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zdslade's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
rmarcin's review
5.0
Wow! Creepy! Milly is a 15-year old girl who is a foster child of Mike and Saskia, who also have a 15-year old named Phoebe. Milly is in their care because her mother has been arrested after Milly turned her in for unspeakable crimes. Phoebe despises Milly, and makes life rough for her at the private school they attend. Mike is a psychologist, and is helping to prepare Milly for when she needs to testify against her mother. MIlly is very fragile from the abuse her mother dished out and the crimes Milly witnessed her mother doing.
Milly is fighting against the demons of her mother inside her and trying to be a good child and to be loved. It is a battle that she fights each day.
This was an intriguing look at mental illness and the effects it has on everyone.
#GoodMeBadMe #AliLand
Milly is fighting against the demons of her mother inside her and trying to be a good child and to be loved. It is a battle that she fights each day.
This was an intriguing look at mental illness and the effects it has on everyone.
#GoodMeBadMe #AliLand
caffeineaddict980's review against another edition
5.0
'Hot and cold. Head and heart. But what happens when you come from a person who's both? What happens then?'
Annie's Mother is a serial killer, she knows that the only way to stop her is to turn her in to the police. Soon, Annie is taken in and given a new life and a new identity.
'Milly' has secrets herself and her Mother's trial is looming, she begins to wonder about her own psychological state.
Who will she turn out to be at the end of this?
Devoured this novel and was completely hooked from the first page! This book had a strong start that envelopes the reader into Annie's mind and her situation, especially considering she is such a sympathetic character that the readers can relate to. All of the other characters aside from Annie were fully-fleshed out and felt like real, three-dimensional human people.
The friendship between Morgan and Annie was great to see, it was nice to know she had someone by her side throughout everything she was going through.
The ending was such a twist that I never saw coming!
Overall, a fast paced, suspenseful novel that was difficult to read at points but dealt well with dark and mature themes
Annie's Mother is a serial killer, she knows that the only way to stop her is to turn her in to the police. Soon, Annie is taken in and given a new life and a new identity.
'Milly' has secrets herself and her Mother's trial is looming, she begins to wonder about her own psychological state.
Who will she turn out to be at the end of this?
Devoured this novel and was completely hooked from the first page! This book had a strong start that envelopes the reader into Annie's mind and her situation, especially considering she is such a sympathetic character that the readers can relate to. All of the other characters aside from Annie were fully-fleshed out and felt like real, three-dimensional human people.
The friendship between Morgan and Annie was great to see, it was nice to know she had someone by her side throughout everything she was going through.
The ending was such a twist that I never saw coming!
Overall, a fast paced, suspenseful novel that was difficult to read at points but dealt well with dark and mature themes
eusteph's review against another edition
4.0
This was very solid.
Generally speaking, I don't love first person narrators. However, I think it fit perfectly for the premise of this story.
The book was fast paced and kept me interested so A for that.
The only reason why I am docking a star is because I saw the two twists coming.
Generally speaking, I don't love first person narrators. However, I think it fit perfectly for the premise of this story.
The book was fast paced and kept me interested so A for that.
The only reason why I am docking a star is because I saw the two twists coming.
jddemarzo's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
rachael_reading's review against another edition
3.0
A sad childhood story turned haunting thriller.
Thank you to Flat Iron Books for my advanced copy of this book via a Goodreads Giveaway!
I did enjoy this book and it was a pretty good thriller with a-lot of twists and turns. Milly seemed like suck a troubled yet sweet girl, but be careful what you assume. I felt really sorry for her throughout most of the book. It just seemed like no one was stepping up to the plate for this poor young girl who went through such a terrible childhood. Yet, I can understand why some characters kept their distance. Milly had a haunting dark side to her that was obvious and I think it scared a few potential friends away. It had you hating certain characters so much for being so terrible to Milly that I actually WANTED Milly to take revenge! So for some of the characters I was very emotionally attached to them, but others were lackluster and hard to relate.
The descriptive quality made for a good read, yet I found some of it to be predictable. The little clues that the author gives you throughout almost gives too much away at some points.
Also some of the writing was a little... how do I explain... Yoda-ish? Like confident she is & slice we do... I had to go back and re-read sentences quite often to understand what the author was saying.
But overall, this was an easy read with a good twist! It left me with an eerieness that stayed with me and had me wanting more. I definitely recommend it for anyone who loves psychological thrillers!
Thank you to Flat Iron Books for my advanced copy of this book via a Goodreads Giveaway!
I did enjoy this book and it was a pretty good thriller with a-lot of twists and turns. Milly seemed like suck a troubled yet sweet girl, but be careful what you assume. I felt really sorry for her throughout most of the book. It just seemed like no one was stepping up to the plate for this poor young girl who went through such a terrible childhood. Yet, I can understand why some characters kept their distance. Milly had a haunting dark side to her that was obvious and I think it scared a few potential friends away. It had you hating certain characters so much for being so terrible to Milly that I actually WANTED Milly to take revenge! So for some of the characters I was very emotionally attached to them, but others were lackluster and hard to relate.
The descriptive quality made for a good read, yet I found some of it to be predictable. The little clues that the author gives you throughout almost gives too much away at some points.
Also some of the writing was a little... how do I explain... Yoda-ish? Like confident she is & slice we do... I had to go back and re-read sentences quite often to understand what the author was saying.
But overall, this was an easy read with a good twist! It left me with an eerieness that stayed with me and had me wanting more. I definitely recommend it for anyone who loves psychological thrillers!
justlily's review
DNF @ Chapter 3. The writing was so stilted and choppy, I just couldn't get beyond that in order to get into the story.
teameak's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent plotline, told from the protagonists point of view. Snippets of past are drip fed and serve to keep the intrigue.
Very well written, kept me turning pages till the end. The ending left things open, and in the pit of your stomach you know what happened just before you read it. Great stuff.
Very well written, kept me turning pages till the end. The ending left things open, and in the pit of your stomach you know what happened just before you read it. Great stuff.
judithdcollins's review
4.0
UK author Ali Land has dedicated her new breakout psychological gripping thriller to mental nurses everywhere. In fact, it happened to be a conversation the author had with a teenage girl when she was working as a mental health nurse that sparked the idea for the book.
Ultimately this became her chilling debut hit, GOOD ME BAD ME. An Interview with Ali Land
Land, once a full-time nurse to a full-time writer. It seems her former career has inspired new talent in the area of mental health; crosses psychological thriller. This is one highly courageous debut novel, and can only imagine how difficult this was to write — as she delves into the disturbing mind of a teenage girl.
Milly (Annie) tries so desperately to be good. However, is this possible? A strong contender for debut of the year!
Annie’s mother Ruth is a serial, killer. (Peter Pan Killer). Her mom kidnapped and murdered children.
Annie has finally turned over her mom to the authorities. She loves her but she must keep her from killing other children.
Now she has a new family with a new name. Milly. This is her chance to start over.
Or so she thinks . . .
A foster dad named Mike. A psychologist, an expert in trauma. His wife Saski and daughter Phoebe. (Phoebe is not so nice). Phoebe turns out to be a bully, making it more difficult for Milly. She turns others at school against her.
Milly has enough problems with the stress of her traumatic childhood, sexual abuse, the guilt of her mother and the damage she has inflicted on her daughter, plus the upcoming trial, and now this girl and this family.
Plus, the voices in her head. The continued taunting voices from her mom. The lessons she taught her.
She curls up in the floor. She read once that people who are violent are hotheaded, while psychopaths are cold hearted. Hot and cold. Head and heart. But what if you come from a person who’s both?
What happens then?
The person Milly wants to run from is also the person she wants to run to. Game on.
Milly has secrets. What is she hiding?
Will she ever be normal growing up with an abusive and murderous mother? Good or bad?
She wants desperately to do the right thing, but her mother’s voice urging her on to do bad things. A child groomed and sexualized from a very young age, now fifteen. She has to take the stand.
“Good me. Bad me. Siamese twins inside of me at war.”
The upcoming trial and the dreams. Now another toxic home. What happens when the trial is over? Can Milly fit in anywhere? Maybe she thinks there may be no place.
A skillfully woven plot, with an unreliable narrator, GOOD ME BAD ME is heart wrenching, engrossing, terrifying, disturbing and filled with horror, tension, and suspense.
This unsettling yet gripping tale will keep you glued to the pages. The author does an outstanding job of portraying mental and physical damages and trauma to a young disturbed girl and its outcome… A struggle between good and evil.
For fans of Ruth Ware, Candice Fox, Wendy Walker, Louise Jensen, Jennifer Jaynes, and Jennifer Hillier. Looking forward to seeing what’s next. (love the cover and the twisty conclusion).
A special thank you to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy.
JDCMustReadBooks
Ultimately this became her chilling debut hit, GOOD ME BAD ME. An Interview with Ali Land
Land, once a full-time nurse to a full-time writer. It seems her former career has inspired new talent in the area of mental health; crosses psychological thriller. This is one highly courageous debut novel, and can only imagine how difficult this was to write — as she delves into the disturbing mind of a teenage girl.
Milly (Annie) tries so desperately to be good. However, is this possible? A strong contender for debut of the year!
“ . . . The playground. That’s what she called it. Where the games were evil, and there was only ever one winner. When it wasn’t my turn, she made me watch. A peephole in the wall. Asked me afterward. What did you see, Annie? What did you see?” . . .
“Forgive me when I tell you it was me. It was me that told.”
Annie’s mother Ruth is a serial, killer. (Peter Pan Killer). Her mom kidnapped and murdered children.
Annie has finally turned over her mom to the authorities. She loves her but she must keep her from killing other children.
Now she has a new family with a new name. Milly. This is her chance to start over.
Or so she thinks . . .
A foster dad named Mike. A psychologist, an expert in trauma. His wife Saski and daughter Phoebe. (Phoebe is not so nice). Phoebe turns out to be a bully, making it more difficult for Milly. She turns others at school against her.
Milly has enough problems with the stress of her traumatic childhood, sexual abuse, the guilt of her mother and the damage she has inflicted on her daughter, plus the upcoming trial, and now this girl and this family.
Plus, the voices in her head. The continued taunting voices from her mom. The lessons she taught her.
She curls up in the floor. She read once that people who are violent are hotheaded, while psychopaths are cold hearted. Hot and cold. Head and heart. But what if you come from a person who’s both?
What happens then?
The person Milly wants to run from is also the person she wants to run to. Game on.
Milly has secrets. What is she hiding?
Will she ever be normal growing up with an abusive and murderous mother? Good or bad?
She wants desperately to do the right thing, but her mother’s voice urging her on to do bad things. A child groomed and sexualized from a very young age, now fifteen. She has to take the stand.
“Good me. Bad me. Siamese twins inside of me at war.”
The upcoming trial and the dreams. Now another toxic home. What happens when the trial is over? Can Milly fit in anywhere? Maybe she thinks there may be no place.
A skillfully woven plot, with an unreliable narrator, GOOD ME BAD ME is heart wrenching, engrossing, terrifying, disturbing and filled with horror, tension, and suspense.
This unsettling yet gripping tale will keep you glued to the pages. The author does an outstanding job of portraying mental and physical damages and trauma to a young disturbed girl and its outcome… A struggle between good and evil.
For fans of Ruth Ware, Candice Fox, Wendy Walker, Louise Jensen, Jennifer Jaynes, and Jennifer Hillier. Looking forward to seeing what’s next. (love the cover and the twisty conclusion).
A special thank you to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy.
JDCMustReadBooks