I’d like to thank Boldwood Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The New Girl’ written by Alison Stockham in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Anna and Jon run their own printing design business and have unsuccessfully been trying to conceive a baby. Jon attends church where he meets Grace who’s in her early twenties and he’s keen for her to work for them part-time. The day following Grace’s arrival Anna spends the day at home and an envelope is put through their letter-box addressed to herself and containing the ultrasound scan of an unborn baby. Anna wonders if someone is wanting to punish her for not being able to conceive, or is it possible that Jon could be having a relationship with Grace?

‘The New Girl’ is a domestic drama that tells of lies that are kept in order to protect secrets and how honesty is always the best policy in a relationship. I wouldn’t call this story a thriller as it’s very slow and lacking suspense although it does become more interesting with the twist towards the end. I couldn’t empathise with any of the characters who lacked depth and realism and religion was mentioned too often for my liking. I’m probably in the minority with my views for which I apologise as I can only guess how much work has gone into the writing of this novel, and I’m sure it will be enjoyed by a lot of readers although I’m afraid I’m not one of them.

Jon and Anna found each other through losing a child of their own. They are married and own a business together. Their business is doing well and they hire a new girl, Grace. Grace begins asking personal questions, Anna believes Jon and Grace are having an affair. There is a lot of pointing the finger instead of having adult conversations! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy.

What a wild and emotional ride. This one has my feeling all of the feels. I highly recommend. Thank you NetGalley.

Husband and wife Anna and Jon run a printing company. She is in her thirties, he in his early forties. They have both suffered emotional traumas in their lives, but after seven years of marriage, it seems they have a close relationship which has healed the pain. However, when Jon invites Grace, a twenty two year old to join them as an intern to help out with admin duties, things begin to go badly wrong. Anna's confidence has grown since she met Jon, but the way he and Grace behave around each other, begins to concern her. She begins to worry just how safe her marriage is.
The premise for this story is a good one, but I found the way it was written, did not make me warm to Anna, despite the terrible things she had gone through - a cold, strict religious upbringing, lack of friends and the loss of a baby. The story dealt mainly with Jon and his behaviour around Grace. There was definitely something going on, but the dialogue was ambiguous, which meant things were not what they seemed, as they usually are in psychological thrillers. To be quite honest, there were times Anna annoyed me with her behaviour and the way she used her friend Kate as a sounding board. More often than not, the results of their conversations only drove her to even more extreme behaviour. So many secrets, lies and suspicions which gradually spiralled out of control, giving Anna ample time to overthink and make the situation worse. I have read previous novels by Alison Stockham and enjoyed them. This one not so much. The ending, when it came, was probably the best part of the book. Sadly, it's a three star award from me. My thanks to Boldwood, the author and Netgalley for an ARC of The New Girl in exchange for an honest review.

The New Girl
by Alison Stockham
Pub Date: April 9, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
he letterbox clatters and sitting on the mat is a piece of paper, in black and white, with everything needed to blow Anna’s perfect life apart.

A baby scan photo.
What a coincidence that it came right after Grace entered the picture.
Anna and Jon have been trying for a baby with no success, so after years of disappointment, this feels like a kick in the teeth.

Who sent it? And why?
The story started off slow and was more like women's fiction than a thriller - it was about secrets and lies, the long-term effect of keeping lies hidden, and how families adapt in difficult circumstances. But the ending takes off and the emotional rollercoaster will stay with you.

I'm undecided on what to say about this book. The first three quarters, I rolled my eyes so much it hurt. ( I really didn't like the main character, that's why the eye rolling 😂) Then. Wow. Out of nowhere it turned around and had an amazing ending. If you start reading this and think you know where it's going, it's not. Keep reading.
Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and author for the chance to read this advanced copy.

The New Girl by Alison Stockham involves John and Ann a happily married couple who also run a business together while the business picks up the couple who are trying to have a baby gets overwhelmed and John suggest they hire a girl named Grace who he works with at the church raising money for the nick you. Ann sees the sense in hiring someone but due to her mini mini mini insecurities doesn’t want to do it so when Grace shows up and tries to ingratiate herself to Ann her new boss is awkward and reluctant. A few days later Ann here’s something at her door and when she opens it she sees a letter on the welcome mat and inside the envelope is a picture of a baby skan and this is when Ann lets her imagination get away with her… Big-time! Not to mention when she goes to her best friend Kate for solace her best friend in advertently only makes it worse… So so much worse. If not for the ending which in my opinion was way too long I would’ve given this book less than the three stars I gave it the story it was a good one and a topic not really talked about much and so kudos to the Author for bringing it to the table. I didn’t like the way Ann had the most ridiculous inner thoughts I’ve ever seen in a character and at times she opposed her own opinion but it wasn’t just that I really couldn’t get a grasp on the type of person she was and felt like John and Grace were more flushed out then the main character Ann. I also felt like they kept belaboring the same point and reiterating the same storyline over and over until they got to a new one and just kept repeating that one in one instance or another but having said that there were many heartfelt points in the book and her great friendship with Kate not to mention the unknown topic I spoke up earlier makes for a pretty good read. This will not put me off reading Allison Stockhams books because as I said there were many aspects I liked and it seems she is still a young writer and definitely has gobs of talent. I want to thank boldwood books and NetGalley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

There was an unexpected twist to this story. However, the slow build was basically the entire book. This book isn’t something I would read again but if you enjoy a slow psychological build, then this is for you.

Anna and Jon spend almost all of their time at their design/printing company. Jon is concerned that the stress is keeping Anna from getting pregnant, and so he decides to bring in a young woman from his church who would like to build her design skills. That's the first thing Anna disliked about Grace. But when a baby scan is pushed through her mail slot, she starts to get paranoid that someone has discovered her secret! It seems a huge coincidence that it happened right after Grace started, and Anna's friend Kate adds fuel to the fire when she suggests that maybe Jon and Grace have more than a working relationship.

The story started off slow and was more like women's fiction than a thriller - it was about secrets and lies, the long-term effect of keeping lies hidden, and how families adapt in difficult circumstances. But the ending takes off and the emotional rollercoaster will stay with you.

Thanks to NetGalley, Rachel's Random Resources, and Boldwood Books for an advanced reader's copy.

I didn't really know what to expect from this book., as i havnt read anything by this author before. I really enjoyed it .
When a baby scan is posted through Anna and Johns letterbox with a cryptic clue on the back, Anna is stunned as she hasnt told John she is still taking the contraceptive pill. Cracks in the marriage start to appear. When Grace starts to work at the printing business Anna and John ownshe also attends the same church as john . Grace has a flare for design, but all is not what it seems....... whispered conversations between John and Grace leads Anna to believe they are having an affair, Anna sets out to prove she is right or has she been barking up the wrong tree? Great plot kept me guessing, well written will definately be looking for more of this authors bookx

Anna and Jon are struggling in their business, their marriage, and in trying to start a family. Jon brings in a girl from their church to help in their business and then things take a turn. This covers a lot of domestic topics and is more of a family drama than thriller. Overall, this was good to read.
Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

Anna and Jon were set on having a child but faced disappointment and had no results for years! But Jon had no clue that Anna was hiding her secrets! Then, a piece of paper with a black-and-white photo of a scan of a baby came through her letterbox! Who’s pregnant? Why was it sent to her? Jon is cheating and got some girl knocked up?!

Enter Grace into the scene—the new girl Jon took on to work in their print shop! Anna smells a rat with Jon and Grace! This book has all the feels. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It is one I would highly recommend reading!

Thank you to Blodwood Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Such a great book. I really like how this one was laid out for the reader and how the characters made the story flow.

Throughly enjoyed this story. Characters really well written. Love, loss, deception..this book has it all. I thought I had it figured out, I was wrong. Well done.

I was given the chance to read this book prior to its release date.

I enjoyed reading this book. So many emotions when reading it. I definitely didnt see the ending of this book coming.

Anna and her husband Jon both shared loss. Anna lost a baby and Jon lost his first wife and unborn child. Together they healed each other. They tried for years to have a baby of their own but it didnt happen. For Anna it was enough to have Jon and their business. But was it enough for Jon? They hired, Grace to help with the business. Who is she really. Anna doesnt trust her and Jon thinks she is great. Can she be trusted? What is Jon and Grace hiding from Anna? Get your copy of The New Girl April 9th.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It wasn't as gripping as I had hoped, but I did enjoy the storyline. The ending was great, and I liked how everything played out.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an early copy of The New Girl. This took foreverrrrrrrrr to get to the point, way too much going round and round, it became frustrating. The ending was a nice one and wrapped up too good to be true but again it took too long to get there. I liked the characters and assumptions are usually wrong but I did understand why Anna felt the way she did. Glad things worked out the way they did.

This book took me a while to get through. At one point I almost gave up but pushed myself to carry on. The cover for The New Girl made it seem like this would be an interesting psychological thriller. Heck, even the title sounds like it would be a good read, but it fell short. The New Girl was hardly a thriller, maybe more of a family drama. I did not enjoy the writing style and the characters were not likeable. Unfortunately The New Girl is not something I would recommend to others.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyed this book. Lots of suspense and drama. Couldn’t put it down once I started! Thank you net galley

What in the HECK did I read? This was such a fantastic book that kept me guessing until the end. If you love Scandal, Lies, UNHINGED behaviours, this book is for you . It was a fast book and once I started. I had a hard time putting this book down.