A decent psychological thriller set in Australia. Mary, the main character is interesting enough for me to keep reading and see where her story will take me. Though, I find it hard to connect with her most of the time. I appreciate the twist and turn of the story but I wished there's more to it, especially the bits about her parents, than the repetitive back story about her ex-boyfriend. Still, it was a good read overall.

Full review to come.
I deeply apologize, but life is a handful lately and I'm using all my free time to read, not review. I hope everybody understands.

I do like a psychological thriller and this story of a new flatmate who isn’t all she appears to be appealed to me straightaway. Mary Baker is the main protagonist. She’s just moved to Sydney from Melbourne with her best friend, Cat. Mary is trying to get away from Mark, her ex-boyfriend, a man who really wasn’t very nice at all, to Mary or to anyone else. They also share with Ben and then Rachel. Rachel is ‘the new girl’. But, whilst Mary takes to Rachel and sees a kindred spirit, the others aren’t sure about her. She sleepwalks and seems to know more about Mary than she ought to do.

There’s a real underlying sense of menace to this story, particularly from the half way point. I was reading that section in bed at night and it was quite unsettling. Mary is an unreliable narrator, one of those where you don’t know if what they are saying is the truth or not. This is mainly because Mary suffers from memory problems and drinks a lot. This made for quite an exciting read and I did find this book to be a page turner.

I thought the ending let it down a little bit. It seemed a little rushed, a little contrived. But I do think psychological thrillers are often like that. To maintain that sense of unreliability, of suspense, the story often throws a curveball that might not be completely plausible. Nevertheless, I enjoyed all the book including the ending.

I liked the Australian setting. Location is relatively important in this book and I was able to really imagine the set up in Sydney in particular. The flat where the characters live, the complex swimming pool, the fact that it’s really warm at Christmas, all these helped to bring the story to life for me.

Overall, I thought this was an excellent debut novel and I’d definitely read more by Ingrid Alexandra.

Twists, turns, and thrills from beginning to end. I thought this book had a lot of intensity, and tension making it a must read for me. I love reading books that leave you guessing , and puts you at the end of your seat every time you read it. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to write about this book.

Not my favorite I just didn’t really enjoy the characters much. The plot was okay but nothing super exciting all together it was just kind of okay for me. I didn’t hate it but I wouldn’t read it again either. Thrillers are hard to write though so I give her kudos anyway and would definitely check out her writing again

Really enjoyed this book! I loved reading Mary's story. Great character development & strong plot.
I will recommend this one to others.

The New Girl is a pacy, highly readable psychological thriller, that takes on all the most popular tropes of the genre and mixes them up into an addictive unpredictable read.

Mary has left her abuser behind and is trying to make a new life for herself with the help of her best friend. However a new flat mate and haunting memory issues seem sure to thwart her.

I enjoyed The New Girl very much, apart from the fact that it involved one of my most hated cliches- that of an unreliable narrator who drinks and pops pills thereby making them unreliable. It really has been done to death and every time Mary swigged from her wine glass I growled to myself. Having said that, Ingrid Alexander manages to bring enough differences to that theme to make it more impacting, building the peripheral characters around it to create an excellent mystery element.

Overall The New Girl does exactly what it says on the tin- gives you a creative thriller that makes you second guess yourself up until the truth is revealed. So if that’s what you love, you’ll love this.

Personally I’d like to see less alcohol and more creativity in these things but that is subjective and I still banged through the novel in two quick sittings, this is a genuine page turner.

Recommended for fans of the genre.

3.5
This was a decent story. It starts well, the diary entries were chilling. After some initial groundwork is set (characters, basic plot, setting) the story does drag a bit. But, it is quite obvious that there is something very wrong here. Mary, the narrator, is running from an abusive relationship but there are weird and vague issues from her childhood that send up red flags... There are twists and surprises and I imagined a few different scenarios. I was wrong. The conclusion seemed to be far fetched and disappointing for some reviewers. I’m not really sure how I feel about it (just finished and hasn’t fully sunk in). It was ok, I guess. I had to see how this played out so there was that and the writing, characters and twists were good it just maybe went on a little too long for my liking. I would try more by this author...

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Avon Books UK for a copy in exchange for a review.

Where do I begin without giving details away? I will say this story is so depressing but at the same bring to light issues that sometimes can’t be understood. I never thought the ending would have turned out the way it did.

Relationships are fragile just like human emotions. How we deal with things mentally as well as emotionally. The book brought to life how we compartmentalize situations and events that happen to us.

It’s a solid book that deserves reading.

I received this ARC for a honest review. Thanks to the publisher, author and Netgalley.

Thank you #NetGalley for an advanced copy of #TheNewGirl!

I have to say I really enjoyed this book. Right away you can tell something is going on between the book’s main character, Mary, and the new girl, Rachel, who’s become her roommate. While this book wasn’t as suspenseful as books I usually enjoy it was fast paced and I was never bored. The ending blew me away; I didn’t see that one coming for miles and I’m usually pretty good at predicting how these types of books end! The only part I was somewhat sad about (and you’ll understand this once you finish the book) is Mary’s relationship with Ben!

This book was quite different the whole time your reading it your wondering what’s the truth.. Mary’s parents disappeared when she was 15 years old. She’s soon found herself living with Mark. Mark was quite older than Mary they live in Melbourne. The whole relationship is toxic full of alcohol and drugs and Mark physically and psychologically abusing Mary. Mary suffers from blackouts after all the abuse. One night Mary after a hard night of partying with Mark, she wakes up with little memory of the party she’s covered in blood and with just vague flashbacks of Mark holding a bloody brick. She packs up her things the next day after Mark passes out and she runs back to Sydney to her Aunt she’s determined to get her life back on track away from Mark. Mary’s friend offers a refuge after Mark shows up at Mary’s aunts house banging on the door and threatening her. She decides to move to Sydney with her best friend Cat to a 4 bedroom apartment on beach with a guy named Ben . To makes ends meet they advertise the 4th bedroom, and a troubled girl Rachel moves in with them. Mary and Rachel click sharing similar backgrounds with abuse. Soon it becomes very clear that all is not what it seems with Rachel. Rachel seems to know more about Mary and what she’s been though than she should, to makes matter worse Rachel sleep walks and tries to attack Mary. Mary is drinking and excessively and still wakes up with no memories from the fateful party in Melbourne and struggles to put together the whole story. Rachel steps in to try to help her remember as Mary tries to figure out who she can trust when she can’t trust herself and where does Rachel fit in all of this... I finished this book in a day! I just wanted to know what Mary’s story was and who was hiding things from her! I recommend to any readers who love psychological fiction. Thanks to netgalley for my advanced copy! This book

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

The New Girl by Ingrid Alexandra is billed as a Psychological Thriller. The description definitely piqued my interest. Imagine meeting someone and they instantly know you so well. Then imagine letting the person move in with you. I was looking forward to reading this story.

The story is written using flashbacks that allows readers, as well main character, to figure what happened That Night. At the beginning I found myself having difficulty putting this down. Pretty quickly though I found the flashbacks were distracting and never really felt a connection with any of the characters. The characters were not well developed and, at times, their behavior was unbelievable.

Even if I had not agreed to finish the novel, I would have. I did not dislike the book but realized I was tempted to skim the end. The ending is interesting and I am glad I read it but, at the same time, I found it unbelievable. I dislike using the same adjective in such as short review but unbelievable would be an adequate description of how I feel about the story and the characters.

I liked that the chapters were short and that the book itself was a quick read.

Mary is running from something. From a past that haunts her every move. Living away from her demons with her good friend Cat, they are on the look for a new roommate. In comes Rachel. They’ve only just met, but she already knows you so well. But something is not quite right about her, well that’s what everyone else things. soon Mary discovers she has more in common then she thinks, more than Mary might even know herself.

A really interesting book and definitely one I couldn’t put down. Mary has so many holes in her memories of the life she had before moving. So many things that don’t quite make sense and no one is able to answer her questions. You know from the start that something seems odd about Rachel, but the ending shocked me in a way that I was not expecting. I wasn’t expecting it would be Rachel that would have all the answers. While I loved the build up of this story and the twists and turns that were thrown in, the ending wasn’t quite what I expected and did leave me feeling a bit lost and not quite content. I wanted something more and discovering that Mary (or Sophie as she was known) was actually behind everything didn’t quite give me the shocking feeling I needed to end it. I did looove everything up until the end though....

I did enjoy this book although had to suspend belief at various points. The twist in the tale was huge!

I just finished this book. Hold on one second while I catch my breath...
Ok, so if you're looking for a book that has an incredible twist that you won't see coming until the end? Yep... you found it. "The New Girl" is an incredibly fast paced read. 
Cat, Mary, and Ben are looking for a new roommate to share a big apartment on the seaside. When Mary greets Rachel after she knocks on the door one afternoon, it's clear that she's the perfect tenant to share the apartment. She relates to Mary more than Mary realizes it at first. 
I will not spoil the crazy ass plot of this story any further but will tell you... seasoned readers of psychological thrillers will love the unpredictable twist that will leave you gasping aloud! So we highly recommend this book and we look forward to reading more of Ingrid Alexandra's books! 
Thank you Ingrid for the ARC copy of your amazing book in exchange for an honest

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book and I really liked it, not what I expected but suspense and edgy. Loved it fully recommended

The New Girl by author Ingrid Alexandra is a fast paced psychological thriller that keeps you wanting more. I finished this book quickly because I had to keep knowing the next twist. The characters are developed great and an awesome plot line!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of The New Girl in exchange for an honest review.

Great read in the psychological thriller. Didn't expect the plot twist and would recommend as a quick read for other readers. Not my most favorite read but would recommend.

The description of this book really sounded interesting and right up my alley. After reading this book, I have to say that it definitely did not disappoint. This was a great read with lots of twists and turns and at one point during the book, you start to question how accurate Mary's memory and story really is. This is one of the best stories I've read recently and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley for a Kindle arc of The New Girl.

The New Girl suffers from many debut errors, namely plot/subplot overload the reader is unable to suspend disbelief for.

The premise is not original:

Mary and her BFF Cat and roomie, Ben, are looking for a new roommate. In walks Rachel. She and Mary hit it off because they are both from similar backgrounds.

Mary is trying to get her life back together after escaping from an abusive boyfriend. Rachel's presence seems to help except she seems to know an awful lot about Mary. Why?

The why is actually silly and dumb. The rest is just plain ridiculous.

Mary is a P.I.T.A. No, its not her fault. Its the author's fault. Naturally, she is an unreliable narrator, and an alcoholic. Actually, everyone in the book drinks to excess. Is this what millennials do?

I don't know what's worse, starting almost every chapter with Mary waking up from a nightmare or sensing something in the dark or describing Mary as a twit.

There are multiple subplots running through this contrived, dense heavy plot; the death of Mary's parents, her abusive boyfriend, the murder he may or may not have committed, Mary's intent to seek justice for a dead man, her muddied thoughts about her past and future.

Its as if the author kept thinking of various obstacles to throw in Mary's path and decided, 'What the heck? I'll just throw in the whole kitchen sink."

And Rachel. Sigh. Rachel is neither diabolical or a twisted, witty villain. She's just a sad, jealous little snowflake.

The ending ends with a death, and a final showdown between Rachel and Mary, with the former spouting expositional detail to explain how it all went down.

There are no interesting or redeeming characters to root for; nothing original or fascinating about the premise; it is neither dark or darkly comedic, or suspenseful or the slightest bit thrilling.

Oh, wait, there was one good thing about this book: short chapters.