“We all build our own prisons constructed of bricks of fear and invisible bars…”
Alice Feeney, Good Bad Girl
Title: Good Bad Girl
Author: Alice Feeney
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Contemporary Fiction
Length: 9 hrs, 21 mins (Audiobook)
Publish Date: August 29th, 2023
My Rating: ★★★★★
Read: 8/6/2023 – 8/12/2023
Review:
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!
Likes & Dislikes:
What I liked:
- The way the plots were woven together.
- Complicated character relationships and personalities.
- Interesting twists.
What I didn’t like:
- A lot of elements of the story were predictable.
- I felt the lead-in was slow.
Afterthoughts:
I can’t wait to add Good Bad Girl to my shelf once it’s published!