The New Girl by Harriet Walker

☆☆☆☆
ebook, 302 pages
Expected publication: May 19th 2020 by Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine Books
About the Book:
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 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?

This isn't your typical thriller, it is a slow burn, not a fast paced heart pounding read, but so enjoyable none the less. The writing is engaging and the plot thickens as you delve inside the lives of Margo, Maggie and Winnie. You can tell Ms. Walker has a lot of knowledge of the fashion industry and being an editor and that makes this book all the more entertaining. Apparently it is her first novel and I was impressed. The writing had a good flow, and Ms. Walker created very realistic, human, flawed main characters that made you want to know the outcome of their story. I had an inkling of the ending early on, but I still found the revelations compelling and well-written. An interesting and suspenseful drama.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine Books and Harriet Walker for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.

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