Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Good Bad Girl

I look forward to Alice Feeney's books every year. After being blown away by Daisy Darker last year, I've spent most of 2023 counting the months until I could read Good Bad Girl. Though the book overall had a much different tone than what I've become accustomed to with this author, I still loved it.

A stolen baby, a runaway, a missing elderly woman, a murdered care home worker... there's an intricate series of events throughout the book that at a glance would seem unrelated but are very much connected. The POVs alternate between Edith, Patience, Clio, and Frankie with twists and turns following each of their steps.

At first, I was surprised by how differently the book read compared to Rock Paper Scissors and Daisy Darker. It didn't have the same urgency and sense of danger. I also found it much more predictable in the beginning, however, I was still caught by some twists by the end that made me react out loud as I was listening, causing me to scramble to backtrack to be sure I'd heard it correctly.

What I liked about this book was the relationships between the characters, particularly the complicated mother/daughter relationships. So much has been withheld between them causing strain and ambiguity. It took me a little while to differentiate Clio and Frankie, but I don't think that would have been as much of an issue had I been reading with my eyes rather than my ears. (Side note: The two narrators did a lovely job reading!)

Though not what I'd expected, I can't say I'm disappointed. Now the wait is on for the next Alice Feeney book!

A huge thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with a free audio ARC of the book!

Content Warnings

ambersbakesandbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

ropey's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

This is my third Alice Feeney book and I must say she is a hit or miss for me. This one involves a mystery that meandered so far, you forget what it’s about. I think it intended to pull off what The Push did

with postpartum depression

but I had trouble connecting with any of these characters. I’d still pick up anything by this author though.

Content Warnings

diannasbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Oh boy this book was something! I had no idea what I was getting into it when I started. If you have a mother wound this book can be a bit triggering. I pushed through, and I’m so glad I did! It’s told in multiple POV’s but the author made it very easy to follow along. I really liked the chapter headings and they were different for each character. This book grasped me from the first page. I really enjoyed it.

Content Warnings

More...