I received an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

*The Good Friend* by Jo Baldwin offers a captivating and atmospheric journey through the rural French countryside. The pacing is deliberately slow, allowing readers the time to fully immerse themselves in the plot and develop a strong connection with the characters. Baldwin takes great care in crafting each character, providing enough space to understand their motivations and backstories, which enriches the story’s emotional depth.

While the story unfolds without many dramatic twists, the real surprise comes with the unexpected ending. The conclusion raises intriguing questions that suggest the possibility of a sequel, leaving me curious about what might come next. This book is a perfect choice for readers who enjoy slower, character-driven narratives with a touch of suspense. It’s a compelling exploration of friendship, secrets, and the beauty of rural life, making for an engaging and thought-provoking read.

<i>I received this book from Red Door Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

This seems mis-categorized. Not a thriller, <i>The Good Friend</i> is more of a family drama, with beautiful descriptions of the French countryside scattered throughout. There is the promise of juicy secrets, but I wouldn't say they were hard to guess, and far from delicious in terms of how out-there or crazy they were.

<i>The Good Friend</i> follows Jenny, a former champion swimmer, who decides to retire and seek out her old friend, Kath. Kath lives in the French lavender fields, with her husband Tom (once Jenny's lover) and daughter Rosa. Though Jenny and Kath instantly reconnect, there's still tension simmering underneath the surface. What is Kath hiding? Why did she end up with Tom, knowing that Jenny always loved him? How does Tom feel now?

The stage is set and ripe for entanglement and intrigue. Instead, it just fell flat for me. The story seems to meander, without really going anywhere. I didn't really believe in any of the characters and couldn't have cared less about their romantic foibles. Tom seems unworthy of all the attention, having all the personality of a glass of oat milk. Jenny is a wet blanket, preferring to let everyone walk all over her. And Kath is just not someone I believed as a character. It's unfortunate, as there was a lot of potential in the book, but the execution didn't work for me.

Thank you to the publisher for the copy of the book!

Unfortunately this book was not for me, it was a bit slower than I would like and it just didn't hold my attention. I am sure other people will love it!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Good Friend by Jo Baldwin.

Jenny is a professional swimmer who has been living in Australia, working hard on her career. But needing a break from her hectic life, she travels to a rural town in France to visit her long lost friend Kath and her husband Tom. But it's much more complicated then that, as Tom is also Jenny's long lost love. Determined to make this visit work, Jenny decides to stay and help the small family out, but not without learning some upsetting things along the way.

Oh my gosh, this book was silly! First off, you lost me at "I'm going to visit my best friend who also married the love of my life, who I'm still in love with, what could possibly go wrong?" Like, hitting me in the fact with a wet beach towel is less obvious than the potential outcomes of this story. And also, why is it that so many "best friend" reunions in books immediately reveal what a terrible person their friend ALWAYS was. You guys were never really great friends to begin with! Why are you uprooting your whole life for nothing but pain. I just couldn't.

The Good Friend by Jo Baldwin is well-written and speaks to the complications of friendship and all of the weird nuances those relationships sometimes hold. This was more of a character study to me than a thriller or mystery, it was a fascinating read that shows how friendships evolve, not always in a good way. Highly recommend.

Now this I liked! Absorbing plot, interesting characters, and well written. Really enjoyed it. Look forward to reading more from this author.

An excellent debut from Jo Baldwin. A captivating and quick-paced plot and likeable characters. The narrative flits between present and past to deepen the reader's understanding of the girls' friendship.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read and review this title. I will review this title at a different date.

I really feel as though this book is incorrectly marketed as a thriller, this is more of a dark drama.

I found the whole story to be incredibly underwhelming. There were no twists and turns to the plot at all, I was incredibly frustrated with the main character, it made zero sense for her to continue to stay with Kath and Tom given everything happening and how increasingly unstable Kath was becoming and then the ending was so over the top.

I typically really enjoy books that deal with friendship themes but this one just didn't work for me.

A thrilling read which kept me turning the pages, characters you care for and just brilliantly written. Great novel!!

It took me a little while to get into this as it's a bit of a slow burner but after the arrival in France, it gets very intriguing. Enjoyed the way it built slowly, with secrets being revealed bit by bit. Looking forward to more from the author!

I enjoyed reading The Good Friend by Jo Baldwin. The characters are well drawn and the setting in the south of France is beautifully described; I could almost smell the summer scents. Although, the story became tense and suspenseful towards the end and the writing was good, I felt that the plot was not very strong. I expected a more powerful psychological theme based on the description.

Wow. This is one of those books that I thought I knew how I felt about it...then I read the last chapter. And like a week later, I’m still processing it. I’m still a little stunned.

Jenny is visiting her former best friend after an eight-year hiatus, during which her former BFF and ex-BF got married, had a child and moved to the south of France. Everything seems OK, if a little awkward, at first, but then Jenny notices Kath is acting odd and her old feelings for Tom begin to return. All of this is happening as Jenny is deciding what to do with the next stage of her life.

The book is full of heart-pounding suspense and fans of slow-burn thrillers will love this book.

The trio of main characters is interesting, in that I didn’t find myself particularly drawn to any of them - each had annoying qualities in that they seemed to dance around the topics at hand and their feelings about one another. But I guess that’s human nature, especially at tumultuous times, which Jenny is experiencing. We do see growth in her and Tom, which is good.

OK, that ending. Yeah, it’s a biggie. I just sat there stunned for a couple minutes, not sure how I felt about it. But one thing I knew for sure: the ending really took the book from a 3.5-ish to 4.5 stars for me. It was really the exclamation point on a good book. I enjoyed it up to that point, then WHAM. Wow.

Overall, I don’t want to give away too much, so I’m going to stop talking, but just get this one if you like character-driven suspense. You won’t regret it!

Slow and sinister.

This is a weird complaint but the dialogue felt off to me - missing punctuation? Rushed?

I thought the pacing was slow at times but all in all not a bad read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Kath and Jenny have been friends since elementary school, only growing apart after Jenny moves to Australia to pursue her Olympic swimming dream. Their relationship becomes even more strained after Kath marries Tom, Jenny's ex and love of her life, and have a child together. Ready to retire from swimming, Jenny vacations at Kath and Tom's hotel for the summer, hoping to reconnect with her best friend. But she soon realizes how mentally unstable Kath had become when secrets from the past are revealed, making Jenny question their friendship from the start.
I love the descriptions of the beautiful French countryside and the bed and breakfast Kath and Tom own. This book took a little bit to get me interested, but I was soon turning pages, waiting to see what crazy things Kath would do next. What a seriously disturbed woman! And the ending is quite shocking.

This is a saga story about relationships with friends and familys. This really is not a thriller. Having said this I rather enjoyed it .

I was expecting more of a psychological thriller from the blurb. I'd classify it as more of a romantic suspense story. It's an okay read, but predictable. I couldn't get invested in the characters. It wasn't bad, just not quite what I hoped for.

The Good Friend and I had a very on and off again relationship. It’s a read that was one I kept putting down because it couldn’t keep my interest yet, I kept going back - mostly because my Momma’ didn’t raise a quitter. ❤️

Sigh.... It was an ok read, it was well written but I wouldn’t consider it a thriller. It’s more of a soft and fluffy- romance that’s drizzled with some suspense. It was a slow journey but I finally finished it thanks to the stomach bug. Although, it wasn’t my cup of tea, it was still a good read. 2.5 stars

⭐⭐
Unfortunately, to be honest, I did not connect with the story line or characters. I was expecting a suspense or thriller and found it to be more romantic
I struggled to get through and found it rather slow.

Kind of a slow-moving, romantic, suspense book with a predictable story and ending, too. The characters are not super interesting or dynamic in anyway nor is the writing. Jenny and Kath were best friends since childhood who drifted apart as they grew up. Kath actually married Jenny's ex-boyfriend, Tom, who was the love of her life. When they reconnect later in life, Jenny goes to visit them and it's obvious she still has feelings for her ex. Things get tense and a lot of bad things start happening.....Kath is not as mentally stable as anyone thought she was....and the story progresses. Still not a favorite of mine. Slow and not very exciting.