Cover Image: The Temp

The Temp

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Member Reviews

So, reading many thrillers over the years... I feel like it's getting bit tough to "wow" me. So many seem too familiar to me and I just haven't been that impressed.

With having read Michelle France's debut thriller, I knew I had to get my hands on her second novel. I was definitely intrigued by the book to begin with and kept my interest initially. Then it sort of fell flat for me in the middle and in all honesty was a tad bit TOO long for my liking.

Are there twists in this one? Of course... but for some reason it was just lacking that "wow" factor for me.

Carrie has become pregnant by her husband Adrian and they both work in the tv industry. Adrian is the writer and one selfish centered prick (sorry but he is haha). Carrie the producer has to take time off due to having her baby and 24 year old script writer Emma is hired to take her place during maternity leave. Something isn't quite right with Emma and Carrie is starting to come on to the red flags that she sees surrounding not only her but also her husband Adrian.

I absolutely loved the author's debut novel and she has an immense amount of talent. Her writing is crisp, on edge, and engaging to the max. But, I felt like this story was a bit repetitive and rushed at times. There are definitely some interesting themes to the story including infidelity, adding a child to a marriage where one partner is not fully invested, and overall motherhood.

I feel like the story kind of went off in an odd direction and then the author wanted that bang of a surprise at the end. It just left me a bit unsatisfied and wanting more.

Overall, this was a decent and entertaining read. I will continue to check out more from this author because I'm a huge fan! :)

3.5 stars rounded down.

Thank you to Kensington Publishing and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Publication date: 1/29/19
Published to GR: 12/10/18

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I enjoyed this book and although I guessed one of the twists and I didn't guess the other so was surprised when that was revealed half way through. Well written, with good character development, ones you hated and ones you rooted for.

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Emma would do anything to work for the woman who has the job she wants. Carrie is at the top of her game, with a dream career, a baby on the way, and a handsome screenwriter husband. For Emma, with parents who don’t understand her ambition and a serious misstep behind her, this temp position might be her last chance.

Carrie has given up more than anyone knows to get to the top of a ruthless business. She won’t give up this baby too. But with Emma filling in for her at the office, her perfect life starts to unravel. Her bank account is inexplicably overdrawn, her husband seems strangely distant and colleagues are all too happy to take Emma’s creative direction. Carrie finds herself dying to get back to work . . . until a letter left at her door changes everything.

I couldn't wait to read this, I love unreliable narrators! The Temp was exactly that and then some. The ending is so unexpected, I had to reread it! I have yet to read the author's other book, but I will be on the lookout for it. I love the writing style of Michelle Frances.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC of #TheTemp
Pub Date: 29 Jan 2019

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This reminded me of a movie I saw recently with Ali Larter and that’s why I wanted to read this. Unfortunately it didn’t do anything for me. I couldn’t connect with the story and characters and it fell flat for me.

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Just a forewarning, you will not expect the ending and it will leave you completely shocked.

My husband picked up Michelle Frances's other book "The Girlfriend" mainly for the gorgeous book cover and I instantly fell in love with it. As soon as I saw she had another book available I knew without a doubt I had to read it.

This book is about two entirely different women trying to make their way in the TV industry. Carrie is a successful producer married to a handsome screenwriter named Adrian who has just won his first big award and finds out on the same night that his wife is pregnant with their first child. Emma is a young screenwriter trying to get her foot in the door and is dying to work for the woman who has the job she wants. After applying to Carrie's workplace, Emma takes over Carrie's job while she is away on maternity leave with her newborn baby. While absentee father Adrian is away at work at all hours and barely acknowledges the baby, a relationship starts to build between Emma and Adrian that goes beyond just working together. When Emma threatens to out Adrian with this secret from years before, Emma loses her job with her biggest influence and comes up with a way to get her revenge.

This was so well written and the plot was amazing. I instantly fell in love with both Emma and Carrie and loved how the story bounced back and forth between both of their points of view when telling the story. I hated the character Adrian on more than one occasion but I'm pretty sure the author wrote him that way so that the readers would look at him as the jerky, self=absorbed a**. The storyline was excellent and caught my attention right away and never let it go. I devoured through this book in less than 24 hours and honestly hated every time I had to put it down. I can definitely say I was not prepared for the ending at all. What I had preconceived of Emma turned out to be completely wrong and I was literally shook when I got towards the end of the book.

Excellent, excellent writing once again by Michelle Frances and I loved every minute of it.

Thank you so much to Kensington Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest review.

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Who is the "good guy" and who's "bad" in this creepy thriller? You will guess until the end!

Carrie is a very successful TV producer about to go on maternity leave. Her job defines her and she has anxiety about Emma, her ambitious, young, temporary replacement and what exactly her aspirations might be for Carrie's job. But, you know, the show must go on...

Adding to Carrie's insecurities are her cut-throat co-workers, one of whom is her incredibly detached, emotionally unavailable husband, who can't handle that a baby cuts into their jet setting vacations and white furniture buying. He is well-written and spectacularly awful, even referring to his child by the wrong name at one point.

Thank you to Michelle Frances, Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

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Thank you net galley and the publisher for letting me have the chance to read this book. It had me on the edge of my seat very good suspense mystery book first time reading her books would enjoy to read more of her books

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Reminiscent of the old Bette Davis movie All About Eve, a woman fears her temporary replacement wants to make the temp assignment permanent. Carrie is a TV producer who needs someone to cover for her during her maternity leave. Enter Emma, a woman who would do anything to have a life like Carrie’s. As Carrie begins to experience random attacks of sabotage and her husband and colleagues pull away, she wonders if her temp is to blame. An old storyline that Frances breathes new life into with well drawn characters and a twist you may not see coming

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