A gripping story about friendship and betrayal, The Good Friend is the kind of thriller that you’d like with you on a long trip or a lazy weekend. It’s well written, with a cast of intriguing characters, and a dreamlike setting in the south of France amid sunny vineyards. There is a hint of something ominous just under the surface, simmering at first, then slowly revealing itself. Apart from conversations sounding a bit stilted, this is a really good book.
(Review copy from NetGalley)

Jenny is on her way to visit her best friend Kath that is currently married to her high school sweetheart that she was so in love with. This story was a little twisted, I didn't understand how Jenny was so nice and seemed ok with Kath. As the story progress we are seeing more and more the dark side of Kath and how she manipulated everyone around her. The ending of this book had me at the edge of my seat.

I was really looking forward to giving this book a bash after the plot synopsis sounded like my cup of tea, I enjoyed the opening chapters but sadly couldn’t find myself engaging with the characters and being drawn in.

Surprisingly riveting! I love books told from
multi perspectives that do a good job of getting the reader to “know” multiple characters! The author did a great job in regards to the “flow” of the book but I was slightly disappointed in the ending. It wrapped up just a hair too neatly. Overall, I would recommend this book for readers looking for something lighter than “Gone Girl” but still intriguing!

I enjoyed this book, there was plenty going on the setting was interesting,and I didn't think the characters were all that they seemed.The story was not that complicated but the relationships both now and in the past certainly were.I did like the main character, and I was keen to find out what was going to happen, I couldn't predict how this would pan out.No spoilers , but there was certainly more to the book than I expected, and I thought it was great.The ending had me page turning like a woman possessed ,and I am usually pretty spot on at working out what is going on, but not this time.Thanks to the publishers and netgalley for an ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Red Door Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion.
I believe that this book should be categorized as a psychological thriller instead of a woman's fiction because then the blurb would not be so misleading to the potential reader.
This story makes us all aware that we should never shy away from anyone who is close to us that is battling mental illness. We cannot ignore them because they need our help. They are constantly crying out for help. Don't ignore the signs. We as family and close friends know these people better than anyone else.
Jenny is finding that out about Kath. She seen signs years ago but just wrote it off as teenage stuff. Now years later everyone is still making excuses for Kaths behavior.
She is semi decent providing that she is taking her medication but who is monitoring the number of times she is taking her medicine? Only Kath.. She is in charge of her meds!! Not good at all.

Not a bad psychological thriller however in saying that I did find it a little slow to get going. So much so that I almost gave up. However I did persevere.
Thank you to both NetGalley and Red Door Publishing for my eARC of this book in exchange for my honest unbiased review

Excellent book! Loved the characters and it was a great storyline. I would highly recommend this book.

Publisher’s Description: “Heavenly Creatures” meets “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle” in this exciting debut novel about friendship, love and jealousy. Once upon a time they were best friends. So when Jenny moved to Australia to focus on her swimming career, she not only lost Kath, but her soul-mate Tom. It was for the best. Or so they said. Now, eight years later, Jenny seeks out her childhood friend and heads to rural France where Kath has settled. At first, the women fall back into a close relationship, but before long strange and malicious behavior leads Jenny to realize the truth: that Kath has played a clever game all along to manipulate and control those around her. And Jenny is her biggest victim. Set against the glorious backdrop of the Languedoc lavender fields, “The Good Friend” is a beautifully written psychological drama about love, lies and a dangerous obsession. Because once the truth is revealed, there’s no going back.

I would propose that “The Good Friend” by Jo Baldwin is definitely a psychological drama as opposed to a mystery or thriller. There’s nothing mysterious or thrilling here. We all know who’s pulling the strings because the description tells us a lot about the story. You won’t find a lot of twists and turns. The draw for this one is more in how the events play out and the reveals along the way. It’s just the slow-building tale of Jenny working her way through a summer in France with Kath and Tom.

What will it take for Jenny to discover that she was Kath’s biggest victim? Will Jenny and Tom be able to find their way back to one another? Who will suffer the most as Jenny tries to reconnect with her past?

What kept me reading was that I wanted the answers to those questions, and the story was well-written enough, dropping tempting tidbits along the way, to keep me going. The only reason I knocked this down to 4 stars instead of 5 is that I felt the very end of the book (and I mean literally the last page) went a tiny bit too far. Without giving anything away, I will say only this. It could have easily ended when she finds the box.

Pick this one up.

Thanks to NetGalley and RedDoor Publishing for an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review. This title is scheduled for release on February 7, 2019.

I enjoyed reading this book, it was well written with well-defined characters. However, I found the pace to slow with some long-drawn-out chapters, but nonetheless a good read with an unexpected ending. Three stars.

Wow! This is a brilliantly written book and I couldn't wait another day to see the end. I didn't leave 5 stars because I am peeved out about a couple of things .Other than a few flaws,The Good Friend is a fascinating psychological thriller that I would highly recommend to anyone.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC!

Well I didn't love book, I found it a little to slow and having to make myself sit at times and that bummed me out because excited about the blurb. So we meet Jenny and Kath who were best friends since children and have remained close, they have busy lives and dont get to see each other as much and throw in the fact that Kath married Jenny's ex-boyfriend and love of her life (not cool). Jenny ends up reconnecting with her friend and as they try to become best friends again it isn't really there and then Kath's true colors start to show... We have betray, jealousy and just maliciousness..I will give it a three..

This debut novel by Jo Baldwin is an excellent thriller based in the south of France where Jenny goes to stay with her previously best friend from 8 years ago Kath and her husband Tom who just so happens to be Jenny's ex boyfriend.The reason they have been apart for so long is because Jenny moved to Australia to further her career to become a gold medal swimmer,and at long last they are reunited and everything is just as it was all those years ago.Best friends forever !! But after a while Jenny starts to see a new side to Kath and it's one she doesn't like especially when she finds out the truth about what happened 8 years ago.This is a great book and if Jo Baldwin's future books are as good as this one i for one will be reading more from her.An excellent 5 star read.

This book was an average read. The plot had a lot more potential and I had much higher expectations. I think the publishers should not have classified this as a mystery/thriller. If it was classified as Drama or Women’s fiction then I would have probably rated it better. The book starts off pretty slowly and it take a lot to not just put it down and move on. But about 50% in it picks up pace and a lot of emotional baggage starts to come up. This book is more about jealousy, lies and tragedy than about twists. Unfortunately for me, I could not relate to the characters and the overt description of France did not do much for me either.
Thank you NetGalley and RedDoor books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
#NetGalley #TheGoodFriend

My reviews can also be found on romasharma.blogspot.com

Jenny and Kath were best friends from childhood until Jenny emigrated to Australia to pursue her swimming career and they only kept in touch intermittently. Kath had moved to France, had married Tom (Jenny’s ex-boyfriend) and they had a daughter together, Rosa. 8 years have past and wanting to get away from the pressures of swimming, Jenny decides to take a break and goes to France to visit Kath & Tom. Oh wow, how little things are brought to the fold, friendships are tested, lies are unravelled, what a psychological thriller and what an ending. I won’t say any more for fear of ruining it, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Many thanks to Netgalley and RedDoor Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Jenny left her home to emigrate to Australia with her father to further her swimming career - which she did, becoming an Olympic Gold medalist. It also meant leaving behind the love of her life, Tom. However, she has always wondered what part if any her best friend played in their breakup and indeed if she had any influence in her father’s decision to move to Australia. Because now Kath is married to Tom and they have a young daughter Rosa. Jenny is determined to get to the bottom of what actually happened all those years ago. When she is invited to stay with Kath and Tom in the beautiful countryside of the vineyards in France - she readily accepts. How can she resist the chance to confront Kath.
I think this is well written and the story is pretty good. The first half of the book starts slowly but then the action picks up and the drama begins to play out revealing long hidden lies and jealousies. I really don’t think this should be touted as a mystery thriller as there’s really no mystery but a drama between family and friends.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

Oh wow. Put some time away for this book. It has all the ingredients for a terrific psychological thriller.

No spoilers from me. Book is great with lots of lies, deception, tragedy, and twists. Also, loved the unpredictable ending. Can't say enough great about this. Read it today!!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this fabulous book.

I'm inclined to describe this as a slow moving story but that would suggest that the story actually went somewhere.

With that being said, I never once considered not finishing this book because I HAD to know what secrets it held. What a let-down of epic proportions. What you read is what you get so don't go in looking for something hidden between the lines with this one.

This story reads more like a diary, not in format but in content, in that with a diary there is no real direction. No crescendo or climax. No mystery, no secret shocking reveal.

Although the author hints that something more sinister is happening just beneath the surface, in the end there's nothing unforeseen about this story leaving me feeling cheated out of my time more than anything else. I felt no emotional connection with the characters or their plights.

I would never classify this book as a thriller, it much more closely resembles a family drama if anything.

On the plus side, I very much enjoyed the flowery depiction of the French wine country along with it's eccentric residents. The prose was light and engaging which made for a fast read, which is always a plus.


I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Good Friend by Jo Baldwin is a thriller full of twists and turns, secret and lies.
Jenny visits her childhood friend Kath in France. The women have not seen each other in years and to complicate matters Kath is now married to Jenny's former boyfriend Tom. The fact that Tom and Jenny still have feelings for each other makes this an uncomfortable reunion and all through the book I was waiting for something terrible to happen. An enjoyable read.
I would like to thank NetGalley and RedDoor Publishing for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Childhood friends Jenny and Kath reunite in France for an overdue visit. Jenny finally comes face to face with the fact that Kath married and has a daughter with her ex-boyfriend Tom. The first half of the book lays out the background behind the friendship and also introduces some peculiarities between what has happened between the two women. The pace in the second half of the book picks up quite a bit as different twists and turns emerge. I wish the pace had been the same throughout the book, but I did enjoy the end.