The Girlfriend

“The Girlfriend is an irresistible thriller featuring the most deliciously unhinged behaviour since Suranne Jones chose vengeance in Doctor Foster. It’s the distillation of every Mumsnet post ever written about overbearing mothers-in-law and cold-hearted daughters-in-law, but heightened and set in one of those vast London townhouses with a pool in the mega-basement.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“A guilty pleasure? Probably. A tiny bit far-fetched? Perhaps. With a sprinkling of bonkers, sir? If you must. One thing is for absolute sure, you simply can’t take your eyes off this thing.”
Tim Glanfield, The Times

“Each episode covers the same events twice, from two perspectives… Laura’s and Cherry’s. It’s a smart trick, playing with our interpretations. At first the girlfriend seems every mother’s worst nightmare, a hussy intent on ruining a young man’s life. But when the viewpoint switches, it is Mum who appears the real monster, so bitter and cynical that she cannot bear anyone else to be happy.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“It is so much fun watching them step up their game in the face of a worthy adversary, even when their decisions border on the ludicrous. It’s the most stylish game of chess I’ve ever seen. Unfortunately, The Girlfriend crosses the line from camp over to stupid a little too much, particularly when it comes to the on-the-nose pop songs that fill its soundtrack, just in case you missed what they were saying. But The Girlfriend is otherwise sexy and slick.”
Tilly Pearce, The i

“Class distinctions, the power of money, the different kinds of love we are capable of, how liberal parents should be, how emotions can warp under pressure, how desperate we can become to be believed, and how we distinguish between ambition and greed, need and desire. All this is at play in The Girlfriend, which has lost little of the book’s psychological acuity and retained all of the suspense. Not one to watch with your sons, perhaps, but otherwise – enjoy.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian