so gross, and his ending was as deserved as it was satisfying - I also don't believe anything he said to justify what he did to Nell, I almost did believe some of his lies, almost- he was manipulating both her and the reader to the very end which was very clever on the author's part.

The ending for the MC, I was not a fan of at all. I understand what she went through would make her lean heavily on the comfort of familiarity, and she did pour so much into that house etc. but it felt like a band-aid; she needed extensive therapy, and Rick's involvement in everything was never addressed, and Lolly's dad not being held accountable of the neglect, idk these all feel like loose ends that were kinda just overlooked for the sake of wrapping everything up. I may be a little biased though, because for books and movies with this sort of narrative I'm more of a "burn it all down" kinda gal, that's how I feel the story gains closure. But again, that's subjective and I'm glad she found the peace she most certainly deserves and earned.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read with some good twists and satisfying conclusions - I really liked it!!

The Perfect Girlfriend in general has all of the hallmarks of a twisty psychological thriller. Although I did find it a little bit slow to start, once I got into the story I was hooked and found it an addictive page-turner.

The book addresses many distressing themes, the author does an excellent job of telling the harrowing story but the disturbing scenes are written with a 'fade to black'. I think this was a really good choice by the author as it doesn't make the book uncomfortable to read. All the while, the scenes are descriptive enough so no story is lost to this technique.

Hayley Smith has done a wonderful job of the characterisation of Lauren, this helped me as a reader build an empathetic bond with her, and made me route for her!

What I enjoyed most about this book was that it wasn't an unbelievable plot like many of the other psychological thriller books I've read. The narrative is dark and twisted enough to be engaging but believable enough to be plausible in real life.

I started out really liking this one but the further I got into the story the more confused I got. There were a few characters I couldn’t keep straight because they were just mentioned and never actually there.


Thank you Netgalley for this ARC!

I would give The Perfect Girlfriend 3.5 stars - rounded up - thank you so much to NetGalley for sending me the audiobook ARC of this book.

I really enjoyed listening to The Perfect Girlfriend, the story stayed interesting throughout and had me wanting to know what happened next which is the main thing you want from a thriller. I have heard that this is the author’s debut novel and I am very impressed by that as thrillers are very hard to do well.

I went into this book not really knowing what to expect so some of the twists that happened had my jaw on the floor.

I look forward to more releases from the author and would definitely pick them up.

The audiobook version is amazing. The narrator is excellent. Her British accent really makes this book even better. I couldn’t put the book down.I don't wanna be dramatic, but this book was effing brilliant. Could not recommend it more! Have never read a book so fast!

The Perfect Girlfriend by Hayley Smith. This book took me a while to get into but once it got started, it was very action packed. I never saw the ended coming. The narrator was not my favorite, but did a decent job. I really wish the beginning was a bit more fast paced. The twists really seemed to all happen at the end. Thanks NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the ARC.

“𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚖. 𝙸 𝚠𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖. 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚎𝚡𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚖. 𝙷𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝙸’𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍, 𝚏𝚊𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎. 𝙱𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝙸 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚍.”

⚠️ 𝔱𝔯𝔦𝔤𝔤𝔢𝔯 𝔴𝔞𝔯𝔫𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔰: 𝔞𝔟𝔬𝔯𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫, 𝔡𝔯𝔲𝔤𝔰 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔞𝔡𝔡𝔦𝔠𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫, 𝔭𝔥𝔶𝔰𝔦𝔠𝔞𝔩 𝔞𝔟𝔲𝔰𝔢, 𝔞𝔟𝔲𝔰𝔦𝔳𝔢 𝔯𝔢𝔩𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫𝔰𝔥𝔦𝔭, 𝔯𝔞𝔭𝔢, 𝔠𝔬𝔢𝔯𝔠𝔦𝔳𝔢 𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔱𝔯𝔬𝔩 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔡𝔢𝔞𝔱𝔥 ⚠️

The easiest ever 5 ⭐️ I’ve given!! Katie Villa makes this book such an easy listen, keeping an eye out for other audiobooks she has narrated!

Wow wow wow. I usually let audiobooks last over a few days, but this one I couldn’t. I finished this in just over a day - Lauren’s story is addictive (pardon the pun) and I could not stop listening. It’s told in first person, as we follow Lauren and her investigation into what happened to her best friend Nell.

The tension builds up spectacularly, and you are hooked straight away. It’s set up to be a soft romance novel, and you are found rooting for the main character to get her happy ending. But both Lauren and Jay aren’t what you expect, they are both hiding secrets about who they are - and this turns into the twistiest thriller you’ve ever listened to or read.

I feel Lauren ends up struggling with some sort of Stockholm syndrome, and how Hayley has written her character is incredible. I wanted to shout at her to run and leave, it’s easy to spot the 🚩 from an outside viewpoint!

I enjoyed listening to this book. I thought the plot was well laid out and enjoyed getting into the mind of the MC. I would consider this a slow burn on the plot side with a character driven story line for much of the book. Overall this was a fantastic read and I can’t wait for another book by Hayley Smith!

This was a gripping psychological thriller. I was hooked from the beginning and continually questioned whether I was crazy or had it all figured out.

There were twists and turns along the way, with flashes of mystery to keep you guessing.

Dive into this puzzle and you will not be disappointed.

I listened to the audio of this book and the narrator did a famtastic job showcasing the range of emotions throughout the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture audio for the ALC. All opinions are my own.

There's a real buzz around this book and my FOMO meant I had to see for myself.

Lauren is a fiddle player with folk bands on the festival circuit. She meets Jay at a festival, and after a weekend in his camper van has fallen in love. She's quickly invited to move in to his cottage, and despite knowing almost nothing about him rushes in, ignoring all the red flags and alarm bells.

It's a good book, but I've got some mixed feelings...

The first half I was thinking of Behind Closed Doors and Blood Orange, but without the wow factor, and with camper vans, home grown veg and roll ups.

The Perfect Girlfriend comes to life in the second half, it gets much darker and brings out some new and unusual angles. There are some big twists and it all comes together really nicely.

Recommended, especially if you like coercive control / controlling partner storylines.


Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture Audio