Was this the most riveting psychological thriller I've ever read? Not particularly. It had slow moments but I was still glued to the pages as I really wanted to find out how Nelly got herself out of this mess AND why things went sideways for her in California. It was really registering a 3 star until the twist at the end that I found to be unexpected although I did believe someone else was involved. I would have liked to see the aftermath fleshed out a bit more but over all a solid 3.5-4 star story.

#TheGoodTeacher #NetGalley

Overall, a solid read. The book totally sucked me in and I was hooked for the first 3/4 of the book. However, the last 1/4 of the book I wasn't buying even if it was free. Again, not everything needs to be wrapped up with a beautiful bow when a story ends. There can be more mystery and unanswered questions which will add to people talking about the book and (hopefully) make it a popular pick with readers.
The last quarter of the book was pretty unbelievable and had me lose respect for the main character (Nelly). She seemed so much stronger than the ending written for her.
There were tons of lose ends that didn't come together at the later part of the book (i.e. Vanessa and Emmett's relationship, Tina's husband situation and demise).
I do appreciate the author painting a realistic picture of sexual assault and victim blaming. This is very real and was handled with care.
Good Teacher = Good Read (but forgettable)

First by this author but i liked the book itself.

The Domestic teacher take on this was original but still completely fast paced. There were twists in the book and i loved reading this. Sometimes i found it to be repetitive but over all was a good read.

Would recommend.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

Being a longtime former teacher as well as a voracious mystery fan, this book title and description appealed to me. As I began reading, I became quickly invested in teacher Nelly’s story- up to a point. The situation of coming upon her teenage attacker after twenty years seemed improbable, but not impossible. At first the cat-and mouse suspense built adequately; however some of the school situations targeting Nelly were ridiculous, and the action became formulaic and repetitive. Then about three-quarters through the ordeal, all kinds of new and unlikely details emerged, some unnecessary and confusing, several not adequately developed or resolved. And the wrap-up scene at school?? 🤦‍♀️ The writer certainly is unfamiliar with school hierarchy and policies. (I did enjoy the believable character of Nelly’s fellow teacher, Beck.) I had not read any Brian R. O’Rourke before, but after completing The Good Teacher, I looked at his other titles to find that he previously published three other “psychological thrillers” to Kindle —all within 6 months. Hence the formulaic aspect. As other reviewers have also noted, similarities to Freida McFadden’s style were evident (but in my opinion, not as successful.) 2.5 stars rounded up.

The Good teacher starts off with Nelly accepting a teaching job in a small community similar to the one she grew up in. On the first day of meeting teachers she is left reeling seeing a man that looks disturbingly look the guy that tried to assault her so many years ago. The book takes you back and forth to reveal why Nelly thinks this person is the one that hurt her so many years ago. There are many twists and throughout the book, you start to doubt Nelly’s memory if she has been mistaken. The book covers some thoughts, beliefs on the metoo movement that makes you question from either side of the coin.
This book was fast paced and kept you guessing the entire time. I have to admit it was an a slow start however once you get into the middle of the book it flys by quickly only.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would read another book by this author again.

What an original take on a teacher domestic noir! Completely original, fast paved with some trully shocking twists. I loved every second of this one. It was so easy to read and flowed so naturally. The characters were well developed and it was a tad repetitive with some of the themes but I loved it

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Good Teacher by Brian O'Rourke was an intense, nerve-wracking, blood-boiling psychological thriller! The twist... I am not even talking about the twist.

This book is a masterpiece of manipulation and gaslighting! If someone said they guest the twist, they are lying!

After a difficult divorce, teacher Nelly decides to change her life and move to a small town. She is excited to start her new job in the new school but there is someone that reminds her her past nightmare.
PTSD is a real thing but can this mess up your brain?
If someone looks like you know them...do you actually know them?

Nelly starts to second-guess everything and every new day comes with a new disaster!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this copy|!

Traditional format (digital). When I saw the cover for the book it gave off vibes of another best selling teacher themed thriller so I decided to give it a read.

This is a psychological thriller about a teacher who was sexually assaulted as a teen and decades later shows up to teach at a new school to discover that the perpetrator is a teacher at the same school. The plot revolves around the female teacher taking her revenge and trying to out the man who committed the crime.

What I liked
🍎 fast paced quick read
🍎 characters were developed in a way that allowed me to feel their personalities (for example the main male character gave me the creeps)
🍎 lots of twists and turns which kept me guessing

What I didn’t like
🍎 many parts of the book were super predictable
🍎 lots of repetition of things throughout the book that made some of the twists super obvious
🍎further to the point above the me too theme was way overdone in this book (too much repetition)
🍎 the ended had a lot of information left unsaid and had a lot of holes in it which was a big letdown

Overall to me this book was average. I did enjoy most of the book except the ending which needed a lot more work. I give this a 3/5.

Thank you Net Galley and Inkubator Books for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Inkubator Books and NetGalley for an eARC of this book! As promised, here is my honest review:

Overall, I enjoyed this book and will read more of the author’s work. It was fast paced, easy to follow, and had the perfect amounts of twists and turns. I do think there was missed opportunities in the plot that would have led to a more suspenseful ending.

If I would have read this book with no provided information about it, I would have thought it was something Frieda McFadden wrote early in their career.

I liked this book! Its a different writing style than im used to! Cant wait to read more from this author

Before reading please check the trigger warning!
This book was so stressful lol. The plot of the novel was very interesting and managed to keep my attention. I only wish the relationship between the main characters was flushed out a little more and the pacing in the middle could've been better edited. But all in all this was a quick, easy thriller to read. I would recommend it, especially if you're in a reading slump because it is a page turner.

The Good Teacher was a great thriller! It was very intense from the beginning of the story all the way until the end. There was lots of twists and excitement. I definitely didn’t guess how the ending would play out! The book was well written and it was a fun read!
Thank you NetGalley for the ebook!

This was a really dark read, to be in Nell's shoes would be really daunting. The pace was really fast which kept it exciting.

Nelly wants a fresh start after a tumultuous divorce from her husband of over a decade. She gets her fresh start in a small quaint town. At first everything seems like it is going to be just what she needs. and then she sees him...or is it HIM? Emmett has everyone wrapped around his finger and seems like a model citizen and perfect teacher, next in line to be principal. But Nelly swears he is not who he says he is, but how do you prove that everyone's favorite person is a liar, criminal and all around scumbag when you are the new girl in town? Is she being paranoid? Is he sabotaging her?

I got this book as an ARC read. I really did enjoy this book. Some bits were a tad predictable but it makes up for it with some big twists and turns. I went through it pretty quickly. The writing is good and it has a nice pace. It doesn't add flair just to add flair and each piece has a purpose to the bigger story and ultimately leads up the the big finale.

Not a bad read. The plot was smooth, but I did find parts of it a bit far-fetched. It’s well-written, easy to read, and flows nicely. The characters were easy to imagine and likeable (with the exception of the main villain). I’m not a fast reader, and I finished it in 3 days. Worth the read. 👍🏼

My first book by this talented author, definitely won’t be my last. Super fast paced and very easy to read. The story just flows effortlessly!

4.5 - I enjoyed this book so much, I literally could not put it down from the moment I opened it! I loved the flick between past and present, the bits of information we get along the way to keep the story interesting, I also loved how we found out the information and really enjoyed Nelly as a character.

I thought the concept was really clever, and enjoyed all of the different characters and how the author did a really good job at making you feel exactly how he wanted you to feel about them.

The only thing that brought the rating down for me was right at the end, how Nelly was so easily able to forgive people such as Miguel, and the sheriff I would’ve given them all a piece of my mind for not believing me, and left altogether! I just feel it wrapped up so quickly and Nelly was able to easily forgive everyone for not believing her trauma.

That being said, I seriously enjoyed this and would 100% read more of this authors books!

Very fast paced and well written! The storyline was very easy to follow and engaging. It kept my attention and made it a very quick read (in a good way)

What a great, quick paced thriller. Loved the flashbacks and twist near the end. Being a teacher, I did find some of the education parts a bit unrealistic but it didn’t take away from the story. I will absolutely read more from this author. Thank you NetGalley and Inkubator Books for the arc.

Well thought out plot and well written characters. Overall a decent read but i found the ending a little far fetched.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.