Reviews with content warning for Abortion - Good Bad Girl

At first, I was having a hard time keeping the characters straight, but about halfway through, I finally figured out who everyone was, and was able to settle in and enjoy the story. I felt like this book was written by Lisa Jewell, rather than Alice Feeney, as it was more like a domestic drama/suspense than a thriller. And I would recommend this one to those who like that genre.

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avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

I really enjoyed this book, and while some parts were predictable others weren't. The characters were unlikable but in a way that made them enjoyable not ones you hate.
The narrators were good, but their voices were too similar and made it harder to keep track of whose POV you were in if you came back to the book in the middle of a chapter. Luckily the chapters were named for the character whose POV it was from.
Overall a good book, I just wish it had been a bit less predictable.

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kris386's review against another edition

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emotional sad medium-paced

3.0

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bekah1210's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

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amhud1030's review

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emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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oceanwriter's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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!

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ropey's review

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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.

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voicenextdoor's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

3.5 Solid thriller.
I feel like if you aren't super familiar with the genre this will absolutely keep you on your toes and for the seasoned reader you will enjoying working out the web of mystery.

Don't really want to go too deep into plot points, but I appreciated the exploration of the different relationships and the reasons that the characters make the choices they do.

Great audio narration from Katherine Press and Stephanie Racine.

***Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing me with the Audiobook for free via NetGalley for an unbiased review.

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