The Waitress by K.L. Slater

Description from Goodreads:

"My job as a waitress means I’m used to watching everything – and used to lying. Soon I’m posing as someone’s girlfriend… But what does he really want from me?

When I slip on my waitress’s uniform I become a different person. And I’m good at what I do. I instantly identify Trent as the most important man in the room, and I catch his eye as I serve canapes to his rich clients. We share a little smile… and later that evening, he asks me to pretend to be his girlfriend.

Of course I accept. It’s the perfect way for me to escape my own past. He just needs me to watch certain people. It seems easy.

Soon I’m living in his opulent home, wearing a new wardrobe of designer clothes. Then I discover there was a woman here before me. Saskia. Nobody will talk about her…

Suddenly I don’t feel safe anymore. If I leave, I’m no longer protected. But if I stay here, in this silent apartment of secrets, will anyone miss me if I disappear?"

📚📚📚📚📚📚

A quick read but a bit far-fetched

It was great to jump back into a K.L. Slater book as she's usually a "must-read" author for me. I found myself flying through the pages because the hook was definitely there and I really wanted to know how everything was going to wrap up. It kept me guessing for a while and had that classic addictive quality that makes you want to read "just one more chapter" before turning out the light.

However, I've got to admit this one felt a bit "out there" compared to some of her earlier work. While I expect a few twists in a psychological thriller, the plot in this one felt quite implausible and required a huge leap of faith to really get on board with. There were moments where I found myself thinking that things just wouldn't happen that way in real life, which pulled me out of the story a bit.

It's a solid, fast-paced read if you're looking for something to breeze through on a weekend, but it didn't quite hit the heights of her best thrillers for me. It's a decent middle-of-the-road story that does what it says on the tin but lacked that extra bit K.L.'s books usually give me.

Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this book.

📚📚📚📚📚📚