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The Girlfriend by Sarah J. Naughton [eARC Review]

I received this novel as an advance copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

34929067Summary (Goodreads): After years of estrangement from her family, Mags receives a shocking phone call. Her rebellious brother, Abe, is in a coma, and the police suspect he tried to take his own life. But Mags isn’t so sure, and she begins to crack away at the life of the brother she once knew: the dark apartment building, the whispering tenants, and her brother’s mysterious girlfriend, the only witness to the incident, who raises more questions than answers. As Mags picks up where the police left off, she begins to unearth the secrets her brother left behind—and awakens her own talent for revenge.


Review: TW: There are mentions of abuse in this story, so please be aware. It isn’t described in too much detail but there is enough to make some readers uncomfortable.

This was an interesting novel, for sure. It just wasn’t my favourite.

I think that the story was unique in that it was told primarily from the perspective of 3 female characters. I liked that each one was different and had their own personality. I don’t think I necessarily loved any of the characters but they added for an interesting element to the story.

I thought the story itself was interesting … but it didn’t hold my interest constantly. The author definitely tried to incorporate quite a few twists into the story – and they did. But it was a bit underwhelming in its delivery. Perhaps this was because once the twist was delivered, the author also spent some time explaining it, which lost the effect of showing the reader something new and it just felt like I was being told what was happening.

I also was surprised by the legal turn the story took. I wasn’t expecting it, and I don’t think it really worked for me. It ended up slowing down the pacing of the story, when I would have preferred for it to be fast.

Overall, this wasn’t a bad thriller. It just wasn’t the type of thriller I was looking for. While there were moments that were interesting, I started to lose my focus closer to the end. I would give this a 3/5 stars.

Happy reading ~