The New Girl

#TheNewGirl #NetGalley 
Finally I recieved a good proof of this book and I was so shocked when it's final reveal comes to me. Its a brilliant novel. 
Glamorous Margot Jones is the fashion editor at glossy women's magazine Haute, and pregnant with her first child. Margot's used to her carefully curated life being 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. So when Margot gets in touch to suggest she apply for her maternity cover at Haute, Maggie seizes the chance at living a better life - even if it's only temporary. 
Although I personally feel that it's like Previous You by Helen Rakhar but it's ending is so different from that one.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder Straighten for giving me an advance copy.

With writing as smooth as silk, I devoured this book from start to finish in one go. Set against the glossy world of a high fashion magazine, Maggie and Margot are two women who are locked in a dangerous dance rife with suspicion and anxiety. Written beautifully - almost poetically, at times, which I find to be rare in this genre - this book is definitely one of my favourite reads of the year. I’ll be yelling at every passerby I see to pick up a copy and READ IT! Stunning work by Harriet Walker.

I loved reading The New Girl.  It seemed to have so many dimensions that worked brilliantly.  It starts with tragedy, and then takes the reader on a bit of a whirlwind tour through the world of a fashion magazine, while a sinister plot simmers in the background.    There are lots of hooks for the reader early on, and i had lots of questions about what had gone on in Margot's past, and what Maggie's motivations were.  At first the novel felt character led, which worked really well for me as I found the characters of Margot and Maggie instantly compelling.  Then the thriller aspect of the novel seemed to really take off, and I felt my anxiety levels rise in empathy with what was happening to the characters.   The novel brings out themes of friendships, motherhood, and loss.   Harriet Walker does a brilliant job of drawing out the paranoia and anxiety felt by the Margot in how her relationships affected her and I felt like I was living the story.  The difficult issues relating to loss and bereavement are sensitively handled.  The twists and reveals at the end took me by surprise.

Overall a brilliant read and an easy 5 stars.

A dark and really claustrophobic book, I had my breath the whole way through.  A great psychological thriller.

Thanks to Hodder and Stoughton and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#TheNewGirl #NetGalley

I know this book has been favourably compared with 'The Devil Wears Prada', but really, it is far better than that! Sure, the backdrop of a glossy fashion magazine makes the comparison somewhat inevitable, but there are nuances in 'The New Girl'  that is lacking from 'Prada;. Walker displays a more sophisticated understanding of gendered relationships, and the often tangled, contradictory relations between women that either play to the stereotypes of a sisterhood, or, ambitious women as implacable enemies. The internal monologues of Margot and Maggie - the main protagonists in this book, often speak of the unspoken tensions between these two ideals. A desire on behalf of some women to lift one another up, but which ultimately ends with betrayal. Walker's narrative very much plays into the theme of betrayal emerging from the best of intentions. It is why the glossy, beautiful Margot favoured the appointment of the distinctly unpolished Maggie as her maternity leave stand-in, after all. Though Maggie is talented, and undoubtedly deserves a leg-up in her career, she is no competition for the accomplished Margot. Or, is she? Well, the short answer is yes, and it is not long before this relationship, or, the imagined relationship, gleaned from an insecure psyche, spill into something approaching toxic. But there is far more to this multi-faceted, sophisticated thriller than the dynamics of the relationship between Margot and Maggie. There is Winnie, Margot's best friend, who cuts the ties of friendship in the most brutal fashion after her son, Jack, is stillborn. Then there is the fallout between the two women when they were schoolgirls, involving someone called Helen. But what? Well, to say anymore would be to spoil what is a stunning thriller. Indeed, Walker takes a cacophony of disparate narratorial threads and weaves them into something approaching literary magic. With its pitch-perfect pacing, that begins with the superficial levity of a glossy fashion magazine, and descends into impenetrable darkness, Harriet Walker has undoubtedly written one of the most memorable thrillers I have ever read. This novel is surely destined for the top of the bestseller charts and a smash-hit of 2020.

Many thanks to the publishers for this arc. The New Girl is a brilliant debut that mashes together The Devil Wears Prada and Single White Female in a taut, tense psychological thriller about the pressures on women to have it all and the hardship of being a new mother. 
This follows two main narrators:-
- Margot is an editor at Haute magazine. She's going on maternity leave and selects a freelance writer she met on a trip called Maggie to be her replacement. But can she trust Maggie? And what if Maggie decides she doesn't want to leave?...Margot finds herself becoming consumed by jealousy, stalking Maggie's on-line movements and paranoia that someone is stalking her. Also why isn't her friend, Winnie, returning her calls?...Winnie's baby has been born stillborn, is it because she can't stand Margot's healthy baby or is there something else going?...A dark secret that goes back to their adolescence...
- Maggie is a freelance writer living in a cramped flat in Camden. She's been given an amazing job at Haute magazine covering for Margot. Now that Maggie has seen the glamour and the perks of working at Haute she doesn't want to leave, but how far is she willing to go to keep this job?...
This was a tense read. I could not put this down! I gulped this down in one day. My favourite thing about this book was the characters and how both Margot and Maggie envy each other, thinking the grass is greener on the other side, and all the office politics.  The setting of this book is vividly drawn with amazing attention to detail. The ending was a revelation: I did NOT see it coming, and it ties everything together nicely. My only question was about the backstory regarding Margot, Winnie and Helen, which could've been stronger, as I didn't think the incident was Margot's fault and didn't understand why Winnie lorded it over Margot to make her feel guilty and felt that aspect of the story could've been better handled. However that aside, I raced through this toxic read about female rivalry in the workplace and new motherhood. I'm going to rate this book 4.5 out of 5.

This was an excellent and thrilling novel that I simply could not put down. The characters were as badly behaved as expected, and was a big part of the charm of this book. Fun to read!

I absolutely loved this book! I was drawn in from the very beginning. I could not put it down! 
So many twists and so many emotions! 
Loved that it was in 3 parts and told from different points of view. 
Really does deserve the 5 star rating! Can’t wait to see what the author writes next.

great book well-paced, I loved it. 5 stars for me. A great holiday read. Recommended. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review it.

I liked The New Girl very much. Although the apparent plot (fashion editor goes on maternity leave, her replacement fills her designer shoes a bit too well, cue jealousy, resentment and possible scheming on both sides) sounds not that original (Helen Monks Takhar’s recent Precious You and the TV drama The Replacement spring to mind), the story turns out to be something quite different from what I expected.

Cool, elegant Margot is the fashion editor at Haute magazine under the terrifying leadership of Emily Moffatt; Maggie (bizarrely, her real name is also Margot), her temporary cover, is warmer, less polished, and immediately popular with her new colleagues.

But then there’s Winnie, Margot’s best friend - or is she? - the other half of a long and complicated friendship dating back to their schooldays. Both become pregnant at the same time, but the book opens horrifyingly when Winnie’s baby, Jack, dies at birth. (Probably don’t read this if you’re pregnant.) Margot longs to offer her support, but Winnie, it seems, can no longer bear the sight of her - seems, indeed, to suddenly hate her.

The complex and shifting relationships between the three women make for a fascinating read. The title initially appears to refer to Maggie, the “maternity cover”, but it becomes apparent that it can apply to several characters.

Harriet Walker has written an engrossing exploration of the rivalries, secrets, mixed emotions and new and old resentments between women. I enjoyed it very much and particularly Ioved the ending, which felt different, refreshing and very satisfying. 

(I’m not sure I entirely understand the Helen business, though, and feel that I probably missed something.)

Overall an excellent read.

Wow I’ve loved this one. 
I haven’t been able to put this one down. I cannot wait to read more by this author because this has pulled me in and gripped me from the very beginning.

Imagine mixing The Devil Wears Prada and Gossip Girl, just with a bit more maturity. This what this book reminds me of, on the surface. 

But this book is so much more. MUCH MORE.

The author has done a brilliant job portraying emotions; grief, joy, jealousy and despair. All so well written, making you feel everything as you read the words.

I must say, I was expecting a completely different ending and was positively surprised when I read the last few pages. So simple, yet very satisfying ending. 

In overall, definitely one of the best reads this year.

Margot is a fashion editor for the prestigious glossy women’s magazine Haute, a job which she enjoys and is highly regarded for.  However, it is now time for Margot to hand over her coveted role whilst she goes on maternity leave to have her first child. Eager to ensure she has control over her replacement, Margot gets in touch with Maggie, a freelance journalist, who Margot has met at fashion events in the past. Maggie jumps at the chance to apply to work in such a prestigious role, even if the better and more glamorous lifestyle it will lead to for her is only going to be temporary. 

When Margot’s daughter arrives, her feelings of immense love and joy are marred with huge upset, as her daughter’s birth leads to the end of her oldest friendship with Winnie. Margot is sent into a spiral of suspicion and paranoia leading her to question everyone and everything, including Maggie. Are her intentions as innocent as they seem? Or at the end of the year, when Margot will seek her old life back, what if Maggie decides she no longer wants to leave?  

I absolutely loved this book from the outset and thought the setting in the world of fashion was just so perfect for this twisty story. It provided such a fascinating insight and I really felt like I was there with Maggie experiencing all of the opportunities her new role gave her. All of the outfits and events were so detailed in their descriptions! 

The way in which the chapters would alternate from the perspectives of Margot and Maggie, in the first and third person respectively was really effective and I was addicted to their story and experiences. They are both such fascinating characters and many a time I found myself eager to keep reading ‘just one more chapter’ to find out what would happen next for them both.

The three part structure for the book worked really well too, and I liked how part two, from Winnie’s perspective, gave the context for the secret she and Margot have always had to keep. The prologue which set a scene of a woman having fallen from a great height with blood coming out of her head was immediately intriguing too. I had this in the back of my mind as I was reading and found myself wondering how it would tie in.

Fashion, friendship and fear are all at the heart of this story and I could really feel myself empathising with Margot as she becomes increasingly anxious and worried. The tension really built in the final part of the book and I never saw the turn of events and revelations coming at all! It was so clever and perfectly delivered. I also liked how the final chapter left me feeling happy and hopeful about the future for these characters.

The New Girl is such an incredible debut and I am excited to see what Harriet Walker writes in the future!

My thanks to Netgalley for my copy of The New Girl.

The book is presented as a three way narration between Margot, Winnie and Maggie and the format works very well. The plot plays with your emotions like a kaleidoscope in that it is  always compelling; sometimes thrilling, often quite chilling and at times reaches out to your own psyche with the familiar forms that our egos take on. 

There is a little bit of all of us women in these three characters and a little bit of the characters in all of us and that makes the story a very recognisable one.

This wasn't what I had been expecting, but I really enjoyed it nonetheless! 
I was able to relate to Margot's struggle with losing her identity after becoming a mother and the pull between work and family and I found the three-way narration enjoyable. I found myself on the side of each of the women at various points and there was a good twist at the end.

I saw this on NetGalley and it really appealed - although I did think it reminded me of the 2017 TV series 'The Replacement' starring Morven Christie and Vicky McClure - so I thought I would give it a go.

Here's the blurb:

"Glamorous Margot Jones is the fashion editor at glossy women's magazine Haute, and pregnant with her first child. Margot's used to her carefully curated life being 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. So when Margot gets in touch to suggest she apply for her maternity cover at Haute, Maggie seizes the chance at living a better life - even if it's only temporary.

But the simultaneous arrival of Margot's baby and a brutal end to her oldest friendship sends Margot into a spiral of suspicion and paranoia. Are Maggie's motives as innocent as they seem? And what happens at the end of the year when Margot wants her old life back - especially if Maggie decides she doesn't want to leave?"

The book starts with Margot pregnant and her best friend from school, Winnie,  who is also pregnant, having a stillborn son (I think readers need to know this - as this could undoubtedly be a trigger for some people).

Margot is trying to sort out her maternity cover at work - and decides to suggest an acquaintance who she's met on a previous work trip - and Maggie ends up getting the job.

Whilst Margot is on maternity leave she starts social media stalking Maggie - and gets concerned that Maggie is doing things in a different way and if not better than she did, and won't want to give up the job when Margot returns a year later.  Interestingly the TV series that I thought about when I read the blurb is referenced at this point - with Margot finding it too close to home to watch it!

Since her tragedy, Margot's best friend Winnie has distanced herself from Margot - which Margot kind of understood initially, as her beautiful baby daughter Lila would be a constant reminder of Winnie's son who died.  But there is clearly something that has happened in Margot and Winnie's past that ties them together - and it involves a girl called Helen.  This is hinted at - and Margot even gets trolled by a social media user called @HelenKnows - but initially you don't know if these are linked and what happened.

As well as professionally, Maggie starts to encroach on Margot's home life - beginning dating her husband's best friend.

So far, so suffocating!

The second phase of the book gives the back story on Margot, Winnie and Helen at school and you see everyone in a different light.  I found my allegiances switching chapter by chapter!

The third and final part of the book builds tension up and up.  There are some really short chapters that add to the pace (it actually made me laugh a bit as I, like many, am in the midst of homeschooling - and one of the tricks my 9 year old has been taught is to do short sentences when you're trying to build the excitement!) but it builds and builds and twists and turns and is brilliant! You are almost holding your breath during one scene.  I don't want to give too much away - but it was excellent.

Overall the book is very well written and structured and just a fantastic, escapist read.  I sometimes find 'new Mum' books a bit predictable, samey and without much depth - and have actually avoided them for a while as I felt they'd been 'done' (and maybe I'd moved on as my youngest was now 8) - but this felt like a 'proper' book, where the situation it was based on was just part of the storyline.  Having said that, it definitely captures the slightly manic stressed-ness of new motherhood, and the politics that can exist in female friendships at times.

This is described as cross between 'The Devil Wears Prada' (it's set in a fashion magazine) and 'Gone Girl' (it's a psychological thriller) - but I think it stands more than sufficiently on its own merit!

It's already out on Kindle - and a total bargain at £2.99 - and out in hardback in a early July 2020.

Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for my advance review copy.