Cover Image: The Temp

The Temp

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Member Reviews

Judging from the cover and the title, I thought this book would either be another temp comes in and tries to steal the woman's job and/or husband. So I was thrilled when the plot went in a different direction. The storyline was fresh and kept me captivated through the entire book. There were lots of suspense and tense moments. The main character, Emma, was someone I alternated between rooting for, being a little scared of what she was capable of, and kind of pitying her. She painted the characters so vividly I felt as if I was in the room with them. I highly recommend this book and hope to read many more by this author.

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This was a good book - lots of twists but sometimes unbelievable. I felt it was a little slow, but definitely a good story line and surprise ending.

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I really wanted to love this book since I had a child later in life and understand the anxiety that comes with leaving ones job for a few months. That being said, I just didn’t connect with the characters, and thought that some of the drama created was forced and made just to keep the story moving along - not the best or worst book I’ve read, but not the emotional thrilled I was looking for.

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Humm....what do I have to say about this novel? Well it’s a novel that should have been played out on the Lifetime Movie Network. I was excited for this book after reading and loving Frances previous book The Girlfriend. Unfortunately, I was left feeling disappointed! The pacing was off, the characters lacked dimension, and the plot was deficient in substance.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an e-arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Actual Rating: 3.75 stars

The Temp is an absorbing domestic drama/thriller that I devoured in a day. While I didn't love the book I did find myself compulsively reading it until I hit the end. The book had me absorbed and I didn't want to stop until the final twist. One of the main reasons I have it a 3.75 stars (rounded up to 4) is because everything develops so slowly. Sure, it works for the story but I think had it been paced a little faster I would have enjoyed it more. What bogged it down for me was the technicalities of being a TV producer and writer being talked about over and over again. Other than this, I think the characters were developed well, and while I didn't connect with them on a deep level, they were interesting enough to hold my attention for the entire book. The twist is killer too. I think many people will enjoy it. I certainly didn't see it coming!

If your looking for a propulsive thriller that will slowly wind you up until the incredible twist, this is a book for you in 2019. I'm excited to see how the authors writing started and plan to read her debut in the near future.

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What a great book a really good story that I enjoyed very much twists and turns that you don’t expect one to read and highly recommended

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For about 75% of the book - I was confused - where was the suspense? What is with her obsession? And then - boom - crazy shows up and then there's the curve ball and I was left thinking W.T.F. And then it all made sense.. While its a slow read for a majority of the book - its completely worth the read.

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Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for this ARC. There was nothing absolutely moving about this book. The characters had some depth, but they failed to completely reel me in. The writing was fantastic, as per usual, I am definitely a fan of Michelle Frances. But this book fell short for me. I wasn’t left with my jaw to the floor and that bums me out. Hopefully you will enjoy it more than me.

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Just when I thought I had it figured out there was a twist that threw me off track. At first glance it seems to be a story of a Temp trying to take over the life of the successful woman whose job she's working at but that is not it. There is something more to her obsession with the job and when things don't go her way things get crazy. A quick and crazy ride that keeps you guessing..

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Enjoyed the previous book by this author & this one didn’t disappoint. Maybe slightly slow in places but kept my attention & left me wanting to read when I know I should be sleeping! Would recommend this book to anyone.

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Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
It thought this book was a smart and addictive psychological thriller and it kept me interested the entire book.
It was a slow build with a lot of twists thrown in which led to a great and totally unexpected ending.

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Emma has always wanted to work in the TV industry, writing scripts and producing shows. When she gets the opportunity to work for powerhouse couple Carrie and Adrian, Emma is thrilled. This is her chance to prove she’s got what it takes. When Carrie announces her pregnancy, Emma can’t believe her luck—with Carrie gone, now she can really shine. However, Emma has ulterior motives and before Carrie can figure out what’s happening, Emma is trying to take over...not only her career, but her personal life as well.
Sadly, this book fell flat for me. I didn’t connect to the story line and found the twists to be uneventful (save for one at the very end that I really didn’t see coming). I also didn’t connect to any of the characters. I’m not sure what I consider a thriller anymore these days, but to me this was more “just a book”. It didn’t deliver many thrills and it wasn’t until the end that the book picked up and a few suspenseful scenes happened. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy to review!

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This story held my interest the entire way through. Although the ending did not come as a surprise to me, there were enough twists and turns to make this an enjoyable read.

The three main characters are a TV award-winning husband and wife producer-screenwriter team and Emma, a bright, young, temporary worker who takes the wife's (Carrie's) place during a pregnancy leave. Carrie's husband, Adrian, did NOT want children and this is clear throughout the book. Carrie, however, (in her forties) softens to the fact when her baby has finally arrived. Emma works full-time as Carrie returns on a part-time basis. Carrie resents her for her youth and brilliant writing.

The three characters are quite well defined. Others assist to create a level of suspense throughout. At the end the story becomes a real thriller and I found myself turning pages quickly!

A very good read - recommend.

Many thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for a good read!

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I was thrilled to get a copy of this book in exchange for my review. Carrie and Adrian seem to have a great marriage. They are happy, compatible, and successful. They even agreed that they didn't want children. Until Carrie became pregnant and then she did.

Carrie doesn't want to leave while her new TV show is being developed. She doesn't want someone else taking over. But there has to be someone to help do her job. Bring in the temp. Emma is off but we don't really know how or in exactly what way.

The characters mostly develop and change for us as the story goes on. I say mostly because Adrian really doesn't. Carrie is going through a range of understandable emotions, those that come with having a baby and your life changing completely, (oh, and your career really taking off only to suddenly be paused and replaced by a newcomer and your relationship hitting a wall). Emma goes through a range we don't quite understand until we really know everything that she is going through. Adrian, though, he is that stubborn person who decides that life will not get in his way.

I liked that you thought this might be a derivative story you've heard before, the kind Emma would scream at on the TV. Then you find out it is not going to be that simple. Then you think you know where it is going only to see that it's turning in yet another direction. Then you get to Part 2. Part 2 brings on the craziness you just have to read. I have to admit that I thought it got a little repetitive in the middle of Part 3 for me. It did pick up again. I'm not sure what I think of the end. I'm still processing it. In a way it made sense and is how you would hope these situations come out. On the other it is very upbeat for the darkness of other parts of the book. Nothing wrong with being conflicted, though.

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I have now read both of Michelle Frances books and I have to say they are both great and I’m happy I’ve read them.

The temp was intriguing and it kept me interested throughout the book. I thought the book had good twists to it and the characters I have to say I disliked all of them for their own reasons but in the end, I couldn't help but feel bad for Carrie, her son, and Emma, then there was Adrian who I thought was absolutely unbearable. But the characters and their personalities and the plot really made the story what it was.

The plot worked well with me I found It to be different. I read only mysteries and thrillers and I can't help but think a lot of plots head in the same sort of direction some way but this was definitely different and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

As the story went on the anticipation really grew and it took me for a surprise when I came to the end. I couldn't believe the truth of everything that came out it really shocked me because it was something I was not expecting or even crossed my mind. So I think the readers will be for a good surprise.
I highly recommend this book if you like fast paced thrillers.

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Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a brilliantly written novel. The author writes very realistic dialogue and characterizations. She describes both sides of what it's like to be a temp and what's it's like to fear losing your job by the temp. Seeing both sides really enriched the story and I felt compassion for both Carrie and Emma although they were both on opposite ends. There was no clear winner since in the end they had so much too lose. This novel also brings to light the cut throat environment that is the entertainment business, it's every man for himself.
Really enjoyed this one.

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Great thriller to keep you entertained during the cold, winter months! You'll find yourself conflicted on who the true villain of the story is and it will keep you turning the pages until the very end!

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A heartfelt thank you to both Netgalley and Pan MacMillan for the opportunity to read this book early. Carrie and Adrian are riding the wave of creating an award-winning TV show, she as producer and he as the writer. Then she gets pregnant against his wishes, but almost at the moment of conception, she feels the influx of her mothering genetics. She keeps the baby and needs someone to sub for her at her job. Enter Emma, a young beautiful girl with great ideas. Until now, this has the makings of a traditional plot where the husband falls for the cute young thing. And that’s what Carrie is afraid of.

However, the first two-thirds of the book moves at a snail’s pace. Nothing much happens. Emma isn’t a well-defined character, instead she seems to flail. At one point she’s looking for something in Adrian’s beach house but we don’t know what or why, so it’s very hard to care.

The thrills and chills take off running in the last 20 percent of the book and that part is very good. If only the entire book could have been like this part. And then the flow is interrupted with knowledge that was never even previously hinted at. It jarred me. I read almost all thrillers so it’s hard to impress me, but this book needs some work.

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For some reason I was expecting more of a thriller. That’s on me, possibly, I don’t always read detailed descriptions and plot summaries to avoid giveaways. But if you’re like me, fair warning…this is much more of a drama than a thriller. It has thrilleresque elements and even a death or two to spice things up, but the basics here are a power triangle struggle with three very uneven sides, two of which are taken up by a married couple and one by a young ambitious temp coming to work with them. Her motivations are slowly revealed throughout the book, but her drive and talent are undeniable. And that mixed in with a collapsing marriage is a recipe for…a lot of complicated dynamics. The married couple actually reminded me of the one in the tv show Episodes, they’ve been together for sixteen years, happy, wealthy, with good careers and a sort of self indulgent lifestyle being childless offers. Despite the fact that they are vehemently against having kids, they are surprisingly lack about any permanent form of contraception and when they get pregnant and reluctantly proceed with it, it ends up upsetting their perfect lives…permanently. It poses a lot of questions about the nature of their marriage and some interesting hypotheticals about marriages in general. In fact it’s sort of refreshing to read about someone willingly admit they don’t want children to such an extent in such a breeder oriented society. But it isn’t the only thing, one of them is an unethical plagiarist, the other is slightly paranoid about being squeezed out of her job. Emma the temp seems to be the nice decent person, but she has too much of an agenda of her own to remain as such. TV writing (like so many other careers when taken very seriously) turns out to be a deadly business. And so the book goes. It’s well written and entertaining enough. It read quickly for its length. There is nothing really to wow the reader here, but it tells its story in a perfectly decent fashion. Thanks Netgalley.

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The Temp by author Michelle Frances is a suspenseful novel with a captivating plot line! There are many twist both big and small, some are easy to assume and some have your head spinning and very wrong! The characters are developed nicely, there are some you love and some you love to hate! All around, The Temp (Frances 2nd book) was great! Love this genre and would absolutely recommend this book to anyone else who loves the thriller genre!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy of The Temp in exchange for an honest review.

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