The Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton

The Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton
Genres: Psychological Thriller
Published: 8th March, 2018 (expected)
Series: N/A
Rating: 2

Juliette loves Nate. She will follow him anywhere. She’s even become a flight attendant for his airline, so she can keep a closer eye on him.
They are meant to be.

The fact that Nate broke up with her six months ago means nothing. Because Juliette has a plan to win him back. She is the perfect girlfriend.
And she’ll make sure no one stops her from getting exactly what she wants.
True love hurts, but Juliette knows it’s worth all the pain…

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Juliette is not your average crazy ex-girlfriend, far from it. She’s seriously creepy, and it’s clear from the get go, that something is seriously wrong with her; the sort of person you would want to avoid like the plague if she tried to make friends with you.

I love a good villain, like the next guy, and yet, I feel I was let down. I expected a twisty and dark psychological thriller, but the story itself was not much than the longer version of the book blurb. Even the attempted great reveal felt more like a confirmation of my ever growing suspicion, and the banality of it left me sorely disappointed.

I tried my best to sympathize with Juliette, but no matter how I looked at her, I just couldn’t. She’s in her mid-twenties, but acts like a furious fourteen year old most of the time; a sociopath with narcissistic tendencies, and as such, beyond help. Nothing in her past can justify the lengths she goes to in her mission to claim back her old boyfriend and ruin everyone else around her in the process.

What kept me going till the end was my hope that justice will prevail, but the ending left a foul taste in my mouth. “That’s it?” was my first thought when I turned the last page. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t need a happy ending to love a story, but I can’t overlook the unfair treatment of some characters who have done nothing to deserve it. Because let’s face it: we only have Juliette’s words against them, and even after reading her whole tirade, I was left with serious doubts about their perceived guilt.

Putting aside despicable Juliette, I truly enjoyed the writing style. Richmond especially came alive, and I could pretty much pinpoint the exact location where Nate lived. As an air hostess, Juliette travelled around quite a bit, and with her, I was also transported to the sweltering heath of Bangkok or the snowy forest of a Canadian mountain town.

Stories from one distorted point of view are not uncommon. However, The Perfect Girlfriend lacks the balance that makes those stories compelling, and instead leaves us with a somewhat stressful experience.

Thanks to the purblisher (Headline) and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.