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marinaemoore's review
4.0
This is a great, well-written thriller. It was interesting and kept me guessing throughout. I think this would be an excellent choice for someone who wants to try a thriller but doesn’t know where to start.
kekemaq's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
rebleejen's review
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This took some turns. One of the twists I saw coming a mile away, and I wasn't too thrilled with it because it's a plot device that's been used in two other books I've read recently (but that's not the fault of the author, I guess), but overall it was a good read and I did not predict the ending.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape and Child abuse
jbrooks124's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Lizzie is fairly fresh in her job at Young & Crane, working hard to pay off the bills that have accrued due to her husband's alcoholism. When she receives a call from an old law school classmate whose wife has been found brutally killed, she doesn't want to represent him. But she's drawn in regardless, to this interesting marriage, with a tight-knit group of affluent parent friends whose private school is in the midst of a hacking scandal. While all of them claim to be happy, do any of them truly have a good marriage?
Just... yikes. If you're looking for a book where everyone has secrets and everyone is shooting themselves in the foot because of them, you're in the right place. My least favorite part of this was the reveal thatAmanda was an unreliable narrator because she had some type of personality disorder/mental illness - not quite specified - that was briefly touched on, never confirmed by a professional, but was not noticed by anyone and was meant to explain away the main suspect (other than her husband). To me, that felt so weak and unsatisfying. Not my favorite.
Just... yikes. If you're looking for a book where everyone has secrets and everyone is shooting themselves in the foot because of them, you're in the right place. My least favorite part of this was the reveal that
currentlyreading_'s review
4.0
Well-written, twisty, and I appreciate that the legal talk was digestible.
daniellecherny's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Lizzie Kitsakis was once an exceedingly intelligent, well-respected federal prosecutor, but cracks in her marriage forced her to leave her dream job and take a position as a well-paid defense attorney. Lizzie spent her law school years dreaming of protecting the innocent, but until she repairs the damage to her marriage—and overcomes the financial ramifications of one drunken mistake—she is forced to defend the guilty. While eagerly gluing together the pieces of her shattered personal life, she receives a call from Zach, a close friend from law school she hasn't seen in years.
Zach Grayson is desperate for Lizzie's help. An inmate at Rikers, he has been charged with assaulting a police officer at the crime scene where his wife, Amanda, was murdered. Believing Zach is the murderer, the judge agrees to hold him without granting bail, but Zach swears he's innocent—and Lizzie trusts him, choosing to believe the friend she grew close to couldn't possibly be the monster who committed such a horrific attack.
But the longer Lizzie is on the case, the more dirty secrets she discovers. Everyone in Amanda's social circle is hiding something, from Zach to their friends to Amanda herself. Unable to stop until she proves her friend's innocence, it takes no time at all for Lizzie to become a victim herself, but this time, she might not be smart or savvy enough to free herself from the grave she has dug while searching for the truth.
Seamlessly threaded together, story lines seeping with red herrings, A Good Marriage is quite the ambitious feat, but the author handles each chapter with enviable ease. The story is told in four parts: Lizzie's point of view (POV), Amanda's POV during the days leading up to her death, transcripts from the grand jury testimony, and confidential reports from a security analytics company.
A perfect combination of domestic suspense and legal thriller, A Good Marriage should be on everyone's summer reading list. This one has everything you could want in an unputdownable story: an immersive plot, questionable characters, and plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing until the very end.
Zach Grayson is desperate for Lizzie's help. An inmate at Rikers, he has been charged with assaulting a police officer at the crime scene where his wife, Amanda, was murdered. Believing Zach is the murderer, the judge agrees to hold him without granting bail, but Zach swears he's innocent—and Lizzie trusts him, choosing to believe the friend she grew close to couldn't possibly be the monster who committed such a horrific attack.
But the longer Lizzie is on the case, the more dirty secrets she discovers. Everyone in Amanda's social circle is hiding something, from Zach to their friends to Amanda herself. Unable to stop until she proves her friend's innocence, it takes no time at all for Lizzie to become a victim herself, but this time, she might not be smart or savvy enough to free herself from the grave she has dug while searching for the truth.
Seamlessly threaded together, story lines seeping with red herrings, A Good Marriage is quite the ambitious feat, but the author handles each chapter with enviable ease. The story is told in four parts: Lizzie's point of view (POV), Amanda's POV during the days leading up to her death, transcripts from the grand jury testimony, and confidential reports from a security analytics company.
A perfect combination of domestic suspense and legal thriller, A Good Marriage should be on everyone's summer reading list. This one has everything you could want in an unputdownable story: an immersive plot, questionable characters, and plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing until the very end.
deanab's review against another edition
4.0
This psychological thriller full of domestic suspense will keep you guessing to the end. I really liked Reconstructing Amelia so when I received this ARC by the same author, I was very excited to dive right in and it did not disappoint. I highly recommend it! Thank you Harper Books!!
hortongr's review
3.0
I got this book in a subscription service because it was the book I thought I'd like best out of the options I had to choose from, however I still did not think I would really enjoy the book. I am not a fan of thrillers or mysteries so this was a step out of my reading comfort zone. However, this book turned out to be a pleasant (or rather not-so-pleasant if you consider the theme haha) surprise!
This book DID start out very very slow. In fact, I was close to DNF-ing it at the beginning, but I decided to stick it out because it is very hard for me to give up on a book. I am glad I kept going. Once I got more towards the middle things started to get interesting. In the last quarter of the book plot lines overlap and intertwine with one another and there are so many plot twists that I couldn't bear to put the book down some nights. I also really enjoyed the legal aspects of the novel and will definitely consider reading more legal thrillers in the future. It was like the book version of all my beloved FBI/True Crime TV shows :)
**spoiler**
I also loved that the 'victim' from the start of the novel turns into an anti-victim of sorts (like an anti-hero). I thought that brought an interesting level of depth to the book. It was interesting how looking back at the beginning you could see his sinister intention shine through where it went unnoticed before as more of his ulterior motives and tricks were revealed.
I probably would not re-read this book because I'm not a big re-reader, but I am glad I read it :)
This book DID start out very very slow. In fact, I was close to DNF-ing it at the beginning, but I decided to stick it out because it is very hard for me to give up on a book. I am glad I kept going. Once I got more towards the middle things started to get interesting. In the last quarter of the book plot lines overlap and intertwine with one another and there are so many plot twists that I couldn't bear to put the book down some nights. I also really enjoyed the legal aspects of the novel and will definitely consider reading more legal thrillers in the future. It was like the book version of all my beloved FBI/True Crime TV shows :)
**spoiler**
I also loved that the 'victim' from the start of the novel turns into an anti-victim of sorts (like an anti-hero). I thought that brought an interesting level of depth to the book. It was interesting how looking back at the beginning you could see his sinister intention shine through where it went unnoticed before as more of his ulterior motives and tricks were revealed.
I probably would not re-read this book because I'm not a big re-reader, but I am glad I read it :)