It can be hard for a mother to let her son go... to relinquish her place as the woman in their life. It's hard to imagine no longer being the first person they go to for comfort, for congratulations, for support. But what happens when that is made even more difficult by a bad feeling in regards to the woman your son has fallen in love with? There's just something wrong with her... something a bit dark, something calculated and manipulative. How do you deal with that?

I would certainly recommend this one if you want a domestic drama with some thriller aspects that's very juicy. The rivalries in this one are intense, and there's no limit to what these two women will do to both keep and protect the same man. It's not a short book, but I flew through it in just a few sittings. It's very gripping. While I thought the main character Laura would be hard to identify with because of her immense wealth and success in life, I felt for her so much. Even when her actions seem tinged with insanity and desperation, you feel for her. Cherry is the opposite of Laura. Her calculated actions are intended only to benefit herself, hardly ever worrying about anyone else. She's a fascinating character, but not one who I would want to meet.

Daniel is in every sense of the word, a catch. He's training to be a doctor, and he's compassionate and caring. Though he was lucky enough to be born into money, he hasn't let that affect his ambition and drive to make something of himself. When he meets Cherry, he's smitten. Though she was never afforded the same opportunities as he was, she too seems driven and ambitious... but is that just a cover for the gold-digger who lies underneath?

This is a crazy book who manages to go off the rails but still make it possible to suspend your disbelief a bit and enjoy the ride. I'm so glad I finally got the chance to read it, having had it on my to read list for some time.

I received a copy of this book from Net Galley and Kensington Books, thank you! My review is honest and unbiased.

Oh what a delicious book this is; I haven't had so much fun reading a book in some time!! Take one very affluent mother (Laura), who, though she has a husband and a career, has invested all her emotional feelings and self-worth in her 24-year old son, Daniel. Add one girl (Cherry), of lowly, self-described embarrassing beginnings, determined to catch herself a rich man and live a life of leisure. Cherry failed at her first attempt, and is determined that won't happen again. Gold-digger? You betcha!! Then there is Daniel, caught in the middle between the mother he has always adored, and the girl that intrigues him so and steals his heart. Let the games begin!!!

At first, I was sympathetic to Laura, who was excited about Daniel having a girl-friend, envisioning all the mother-daughter type things they could do together, but my sympathy soon turned to dismay and then disgust. Helicopter mom? This woman hovers so close that her blades would make mincemeat of the son she adores. The closer Daniel and Cherry become, the more bothered Laura is, and the more lines she begins to cross.

Cherry (such an annoying name!) wants no part of a close relationship with Laura; she wants Daniel ALL TO HERSELF. His parents might raise valid questions about her in Daniel's mind and she's not willing to take that chance. She is a formidable young woman.

It's delightful to watch these two unlikeable women have at it, raising the stakes higher and higher, wondering who will ultimately win, and at what cost?

A very satisfying read!! Many thanks to Michelle Frances for writing such a fun book, NetGalley and Kensington Books for allowing me to read an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Great read, really enjoyed. Was hooked from the beginning wondering what Cherry was up to. Great character development and well written. Would definitely recommend to others.

This book was different to what I expected but .a really good read,

3 Stars.

Laura loves her life: she has an amazing relationship with her son Daniel and she has an uber successful job. In an instant it comes crashing down and Laura doesn’t see it coming. It happens because of a girl Daniel has become smitten with: Cherry. She is a gorgeous gal who works in real estate, who is from the wrong side of the tracks. Laura is positive that she is after Daniel’s money and Daniel doesn’t see it. Immediately thereafter cracks start to emerge in Laura and Daniel’s relationship and Cherry is pleased. Very pleased. Cherry wants Daniel all to herself you see and she will do whatever she has to do to get him, Laura be damned.

“The Girlfriend” by Michelle Frances is a slow burning psychological family thriller that unfortunately for me just didn’t quite take off. In addition, it left me wanting more as it felt fairly predictable. That said, the author however, did a stellar job at making both Laura and Cherry extremely well developed and manipulative, though quite unlikeable. I found “The Girlfriend” to be a quick easy read (I tore through it) and would recommend it to people looking for an slow burning family suspense.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington Books and Michelle Frances for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Published on NetGalley, Goodreads and Amazon on 2.11.18.

This book may contain the best Epilogue I’ve ever read. It was the perfect ending to this wild ride of a story. I really liked Laura with all her flaws and Daniel but I realized very early on that Cherry was not what she was presenting herself to be. I really wondered how far she was going to go & the puppy scene made me gasp out loud. The characters were excellent both the good & the bad and the story was paced excellently. There was a lot of hype surrounding this book on my Facebook reader group and this book definitely lived up to the hype.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced review copy. All opinions are my own.

It's mom versus girlfriend. At some points I felt myself leaning to the girlfriend's side. But as a mom with two boys, I was routing more so for mom. Both sneaky and determined, you are in for a heck of a ride with this page turner!

Compelling characters, a twisting plot, and a dynamic ending make The Girlfriend a truly thrilling read.  If you enjoyed Girl on the Train or Gone Girl, you'll definitely want to read The Girlfriend.

The story is mainly told from two perspectives: that of Laura, Daniel's mother, and Cherry, Daniel's girlfriend.  Laura and her son share a very close bond, and she is understandably protective of her child.  Cherry, on the other hand, is a young woman with a mission: she wants to marry a rich man who will take her away from the poverty she grew up in.  What I loved about this book is that neither woman is entirely evil nor entirely good.  Both women do very terrible things to block the other from access to Daniel, but at the same time, they aren't monsters.  (At least not at the beginning...)

The tension in the story begins slowly, but not too slowly.  At the beginning, both women want to bond with the other, but neither can seem to make the jump.  Laura is wary of Cherry, and Cherry is insecure around Daniel's wealthy, cultured mother.  As the plot develops, each woman becomes more obsessed with possessing Daniel, and thus go to more and more extremes to win him over.  There were many times when I was squirming because I couldn't believe some of the antics these women pulled.

I could not put this book down, and I read it in a very short time.  I simply had to find out what was going to happen.  Luckily, the ending did not disappoint.  I won't say any more because of spoilers, but I loved how the writer brought all of the events to their conclusion.

The Girlfriend was a thrilling, spellbinding read, and I can't wait for more from this author.  Five out of five stars.

This was a great read, completely worthy in my opinion of a full 5 star score!

Michelle Frances explores the complex relationship between a mother and her son's girlfriend; Daniel is the guy caught in the middle.

Laura is the mother with everything - or so Daniel's girlfriend Cherry believes; wealthy husband, beautiful home, villa in the South of France and a job with status! Cherry on the other hand comes from a poor background; clever, beautiful and ambitious she wants everything that Laura has, and will stop at nothing to get it.

When Daniel brings Cherry to meet his parents one evening, both are initially keen to make a good impression; however, Laura soon becomes suspicious of Cherry's motives for being with her son and the relationship between the two rapidly deteriorates.

When Daniel suffers a serious accident, as next-of-kin Laura is able to take the upper hand. In a desperate effort to maintain her hold on her son, Laura tells a horrific lie, one that is to have the most serious of repercussions.

As tensions between the two women reach a climax who will win...and at what cost!

I quite simply couldn't put this book down. Michelle Frances' character development was excellent, the story being told from several viewpoints in a third person voice. Cherry had just that right amount of 'sinister' and yet still maintained a believable human side capable of charm and manipulation where required; and taking into consideration the actions of Laura, maybe what she didn't like about Cherry was seeing a reflection of her own flaws in another woman!

Loved! 5 stars!

In this story, it's Laura, Daniel's Mom versus Cherry, Daniel's new girlfriend. Laura and Daniel have a very close relationship. When Cherry first shows up, Laura is excited. But something seems off about Cherry and Laura can't quite figure out why. Cherry was raised on the poorer side of town and has reinvented herself to try and fit in with the rich crowd. Does she love Daniel for himself or for the lifestyle his money allows her to live?

Oh my! This was an exciting read. The power to be the top women in Daniel's life swings like a pendulum between Laura and Cherry. First Cherry seems to hold all the cards, then Laura. Back and forth, back and forth. (Poor Daniel). The questions is - who wins out in the end?

I was very impressed by this first novel from Ms. Frances. I loved the twists and turns as Laura and Cherry try to one up each other. The suspense goes right down to the last page. Bravo!

ARC from Kensington Books via Netgalley.

This was a decent mystery. Nothing real new or significant as to the storyline. At times the flow of the story was choppy. An fun, quick read that I would recommend to others.

I don't know if this novel should be considered a psychological thriller. If anything, this book falls more in line with a domestic thriller. Maybe I'm being a little too picky about classification but I think it's important; if I go into a novel thinking it is a psychological thriller, then I'm expecting certain things from it that I might not expect were it a different type of thriller. Anywho, I just wanted to make this clear for everyone else considering reading this book.

In terms of the structure, this novel is told from 3 perspectives: Laura, Cherry, and Daniel. While I liked that the author showed us these 3 sides as it allowed us to contrast the reactions of the different characters, I don't think it was necessarily done in the best way, especially when it came to Daniel's POV. His perspective didn't get its own chapter; instead, as you are reading from Laura's or Cherry's side of the story, there would be an abrupt and random shift into Daniel's viewpoints. This took me aback a lot and created a jarring effect when I was reading, which I didn't enjoy. 

The story itself was also interesting. I don't think there was any one character that was completely good or bad (except, maybe Daniel) and I really liked that because it gave them more dimension. The pacing was fast, which I enjoyed, and I was happy that the author tried to put some depth into the characters and their backstories even when pushing this fast-paced thriller. I wouldn't necessarily say I was on the edge of my seat, but I didn't get bored with the story, either. I have to admit that it was predictable, but it was still a nice read. 

Overall, this was a predictable read, but in no way bad for a debut novel. The characters were developed well but the story needed some more unique features. I would give this a 3/5 rating, and I look forward to seeing this author progress further.

This book is a thriller. Unfortunately my download only went as far as the end of Chapter 13 but in those 13 Chapters you get a really good idea of the characters and I must say the only decent person in this story is Daniel. His Mother Laura is extremely possessive of him and being 24 years old and studying to be a Doctor some private time with his new girlfriend Cherry is definitely what he wants. Laura is suspicious of Cherry and the feeling is mutual.

When Laura suggests they go away for the weekend, Cherry lies to her boss and gets the weekend off and has no intentions of sharing Daniel with his mother. Whilst Daniel and Cherry are out, Laura can’t help but snoop into Cherry’s belongings and what she finds obviously starts her thinking about what deceptions Cherry is up to.

This is as far as my download went to. I would have loved to finish this book as even though I am sure some terrible things are going to occur between Laura and Cherry and I am nervous to find out what they are, the story is so intriguing I am sure it will be a best seller.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A gripping psychological drama. The stage is set for lies and intrigue when Laura's son, Daniel, meets Cherry and falls madly in love with this charismatic young woman. When tragedy strikes, true colors emerge and the stormy alliance between mother, son and girlfriend explodes. Full of surprising twists, I read this in one sitting!

A mother who adores her son and their close relationship. Then the Girlfriend appears, Daniel is in love with Cherry and Laura the mum has her nose put out of joint. The story then launches into a fast paced, adrenaline pumping read of deceit, manipulation, pure evil and that lie! No really likeable characters but this only helps to keep the pace of this hold your breath drama. Only missing 5* from me as found the end a little rushed - would have liked a little more from the conclusion. A great read though.

Mother, Laura vs Girlfriend, Cherry... who will win? Both of these women have extremely questionable morals and values, bordering on the psychopathic! Daniel, is a devoted son and a dream boyfriend - kind, considerate, trusting and oh so malleable and therefore vulnerable. Both women profess to love Daniel and to have his best interests at heart. However, they are clearly motivated by self-interest and a desire to possess and control Daniel. In spite of these conniving, manipulative women (or maybe because of them), I could not put this book down! Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

A mother unable to cut the umbilical cord + a gold digger girlfriend = a recipe for disaster

Laura, who lost her daughter years ago, lives only for her son – Daniel, and is the typical “helicopter parent” who does not know any boundaries. Her husband is in a long lasting affair, which Laura knows about but chooses to ignore and live with.

Daniel is the rich kid with a trust fund and a doctor in training. Everything is well until he meets Cherry. Cherry grew up with little money. Her father died when she was a toddler and her mother worked hard in a supermarket to take care of her. Cherry does not appreciate the effort her mother made and hates her for being “only a supermarket worker”. She believes she is capable of more, deserves more, and wants more, so she sets herself up for a hunt for a rich husband.

Cherry is “the girl on a mission” and has a past of rich boyfriends. Her previous relationship ended because her ex’s parents convinced him she was too low class for him. She follows his life quite closely, and knowing he married a rich girl and is building a family with her, Cherry wants to prove even more that she can have the same quality of life for herself. That is when she meets Daniel.

Although both Laura and Cherry initially have the intention to make the relationship between the two of them work, we quite quickly learn that these two possessive ladies will not see eye to eye. As an effect Daniel ends up being pushed and pulled in his mother’s and girlfriend’s manipulative game. One disaster leads to another, and when Laura tells a horrible lie, things turn even worse than they already were.

Most of the characters are highly unlikable, but this did not make me like this story any less.

Many books nowadays are miscategorized as psychological thrillers – not this one. It is a fast paced, attention grabbing debut novel that will make you want to finish the book in one sitting and curl your toes in suspense. The story could easily be turned into a thriller movie.

Loved this book, it was very different from the crime thrillers that I normally read. The story tells of the relationship between the boyfriend’s mother and his girlfriend. Both characters are flawed but there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing until the end. A book you will not want to put down.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was pretty boring, honestly. It's really annoying when a book is marketed as a thriller, when it's really not thrilling at all.

Domestic thrillers seem to be making a comeback and I am NOT unhappy about that. They are fun reads and it's interesting to see how an author will bring this kind of story to life. In this case, we have two deplorable characters: Laura and Cherry. Boy did the author make me despise both of them! Cherry is just straight up certifiable, selfish and manipulative. Laura just lives in her little bubble and makes some extremely dumb mistakes... but they all at least stem from what seems to be a good place. Poor Daniel having to be stuck between the two of them!

I went back and forth in how I really felt about this book. I would put this more in a Domestic Suspense/Drama category than a thriller. As such, we get the full on cat and mouse game between Laura and Cherry. The author does it well - she definitely kept my interest and I quickly finished the book as it was highly entertaining and easy to get through. I did, however, feel that it became a bit repetitive at times. Cherry, Laura, Cherry, Laura, Cherry, Laura... get my drift? I felt myself growing just a bit tired of it by the time I got to the end. I also felt the ending was a bit predictable.

What I absolutely loved about this book? The late night Lifetime movie I feel it had. I'm a SUCKER for those! Those who love the domestic suspense type novels that is more character driven will take a shining to this lovely book. I definitely found it highly entertaining.