What a book!! Loved it from start to finish. Total rollercoaster of emotions. Annie/Milly was a brilliant character, you could understand how she did some of the things she did because of her upbringing other things no. She could hear her mother in her head and was still under her Mother's control. Loved the character of Mike he just wanted to help Annie/Milly. I dont think he always went about it the right way but he tried his best. The character of Phoebe was brilliantly written. She put you in mind of every school bully you have met. I really enjoyed this book the twists and turns were very believeable as where all the characters. I will definetly be looking out for this author in future.

So I kind of forced myself to read this last night as I'm a little behind on my ARC reviews, and I'm glad I did. So the premise is this: Annie's mum is a serial killer. Annie turns her in to the authorities, and gets put into witness protection with a foster family while she waits to testify at her mother's trial.

First off, Annie - now known as Milly - is totally messed up from the years of abuse she endured from her mum, who's essentially groomed her to help out with the "family business". So she's not a reliable narrator by any means (which I love) - and she has a tendency to skip over things in the narrative and then come back to them later.

This book is written in a style that's slightly difficult to get into at first but it totally works - it's short, choppy sentences and not always grammatically correct, but that's okay because it reads like Annie is telling you the story herself, not some perfect omniscient narrator. I like an alternative writing style so although I didn't settle in with this particular one straight away, I did like it. I also like the twisty nature of the story - you'll have an idea in your head of what's going to happen next, and pages later, you've changed your mind.

I'd definitely recommend this one to other fans of psychological thrillers.

I found this novel to be very disturbing – but isn’t that the point of psychological thrillers?

The author has told a very interesting, yet chilling, tale which I found difficult to read at times but was so hooked that I had to keep reading – and read it in a day.

I did struggle with the author’s style of writing at the beginning. It seemed more young adult fiction than psychological but once I got over the tone I did enjoy the book, although did find it predictable.

Thanks to Ali Land, Penguin UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this new and exciting novel for 2017.

Twisted. Daring. Thought Provoking. Original.

"Forgive me when I tell you it was me."

A psychological thriller that was said to be one of the most extraordinary, controversial and explosive debuts of 2017 and one I can say without doubt WAS!

A compelling read with writing that was lyrical, short, and sharp. Every word, every sentence hits you. Indulging the reader just enough to envisage a show reel of a thousand pictures to form of a cruel monstrous childhood, a parental serial killer and a heartbreaking tragedy.

An absolute must read that will give you the chills. It's thought provoking. Told throughout in Milly's words her story will shock you, grip you, disturb you and long after you've read the last word will stay with you. I was utterly gripped from the first word and finally let the breath out that I'd been holding when I reached the last.

A stunning debut masterpiece from Ali Land. I can't wait to read more from this author definitely a talent to watch out for.

** Copy provided courtesy of the publisher for an honest review via of NetGalley **

There are so many new psychological thrillers on the market, that a much lauded latest one could easily turn out to be a disappointment. This is not the case with Good Me Bad Me, which is impossible to put down until finished.
Milly, a teenager, having suffered abuse for years at the hand of her psychopathic mother, has now turned her in. Milly is fostered out to the family of Mike, the psychologist who is counselling her in the period before she gives evidence at the trial.
We each have a line beyond which we cannot pass, perhaps because of the degree of horror, or the type of abuse under consideration. At first I thought I had reached mine, but the author skilfully portrays the shocking nature of the events perpetrated without indulging in detailed description.
The cruelty of her new school mates and how Milly reciprocates is just as chillingly described, and the tension builds while we decide who the real Milly is.
This is an unusual and suspenseful read, an excellent thriller.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK Michael Joseph for this ARC.

What a brilliant debut novel which dealt with consequences of abuse, both the abuser and the abused. A really deep psychological thriller that I couldn't put down. Millie is the daughter that has witnessed such horrors in her short life, who is then fostered and taken away from all the bad things that happened. But they're all still there in her head and constantly revisit her. All she has learnt in the past, and all that she subsequently does is so wrong, and misguided, through no fault of her own. Hauntingly sad but equally disturbing and horrific.

Surely a big bestseller in 2017,I had a good feeling about this book and I was so right.
A page turner that kept me up all night, the inner voice of milly-Annie reminded me of the inner voice of Norman bates mother from psycho,an awesome novel and one I highly recommended.

I enjoyed this book. Well written, well rounded characterisations. Would definitely read more rom the author

This book gripped me from first to last page, a great psychological thriller. The story of a teenage girl Milly whose mother is awaiting trial for murder. The girl is fostered by her psychologist/doctor who has a daughter of his own who is a nasty piece of work. The daughter makes life hell for her temporary foster sister both at school and home.
The story centres around the teenagers anguish leading up to and during the trial. It is creepy and intense with Milly desperately wanting a normal life and her heartfelt wanting of a proper mother and father. The author has definetly produced a captivating read drawing you in to each character. A very clever, thought provoking story that could almost be true. I would love to read more by this author,

I found this very hard to get into due to the subject matter. I questioned myself if I really wanted to carry on. I'm pleased I did. It's a cracking read, although a hard one. This is the story of 15 year old Annie, the daughter of a serial killer and abuser. Annie has turned her mother over to the police and is now living, under the new name of Milly, with a wealthy psychologist and his wife and bullying daughter. The book is narrated by Milly and we learn of what happened in the run up to the trial and its aftermath. Is Milly merely disturbed or will genetics play a big part in how her life turns out? Read andd see.

Oh this book is creepy! Gripping and low level peril all the way through.
Not 5* as some of the logistics were a tiny bit far fetched but a fantastic read!

This book wasn't what I was expecting and I did wonder if I would be able to carry on reading it when I realised that Annie's Mother is a serial killer of children. It is not something I would normally read, but there was enough of the physiological aspects of the books for me to carry on reading.
The book is mainly centered around Annie who now has a new identity as Milly and her efforts at rebuilding her life. As a new girl at school she falls prey to cyber bullying and develops a crush on a teacher. Lots of "mean girls"s type scenarios happen to her. She is also processed through the "system" and this also has effects on her.
I was shocked at the questioning of a minor in the court room scenes - would that really be allowed? It was almost as though she was on trial. Her temporary guardian Mike seemed like he was a little feckless and surely he wasn't that dim? Events happening around him and he is so oblivious to it all.
There are no chapters to the book. I found it easy to read (if not the subject matter at times) and so I read it in just over a day. The writing style was unusual but It was engrossing - what was going to happen? The ending was a real twist.
I'm giving this book 4 out of stars.
My thanks go to Netgalley for a free copy of the book for review.

This was a fascinating psychological thriller, full of tension, fear, suspense and cruelty. The conclusion was really thought provoking, does the good or the bad win in the future? Great read.

Throughly enjoyed this. Loved the characters and the plot was really good. Very enjoyable.

This book is compulsive, difficult reading, and though I raced through it I can’t honestly say I enjoyed it. It is difficult to review without giving anything away. Although it is well written I cannot say that this book was for me.

Read in two days (January 2017)

WOW...an intense and truly twisted tale...Ali Land's remarkable debut offering, 'Good Me, Bad Me', is an exceptional psychological thriller. Compelling and addictive from the outset, I felt irritated when my attention was demanded elsewhere and I had to put it down for any length of time.

Milly is a damaged, haunted fifteen year old and she has informed the police about her mother's latest killing of a young boy. The catalyst being that she knew this victim.
To await the trial she is placed in a safe environment only to suffer the hostility of the insecure daughter of the dysfunctional foster family.

Set in London, England, 'Good Me, Bad Me', is written in the first person narrative giving Milly's perspective of events. With an intense, fast paced plot-line, and devious, complex characters, it makes a hugely entertaining compulsive read. The tension and anguish of Milly's contradictory feelings she has for her mother are palpable and truly heartfelt. I routed totally for her during her torturous moments reliving her disturbing past. Milly loves, but is also terrified of, her mother. Most of all she's afraid of herself, and becoming just like her.

However, it's not without its flaws, being a touch (ok, very) over the top with scenarios involving the unlikely, aggressive court questioning of a minor who, for the past ten years, has been subject to mental, physical and sexual abuse, and been witness to several child murders. I'm not convinced this would be allowed to happen in today's court proceedings. The accident scene was a little contrived and implausible too with regards to the suggested timeframes, etc, etc, in my opinion.

These two niggles aside, 'Good Me, Bad Me' is an explosive, pulse racing, tortuous thriller with a convincing portrayal and perceptive character study of the behaviour and thought processes of the daughter of a serial killer mum. I really enjoyed it.

With a great plot and gripping storyline, it's perfect for fans of, 'The Girl on the Train', 'Gone Girl', and all the other psychological thrillers of the genre.

Disclaimer: I received a complementary digital copy from the publisher for a non biased review.

This book was a compelling read in many ways. I read it in a day and found I couldn't put it down not only because on the one hand was rooting for Milly but because I had a creeping sense of unease around her.

I'm pretty sure this book is going to be huge and I will absolutely be recommending it!

Slightly slow to start enjoyable read if you can stay with it!!!

I was intrigued by the premise, Milly's Mum is a serial killer and Milly has to come to terms with what this means and how she was shaped by her past.

Given a new name and a cover story Milly is fostered by her psychologist Mike, his wife Saskia and daughter Phoebe don't take to this particularly well. Predictably Phoebe and Milly don't get on and Milly is bullied by Phoebe.

I found the style of writing hard to get into, lots of short sentences that didn't flow to me.

The story was ok, but I found the ending lazy and predictable. I won't give it away but anything other than what happened would have been better.