Reviews

For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing

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sz_dorka's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.25

I liked the plot of this book, it was very interesting but the characters drove me crazy. I couldn't find one that I liked and the ending was mid for me but a pretty good book after all.

jordysbookclub's review against another edition

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4.0

QUICK TAKE: MY LOVELY WIFE, is still one of my favorite thrillers ever and a benchmark against which I judge all other domestic suspense novels (spoiler alert: most of them don’t compare to the dark and twisty fun of MLW).⁣
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Downing's new novel, out July 20th, is called FOR YOUR OWN GOOD, and is a lot of fun. Set at a prestigious private high school, the book follows Teddy Crutcher, recent winner of Teach of the Year…and potential murderer. When Teddy decides to penalize a star student who rubs him the wrong way, said student decides to make it his mission to seek revenge and uncover all of Teddy’s darkest secrets, setting them both down a path of death and destruction.⁣
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Sounds a little dark? Don’t worry, the book is a fantastic mix of pop and fun, full of the classic thrills and twists we’ve now come to expect from Downing, and the book actually reminded me of the Reese Witherspoon/Matthew Broderick movie ELECTION, just with more…murder. Downing has created a devious, manipulative character in Teddy that readers will love rooting against, and I loved all of his strange idiosyncrasies (the milk thing totally threw me). And similarly, I also found myself really leaning into Zach, the smug star pupil and foil to Teddy who has a great character arc here.

britttsbookshelf's review against another edition

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4.0

Teddy has won Teacher of the Year at Belmont Academy - a prestigious school. Home of the best and brightest. Teddy can’t be bothered by a few mysterious campus deaths. Teddy just wants everyone to stay out of his way. If they can’t do that, they’ll get what they deserve.

This one was so fun! Teddy is just a horrible person and very unlikeable. He thoroughly enjoys putting people in their place. Told from multiple POVs, the characters were unreliable and it was hard to know who to trust. This one kept my attention from start to finish and I could not wait to see how the story would play out. If you are looking for a quick, clever read with an academia setting - here you go!

chikn_lil's review against another edition

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fast-paced

3.5

ninjaduck2000's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

gabi_readsalot's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5 rounded up - I really did enjoy this read… that being said it wasn’t the page turner I thought it was going to be.

I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and loved the You-like behavior of Teddy attempting to justify his actions. However, I did see many of the plot twists coming, which was a tad disappointing. But overall it was very enjoyable.