🎧Audio Book Review🎧

The Perfect Girlfriend
Hayley Smith

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What a brilliantly twisty and complex psychological thriller this was! I absolutely loved this!

When Lauren meets Jay at a festival and they hit it off, she sees this new relationship as a way to get away from her old life and start afresh.
Even though they've not known each other very long, she jumps at the chance to move into his cottage, far from home, off grid and free from the stresses of the past.

I completely fell in love with this carefree couple who met at the festival, hit it off and absolutely adored each other.
When Jay starts disappearing for hours, manipulating the money and access to the outside world, I started to see the way this story was going to go.
For the majority of the book I was absolutely certain how things were going to play out - that is until the curve balls started flying fast!

I'm not giving away any more of the plot because it was just genius and needs to be just experienced first hand. But it was brilliant.

The setting was perfect of course. Being isolated with no internet of phone coverage. One vehicle to share between them and limited access to keys. And the forest behind the cottage just screamed misadventure is heading our way.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I will definitely be hunting out more.
This was exciting right from the start and it never waned throughout.
There was always something happening and something extra to add to the list of clues that needed to be put together to work out what was actually going on.

I loved the ending for this too - even once we get through all the twists and turns and get to a satisfactory conclusion...there was still more to come.....Right up until the final sentence which leaves us wondering what might have followed on....

Another brilliant read - highly recommend this if you love a great psychological thriller.




💕Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕

Lauren meets Jay at a festival and after a whirlwind romance, she moves into his rundown cottage to live a self sufficient lifestyle. However, Jay’s very cagey about his past and gaslights Lauren into selling her possessions. When she finds a children’s bike and toys in the shed, he won’t give a straight answer about their origins, despite say the cottage belonged to his friend, Rick’s grandmother. Lots of things don’t add up and Lauren finds items hidden that are disturbing. However, Lauren has her own secrets and hidden past, is she really the perfect girlfriend?
A fantastic debut novel and completely gripping. So many layers and secrets to each character, really hooks you in, wanting to know their truth. Highly recommended.

Initially, I was flummoxed! Lauren moves in with Jay, a guy she met at a music festival and hardly knows. Jay lives in a
ramshackle cottage on an estate where they can be semi self sufficient, but that comes at a price; no wifi, no mobile signal, no landline….. no way of calling for help. WHY WOULD SHE DO THAT???

So many weird things were happening, Rick’s reaction to her, a child that speaks to nobody but her, Lauren alluding to having fallen out with her friends and family… In my head, I was screaming at her to get the hell out of there and couldn’t fathom why she wasn’t doing just that, BUT…

Gradually, the author starts to drip feed snippets of Lauren’s past and her semi hidden existence starts to make more sense - what is she hiding?

And when the twists start… OMG!!!

Everyone has their own agenda and nothing is going to stop them. Intense, gripping and chilling as hell!

Katie Villa's narration was flawless.

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Hayley Smith and Bookouture Audio for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Listened to on audiobook. Excellent, very intriguing plot and very well written for a debut. The narrator was very good

What a rollercoaster! You start instantly entranced with action and fear, the fear never wavers but bits of clues flicker throughout. So many secrets on all ends. You start thinking one thing and then seconds later completely change your mind. My heart goes out to the MC, talk about a traumatic relationship history. Gripping debut novel. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I greatly appreciate it!

This story follows Lauren as she meets Jay at a music festival and falls into a romance of convivence. Jay and his out of the way home hold the perfect escape and new start Lauren is looking for, but nothing is truly as it seems. Lauren and Jay both have pasts that haunt them. This book is full of twists and turns. If you are looking for your next thriller this may be the perfect one for you.

3.5⭐️ Rounded up

The Perfect Girlfriend stands as a good reminder that there is no such thing as a perfect girlfriend, or boyfriend. If something (or someone) looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Lots of great twists and twistedness to be found here, but, that said, some head-scratching elements as well. You definitely have to suspend your disbelief to enjoy this one, but if you can do so, you may find some nice “light” (for something quite dark in its content) summer beach reading.

Katie Villa did a great job with the narration.

Thank you Hayley Smith, Bookouture Audio, and NetGalley for providing this ALC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Perfect Girlfriend is a twisty thriller that keeps you guessing till the very end. Definitely check the trigger warnings as there are quite a few items mentioned in this book that may be triggering for readers. I also felt like the book blurb didn't exactly match when happened in the story but still a decent read that kept me guessing until the very end.

I listened on audiobook and enjoyed the narrator, and was still enjoyable at 2x speed.

3.5 star rating. Thanks to Netgalley, Hayley Smith, and Bookouture audio for an advanced copy for my honest review.

Lauren and Jason ("J") met at a music festival where Lauren was playing fiddle. They immediately hit it off, and decided they should spend more time together, so Lauren goes ahead and moves in with J. However, after moving in with hi, Lauren starts to realize there are some things off about him and his friends. So Lauren must work to understand J and his friends, and how they fit into the events of her past.

Overall, this book wasn't my favorite. I was hoping that the FMC would redeem herself following one of the twists in the book, however, she was still written as an incompetent idiot. Maybe a bit harsh but all of the "thriller" moments were as a result of her ignorance and inability to think. I will say that the story line was interesting and somewhat unique... I just could not get over how "stupid" Lauren acted the whole book.

I would not have thought to end up liking this story as much as I did!
Lauren meets Jay at a music festival and they embarc on a whirlwind romance. Lauren is more than willing to move in with Jay since she has a difficult relationship with her family. Moreover her best friend recently commited suicide. Despite the dilapidated state of his cottage, lacking any modern amenities such as WiFi or phone service and situated far from civilization, Lauren gradually finds solace in the enchanting garden and Jay's commitment to self-sufficiency.
However, both Jay and Lauren harbor concealed secrets. And once these start to come out there is no stopping!
Highly recommended psychological thriller perfectly narrated by by Katie Villa
Thank you #NetGalley #Bookouture Audio for this advanced audio book

Laura met Jay in a music festival. They then fell in love shortly and Laura moved to Jay’s isolated cottage for a few reasons. Laura was desperate to put her traumatic life behind. Being dumped by a married man, abortion, broken relationship with parents and her best friend was killed…

There were no wifi and no phone signal in this Jay’s cottage but Laura still thought this was the perfect place to live and to move on. She now was taken the perfect girlfriend role. However, both Laura and Jay were not perfect; they were hiding secrets.

The Perfect Girlfriend is an enjoyable read - fast paced without any dragging. The story plot is easy to follow and the author put all the characters alive under her writing. The ending is creepy which it hit the spot!

Content: Abusive relationship, drug and abortion

Many thanks to NetGalley, bookouture and Hayley for the audiobook!

🎧4.25-4.5⭐️

A debut novel listed as general fiction, it has a dark domestic suspense feel for me (not good at categorising) I had the audiobook read by Katie Villa who does a good job.

Lauren is the main female character a musician who quickly gets into a relationship with Jay.
There are hints that things are not quite what they seem, there’s lots going on, with interest from sub plots. Plenty of twists and turns.

Bullet points for Perfect Girlfriend
📕the reader is kept in the dark as to what the actual agenda here is for a long time
📕it’s got dark creepy vibes
📕Secrets galore
📕Quite a few trigger warnings

It maintains a decent pace throughout, the reader isn’t told what Lauren’s intentions are until well into the book, but what we get gives plenty of hints at secrets, troubled past and multiple alarming red flag behaviours. At times it’s quite dark and gritty hence the trigger warnings.

It felt very believable, I didn’t particularly like the main character, but that didn’t stop me engaging with the book. I liked her relationship with Lolly the best.

This is a cracking debut. I think the narrator adds to the books appeal for me.

Five stars all the way. This book kept me on the edge of my seat thru the whole book. I couldn’t even stop listening and finished in one day. The only thing I didn’t like at first was how quickly she moved in with the guy and how nagging she was about all his previous exploits but as you go along it explains it’s part of her plan to find out what happened to her friend. The main male character was lovable until you realize how manipulating and abusive he is. The whole book threw twist and turns and I loved every bit of it.

Shew! This one was a wild ride! My mind was all over the place with Jay and Rick! I didn’t trust either one of them! Maria kept me mad, and poor Lolli, I felt so bad for her. There were several “twists” in the book that you don’t really expect and things that make you question like what is going on! Buttt..these are the types of books I like! So it’s perfect for me!

At first I didn’t think I was going to like the book strictly bc of the narrator. Sometimes if there’s an accent and the person speaks too quickly I can’t understand it but I went ahead and gave it a shot and boy am I glad I did!! This narrator was absolutely perfect for this book! I would definitely read another of this authors books!

When I started listening to this book, I had plot predictions going in my head…..and yea I was completely wrong. This book was so dang good; I was disappointed when it ended. The main female character (Lauren) made some questionable choices, especially in the beginning, and just knew the rest of the book would go downhill. NOPE, not the case. Great writing and character development, along with a good narrator made this a solid read. Hands down, I recommend it and will look forward to the next books by the author.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the gifted ARC (audiobook)...as all opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

Lauren meets Jay at a music festival and they quickly connect and move in together. Each of them have their secrets.

Solid narration by Katie Villa.

Name of Book: The Perfect Girlfriend
Author: Hayley Smith
Narrator: Kate Villa
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Publisher: Bookouture Audio
Pub Date: July 20, 2023
My Rating: 2.8 rounded up
Pages: 336

This story stars with Lauren, a 30-year-old mess. She has made some bad decisions and ready to disappear from her past. Lauren plays the violin and meets Jay at a music festival.

Jay lives in an isolated cottage in the woods and Lauren likes the idea and moves in. Although she seems to be okay with Jay’s ‘self-efficiency life style, she love the garden, the cottage definitely needs some major redecorating. Lauren see that as a challenge and gets busy stripping wall paper, painting even redoing the floor ~ as we know she wants to be the perfect girlfriend,

She does meet some neighbors including one who has a non-verbal little girl – Lolly.
Since Lauren stays at home she is able to take care of little Lolly now n’ then.
Lolly does communicate with Lauren by whispering ~ she is a fun little girl – she see toys in a locked shed and see ghosts and also sees toys in a storage shed that she want Lauren to open. ~ Lauren tells Lolly the shed is locked and she cannot open it. But when Lolly leaves Lauren is curious and finds the keys and sure enough there is a child’s bike as well as other toys in the shed. Lauren has been curious about Jay’s former girlfriend as she sees signs that she had once lived there-now toys – Lauren is wondering if Jay had a child!
Jay, of course, is full of excuses aka lies and is able to explain that the toys were left from the former resident.
Actually both Jay and Lauren have past secrets which are slowly revealed

Lauren finds bruises on her body that she doesn’t remember how they happened.
Yikes that girl!

I had difficult time imagining Jay as good-looking. His foul language and behavior made him unattractive as well as unlikeable ~ IMO.
The magic pill and the kiss nearly had me throwing the book across the room however I listening to an audiobook!

BTW: The Katie Villa the narrator was great in performing all the characters!.

Although not a fan of either Lauren -the protagonist or Jay- the antagonist, but the story kept me curious.
As we readers continue we do find out more about both of them.
Story promised twists, which does deliver via the secrets.
I read a lot of thrillers so I was expecting the twists and turns to be more shocking!

I was glad things worked out for Lauren but I didn’t love this story.
The reviews are great so I know there are many readers who love it. So you may want to give it a try!

Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this audiobook.
Publishing Release Day scheduled for: July 20, 2023.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the Arc!

I could not put this down. Every moment I had I was listening and trying to work out what exactly was going on.

The story was so cleverly tied together with twists and turns I had no idea where they were going. The only question I have at the end of this though is what was the point of the solicitor?

Lauren was so brilliantly written that you would never suspect her capable of what she was doing. When everything was revealed, it was such a shock I audibly gasped in the middle of the office!

This could be the one that gets me back into Thrillers you know…

Lauren is a young fiddle player in a folk band at a music festival. She has been through two traumatic experiences with a former older boyfriend that was married and abused her since she was 15 years old named Martin and her bff, Nell has just passed away from what people think was suicide but seems sketchy.

She Mets Jay at a music festival and they move into a relationship quite quickly! They are moving fast and furious as she moves on with him and they begin to try to live off the grid as much as possible.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book and it kind of read like a diary. It was so interesting and kept my attention! I really liked the story of Lauren, I would have liked them to go into a bit more detail about her experience with Martin. There’s plenty of twists and turns. Even though, I guessed the ending, there were still a few surprises along the way! Great book to listen to while I am working!

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Hayley Smith for the opportunity to listen to this book before it comes out. My opinions are all my own!

I rate this a FIVE rating! BUT, only due to the SUPERB narration by KATIE VILLA. Her narration is fantastic with quick voice changes and you instantly recognise each different characters with ease! This was my first audible book narrated by Katie Villa and it won't be the last! The listening time is 8 hours and 30 minutes.

The plot I found difficult to relate to and was not for me and I found myself losing interest. It was only the narrator who kept me listening with excellent voice changes allowing atmosphere, suspense, twists and turns and creepiness.

The protagonist, Lauren, a musician, was the most annoying character but the narrator brought her beautifully to life, including all her traits. A dislikeable character, as hard as I tried to warm to Lauren, I could not! Lauren is a damaged person. Her sister, Lou, is the opposite of her younger sister, married, wealthy and interferes in Lauren's life. Lauren meets Jay at a music festival. and is instantly attracted to him. Jay is handsome. Lauren and Jay both have dark secrets they need to keep hidden.

I would recommend this audible book but only for the excellent narration.

I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF LISTENING TO AN ALC OF THIS AUDIBLE BOOK IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW