This was so interesting! Even after finishing it, I'm not entirely sure what I think. I'd love to discuss it with friends and I'll definitely ve thinking about it for a long time to come.

If someone seems too good to be true... Araminta Hall is on fine, furious form in this evisceration of gendered violence

Thank you Pan Macmillan for the ARC. This was one of my most anticipated reads. I think the subject matter makes it a great read for a book club. Lots to discuss.

The story starts with Cole, the perfect husband, who's having to rebuild his life after his wife leaves him. I wasn't sure I'd enjoy this story, but you soon learn there's a lot more that's led to this divorce. Very clever story which I thoroughly enjoyed.

One of the Good Guys is in a league of it's own, Initially I nearly gave up as Cole was giving me the 'ick' until I realised that he was just a vehicle for the most thought provoking book of fiction I have ever read. It will challenge a lot of your beliefs but clearly shows how biased society towards men, especially white, middle class men, and yes it is time things changed, Araminta Hall is such a clever writer and this is the first of her books that I have come across but I will be on the look out for others now.

Araminta Hall’s “One of the Good Guys” is a fascinating story of love, redemption, and self-discovery and had me turning the pages as fast as possible. Cole seems to be the perfect husband whose life takes an unexpected turn when his wife leaves him. Cole tries to make a fresh start on the coast with the beautiful scenery in a seaside cottage. Cole meets an artist named Leonora, who lives next door and is instantly drawn to her.

Before long a connection is made but everything changes when two young women activists raising awareness about gendered violence disappear and Cole and Leonora are thrown into the middle of a police investigation. What follows is a frenzy of media speculation and revelations which serves to rise the tensions and leave the couple realising they don’t know each other as well as they thought.

This is the first novel I have read by this author and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Good strong characters that are flawed and interesting and a plot that pulls you in and keeps you riveted.

This is a good solid read that I found captivating, interesting and difficult to put down. A well thought out plot with good characters that is well executed.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Rounded up from 3.5.
Very slow beginning but loved the fast pace of the middle and end. Also loved all the different forms of communication, I.e WhatsApps and texts and forums.

Cleverly written story about how men treat women. Main character Cole thinks he’s one of the good guys but I hated him instantly. Lots of different points of views with social media added into story. Would be a great book for a book club as lots of discussion points.

Following the recent split from his wife, Cole leaves London for a fresh start in the countryside. There, he meets Leonora, a reclusive artist who seems to truly understand him. But as the pair get to know each other, two young women walking to raise awareness about gendered violence suddenly disappear while passing through the area. Cole and Leonora are drawn into the police investigation and resulting media frenzy as the world debates first what might have happened to the two women, and then the absolute sh*tstorm of opinions when the truth is revealed.

When I picked up this book initially, I was expecting the usual crime/mystery/thriller, in which someone goes missing and someone else eventually discovers that their potential love interest has done something terrible and they themselves are now in danger, etc, etc. One of the Good Guys isn’t that.

The first part was kind of slow and a little dull, while we follow Cole starting his new life and wondering what on earth went wrong in his marriage. I wasn’t sure where things were going at that point, but there was a sense of wrongness that suggested things were not as they seemed. The book really picked up in the second part, where a much more revealing history is shared by Cole’s ex-wife, Mel. This is where the tension really started to build and the book became, quite honestly, incredibly stressful.

Once the truth has been revealed, the fallout in part 3 is told through news reports, online discussions, a podcast and other media, which I thoroughly enjoyed. This is also where the story itself takes a backseat and the focus is much more on the discussion of gendered violence against women. It’s not a fun subject, but an important and complex topic which is well represented within this story.

I do like feminist fiction so was thrilled to be offered a copy of this book.

It was a great read, I flew through it in two days.

None of the characters were particularly likeable and it did tend to drag a bit towards the end which is why it lost a star.

Otherwise it's a good book with a very important message.

A very clever book that adds to the conversation started by the recent wave of feminist crime fiction. I enjoyed the way the story unfolds step by step with each of the three narrators offering a slightly skewered view of the events that happened, and leaving the reader always questioning who to trust while also making us aware of our own biases. I'd heard a lot about this book before reading and it didn't disappoint!

What a fabulous read !
I have really enjoyed reading this authors books and this one is no exception. I couldn’t put it down,So topical right now.
Very eye opening to say the least.
I give it 5⭐️’s

In lots of ways a ,difficult read , the main subject being the relationship between men and women. The first part felt fairly interminable, consisting of a very long chapter from Cole's viewpoint . The next parts are written from different points of views, including Cole's wife (Mel), an artist, Lennie as well as some social media, app messages. Mel's part, in the middle of the book, helped me to find out what the book was about and shed a sinister light on the first part.
The mystery was unsettling and I thought that the last part went a step too far in polarizing gender issues. Yes there were instances of violence towards women, but I`m not sure that the actions taken in the book are the way forward. I did not care for any of the characters and I`m left with a niggle that Cole possibly has a physical condition.
I did not enjoy this book, though it has in some ways given me food for thought.
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC

I wasn't as mad about this book as some of the other reviewers. Although it dealt with important issues of male violence against women and coercive control, and was ultimately satisfying in its outcome, I felt the story was a bit contrived and 'convenient' - eg even the first task of purchasing 2 isolated dwellings (where both dwellers would be happy) on the edge of a cliff in time for the plan to even begin!
So, putting reality aside it was a good story. The revenge of which we'd all like to believe possible. A very creepy character is introduced to us; from the beginning where he's a 'good' guy, red flags are waving! I liked that not all the female characters were 'nice' - the rude walkers being 2 of the unpleaseant ones (though with hindsight, we do understand why). Interesting, but I felt a bit too simple at times - it read like a YA story, which perhaps it is (please forgive my ignorance if this is the case). It will appeal to younger women particularly and does entertain.

I received a gifted copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review as part of the book tour hosted by Random Things Tours.

One of the Good Guys is a thought-provoking read that has you nodding your head, reflecting and very eye-opening and believable.
We follow Cole in the first half of the book and his story and then follow Lenny and Mels. It's hard to write this and keep it spoiler free, so I will say that my mind was blown away by the twist in this book. So much in this book was relatable to me from relationships and men I've known in the past and so I urge all women to read this to open their eyes to certain subjects and widen their knowledge and understanding of them too. The use of mixed media was so effective in this book and cleverly added, and the art show blew my mind!

Wow - what a book to start the new year with.

One Of The Good Guys has left me with mixed feelings - it begins with a premise I have seen on social media, why are women scared to be out alone when the majority of men say they are good guys? The 'not all men' narrative is interwoven with a range of complex issues including gender stereotypes, the rise of incel culture, coercive control and generational misogyny.

At the start we meet Cole, newly separated from his wife Mel and the first part of the story is from his POV - he seems relatively meek and talks about really trying hard to do the right thing and be a positive male role model - but something doesn't seem quite right.

Once the POVs change we start to build the bigger picture - Mel's perspective shows Cole in a much more passive-aggressive light. He has moved away for a fresh start to a remote cliffside area, where he meets Lennie, an artist who has also recently moved to the area.

The second half of the book has a much faster pace and moves around different POVs including social media posts - I think these showed pretty accurately how news is handled by these outlets and how easy it is to be armchair judge and jury with limited facts and no actual proof of wrongdoing.

The story is complex and I found it incredibly absorbing while also being a fairly uncomfortable read. I liked how the ending was unexpected (for me anyway) and how the reader gets to see some of the fallout - I think bookclubs will have great discussions about the book overall and the themes and psychological issues raised.

I can't say that I enjoyed this book exactly, it stirred up emotions I wasn't expecting and the themes will linger with me for a while. I get that the book has dramatised a lot for effect, but I felt unsettled by how close it all seemed to events relating to violence against women and how these have played out in real life especially across news cycles and social media.

Hmmm. Hard to review this one. In some ways it was great in others it had me saying, no I don't think so, Doubtless it will provoke debate and probably a good one for a book club to read. I didn't particularly click with it though. Confusing and some things just becaause you can ray=ther than required for the book?
2.5/5 stars

I was already a fan of Araminta Hall books so I have been eagerly looking forward to this one. But even so I didn’t expect to race through it in quite the way I did or for it to be such a thought-provoking read. Trust me it is going to get people talking so can I suggest you pick up a copy sooner rather than later!

Following the break up of his marriage, Cole struggles to understand what went wrong as in his mind at least he is “one of the good guys”. He moves to the coast and takes a job as a ranger. He befriends his neighbour Leonora, an artist, but the two of them find themselves caught in a media storm when two young female activists go missing nearby.

I was lucky enough to read this as part of a readalong and this is the perfect book for a readalong as it certainly got everyone talking. It was fascinating to hear people’s, often differing, views, as well as how those views changed over the course of the book, which is told first from Cole’s point of view, then his ex wife Mel’s very different perspective on their marriage before a third section which switches between Lennie and mixed media.

It’s a book where all the characters are pretty unlikeable but that is kind of the point as you are left to make your own decisions about them and about whether actions are justifiable. It raises many important topics, from gender relationships and the different standards to which men and women are held, to control and consent and as such it can’t fail to get you thinking, whilst at the same time being an unputdownable read!

I normally love this author's novels; this one, not so much.

Cole is a good husband; he knows because he keeps telling himself so. When his wife leaves him, he's shocked but moves on with his life getting out of London and into the country as he' always wanted. There he meets reclusive artist, Lennie, living in a cottage perched almost at the very edge of the cliff. As they develop their friendship, two young women on a walk to promote women's safety go missing from the area plunging them and everyone else in the vicinity into a frenzy with the police and media. Then they realise that they really don't know each other at all . . .

I disliked the style of this one. Changing narrators regularly is something I find rather confusing and in this book I had to retrace my steps far too often to find out who was talking. Much as I consider myself a feminist, I suspect this is intended more to stir up a conversation than anything else.. The part I truly disliked was what I consider to be entrapment. I dare say this could prompt many conversations but not for me. 3.5*.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

I heard so many great early reviews for this book so I couldn't wait to read it. This was such a thought provoking book which I couldn't put down!

The story is written from several different perspectives. It starts with Cole who has recently separated from his wife following unsuccessful ivf attempts. He has moved away from London to start a new life in a remote coastal cottage. He meets Leonora who has also recently moved and they begin to form a connection.

As the book develops we find out more from his wife Mel and what led them to separate. There are also chapters written by Leonora as she starts to form a relationship with Cole. Is Cole one of the 'good guys' or is it not quite how it seems!

It is hard to talk about this book without giving anything away
and definitely made me question each of the main characters, their flaws and where the blame should lay with what happened. I kept changing my mind as I read each person's version of events. Who waa morally in the right and were the actions in the story justified?
This book really makes you think!
It was so cleverly written.

If you enjoy psychological character driven thrillers with a feminist twist I would highly recommend this one.