The Temp

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Emma wants to work for the woman that she admires the most. Carrie has a charmed life - a top job producing movies, a new baby and a screenwriter for a husband. Emma lives with her parents who don't understand why she wanted to work in television.

Emma is hired as a temp to cover Carrie's maternity leave. This is when she notices that her perfect life might not be so perfect. She wants to get back to the office to keep an eye on her temp and her husband. When Emma loses her job, she creates a web of lies to protect herself.

A surprise reveal at the end made this book a page turner to see what happens to Emma, Carrie and Adrian.

Carrie is a successful TV producer who is married to an award winning screenplay writer. They had decided early on in their marriage that they didn’t want children, but now that they are in the height of their careers, Carrie has fallen pregnant and she decides to keep the baby. In such a competitive industry, Carrie is worried about being replaced while she is on maternity leave. Emma becomes the temp who will be replacing Carrie and she is smart, willing and young. Carrie worries that Emma is replacing Carrie more than just at work as everyone adores her. Being on maternity leave is more isolating than Carrie thought it would be and she begins to wonder if Emma as some sort of agenda.

I was worried that this novel was just going to be a similar story to her first novel, but I was pleasantly surprised but the difference between the two! I loved that this one had tons of twists and turns that kept me guessing what each character was going to get up to next. I enjoyed that this book was mostly from the perspectives of Emma and Carrie and their relationship with one another. I also liked who real the book was in some aspects, like women finding other women threatening in the work place, because this is something that happens and it shouldn’t be this way. I did find the middle of this story to be a bit dragged out and long for me liking, but it did all come together to make it worth it in the shocking ending!

I also really enjoyed that we see Carrie struggle with staying at home with her baby or being a working mom and dropping him off at the perfect daycare everyday. I think a lot of women struggle with this and I can’t even imagine how difficult it is to pass your child off to a stranger. I enjoyed this novel much more than Michelle’s first novel and I can’t wait to read her next one!

Out December 26th!

Thank you to Publishers Group Canada for a copy of The Temp for review. Publishing December 26, 2108, The Temp is a slow burning domestic drama with a unique twist.

Carrie and Adrian work together on their hit television show. He is the show runner and writer and she is a producer. Their hit show wins a BAFTA for writing when Carrie announces she is pregnant with a baby they had not planned for. As Carrie deals with the realities of a pregnancy and caring for a newborn, Emma is hired as her maternity leave cover. The temp is surprisingly capable despite her young age and seems way too eager to please. As she wins over Adrian and then more and more people working at the show, Carrie starts getting suspicious. Is there more to Emma's motives than just working hard?

The Temp is a pretty slow burn drama. It takes a while developing Carrie's side of the job and her struggles through motherhood and the strain it puts on their marriage. I thought it moved a bit slowly through this part and took a while to build to the action. It did help make the motives for some of the more outrageous things that happen near the end clear and in context but I was hoping for a faster paced read.
That being said, it was a well rounded read, and I loved the setting being behind the scenes of the British television industry. As an avid television fan, this part was a real bonus for me and I really came to look forward to those parts.

I'd recommend The Temp to anyone who likes a slow burning domestic drama with a few surprises along the way.

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

This is my first novel by this author. Carrie, a successful TV producer is pregnant with an unexpected child and married to Adrian who is a successful screenwriter. Enter Emma, a young temp hired to cover for Carrie.

Is Carrie irrational in her fears and jealousy over Emma or is Emma out to take everything she has worked so hard for?

This book was good but is a slow burner and dragged a little in the middle. The last part though made up for it and the ending was full of twists.

I enjoyed this book from the very beginning. After Carrie finds out she is pregnant and decides to keep the baby, much to the dismay of her husband Adrian, the search begins for her replacement while she is away from work on maternity leave. The temp they choose, named Emma, seems perfect in every way. So much so, that Carrie begins to feel threatened by her. Does Emma want to replace her and steal her job from her for good? Does Emma have a hidden agenda? Or is Emma simply innocent, and is this all in Carrie’s paranoid mind?

I enjoyed reading this book and enjoyed hearing both perspectives. Parts are told from Emma’s perspective, and parts are told from Carrie’s perspective. There is plenty of lies, deception and betrayal in this book that makes for a great storyline. Strap yourslef in for one heck of a ride, as you sail through all the twists and turns. I liked Carrie’s character. She seemed like a kind, loving, hardworking woman who was successful at what she did for a living. She also seemed to be a good mother after her child was born. Her husband Adrian, however, was much more unlikable. He was a very unkind, mean man who made no attempt really to be much of a father to their child, and seemed quite resentful and regretful of the fact that Carrie got pregnant in the first place.

I was shocked throughout the book when I read the various twists and turns, especially near the end when the real shocker of a twist in the story is revealed. I did not see that coming at all. What a great twist it was!

Not as predictable as I has originally thought, this book had my interest from start to finish. I found the TV production part of the plot line to be very interesting. Perfect for anyone who's looking for a lighter suspenseful read.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I truly appreciate it!