[3.5 stars]

The Best Kind of People is what I call an “aftermath book.” It’s not a page-turner about George Woodbury’s alleged crimes, but more an exploration of the repercussions on his wife and two children (one grown and one still in high school). It explores the conflicted feelings of the loved ones surrounding someone accused of a horrific crime, when you’re forced to reset your view of someone you love and respect, and the unique implications of this playing out in a small, upscale community. I enjoyed all these elements of the story.

However, a couple things bothered me. First, Sadie Woodbury (George’s high school aged daughter) constantly spouted facts and figures about sexual assault, which made the “issue” angle of the book feel heavy-handed. And, without spoiling anything, I wish the existing ending had occurred a little earlier in the book and we’d gotten to explore a bit of the aftermath following the big reveal. Following everything the Woodburys had to face with George, I wondered how they’d face that final turn of events. Despite these flaws, I do think The Best Kind of People would make a great book club selection…lots to discuss here.

I've seen where other reviewers have criticized the ending of this book; and, boy, can I see where they are coming from! Overall, I believe the author's message is that the people who suffer most and fair the worst in situations like this are the ones that least deserve it, whether it be the victim or the unknowing family members of the assailant. But the end result in this novel was a very depressing read and few answered questions.

unfortunately I didn't really connect with this novel at all. I found the synopsis to be interesting and the first couple chapters held my attention, but after that the novel became a bit monotonous and the characters were incredibly unlikable. I wish I loved this novel more because it has an incredible concept behind it, but it was just a miss for me.

Although it left me with many questions, I ultimately loved what Whittall did with this book. But then, it's possible I'm a sucker for family dysfunction stories, not to mention women who pick up the pieces.
3.5 stars

Zoe Whittal tackles a timely and controversial subject in The Best Kind of People. When prep school teacher George Woodbury is arrested, accused of sexual misconduct with some of his students, the community, not to mention George's family, is shocked. On many levels, he is a pillar of the community. His ancestors built the town. Despite his inherited wealth, he has poured his life into teaching at the local school. He is repeatedly chosen as teacher of the year. A decade before, he personally confronted a shooter at the school, saving countless lives. Everything about him showed him to be a model citizen, a model teacher, a model husband, and a model father.


The Best Kind of People focuses on George's family, primarily his daughter, who is a senior at George's school. She and her mother, a nurse at the local hospital, suffer the indignity of being in the family of the accused. While George is in jail awaiting trial, they are harassed and shunned by just about everyone. A small group sides with them, the "men's rights" folks, whom the Woodburys regard as right-wing nuts.


Whittal's focus is the impact the accusations have on the Woodburys. We hear next to nothing about the accusations. George, of course, denies any wrongdoing, stating that he's being framed. Why would someone frame him? To what end? Who knows. This is actually a frustrating part of the book. At some point, I would like to have heard more about the accusations, what prompted the students to bring the accusations to light, and the basis for George's protestations.


Whittal addresses this objection, in a way. George's daughter moves in with her boyfriend, whose mother's live-in boyfriend is a novelist. He decides to write a "based-on-a-true-story" novel about the Woodbury case. His editor presses him to include more details:

We can't have a book where the monster is actually a sweet old guy everyone defends. There needs to be more conflict. . . . He's too empathetic so far, and it's too confusing. This is a novel, but we need some black-and-white facts here.

At the risk of seeming shallow, I felt the same way. Whittal leaves the question of veracity open, never giving details about what actually happened on the school trip. In fact, in the end she leaves open the possibility that the victims were pressured to retract their testimony. Granted, Whittal's focus is on the family and the impact of the accusations. But the lack of focus on the case itself frustrated me.


The Best Kind of People is an uncomfortable book. Whittal's depictions of teen sex (between George's daughter and her boyfriend), a homosexual relationship between a teacher and a teen, a relationship between a dad and a teenage babysitter, and other problematic scenarios add to the cringe factor. Whittal nails some of the realities of the turmoil these accusations cause, but overall the development and resolution of the story left me unsatisfied.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

The opening sucks you right in.
Science teacher George Woodbury thwarts a gunman and saves the day. His family is a pillar within the community and he lives in one of twelve houses developed by his father. Everything is idyllic, but then George is accused of sexual misconduct with four minors and it all goes downhill after that.

At times the story loses focus as this scandal comes to light. It shifts from George to his daughter and those within the community. It focused so much on speculation as opposed to evidence, which on one hand, is how our society works, but on the other, I found myself wondering whether an innocent man was being branded a predator. I like this conflicting element of the story.

The ending was rushed and abrupt. There were extremist groups in the book, but nothing to balance their voices out. It would have been nice to have more of a contrast.

Overall, a great book!

I found this book a quick and fascinating and relevant read. The story of the family of a man who is exposed as a sexual predator and how that revelation has widespread impacts on his family. The family impact is explored a length --possibly a bit too much length in the middle--while the father/husband former hero now sexual predator remains a cypher--which is realistic. I found the reactions of his wife and children and the community extremely interesting and realistic. The polarization and the victimization of his family mirror the impact on his victims. As the "me too" hashtag reveals how prevalent sexual abuse by males in power is in our society, this book offers an important look at how the family are victims as well.

This is a book that you will rush to get back to if you put it down for any reason. The book is told in different perspectives from different people and this adds to the flow of the story. Yes, the subject matter may not appeal to some, but I found the book to be written at a good time. The theme of the book is rape and again it is visited from different perspectives. I would highly recommend this read. Very strong writing. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

It was a good book until the end. I loathed the end. The end makes the title seem like a farce.

The hype did not live up to the book. If anything, it made me like it even less.
Sorry for a bad review but this book just was not what it could have been.
I really do not even want to type more because the end made me so irritated and feeling like it set women back when I feel like it wasn't the intent of the author but that was how I felt.

While I liked the book, I was left with so many questions when I got to the end. The book did show the impact of the consequences to all family members of the alleged actions of one of them.

I received a complimentary copy of the book and voluntarily left this review.

I enjoyed this read. It portrays just how fickle public opinion can be, and how our actions have repercussions upon those we love.

I’m glad to be finally finished with this book. It took me way too long to read as it just didn’t hold my interest. The Best Kind of People has the bones to be a great book but there is just a certain lack of action where there is potential for it. Unless you are really in to psyche and feelings and emotions this book is probably not going to hold your interest either.

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The only thing that really got to me is the outcome at the end. It was surprising, not what was expected, but cut the end of the book short. I’m trying not to giveaway the end and still say that it was utter bull crap.

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What happens when a trusted member of the community,a hero even, is accused of heinous crimes? What happens to his family? That is what The Best Kind of People is about. The fallout and strain an accusation can place on a family. How they are not immune dispite being wealthy active members in the community. Its about feelings and emotions. There is a serious lack of consequences all around for every character. So in a way its something that could happen even though the family is status quo but it is aso seriously unrealistic given the lack of consequences for each act in the book.

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There really isn’t much to say about this book it was that monotonous.

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So if you are a bookling who is into the study of emotions and psyche then this may hold your interest, otherwise I wouldn’t bother.

1.5 out of 5 stars.

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I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for a fair and honest review.

Here is a review by Jennifer: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2163339636

I find that I have mixed feelings about this book...the first half of the book moved so slowly. But the second half came together much better.

This book focuses more on the family members that were made to deal with the accusation, not the accused. I do wish that this focused more on the father and those that accused him, but it kinda pushed that story line aside.

Did not care for the ending, was wrapped up too quickly with no real depth.

I can't say I was very impressed with the novel. It was something that kept me interested, but I thought there was too much time spent focusing on the same scene and feelings. I wish there were more said about how the novel ends.

At times it felt as if the characters had no connection with one another, they were simply put together and each decided to go their own way. I didn't feel a wholeness of their relationships. Each was self-absorbed and sometimes they had to bump into each other, and were irked by these encounters.

What is more, it felt like they acted independently from one another. I didn't have a favourite character in the story, just some characters I sometimes felt sorry for.

It would have been nice if the ending were as intriguing as the beginning. After the hype and the shocking release of the news in the first chapters, you'd think there would be more to look forward to in the end. The neat and hand-smoothed ending was dissatisfying.

It had the promise of a captivating novel, yet it lacked in many areas. Writing this almost three weeks after I finished reading it, I can say that it left no impact. Actually, I had to take a moment and try to remember how it ended. A clear sign that it didn't impress. Too bad.

I received a free e-book copy of the novel from the publisher via Net Galley. All thoughts expressed here are my own.

This was a wonderful and warm-hearted book. I couldn't put the book down and truly sympathised with all the characters and what they were going through. I loved this book and highly recommend it. This is a very difficult subject and this was done with true sensitivity.

I couldn't put this book down. This is a great book for a book club because there is much to discuss. This focuses on rape culture. A teacher of the year, popular with everyone, great husband and dad is accused of this crime. The privileged town and its people all have an opinion. Family secrets come out. Great read!

What happens when a star teacher is accused of sexual harassment? And who do you or can you believe? We hear a lot about what the accused and accusers experience but what about their families and loved ones? This book covers the lives of the family of the accused and covers the way their lives are changed and the way they stay the same.

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley.

Opening with teenager Sadie's birthday, this novel follows the life of a family after their patriarch has been accused of sexual assault on a minor.

While this book kept me reading, I felt like the novel petered out at the end, and didn't have enough follow through. It also felt to me as though she was trying to make a point that people are pigheaded and will continue to believe what they want to believe regardless of what actually happened, but then never gives any clarification. We never find out what happens to any of the young girls that accused George. Though, that could have been by design, it felt unfinished.

I also felt like the ending ended up being entirely uncharacteristic of the character of Joan. Overall, disappointing as a whole, yet intriguing to read.

When a husband and father is accused of a horrible crime, his family are forced to not only re-evaluate their relationship with him, but also with each other and with themselves. This book demonstrates that it is often through trials and pain that we discover who we are. I loved it and will highly recommend it!