“This is how people die”

This is my first Christina Henry read and now I need to read everything she’s ever written. I loved the blurb and expected this book to be fun, but not this much fun!

Desperately trying to survive the horror stories they’ve been cast in without their consent are Celia, Allie and Maggie.

Celia has a husband and young daughter she doesn’t recognise. She owns a restaurant near her home in a town she doesn’t know. Unsure if she’s experiencing amnesia or something more nefarious, Celia suspects that this is not her life.

“You’re the number one suspect.”

Allie’s girl’s weekend was hijacked by her friends’ boyfriends. Now she’s using her horror movie knowledge to avoid being added to the body count.

“Movies are fun and all, but that kind of stuff doesn’t usually happen in real life. Usually.”

Maggie has twelve hours to successfully complete the Maze. Her daughter’s life depends on it. Although characters reference The Hunger Games while Maggie does her best to ensure her insides don’t become her outsides, I kept thinking of Squid Game.

“Let the game begin”

There was plenty of action and blood spatter, and I enjoyed the anticipation as the body count grew. I loved figuring out what was going on along with the women and watching them use their individual skills and knowledge to outwit, outplay and outlast.

“Men always underestimate women”

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Titan Books introducing me to a new favourite author.

This was my first Christina Henry book, but I'd heard alot and was excited to dive into this one. The book is split into three sections each featuring a different women in a strange chilling predicament. The plot was a little predictable but I enjoyed it a lot. When I read the synopsis I was most interested to read was the third one as I'm a huge fan of movies like Hunger Games and Escape Room but I actual found I liked the other two sections more. I will for sure check out other works as I enjoyed the authors style. I purchased the Alice series to read next. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an early copy of this book.

https://lynns-books.com/2023/11/30/good-girls-dont-die-by-christina-henry/
4 of 5 stars
My Five Word TL:DR Review : A Great Play on Tropes

I’ve had a few days to kick back and let my feelings settle on this one and to really have a good think about it. The reason, the ending felt a little rushed, but, on reflection I found this such a gripping and clever read. It has three, on the face of it, storylines, but in actual fact they all have something in common and converge to make a tense, edge of seat, conclusion that, although quickly resolved, is all about women taking back control – which I have to say I loved. So, yeah, I had a really good time with this.

Our central characters are Celia, Allie and Maggie. Three women, unknown to each other who each wind up in, well, your basic nightmare situation.

Celia wakes up one morning and she can’t remember anything. Everything around her seems wrong. She’s living in a house with a daughter who’s name she can’t remember and a husband that she feels no emotion for. At first, Celia tries to fit in, inside she’s in turmoil thinking she’s having a breakdown and just going with the flow but deep down she doesn’t trust what’s going on around her. In fairly short order, it becomes apparent that Celia seems to be in some sort of Truman/Stepford Wives situation. What isn’t clear is why?

Allie is about to have a birthday weekend away with her two best friends. In fairness the three are a little out of sync and Allie is pinning her hopes on this weekend away to bring them back together. Of course, we all know that saying about the best laid plans. Yes, instead of a weekend at the beach with the girls Allie instead finds that her friends boyfriends have interjected themselves into the fun and they’re all about to spend their weekend in a cabin in the woods – and of course Allie is the third wheel. Similarly to Celia, Allie just feels that something isn’t right almost immediately. She feels uncomfortable and her instincts are telling her to get out of there. This is your basic slasher situation. Wrong Turn, Michael Myers, Cabin in the Woods. Run Allie. Run.

Maggie’s story is slightly different. As soon as she wakes up she’s under no delusions. She’s been abducted, along with nine other women and they’re about to be forced to take part in a deadly game. The leverage, each of the women are being almost held to ransom by the threat of violence being inflicted on a loved one. Pretty soon Maggie finds herself in a survival of the fittest type of scenario reminiscent of The Hunger Games or the Maze.

So, what I really liked a about this.

Firstly all three scenarios are written so well. Individually they are interesting and gripping stories that I enjoyed reading just in themselves, but on top of that I was so intrigued about what was going on and why these women were in this situation.

Secondly. I really liked all three characters. These are assertive women who refuse to back down. They trust their instincts and don’t sit around in situations in which they feel uncomfortable waiting to be rescued by someone else. They take the initiative.

Thirdly. I loved the play on horror/thriller/mystery tropes. I mean, all the stories feel like falling into a comfort zone (well that sounds a bit wrong – your basic horror story feeling comfortable!). You feel like you know what’s going to happen. You can just feel it, and at the same time it’s kind of frustrating because you’re like ‘nooooo, don’t fall into this trap’ – and that’s what makes it so gripping.

On top of this, there are hints of what’s going on at the start of each chapter. And this really plays into why the characters are so good. I can’t really say anything more without being all spoilery.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this. The individual storylines were all absorbing and really well done. The characters were easy to like and there’s a great twist on the tropes. These women are not some sort of ninja kick ass warriors but they use their smarts and refuse to be underestimated. And, okay, the ending originally felt a little rushed, but on reflection I actually prefer it the way it is. At first I thought I wanted more but the way the ending turns is spot on really – the worm that turned and refused to be trodden under foot any longer.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

This is an excellent thriller!
A thriller about women who love books and are basically forced into the genre they enjoy against their will in a sick game. This has really strong The Truman Show vibes, which is an excellent movie.

Something I really admired about this book was that all the MCs recognise when they are being lead and always makes sure to do the opposite as a 'fuck you' to the people who put them in that situation. They are big readers and know not to fall for the stereotypical pitfalls that we watch other characters in books and movies fall for.

In the first part the narrative does constantly tell you that she suspects things are staged, which gets redundant. But this is my only true complaint. Also I wasn't liking the 2nd girls personality but she became more self aware and wanted to change her outlook on things which made it better.

The ending was strong, as were the characters. Its so refreshing to read a book with intelligent characters in it!

Good Girls Don’t Die
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
[ad / pr product]

First of all, it’s publication day for this fabulously thrilling read today! So go grab yourself a copy right now!!

I absolutely loved this book. It was horror meets dystopian with a psychological thriller twist. We follow three different women, all in very strange scenarios. Celia wakes up in a house that isn’t hers and she doesn’t recognise the man claiming to be her husband. Allie goes away with some friends to a cabin in the woods, but in the middle of the night there is a banging on the door. Maggie wakes up in a shipping container with 12 other women, and if she wants to see her daughter again she needs to complete The Maze.

I loved the difference in horrors in each of these situations. Think Black Mirror ‘White Bear’ x The Cabin in the Woods x Squid Games. The dystopian elements really lifted this book another level for me and made me completely devour the book! I was so invested in each of these three women’s stories, and I honestly couldn’t the book down as I just needed to know what happened to each of them next!

I thought the way the twists were revealed in this was really clever - I did pick up on a few hints early on and had kind of figured out the ending, but the unravelling of this ending was genius and so well thought out.

If you’re looking for a fast-paced gripping read with elements of horror, thriller and dystopian, this book is the one for you.

Thank you so so much to @titanbooks for yet another fantastic read, and for including me on the blog tour!

Good Girls Don’t Die is out now!

My thanks to Titan Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Good Girls Don’t Die’ by Christina Henry.

This novel playfully explores the love of genre fiction. It is divided into four parts: one for each of its three protagonists and a concluding ‘All Together Now’. I would advise that this is the kind of thriller best read ‘cold’ in order to appreciate its twists and turns.

Celia is a fan of cosy mysteries, while Allie enjoys horror films and books, and finally Maggie loves YA dystopian novels. In this unusual locked room horror mystery each woman finds herself trapped in their favourite fictional world. Except the reality is a lot less fun when you are living it rather than reading….

“It would be great to live in a small town where there are lots of low-stakes murders and I could solve them while working in my family restaurant”. When Celia wakes up in a house that isn’t hers with a husband and daughter she doesn’t recognise, she wonders what is going on. She discovers that she is indeed running a family restaurant and then there is a murder..

“Hey, what’s everyone’s favorite horror trope—from books or movies? … allieoop: I’m a huge fan of the cabin in the woods.” Allison’s weekend break with her two girlfriends is sabotaged when their boyfriends crash the party and rather than head for the intended beach house they arrive at a cabin in the woods. It’s not long until their weekend fun is shattered when a killer shows up.

“I love those YA books with the dystopic future and dangerous killing games and their painfully obvious love triangles” so says Maggie in an internet chat room. Then she wakes up along with nine other women, each wearing a t-shirt with a number on its back. They are all forced to complete The Maze – a deadly high-stakes obstacle course.

This was such a clever premise and Christina Henry incorporated plenty of familiar tropes and pop culture references along the way.

Overall, I enjoyed ‘Good Girls Don’t Die’ very much and remained engaged throughout. I will note that there’s a lot of graphic violence in the scenarios experienced by Allison and Maggie, while Celia’s world remains decidedly cosy…. even though there is plenty of underlying menace.

Whenever a Christina Henry book is announced I get a little bit excited. Her stories tend to be ones that grab me pretty quickly, books that I find hard to put down. Her writing has helped me through reading slumps, and have kept me up all night. And Good Girls Don't Die is no exception. And whilst I've always found the blurbs for her stories to be intriguing, this is the one that grabbed me the most. Three different women, in three vastly different scenarios, all fighting for their lives.

Good Girls Don't Die is split into three distinct parts. The first part follows Celia, a married mother who runs an Italian restaurant in a small town. She goes running with her friend, drinks white wine and watches trash TV, and is your stereotypical well of business mum. But the main problem is that Celia can't remember her family. She finds herself standing in her kitchen, her daughter pestering her for her lunch, but has no idea who she is. She doesn't recognise her husband, and her home feels alien to her.

Not sure what to do, she tries to fake it through the day, pretending to be fine and normal, hoping that her memories come back to her. She settles into her routine at her restaurant, chats with her staff, and even gets into an argument with her neighbour over the restaurant bins. It's all normal, mundane, and quaint. But then Celia discovers a dead body, and she looks to be suspect number one in the case. And it all feels familiar to her, to the cosy mystery stories that she knows she's read before, even though her house has no books in it.

It's then that she starts to realise that none of her life feels right, that she has faint memories of living in the city, that she wasn't married, and that this town isn't her home at all. With her memories a jumble, she sets out to see if she can solve the murder, as well as find out some answers to her own mystery. But nothing could prepare her for the truth.

The second segment of the book focuses on Allie, a college girl who's supposed to be going on a beach trip with her girl friends to celebrate her birthday. But when her two friends invite their boyfriends along it starts to sour her mood. When she falls asleep in the car she's shocked to wake up to find that they're at a cabin in the middle of the woods. It looks like one of the guys decided this would be better, and completely derailed her plans.

Trying to make the best of things, dealing with two friends who hardly seem to care that they ruined her weekend, and with a guy that Allie is sure wants to do something creepy to her, things take a turn when someone begins knocking on the cabin walls in the middle of the night. Soon things begin to escalate, and the group of teens realise they're not alone in the woods. Worse still, their cabin has no locks on any of the doors or windows.

With things spiralling out of control, Allie has to try and get everyone to listen to her, knowing that if they don't work together the unseen assailant will pick them off one by one. After all, this is just like the slasher horror films that Allie loves to watch.

After this we meet Maggie, who wakes up to find herself and nine other women locked into a shipping container. The group of women are told that not only have they been taken prisoner, but a loved one for each of them has too. They have twelve hours in which to make their way through a maze filled with traps and challenges, or they and their loved ones will die. To prove their point, the masked men who take them kill one of them, showing the group that this really is a game of life and death.

Maggie sets out with a group of other women to try and make it to the end, desperate to get out so that she and her daughter are safe. It soon becomes apparent, however, that the people who put them into the maze don't want to make things easy for them, and the group are beset by deadly traps and twisted challenges that start to whittle their numbers down. Can Maggie use her love of YA post apocalypse fiction to help them through the maze and to freedom.






Early on into the book it becomes clear that Celia's life is a fake, that she's living through some twisted game-like scenario. Not long after reaching the cabin in the woods Allie begins to notice that things don't seem right, that stuff is too new, too odd to make much sense. And Maggie knows that she's in a twisted game of death. The big mystery of the book is how do these things all connect, if they do?

Christina Henry does something truly brilliant with this book, she creates three separate, distinct narratives in wildly different tones, each of which could be a book unto itself. The cosy mystery genre of Celia's story is easy to recognise, and Henry ticks off a number of tropes and stereotypes well, indicating that she could easily pivot to this genre of storytelling; and it's one that I'd love to see her take on. The forest slasher scenario feels lifted from a cheap 80's movie, and Allie knowing the tropes of those movies and trying actively to work against script is a great twist on the genre and feels wonderfully subversive. And Maggie's portion feels like every Hunger Games and Maze Runner type book, just with a group of adults rather than the teen protagonists you're used to seeing.

Henry manages to make each segment feel like it's part of these genres without it ever feeling like a send-up of them. You get the flavours of these different types of stories, with its own mystery undercurrent going through each of them, that comes together to make this really neat amalgam. Because Celia's segment comes first you have no idea what to expect, and don't know what her memory loss means. By the time you come to Allie's story, however, we've been given enough of a peek behind the curtain to begin to suspect trickery from page one, and it makes the beats of her story take on a different tone and makes you pay much more attention. And come Maggie's parts you know for certain that things are wrong, but hers is the part of the books that seems least like it's trying to convince you that stuff is normal, and so this knowledge doesn't help much. What you learn in each part and how it helps to shape the narrative and tone of the next is as much a part of the story as each individual segment, and Henry does a fantastic job at weaving it all together.

As well as a creative and compelling narrative Good Girls Don't Die has some fantastic lead characters. The main women in the book are clever, strong willed people who will do what it takes to survive, but without ever being cruel to do so. A prime example is Maggie, who could try to get through the maze on her own, but chooses to go slower to help others, to keep as many people alive as she can. The characters in the book are strong, capable, passionate women, and that is a part of the story. Without going into much, sexism and misogyny is a big part of the book, and a central theme come the end, and so showcasing these kind of women as being the targets for such hate makes sense. Weak, pathetic men hate women who know themselves, who don't back down to sexism, who aren't afraid to assert themselves. This book might be a fun mystery story that plays with genre expectations, but it's also got an important message about being a woman, and dealing with bigoted men.

I've had something of a reading slump the last few months. Despite having read more books this year than ever, most of them have been graphic novels, and I've been finding prose hard to engage with. I read Good Girls Don't Die in two days. It made me desperate to read one more chapter before I fell asleep, and come the end I just wanted more. I feel like this book was not only a wonderful, amazing read in itself, but that it also helped reignite my reading, and for that I'll love it even more.

Good Girls Don’t Die is an interesting premise. Three very different women find themselves in situations which appear to be impossible. Celia, Allie and Maggie. These women all have a love for stories and it is this love for books that is their gift to use if they are to make it out alive from these situations.

It’s a great mix of mystery and suspense with light elements of horror. We follow each woman as they question their reality and I enjoyed getting to know each character. The plot is very original and the pace is fast, propelling readers to the end.

Overall an entertaining and unique read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for the opportunity to read an advance copy of Good Girls Don’t Die.

I'm not sure if i was convinced by the explanations and the final part. I think the author did an excellent job in building a lot of suspence, describing disturbing situation and developing excellent characters.
I was a bit let down by the final part but it was an excellent story for most of it
Recommended because it's always a matter of mood and tasters
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I am a huge Christina Henry fan and I have to say Good Girls Don’t Die is probably tied with my favourite novel by her next to The Horseman. I adored the rather meta feel of the book. The way genres are considered, namely cosy crime, slasher and dystopian, is insanely good and Henry manages to put her dark touch on all of them. I also have to say the idea of who was pulling the strings – well I hate spoilers but I will say I could see a certain famous or rather infamous billionaire doing something similar.

It is hard to review without spoilers but I will try my best. First of all I have to say I adored the three main protagonists and the deuteragonist of Celia, Allie, Maggie and Sanya. Each one had their own strengths and of course weaknesses but they all managed to fight and survive till the end. It was a pleasant surprise to see Celia find her voice as well and strength through the story.

Each section was, in my opinion, perfectly executed (excuse the pun) but I do think that Allie’s was my favourite. It’s the slasher fan girl in me. But I adored that the characters were self aware and referenced popular culture, novels or movies. I particularly loved the Battle Royale reference. A fantastic book often overlooked in the dystopian genre. I also adored the references to wonderland and other little bits and pieces. It made the work feel much more real and centred in reality. And yes I do believe some people would believe they could take women (or men) and play god and get away with it too.

As already hinted at Henry’s writing style pairs perfectly with the subgenres and all of them get a dark twist. There is a lot of darkness and gore but I also find this is countered by the sisterhood these seemingly different women find together. Something I think is very relevant not just from the pseudo feminist reading but for highlighting the danger of toxic fandom environments and cyberbullying. Particularly relevant now when certain people gain or own monopoly over social media and allow hate and misinformation to be spread with seemingly no consciousness for there actions due to their wealth…. But I digress. Even if you don’t want to take away the deeper, not so hidden, meanings this is a brilliant horror novel that highlights how dangerous cyberbullying and toxic masculinity can go.

This is possibly the fasted book that I’ve read this year. From the very first page, Good Girls Don’t Die had me hooked and once I was hooked, I was causing smoke fricken with how fast I was turning the pages. This book is such good fun!

As with some of Christina Henry’s other books, I really enjoy her writing style and her subtle use of horror (as in, it’s not overly graphic or grotesque, but a perfect balance on ‘yuck’ and a pleasant story!)

Good Girls Don’t Die is a dystopian hell, focused on three very different women and their three very unique storylines, that all come together at the end.

The first story of Celia was definitely my favourite- a psychological horror of a women who doesn’t recognise her husband and she cannot remember a single thing….until she suddenly starts to get glimmers and understands that all is not what she is told it is.

Allie’s story is perfect for lovers of slasher horror - friends go to a cabin in the woods and find themselves tormented by a stranger banging on the outer walls - suddenly her friends and their surroundings don’t feel so real.

The final female is Maggie - she loves YA dystopian novels and didn’t expect to find herself waking up inside a shipping container - about to enter a maze for her and her loved one’s survival.

Three very fun and mind bending stories - with all of my favourite horror tropes.

The ending - well, I cannot say too much but the book comes together well and when I closed the back cover, I was one satisfied reader!

Good Girls Don’t Die was released yesterday and it’s one you don’t want to miss - perfect for those chilly nights, curled up on the sofa.

Thank you to Titan Books and NetGalley for my gifted review copy.

Three women find themselves in bizarre situations that somehow seem familiar. One is similar to a cosy mystery novel; another a cabin-in-the-woods horror movie; the third, a Hunger Games-style survival tale. Why? What’s happening? Who are these people?

I don’t think you’ll have read anything like this before. The nearest analogy I can think of is The Truman Show, but that’s not quite right. Imagine if you suddenly woke up in a book or movie scenario, with characters who didn’t quite speak correctly - almost as if scripted - and you literally had to fight to survive while discovering just what is going on.

I loved that the three protagonists here, Celia, Allie and Maggie, are so realistically drawn. The contrast between them and their situations really highlight the contrast between fiction and reality. As the movie ‘Cabin in the Woods’ (itself slyly referenced) lampshaded what was happening, this does so… before the heroine deviates hard. We’re off the map and into the weeds, script be damned, because whoever wrote it does not know these women well at all!

The only reason I put this book down was because my own life had things for me to do. The writing grips hard, I wanted to see what next - because I absolutely could not guess - and ultimately find out why each scenario was happening as the protagonists did. The conclusion was appropriate too; perhaps not as satisfying as a book/movie version would have been (ironically!), but as a hard Real World resolution.

I’ve enjoyed Christina’s work in the past, as her skill seems to be the creation of very multi-dimensional characters in what might otherwise be fairytale situations. This book expands on that idea, with the heroines out of their element but also in stories that are so very not their own. It’s a fascinating idea to explore, and I really loved it.

A definite recommend.

This was a book that, for me, had an amazing and entertaining set up, but the pay off was ultimately disappointing and flat. The individual stories of Maggie, Celia and Allie were really well done, building suspense and each employing fictional tropes in their own ways. I think I enjoyed Allie's section the most, with the slasher/isolated cabin aspects working really well and the gore ramped up compared to the other sections. Throughout each section, there is an overwhelming desire to know what is going on and why the women have found themselves in their particular situations. Unfortunately, I found the reason pretty lame and the ending just fell completely flat for me as a result, which is a genuine shame because the build up was super good fun.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Good Girls Don't Die by Christina Henry.
One day Celia wakes up in a house that isn’t hers with a husband she doesn’t recognise and a little girl she’s never seen before who claims to be her daughter. She tries to remember who she was before because she is certain that this life – the little family-run restaurant she owns in a gossipy small town, and a feud with a neighbour who ends up dead – is not hers. Allie and her friends travel to a remote cabin in the woods for the weekend. The cabin looks recently assembled and there are no animals or other life anywhere in the forest. Nothing about the place seems right and then in the middle of the night a stranger is banging on the cabin door…
Maggie, along with twelve other women, wakes up in a shipping container with the number three stamped on the back of her T-shirt. If she wants to see her daughter Paige again, Maggie must complete The Maze – a deadly high-stakes obstacle course. All three women find themselves in worlds not of their own making and must fight to escape the horrors unleashed on them.
A brilliant read. I was hooked. I liked Celia and Maggie. 5*.

Christina Henry’s work is always a delight to read and this deliciously meta genre smoothie of a thriller is no exception. This is a fantastic book, always with a slightly knowing nod but also a clear love for all genres involved.

The three primary genres under Henry’s meta microscope here are cosy crime, horror, and dystopian. All are blood soaked, dark, and gripping. The cosy crime section was thrilling and played so well on its atmosphere of small town secrets and bitter rivalries hiding behind smiles. It was distilled perfectly. As a bit of a Henry fan, I knew she excelled in horror territory and the one here is no exception. It is a classic slasher narrative, with a few twists and turns that are well-executed and genuinely catch you off guard. Of course, there are twists throughout the entire book that left me reeling. There is a bit of a jigsaw you can start to piece together and the payoff is excellent. The dystopian section was also incredible, with more of a moral dilemma focus and a definite exploration of the cost of survival.

I absolutely adored our three central characters: Celia, Allie, and Maggie. They were all so smart and perceptive, showcasing strength in a multitude of ways. Watching them develop within their own narratives and their character arcs within short sections were fantastic. From the start, you felt so connected to them and wanted them to succeed through their various trials. Their voices were distinctive and their knowledge of their genres really shone through. That was one of the best ways Henry played with the expected story beats and tropes of each genre. It was like row after row of Easter eggs that at once sent up the ridiculousness of the genres, but also felt like love letters to the little details we adore in each. Henry’s world-building is beyond. In such a short space of time, you get an immediate sense of the world and atmosphere trying to be conveyed. There is history, relationships, dynamics and more that are keenly felt in deft, effective and evocative ways.

There is this through line about women being at the mercy of men’s power and taking back control of their own narratives, with a very knowing twist on this classic feminist slogan. I was pleasantly surprised at how empowering it was at times, though it is within an extreme pressure cooker and Henry continues to challenge this until the very end. You have to ask yourself what decisions you would make in each scenario and Henry definitively shies away from any easy answers. There is a little thread of the importance of solidarity over individual success, but it is tinged and subverted in great ways. Of course, this gets pretty tangled within essentially a book about books with five plotlines to keep on your radar. It always felt so clear and easy to follow though, as we essentially go through the three genres being adoringly pastiched with some fascinating social media excerpts to look at too. There is a lot to be discussed around the treatment of these genres, particularly how the online fandom spaces for each of them are influenced by misogyny and some horrible, nasty comments that appear. I was surprised at how empowering the book ultimately was and how it sits within that murkiness by the ending. It is an ambiguous and morally dubious book at times. Henry delights in confronting your expectations, sometimes fulfilling the tropes and sometimes undermining them.

Good Girls Don’t Die is an excellent, explosive and experimental thriller that blends genres, tropes and storylines and culminates in a fantastic final sequence that will not be forgotten any time soon.

Post now live on The Nerd Daily and will be cross posted on my blog (A Short Book Lover) on the 28th.

This was a very fast-paced, engaging thriller! It was so easy to read, and kept me wanting to pick it back up again.

The first section, which focuses on Celia in a small-town cosy mystery setting (with amnesia!) was a banger to start on. Celia is a great character, and the amnesia bit was done pretty well. It kept the suspense up great, and it gave me Don't Worry Darling vibes.

Overall, I think this book relied too heavily on tropes/cliches, and the reveal was both predictable and too on the nose with some of the comments that were being made. I wanted it to play with these tropes, play with the predictability in a way that commented on the issues, but it felt like the book had only one point to it, and I didn't think the ending was satisfying enough given the set up of it.

However, if you like horror/thriller/crime/dystopia, you might enjoy this! Again, it was an engaging and gripping read!

Good Girls Don't Die
Thriller, Horror
Christina Henry
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

This book was quite slow to start. It got more interesting at around the 15% mark after Celia overhead a conversation between her "husband" and her "friend". After that, I was hooked on her story.

It was a little annoying when the book jumped to Allie's story. I was so invested in what was happening to Celia that it took me a little while to like Allie.

This happened again when the last group of women were added. I found it tricky to care about the characters that were introduced towards the end because I wanted to go back to what happened earlier.

The pacing wasn't great and the last 25% was the most interesting for me. Out of all of the women, I liked Celia and her story the most.

I don't feel like the answers that were given at the end were in enough detail. It all boils down to a rich man throwing a tantrum. He's an incel that believes all women are bitches, are worthless and weak.

The ending wasn't satisfying at all for me. I would've burnt the whole f*cking island down, including every single person that took part in hunting the women down, drugging them, building the scenes/areas and then going along with the plans. Matheson deserved to suffer a lot more than he did.

I wanted to know what happened to the women after. Did they get to safety? Did anyone believe them? Did Celia get her memories back? I have so many questions left unanswered.

*Thank you to @Netgalley, the author and the publishers for providing this ARC. This is my own opinion and an honest review, which I am leaving voluntarily*

What a page turner!

We join 3 women, all in stories that seem strange.

Celia, who is in a house with a family she doesn't recognise and a whole life that doesn't feel like hers... when she comes across a body....

Allie, who was meant to be on a girls trip but her friends brought their boyfriends and now they are in a remote cabin... with strange noises starting outside....

Maggie, joined by 12 other women, wakes with a number on her shirt and a deadly Maze to navigate in order to save her daughter who is being held captive....

3 women, 3 different stories where men seem to be at the centre of their troubles...

What does all this mean and how can they make it out....

This book was just so good. I struggled to put it down and throughly enjoyed the story, and all the pop culture references. Definitely is the kind of story that wouldn't feel out of place on Black Mirror.

Thanks to NetGalley and Titan Books for the chance to read and review this, and thanks to Christina for another amazing book!

Christina Henry is one of my fave horror authors. Her work is so unique and constantly has me on my toes. Ty for the e-arc and physical copy of this. I cant wait to dive into henry’s world again!!

I can’t remember the last time I was so hooked with a mystery/horror book!!

First, some things about the book:
1. Celia wakes up in a house that isn’t hers. She doesn’t recognise her husband or the little girl who claims to be her daughter. She tries to remember who she was before, because this life is not hers.

2. Allie is supposed to be on a fun weekend trip, but then her friend’s boyfriend unexpectedly invites the group to a remote cabin in the woods. There are no animals or other life in the forest. Then, in the middle of the night, someone bangs on the cabin door.

3. Maggie wakes up in a shipping container with the number three on the back of her shirt. If she wants to see her daughter again, Maggie must complete The Maze.

This is all written at the beginning of the arc I received. Now for my honest opinion.

What I liked:
- I loved how the story was written. The book has four parts, each part having each character’s storyline, and then the last one is something more. I was immediately hooked with Celia’s story. The mystery around her and around the town she lives in is really intriguing. She can’t trust anyone, not ever her memory. I loved the forgotten identity trope and I need more.

When everything looks like it’s starting to come together for Celia, the author moves on to Allie. She is smart, funny and trustworthy. I think I loved her story the most, because I’m a fan of horror and I got scared at some points. It was very raw what happened with her and her friends, I didn’t expect everything to escalate and I was on the edge of my seat. I was left with my mouth opened throughout the whole part and I was scared for her. I liked to see how she grew and how she’s not scared of almost anything. And I feel like she can beat a man pretty well.

The beginning of part 3 stars with Maggie who wakes up in a container together with other 12 women. I loved to see how smart she is in this forced game she has to play. She doesn’t make sudden decisions, she thinks before doing something and she would do anything to see her daughter again. The whole Maze is inspired after The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner, movies that I loved. Her part was more fast paced than the first two.


- I loved the small chat parts at the beginning of each chapter, and you have to read them carefully to see what they all have in common. Everything was made really smart by the author.

- “Good girls don’t die” it’s a very fast paced book, full of mystery and intrigue, with strong, intelligent and confident women. I loved how original was the plot and how it left me wanting for more. Even if there’s misogyny in the book, our heroines never backed down. You just root for them throughout the whole story and you can’t blame them for the decisions they made.


The only thing I did not like was the ending. I wasn’t disappointed by it, I just find it a little bit rushed. I realise what what’s happening at one point in the book, and that didn’t upset me. It’s not a predictable thriller. But the ending was just a little bit boring. Maybe I wanted them to take more revenge for what they went through. And I would’ve liked to see what happened after the book ended.
Nonetheless, I recommend reading it!