Carrie is a television producer married to Adrian, a television writer. She has signed him to an exclusive deal with the production company where she's recently started working. They've come up with what they think is a brilliant idea for their next show. But their big plans feel threatened when Carrie realizes she's pregnant--and she plans to keep the baby. Carrie and Adrian's glamorous life never included children, and it's clear he isn't keen on welcoming a child into their life now. Carrie and Adrian's boss brings on a temporary maternity hire, Emma, to assist. She's young, pretty, and while rather inexperienced, she's quite clever. Carrie is immediately threatened by Emma, but Adrian welcomes her input to his scripts and writing. Carrie's convinced Emma wants her job--and then some. Is she right?

"He was thinking of his career right now and part of her didn't blame him. The timing was awful. Everything had been going so well: the new job, signing Adrian, the green light! It was the worst possible time to be having a baby."

This was an odd yet very readable book. In some ways the story sort of meandered along, as the plot unfolds from Carrie, Emma, and Adrian's point of view. But I have to admit, it had me pretty well hooked. From nearly the beginning, I was curious as to what Emma's deal was. She clearly had some reason she wanted to be a temp for Adrian and Carrie in particular--we just didn't know exactly why. Figuring out her story was pretty interesting overall, and I enjoyed the read.

I was pulled into Emma's world--it took a bit of time to warm up to her overall character, but it was easy to be puzzled by her intentions. I wound up liking both her and Carrie and feeling a bit sorry for them. I also liked the backdrop of the TV writing world--it was an interesting background for a novel. There are not a lot of characters in this novel: we really have our main three, but they are fairly flushed out, and you get to know them well.

There are some good twists and turns in this one. I would still describe it overall as a meandering read in some ways. We sort of wander along with Emma, Carrie, and Adrian, discovering bits and pieces of their lives, especially their pasts. Then, with only a very small percentage of the book left, we're thrown one very abrupt twist, which, while quite a surprise to me, seemed really thrown in out of left field. I would have maybe liked to have seen a bit more lead up to that one.

Still, even with the abrupt, twisty ending, this was an enjoyable read. It kept me engaged and guessing. I liked being sucked into Emma and Carrie's worlds and wondering about Emma's motives. 3.5 stars.

This book was super good, from page one until the very last page. It had more twists and turns than a bag of pretzels and was as chilling as a cold winter morning. This is my second book by this author and will not be my last, as she always is so good at writing such psychotic characters manipulating their way into others lives!
Will be using in a challenge, highly recommending, and buzzing it up in Chapter Chatter Pub!

📖REVIEW🔊
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The Temp by Michelle Frances
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“Carrie is a successful TV producer with the perfect husband and the perfect life. But when she falls pregnant, everything threatens to fall apart. Emma, the temp, is everything she could wish for as her cover: smart, willing and helpful. But as she charms her way into Carrie's life, winning over her husband and her colleagues one by one, Carrie suspects Emma is after more than just her job . . .”
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This story was everything! All of the main characters in this book were written so well. I really took a liking to Emma and was rooting for her throughout this whole story, even despite some of the crazy choices she made. There were tons of twists and turns throughout but the ending was really shocking! I didn’t see it coming at all.
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I really enjoyed the structure of the story. Chapters switched back and forth between the three main characters which set a nice reading pace.
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Rating ———> YAAAS 🙌🏼
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Thanks to @netgalley and @kensingtonbooks for this ARC! Pub date 1/29/19... be sure to pick this one up if you enjoy a good thriller!
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I really enjoyed this book and Michelle Francis’s style of writing. The storyline was fresh, engaging and the ending was strong. It’s a great physiological thriller and I’ll definitely read more of this authors books in future.

Michelle Francis latest thriller is a mish mash of domestic drama and a mystery which slowly unfolds to a thriller without much action or crescendo. Keeping this in mind, the book did keep me interested to its conclusion and it was a page turner for me.

The characters are strongly written though the couple of Claire and Adrian are some of the most annoying to be put in paper. Claire is a character that although she is supposed to be a strong female character falls into the trap that is commonly seen on a reality television show. She is neurotic, paranoid about other women and quite weak of character. The other side of the coin we have Adrian who is a weedy person who is apparently a great writer who has an ego the size of Europe and beyond. There is nothing wrong with having these characters and their flaws but it is difficult to have much empathy for them.

Emma, is the strongest character and though her emotional range seems to be that of a teenager at times, the readers empathy tends to go more towards her and not sure if this is the intent of the writer to have the villain of the piece the most likeable. Of course, this could be a different take on the genre. The secondary characters are pretty much caricatures of media types and though Liz and Elaine are fiery they kind of float in and out as plot devices.

The plotting is well done and stated before, it kept me involved and reading. I was interested in the situation and kept my interest throughout. The situation is very interesting and to be honest, it does have a decent payoff but in more of a kitchen drama sort of conclusion than a thrilling action packed novel. This doesn’t make the novel good or bad but a different take on the thriller genre which I quite enjoyed.

Interesting story, characters that lacked my empathy but a villainous that had me rooting for her in the world of media politics kept me interested but not sure if it will be very memorable two weeks from now. I enjoyed it quite a lot but mixed feelings about the total experience.

Carrie is on top of the world. She has a brilliant writer husband, a flourishing career as a television producer, and she's just learned she's going to have a baby. Knowing how easy it is to lose one's place in this career field, she reluctantly hires Emma to provide brief maternity coverage for her while she's away. Emma is young, anxious to break into the field, and a rather brilliant writer herself, it seems, as she begins to provide feedback for Carrie and her husband Adrian's latest project. She also is very obsequious of Carrie, so surely Carrie has nothing to worry about- or does she?

Fans of The Last Mrs. Parrish will think they know what to expect before they pick up The Temp. In the world of television, however, nothing is as it seems. Michelle Frances's new addition to the psychological thriller genre will surprise readers at every turn.

2.5/5

I want to start off my saying that I think I’m burnt out on slow burning thrillers in general and sick of waiting for a book to properly engage me for more than half of it. Unfortunately, that’s basically what happened here and I think I was so disinterested by the time things did speed up, I just didn’t care how great the twists were. So keep all of this in mind while I share my thoughts…

The premise of this sounded interesting enough, I loved the idea that a young, ambitious and crafty woman tries to replace someone else and also that it was set in the television industry, not too common for a thriller. But then not much really happened, there were a lot of subtle little hints about both Emma and Carrie’s lives, both past and present, but I was just so bored. So what kept me reading? Well Frances is a good writer and I guess I just kept hoping I would get hooked at some point but honestly waiting for that until like sixty percent is just too frustrating for me.

Another petty thing that irritated me was that it was divided into several parts, and in my experience before one part ends and another one begins, there’s usually some sort of surprise or twist and that really didn’t happen here. Each part was labeled with one characters name but then the chapters were told from everyone’s POV so what was the point of the labeling and separate parts even?! See, petty haha but it bothered me. I do want to say that the twist was decent and I didn’t predict it, but I just didn’t care in the end. If you don’t mind waiting for things to pick up you may like this though, I just think I need a break from the simmering tension style books for awhile.

After reading The Girlfriend by Michelle Frances last year I knew I needed to get a copy of The Temp and expected big things. This thriller however fell into that I just read too many of these pile with a feeling that I may have read this one before.

Carrie and her husband are both in the television business and thought they were perfect for each other and had their lives planned out. This however changed when Carrie accidentally get pregnant throwing a wrench in their best laid plans.

When Carrie decides to keep the baby she knows she will need to take some time off of her hectic TV producer job so she looks for a temporary replacement. Emma walks into Carrie’s life and at first it’s a relief how good she is, that is until it begins to feel as if Emma is taking Carrie’s place in not only Carrie’s job but with everyone she knows.

The Temp really wasn’t a bad read at all I just felt as if to me this one was a little familiar. Then when the final twist and turn took place I did have the biggest factor guessed relatively early on having read similar books. I wouldn’t let my experience scare most readers off of trying this one though as Michelle Frances does write compelling stories that are easy to immerse yourself into. This one is a bit on the lengthier side but I still flew through it waiting to see if I would be correct and since I was I’m only giving this one 3.5 stars, still a completely solid read in the end though.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I have seen several glowing review for The Temp and was excited to give it a try. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy it near as much as others have seemed to.

First, I want to say that I think the synopsis is a little misleading. Nothing it says is wrong, exactly, it just makes things sound like they happen much more suspensefully or creepily than they actually do. Anyways, I have recently read several light and fluffy Romances in a row and I was really craving something with a little more substance when I picked this book up. I really wanted the suspense and thrills and The Temp just didn’t give it to me. I didn’t think any of the twists were surprising. There is one that is saved until almost the end of the book that I suspected within the first 20% of the story.

Which leads me to my next point. This book was far longer than it needed to be. I felt like there was a lot of repetition and the pace was pretty slow. The chapters became a little quicker towards the end, but I still felt like things were dragged out for too long. I also thought it was structured kind of oddly. The book is broken into four parts, each under a different character’s name, but the story is told in third person and the POV changes almost every chapter, despite which part it’s in. I didn’t understand the purpose of the different parts named after a character if that section didn’t focus entirely on that character’s POV?

Overall, The Temp just wasn’t for me. It had an intriguing premise and the writing wasn’t that bad, it just lacked the suspense and creep factor I was expecting. I wasn’t surprised by any of the twists and I didn’t find the characters very likable or relatable. However, I have seen other people who have really enjoyed this book, so it still might be worth the read.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 2 Stars

The Temp is a bit of an overcomplicated thriller that completely satisfies in the end.

Cassie and Adrian are a power couple. She's a successful producer and he's a writer. Cassie, in her late 40s, become pregnant and despite their previous decision to not have children, Cassie decides to keep the baby. Adrian - acts like a child and pulls away from the family and Cassie is alone.

All the while, they have hired Emma as a temp script writer, to take up the slack while Cassie is adjusting to motherhood. Cassie soon realizes that Emma wants to be more than a script writer - MUCH more.

While the storyline comes off a bit predictable in blurbs, it's not. The twists and 'who is the bad guy' vibe is worth the investment in a hard back copy of this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Because of the adroit story telling, I kept wavering back and forth as to whose corner I was in. The storyline keeps taking little twists and turns. And there were a few surprises at the end that wrapped up the book with a giant bow. Very much recommend.

THE TEMP is a story about the highly competitive, exploitative, dog-eat-dog world of the television industry. Adrian Hill has just won the British Academy Film Award for Best Screenplay for an episode of “Generation Rebel.” His 42-year old wife, Carrie, had signed him to an exclusive three-year contract with Hawk Pictures, the reputable production company where she recently was hired for a permanent job with benefits, which differed from her usual freelance or producer-for-hire work. On the night of the awards presentation, Carrie breaks the news of her pregnancy to Adrian; this is the last thing that he wanted to hear, especially since they had decided early in their marriage that they were not going to have children.

To accommodate the demands of Carrie’s pregnancy and maternity leave, she reluctantly agreed to cut her hours and accepted the fact that the company would need to hire a temporary replacement. In such a competitive workplace, Carrie was afraid that the temp could not cope, or even worse, would cope too well. She was very protective about her biggest and most prestigious project yet, called “Leon,” and was very concerned that if she wasn’t there to develop and produce her own show then someone would be very happy to take over.

Twenty-four year old Emma had been a script editor for a very short period for a long-running show that had been canceled. Even though she did not have much experience, she was hired to assist and lend an extra ear to Adrian. Emma was thrilled to be working for the same company as Carrie and Adrian, especially since she had followed Carrie and her career and had married the screenwriter whom she had admired the most at one time.

This well-written story will keep you flipping the pages as the motives behind the characters’ actions are revealed. I wish to thank NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read a pre-release of this book in exchange for my honest review. I look forward to reading more by this talented author.

I had previously read Michelle Francis' debut novel The Girlfriend and while it was entertaining, it also seemed very predictable to me also but I was not going to allow that to cause me to pass up an opportunity to read her sophomore effort. I am glad that I requested The Temp because it was NOTHING like I had expected.

I don't want to give too much away so I will say that this is not a typical love triangle or tale of adultery, and I'll leave it at that. I could see this adapted into a movie easily. I did not find it to be that suspenseful though, I felt no tension as I read yet I still felt compelled to read until I finished. The overall style to me felt similar to Erin Kelly, another favorite author of mine. I will DEFINITELY read the future work of Michelle Francis.

📖I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Kensington in exchange for my honest review.📚

#TheTemp #NetGalley

Adrian and Carrie are they perfect couple he’s a screen writer and she’s a producer. When Carrie becomes pregnant and has a precious baby boy named Rory, her employer hires Emma as a temp to fill Carries position until she comes back. Carrie is left alone at home with a crying baby and a husband who is becoming a reluctant father. Everyone at Carries work seem to have fallen under Emma’s spell including Adrian she seems like such a perfect fit. Soon Carrie starts to suspect Emma isn’t everything she’s portraying it seems likes she’s out for Carries job and even her husband. Carries paranoia grows when she finds Emma snooping in Adrain’s office and discovering that Adrian and Emma went to their beach home to work on a script alone along with a few suspicious text messages. Carrie starts digging into Emma’s past and soon finds out she does have a connection to Emma and so does Adrian and when everything comes out it may ruin their life. I enjoyed this book very much. It was a quick read and I give it four stars! I haven’t read the authors previous book but after this one I will be checking it out! This book is perfect for thriller lovers! Thank you so much Kensington books for my free copy this book will be available January 29th 209!

Michelle Francis has a nice way with the "not what she seems" plot line. Here, Emma takes over temporarily from Carrie, a TV producer who has recently had a baby. Takes over on the job. Yes. Well, maybe a bit more. Adrian, Carrie's husband, is a creep so why is Emma so determined to winnow her way into him? And everything else, for that matter. Emma's young, pretty, and determined. And rotten (that's not a spoiler, just a characterization.) This has some good twists and is quite entertaining. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Good if you're looking for a page turner.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Books, and Michelle Frances for the opportunity to read and review her new book - loved it! I was a huge fan of her debut novel, The Girlfriend, and this one won't disappoint. I was hard pressed to put this one down and loved the twisty ending.

Carrie is a successful TV producer, happily married to Adrian, a screenwriter in her company. They have the perfect life - wealthy, two homes, in love. Until Carrie becomes pregnant and Adrian is not thrilled by the news. When Carrie has to go on maternity leave, the perfect replacement is found in Emma, a bright, young girl. But is she too perfect? At home, unprepared to deal with a newborn and with no help from Adrian, Carrie feels like she is losing everything.

Lots of twists and turns in this one and I was glued to the pages - a great read!

Slow start, but I'll be honest, I ended up liking how this book ended - slow, but steady, they say.
I loved the author's writing and how she broke up the book alternating between character's (only 3 - you won't be overwhelmed trying to remember who is who), and the lengths of the chapter's. For some reason, I feel I read book's faster when the chapter's are short, lol.
The first half of the book sets up the mood, the rest gave me anxiety, and that's all I want in a book - to make me feel on edge. That ending though - love a good plot twist!
I would put this book in the category of mystery first, then domestic thriller after you're done - you'll find out why.

Like others have said, this book doesn't go the way you're expecting it to at all. When you think it's gonna zig, it zags then does a back flip because why not? I really enjoyed how Frances was able to use my own bias as a reader against me and flip any preconceived notions I had on their head.

In the entertainment industry especially, perception really is reality. If you act like you're succeeding, people are more likely to believe it. And when you're only as good as your last project, the pressure to keep producing drives the characters to continuously raise the stakes until it all comes crashing down.

My heart was racing in the last third of this book and didn't let up until the very end. I liked that this is a thriller that doesn't kill/disappear someone in the first couple chapters; the tension feels like it's been earned. It's a story that's also about choices: how one decision can dramatically alter the course of your life and those around you.

What a fantastic read! I have read other novels by this author and she never fails to disappoint in entertaining her audience. Michelle Frances has developed a story that takes us in so many different directions right until the very end. You know the author has reeled you in when you begin developing a strong dislike for certain characters and hope that their actions go unpunished. I don’t want to spoil the story. All I can say is that this is a must-read.

This is my second book by Michelle Frances and if I'm being honest I was one of the few that was disappointed in her debut, The Girlfriend, but because the synopsis of The Temp was so intriguing I decided to give her another shot. This book fared slightly better than her debut.

Carrie and Adrian are a successful married couple. She a television producer and he a script writer. Carrie now finds herself in her early forties and pregnant. She and Adrian agreed from the start of their relationship that they were never to have children so let's just say Adrian isn't exactly thrilled with the news. Carrie feels like this may be her last and only opportunity to bare a child so she decides to keep the baby under the pretense that Adrian will come around in time especially once the baby is born.

Not only does Adrian not come around to having a son, Rory, Carrie now finds herself in a predicament where she has to hand over the reigns of her job to, Emma, a new hire that has come in to cover her maternity leave.

I will say that from reading the blurb I felt fairly certain that I knew exactly where this story was going but Michelle Francis did toss in a surprise I didn't see coming about 1/3 of the way through which took all my preconceived notions and turned them on their head. However this book, like her debut, suffers from being too damn long. Many pages skimmed with this one. The ending I found satisfactory for this particular genre but not mind blowing by any means. 3 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.