This is the story of a mother with an extremely close bond to her son. Laura is married to Richard and together they have a son Daniel who is the apple of his mother’s eye. Richard has always worked long hours and travelled a lot, and it was really left for Laura to do most of the raising of their boy on her own.

Daniel is a very outgoing guy with a great disposition and a very caring attitude, and he appreciates the time his mum has always put into his upbringing and cares for her deeply as well. He has had girlfriends before but then he meets Cherry, and he falls hard. Daniel finds Cherry so different to other girls he has met before to him have been very superficial, not Cherry. He can talk to her for hours and the relationship moves forward quickly

Then an event occurs that will change everyone’s world, and a lie is told, a l.ie that can destroy relationships that have been built over years. Cherry also is not all she seems and soon things get messy, very messy.

An enjoyable fast read even though it was over 450 pages, but I devoured it in one long afternoon. A little predictable, I would describe it as a popcorn thriller, but I did enjoy it. Both Cherry and Laura were unlikable characters, but I found I did connect with Daniel and Howard. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy, all opinions expressed are my own.

I ended up DNFing this one early on so I won't be leaving a rating anywhere to be fair. It felt more domestic suspense than a true thriller. That being said, I wasn't feeling gripped or invested as much as I wanted to be.

I absolutely loved this book! This psychological thriller had me hooked from the first page, and I couldn’t put it down until the shocking end. The story follows Laura, a successful woman with a seemingly perfect life, and her son Daniel, who falls for Cherry—a young, ambitious woman with a knack for stirring trouble. 🍒

What made this book stand out was its intense exploration of the mother–son–daughter-in-law dynamic. The tension between Laura and Cherry crackles with jealousy and subtle sabotage, making every interaction feel like a chess move. The plot twist involving the "unforgivable lie" (no spoilers, but wow! 🤯) completely flipped my perspective and kept me guessing about everyone’s motives. Frances does a brilliant job building suspense, and the way the tragedy unfolds is both heartbreaking and gripping.

I also appreciated how the characters weren’t black-and-white. Cherry’s cunning nature and Laura’s protective instincts made me question who to root for, which added to the thrill. The pacing was spot-on, with short, punchy chapters that made it impossible to stop reading. 📚🔥

The Girlfriend is a fast paced thriller. Laura is the mother of Daniel who she has put on a pedestal and idolizes him. Cherry meets Daniel at work as she sells him an expensive flat.

Daniel is Cherry's ticket out but will Laura just stand back and let that happen.

You know that this just isn't going to end well. Who is crazier, the mother or the girlfriend. At times its a toss up. Wasn't sure who to vote for except perhaps Daniel; wanted him to run as fast as he could.

A great read , the pages turn quickly.

Looking forward to reading the next book by Michelle Frances.

Dont miss this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensiington Publishers for the privilege or reading and reviewing The Girlfriend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

This was a suspenseful read with drama between a mom and her son’s girlfriend. Overall, this took me a long time to get through and wasn’t satisfied with the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. The plot caught my interest, which is why I requested it, but it ultimately didn’t deliver. Although advertised as a thriller, the book lacked the suspense and tension typically associated with the genre. The characters were incredibly unlikable and lacked depth — the women were portrayed as manipulative and self-absorbed, while the men felt flat and underdeveloped. The pacing was slow, with repetitive internal monologues and sudden, confusing changes in point of view. I kept hoping the book would improve, but it never did. Although everything came together in the end, it felt rushed and lacked any real shock or impact. To be honest, I’m not a fan of this one and wouldn’t recommend it.

WOW! WOW! WOW! A top-notch, suspenseful thriller with many twists and turns and an ending you won’t see coming!

I read it in twelve hours I could not put it down! It’s definitely a must- read! From the first to the last page, it was captivating and I could not look away for a second. I was completely engrossed from start to finish!

The pace is quick and relentless, and the plotting is flawless. By far the easiest 5 stars I’d highly recommend! This is the first book I’ve read from this author and it won’t be the last!

I went into The Girlfriend excited to read because it sounded like a dark, twisty thriller. I think that's where my biggest let down was. I really don't know that this would be considered a thriller. Domestic suspense? Sure. But thriller? Not really (in my opinion, of course!).

I found it to be pretty slow moving for about the first half of the book. It did pick up at around the 50% mark but was still fairly predictable. Laura and Cherry were both obsessive, unlikeable characters but I must say, they were written well! This book was a miss for me but I could see where others would enjoy it!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

Thank you Net Gallery for the book. It was very enjoyable, very entertaining, lots of twists and turns. I loved the characters. The only bad thing I have to say about this book is that it kept me reading way past midnight, I couldn't put it down! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book instantly pulls you in and you just want to keep turning the pages. This was the perfect thriller with one of my favorite tropes which is a dysfunctional family. The mom was…. Different. I liked Daniel. The girlfriend? Wow lol. This is a must read!

The Girlfriend is a book you will not want to put down. This is your typical Mother wanting the best for her son. And yet, when he meets a girl that mom is not to fond of she tries to spend some time with her in hopes they can come together for her son's sake. However, the girlfriend wants nothing to do with mom. A series of events take place that will make you gasp. The Girlfriend is a wild tale and I encourage you all to read it.

This was a bit of a disappointment for me. None of the characters are likable even in a bad way. I didn't feel there was one character to cheer on. The mother is obsessive. I never understand how a woman can stand being with a husband who has a mistress. The son is too good to be true and their girlfriends is a weirdo. I'm other reads will devour this tale but perhaps I'm just too old and have too little patience for this sort of stuff.

This is a fast paced, nail bitting, juicy psychological thriller. It was definitely interesting enough to keep me glued to the pages. I just wanted a little more thrills. It is not a bad book, it just is not one I will jump to recommend right away.

This book had me hooked from page one! The Girlfriend is a juicy psychological thriller. It’s dark and devious! Michelle Frances takes what could have been a simple case of “mom doesn’t like her son’s girlfriend” and turns it into an intense game of psychological warfare. The tension between the women builds so gradually that you don’t even realize how far they’ve gone until you’re in too deep. This book shows how far people will go to protect what they think is theirs.

This was a fun read!! I was having deja vu while reading it and realized that I actually read this a few years ago. I'm assuming this one is a reissue due to it being made into a movie. Well, I reread it anyway as I remember enjoying it the first time. Daniel wants to marry Cherry. (Loved that name) Laura is Daniel's overprotective Mother. Laura does not want Daniel to marry Cherry. Cherry wants to marry a rich man. What could possibly go wrong with this scenario? The story is told through the POV of both Laura and Cherry. Neither woman is all bad or sweet and innocent. I liked that. We feel for each character and poor Daniel. There are a lot of plot twists, and I feel this story will make a really fun movie! And hey! I did read it twice, so there's that also!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Michelle Frances and Kensington Publishing for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Facebook and other retail and social media sites upon publication day of September 30, 2025.

WOW!!! What a ride this book was!! There was a new twist every other page and it really held my attention, I couldn’t put it down!