It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book that thrilled me and kept me up reading long past the time when I should have gone to bed, but this one managed to do that. I found it gripping and compulsive.

Taylor makes some terrible decisions and sometimes I just wanted to shake her, but I have the benefit of my 47 years and she’s barely 30; I probably would have made similar choices myself in a similar situation. Nevertheless this novel was highly entertaining, riveting and not at all predictable. I sped through it and can’t wait to read more of the author’s work.

Thank you for the free copy of this boo. I’m sorry I took so long to read it.

Loved this! Such a gripping psychological thriller with really great character development. There are definitely a lot of dark tones to the story and the whole story is an absolute page turner. Definitely recommend for someone looking for an easy weekend read.

Set in London, this is a love story turned sour about Taylor and her boyfriend Angus. After yet another breakup between them, this one causes enough damage to be permanent, so Taylor seeks revenge to ruin Angus, unbeknown to her that Angus has been plotting against her in his manipulative ways for a long time.

Whilst the story moved along steadily and was well written, I felt the plot unlikely and it lacked the mystery and suspense that thrillers need to have to get your pulse racing. I also didn't warm to Taylor who had friends and family there for her but kept making bad decisions over and over again.

I give it 3/5 stars.

Loved this debut suspense with its unexpected twists and turns and the deeper message about domestic abuse, the dark path revenge and lies lead us on. It is hard to come up with a suspense that hasn't been done before, and Pip Drysdale has shown that it is still possible.

A masterclass in manipulation and lies.. that's how i would describe 'The Sunday Girl'. The characters were seriously unlikable but in turn that made you want them to get revenge even more. This book does hook you in and had a great premise. The ending could have been padded out a bit more however.

I couldn't put this book down. Thrilling pace from beginning to end, it kept me riveted to the page. The only thing I have to nitpick was the main character. I wanted her to be stronger. Overall, a great read, well worth it.

I think Aussie author Pip Drysdale will have a long and successful career if her subsequent novels are as good as this debut.

Sunday Girl is an addictive psychological thriller in the vein of Girl on the Train. Written in the first person point of view of our female lead, Taylor, it starts off with the usual woman scorned seeking revenge plot. Taylor has just left her boyfriend, Angus, after learning he has gone on a skiing holiday with his ex-girlfriend. It’s soon revealed that Taylor knows not only Angus’s email password but how to break into his flat without being detected on the building’s security cameras and his work credit card details.

Taylor’s plan to wreak havoc is foiled when Angus returns from his holiday and begs forgiveness. It’s here that the tension starts to build as Angus gains the upper hand when it comes to playing confidence tricks and mind games.

I flew through the second half of the book, eager to find out how Taylor was going to sort herself out of the mess of an abusive relationship she soon finds herself in with Angus.

Instead of the big shock twist, Drysdale just keeps the tension on one blood pumping level. She has a knack of making even the most mundane moments feel frightening. From a parrot squawking to a yellow ribbon, you just know, as you read, that these small things will be dangerous.

I took a half a star off for the ending though. After such a thrill of a ride up to this point, I think I was expecting more.

The book's short chapters along with Drysdale’s writing style make it an easy read. It also had a very modern feel to it. The technology felt contemporary and fresh without being forced. The characters too acted their age and their dialogue seemed spot on.

The other half star came off as there seemed to be some characters and situations introduced into the book for no reason. I’m unsure if this was an editing issue, but I just felt that some things were initially an integral part of the plot until they were not fully explained or used by the last page.

Maybe Drysdale is thinking of a sequel? I must note, however, that I doubt most people would notice or care.

Anyway, the book is still a strong 4 out of 5 and I’d recommend grabbing a copy.

Book blurb...
The Girl on the Train meets Before I Go to Sleep with a dash of Bridget Jones in this chilling tale of love gone horribly wrong …

Some love affairs change you forever. Someone comes into your orbit and swivels you on your axis, like the wind working on a rooftop weather vane. And when they leave, as the wind always does, you are different; you have a new direction. And it’s not always north.

Any woman who’s ever been involved with a bad, bad man and been dumped will understand what it feels like to be broken, broken-hearted and bent on revenge.

Taylor Bishop is hurt, angry and wants to destroy Angus Hollingsworth in the way he destroyed her: ‘Insidiously. Irreparably. Like a puzzle he’d slowly dissembled … stolen a couple of pieces from, and then discarded, knowing that nobody would ever be able to put it back together ever again.’

So Taylor consults The Art of War and makes a plan. Then she takes the next irrevocable step – one that will change her life forever.

Things start to spiral out of her control – and The Sunday Girl becomes impossible to put down.

My Thoughts…
It’s often said a book is impossible to put down and this one really, really is.
To suggest this story is entirely about manipulation, is putting it mildly.
This novel is cleverly plotted and provocative, although you might want to jump into the pages and shake Taylor just a little.
Another good book club read (very topical).

I enjoyed this fast-paced psychological thriller debut and I'd definitely recommend it!

Taylor has a vicious plan of revenge in place for her ex, Angus. A well-deserved one! Taylor's plan is smart, cunning, and even outrageous at times, but things rarely go according to plan - particularly when she's still so in love with the man.

Angus is an absolutely horrible, vindictive, violent, untrustworthy and unpredictable person ... he's also highly intelligent and very-well adept at 'handling' Taylor with charm and manipulation. The abusive relationship described in these pages is cleverly written; the naive young woman and the self-entitled man so believable it's heart-wrenching.

The twists and turns in this story had me on the edge of my seat, the writing gripping and addictive. The unpredictability of the plot had me hooked, though the ending left me a little unsatisfied unfortunately.

While it initially feels lightweight, The Sunday Girl quickly draws you in to an increasingly creepy tale of abuse and revenge. Cleverly plotted, fast-moving and absorbing, it's an all-round winner of a novel. Highly recommended.

TW: Domestic Violence; Revenge Porn

Can’t quite believe that this was Pip Drysdale’s debut novel. It really was quite simply ‘unputdownable’. The narrative is structured around Sun Tzu’s Art of War. The story opens with the first person narrator revealing that something bad has happened to her, something that has set her life on a direction previously unimaginable. It’s written in a diary style and the pace gathers speed as the plot develops. The climax had me holding my breath and revealed insight into the psychological challenges faced by survivors of domestic violence. A well-paced, will-she-or-will-she-not psychological thriller that had me at the age of my seat.

*Thank you Netgalley for a copy of The Sunday Girl.*

I didn't remember seeing this book as a hard copy on offer for review but requested an electronic copy when it started to appear everywhere and thank god I did as it helped one of the two legs of my recent flights from Rome to Brisbane pass really quickly.

Drysdale's interjections from Sun Tzu's The Art of War are clever and offer something different to what we'd usually expect to find in a novel about relationships-gone-bad. And I must admit I initially thought this ride was going to be hosted by an arrogant and psychopathic protagonist; and I felt a bit meh about that.

They've kinda been done to death haven't they?

So I was relieved when Taylor isn't actually the deranged nutcase / stalker I initially expected her to be.

Because the novel is circular in a sense (ie. starts at the end and then jumps backwards) we meet Taylor after the events have unfolded and she's fairly unapologetic. And at first she does seem to just be the spurned girlfriend who (presumably) turns into a bunny boiler. But...

Sure she talks the big talk but she's really just someone in over her head and we quickly learn her beloved Angus - with whom she's just broken up when we meet her - is actually far from someone who deserves our sympathy. Drysdale doesn't really hide Angus's true nature or the complexities of their relationship...

"My feelings for Angus were always like that: tangled and complicated. Love tinged with fear. Rage laced with longing. And the sadness of what we'd become, always giving way to the hope that we might somehow find our way back."

Drysdale also does a great job at inserting an eerie sense of foreboding at various stages throughout the novel.

I read this in an easy sitting over just a few hours (even while scoffing my Emirates Airlines gluten free meal of dry chicken breast, carrot, peas & rice*) and very much loved that Taylor (and Angus's) fortunes turned on a knife edge so we were kept guessing as to who was playing who and - of course - who might emerge victorious.

If I was being really picky I could mention that I was slightly confused by the information Angus leaks and uses. I mean, sure Taylor's caught up in the mess but I wasn't sure it entirely made sense or if there was more to it - the who, why, when etc...

I also pondered over the inclusion of an extra twist at the end.... But it wasn't forthcoming and that was fine as I probably would have felt a little cheated had it appeared.

This was a surprisingly addictive read and I think Drysdale does a great job of creating a complex and likeable lead. I also very much enjoyed the support cast on offer, and Taylor's friend Charlotte, (boss) Val and her mother all seemed like realistic characters.

I should mention there's an underlying theme of emotional (and physical) abuse and it's one Drysdale confronts head-on but sympathetically.

"It seemed that no matter where I turned, no matter whom I trusted, men lied to me. And it had always been that way. Starting with my father.

Because of him, my life was an endless quest in search of a happy ending for which I would endure anything."

Taylor Bishop always thought she was the good girl, so very amendable. She believed she was the ‘perfect yin’ to her boyfriend Angus’s ‘yang’. But when Angus oversteps the mark with something that he promised would never leave his possession, Taylor finds that she has a much darker side to her personality.

This book delves into domestic violence and drug abuse and I’m really having a hard time working out what I think of this book. It’s like a train wreck that you can’t stop watching, not knowing where it will end and I actually found all the characters unlikeable.

Drugs, sex, revenge, manipulation, domestic violence....it’s all there in a very dark world. I found the story compelling but I can’t say I enjoyed reading it. I did read it all the way through and will try the author’s next book.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC to read

Once I started reading The Sunday Girl I couldn’t put it down. This psychological thriller had so many twists and turns I really had no idea what would happen in the end until I got there. I found the story completely plausible and truly felt for Taylor as she got into deeper and deeper trouble and as Angus became more and more unpredictable. This is an utterly gripping story and I wouldn’t hesitate to read more from this author.

This is a complex and intriguing story of love and revenge. I was captivated from the start with the main characters Taylor and Alex in a complex but obviously abusive type of relationship with work aspects adding drama to the situation and Taylor’s friend Charlotte and her Mum trying to provide support and advise. Although I felt Taylor was naive, she had some incredible strengths that had to be admired.
Well written and loved the way each chapter had a quote from Master Sun Tzu’s ‘Art of War’ giving an added dimension to the plot!
Certainly an excellent debut novel.
Recommended read.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher Simon & Schuster (Australia) for a ebook copy to read and
review.

Thank you Pip Drysdale and Netgalley for a copy of this book
I have to say I never really connected with this story. and I had to fight through it a few times.
Great idea but I found the writing style a tad slow for me.

I love a good girlfriend revenge story so this book was right up my alley and it didn't disappoint. In the vain of The Perfect Girlfriend this book takes revenge to the next level. A fantastic debut novel and I look forward to this author's next project. I would think twice before double crossing Pip Drysdale - such an amazing and dynamic author.

Such a strong engaging first paragraph, it grabbed me from there!
The story explores how someone can have a hold over you even though your conscience tells you it's wrong. The pace of this love, betrayal & revenge book is unrelenting which makes for a gripping easy read .Although it's been compared to The Girl on the Train it is surprising, shocking & unpredictable making it one step further from the usual books in this psychological genre. The inclusion of the use of technology gives it a contemporary feel too. I would highly recommend this book, a most enjoyable read. I look forward to more from Pip Drysdale. Many thanks to Simon & Schuster Australia

My review: Thoroughly enjoyed this and read almost all of it in one sitting. Taylor really was a naïve heroine, and I could see all the ways she would be tripped up long before she could, but there were also lovely twists and turns along the way that I didn’t see coming that kept me enthralled. I would have given this five stars except for the very end, which I found a bit weak. I was fully expecting another twist that didn’t come. However, this is a great debut and I will be sure to look out for this author in future. I really love the pink cover, too.

***Disclaimer: This e-ARC was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Huge thanks to them. ***

My rating: 4.5/5

To the external viewer, Taylor has the perfect life. Pretty, smart, with a good job in real estate research, she even has the perfect boyfriend, investment banker Angus.

Except, Taylor just found out Angus is cheating on her. On the eve of their ski holiday. And when she dumped him, the last thing she expected was for him to go on the holiday with the Other Woman… right after uploading a sex tape he convinced her to make, to the internet.

I have to say, I’d have started thinking about revenge as well. In fact, Taylor’s a great deal sweeter than I would have been. It’s not until she comes to a sudden realisation that Angus is in fact way, way worse than she originally thought, that she starts to get serious. And by then, she’s in way over her head.

I originally thought, with the comparisons to The Girl On The Train, that Taylor would turn out to be an unreliable narrator. But it’s quite the opposite, Taylor is scrupulously honest, even when her actions paint her in a less than flattering light.

For any woman who’s found her prince turning into a toad, this book is so, so relatable. You’ll find yourself understanding every step Taylor takes, find yourself rooting for her and desperately hoping she manages to outwit Angus and find some sort of resolution for herself.

This is Pip Drysdale’s first novel, and I devoured it in a couple of hours. It’s a fantastic, page-turning read with lots of intriguing twists and turns, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what this author comes up with next. Five stars.