(AUDIO) BOOK REVIEW
How crazy is your love?
The Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton — a book review
While listening to The One by John Marrs — in the meantime, I have also watched the Netflix series — this book appeared in my list of recommendations.
From the moment I started listening, I was hooked. Where I normally only listen in bed before I fall asleep, I now also did when I went on a longer drive, and towards the end of the book, even on my daily walks.
Karen Hamilton, author
In 2009, Karen Hamilton — a graduate from the Faber Academy — decided to become a writer. Only three years before that, she and her husband settled in Hampshire UK.
She spent her childhood years in Angola, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Belgium and Italy, and worked as cabin crew for a major airline, but gave up her job to raise their three sons. Her wanderlust was satisfied exploring the world through her books.
The Perfect Girlfriend is her debut novel, published in March 2018, and the paperback version counts 359 pages. When the author stopped working as cabin crew, and hung up her uniform for the last time, she realized she was now just one of the crowd. This sparked her thoughts about the people behind the uniform and was the base for her debut novel.
Karen Hamilton’s second book is The Last Wife, and her third The Ex-Husband. Her fourth is scheduled to be published in January 2023.
The characters and a chilling plot
In this psychological thriller, Juliette Price was in love with Nathan — Nate — and in their relationship was the perfect girlfriend. Then Nate dumped her, saying he needed space.
Juliette — Nate knew her as Elizabeth, and called her Lizzy — couldn’t live with being dumped. She made plans to get Nate back and get back at his sister, Bella, who used to bully her in school.
Nate was an airline pilot, and to be part of his life, Elizabeth started using her second name, Juliette, and trained as a flight attendant. When not on duty, she stalked Nate, entering his home when he was on a trip. She also installed spy software on his phone while he was out jogging, so she could read every incoming and outgoing message.
As the story unfolds, we get to know more about Juliette’s past — the bullying in school, how and to whom she lost her virginity, the death of her brother and more.
Just when you think the sociopathic Juliette will finally accept Nate is out of her reach, she comes up with new plans, which involves making contact with Miles, Bella’s fiance, and booking herself on a trip to Las Vegas with Nate. But this flight is only the beginning of another bizarre twist of events, which leads up to the crescendo of the book.
A thrilling read
As said in the beginning, I quickly got hooked on this book. It doesn’t start with Nate and Juliette in a relationship, but gradually you understand what the relationship meant to her.
I hovered between being appalled at her actions, to feeling sorry for Juliette, and even understanding her craziness. When an author achieves this, in my opinion your book deserves to be a bestseller, exactly what The Perfect Girlfriend is. Thoughts like ‘a woman scorned’ and ‘fatal attraction’ crossed my mind.
If you are into stories with a bit of a chill and a lot of body, this book is a must-read, or listen.
If you’re thinking of joining Medium, click on my referral link to support me and other writers.
Find more of Marie on her lists, and here…
