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A review by lovelymisanthrope
Good Me, Bad Me by Ali Land
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
3.5
I have had this book on my shelf for years, and I believe I originally heard about this title from BooksandLala.
This story follows Milly, a teenage girl whose mother has kidnapped and murdered several children. Milly has turned her mother in and is staying at her psychologist's home while she awaits trial to testify against her mother. She is the only one who has the concrete, eyewitness testimony to have her mother convicted. Milly is conflicted because she wants to love her mother and protect her, but she knows that her mother did horrible things and needs to be punished. Milly is also concerned because what if she becomes just like her mother, Afterall, she was groomed to be a part of these twisted games.
I think this story explores the idea of nature versus nurture in an interesting way. Although Milly's mom is the villain and the one on trial, Milly is not entirely innocent herself. The story really raises the question of whether we can forgive heinous acts if the person "does not know better"? Also, how can we prove that the person "does not know better"? Milly is struggling to come to terms with the fact she did the right thing, and her inner turmoil is impeccably written. I also very much enjoyed how Milly's new "sister" for a moment is seemingly evil, and how Milly reacts to her. Their interactions paint the perfect picture of Milly's state of mind.
Although I think the ending of the book was well done and stayed true to Milly's character, it was not what I wanted to see happen. I wanted more of a redemption arc for her.
Overall, I enjoyed this debut, and I would read more from Ali Land in the future.
This story follows Milly, a teenage girl whose mother has kidnapped and murdered several children. Milly has turned her mother in and is staying at her psychologist's home while she awaits trial to testify against her mother. She is the only one who has the concrete, eyewitness testimony to have her mother convicted. Milly is conflicted because she wants to love her mother and protect her, but she knows that her mother did horrible things and needs to be punished. Milly is also concerned because what if she becomes just like her mother, Afterall, she was groomed to be a part of these twisted games.
I think this story explores the idea of nature versus nurture in an interesting way. Although Milly's mom is the villain and the one on trial, Milly is not entirely innocent herself. The story really raises the question of whether we can forgive heinous acts if the person "does not know better"? Also, how can we prove that the person "does not know better"? Milly is struggling to come to terms with the fact she did the right thing, and her inner turmoil is impeccably written. I also very much enjoyed how Milly's new "sister" for a moment is seemingly evil, and how Milly reacts to her. Their interactions paint the perfect picture of Milly's state of mind.
Although I think the ending of the book was well done and stayed true to Milly's character, it was not what I wanted to see happen. I wanted more of a redemption arc for her.
Overall, I enjoyed this debut, and I would read more from Ali Land in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Stalking, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Murder, Kidnapping, Child abuse, and Death