A “twisted page-turner that should appeal to fans of You”.—Entertainment Weekly.com“Funny, creepy, surprising, scary, and exhilarating.”—Publishers WeeklyAN INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLERNAMED A TOP 10 DEBUT AUTHOR TO WATCH BY POPSUGARA PARADE.COM DEBUT NOVEL EVERYONE WILL BE READINGYOU’VE NEVER READ A LOVE STORY AS TWISTED AS THIS.Juliette has everything going for her: she’s young, pretty, and driven, … NOVEL EVERYONE WILL BE READING
YOU’VE NEVER READ A LOVE STORY AS TWISTED AS THIS.
Juliette has everything going for her: she’s young, pretty, and driven, and she’s training for an exciting new career as a flight attendant.
The darkness in her past doesn’t matter, because she’s moved beyond all that, and she’s building a great new life for herself—one that will impress her ex-boyfriend, Nate, who left her in a foolish moment of commitment-phobia, one that he surely regrets now. But he’ll be so proud of her once he sees how much she’s grown. And he will see her. After all, he’s a pilot at the very same airline where Juliette is training.
What kind of man wouldn’t appreciate the effort Juliette has taken to win Nate back? She cleans his apartment when he’s not there and makes sure to leave all his favorite foods in the fridge. It’s only a matter of time before he leaves his airheaded new girlfriend and realizes Juliette is the only one for him.
He will realize it. Juliette will make sure of it. After all, she is the perfect girlfriend.
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Karen Hamilton’s The Perfect Girlfriend is a deliciously dark deep-dive into a woman obsessed. In Hamilton’s skillful hands, Juliette is a complex, well-drawn character, as terrifying and manipulative as she is compelling. Buckle up, because this isn’t your average psychological thriller…original, surprising, and addictive all the way to the very last page.
I really, really wanted to like this book. The blurb hints at a dark, thrilling read, and the beginning has some promise. Unfortunately, that promise wasn’t fulfilled, at least not for me. We have the unreliable narrator, and Juliette is certainly unstable, but it’s way too easy to figure out the why of it all from the flashbacks we’re given. We’re practically spoon-fed this one, so any twists in the story really aren’t surprising. I will say that the scenery of the many locations visited is good, and the details work for giving the reader a picture of so many far away places. What didn’t work for me was the sheer amount of detail given about everything else. And I do mean everything. The more I read, the more tempted I was to just skip to end to see how it played out. That’s a big no-no for me, but now, I really wish I had done exactly that. Then we have the whole stalking thing, and yes, Juliette is clearly troubled, but her plans and actions for most of the book are just pathetic and weak instead of the dark and dangerous woman I was hoping for. We do get a bit more grit toward the end, but by then, I was just over it and it was too little, too late. Finally, we come to the non-ending of this one. I can get behind a good jaw dropper, and I don’t have to always have a justice is done, happy ending, but this one isn’t that. It literally just stops – like I was wondering if there were missing pages – which turned my disappointment into a feeling of just being cheated. Maybe, I fell for the hype and expected too much from this book, or maybe it’s just not for me, but I can’t say that this is one I’ll be recommending.
Unpopular opinion review alert! I found The Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton to be confusing, disjointed at times, and extremely predictable. Totally not worth my time quite honestly!
Juliette is attractive, passionate and even more so, an obsessed psychotic woman madly in love. She considers herself to be the perfect girlfriend. *cough* Predictability of the title *cough* She will stop at nothing to get exactly what she wants — that just so happens to be the perfect boyfriend — Nate. How far will she go to get exactly what she wants and to what lengths? *cough* Gone Girl anyone? *cough*
Juliette goes so far to uproot herself closer to Nate, change her appearance to resemble someone else, and even switches careers — a flight attendant — just to be closer to her perfect boyfriend, Nate, who is a pilot.
“If you love someone, set them free. If they come back, they’re yours. If they don’t, make them.”
Let me just state, again, I truly love psychological thrillers — I’m obsessed with them. This could be clouding my judgement of the book. But let me take a step back. I’m all for genderswapping roles, where a woman is the stalker, but this was on the cusp of insane crazy stalker, almost too unrealistic. I also disliked the main character Juliette. She was predictable but there were so many points that I literally rolled my eyes at what she was doing. The absurdity of the characters and what was happening was laughable.
Furthermore, I had the hardest time with the writing. It was so confusing and disjointed at times, almost hard to follow. I had to go back and reread parts because they didn’t make sense. The flow of the plot and the back story was chaotic and muddled.
This book was predictable, far-fetched, and the writing was rough to read. It really did leave a bad taste in my mouth after finishing it. The parts that had me feeling Deja Vu to other books I’ve read, made it even more so of a book that I would rather forget I’ve read. I hate to be the barer of bad news but The Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton was bad.
Thanks to NetGalley and Graydon House Books for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Read my full review here: https://bit.ly/2O9KUqf
Leaving me? How can you want to end this relationship, Nate? I am the perfect girlfriend.
Juliette and Nate had been together for a short while, but Nate wanted some space.
Juliette couldn’t get over how Nate wanted to end what they had so she decided to train as an airline stewardess and be close to Nate since he was a pilot. She had to remember, though, that their parting rules were to have no contact.
Juliette knew how to stay close to Nate yet remain apart. Juliette would stop in at Nate’s apartment when she knew he was on a long distance flight and pretend she still lived there.
Juliette did some other things not so benign simply because no one can have Nate if she can’t have him because she is the perfect girlfriend.
THE PERFECT GIRLFRIEND was a bit slow to start, but once Juliette started with her “plans,” the pages flew by because you won’t be able to believe the extent she went to making sure to keep an eye on Nate and his current life.
You won’t want to miss reading THE PERFECT GIRLFRIEND if you enjoy a steadily paced thriller that reveals Juliette and her past and especially her current plans to keep Nate.
She actually made my heart race with the things she did and with her boldness. It is also difficult to believe how she thought of the things she did.
Obsessive, cunning, deceitful, unstable, and awful are the PERFECT words for THE PERFECT GIRLFRIEND. 4/5
This book was given to me as an ARC by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Wow! What a debut novel by Karen Hamilton. As a former flight attendant, her knowledge of the industry shines thru! Ms. Hamilton slowly and methodically spins her web and coaxes us in.
From the first chapter, Lily/Elizabeth/Juliette is 10, watching her little brother, Will, age 4. Why and what happens next, will carry thru the rest of her life. She tries so hard to make friends at Boarding school. Unfortunately, she is met by a privledged girl, Bella, who is the epitome of a mean girl. This will set wheels in motion, and Juliette takes things to a whole new level. Her stalker/obsession for Nate, Bella’s brother is scary! But, Nate is not the only object of her obsession. So many twists and turns. Ms. Hamilton makes us fear Juliette and pity her in same breathe. Pieces of the puzzle are slowly given until the ending. The ending will leave you wanting more!
Thanks to Netgalley, Karen Hamilton and Harlequin-Graydon House books for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
Juliette takes obsession to a new level. When she and Nate break up, she is sure if she gives him a little time she can prove to him what a perfect girlfriend she is. She trains to be a flight attendant because he is a pilot and she wants to be able to keep a closer eye on him. That is just the beginning. Juliette will do anything to get Nate back and prove she is the perfect girlfriend! Fans of psychological thrillers will enjoy this one!
Never met a more devious character.
I COULDN’T WAIT FOR THE ENDING WHICH WAS SUCH A DISSAPOINTMENT. I WAS LEFT HANGING…..
Didn’t like it at all. Had to go to the end quickly
I kept hoping this book would get better. Unfortunately it did not. What a letdown at the end.
Enjoyed this book a lot. Really felt sorry for Nate in the beginning only to find out what a snobbish cad he was. Loved the ending! A sociopathic woman scorned is not someone you want to find waiting for you at the end of the day. Lol.
Twisted. Addictive. Chilling with hint of disbelief. If you love warped psychological thrillers that won’t leave you alone, then THE PERFECT GIRLFRIEND is a #mustreadnow type of book!
I really don’t know what to say about this book. Tori is a best selling author mother and wife. She spends her days at home writing and taking care of her family. The only time she truly has fun and enjoys life is when she is Madilyn the author at book signings.
In Vegas she learns about a web site that will show her a wild sex life. She is always down to learn new things for work but this twisted web takes her on a ride she isn’t prepared to be a passenger on.
She meets mysterious Alec and decides it’s only on line what’s the big deal? Well it turns down a dark path she can’t walk away from like a drug she can’t get enough.
Her husband finds out and she just can’t decide what to do. This book has a lot of themes I’m not a fan of I wanted to finish it. I was under the impression it was non fiction but it’s fiction. I really didn’t like it. It will well written but the actual sorry the only characters I liked were her husband and her best friend. This was a book where it’s easy to bait the main character.
“Woman obsessed” doesn’t even begin to describe Juliette in THE PERFECT GIRLFRIEND and I loved how Karen Hamilton got us into the deepest, darkest places in her character’s messed up mind. Chilling, addictive and with an unexpected ending, this clever tale is as surprising as it is compulsive.
Craziest book I’ve read this year so far
This girl is completely nuts. I have read stories when someone is being stalked, but reading it from the stalker’s view was a refreshing change. I liked the way the details of the storyline slowly unfolded to add suspense. The ending blew me away because it was also done differently from what I am used to reading. As a book author myself, I have actually tried writing things up out of the ordinary so I really enjoyed this book. I will look forward to reading more by this author!
Was just ok, I was waiting for something “crazy” or “psychotic” to happen but except for 1 or 2 parts it just all seemed normal to me. I guess I’d recommend if you needed any easy read.
What a WIN for Hamilton’s first novel!! I was blown away by the sheer creepiness of Juliette; while also almost wanting to cheer her on. It was the oddest feeling, but Hamilton delivered a story where you truly wanted Juliette to “somehow” get a piece of happiness in the end. That was part of the awe of this book to me….to feel for such a dreadful character was astounding to me. This is such a remarkably written story; not to be missed!!!
Juliette is still in love with her ex-boyfriend Nate, or rather addicted to him….
Once they break up, she does all she can to become perfect in his eyes. She becomes a flight attendant at the same airline Nate is a pilot! She changes her hair color, stalks his house while he is and is not there, lays in his bed, brushes her teeth with his toothbrush, watches him drink coffee at the corner shop from his apartment….and, all of this is nothing!! She gets unleashed!!
But, she has had a tragic backstory that you cannot help but develop feelings for. Her brother died when she was only 10. He was 4. Her childhood best friend moved away after the incident. Her school years were rough too. I wonder how her life would be if certain events were different. This part of the story makes you feel a bond of hope for her, which I found rather intense, because it felt so wrong.
Falling in love for Juliette changes everything.
Read this book!
You will devour it!!
I will read every book Karen Hamilton writes going forward.
“If you love someone, set them free.
If they come back, they’re yours. If they don’t, make them.”
I cannot even tell you how many times I said to myself, “This chick is INSANE,” while reading this story.
And she is. Juliette Price is smart (with enviable investigative skills), attractive, and completely delusional. She is certainly not a likable character – actually, none of the characters are very likable – but she is fascinating in an American Psycho kind of way. The story is made all the more creepy by Juliette’s narrative, because the delusional never think they’re delusional, now do they? No, everyone else must be the problem. This 100% applies in this case.
I appreciate the fact that there’s no “big twist” in this one, but rather a series of smaller twists that help to further the narrative. Honestly, Juliette herself is so twisted, that’s all you really need.
Also, can I take a minute here to say that Nate is SUCH a douche, and even a bonkers chick like Juliette deserves someone better to stalk?
I’m giving this one 4.5 stars rounded down because the ending frustrated the hell out of me. How about an epilogue? Gah.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin-Graydon House Books for the opportunity to preview this title early in exchange for an honest review.
When I started reading The Perfect Girlfriend, I wasn’t expecting the main character to be crazy. I mean it, she was mad. I loved it!! This is the first book I have read that is told from the protagonist’s side. Again, loved it!! Juliette was the perfect antihero.
I will admit, I did feel bad for her. Juliette didn’t have the best life growing up. She was responsible for her 4-year-old brother at ten years old. When he fell into the pond and drowned, she was blamed. She became an outcast at school, with kids teasing her or ignoring her. Boarding school was no better. Bella and her friends bullied Juliette. Then, she was used by a mystery boy at the one party she went too. All those incidents helped shape her into a stalker. I thought to myself, at different points in the book, what if she got help when she was younger. What if she didn’t go to boarding school. Would she have turned out differently?
Nate bothered me. I couldn’t see what Juliette saw in Nate. There was zero personality. I didn’t see the appeal. He didn’t even treat her nice when they were dating. At the risk of repeating myself, what on earth did she see in him? Of course, it was revealed at the end of the book exactly what the appeal was.
Same goes with Bella. I didn’t understand why Juliette was stalking both Nate and Bella. Then it was mentioned that they were brother and sister. I then had a “Gotcha moment.” I still didn’t get the whole obsession with Bella until the end of the book. Then I was like “OOOOOO, makes sense now.“
I loved watching Juliette’s stalking escalate. She started small, breaking into Nate’s apartment/logging into his Facebook/getting a job where he worked. She went bigger, putting a spyware app on his phone and computer/showing up at events where Bella would be/bringing friends over to Nate’s apartment. When she went huge, she went huge. I’m not going to say what, but I was amazed that she was able to pull off what she did.
I was not thrilled with the end of the book. The book was excellent up to the last few chapters. Then it seemed like everything was rushed. I wasn’t expecting it to end the way it did. Saying that I was underwhelmed was an understatement. It was the ending that lowered my review from 4 stars to 3 stars.
I love a devious mind and clearly Karen Hamilton has one. The Perfect Girlfriend is the delicious debut following the cunning mind of Elizabeth “Livy” Juliette Magnolia as she schemes to win BACK the heart of Nate Goldsmith. She’s carefully plotted out just how she’ll manage this and we’re dropped straight into the early days of her scheme. I found myself completely absorbed in Juliette’s plan and read late in to the night. What I loved about this book was that we aren’t privy to her end game, nor are we fully aware of what motivates her, aside from the fact that after a short stint as Nate’s girlfriend she believes Nate is the love of her life. But all will be revealed.
The story unfolds as a nice pace, keeping the reader on tenterhooks. Juliette has a code that she cleverly sticks to with repeating her manta’s, in particular “When there’s any doubt, don’t. Patience is a virtue. Stick to the plan” Even as she disparages him, there’s no one or nothing she wants more than Nate. As the story progresses and her plan is enacted we witness just how single minded, how focused Juliette is, and being in her head is uncomfortable at times. Very uncomfortable. Okay, always. All her thoughts and plans will make you wonder just what’s next. She simply can’t be trusted.
Juliette makes a sport of messing with people’s lives. If you are tied to Nate, you are fair game. She’s a meticulous planner which allows her to accomplish all that she does.She’s a formidable foe and I wouldn’t ever want to be in her sights. Hamilton does a great job tying up all the ends and I have to say this is one of the best suspense/thrillers I’ve read in a long, long while. I heartily recommend this book for those of you who love a smart and nefarious female antagonist driven by “love”.