3.5 Stars.

An amusing, brain candy thriller. Ok, ok, not one but two people in the story had their eyes carved out by a murderer, but somehow this still felt like a pretty lightweight mystery.

Perhaps the multiple murders (and the grisliness of a few of them) were tempered by the fact that none of the victims are all that likable.

There are a few fun twists and the ending is the one that you want, even if the whole mess gets a bit convoluted at times.

A fun page turner, especially if you like boarding school-themed mysteries.

J.T. Ellison is one of my favorite authors. She never disappoints. I was so looking forward to another great book by her and she came through again!

I love a good murder mystery at a boarding school, so I was super excited to read Good Girls Lie by JT Ellison when it popped up on NetGalley. In all honesty, it had a lot going on. New girl at an elite boarding school with secret societies. Girls dropping dead (no spoilers here) and a dean having an illicit affair and computer hacking and an old mystery to solve and a lot of the threads didn't end up mattering that much, but this was 400 and some pages of twists and turn and I liked it well-enough. 

Ash Carlisle is the newest student at the Goode school, fresh off finding her rich parents dead in their home. But she's got a secret, and when another student dies on campus, the head school takes a shine to her, and the Dean gets involved, here secret might just get revealed. What really happened to her parents, because Ash Carlisle isn't who she says she is...and when the other girls on campus find out, there will be consequences. Throw in a hot computer professor, a mysterious townie with a murderous dad, the daughter of a Congresswoman, some secret society hazing, and this book is chock full of it alllll. 

I do feel that this book had maybe a little TOO much going on. I like multi POV, I really do, but there was a lot: we got Ash, the Dean, Becca, another girl I won't name, the sheriff's niece, it was all a little much.  Lots of twists and turns at the end too, though I ultimately like how it ended, in the epilogue. So, if you like twisty murder books with lots of details, check this book out.

The Goode School an all-girl boarding school that has a remarkable reputation. Any young lady graduating from here is guaranteed access to ivy-league colleges. The story begins with a girls body found hung on the school gate. Taken back in time you are introduced to 16 year old Ash Carr as she arrives from London to attend the Goode School. As you follow her you are instantly drawn into an artistically designed web of lies, deceit and at times abuse.
It is within the confines of these walls that you will find hidden rooms, tunnels and many dangerous secrets. The young ladies follow an honor code or do they?
Faculty and students die, before you are taken back to the beginning with the body found hung on the gate.
You will be guessing till the very end. Another work of art by J.T. Ellison!

JT Ellison is a gem and her writing is just fantastic. This book is a cross between Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars and I couldn’t put it down! I love books in boarding school settings, especially ones with a mystery. Good Girls Lie starts off with a bang and catches your attention right away!

The story is about Ash, a pretty girl with a tragic backstory that begins attending the prestigious Goode School. She comes in with a terrible secret and makes friends with girls who have secrets of their own. There are many different elements that come together to make this book so hard to put down!

I was intrigued by the character of Ash from the beginning, and I felt pulled in by the story and the drama Ellison creates. The book uses alternating points of view which gives each character a rich backstory and interesting personality. I love slowly learning about things throughout the book because when there is a big twist it catches you by surprise!

I recommend this book to anyone and everyone who likes a good twist and slow and exciting build-up. The high school drama makes the book completely intriguing, especially when you find out what's going on underneath!

What a great story that twists everything all around! The story had me guessing and then guessing again. It was fast paced with creepy characters!

“There are truths, and there are lies, and then there is everything that really happened, which is where you and I will meet.”

Tightly plotted and brilliantly executed, this story of secrets, hazing, suicides and murder is told in the most evocative way. I could practically hear the bells chiming in the bell tower, feel the chill of the old stone walls, sense the menace from the secret societies.

Like Mean Girls or Gossip Girl set in a gothic boarding school, Good Girls Lie is filled with bullies and spoiled rich kids all living within the walls of an elite, all-girls school. Ash arrives after witnessing the death of her mother and father, but she, too, is carrying secrets.

But when her roommate is found dead, the close scrutiny may bring her secrets into the light. And Ash soon learns that someone is plotting against her behind the scenes. Someone who knows everything she’s tried so hard to keep hidden.

The alternating points of view made me question everything I thought I knew, with twists I didn’t see coming and a finish that was both outstanding and utterly creepy.

A deliciously devious page-turner with evocative world building and suspense that will keep you up long into the night.

I was looking forward to reading this book because the last book I read by J T Ellison was excellent. This book was disappointing. The first half seemed to be unnecessarily drawn out. It took me a long time to understand the plot, and I still struggled to follow the book. Lots of secrets are being kept at this elite girls school. The head of the school is overlooking bullying, secret initiations, drugs and alcohol. The students are rich and mean. I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions expressed here are my own.

I love all of JT’s book, this was was so crazy!!! I knew everything somehow would tie all together, never figured it out and it lasted till the last page. Awesome as always for JT❤️❤️❤️

A very posh boarding school becomes a crime scene in this very twisty thriller. Mean girls and secret societies are not the only challenges for Ash as she tries to adjust to her life in the states after finding her parents dead at home. When the deaths start happening everyone is ready to blame the new girl and Goode girls wouldn't lie would they? As the dean, detectives and others find out they do lie and often. Intense pacing and a bit of a shocker ending so be ready to pull an all-nighter once you begin. Obviously, young adults will find this as appealing as their parents. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

This book captivated me from the first page! J.T. Ellison does it again. I think this book is best read with no set up so you can really formulate opinions as you turn every page. Would recommend!

Yet another J.T. Ellison book that is a winner. I thoroughly enjoyed this book--it really kept me guessing! I don't want to give anything away, but this book really makes you question everything that is going on. Even after the epilogue, I wasn't 100% certain who the "bad guy" was. I loved it! Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

“Thanks NetGalley for my review copy “

I have mixed feelings about this one. While I got immersed in the plot and characters and the story overall, I felt like it dragged a lot for my liking.
There’s mystery and mysterious characters and I’m always looking forward to the psychological part of the characters which this book delivers quite well.
I’ll say a 3.5 stars because I felt the end too rushed after the slow paced start.

I devoured this book! Omg, secret society, who is who and what is happening?! I was instantly hooked from page one!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC. It was amazing!

"There are truths, and there are lies, and then there is everything that really happened, which is where you and I will meet. My truth is your lie, and my lie is your truth, and there is a vast expanse between them."

Yeah. That's pretty much how it went.

*Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC*


Ash Carlisle has found her way from England to the Goods School in Virginia. In her wake are her parents who recently died and a massive fortune for her to inherit. Eventually.

She struggles to make friends, join a secret society, and keep her past a secret from everyone. In a small school full of daughter's of the most famous and powerful people in the country, is that even possible?


I gave this 3.5 stars. Maybe even 3. I wanted to like it, I really did. I thought the story had immense potential but ultimately it just fell flat. It never really grabbed me and pulled me in. In fact it took weeks to get through it. I thought some of the writing from the teens was too old, no regular teen would use that kind of language, plus there's no way a school could ban cell phones, and outside websites.

I thought the first 85% was long winded and dragged on and then them ending just ENDS. I've now read several from the same author and always have the same response. The endings are good they just seem rushed, where as the back story goes on and on.

Better luck next time, I guess?

I was so excited to be given a widget for this book that I stopped everything and read it immediately. I have not one regret!

This is a tight thriller set at an exclusive boarding school. Bursting with secrets, hazing, sexual surprises, murder and some really creepy stairs this one was really tough to set down and I lost most of yesterday to this juicy read!

Thank you to J.T. Ellison, HARLEQUIN - MIRA (U.S. and Canada), and NetGalley for giving me this widget/ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

Take the basic thriller formula, toss in a big helping of Mean Girls, and sprinkle on some Big Little Lies and you get Good Girls Lie. Set in a super exclusive all-girls school, this story has everything you’d expect from its setting: teens being very mean to each other, secrets, hidden sexuality, ghost stories, the pressure to succeed, and secret societies with lots of hazing.

If it wasn’t for a few scenes, this could have been a YA thriller. Either way, it was a page-turner that kept me entertained, despite the fact that everything was pretty easy to predict. In fact, the secret to the first of two twists was left hanging in front of me from almost the beginning and was easily guessed. I find it hard to believe it was even supposed to be a twist, but it seems like some readers didn’t see it coming. The second twist wasn’t very surprising either, but it was relatively satisfying.

If you go into this willing to let the twists play out, it’s a pretty fun ride. If being able to guess the twists ruins your enjoyment of a thriller, though, this book may not be for you.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!! Talk about twisted and sinister!!!!!!!!!!! I had reservations about this book because I thought it would be more a YA book because it's about high school age girls away at boarding school. I don't do the YA genre, just not for me. This is totally NOT in that genre though. These girls were devious, cruel little liars and manipulators. I love J.T. Ellison and this book did NOT disappoint me. It was an awesome story to read and only took me two days. Love her style of writing and will always be a fan of hers.
Ash Carlisle is new to the all girl Goode School in America. She is a little shy so it takes a little time to make friends but she soon gets the attention of a VIP senior and that friendship starts the death of a few of the girls in the school. Who does theses killings??? Ash or someone else?????? Trust me you want to read this one to find out!!!!!!!!! Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin for my honest review!!!!

3.5/5 There were parts of this book I really liked, and other parts left me scratching my head. The set up of the school, the past murders, the red stairs, all gave it an eerie feeling to start with. Fairly soon, you begin to notice something a little off about the protagonist Ash and her bizarre POVs that alter just a little too much from chapter to chapter. All of those things plus secret societies, a sexy/creepy handyman, and mysterious deaths lead to a pretty engrossing story. But there are some wonky things like the girls not using cell phones, social media, and most of the internet. Seems like this would have worked 20 years ago when I was in high school, but I can't see any teens being so blasé about not being able to check their social media feeds nowadays- especially when these are supposed to be the most elite students who will soon be running companies. Most industries want tech savvy new hires and are less impressed with your dead language skills- or at least that has been my experience. All in all a fun read- just felt a little dated for something set in 2019.

Fabulously creeptastic with awesome twists and a totally un-put-down-able read. J.T. Ellison is a go to author and there she shall remain. I love books about privileged, private schools with a psychological thriller twist and this one will not only keep you guessing, but catching your breath and some jaw dropping moments. Cozy up and prepare for getting lost in this one. 5 stars!
Thank you to the author, publisher and #NetGalley for my copy.