"The Family Friend" by C.C. MacDonald, it's a must-read for anyone who's obsessed with social media. The novel centers around Erin, an Instagram influencer with thousands of followers who believes that her life is perfect.

Erin's story is all too relatable - the pressure to maintain a curated online persona and the feeling of inadequacy when real life doesn't quite measure up. When an opportunity arises for Erin to become an even bigger Instamum, she jumps at the chance, even if it means sacrificing her time with her baby.

Enter Amanda, a family friend from Australia who offers to move in and take care of Erin's son. At first, Amanda seems like a godsend, helping Erin achieve her dreams of social media stardom. But as the story progresses, it becomes clear that Amanda is hiding something, and Erin's carefully constructed life begins to unravel.

What MacDonald does so well in "The Family Friend" is show how one online friend can quickly become a nightmare. Erin's dependence on social media has left her vulnerable to manipulation, and Amanda's actions have the potential to destroy everything Erin has worked so hard to build.

As a first-person narrative, the novel is engaging and reads like a blog post from Erin's own account. The descriptions of Instagram-worthy meals, cute baby photos, and carefully crafted captions transport readers into the world of a social media influencer.

But beneath the surface, there's a dark undercurrent that makes "The Family Friend" more than just a fun beach read. MacDonald highlights the dangers of online relationships and how the pursuit of online validation can quickly turn toxic.

Overall, I highly recommend "The Family Friend" to anyone looking for a gripping and thought-provoking novel that explores the darker side of social media. It's a cautionary tale that's sure to stay with readers long after the last page.

Social media is not what it seems and this book reinforces that. It’s a well written engaging story for our modern times

Well written, addictive and unpredictable. This is a book I have really enjoyed and devoured. i definitely want to read more from this author. Full Review to follow.

I was looking forward to this one. One of my anticipated reads.
However, it was slow paced and I struggled a bit.

I liked how it was based around the todays life on popular social media sites.

The Instagram kind of things that are governed by popularity, like and logarithms.

Everyone likes to be liked right?
But it’s a dream of unreality if you think you are going to be loved by everyone.

It’s popular to post the perfect photo, the “time of your life” that you are having, the winning dinning, expensive holidays, being the perfect wife, perfect husband, perfect couple and perfect family.

Most are facades and reality is behind the smokescreen or in this case, devices, laptops.

I liked that about the story as it made me think.

But it did drag a bit for me.

Pacy psychological thriller focussing on interesting contemporary topic of motherhood and social media - I found it gripping, relatable and highly readable, and didn't see the twist coming - what more can you ask from this style of book! The main character's anxieties around motherhood were resonant and well-drawn, which counterbalances any frustrations you feel towards her for her social media addiction. Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read!

This is the kind of domestic thriller that really makes one weary of social media and it’s seductive images. I loved every second of it!

The Family Friend was a really gripping book that made you think about what really happens behind closed doors. I found the characters really intriguing and the storyline kept me up late, as I was desperate to know what was really going on. The ending in complete honesty was a little bit of a let down, but I enjoyed the rest of the story so much that it hasn't affected my overall score of 5.

This is an enjoyable and unpredictable work of psychological fiction.

Erin is a popular mummy blogger, a failed and frustrated actress engaged to Raf, the love of her life ,and her baby daddy. Erin returns from a wellbeing retreat to discover family friend from Raf's Australian past, Amanda, firmly ensconced in the family home. This sparks and unfortunate chain of events of which Erin has no control, largely an internet troll seeming determined to ruin her life.

This fascinating and well written story is interspersed by a second tale of a young woman's harrowing romantic eloping. The intersection of these 2 tales is truly spectacular and entertaining in the extreme!

This ending I utterly did not see coming!

My thanks to Netgalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an advance copy.

This is a really well written psychological thriller. Full of twists, turns and tension. I really liked the characters in this story too. Highly recommended xx

The Family Friend is a very modern book regarding social media and the pitfalls that come with it. I wasn't sure what to expect but it had twists and turns that I did not see coming and an ending I did not expect.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

Not quite what I was expecting. Not a bad thing as such, but not for me. I was hoping for a more generic thriller perhaps. Still, good for someone after something different!

Another great thriller to read this summer!

Very gripping story line and characters, I can recommend this

This felt like it was going the same way as most Instagram mom stories but it definitely skipped in to an intensely strange and involved with witchcraft book.

Erin is a popular instamom and comes home from a retreat to find her husband has an old family friend from Australia to stay. He seems as unhappy about it as she does. Erin is having a hard time bonding with her baby boy Bobby, and Amanda is great with him.

It’s not going where you think it is. But it’s a hell of a ride.

A good read with a clever unpredictable plot, plenty of twists and turns and the characters were good.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK for this ARC read which I can thoroughly recommend.

Erin lives an idyllic life by the seaside with her baby boy and Australian fiancé. She's upbeat and happy - a natural mum.
At least that's what her thousands of followers on Instagram think. In reality, Erin is struggling with anxiety and finding it difficult to connect with her screaming son. So, when an agent offers to make her the biggest Instamum out there, she can't refuse. And when Amanda, a family friend who's visiting from Australia, says she'll move in and babysit to help make it happen, it seems like the stars have finally aligned for Erin's exciting new career. But there's something Amanda isn't telling her.
Something that will destroy Erin's carefully curated persona online. Absolutely gripping, addictive and captivating… I was absolutely hooked from the first page to the last. I had a complete shock at the twists

A good story with a plot that I would never have guessed. There are plenty of twists to keep the reader interested. Well worth a read

I really thought I knew exactly where this was going but biy was i wrong! The twists and turns in this book will have you guessing til the final reveal. Its all very suspenseful and does a good job of building tension and really making you feel that paranoia along with the main character. From the outset it does seem like 100 other books you've read before but it's actually completely unique and will keep you gripped from the start. Really enjoyable

Wow what an intense read this was, I was totally gripped from page one and loved every bit of it, a great psychological thriller x

This is a really well written book. A great gripping physiological thriller. With lots of twist and turns in it. It's very enjoyable to read and a great physiological thriller one not to miss.

I really enjoyed this book, it was gripping with a compelling and unpredictable plot and characters that left me not knowing what or who to believe. A great read.