The story is told from the points of view of four women, Edith who is 80, her estranged daughter Clio, Patience and Frankie. Edith has been put into a Care Home by her daughter Clio but now Clio is struggling to pay the Care Home fees despite selling her mother's home. Edith does not want to be in the Home and is planning to escape.. She meets 18 year old Patience who is working at the Home and is helping Edith to plan her escape. Frankie works in a Prison Library and is Patience's mother though she hasn't seen her daughter for a year and doesn't know where she is.
The story starts with the abduction of a baby in a supermarket and the child is never found. Some 20 years later there's a murder at Edith's Care Home. Are these events linked and, if so, how? I must say I was somewhat confused at the beginning of the book with so many characters and different points of view not to mention several red herrings. However as the book progressed everything came together very cleverly and I enjoyed it immensely.

:et me start off by saying that I am a huge fan of Alice Feeney. What I enjoy is that her books usually have an element of darkness and Good Bad Girl had none of that. I think folks who enjoy light hearted kind of mysteries will enjoy this. If you like something darker, then you may be left wanting.

I enjoyed the short chapters and I also really loved Edith's character. When the book starts....the first chapter literally took my breath away. Then the next few chapters were kind of confusing. I don't mind that though, because it's all for the greater good of unravelling the mystery and boy was I trying to unravel the mystery. None of my guesses were right, though I know the nuggets were dropped intentionally...handing us the plot on a silver platter, but still I don't think any of us would be able to figure it out, because there were so many twists and turns.....so that was well done.

All the POV 's, different stories, timeline from the past....that did eventually feel like too much, and as much as this is a short book, it started feeling long.

This read like a Thursday Murder Club Mystery book, but with less interesting characters....except for Edith.

I pushed through to get to the bottom of it, but it wasn't my favourite from Alice.

Good Bad Girl has such an interesting plot line and, being a new mother myself, I knew it would both intrigue and horrify me. The prologue is a flashback of the kidnapping and gives no clue to who is involved. As the following chapters evolve, it really could have been any of the four main characters. It really wasn’t until nearly the very end when I could make a good guess as to what was going on.

Besides being a book of twists and turns, it is also a book focused on motherhood. It was interesting to see the differences between the mothers, how they showed love for their children, and the varying mistakes they made. It was also interesting to see from the children’s perspective how their relationship with their mother shaped them.

One of the main premises of the book is that sometimes good people can do bad things. Of course, this means that the characters are multi-dimensional, and unlikeable at times. I’m all for unlikeable characters but I have to enjoy them and I didn’t enjoy the characters in Good Bad Girl. In fact, they really started to irritate me and it made the book drag a bit. I this has something to do with the writing style as well. As with some of Alice Feeney’s other books, there is a quirky element. However, it didn’t really fit with me. There wasn’t enough to call it a different, quirky book, and too much for it to be considered a more serious thriller. It felt out of place and took away from my reading pleasure.

Her best book yet!

I love this book! It’s like an onion that just keeps on getting peeled, layer by layer until you think you have got to the middle…but then there are more layers to come!

Brilliant characters and a humorous yet sad plot line.

A cracking read.

I had previously read one book by this author, which I didn't particularly enjoyed and left me unfazed. But considering Alice Feeney’s popularity among the thriller/mystery community, I remained open to the possibility of exploring her work further. I was therefore pleasantly surprised when I saw that my ARC request got accepted but unfortunately “Good Bad Girl” is a lackluster novel to me.

The first quarter of the book is confusing and failed to grab my attention. Even if the rest of the book was less confusing, it still failed to capture my interest.
The plot, which was dragging and messy, proved incapable of keeping me intrigued and the end unfolded in an unrealistic way.

5⭐️

A fantastic psychological thriller with a very meticulous plot! 😍

Feeney sure knows how to draw you in and entertain you with her writing. I absolutely loved this read!

Short chapters, multiple POVs, red herrings and vulnerable characters ruled this book and I had no idea where it was going and how everything was connected. The twists too, were unforeseen and this made a very captivating read.

The many hidden messages and clever one liners peppered throughout the book were brilliant. Feeney’s writing is very engaging and I loved how it was so cryptic. I loved that the truth was obstructed and that I, alongside the protagonists, had to find out what is was.

Feeney always delivers cracking characters, and this book was no exception. They were vulnerable, interesting and all had a slight compulsive streak to them. The four main women and their conflicting POVs were excellent.

Feeney has crafted another ingenious book which made the perfect buddy read with @clairsbooks, @bitofabookworm_ and @the.readinglife. I loved our theories and predictions and look forward to discussing this book in more detail. 🥰

A huge thank you to @panmacmillan, @netgalley and @alicewriterland for this ARC, which is published on the 3rd August 23! I can’t wait to check out more of Feeney’s work, and whilst I do, go and pre-order Good Bad Girl now! 🔥

💬 (from ARC):
-‘Sometimes bad things happen
to good people, so good people have to do bad things.’
-‘Strangers are less likely to let you down than people you know.’

⚠️ Please check out the trigger warnings! ⚠️

I really enjoyed this book #GoodBadGirl.
A domestic mystery filled with drama and lots of great twists and turns, with the focus on relationships between mother’s and daughter’s and postpartum depression.
The story is narrated by Frankie, Patience, Edith and Clio as the chapters alternate between them and how their relationships are linked.
I loved all the characters. It’s a great storyline that kept me hooked till the end. I couldn’t put it down.
Definitely recommend. @AliceFeeney never disappoints.
Thanks to #NetGallery for an arc in exchange for a honest review.
Book publishes 3 August 2023.

Having recently finished Daisy Darker, I was so excited to read this story. Whilst I mostly enjoyed the multi POV narrative of the four women, at times it was hard to keep up with who was who and what was currently happening in the story. I appreciate this was also because of the non-linear timeline which as the book gets deeper, brings new perspectives to the characters and how their fates intertwine. I read this through multiple sittings, so I did find myself having to do a quick check back to make sure I understood what was currently happening. I think if you read this in shorter sittings it may have more of an effective impact.
The one thing I love about Alice’s work is the twists, you can never guess what they are going to be! The red herrings thrown in, make it much more intriguing. And that final twist, I did not see it coming at all!

Thanks to Alice and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book before the publication date.

The storyline takes place in the current day and 20 years ago. It is mainly narrated by the main characters, 4 women whose ages range from 20 to 80.

I found this book to have a very slow start, using vague references to people whom Alice does not name or identify their relationship with the narrator. Whilst it was probably an attempt to build up the tension and intrigue, I found it to just be irritating and was very close to giving up reading it.

Whilst there was potential for a good story, many of the events seemed implausible.

An enjoyable book. This is the first book I have read by Feeney and I don't know whether this her typical style. The story is far fetched but entertaining almost verging on comedic.
Patience is a cleaner in a care home and becomes fond of one of the residents, Edith. Her 'wicked' daughter Clio has dumped her there and sold her house. The care home manager, Joy is threatening to throw Edith out as Clio can no longer afford the fees. Everyone has a past they are not proud of and when Patience helps Edith escape it all starts to unravel.
At the beginning, I did find the use of very short chapters focusing on one character at a time slightly annoying but enjoyed the book the more I read. Although I guessed most of the end about half way through, I read even more quickly to see if I was right.

Alice Feeney does it again! She has a way of drawing you in from the first couple of pages.

I didn’t think this one to be a thriller as such but it was quite fast paced and I read it in a day.

The book tells the story of a mother who has her baby stolen from her buggy at a supermarket. Despite her best efforts and the efforts of the police the baby is never found. Her life unfolds and she begins a new life without her baby.

At first I was extremely confused as there are multiple POV. However the more you get into the book the more things start to slot together. I was not expecting the ending and the revelation of a who a character is shocked me! I don’t want to outline the story too much as I don’t want to spoilt it.

I liked it but eh🤷🏻‍♀️
It didn't draw me in as much as other Alice Feeney books
I had an idea of where it was going. It wasn't as much of a thriller as I expected more of a family drama with some twists.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% my own.

Every single time I thought I had all the twists in this book figured out, a new twist was revealed. Alice Feeney has done an excellent job in revealing information in small amounts to keep the read guessing.

The different POVs and the flashbacks kept the flow of the book going, although it did mean that I didn’t grow attached to any of the four narrators.

This was a struggle. The writing is erratic. Every chapter seems to end with a cliffhanger that goes nowhere. Some of the characters are referred to by 2 different names and it is unclear who is who at a certain point. There is one too many POV which causes more confusion, This book really was a headache.

After Daisy Darker I had promised myself I was done with Alice Feeney books because I hated it but this sounded good so I was willing to give it a go. Now I am officially done with her books, they just aren't enjoyable.

“Sometimes bad things happen to good people, so good people have to do bad things.”
 
Another great psychological thriller by Alice Feeney.  Strap in – this book is wonderfully complex and intricately plotted. It’s another where I enjoyed making the odd note and trying to figure out how all the characters were connected.  Red Herrings galore certainly kept me on my toes. Lots of satisfying and cleverly written ‘aha’ moments throughout.  I just wanted to keep reading.
 
The book is written from four characters’ points of view: Frankie, Patience, Edith, and Clio.  Each wonderfully written giving us different sides to a story through their perspectives.  I especially loved Edith, she’s a take-no-bulls**t loveable rogue.
 
I went into this book blind, knowing I’ve enjoyed Alice Feeney’s previous books.  I’m glad I did and, as such, I’ve chosen not to include the blurb or make any attempt to summarise the story.  
 
My favourite quote: ‘Her tolerance of alcohol has always been higher than her tolerance of people.’  Yep, same.
 
My only small gripe is the use of Americanisms (I appreciate it’s a totally irrational pet peeve of mine) like “my bad” “math” and “ladybug.”
 
Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan for the advanced copy of this book for review considerations.  All opinions are my own.

This definitely puts the crown on Alice Feeney as Queen of Twists! There were so many that I was honestly a bit overwhelmed. The story itself was a bit bonkers and I recommend readers just go for the ride because it's wild and it won't entirely make sense all the time. As a thriller it was definitely an entertaining one so I can recommend it if you're looking for a page-turner and love a good twist - but if you prefer more hard-boiled, realistic mysteries, this might not be for you.

This was a brilliant book and really got hooked! I didn't see the twist coming at all and I didn't know where it was going to go the story.
I think this is one of my favourites so far by Alice Feeney and want more from her :) I don't normally give 5 stars with books but this deserves every single star!

This is a tricky one to review because a lot of characters are involved and have multiple names and I don't want to give away any twists! Edith is in a nursing home and being cared for by a young girl called Patience. Edith's daughter can't afford to pay for her care anymore and Patience helps Edith run away from the home. This was such an excellent and gripping thriller with likeable characters and completely unpredictable!

This novel has a very different feel to others by Feeney. Less of the delicious twists and turns and more of a build of characters and pressure. It is just as enjoyable - but perhaps harder to get into than her other books.

A great read, highly recommended.

Perhaps it was my error, but I went into Good Bad Girl expecting the author's usual style of book and as a result, was quite disappointed in the end result. It had no of the usual excitement or twists and turns of Feeney's other books (which I've really enjoyed) and just all felt a bit flat for me personally. There are too many POVs in my opinion and while I usually like short chapters, I found as a result of this and the multiple POVs that I didn't really connect with any of the characters. I also felt like it was really obvious where the plot was going and while there was a couple of 'twists', they just weren't enough to lift the book for me. While I could appreciate the theme of mother & daughter's, I do think this book could have been sold better on the whole.