An amazing character in Libby, Elizabeth, Juliette. The character was well developed. What a life! I loved all the twists and turns in the story. I must say, I was disappointed with the ending. Is there a squeal in the works?

Leaving me? How can you want to end this relationship, Nate? I am the perfect girlfriend.

Juliette and Nate had been together for a short while, but Nate wanted some space.

Juliette couldn’t get over how Nate wanted to end what they had so she decided to train as an airline stewardess and be close to Nate since he was a pilot. She had to remember, though, that their parting rules were to have no contact.

Juliette knew how to stay close to Nate yet remain apart. Juliette would stop in at Nate’s apartment when she knew he was on a long distance flight and pretend she still lived there.

Juliette did some other things not so benign simply because no one can have Nate if she can’t have him because she is the perfect girlfriend.

THE PERFECT GIRLFRIEND was a bit slow to start, but once Juliette started with her "plans," the pages flew by because you won't be able to believe the extent she went to making sure to keep an eye on Nate and his current life.

You won't want to miss reading THE PERFECT GIRLFRIEND if you enjoy a steadily paced thriller that reveals Juliette and her past and especially her current plans to keep Nate.

She actually made my heart race with the things she did and with her boldness. It is also difficult to believe how she thought of the things she did.

Obsessive, cunning, deceitful, unstable, and awful are the PERFECT words for THE PERFECT GIRLFRIEND. 4/5

This book was given to me as an ARC by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Perfect Girlfriend features an unhinged woman stalking her ex-boyfriend to convince him they can still be happy together. She's given him time, you see, the time he said he needed to be free. Juliette, or Lily, as she used to be called, has suffered a rough life. Her younger brother drowned when she was a child; her mother was neglectful; she was teased and bullied while away at school. But now that she's all grown up, she's going to be happy and successful, just like she's always dreamed of. She just needs one thing to make that happen: her ex-boyfriend, Nate, to admit that he's still madly in love with her and wants to spend the rest of his life with her. Nate doesn't seem to be in any hurry, though, and Juliette knows that the sooner they can settle down, the better life will be for both of them. What's a girl to do? Hurry things along, of course.

The book is fairly well-written, but the ending is entirely too abrupt. Juliette is not a pleasant character, and if you're meant to feel any sympathy for her, the author has failed in that respect. She's a gaslighter and manipulator, and you rather hope someone will call the police on her at more than one point.

Calling all Caroline Kepnes fans! All the Caroline Kepnes fans to the building, please. Because if you enjoyed You and Hidden Bodies, chances are you will enjoy The Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton.

I struggle a little bit with rating this book. It falls somewhere between a 3 and a 4 for me. I very much enjoyed the first half of the book. Hamilton presented this idea of a flight attendant using her position in the airline industry to perform these manipulative tricks to her stalkerish-advantage. And it was fascinating to gain some perspective into the life a flight attendant in general. I was on board with the mystery and suspense. Juliette was definitely mentally unhinged and her character was written in a way that portrayed that perfectly.

But right around halfway through, it started to unravel a bit for me. I found the story overall very far fetched and unbelievable. I mean, it's a thriller. And most thrillers require you as a reader to suspend reality to some extent. But this was a bit beyond what I would typically think of as a reasonable level of plausability. Do we think this stalker girl can get away with breaking into houses without being caught? Do we think she can continue to plan these "coincidences" and chance meetings with her stalkerish prey? All I'm saying is you need to go into this book with the understanding that you're reading for pure entertainment because the translation to real life is a bit tough.

I also struggled a bit with the subplot about the main character's brother drowning (not a spoiler... this is the prologue). I wasn't entirely sure how it related to the overall story, particularly because it was the prologue. I was waiting for it to somehow play into a twist somewhere by the end, and it just never happened. While it was mentioned again at various parts in the story, it could have probably been left completely out of the book and wouldn't have changed the outcome of the story.

I mean, all of that being said, it was entertaining and did keep me reading to find out what would happen next. There wasn't a point where I wanted to put the book down and be done with it. I was a tad disappointed with the ending. It felt very rush and unresolved in my opinion, but perhaps the author was trying to leave us with a little bit of mystery to ponder on our own.

Overall, it was just an okay read for me. It did not blow me away, but if you're looking for something similar to the You series by Caroline Kepnes, this would be a book to check out.

-I was gifted this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Karen Hamilton, and Graydon House Books for the opportunity to review.-

The Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton is the perfect psychological suspense thriller. Juliette wants nothing more than to resume her broken off relationship with Nate. She goes to great lengths to cross paths with him and convince him that he is destined to be with her. This book is full of jaw-dropping moments that will leave you saying to yourself that you can't believe what Juliette is up to now. Read and enjoy!

"You can't change a mistake. Ever. Instead, it weaves its way inside you, becomes an embedded part, a bad, rotten suffocating part."

Lily/Juliette loves Nathan Goldsmith. And he's going to love her too, no matter what he thinks about it or how hard he tries to fight it. She'll make sure of that.

This is just a fun book about the craziest wanna be girlfriend that I have ever read. The lengths that she goes through to try to ensnare this man are beyond the pale -- she's taken stalking to a whole new level. Nothing will set her off her course and when she runs into difficulties, she adapts. She has a POA (plan of action) that she revises as need be and Nate can run, he can hide, he can get a lawyer, but Lily/Juliette is one determine woman who insists on having what she's been denied. Life with the man of her dreams. It's fate, isn't it? And he owes her. NO SPOILERS.

Just stop reading this review and get this book in your hands pronto. You will definitely enjoy the couple of hours it will take for you to speed through this madcap lesson in how (not) to get your man! Loved the writing and I have to hand it to the author -- never did such a kooky psycho character ever prove so nearly likeable despite all her antics. You just have to admire Lily/Juliette's effort! LOL

Thank you to NetGalley and Graydon House Books for this e-book ARC to read and review. It was pure entertainment from cover to cover! It screams movie adaptation.

I love obsessive girlfriend stories because there's just no telling what will happen next. This reminded me a bit of the movie "Swimfan" which I also loved. The unpredictability of Juliette's next actions was the perfect amount of crazy to really make this book an excellent read! Thank you to NetGalley and Graydon House for the opportunity to read this digital ARC. I will absolutely be purchasing this for my library.

I really didn't like this book. I don't know if it was the writing or the pacing, but there was nothing about it that felt new or compelling enough to interest me. I think thrillers are a pretty over saturated market and there are so many writers doing it so well these days that you really have to do something interesting to compete and for me, The Perfect Girlfriend didn't have anything that set it apart. It was incredibly mediocre.

I so wanted to love this book. I did and I thought it would be a perfect read for me. Unfortunately it wasn't.

That said, I think the author did a good job, especially with the characters and descriptions and I will certainly check out her future work. She did a great job of making Juliette the full on crazy stalker girl that is everyone's nightmare (and if not, it should be!) But...there were too many things that made me roll my eyes like the access to internal documents in the airline's computers after such a short time as a flight attendant as well as the insta-promotion after the difficult landing. I just couldn't see it.

I did love the look at the life of a flight attendant and figured most of it was based in reality since this author was previously cabin crew. I enjoyed the quick glimpses of life in the foreign countries Juliette visited also.

This is a good psychological thriller, but sadly the market is very saturated with them just now and this was just not a book that stuck out to me as one that was better than the rest. The ending made me wonder where the rest of the book was also.....or if my copy was missing a few pages. So all in all, an okay read that is worth checking out and I will definitely be watching for this author's next book.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me an ARC at my request. My thoughts in this review are my own.

The Perfect Girlfriend
By
Karen Hamilton

What it's all about...

Elizabeth/Juliette/Lily...she changes her name to suit her needs. Juliette has a wonderful BF in Nate. She does everything for him...cooks, cleans, remembers his favorite things. Only Nate broke up with her months ago and assumes that Juliette is totally out of his life. Little does he know she is in his apartment when he is away and stalks him every chance she gets. And...she makes these stalkings occur almost daily! She has even become a flight attendant because he is a pilot.


My thoughts after reading this book...

Juliette is another one of those cleverly dysfunctional characters that most readers love to hate. The way she manages to insinuate herself into Nate’s life provided this reader with a delightful amount of shock and awe! She will do anything to get Nate back. If others are involved...too bad for them.


What I loved best...

Juliette is not a character anyone could love. I didn’t even want to have any kind of empathy for her. But she is an amazing central figure and her actions carry this book! I literally could not put this book down. However for me there were two mildly irritating points...this author overuses the word whilst! I am not saying anything about the ending...but I will be curious to read other readers thoughts about it.


What potential readers might want to know...

Readers who love tons of dysfunction in their characters will love this book!


I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley. It was my choice to read and review it.

Fatal attraction taken to the airlines!

He loves me..... He loves me not! 

A bit of a gender cross-over in this obsessed stalker novel. Juliette is so motivated to keep tabs on pilot and boyfriend, Nate, that she becomes a flight attendant. Oh my gosh, I would have loved to see the expression on Nate's face when she "revealed" her new role to him (and while on the job)!

Juliette sees herself as a "perfect girlfriend" and believes wholeheartedly in the mantra "<em>If you love someone, set them free.  If they come back, they're yours</em>."  <strong>BUT</strong> she manipulates the ending to "<em>If they don't, make them."</em>

There is more depth to the novel as Hamilton brings in the other characters and their response/reactions to "something about" Juliette.  She is such a flawed character and I was full on board as she planned out her mission. She did not disappoint as she kept upping the ante!

I had a fun time reading this debut novel and was never bored. Juliette was the snarkiest narrator as she tried to manipulate her world. She kept me thoroughly entertained and giggling at the over the top shenanigans she piled on poor Nate! And oooh....... that end. Poor Nate!!



Brilliantly addictive just like I like my psychological thrillers.

Thanks to Harlequin/ Graydon House for my review copy.

I give this book more of a 3.5 star rating. I love the premise, and I think the intricate ways Juliette's obsession was threaded through experiences in her past and present were done masterfully. Little reveals are woven into the text so subtly that it took my breath away to realize the way certain characters are connected. I also love how meticulous Juliette is in her plan. I was constantly shocked by just how precisely everything was done and how far she is willing to go.

That said, in the end I was a little disappointed in this book. I had just finished reading YOU, and that probably made me expect more of a similar vibe from THE PERFECT GIRLFRIEND. And it definitely did not have it. The voice in this book is not fresh or riveting. Many times it felt like reading someone's laundry list. I'm sure it is done this way to show Juliette's disconnect from reality and personal relationships, but it just turned out dry. Very few scenes had the type of tension that made me hold my breath and anxiously flip to the next page. There are some attempts to make Juliette seem three-dimensional, but it just never took me all the way to where I really enjoyed reading about her.

Before I was even halfway through the book, I was bored, and that is never a good sign for me. I think this book had a lot of potential, but it just fell short for me personally. I'm sure it'll be riveting for others who don't have the same nitpicks about thrillers as I do. It has everything there: unreliable narrator, intricate plots and threads, interesting flashbacks. Somehow it just did not work in quite the right way for me.

This book has everything that I love. A protagonist who is crazy yet you want her to come away as a winner. A story that you think can’t get crazier but then it does. Such a fun ride. Loved this book!

Shocking, twisted and addicting! This book sucked me in from the very beginning and demanded my interest the entire way through to the shocking ending. I loved how fast paced this book was and I found myself so immersed in the story and with how crazy Juliette was, I wanted to read more to see what crazy thing she would do next.

Juliette was clearly obsessed with her ex Nate. She goes through great lengths to keep tabs on his daily life and to try to keep him in her life. She would do anything for him, and cannot understand what guy wouldn’t love that and want to be with a girl who puts them first, before everything. Determined to show Nate just how much she loves and adores him, Juliette is on a mission to win him back.

Juliette is a flawed character with so much going on. She is delusional, secretive, vindictive, and sneaky, which makes for a fabulous addictive read that will have you flipping through the pages until the very end. Will Nate realize just how much Juliette loves him and take her back?

A must read if you love thrillers. This book will not disappoint!

This is a great book. The writing is excellent and very descriptive. It gives a new meaning to the word Obsession! I liked the twist in the story also because I did not see it coming; I like when I am surprised. I look forward to reading more by Hamilton.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a review.
To be honest I want sure if I would like this book very much. But ket me tell you, this was good from the first page to the last. The ending did leave a little to be desired, like what happens in the end? Does he give in to her obsessive crazy or does he run for his life? Only the author knows for sure.
I literally did not want to put this book down. It was that good.
One of the better psychological thrillers I have read! The main character is just crazy as hell.

Have you ever obsessed over a guy and found yourself thinking you are crazy? Well I can guarantee you have nothing on Juliette who is a bat shit crazy flight attendant who is over the moon about Nate. This plot is thick and juicy like a rare steak and will have you ravenous to see how it all ends! Which by the way the ending will leave you dazed and confused like a deer in headlights so beware,

Ooh my god, what?! That's it?? But what happens? Is there a sequel???

Apparently not! So be warned that the ending may leave you scratching your head a bit.

The details of being a flight attendant felt very accurate, from beginning to end. And the characters definitely jumped off the page.

This felt a hit slow in the first half, but picked up around Vegas. The last 3rd is pretty fantastic, and I felt like the pacing really reflected Juliette's emotional state as things came to a head.

I don't want to give anything away, but this is a wonderful suspense, with some twists and turns (some predictable, but still entertaining).

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy of The Perfect Girlfriend in exchange for an honest review.

Debut novel.

Lily is heartbroken when Nate decides to end their relationship, so she devotes her time into reinventing herself as Juliette, flight attendant and consummate "perfect girlfriend". Her obsession with Nate and winning him back dominates all her hours, and the book reads a great deal like a Lifetime original movie.

Liked: The book is very fast-paced and an easy read and I really enjoyed the glimpses into life as an airline employee.

Disliked: I feel like the obsessive ex-girlfriend story has been done so many times that it really needs something to make it feel fresh, and unfortunately this thriller does not offer that. Like other reviewers, I found the ending to abrupt and it turned me off. There were many situations and character interactions that just did not seem plausible.

As a thriller, it's fine. I admit, I have become much more critical with this genre, but this one gets two stars.

The Perfect Girlfriend comes out on 2/27/19.

Talk about a tad bit obsessed. Lily, or rather Juliette, has had a bit of a rough go in her early years. Which really played a key role in the person that she is today. From death, being bullied, and to feeling thrown away, she now has a very specific plan in mind. One that revolves solely around a man that is no longer interested in her -- Nate.

As a main character, you cannot help but be fascinated by Juliette. There were so many times that I could not put the book down even though I was feeling a bit uncomfortable. Juliette has a plan of action (POA) that she will stop at nothing to achieve. Admittedly, I was eager to see how the story would play out. Not to mention, I loved the flashbacks. It gave you a bit of understanding to why she is the way she is. Although that is not saying her action and behavior was all that okay.

The supporting characters were interesting, but did not hold a candle to Juliette. I found Nate to be a bit bland. Sure he may have been handsome, but I could not see why she she wanted to be with him so badly. But then again, obsession doesn't have to make sense.

All in all, I did find this book to be rather interesting! I was pretty hooked, especially after the 40% mark. Things really started moving and I couldn't help but read late into the night.