This book was so good. And I definitely did not expect what happened. It jumps from one perspective to another and even from present to past. There were points where I would forget who was narrating but it was easy to figure it out. Parts kind of read like a diary. Overall though, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It had many twists and turns. I would think I was figuring it out then something would happen and make me question it. Once everything was revealed however, it wrapped up pretty quickly. I would have liked a little more elaboration but it got the job done. I would definitely recommend this book. It might also be a good book club read.

EXCERPT: Blood doesn't look like blood in the dark.

Now that the adrenaline that powered her scramble down the stairs has drained away, she feels as if all her bones have been pulled out. She can barely stand, has to grasp the metal newel post for support as she stares and stares.

The fourth-floor landing light goes out.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: A sinister novel about finding justice in revenge, perfect for fans of In a Dark, Dark Wood and I Let You Go

After years of estrangement from her family, Mags receives a shocking phone call. Her rebellious brother, Abe, is in a coma, and the police suspect he tried to take his own life. But Mags isn't so sure, and she begins to crack away at the life of the brother she once knew: the dark apartment building, the whispering tenants, and her brother's mysterious girlfriend, the only witness to the incident, who raises more questions than answers. As Mags picks up where the police left off, she begins to unearth the secrets her brother left behind—and awakens her own talent for revenge.

MY THOUGHTS: The Girlfriend by Sarah J. Naughton was a book that, once I got into it, got all the characters straight in my mind, I didn't want to put down. There are four main characters, Abe, Jody, Mags and Mira. The story is told mainly from their POVs, with an occasional view from one of the more minor characters.

It is a complex story, but a riveting one, told mainly in the current timeline with occasional flashbacks. It seems that everyone has some sort of abusive past and, of course, this affects the person that they have become. I admit to occasionally getting the person and the past muddled, hence the 4 stars, rather than 5.

There were times while I was reading that I felt tied up in knots. The characterisation is superb, and you never really know where you are with any of them. I would be thinking one thing, and reading something entirely different from what I expected. The plot twists, turns and doubles back on itself. It truly is a roller coaster ride!

Naughton has written a very clever, a diabolically clever, novel. The Girlfriend has it all - crime, drama, mystery, suspense, secrets, suspicions and lies. Lies that the liar believes. . .

The Girlfriend by Sarah J. Naughton was previously published as Tattletale. The new title is far more fitting.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark via Netgalley for providing a digital copy of The Girlfriend by Sarah J. Naughton for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the 'about' page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system.

This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

Thank you To Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in return for my honest opinion.

I was surprised with this book. As I read the first few chapters, I didn’t see how these people and events were going to come together. I was quite pleased with the way the book went there was lots of back-and-forth while I tryed to guess what had happened to Mag’s brother, Abe. There were moments where I was very surprised with the turn events. I must say I really enjoyed the conclusion of this book and I definitely will read mire books by this author.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I had a really hard time with this book... it was hoping that it would get better, it did for a while, then got boring and then just confusing. If i didn't get it from here i might have put it as a DNF but i owed it to finish and write an honest review. It had potential but it didn't go anywhere..

A slow start, but once it gets going is definitely a thrilling ride. Has some times where it's not my very favorite, but then other times when it was just a tad too slow and the characters were not as developed as could be. Definitely worth picking up and reading, if you love all thrillers.

An excellent psychological thriller that I couldn't put down. I would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys this genre or even for someone who wants to give a good mystery thriller a chance. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Although this book was slow to start with a lot of characters thrown at you at once it got better and better !! This is a hard book to review because I didn't like it then I did and then I was disappointed in the end. This was a satisfying read so I would recommend not passing it up!

Talk about twists and turns... love it!! Always had me guessing, till the very end.
I would read more from this Author for sure.




thank you to the publisher and net galley for allowing me to have a ARC of this book.

The Girlfriend by Sarah Naughton is a highly recommended psychological thriller with a twisty plot. (It was published in the UK as Tattletale.)

When news reaches her of her brother's accident, Mags, a high powered lawyer living in Los Vegas, flies back to London. Abe fell from down the stairs from outside his apartment on the fourth floor of the converted church where he lives. He is now in a coma and his outlook is not good. Apparently the only witness was his neighbor and devoted girlfriend, Jody, who Mags meets at the hospital. Something about Jody is odd... off, and Mags doesn't believe that she is telling the truth or was the only witness in the building. She doesn't believe that Abe's fall was an accident or that he tried to commit suicide. Mags is sure that there is more going on than anyone is telling her and she's going to get to the bottom of it. She moves into Abe's apartment and starts investigating, beginning with his neighbors in the converted church.

Chapters alternate between characters, including Mags, Jodi, and Mira, a woman living next door to Abe who may know much more than she is willing to say. Chapters also switch to different time periods, but it is easy to follow what is happening and distinguish the past from the present. There are a lot more secrets being held than what happened to Abe, and Mags may need to uncover them while keeping her own secrets. But with all the secrets, is anyone telling the truth. More importantly, are any of these characters reliable?

It is a very well-written twisty novel of suspense and the tension increases incrementally with each new step in the plot. The Girlfriend is full of basically unreliable and, for the most part, unlikable characters, who are keeping secrets, but, after a slow start, it did hold my attention to the end. Even though during several scenes I knew where the plot was going long before Naughton headed that direction, the journey was still full of suspense.

There is an opening scene that will seem incongruous to the rest of the novel, but stick with it and it will make sense. (There are several jumps back and forth in time, although the others are placed in context more than the opening scene.) There are also a few other scenes where you may be shaking your head and mumbling something about these people being seriously messed up, and they are, but keep with it.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Sourcebooks Landmark.
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Abe has fallen down four stories in his apartment building. He now lies in a hospital with brain damage. His girlfriend, Jody, loves him and wants him to get well. Abe’s sister, Mags, is a high-powered attorney living in Las Vegas. She has returned to the UK check on her brother whom she hasn’t seen in years. The police think her brother jumped instead of falling and his girlfriend doesn’t know because she says with the lights off, she didn’t see what truly happened. While Abe’s condition is being monitored, Mags stays in his flat which is located in a deconstructed church. She is intent on finding out exactly what happened to Abe.

Mags introduces herself to the people living in the (government subsidized?) flats in the building where Abe lived. She meets some strange characters who live pathetic lives. As she gets to know Jody a bit more, she believes that the girl is lying about something.

Mags also hooks up with a guy she met on the flight over from the US and they have some flings. Her own past keeps her from being able to commit to anyone. In addition, she works hard to control her alcohol consumption.

The book flashes back and forth to scenes from someone’s past with sexual and physical violence but the reader isn’t sure who the person is. Eventually, we learn what truly happened.

To me, this is a violent and depressing story where I found myself cringing as I read it. Unfortunately, I cannot give it a high rating and cannot recommend it.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Girlfriend is dark and twisted, and there is certainly a mystery to solve. Those things alone should've made this one right up my alley, and it does have its moments, but I finished it with mixed feelings. The story starts out right in the middle of action and then veers off from there to Abe being in a coma and Mags trying to distinguish fact from fiction. We do get back to the events from the beginning and they do tie in, but it takes a while. From this point on, we get multiple points of view and lots of flashbacks, which are at times, quite difficult to read. I did have a problem with the flashbacks at first and found myself flipping back to the beginning of chapters to be sure of who was doing the telling. In all honesty, I found little difference in the voices of young Mags and young Jody. My biggest problem with this book was that after the initial action, the story moves along at a very slow pace and is loaded with filler. Several times, things that could've easily been summed up in a paragraph took pages. I appreciate setting a scene, but too much detail is as bad as too little, especially when any hint of actual answers isn't part of all that detail. At that point, it just muddies the waters and makes for more convoluted mess than gripping thriller, which does little more than pull the reader out of the story. Fortunately, the story does pick up, but not until the last fifteen percent or so. I will say that I did like the conclusion, but with so much filler, along with the back and forth of the various characters, the getting there often felt more like a chore than enjoyment of what could've been a gritty and gripping thriller.

Thank you to netgalley and and the author/publisher for a copy of THE GIRLFRIEND in exchange for an honest review.

What a brilliantly written psychological thriller. There was so much to this story that I don't know where to begin. Abe falls, hitting his head and putting him in a coma. His devoted girlfriend is by his side, no matter what. His estranged sister, Mags, flies back home, after a decade away and has to put the pieces back together. While staying in his flat, she question whether or not his fall was truly an accident, and upon looking into it, finds herself concerned about much more than just his fall. Can Mags figure out what happened to her brother and avoid a similar fate?

This book has it all. Suspense, mystery, and secrets that twist together to keep you guessing to the very end. I am crazy about this story. If you have found yourself devouring books like Gone Girl or The Wife Between Us, I think you will find yourself absolutely enjoying this one. Don't miss this crazy good read, or you will be sorry!

The Girlfriend is a decent psychological thriller but it was missing the mark just a tad in my book.

Mags Mackenzie is a 30 year old corporate defense lawyer that lives in Las Vegas. Many years have passed since Mags has seen her younger brother Abe. Mags receives a phone call that Abe is in a coma due to an attempt to throw himself off his apartment balcony.

Mags moves into Abe's apartment temporarily trying to piece together the final events that led up to Abe's medical condition. The last person to see Abe alive is his fiancé Jody. But, some things aren't adding up to Jody's explanations to what happened with Abe. Is Jody responsible for Abe? Who saw what happened that night?

This is a definite entertaining read but for some reason it just fell short for me and didn't live up to the full hype. The actions of the characters were a bit unbelievable at times for me and I was expecting a tad more.

There are a few surprises here and there but many that I already saw coming. But, hey my detective skills worked eh? :).

In my opinion, it's best to go into this one blind and avoid reading too many reviews.

3 stars.
Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the arc.

Published to GR: 3/4/18
Publication date: 3/6/18

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebook Landmark for the eARC.
What a terrific read this book is, wow, I really couldn't put it down.
Mags has a lovely life in Las Vegas, with a successful career as a lawyer. When she gets a call that her brother has been seriously hurt in a fall, she flies back to London where he is in hospital in a coma. She hasn't seen him in years or been in contact with him for years and resents having to leave Las Vegas. When she gets to the hospital, she meets Jody, his fiancee, weeping by his bedside, utterly bereft.
From the very beginning, Mags is suspicious of the girl, wondering if she perhaps pushed her brother. Somehow Jody's story doesn't ring true.
She moves into her brother's small apartment in an iffy London area. The building houses an array of needy people, mentally or physically challenged. I found the characters fascinating.
As she tries to piece together what really happened, and realizing she's the only one who can decide to pull the plug or leave him in a vegetative state; she's highly conflicted. She just wants to go back to her life in Vegas, but feels a duty to find the truth about what really happened to her brother. Plus, she carries much guilt about leaving him after their horrific upbringing.
Their are several threads to maneuver, at first a little difficult, but things slot into place beautifully. You have to pay attention and then, as things click in your head, you will not be able to tear yourself away from the book, it's that good.
There were times when I disliked Mags, she has such a tough exterior, but eventually I came to like her and understand where she was coming from. And poor little Jody, I really felt for her...
This is a really good psychological mystery, with some tough to read passages. I recommend it highly, it's so well
written and practically impossible to put down.

3 main character, brother, girlfriend, sister and a neighbor + twists and turns + suspense and lies = one big roller-coaster ride of a book which is unputdownable.
Abe - the one in coma, suicide or pushed down the bannister?
Jody - the girlfriend who says she loves him, does she?
Mags - the sister, who is both worried about her brother and certain that there is more to the story. Someone has to know the truth, but who?
Mira - the neighbor does she know something more?
The ones who know the truth cannot talk or will not talk. A beautifully structured thriller, with psychological mind play, with layers to the characters and their action, the author Sarah J Naughton takes us on an absolute exhilarating ride, with it's own dark hues, from highs to lows. Expect the unexpected.
The beginning was a bit confusing for me, it took me time to get the characters and their thoughts sorted out. But once I got into the flow of the story, the pace becomes smooth, characters though not likable, soon become more understandable, and story has more layers with both the girlfriend and sister having their own secrets.
The plot unravels as the story reaches the ending which was a little far fetched. But overall a great suspenseful thriller.

I was excited to have the opportunity to obtain an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book from NetGalley.

THE GIRLFRIEND is the story of a woman’s search for the truth behind her estranged brother’s fall. After an abusive childhood, Mags left the United Kingdom and her younger brother, Abe, behind. Years later, she receives news that Abe is in a coma. She returns to London and moves into Abe’s flat. There, she meets Jody, Abe’s girlfriend and the menagerie of misfits who reside in the restored church that Abe called home and the scene of his life-threatening incident. Upon close examination, holes emerge in Jody’s tale about the events leading to Abe’s fall. As Mags keeps digging, she uncovers the resident’s secrets and sets to right many wrongs.

THE GIRLFRIEND opens with a peek into the past and an event that happens later in the story. This prologue of sorts provides an insight into the characters, but how it connects to the characters is unknown until secrets are revealed. After I finished the book, I went back and reread the section.

The author uses the three primary points of view (Mags, Jody, and Mira, a neighbor) to spin the tale. All three women are survivors and each relies on a different coping mechanism. Mags was my favorite character in the story. I enjoyed seeing her confront her past and take action to seek vengeance on the person responsible for Abe’s injuries.

Fans of Paula Hawkins and Gillian Flynn will enjoy the puzzle THE GIRLFRIEND provides. This book is a great debut into adult fiction for Young Adult author Naughton.

I would like to thank netgalley for providing me with this book I really appreciate it. I have had this on my wish list for some time and when I seen it on netgalley I decided to request it and was delighted when a copy was sent to me, it sounded right up my street however I just couldn't get into the story line! Which is disappointing as I was really looking forward to trying it, I'm not faulting the book in anyway it just didn't catch my attention in the first few pages.

In a genre that has been over-saturated with B-List Gone Girl and Girl on the Train Kmart brand variations, The Girlfriend soars passed the competition. Seriously everyone, this book is going to be a sleeper hit in the mystery genre for 2018. I was not only thoroughly surprised by the plot, but I was engrossed with the characters, the heartbreak, and just everything!

The story mainly focuses on the mysterious attempted suicide of Abe—a caregiver in London who has fallen down a flight of stairs and is in a vegetative state. Police are adamant on ruling this as an attempted suicide, but after contacting Abe's estranged sister Mags, they get more than what they bargained for. Mags is a successful attorney who has moved to Las Vegas; defending criminals and con-artists for a living. Mags is skeptical to believe that Abe would try to take his own life and once she meets his fiancé Jody, she further questions the validity of the police report. As Mags begins to investigate the mysterious loopholes in the investigation, she starts seeing the secrets behind the life her brother has left behind. NO MORE STORY TIME. NO SPOILERS. GO IN BLIND!

It's 2018 and are we tired of the whole "Girl gimmick yet? Well I for one, am not with The Girlfriend . As I started reading the story, I felt a level of familiarity with the plot; insert a mysterious crime that the protagonist believes to be incorrect; insert a deviously antagonistic character that throws a wrench into the whole investigation. However, The Girlfriend is so so SO MUCH MORE. Not only does the story take an original and provocative change of pace as you read along, the story also provides a level of sympathy for the main characters that you wouldn't expect. We first meet a group of characters who don't appear to be likable in any capacity, but as the story develops, you fall victim of falling in love with them. You sympathize with them, you feel their burden, and you root for them. This story is deemed as a suspense-mystery, but it also is a tragedy; a tragedy of acceptance, of love, and of heartbreak. The Girlfriend is a powerful read, and I don't think I'll ever forget it.

Thank you Source Books for my copy in exchange for an honest review. It was honestly my pleasure!

3 1/2 Stars
In the end I liked this book, but the In the end I liked this book, but the beginning was all over the place and it took a bit to figure out just what was going on. The backstory popped up in odd places making the writing seem disjointed. With a little bit of perseverance, this was a decent read.beginning was all over the place and it took a bit to figure out just what was going on. The flashbacks popped up in odd places making the writing seem disjointed. With a little bit of perseverance, this was a decent read.

Mags is a well established lawyer living and working Stateside. One day she gets word that her brother Abe has had an accident and is lying in a coma in hospital so, despite their long time estrangement, she does the right thing and hops on a plane back to the UK. On arrival, she meets Jody, Abe's fiancee, and with her help she starts to try to piece together exactly what happened the night of his accident. Initially staying in a hotel, she moves into Abe's flat which is in an assisted living place converted from a disused church, and just across from Jody's. Also resident there is Mira who may or may not know more than she's telling. As Mags chips away at her brother's life, desperate to find the truth, some strange things start to come to light and it becomes a very different tale indeed.
The beginning of this book felt rather disjointed to me. There were also quite a few characters introduced at the same time so it did take me a wee while to really get into this story. It wasn't enough to confuse me totally but I did have to jot a few bits down as I went just to keep on top of things.
I wasn't sure about Mags when she first came onto the scene but, as the book went on and things started to come to light, I really started to get to know her better. Jody was harder to get to know but then given her background, it's no wonder she is how she is and puts up barriers to keep people at arm's length. The rest of the cast were just as hard to read. Too many secrets and lies and I am not sure that there weren't too many wounded souls in the book. I can't really think of one main character that was exactly what you see on the tin. It might have been nice to have one person to cling on to whilst the rest ran rings round me as a reader. Probably would have helped alleviate the confusion. But then again, at times, the confusion did allow me to connect to the characters better, maybe.
The plot was rather complicated all told. It was so convoluted and interconnected and indeed brave, that I thought the author did a cracking job of keeping all the juggling balls up in the air throughout. It was lovely when something that I previously didn't quite get before suddenly became clear and made sense, and I got several of these moments throughout this book.
It really was a matter of trust reading this book. Trusting the author would come through in the end. And she did. Very admirably.
The ending, when it came, was rather shocking and there were a few things that I really wasn't quite sure about. Most were explained away to my satisfaction by the author but there were a few others that I still couldn't quite accept wholly. That said, on balance, the rest of the book stood up well enough for me to be forgiving over any misgivings that I was left with.
I guess at this point I should mention that this book does contain some really rather harrowing stuff. Without giving anything away, the main characters' childhoods were rather torrid and some of what is described within this book is a little hard hitting. Not for shock tactic reasons, I hasten to add, rather necessary inclusion for character background and plot development.
All in all, a really rather good debut which left me satisfied and also quite excited to see what the author serves up next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.