I’ve always enjoyed K.L. Slater’s books, but I have noticed that the last couple released have been somewhat lacking, and I’ve struggled to get through them. I think it is time for me to step away from this author’s future books as I’m just not enjoying them anymore. Slater is the author that got me into reading Psychological Thriller books, and I will always be grateful to her for that.
This book centres around Cole and the disaster his life leaves behind in his death. The entire story seemed unrealistic, and it was hard to feel any affiliation with the characters. There were long periods of the book where it just sort of coasted along. I wanted more; I wanted to be suspicious. I wanted to be left wondering and guessing at the end of each chapter. None of this happened, and I kind of just plodded on through it. There was no intensity and certainly nothing thrilling about the story. The only thing that sort of kept me on the edge of my seat was Jennifer's dire situation. She had no money and no home unless she gave in to the crazy demands of Sara.
What infuriated me the most was that Jennifer wasn’t even trying to do anything to better her situation. She was more worried about the shopping and what was in the fridge than securing a job to be able to put a roof over her and her kids’ heads. So, in the end, even this part of the story lost my interest.
So overall a very slow story and not one I think should be given the tagline of ‘An utterly gripping psychological thriller’ as it was none of these things. I’m afraid this is the lowest star rating I have given this author, but it is just two stars from me on this one, and as I said, I don’t think I’ll be reading any more of her books. Such a shame, as her early work is beyond fantastic!

Holy moly cannoli! What a story. This had me gripped from the very beginning. The
plot is great. I really liked some of them characters and others were love to hate.
I haven’t read much by this author but that’s about to change.

Very quickly we experience the death of Cole and learn about his secret relationship with Sara Nordstrom and their baby, Rory. Apparently Cole has cheated before, but his wife Jennifer forgives for the sake of her family. Jennifer trusts Cole to be faithful and succeed in with their investments that she signs off documents without reading! So many red flags - they signed off finances, the cars, and the house to Sara. Sara and Rory move into the house and try to live peacefully. There’s a lot of twists & turns and the action is non stop! Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for a copy.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for an early copy of The Girlfriend. This was a fast paced, interesting plot of a book. I LOVE books like these! Two twists that I did NOT see coming! A nice weekend read by the fire.

Wow! What a great, gripping story. Read it in one night, I just couldn’t put it down! Can’t wait to read more by KL Slater

Jennifer finds herself in the strangest predicament after her husband dies. When a young mother arrives on her doorstep, her world once again blows up! Working through her situation allows her to uncover ALL the secrets! This was a twisty, turns story! Enjoyed it!

The Girlfriend by K.L. Slater is an unputdownable, highly addicting, captivating psychological thriller. Just when you think you have it all figured out, you realize that you don’t. Just when you think you figured out what the next twist will be, another twist happens and throws your idea out of the window!

Jennifer Fincham finds outs her husband, Cole, has cheated on her… AGAIN! This time, Jennifer finds out because on the day Cole dies in a tragic car accident, his mistress shows up at her front door with Cole’s newborn baby in her arms. From there, Jennifer’s world is turned upside down. To make it even more worse, this strange woman, Sara, is claiming to own Jennifer’s house and has the legal paperwork to prove it.

As the bizarre events unfold and get more sinister and strange, Jennifer realizes she must discover the truth. But how? Is she ready for what she is about to find out?

Buckle up, readers! This book is one crazy, wild ride! Aside from being an extraordinary thriller of a novel, this would make one really good movie or show! I’ve never read books by K.L. Slater before, but now I will be reading all of her work - I think I just added another favorite author to my list of must-read authors.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the author for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: October 27, 2022
K.L. Slater is the U.K writer of psychological suspense novels, some of my favourites being “Liar”, “The Mistake” and “The Apartment” and as such, I never turn down a chance to read her next release. “The Girlfriend” is a creative, addicting, page-turning delight and it is hands-down my favourite Slater novel so far!
Jennifer Fincham is destroyed when her husband, Cole, is killed in an auto accident. After stressful years of building their dream home together, and raising two children, Jennifer finally thought they had their life on track. Just as she is in the midst of her grief, a young woman comes to her door with an infant, claiming to be Cole’s girlfriend, and the child his son. Jennifer, of course, doesn’t believe the woman at first until the evidence piles up- Sara is the mother of Cole’s child and not only that but due to substantial financial investments she made to Cole, Sara is now is the sole owner of Jennifer’s house. Facing homelessness with her children, Jennifer is forced to make a terrible choice, one she instantly regrets but cannot back out of.
“The Girlfriend” is told from Jennifer’s perspective, primarily, but also highlights Sara (including snippets from the time she met Cole, which unveils how their relationship started), and immediately the reader takes sides. Sara is the conniving “other woman”, and the fact that she is rich and beautiful does not help. Although Jennifer seems to be on the losing side from the start, it is evident that Sara is hiding something, and I desperately read page after page in hopes that Jennifer would uncover it before it was too late.
Slater’s novel is creative, with a unique plot that had me feeling all the emotions right along with Jennifer. Betrayal, hurt and anger of course, but also desperation and revenge. Slater keeps it no secret that something else is going on underneath it all and when it is revealed in one heck of a twist (which I loved!) The ending delivers the exact amount of sweet revenge and even when a secret of Jennifer’s is revealed, it was trivial in the grand scheme of things and it did not change my opinion on Slater’s relatable protagonist.
“The Girlfriend” is a breath of fresh air in psychological, domestic suspense and I thoroughly enjoyed each and every gripping page!

This is my second book by this author and I’m ashamed to say I stayed away because of the hype I am now kicking myself because I took so long to find this amazing writer. It starts of intriguing and ends with a bang.
I found myself holding my breath as the plot thickens with some exciting twists. The more I read the more I’m hooked as the secrets and lies unfold I’m drawn in held captive by the writing that it hardly feels like reading. This story brough forth some strong emotions which i rarely find these days.
This is a highly charged story it will inflict many different emotions and I am still reeling from the ending I will be following this author from now on.
Thank you to Netgalley/Bookouture/K.L Slater for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a typical K.L. Slater novel, fast paced, exciting and a page turner.

My husband’s dead. She’s at my door. She owns my home…

Jennifer’s husband Cole dies suddenly and she thinks her world has hit rock bottom. But it is about to get worse when her husbands girlfriend turns up at the front door. The woman informs Jennifer that the baby she is holding is Cole’s son and the family home now belongs to her.

Jennifer needs to protect her family and chooses to accept the girlfriends offer of living in the family home. With no money and nowhere else to go she feels she cannot refuse this unusual offer.

There is obviously a lot more to the plot and many twists and turns along the way. Good fast read as expected from this author.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Bookouture for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Cole has died and just days after the doorbell rings
Sara has rung the bell and Jennifer answered it
She is told that Sara is Cole’s girlfriend and the little boy is called Rory
I had an ARC

This would be classified as a psychological thriller and domestic drama with plenty of suspense and surprises. It should appeal to many readers. I found it to be a quick, straightforward, easy read filled with human tension and difficult to put down. I was entertained by an original plot but thought it far-fetched and defied belief, and I did not care for the adult characters, even Jennifer, who should have engaged my sympathy. A central theme was the concern of two mothers to provide a better life for their children by any means necessary.
It is a story of betrayal, infidelity, manipulation, drugs, madness, greed, revenge, denial, coercion and control, and possible murders.

Cole has died in a car accident. Jennifer and her family are overcome by grief. While they are mourning the death of her husband, Cole, the father of their two children, a stranger shows up at their door. She is Sara, an attractive woman who says she was Cole's long-time Girlfriend and is carrying a baby boy she says is Cole's child. If this shock was not enough to shatter Jennifer's impressive and comfortable life and beliefs, she is told that Sara loaned Cole a large sum of money for his failing business. Their expensively remodelled and modernized home, cars, bank accounts and possessions now legally belong to Sara as collateral. Jennifer realizes she also signed some documents without reading them, fully trusting her husband.

Although Cole had been unfaithful several years ago, moving out of their home for a younger woman, all was forgotten and forgiven. She had no suspicion that he was leading a double life, and she was in denial about the many hours he spent away from the family home.

Sara is desperate to have her baby grow up surrounded by a family. To avoid further upsetting and disrupting the lives of her two children, grieving their father's death, Jennifer agrees to stay in the house with Sara and her infant child. Jennifer's relatives warn her this is a bizarre arrangement, but she has no funds to move elsewhere. Cole's previous Girlfriend committed suicide after he returned to the family home. The police now believe that Cole was murdered.

Sara demands the master bedroom, throws out groceries, manipulates Jennifer's 5-year-old daughter to prefer her company to her mother's, and flaunts her designer wardrobe and jewellery that were gifts from Cole. Jennifer feels increasingly ill at ease in the home, and her sullen 13-year-old son, Miller, hates Sara and avoids her. Sara retaliates, blaming Miller for things not his fault and threatens him with the police and child welfare services.

Cole's lawyer has been trying to find a loophole in the legal papers that would enable Jennifer to recover some property but to no avail.
I thought I had figured out what was happening, but I was wrong. The entire plot and the
characters lacked plausibility, but it kept me entertained.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The Girlfriend is due to be published on October 27.

Days after an accident that left Jennifer widowed a women with a baby in her hips knocks on her door. She claims the house is hers after a hot and heavy affair with Jennifer’s husband. This book had me guessing the whole time. With multiple twists that I didn’t see coming, I enjoyed this page turner. Thank you Netgalley for the pre-realease!

This is the third book I've read and reviewed by K.L. Slater and I really wanted to love it. Bookouture has provided many wonderful titles to Bayside Book Reviews and I hope to continue reviewing there for their authors.

Unfortunately, I was unable to suspend my disbelief for The Girlfriend, though I tried until the last page. The premise of the book was simply too outrageous to be believed. Why Jennifer, the wife of faithless and feckless Cole, would agree to allow her deceased husband's mistress and his baby to move-in with her and her children without consulting an attorney to confirm the mistress's entitlement claims was a plot flaw I couldn't reconcile. Any reliable lawyer would have assigned an investigator to explore the matter. The author did a good job of attempting to explain this plot point, and I realize the story was written as entertainment, but Jennifer's failure to protect her family's interests through legal counsel was too great a flaw for me to overlook. 2.5 Stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing an ARC to read and review. *NetGalley Top Reviewer*

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

Jennifer’s day starts off preparing for her Halloween/birthday party, a fancy affair in a marquee in her garden. Hours later she finds out her husband , Cole, has died after a car crash. Jennifer’s world then implodes the next day, when Sara arrives at her door. Sara brings her baby son Rory and claims she’s been having an affair with Cole and that he is his son. To make matters worse, Sara owns the family house after a business loan and Jennifer hasn’t a leg to stand on. The two women agree to try living together for the sake of the children. Somebody is lying though!

I really enjoyed this. There were so many twists in the tale none of which I saw coming. 5 stars!

A great twisty thrilling ride but i just couldnt get into it as it was slow and the characters annoyed me.

Thanks Netgalley and Bookouture.

All thoughts and opinions are my own and aren't influenced by anyone else

So many twists and turns make this a non-stop roller coaster of a reading experience. I really enjoyed Slater's convincing story of a good family man who falls prey to those who are determined to ensure his downfall with his family as well as with his business. The characters are well-developed, and even the ones with evil intent are relatable. Lots of surprises lead to an ending that you won't see coming.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this advance copy for me to read and review

The action of The Girlfriend starts in the very first chapter. The story introduces you to Jennifer, the oblivious wife, Cole, serial cheater husband, and Sara, the husbands girlfriend. Jennifer gets a call that Cole has died in a car accident and before she has a chance to process the death, Sara shows up at her house with her and Cole’s baby. Sara announces she is Cole’s girlfriend and the baby is his, and by the way, Sara owns the house, cars and has been bank rolling Jennifer’s family’s lifestyle. I thought the plot was interesting, though I did not connect with any of the characters and the “nesting” did not seem really believable. I’ve never been a big fan of multiple POV’s but this worked well in The Girlfriend as you got to hear from all the characters. This book had enough twists and turns to keep me interested enough to finish the book in a day.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for sending this book for review considerations. All opinions are my own.

What a fun book!
I could hardly put it down!
Sleep be damned!
The great thing about this book?
It's going to be available on Kindle Unlimited!
Along with the rest of this author's books!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an early copy of this thrilling ride!
I could not guess who it was!

Get The Cluck Out! 😳😯🤯😯🤯

⊰ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐊.𝐋. 𝐒𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 ⊱

Mother Freakin' Fluffer! As always, Slater freakin' nails it! I'm never ever disappointed with her books and the heart-thumping twists she jam-packs you with! I don't know how she creates such incredible twists that you can't imagine, but she does it with such finesse. Absolutely scrumptious; I inhaled this like the last piece of Black Forest cake. The thrill, intense tension & undeniably scandalous secrets are plentiful and welcomed in this. You think you'll know how it all plays out and it's obvious - nay nay my friends! I was sucker punched so hard with this beaut I still can't get over it. Needless to say, a fix of carbs & coffee are now needed for comfort. Geez almighty I'm still shook or shaken or woke or whatever bloody word is "in" now.

Mყ 𝐒ყɴ𝐨ρѕιѕ: Jennifer has just received the devastating news that her husband, Cole, has died in a single-car accident. Within hours after receiving the news, a woman, Sara, shows up on her doorstep with her baby, claiming to be Cole's girlfriend and his child. But that's not the worst of the nightmare. You see, Sara owns everything Jennifer has - her accounts, the cars, and the house. But Sara isn't cold-hearted. She offers a compromise that her and her child live with Jennifer and her two children in the house, & with no other options, she has no choice but to agree. But as they try to work together and be civil for the sake of the children, her nightmare is about to become even more earth-shattering.

Thank you to NetGalley & Bookouture for this ARC.
Release Date: October 27, 2022

𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭: 4.5 / 5 Jack-o'-lanterns! 🎃