Harriet WalkerRezensionen

This was an interesting read for me, not the best thriller I have read this year but not the worse. A solid three stars. The story surrounds Effie, Anna and Lizzie forged a strong bond of friendship during college that has endured through the ensuing years, although careers, marriage, and motherhood. It is all wrapped up in a secret that is shared by two of the women that adds fuel to the story. The focus of the story is the pending marriage of Lizzie and Dan, but in the week leading up to their destination wedding, they call it off and cancel all the arrangements. Determined to enjoy the time off the cast of characters and some awesome extras along for the rollercoaster ride.
However, once the group arrives things begin to unravel quite rapidly, exposing a somewhat sinister element leading to a psychological game impacting the entire group. The suspense is generated by the gradual revelation of clues as to the identity of the mastermind behind the game, but a subtle thread keeps things off balance. It is that off-balance that drove me to continue reading and the factor that will get me to pick up yet another book by this author.

My thanks to the author, Random House Publishing - Ballantine, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing a digital ARC in exchange for an independent, honest review. So sorry that it is very delayed it is no reflection on how much I enjoyed this book.

The Three Musketeers


I don’t think I have finished a thriller like this in one sitting. Harriet Walker weaves a tale of three women whose lives are bound by grief, insecurities, and fear of what’s to come. If you combine that with the baggage, we carry from our past then you will get a sense of what these women went through. Margot is ready to start her maternity leave and she hires her temporary replacement with someone she thinks is not a threat in any way. Furthermore, she likes her replacement, Maggie...quite a bit. They met on a trip and Margot feels that Maggie will fill her position well.

Maggie on the other hand is a free lance writer who gives the reader the impression that she is living pay check to paycheck and that this maternity leave job is her best chance at living her best life. Even though this was supposed to be a year long job that Maggie does not want to give up. Part of this book that was intriguing for me as a reader was that Maggie and Margot both felt like to me, they both wanted what the other one had. After reading this I have to say that the grass may not always be greener on the other side.

Now, I did mention three women so let me talk about the last piece of this friendly equation Winnie. Winnie is Margot’s oldest friend. They have known each-other for a long time and Margot and Winnie were inseparable until the death of Winnie’s new born son Jack. It fractures there friendship to the point that I felt that it was repairable.

Honestly this is one of the best thrillers I have read in the last few days. I have already recommended it to my best friend and a few others and can not wait to see what comes next from Ms. Walker. Honestly, I was on pins and needles regarding the safety of Margot and her baby especially things took a dark turn and I was unsure what was going to happen. Thank you Netgalley and all parties involved for my arc of this book it was a joy to read and review.

“I realized I had given away my privacy as though it were any other belonging that someone might borrow and return”

Imagine going to a destination wedding, only to have your best friend send an email that the wedding was off. Why would she call off the wedding?

I thoroughly enjoyed how the author weaved this tale that was told from the POVs of three best friends, Lizzie, Effie and Ana, and different timelines.
On “The Wedding Night” that didn’t happen, they had a party and their memories were quite hazy the next day.

What happened on that night for the wedding to be canceled and what happened in College that would play a role in the events that lead up to the twist?

Definitely recommend to anyone that has a close group of girlfriends they have been having for years and that shared a secret.

This is a brilliant book, that has left me still smiling! It features the joys and the worries every woman who has ever been pregnant will lap it up like a dog.

This book had it ALL from Grief, Jealousy, Envy, Happiness, Friendships that come and go, Secret Keeping, Mystery, Suspense and Anger. Beautifully written that captivated me from the start!

At first, I was thinking this book reminded me of “A Devil Wears Prada.” It’s regarding a fashion editor to Haute Magazine, whom is pregnant who has to pick her replacement to work while she is on maternity leave for 1 year, as this story is based in London. I know as a US mom, I was incredibly envious they are given that full year!

Her replacement is younger, single, bright and so much fun to be around. While showing you the ends and outs of the industry!

But this book is NOT about the fashion industry. Halfway, through the book it caught me off guard and I even talked out loud to the book, because of the curveball I didn’t foresee.

This book focuses on showing the raw emotions of becoming a mother, in every aspect.

Terrific fast read, I highly recommend! Thank you to #netgalley, #BallantineBooks and #TheNewGirl for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Oh, I read this over the new year and forgot to comment.

The coolest aspect of this was the social media and the look at how effective a like or a lack thereof can be at sending a message of some sort. I wish we had had a tad more insight into Winnie's pushing Margot away after the death. Otherwise, these characters and their motivations were well crafted and it was easy to take everyone's side and get into their heads about how they were feeling as the story went on.

The Wedding Night, by Harriet Walker, was not at all what I was expecting. It's not particularly thrilling or suspenseful, but held some lovely scenes about evolving friendships in different stages of life.

The story takes a while to get moving, as we jump between different characters and their memories until the story of four college friends emerges. Lizzie has abruptly called off her destination wedding, but the friends decide that since they’ve already taken time off work, arranged a babysitter, paid for flights and so forth, and they’ll head to the would-be wedding destination anyway.

Full review is on my blog

Lizzie and Dan call off their wedding in France just days before the event. Her long-time best friends, Effie and Anna, are completely surprised by this. Instead of canceling their planned vacation, they convince Lizzie to come with them to France and enjoy some time away. However, when Lizzie arrives, she finds that it is not only her two girlfriends, but their dates, and another couple. What is worse, someone is making out seem as if the wedding is still on, tormenting Lizzie.
Things continue to happen, until finally, the truth about why the wedding was cancelled comes out.
I enjoyed this novel, and will look for more from this author.

Lizzie and Dan are planning their destination wedding to a Chateau in France. Just a short time before the wedding, friends receive an email cancelling the wedding. Disappointing yes in so many ways for the friends. They then all decide to take the vacation they planned anyway, except Dan. Liz, keeps the details of the breakup quiet, but little the story comes out little by little … or does it?

I was intrigued with the storyline, but it fell flat for me. Slow developing story, little character development, immature to the point I wanted to slap them! This story could have taken off, but sometimes it felt like the writer held back trying to get more pages written. I wasn’t as surprised with the ending as I had hoped.

Thanks to Ms. Walker, Ballantine Books and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone!

Eigentlich könnte Margot den kommenden Monaten freudig entgegensehen. Statt des stressigen Redakteurinnenjobs bei einer Modezeitschrift kann sie sich ganz auf ihre Schwangerschaft und die erste Zeit mit ihrem Baby konzentrieren. Mit Maggie hat sie ihrer Chefin auch eine kompetente Vertreterin präsentieren können, so dass sie sich keine Sorgen zu machen braucht. Doch bald schon tauchen die alten Zweifel wieder auf und beginnen an ihr zu nagen. Ist die Neue besser als sie? Beliebter? Schlanker? Trotz der wundervollen Lila kann sie nicht aufhören, sich zu vergleichen und die Social Media Kanäle, auf denen Maggie sich erfolgreich präsentiert, befeuern Margots gedankliche Abwärtsspirale. Da ist es nicht hilfreich, dass sich auch ihre beste Freundin Winnie von ihr abwendet, die selbst gerade nach dem Verlust eines Kindes in einem tiefen Loch steckt. Ihre eigenen Gedanken nagen schon genug an Margot, als jedoch ein Internettroll systematisch seinen Feldzug gegen sie startet, droht die Lage zu eskalieren.

Harriet Walker weiß genau, wovon sie schreibt, als Fashion Editor der New York Times ist ihr das Modebusiness mit all seinen Facetten bestens bekannt. Auch als Normalo kann man sich vorstellen, dass dort mit harten Bandagen gekämpft wird und jedes Outfit, jedes Kilo zu viel auf der Waage genüsslich beäugt und verächtlich kommentiert wird. Es erfordert schon sehr viel Selbstbewusstsein und ein gefestigtes Selbstkonzept, um dies tagtäglich zu ertragen und drüberzustehen. Genau darüber verfügen ihre Figuren nicht, ebenso wenige über die Fähigkeit, offen ihre Schwächen zuzugeben und sich dadurch statt Feinden Verbündete zu schaffen.

Margot hat eigentlich einen festen Platz in der Modewelt, ist anerkannt und aufgrund ihrer Kompetenz geschätzt, dies hindert sie jedoch nicht daran, in jugendliche Selbstzweifel zurück zu verfallen. Mit dem Rollenwechsel von der erfolgreichen Karrierefrau zur Mutter reißt all dies wieder auf und sie stellt alles infrage, was sie erreicht hat. Die Figur zeigt, wie fragil die Menschen bisweilen hinter den erfolgreichen und selbstsicheren Fassaden sind und dass niemand vor negativen Gedanken gefeit ist. Nicht viel anders ergeht es da Maggie, die sich einerseits über die Chance, die sich durch die Vertretung für sie eröffnet, freut, andererseits aber auch im permanenten Vergleich mit der Vorgängerin steht, sich genötigt sieht immer noch mehr leisten zu müssen und einen Konkurrenzkampf wahrnimmt, der gar nicht vorhanden ist.

Wie schnell gerade online Postings falsch gedeutet werden können, wie gefährlich der Gedankenstrudel werden kann, wenn man erst einmal in ihm gefangen ist, zeigt der Roman ganz drastisch. Jedes Wort wird in einem paranoide zusammenstrickten Weltbild so zurechtgerückt, dass es zum Narrativ passt. Sich daraus wieder zu befreien, ist in einer Zeit, in der das Leben gleichermaßen online wie offline stattfindet, schlicht unmöglich geworden. Die fatalen Folgen negativer Gedanken, die ich sehr gut nachvollziehen konnte, wurden von Harriet Walker überzeugend und glaubwürdig in der Geschichte umgesetzt. Einziger Abzug die Nebengeschichte um Margots und Winnies Jugend, die es meines Erachtens nicht gebraucht hätte und die auch für mich nur begrenzt stimmig war.

Women know that in spite of all the advances they have made toward professional equality, they still risk falling behind by taking maternity leave. Margot is terrified she will find herself replaced in her much-loved and high-power job editing a leading fashion magazine. She helps pick her stand-in, someone she thinks will be grateful and loyal. But is The New Girl really loyal?

She loved sharing her pregnancy with her best friend Winnie. Sadly, Winnie’s boy is born stillborn. She doesn’t want to talk to Margot, refuses all contact, but sends her a picture of the dead baby. Margot is devastated for her friend and feels guilty when her beautiful baby girl is born. Now someone is harassing her with hostile messages, referencing a nightmarish incident from high school, an incident that cemented her relationship with Winnie, perhaps in an unhealthy way.

I enjoyed The New Girl though her fear and guilt about the past seem disproportionate to the event. However, I ascribed it to hormones. Despite the break down between Margot and Winnie and her increasing distrust of Maggie, this really is a story about friendship more than it’s a thriller. There is true jeopardy, but forgiveness and friendship remain the heart of the story.

I received an e-galley of The New Girl from the publisher through NetGalley.

The New Girl at Ballantine Books | Penguin Random House

Harriet Walker on Twitter

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2020/06/14/the-new-girl-by-harriet-w...

Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me. I enjoyed Maggie's part of the story but Margot's was very verbose and obtuse. I didn't feel the affinity for her character compared to Maggie. A good premise for a book (will your replacement be better than you?) but I lost interest. Read the first 100 pages and the last 25 to find out if my fondness for Maggie was misplaced.½

bailed @ 25% 2:26:42—It's too negative and whiny. Maybe I'm just not in the mood. More likely, I just don't want to read another book where women are competing, not mentoring/supporting each other.

Beautiful pictures of "minimalism" in fashion over the past 100 years -- minimalism in quotes because often the word is used to describe simplicity rather than something more rigorous. The text, however, is disappointing. First, there's the print -- an elegant grey in tone, difficult for my old eyes to read. Second, it's got a lot of current art speak in it. Finally, it has less on the Japanese influence than seems appropriate to me. Still and all, lovely pix for fashion addicts.