Wow this was an amazing book! It’s not often a book makes me sit down and really question my own thoughts. I would urge readers to go into this story knowing as little as possible (which makes it hard to write a concise review)
What I will say is that this book is incredibly well written and immersive. I think it will be a book that provokes a lot of discussion and will be very divisive.
Not everything is as it seems and there is no clear distinction between right and wrong. The social commentary is timely and thought provoking and mixed media is utilised in a powerful way. Each of the main characters believes they are behaving in a moral and reasonable way and it is left to the reader to ponder whether any of their actions are justifiable.
This is a complicated story which is tough to read at times, it is unapologetically realistic and controversial but at the same time is a well-paced thriller with unexpected twists and turns.
I will be thinking about this book for a long time to come and am excited to discuss with others after publication.

I was fortunate enough to also receive an audio arc of this book and the narration by Helen Keeley, Olivia Vinall and Elliot Fitzpatrick really brought this story to life

With thanks to Macmillan UK Audio and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this fantastic audiobook in return for an honest review

I listened to the audiobook which was very good and is told from three perspectives. The first is from Cole who was married to Mel. Their relationship has broken down and he has moved away for a fresh start to be by the coast. He believes he is one of the good guys - he looked after Mel and cared for her during their relationship didn’t he? So he can’t understand what went wrong. Listening to the audiobook leaves you in doubt as to Coles behaviour - he seems to mean ell but he is actually coercive and controlling and the things he says leaves you in doubt of the good character he professes to have. Cole meets Lennie, his new girlfriend at this point of the book but at the same time two young women who are passing through the area go missing. The other point of view in the book is told by Mel - Cole’s ex wife. We get quite a different account told here about their struggles with IVF and Mel’s feelings towards Cole. Lennie gives the third POV in the story. A great ending and one I didn’t expect. This is a thought provoking read, so well done on audiobook. The narrators - and there are a few bring the whole performance to life ( Elliot Fitzpatrick, Olivia Vinall, Helen Keeley, Olivia Dowd, Paul Panting, Heather along and Joe Gaminara). This is a clever read, slightly chilling and one you must read for yourself to draw your own conclusions. Thank you to McMillan Audio and Netgalley for my copy.

This book wasn’t what I expected but overall it was interesting. It probably wouldn’t have been something that I would have selected if I had properly known what it was about but I’m glad I still did.

I think from the cover and title I was imagining the Netflix series Dexter but it was completely different and deals with some controversial topics- the violence against women caused by men.

Although it was interesting, I did find this book to be very anti-men and I struggled to relate to any of the characters including the women.

I won’t write too much as I don’t want to give too much away but I would recommend really reading the blurb before approaching this book.

This book is quite a heavy read and I've found that I needed to take some time between finishing the book and writing a review.

Firstly, I listened to this one as an audiobook which I'd really recommend as the style of the writing really shines through this way. There are news stories, comments and podcast snippets that really made the story come to life. The book follows a very serious subject and everything just felt very real, like it could actually happen to you. It follows multiple POVs which I loved, but I did find it difficult at times to keep up with who was talking on the audiobook. I really enjoyed the mystery aspect of the story and loved trying to work out what was going to happen.

This is also the first book I've read from this author and I'm excited to pick up another one!

This book raced to the top of my favourite reads of the year, this is such a thought provoking read, which everyone will have an opinion on. It’s a hard book to review as it would be so easy to give away spoilers.

For me, all of the characters had red flags! whilst Cole wasn’t necessarily the nicest of people, I feel that his sexual preferences shouldn’t be used to shame him. I also couldn’t agree with actions of the woman and was surprised that some would see this as acceptable, especially when such actions take away the voices of real victims.

There are so many aspects of this book where readers will have different views (this was evident in the group chat) and people will feel that their opinion is the ‘right’ one.
Books like these are needed, to raise awareness but also demonstrate that some may go too far in their actions/beliefs and everything isn’t as black and white as we think.

#qotd - ‘Truth does not belong to the one who shouts the loudest’

I received an audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The narrators for this were all excellent - it was a great cast.

The story itself was very twisty - you really didn't know what was going to happen next! There is a lot of discussion about violence against women and the way that situations can be perceived by both genders. It would be a great book for discussion/debate.

I did enjoy the first 3/4 more than the last 1/4, which I think was just the way the story went for me. This was one of the rare times when I dont overly love any of the characters or their decisions but I still quite liked the book itself. There was a point in the middle where I was just devouring it and kept thinking about it.

**Listened to the audiobook**

Really enjoyed this book. Didn't have such high hopes for it at the beginning, as I found it very slow to get going - but the more the book went on, and the more twists and turns it had, the more I enjoyed it!
This book went in so many different directions, it kept you guessing throughout. It also left me with lots of questions, and think it would be a great 'book club' read because of that fact - it definitely would strike up some interesting debates.

The audio book narrator was great too!

Overall I was pleasantly surprised!

When Cole moves to the South Coast after his marriage falls apart, he meets artis Lennie. They instantly click and begin spending more and more time together, sharing their histories and getting to know each other. We see a glimpse of Cole's wife from his perspective, but when the narrative switches to her perspective, the story is well and truly flipped!

There are a lot of important and current topics covered in this book, including domestic abuse in all forms, rape, misogyny and consent, making it a relevant and thought-provoking read.

The narrations for each of the three main POV's were very well done and really helped to give a very thorough and well-rounded story. Adding in the social media aspect also added to that well.

A lot of people, women in particular, will identify with the range of situations portrayed in this book and, while it is a piece of fiction, the realistic descriptions of these may be difficult for some to read.

🎧Audio Book Review🎧

One Of The Good Guys
Araminta Hall

🌟🌟🌟🌟

This was a really uncomfortable read - in the best way possible!
It's one that will stick with me for quite some time because I honestly don't know how to feel about it's content!

This takes a brutal look at how society makes women feel and more specifically the way we are treated by men. But shows this from all pov's

Initially told through the eyes of Cole who describes his current and previous relationships as he sees them playing out.
It's such a clear perspective that I actually found myself feeling sorry for him.
I felt uncomfortable and the more I read, the more suspicious I became about this one sided view of events.

In the second part, we flash back to the beginning of Mel and Cole's relationship. Now seeing events through Mel's pov.
From the start, where they fall in love, then as things progress, we see how his actions were percieved by her.

Adding in the current storyline of the 'walk for women' girls going missing, creates the intriguing thread that pulls on the emotions and had me suspecting everyone and coming up with multiple different theories.

I enjoyed the final section being told through different media sources - Reddit chats, podcasts, social media threads - as this allowed the intense and extreme polar opposite views that the public have regarding this topic to be seen - highlighting the dangers that can come from that.

Given the actions of all parties, I struggled to connect or sympathise with any one of them.
However, I could totally empathise with them all!

This was extremely well written, voicing topics that are seldom written so candidly about. Definitely includes some sensitive topics that would be worth checking out before reading!

I found this totally compelling and thought-provoking.



💕Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕

Thank you Netgalley and Araminta Hall for the Arc of One of The Good Guys.
Narrated by Helen Keeley, Olivia Vinall, Elliot Fitzpatrick

Having read Imperfect Women by Araminta Hall, I was delighted to find another of her books on Netgalley. The narration by Helen, Olive and Elliot was great. All of them a pleasure to listen to and gave more of a £D feel to the characters in the book. The narrative is in 3 parts. The POV of Cole. a recently separated man who has been nothing but doting to his wife. The second part is from the POV of Lennie who Cole has just met and Mel, who is Cole's Wife.

The book begins as Cole has moved into a small cottage near. the coast on a cliff and how he's adapting to the life away from his wife. Simultaneously 2 women have decided to make a stand against Violence against women and raise awareness on what women have to deal with in their daily lives. These 2 women mysteriously disappear not far from Cole's house. Is he somehow involved? The 3rd part of the narrative is what happened two these 2 women and how we find out in the News and digitally.

I really enjoyed the storyline as it touches on a very serious manner of Violence against women and how we are shaped by society and how we share our opinions. The subject has been written with care and consideration and shines a light on how easy it is to form opinions online. In fact ,it's very emotive. As the 3rd part of the story is told via the News reports, tweets and read this way, I found myself getting quite angry at how people responded to these 2 women standing up and making people aware of what women have to deal with. Including hate speech from both men and women. For me, when the narrative makes you feel emotions. It's done its job!

I didn't see the twist at the end until I was almost there and loved the direction that Araminta took with this book. It's different and it works!
4.5 rounded up to 5 here.

While my feelings about this one remain a bit on the fence, there's no denying it stirred up a whirlwind of emotions in me.

The core of the narrative revolves around Cole, dubbed 'one of the good guys,' and his impending divorce from Melanie. His move to the countryside introduces him to the artist Leonora, and from there, the story takes off.

The use of different viewpoints and time jumps, along with mixed media towards the book's end, added a layer of complexity that I found intriguing. The audio adaptation did an excellent job of enhancing these elements, contributing significantly to the overall storytelling.

Although I had some inkling of where the plot was heading, the story managed to throw in surprises that kept me hooked—a positive aspect in any book. Whether you're a fan of Hall's writing or not, it’s definitely worth a read. But be prepared for the exploration of some controversial themes.

While I understand the author's intentions, I lean towards agreeing with other readers who found certain aspects a bit overwhelming. However, the final chapters were undeniably moving, making this book a great candidate for discussion in a book club or buddy read.

Containing elements of mystery and literary fiction, it's worth noting potential triggers before diving into "One of the Good Guys." In the end, the book weaves a tapestry of emotions and has the potential to spark meaningful conversations.

THIS BOOK!! I cannot get over it, and think it is probably one of the most important, conversation starting books I’ve read all year! If there’s one book I’d want you all to pick up (especially the chaps, sorry!), it’s this one - it’s immediately flown into my top reads of the year 👏

I don’t want to give anything away because it’s such an explosive story, but let’s just say this looks at the issue of violence against women in a very different and unexpected way, which left me completely unable to “put it down” (so to speak, I listened to the audiobook so technically it’s ’turn it off’)! This story made me rage and gasp and I love the way I started it feeling one way, and that was soon flipped on its head.

What I found the most interesting though, were some of the responses on the readalong of this - from them I was able to see how victim blaming (and forgiving men for what I would call unforgivable behaviour) is still so prevalent and it shocked me to my core. I loved how much animated discussion and how many different opinions about this there were, and think it would make one of the best book club picks ever for that reason! But some reactions to the book are exactly why we NEED this book and that’s scary.

Absolutely brilliant and unforgettable - I can’t wait for everyone to read it so we can discuss more!

I hadn’t read a book by a Araminta Hall before, so really didn’t know what to expect with One of the Good Guys.

Wow - what a read! It was a real rollercoaster ride with twists and turns that came out of nowhere.

The book opens with Cole, who has just moved to the South Coast for a fresh start after his marriage broke down in London. There he meets Lennie, an artist, and they form a friendship and share stories about their past. Additionally, there’s another thread, Molly and Phoebe, two young women in their early 20s who are undertaking a charity walk for a domestic abuse charity disappear close to where Cole and Lennie live.

The story unfolds from the point of view of Cole, Lennie and also also from the perspectives of Mel, Cole’s wife. It was expertly narrated by Helen Keeley, Olivia Vinall and Elliot Fitzpatrick. That said, I wasn’t too much of a fan of the social media posts, the podcasts and news excerpts. I think that these might have worked better in the physical book, rather than in an audiobook.

There were so many hot topics in this - sexual politics, consent, misogyny, coercive behaviour, rape, violence against women, domestic abuse. It was very thought-provoking.

Without referencing any spoilers, I thought the book was going to move in a different direction at the end.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Macmillan UK Audio, for making this audio-ARC available to me in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This audiobook was extremely well done and the narrator’s were fantastic! I particularly enjoyed listening to the audiobook during the final part of book where the majority was told using mixed media, eg interviews, podcasts, news alerts, articles etc. I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book like that before but I think the audiobook suits that format much better than just reading it straight from the page. The change of accents and tones really made it believable.

The book itself is split in to three parts and for each part we hear a new POV, this was a great idea, especially for a thriller. It kept me thoroughly entertained throughout. It was very well written and done in such a clever way, I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing the audiobook in exchange for an honest review

The story is told through the voice and perspective of multiple characters so the reader is never quite sure exactly what the story is! Cole begins with his version of events. He is living and working on the coast, trying to be a man of the land even trapping and killing animals. He has moved away from his life in London and his wife, Mel, who chucked him out. Cole would have his listener believe that he was the ideal husband, considerate, devoted and desparate for the IVF, which he and his wife are undertaking, to be successful. Literally straying onto his path he becomes aware of two female hikers who are campaigning about the vulnerability of women. And then comes Mel’s version which relays a completely different version of events ..and then Lennie’s. Where does truth begin and the fiction end?

I thought the audiobook format and narration were very good, amplifying the themes and strutures used by the writer for the narrative - podcasts, news headlines etc. i found most of the voices were great but I do think that as a listener our reaction to a particular voice can colour our view of a particular character. In this instance I really didn’t trust Cole’s voice! I think writing the narrative through the different characters voices worked really well and really amplified the tension and sense of disorientation - the reader has absolutely no idea who to trust and is therefore unclear as to what really happened.

To be honest my reaction to this was rather changeable, at times I felt this really worked and others not. I loved the way the unreliability played up the tension. The plot, however, felt unlikely and improbable. I think it relied quite a lot on a particular health issue and i would question the actions of Lennie in particular. Whilst I thought the theme of women’s safety is of course one that should absolutely be highlighted, I think that this was overstated in a way which undermined the story and the message. There are echos of Sarah Everand in here, partiucularly in the events at the vigil and I just didn’t feel comfortable with that.
The scenes of Cole killing animals were too graphic for me and I would definitely be highlighting this via a trigger warning.

With many thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan UK audio for my digital copy of this audiobook.

Really enjoyed this engaging read, a really interesting twist in a book that fuelled a lot of emotion. A recommended read for sure! The audiobook was really well presented!

The audiobook is narrated by Elliot Fitzpatrick, Olivia Vinall and Helen Keeley and also features Olivia Dowd, Paul Panting, Joe Gaminara and Heather Long.
Amazing and not what I was expecting it was even better! Grab a copy fast!

Ok. I wasn’t expecting this. This definitely hasn’t been done before but it’s been done to perfection here! All the trigger warnings apply!!

Edgy, fresh and thought provoking, told from multiple viewpoints and perspectives. One Of The Good Guys has you questioning everything and everyone. It’s incredibly hard to review without spoilers but it doesn’t disappoint. It left me feeling slightly empty. I read elsewhere that it was unbelievable, sadly it’s really not.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan U.K. audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.