“This debut thriller reads like The Devil Wears Prada meets Single White Female. I couldn’t put it down.”—Catherine Steadman, author of Something in the Water and Mr. NobodyShe’s borrowed your life. But what if she decides to keep it? Glamorous Margot Jones is the fashion editor at glossy magazine Haute. Pregnant with her first child, Margot’s carefully curated life is the object of other women’s … with her first child, Margot’s carefully curated life is the object of other women’s envy—who wouldn’t want her successful career, loving husband, beautiful house, and stylish wardrobe?
Maggie, a freelance journalist, certainly knows she doesn’t measure up. But when she gets the temp job covering Margot’s maternity leave, Maggie seizes the chance to live a flashier life—even if it’s only for a few months.
But the simultaneous arrival of Margot’s baby and a brutal end to her oldest friendship sends Margot into a spiral of insecurity and suspicion; normal preoccupations of new motherhood turn into dark and frightening paranoia. Who is the vicious online troll mocking Margot’s facade of perfection and threatening to expose a dark secret she’s spent years concealing? Are Maggie’s newfound ambitions and plucky enthusiasm as innocent as they seem? And what happens when Margot is ready to return to her old life—especially if Maggie doesn’t want to leave?
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I liked this one, especially in the beginning, although found it a bit draggy by the end and things happy-ended way more than I anticipated/expected/enjoyed…
I really liked the way Walker set up the tension between the two women. It was a lifestyle battle (moms vs. singletons) that hit all the insecurity buttons on both sides in a way that felt authentic and resonated with me as someone who came to motherhood at 40 so actually lived both lives. But the drama felt like it got unnecessarily repetitive and started feeling forced as the author struggled to keep ramping things up page after page.
I think if the story had stayed focused on the woman v. woman drama, the book would have been a more enjoyable read for me, but the incorporation of the cyber-stalker bit (and its subsequent unveiling) took things way over the edge for me. It felt like the book wanted to be “Hitchcockian” as the blurb suggested, and the forced throw-you-for-a-loop bits were where the book lost its authentic feel and started getting a little over-the-top for me. Plus it all ended rather tidily, which felt a bit unlikely given the heavy build up to the revelations.
It was still an enjoyable read but I felt like it would have had a more powerful impact if the focus had not strayed into thriller territory and instead focused more solidly on the Margot/Maggie conflict.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.
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Never assume you know what someone’s life is really like…no matter how great it appears to be from the outside.
Insecurities, jealousy, cyber bullying and grief/loss are all on full blast in The New Girl. Part thriller, part cautionary tale and part Women’s Fiction, this was a great read with well-written, relatable characters.
The New Girl is a debut thriller that turned out to be more women’s fiction than thriller. I think Goodreads even referenced Hitchcock, so I was all geared up for that vibe, that feeling that keeps up turning the pages looking for the twist. Except that this one started out way too slow for any of that, and it kept with the slow pace for about half the book. So much so that I ended up setting this one aside several times just trying to get to a point of something really happening. Things do finally pick up some in the second half, but it’s still weighed down with wordy passages and descriptions that were – well, a little too descriptive. I’m all for setting a scene, but there’s a limit. When it starts to feel like filler, it’s just too much. There is a secret to be uncovered, but it’s really not worth all the build-up to get to the reveal, and in itself was a bit disappointing. In the end, it just felt like the book went here and there and yon, but the pieces didn’t quite make it back together for a cohesive tale. The premise certainly had potential, but it missed the mark for me.
It took me awhile to get into this one. I think it was because the two main characters had the same birth name. Even though one went by Margot and the other Maggie. I had to constantly try to figure out who was who. I liked the writing style and thought it well done for a debut novel. I expected it to be a little more Single White Female. The last 15-20% had me hooked. I didn’t expect the big reveal to go the way it did but I’m glad the author went that way.
The New Girl has 3 POVs: Margot, who is the Fashion Editor of Haute Magazine. Maggie, the woman Margot herself chose to be her maternity cover. The third is Margot’s longtime friend, Winnie, who suffers a terrible loss.
The biggest thing that kept leaping out at me while reading The New Girl, is how crucial a part social media can play in our lives and mental health. How we can misinterpret the meaning of our friends’ posts, how we can hurt others with what we post, and how we might think their lives are totally different than they really are. Don’t assume you know what is really going on in someone’s life, especially based off of a social media post. I liked that these were incorporated into this story, because I know that this really is how Social Media can make people feel: hurt, envious, suspicious, even when it’s not what we intend.
Social media was making Margot envious of Maggie, Maggie envious of Margot, and Margot paranoid and suspicious of her childhood friend, Winnie. Margot was going through all the normal hormonal changes of pregnancy, and social media helped to feed her insecurities. She had also become obsessed with checking Maggie and Winnie’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram feeds.
A few quotes for examples:
After logging into Facebook while still pregnant, Margot was feeling guilty for not closing down her account like her husband had, thinking,” I could discern its effect on my mood after my rare log-ins: vaguely dissatisfied with myself, irked with people on there. Facebook breeds contempt.”
“I knew that nearly 5 months of eerie, loaded silence from Winnie and observing her from the tortured, over-analyzed remove that social media provided, had made me paranoid and suspicious….”
“Between the two women who I felt held the two strands of my identity in their hands, I lost myself for afternoons at a time…”
The New Girl is not a typical thriller, but it touched on many points that I loved. It did have a thrillerish vibe, but also focuses on female friendships, the hardships of being a stay at home mom (even if it is temporary), the hardships of being a working woman in a higher position who wants children, and grief.
If you are a fan of womens lit and thrillers, I think you’ll enjoy The New Girl.
Thank you Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
What a mashup of a story – ugly duckling to swan crossed with new mom fears, insecurities and anxieties, and a thriller all in one! That being said, it was a very compelling book to read. It Friendship, social media and perception all play a big part in this story. While I did find the start rather tedious and slow, things were building that I only became aware of the deeper in I got. I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.
The New Girl is all about how 3 womens’ lives change within an instant. Margot, Winnie and Maggie are all set for the next stage in their lives. Margot and Winnie are old mates with children on the way and Maggie is a woman that is looking to fill in for Margot at a upscale fashion publication while she is on maternity leave. It’s the chance for her to move up within her career. But right at the beginning, there is loss and devastation for Winnie and that sets the tone of the rest of the book. I was sensing there would be grief, a little single white female and a whole lot of vindictiveness. I was super excited of what kind of darkness was on it’s way.
-Maggie wanted Margot out of the picture, but she still wanted to impress her. And still wanted to be her friend. It was….complicated-.
Unfortunately, I got a really slow first half. It centered around the fashion world and what Maggie was doing with Margot’s job. I was always sensing an underlying evilness, but it never really went that far. The worst part was some cyber-bullying, but it wasn’t even that bad. I just wanted there to be more of it. More action; faster paced; more interaction between the two ladies. Simply MORE. The story centered more around the fashion magazine for Maggie and how motherhood was going for Margot (and even that was minimal).
And then part two started….This was getting good and just what I was hoping for in part one. More action and faster paced. Part two centered around Winnie and Margot when they were in school. We went back in time and got a sense of who these friends were back in the day. What shaped them to be the women they were today and also so maybe we could understand Winnie and Margot’s friendship presently.
Honestly, I wish the first 2/3 would’ve matched up with the last 1/3. While the story itself was well written, it was lacking in the suspense. I wanted to be more on the edge of my seat and biting my nails. Unfortunately, I felt as if I was reading more of women’s fiction. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy that too, but when I expect more mystery, I want to feel that on edge feeling through the majority of the book. And that was what was sorely lacking in the first half.
Overall, this book had potential and I liked the interaction of the women, I just wish there was MORE.
Margot Jones is about to go on Maternity leave from fashion magazine Haute and has handpicked her replacement, Maggie, a freelance journalist. Margot has picked Maggie thinking that Maggie could never stand in her shoes and be as successful a fashion editor as she is. Meanwhile, Margot’s best friend Winnie has suffered a tragic loss and is acting distant towards her. Combine these three elements and we have one heck of a story.
I quickly became immersed in this tale told from the alternating viewpoints of Margot, Maggie, and Winnie. With Margot’s due date coming closer Margot becomes more paranoid and insecure than ever before. Maggie is handling her new position at Haute much better than Margot anticipated. and Winnie has completely abandoned their friendship. Maggie is not as innocent as Margot thought and is she trying to permanently replace her? Winnie seems to be scheming against Margot and is holding a terrible secret over Margot’s head. With every new social media post Margot’s paranoia spirals.
I was completely caught up in this tale of secrets, betrayal and hidden agendas. With the surprise ending and well-crafted plotline I highly recommend this book.
This is the tale of three women, Margot, Maggie and Winnie. Each of these ladies are struggling emotionally at different stages of their lives. They each struggle in silence, envying the other until it reaches a boiling point. The author does a really great job of building the tension and angst. She uses a first person voice for each of the characters as they tell their story from their point of view. They open up and show how, in each case, they are misunderstood and want someone to understand their pain. In the end it takes them coming together to save two lives to see that they are all the same and that they can offer each other support and lasting friendship.
Wow, what a delicious read Harriet Walker has given us in The New Girl!
Margot Jones, 36, works as a fashion editor for Haute magazine. She is about to start her maternity leave and with her boss, editor-in-chief Emily Moffet, interviews candidates to serve as her replacement until she returns. She thinks highly of free-lance journalist Maggie Beecher whom she has come to know through past work-related activities. Maggie is Moffett’s choice as well, and gets the job.
Margot goes on leave with mixed emotions. Excited about her first pregnancy, she is also worried about her long-time best friend, Winnie, who recently gave birth to a son. Unfortunately, the baby died shortly after birth leaving Winnie and her husband lost in grief. Margot’s normal concerns about her own soon-to-be-born child, become enhanced by Winnie’s experience and Margot begins to panic about anything and everything related to her baby.
Maggie fits into Margot’s position easily and does all she can to make it her own. Now concerned about her child AND her job, Margot becomes paranoid. When a cyber stalker enters the picture and someone threatens to expose an explosive secret from her past, Margot begins to spin out of control.
Ms. Walkers characters are realistic and believable, and she handles topics such as self-doubt and insecurity, grief and loss, betrayals, secrets, friendships gone bad, ghosting and gas-lighting well. The book picks up speed as it goes with the psychological suspense getting higher and higher.
This is a very entertaining read!
My thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed here are my own.