Fast paced and with Feeney's usual meticulous plotting, this is a brilliant read.

The dual timeline heightens the sense of narrative mystery and the accomplished prose creates an air of tension.

The characters are authentic and their stories are weaved together effortlessly towards a satisfying and surprising ending.

Highly Recommended

Good Bad Girl by Alice Feeney

Twenty years after a baby is stolen from a stroller, a woman is murdered in a care home. The two crimes are somehow linked, and a good bad girl may be the key to discovering the truth.

Edith may have been tricked into a nursing home. Patience works there, cleaning messes and bonding with Edith, a kindred spirit. But Patience is lying to Edith about almost everything....

Edith’s own daughter, Clio, won’t speak to her. And someone new is about to knock on Clio’s door…and their intentions aren’t good.

With every reason to distrust each other, the women must solve a mystery with three suspects, two murders, and one victim. If they do, they might just find out what happened to the baby who disappeared, the mother who lost her, and the connections that bind them.

I really enjoyed this author's previous book 'Rock Paper Scissors' but unfortunately this one just didn't do it for me. It was difficult to keep track of each character and their relationship to the others. The timeline based on the kidnapping was confusing too. This was probably done on purpose to keep the reader guessing as to who the mum/baby was but I didn't love it. A not-sp-thrilling read for me.

2.5 rounded up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to @netgalley and @panmacmillan for the advanced digital copy to read and review.

Another great book from Alice Feeney! I couldn’t put it down! So gripping and atmospheric. Thank you to Netgalleyand the publisher for allowing me early access to this title

I have really enjoyed all of this authors previous books and was thrilled to get the chance to review this one! This is a dual timeline intricately woven mystery told from multiple female perspectives. It was a bit of a slow burn and I also felt the ending was a bit underwhelming. I also found some of the twists and turn quite predictable. It’s not my favourite book by this author but I still thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest, independent review.

Twenty years ago, a baby girl is taken from her pushchair on Mother's Day.

In the present day, it's Mother's Day, but Frankie's daughter is missing. Edith lives in a nursing home, where she was forced to move in by her daughter Clio. Patience works at the care home and befriends Edith, bringing some joy to her life.

But a murder takes place, and the women are not only connected to each other, but to the abduction which took place twenty years ago.

Although this book starts off slow, it quickly becomes addictive and kept me reading well into the early hours!

The plot cleverly weaves each character's threads together, building suspense with unexpected revelations and an exploration of good vs. bad.

The mother/daughter relationship is explored through brilliantly developed characters that feel authentic. The novel features four perspectives - Edith, Patience, Frankie, and Clio - each with alternating chapters. Although it may initially be confusing, the story becomes clearer as you become familiar with each character and their connections to one another. In the end, all loose ends are tied together seamlessly.

I've only read two of Feeney's other novels, but this one is definitely my favourite!

This was the fast paced book I needed. I flew through this with ease.
While I tried to figure out the murder, I felt like it was a little messy surrounding that. But it also wasn't really the main focus.
This also felt more like a light thriller. While it did involve a missing child it didn't feel as dark or intense as I expected.
I did enjoy this but outside the murder and the twist regarding one of the mothers I had guessed the baby and most of the twists pretty early or easily.

Rating : 4,25 stars
Sometimes bad things happen to good people, so good people have to do bad things.
I feel like this line from both the synopsis and the book really illustrates the story and its complexity.

Told from multiple POVs and multiple timelines, Good Bad Girl is the perfect example of how amazing Feeney is as a writer. She manages to slowly weave a story during these chapters, when at first, you literally don't know anything. You don't know who the characters are or what they want, and you don't have any clue what this actual timeline is. And somehow, somehow Feeney makes it work. She keeps you entertained and leaves you wanting more at the end of every chapter.

The characters here were all extremely complex and it was interest to be able to dive into their respective POVs and understand what motivates them to act this way, to do bad things. What makes it even more interesting is how they each have their own moral compass, their own logic and their own sense of righteousness.

The plot itself was interesting and kept me interested til the end. But I have to admit, I guessed most of the twists early on, and so the big reveal didn't completely took me by surprise and left me gasping the way Rock Paper Scissors and Daisy Darker did.

That being said, I'll never get over Alice Feeney's writing and the characters she portrays these intricate characters with such ease.
I definitely recommend this book, especially as Spooky Season is coming on. If you love thrillers and suspense stories, this is perfect for you !

Thank you NetGalley, Pan McMillan and the author for an eARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes bad things happen to good people, so good people have to do bad things.
Twenty years after a baby is stolen from a stroller, a woman is murdered in a care home. The two crimes are somehow linked, and a good bad girl may be the key to discovering the truth.

As always Alice Feeney has me in the edge of my seat I was so sucked into this story. As I have come to expect from Alice Feeney the twists smacked me in the face with no warning whatsoever and I was kept guessing all the way to the end of should I say beginning.

Thank you to Netgalley, Pan MacMillian and Alice Feeney for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Feeney’s books give me WHIPLASH. Some I absolutely love, give solid five stars to and rave to everyone about, and others I just don’t enjoy. I was on the fence with this one..

THE POSITIVES — I LOVE a book with multiple character perspectives and this one had four, one of which was anonymous. There is a lot of sinister unease created throughout the plot, and the multiple plot lines coming together was so 👏🏽 satisfying 👏🏽 I think the characters were well-written, particularly Patience and Edith, and I LOVED the ending.

HOWEVER… Like her most recent release DAISY DARKER, this book differs slightly in that it’s more a domestic thriller with some psychological elements + a strong focus on family relationships. Unlike DD, this just felt like it took a long time to get going. The pacing was slowwwww (I have the attention span of a fly) + much like in SOMETIMES I LIE, the writing was very metaphorical (I can’t think of any other word to describe it) 🫠

Overall, this was gripping + intriguing, in that I really wanted to know what was going on, but on the other end of the scale from HIS & HERS or I KNOW WHO YOU ARE, which were super twisty, dark + action-packed, I’d put it in the same boat as SOMETIMES I LIE. I just didn’t get the urge to keep picking it up..

If you go in expecting a mystery rather than a thriller, you’ll probably enjoy this! 🙌🏽

𝐹𝐸𝐸𝑁𝐸𝑌 𝐹𝐴𝑉𝐸𝑆 + 𝑅𝐴𝑁𝐾𝐼𝑁𝐺:
#𝟏 — His & hers 🪢
#𝟐 — Daisy Darker 🌊
#𝟑 — I know who you are 🔎
#𝟒 — Rock paper scissors ✂️
#𝟓 — Good bad girl ☂️
#𝟔 — Sometimes I lie 🗝️

-
[𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 @𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 (𝘐𝘎), 𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩.] —— 𝑬𝒇𝒇𝒚 @𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍 🥀

A baby gets taken from a trolley. An elderly lady has a dog smuggled to her care home. A woman steals a paper cut-out from her therapist’s office. A prison librarian quits her job.

Sounds great, right?

I promised myself I’d try to be gentle with this one because in the afterword the author says she went through a heartbreak after she started writing it. So:

Pros:

- beautiful quotes

Alice Feeney can write in such a gorgeous manner. This is my 2nd novel by her & in both of them I thoroughly related to the MCs in their attitude to books. AF seems to channel her love for books into her characters, & it feels so genuine & organic that I can’t help but think books have shaped her own childhood in a way similar to how they’ve shaped mine:

“A good book can be a light in the darkness. A good book can cure loneliness, change minds, or even change the world. A good book is nothing less than magic. Books sheltered her from the reality of an unhappy childhood, letting her hide between the pages of a story whenever real life got too loud.”

I revel in the way she writes about little girls seeking solace in books, when their mothers are like this:
“Her mother was a woman whose grudges had grudges.”

I also liked the way this book explored difficult relations between mothers and daughters. But…

Cons:

- Not enough thrills;
- Too much introspection and long chapters with no dialogues in them;
- Characters continuously vaguely dwelling on their past traumas that are unknown to the reader for a REALLY long time. Yes, I know the MC is scarred. And the other one is scarred, too. Oh, & that one is even more scarred. But why?!

The length of time we don’t know that is really frustrating, with not much happening in the meantime. 50% through the book, I was not on the edge of my seat, I was just annoyed & wanted it to end.

I hope the author heals from whatever happened in her life & I wish her all the best. I know I’ll still read anything she has written/will write because her words can be magical.

Good Bad Girl has quite a lot of twists along the way, most of which turn out to be red herrings and a bit of a disappointment but I was still enthralled. Feeney's writing style in this book reminded me of Richard Osman; a little bit quirky and a little bit unbelievable... I still enjoyed it though.

Another great novel from Alice Feeney; unlike her previous works I did find this one a little predictable and missed the sudden plot twist I have come to expect and love from her other books.

An interesting story, and the idea was good, but I didn't feel it really worked. The storyline seemed very forced, and the characters never really rang true. This is an entertaining book, but ultimately a bit disappointing.

This book had me hooked from the start as per other titles by Alice feeney. She never fails to disappoint me with a page turner!


4/5 stars

Thank you netgalley and the publishers for this arc

3.5* rounded up to 4*.

This book was definitely not Alice’s best but I enjoyed it far more than Daisy Darker.

The plot was hard to yet to grips with at the beginning however it did begin to make sense as the pace picked up.

The character development in this book was really good & I loved getting to know Patience and her story, as well as how they linked to every other character.

The twist towards the end made everything make so much more sense.

I’d definitely recommend this if you’re after a good twist, short(ish) chapters and strong character development!!

An unusual storyline that had me gripped. I have to admit, at times, I wasn’t sure where it was going but I enjoyed the characters and towards the end were a few unexpected revelations

Told over 3 perspectives and spanning a couple of decades the story follows the convoluted lives of 3 women, intertwined by loss and unaware of their connections.
As the bodies heap up and the details are gradually revealed the relationships become clearer but the motives remain muddy right to the big reveal!
great book.

This was my first Alice Feeney, and I was really excited since she’s a popular author and I got the chance to read an arc of hers. I had high hopes and was sadly let down. From the very beginning I didn’t like the writing style, and I’m not sure if it's the arc, but the layout just seemed weird. I’m already confused, and it just makes me feel uninterested in the story. I know you’re meant to not know information for the reveals, but maybe it could have been more neater so the audience doesn’t feel lost.
I really loved the story/concept; but the writing was really bad! There was 1 typo that I found, but aside from that, the writing was corny and repetitive. For example, “but Clio is never really alone. Her guilt and her grief are always with her.” Another example of corny writing is “Frankie doesn't wear makeup, her mask is skin deep.” It just seems like a depressed teenager is writing this. 70% in the book, information was being given, but it just seems like things were meant to confuse you, and then being called “twists' '. There were also many, many times that things were said; too much repetitive writing. I will say that the last 20% of the book was really good. There was a twist I didn’t see coming, and the ending was very good! I did love it.
I only enjoyed the last 15% of this book, this part was a 5 star, but the writing for the rest of the 85% of this book?....have to give this book a 2 star.

An enjoyable thriller about motherhood and deception.

SYNOPSIS:

"Twenty years after a baby is stolen from a stroller, a woman is murdered in a care home. The two crimes are somehow linked, and a good bad girl may be the key to discovering the truth.

Edith may have been tricked into a nursing home, but at eighty-years-young, she’s planning her escape. Patience works there, cleaning messes and bonding with Edith, a kindred spirit. But Patience is lying to Edith about almost everything.

Edith’s own daughter, Clio, won’t speak to her. And someone new is about to knock on Clio’s door…and their intentions aren’t good..."

MY THOUGHTS:

🐞 After reading and LOVING Daisy Darker last year, Alice Feeney's new book was a must read, she'll always be an "auto-buy/read" author for me.

🐞 In true Feeney style, she intrigues you from the outset, that being said in contrast to many other of her books this felt like more of a slow burn than the few I've read. That's not a bad thing, just different.

🐞 There were multiple POVs and timelines and, maybe it's just me, but I found this very confusing to keep track of for a large majority of the book.

🐞 Feeney focusses this story on difficult subjects in this one: child abduction, postpartum depression, mother-daughter relationships, motherhood.

🐞 Less page-turning thriller and more enjoyable domestic drama. That's not a bad thing either, it's just not what I expected.

🐞 It's still an enjoyable read!

This was quite a frustrating read.
There were so many red herrings and dead ends I felt like I was being toyed with rather than going on a journey.
So much emphasis was put on trying to keep us in the dark or surprise us that I couldn't really get stuck in I'm afraid. And I didn't really like any of the characters either which didn't help.

I read Daisy Darker, the author's previous novel, and found some similarities: unrealisitc set-up, lots of members of the same family pulling against each other, supposedly massive secrets that are alluded to in sinister tones, people asking silly questions or behaving in an unrealistic manner in the face of danger and a quite basic reveal.
Not for me, sorry.