This is the first book I have read from this author.

Cassie is suffering from the death of her son, Josh, who apparently committed suicide by jumping in front of the incoming train. She and her husband, Adam are overcoming with grief at the death of Josh, until a mysterious girl named Kim turns up, with a baby, named Samuel, saying that she was the girlfriend of Josh and that Samuel is his baby. Both Cassie and Adam are coming into terms of Josh having a baby with a girl named Kim who they had no clue about. The baby is a mirror image of Josh but both Cassie and Adam are questioning about Kim's connection with Josh. And after Kim turned up, Cassie receives anonymous text messages, threatening to reveal a secret, a secret that Cassie had buried years ago and if that secret was revealed, her marriage to Adam might come to an end and everything will be ruined

I have to say that the plot line is really good and it got more interesting and intriguing with unexpected twists starting from the middle of the book towards the end. The ending of the book was really unexpected, did not really see that ending coming and also the connection!!!! I must say, towards the end, I felt more like I was in some part of a hit and run chase in a criminal show. Too much drama in the book, which was a bit OK to the plot of the story, considering what Cassie, as a mother is going through. Some parts of the story was however not very realistic and some parts were realistic.

The writing was flowing and was written in simple and understandable way and also it was actually a quick read so for those who are looking for fast read, this book might be a good choice. However, I think I didn't really fancy the characters much. There were no characters that I could actually feel connection to and I didn't really feel any of the characters.

Overall, this a nice thriller that will keep you are the edge of your seat. A perfect summer read for people looking to read a good thriller!

assie's still dealing with her grief over the death of her son Josh when Kim shows up with baby Samuel, claiming that he's Josh's son. That's a plus except there's something not quite right about Kim. For one thing, while Cassie's husband Adam was initially very skeptical she seems to be wrapping him in. For another, someone is now stalking Cassie, threatening to reveal her secrets. And she does have them. No spoilers from me. This is told in dual time line and from the perspective, primarily, of Kim and Cassie. It's a domestic thriller of sorts with strong characters. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

The New Girlfriend by Sheryl Browne is a psychological thriller set in England. From the shocking prologue to the startling end, the reader is in for a tumultuous ride. In the prologue, Josh Tyler, in his twenties, appears to be so immediately likable, so guileless and ingenuous, so you wonder why anyone would want him dead. I was hoping that there was a twist and Josh hadn't died after all.

The story is told from four POVs, Josh in the past, Josh Tyler's grieving mother, Cassie, Josh's girlfriend, Kim, and his father, Adam. Unlike many books in the psychological thriller genre, the two main males, Adam and Josh, are imminently likable. Adam is trusting, caring, strong and loving. He isn't taken in by feminine wiles, whilst being open to feeling and expressing emotion as well as compassion. As a narrator in The New Girlfriend says, 'he's one to keep'.

The tragic death of Cassie's only son, Josh, was ruled a suicide. Within weeks, while in the depths of her raw grief, Cassie opens the door to a young woman claiming to have been Josh’s girlfriend/ future wife, with a baby in tow: as she claims, Josh's ten-week-old baby son, Samuel. Cassie naturally feels her mothering instincts take over, as if she's been given a second chance to mother baby Samuel, in place of his dead father. For there is no doubt: Samuel is the spitting image of Josh.

I liked reading Josh's POV. He became even more likable as the novel went along. Josh's narrative gave us warnings about Kim, especially since we see how manipulative she was towards him (no spoilers – the title alludes to the girlfriend being a catalyst). I kept wanting to shake Josh and point out that he didn't have to be played. He was a catch, and he should keep himself for a special girl who was right for him. But, unfortunately, Josh wasn't listening to me 😊.

Kim is a catalyst alright! She works on everyone she comes in contact with. In fact, I wondered how come she couldn't deal one to her own lumbering, obnoxious father. Kim spins a yarn to Josh's parents: she has come from the wrong side of the tracks, and needs their help to get a secure roof over Sam's head. Soon after witnessing Kim's abusive father for themselves, Cassie and Adam rush headlong into throw their money into a comfortable home for Kim and Samuel. [As an aside, I felt sad for Kim's young brother, Jack, and wonder what became of him.]

While Cassie is trying her best to get to know and support her dead son's girlfriend, and give in to her instincts to adore baby Samuel, she begins receiving menacing messages from someone. She is certain it is a woman from her past, someone with a grudge that would threaten Cassie's loving marriage with Adam, and make her lose her grandson. When Cassie's long-held secret looks like being revealed, she'll do anything in her power to prevent this from happening.

Then, Kim starts to show her true colours, Cassie takes stock. Like a typical wife, she wants to caution her beloved husband, Adam, without being a 'fisherman's wife'. However, the more Cassie intuits, the more outlandish her behaviour appears, creating a potential rift with the other main players, especially Adam. The reader follows the twisting route of a younger, femme fatale around an older, gullible man, and Cassie, who she thinks is a mentally weak, nervous woman. Boy is Kim in for a surprise. What happens next is interesting to read.

The characters showed enough shades of grey to be believable and relatable, and avoid falling into the clichés of this genre. Some plot points were easy to guess, however, Sheryl Browne kept most of the big reveals up her sleeve, surprising the reader with some great twists very skilfully. The ending gave a sigh of shock and closure.

My first book by Sheryl Browne, I would like to read her previous novels. Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This review also appears in https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3466122062
https://thereadersvault.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-new-girlfriend-by-sheryl-browne.html
& Netgalley.com & Amazon.com.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

The story centres around Cassie and Adam. They are husband and wife. Cassie has a son called Josh, and Adam is Josh’s step father but loves and cares for him completely as his own son. Josh dies in a tragic accident. At the funeral for Josh a young girl called Kimberly turns up but vanishes again, and then arriving on Cassie and Adam’s doorstep with a new baby - and Josh is apparently the father. Cassie and Adam had no idea that Josh was in a relationship, let alone about to be a father. And then we see many lies, secrets and acts of manipulation in the pages that follow.

I enjoyed the character of Adam, he was relatable, selfless, caring, and good natured. Cassie was a broad character, and I enjoyed the touches of the story on mental health, especially the effects on mental health when you lose a close member of your family. Kimberly was an awful character - but that’s what made it so good!!

The story was fast paced, it wasn’t dragged out like a lot of books do. It was a gripping domestic thriller which I thoroughly enjoyed. Would highly recommend to others.

Thank you for the advance read of this book.

Just wow! This book is one of the best thrillers that I have read so far this year. It kept me reading into the small hours, I could not put this book down. Just when you think there could possibly be no more twists or suprises, Sheryl Browne pulls it out of the bag!

The story is centred around Cassie. Cassie and Adam’s ‘only’ son Josh dies as he somewhere and mysteriously falls in front of a train.
At his funeral Cassie sees a young pregnant red headed woman lurking, but as she approaches to speak to her she disappears.
Fast forward a mere 8 weeks later the same young woman and her baby appear at door of Cassie and Adam, to inform them she’s Kimberley Summers and the baby is Josh’s son Samuel. Cassie is overjoyed that she’s a nana and wants to do everything and more that she can for Her grandson. However not all is as it seems as Cassie has a secret of her own, that is so explosive - that if her past history is revealed everything precious in her life - her husband Adam and her grandson Samuel will be blown to pieces.

I really can not recommend this book enough, a true thriller and so brilliantly written that you find yourself really feeling for the characters.

10/10

‘The New Girlfriend’ didn’t stop surprising me until the end. The revelations started off like a ripple, then a wave, before rapidly becoming a tsunami; threatening to drown every character.

It pulled on the heartstrings too. I felt the weight of Cassie’s grief and her secret threatening to tear her world apart. Carrying the burden of one of these would be enough for anyone. When Kim turned up with Cassie’s recently deceased son’s baby, Cassie did what a decent human being would.

Okay, it’s no secret that I always love Sheryl’s prologues and the prologue for this book was no exception. It’s full on ‘pow!’ It’s deadly, gripping, and the perfect banging start to a great psychological thriller. And the chapters that follow fantastically set up the rest of the book.

The chapters set in the year before really gave a feel for Josh and Kim’s relationship, and their characters were developed with skill. I found myself wary for him, excited too, and then tense, then concerned for her. My thoughts about what was happening were everywhere and at the end when the reveals started to happen, I’m like ‘no way’ and ‘wow.’ It’s fab, fast and emotionally explosive.

Grab a lot of snacks and shut yourself away for a few hours with this book. Another cracking read by Sheryl Browne. Loved it!

Cassie and Adam's lives are turned upside down when their son dies in a tragic accident. But their heartbreak turns to joy when, just 10 weeks after Josh's funeral Kimberly Summers appears on their doorstep, bringing with her Josh's baby son Samuel. Cassie is quickly besotted with her grandson, but when she begins receiving messages referring to a secret from her past, she's terrified that she may lose everything, including Samuel. But what is Cassie's big secret? And how is Kim connected to what's happening?

I have to admit I didn't expect much from this one. I've had a bad run with thrillers lately, and while the synopsis was interesting, I was concerned it might end up being a big cliched. But luckily, it was actually a really good read! However, I won't say too much about the plot, as there's a lot that is revealed throughout in little titbits here and there, so I would be too worried about spoilers!

This book has chapters from a variety of perspectives; although the main character is arguably Cassie, there are also chapters from the POV of several other characters, who I won't specify here for fear of spoilers! But what I will say is that as well as using multiple perspectives, the author also made it so some chapters follow the present day while others focus on the past - this meant you get a really great build up of tension, as the information you know from the past sections becomes relevant to the present, and there's times where you're almost shouting at the characters!

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. The characters are very well developed, the plot is really unique and well thought out, and there are so many twists and turns throughout that your head will spin. This is my first book by Sheryl Browne, and I can safely say it won't be my last! Definitely worth a read.

A big thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The New Girlfriend’ by Sheryl Browne in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The New Girlfriend’ by Sheryl Browne in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Cassie and Adam’s son Josh dies as he falls in front of a train. At his funeral Cassie sees a young red-haired pregnant woman but as she goes to speak to her she disappears. Ten weeks later the young woman and her baby are at their door and tells them she’s Kimberley Summers and the baby is Josh’s son Samuel. Cassie is amazed that she’s a grandma and wants to do everything she can for Samuel but she has a secret and is afraid that if her past is revealed she’ll lose everything dear to her, her husband Adam and her grandson.

‘The New Girlfriend’ is one of those psychological thrillers that’s so gripping you don’t want to put it down. The story is told through the eyes of the main characters and has a well-written and ingenious plot that becomes increasingly chilling as Cassie’s life comes apart. It contains drama, suspense, twists and turns, and an unbelievably explosive conclusion that I wasn’t expecting. I can wholeheartedly recommend this brilliant thriller that had me enthralled from the first page through to the last.

This is another fabulous psychological thriller by Sheryl Browne. I was taken engrossed in this book from page 1 and raced through it to find out the ending.
There’s a fantastic twist at the end that I didn’t see coming.
I’d definitely recommend this book.

I'm a big fan of Sheryl Browne, read all her previous books and was looking forward to read this one.

It sure doesn't disappoint, filled with mystery, thriller, unpredictable twists and turns, so once I started reading I couldn't put it down.

We start with the tragic death of Josh, and the bereavement of his mother Cassie and step father Adam. Then suddenly came Kim, who claims was Josh's girlfriend and the mother of his child.

Despite being suspicious, Josh's family couldn't help but love their new grandchild and felt the urge to help Kim with her dire financial situation.

Then strange things start happening, and Cassie starts receiving cryptic texts about secrets from her past, and now the family starts suspecting who Kim really is, and what does she exactly know?

There are layers of secrets that we peel through, and I specially admired the authors way of leading us to expect a certain scenario, only to go the exact opposite way.

An addictive thrilling read that I highly recommend.

Thanks #Netgalley, #Bookouture, and #Sheryl Browne for an ARC in exchange for a fair review.

This book kept me gripped right until the very end! A fantastic, intriguing story which kept me up into the small hours to finish it. I’ve loved all Sheryl Browne books and this certainly didn’t disappoint, I’d definitely recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and Sheryl Brown for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Sheryl Browne’s book the New Girlfriend is a psychological thriller that was so hard to put down. This book had me guessing right to the very end!

This book begins with the son Josh whose life tragically ends. Fast Forward a few months down the road and a young woman- Kim knocks on Josh’s mom's door with news that she has a baby and Josh is the father. Obviously Josh’s mother Cassie loves the baby and immediately grasps onto being a Grandmother which in turn rubs Kim the wrong way. This book is filled with a web of lies and plenty of mystery. Who is Kim? Why is she all of a sudden coming into their lives? And how does she know so much about the family?

The New Girlfriend follows multiple perspectives as the reader tries to put together the pieces of what happened in this crazy story. You will follow Josh, his mother, his stepfather, the girl he loved and the one who is obsessed with him. It has plenty of unexpected twists sprinkled throughout. If page turners, thrillers and a lot of drama is up your alley definitely pick this one up as your next book! This is my first book by Sheryl Browne and it definitely won't be my last.

I would rate this book a 4/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley, Sheryl Browne and Bookouture for the advanced copy of this one. The book comes out August 3rd and I highly recommend it!

Whew! What a ride! This is one of those books that has you thinking about the characters throughout your day even when you’re not reading. I worked out a couple of details but I couldn’t for the life of me figure everything out until the very end!

The New Girlfriend by Sheryl Browne is the first book from the author that I have read, and I heard good things about them.
Cassie and Stepfather Adam are still getting over their sons’ Josh’s death in a tragic accident. Josh is Cassie’s only child. She is devasted. When the get a knock on the door. There is a woman Kimberley on the doorstep with a child in her arms, claiming to be Josh girlfriend and Samuel her son is Josh’s son. They are surprised as anything as Josh never mentioned her before he died. Cassie has reservations about Kimberley. But Adam sympathises with Kimberley, worming her way into the family. Cassie tries to confide her doubts to Adam, but he thinks that it’s all her head and that Cassie is ill as, she has had some mental health problems in the past.
Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for a copy of The New girlfriend. This is a twisty thriller with many POV’s, but unlikeable characters. To me they all had their own agenda’s. I did like the idea of this story, but I thought in the last third of the book it got a bit confusing and thought that Cassie and Adam were quite gullible in the terms of Kimberley. Three stars from me.

I’ll give it to Sheryl Browne. She can certainly write a book that will keep to gripped to the very end. This one had so many twists and turns along the way. Told from the perspectives of a number of characters. Each one complex in their own way. A thoroughly enjoyable book and highly recommended
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc in return for an honest review

Absolutely loved this one. Another great book by a fantastic author.
I cannot say anything negative about this book. It has been a great read which I have completely devoured

Crazy meets crazy in this book.

Secrets that bloom into avalanches.

Some really nasty characters with no redeeming features.

Some you have faith in.

Your heart breaks for Cassie who has just lost her son Josh in a terrible accident and then his new girlfriend Kim shows up with his son.

Let the games begin.

Twists and turns, I never saw that ending coming even though I was quite suspicious of a few people in this book, the ending took me by surprise.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this roller coaster of a read.

WOW - What a book!! It was gripping, thought provoking, fast paced & all kinds of crazy which had me completely hooked from the prologue. I found my pulse pounding in parts, particularly during the second half/end.

It has lots of different layers with all kinds twists & surprises that kept you guessing & wanting more until the very end.

This book is very different to other thrillers currently out as in sometimes you can guess what's going to happen or what the big twist is which can put the reader off or become no longer interested; however The New Girlfriend has you thinking it's going one way then goes the complete opposite.

This is my first Sheryl Browne book & I'm so glad it was as now I will be reading her other ones!

I recommend this to anyone who loves a good thriller!!

Thank you to netgalley, the publisher & the author for my first, brilliant ARC to allow me to read & review this!

Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and Sheryl Brown for this review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't quite able to sink fully into the story ever, though the plot was intriguing and the characters fully formed. I struggled with the many viewpoints, the long internal monologues, and the somewhat slow-moving plot. Still, I would recommend this book as a thriller for anyone who enjoys a slow burn, especially UK residents, since there were a lot of terms and language that I didn't catch as a US resident.

Our Secrets. Her Lies.

Cassie stares at the woman on her doorstep in disbelief. Just months after losing her only son, Josh, here stands a stranger claiming to be Josh’s girlfriend. But it’s not only the woman Cassie is shocked by, it’s the baby nestled in Kim’s arms. Cassie’s grandchild.
I really loved the book. Cassie with her many secrets. Book full of twists and surprises. I loved the outcome. Thank you very much Netgalley