After her parents commit suicide, Ash leaves England and goes to the US to attend The Goode School. She begins her sophomore year of high school at the Goode School which is a prestigious all female. Right away she is singled out by Becca, a senior, who starts giving her a hard time. She doesn't have much luck with her roommate and her friends either. She tries to keep a low profile but instead seems to be the center of attention. The book is told from multiple viewpoints and when it's Ash's voice we begin to learn snippets from her past life. This was a quick read that I could not put down. The book is suspenseful and has some twists and turns. Overall I really enjoyed this book. Thank you to Netgalley and HARLEQUIN - MIRA (U.S. and Canada) for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Quickly I realized this book is not for me.I had a really tough time following this story. I did not connect with the characters or the story line for that matter. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this complimentary book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Ash Carlisle has escaped her traumatic past in England and joined the ranks of the privileged at Goose academy, an all-time rep school in the Blue Ridge mountains. When she's "tapped" to join an elite secret society, Ash starts to undergo a new kind of education. One tranquil leave no one unscathed.

Highly recommended!

Good Girls Lie – Karin Slaughter

I was fortunate to receive this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an objective review. This review will also publish to my blog, tropicaldelusions.blog, on 30 Dec 2019.

Ash Carlisle is a young girl traveling from England to Marchburg, VA to start her sophomore year of high school at the prestigious all female “Goode School”. Having recently lost her parents to suicide, she is fulfilling her father’s wishes for an appropriate education to meet the terms of her inheritance. Upon her arrival to the school, she is immediately singled out by Becca Curtis, a senior, despite her best efforts to keep a low profile.

As Ash slowly makes the acquaintance of her instructors and her roommate, she attempts to make herself a place at the school, all the while trying to keep a low profile. Her introspection as she settles in gives you snippets of information and clues into her past life – an abusive father, an emotionally absent mother, the death of her young brother when Ash was 6 years old. Then, a teacher dies of apparent natural causes – and shortly thereafter, Ash’s roommate is found dead after having fallen from the bell tower, but no one knows if it was suicide or murder…and Ash finds herself under scrutiny...

There is so much more I could relate to this review, but not without giving spoilers into a mind-blowing novel, with a jaw dropping finish.. In fact, now that I’ve reached the end, I feel compelled to go back and start again to see what nuances I might have missed! If you’ve ever read anything by Karin Slaughter, you already know that she delivers in spades, and this book is no exception! A MUST read!!

I loved the title and the cover picture. Both caught my attention and were spot on! A small prestigious all girls prep high school is always full of "stories". Goode School, located in a beautiful small town in Virginia, has its share and more.

The first few chapters were nothing special. Once the death (by suicide or homicide) of a roommate occurs, the questions in my mind pop up and I have to find the answers!

I gave this book four stars due to the slow beginning. However, trying to determine which Goode girls are lying is a fantastic way to end a good book.

So I jumped at the chance to read Good Girls Lie as I love J.T. Ellison’s previous novels but admittedly this one fell just a tiny bit short for me.

I love the premise...rich teenage girls, secret societies, lust, urban legends & secrets with a whole lot of lies thrown in! It just seemed very trite to me at times and super drawn out and convoluted...not all all believable and honestly I was just confused - A LOT!

Overall I didn’t HATE this book - not at all and I would still read this author again (of course) but it just wasn’t what I thought it would be and I guess just not for me.

I gave it 3 stars for the solid writing - but the characters just lacked depth to me and were super annoying.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free advanced copy in return for an honest review - thanks to the author and publisher also! I would still recommend this one for a good boarding school thriller that’s not too deep- and not too hard to figure out (if you can keep track of who’s turn it is to speak)! ❤️🤷‍♀️

This book started out a really good thriller, but I will say it did drag for me in some parts. I couldn't put down the previous two books I read by J.T. Elison. This one did not do it for me, it never captured my attention and seemed very cavalier. I finally stopped reading at halfway through, couldn't finish it.

WOW!!! This book grabbed me - I savored it until the very last page!

Not your run of the mill boarding high school story. An elite, private, girls boarding school - The Goode School - is only as damaged as those inside. Ash is the lead character - from Oxford, she has travelled overseas to Virginia.to attend the school. Since in close proximity to Washington, DC, many of the girls are daughters of bankers, senators, ambassadors...

Of course cliques form by invitation, only. And invitations only those who fit their stringent criteria. Ash is tapped into the most elite of all - the Ivy Society. this includes Becca - the "ruler".

We find out about Ash's past and the reader forms a few opinions of their own. The story leads up to a "tapping" and a suicide on the same night. Or is it a murder? And the victim happens to be Ash's roommate, Camille.

Superb!!! Many Thanks to Harlequin - MIRA and NetGalley for a wonderful read!!!

I couldn't put down the previous two books I read by J.T. Elison. This one did not do it for me, it never captured my attention and seemed very cavalier. I finally stopped reading at halfway through, couldn't finish it.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

Oh my gosh. This book was one of those “you won’t believe it unless you’ve read it with your own eyes” sort of books. It kept me continually guessing, doubting everyone and questioning all the things until the end. It was definitely one of those books I didn’t want to put down as well as a book I couldn’t believe what I was reading!

A story of lies and deception and mysterious death, Good Girls Lie is the best kind of boarding school drama.
Beginning with a murder immediately off the bat, Good Girls Lie sucks you in from the first page.
Ashlyn Carlisle finds herself enrolled in The Goode School, a prestigious all-girls school that prides itself on raising young women who go on to attend only the best colleges and universities, and have illustrious careers in their chosen fields. Offering programs for the arts, technology, and more, The Goode School was chosen by Ash's parents to sort out their "problem child". As young women often do, Ash had fallen into the dark world of drug and alcohol abuse in her native England, and, being the concerned [about their own appearances] parents that they were, they thought getting get out of the public eye in England would be best. Before her departure however, both Ash's parents end up dead in an accidental overdose/suicide. With Ash being the unlucky one who stumbled upon their bodies.
Flash forward to Ash's arrival at The Goode School, where she was admitted based on her prowess at the piano, Ash can't find it in herself to continue playing after the death of her parents, telling her tutor that it reminds her too much of her mother and it's too painful. Instead she wows the computer technology professor with her hidden talent for coding and hacking. This talent, however, draws the unwanted attention of Becca Curtis, senior to Ash's sophomore, and well-known school bully. Before Ash knows it, she's being hazed and harassed by both girls in her own class, and Becca.
Determined to keep a low profile, Ash tries to blend in. But death seems to follow her, and before she knows it her roommate is dead, and Ash is the primary suspect.
I really enjoyed Good Girls Lie, it was an easy, fairly quick read (I read it while travelling and sitting in the airport), so I have no doubt others will enjoy this juicy story as well. J.T. Ellison does a great job keeping the reader guessing until the very end, and the beginning of the story is a deliberately well set up misdirection. I wasn't sure how the story would unfold, but all of the "coincidences" seemed just a little too coincidental (as they should in this type of story). The character development was superb, and the subplots kept me from getting bored with just following Ash's story. I'd definitely recommend this book for someone looking for an easy read that isn't boring!

Give me a book set at an elite school and then turn it into a thriller and I'm happy. This one was consistent with Ellison's previous books and did not disappoint. The story starts with a classmate who commits suicide, which isn't that surprising (sadly) at a ultra-competitive, Ivy-League-bound institution. But, is that what really happened? Good story with twists and turns. Kept me engaged throughout.
Definitely recommend.

#GoodGirlsLie #NetGalley

I just love J. T. Ellison writing style, and Good Girls Lie did not disappoint. It had a slow build up and you never knew who you can trust. Love the ending.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
The Goode School is an elite, private school for girls settled amongst the scenic hills of Virginia. A school known for its elite students, on the fast track to Ivy League schools of their choice, where the only rules are those in the school’s Honour Code, created to ensure responsibility, honesty and dignity amongst staff, students and faculty. So, when a young girl is found hanging from the front gates, the school is quickly turned upside down. Fingers are pointed at everyone, and after a rash of recent deaths at the school, no one is blameless. Rumours fly, and lies abound, but what really happened?
J.T Ellison is known for novels such as “Lie to Me” and “Tear Me Apart”, among many others. My only other experience with Ms. Ellison was with “Lie to Me”, so although I am not going into this review completely knowledgeable of all of Ellison’s novels, the two I have read are merely middle of the road novels, with enough entertainment and suspense to keep a reader intrigued, but not enough twisting and turning to really satisfy.
When a group of rich girls are secluded in one place, you know something bad is going to happen. Money, power, secrets mixed with self-confidence and hormones? It’s a no-brainer. From the beginning of this novel, there are hints and teasers as to what you expect would be an epic twist. Although the twist is there, it is not what we are expecting and I found it to be disappointing.
The story is well-told, and the characters are all beautiful and perfect, rich and brilliant, the type of girls that are easy to hate (and in this case, to blame). There are questions throughout the novel, and the ending does provide some satisfying just desserts, but the “wow factor” you expect from the twist does not deliver.
Overall, I enjoyed reading Ellison’s novels, as they generally have a consistent style and flow, which makes for an easy read. Fans of Ellison will definitely enjoy her new novel, as her creativity and talent shines through. “Good Girls Lie” has all of the teenage angst you would expect from a private all-female school (my worst nightmare, to be quite honest), with a little bit of murder and deception thrown in.

I like a book that grabs me from the off. And this did that. You meet ash very early on and you want to keep reading to find out what happened. This book has a 'Wild Child' feel to it but with a more sinister edge. I enjoyed it, eventhough I found that the plot dragged ever so slightly in places.

Finally! A boarding school story that doesn’t feel contrived. Excellent thriller. Twists! Turns! Buildings draped in ivy! Everything I wanted.

This is one of those books that you really need to just set aside time to read it straight through. I did not do that and now I want to read it again to look for all of the awesome foreshadowing that the author uses so expertly. This is the story of a private girls’ school in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Since that is where I am from originally, I was instantly drawn into the story. The drama! Oh, the drama! Put a group of teens together and of course, you expect drama, a lot of gossip and some mean girls. This book has it all, plus murder! This is a mystery and thriller and the more you read, the more thrilling it becomes. Ash Carr has arrived at the very exclusive Goode School and is instantly targeted by senior Becca to be one of her groupies. Ash’s roommate Camille is snooty, but when Ash hears her crying at night, she does offer her help. What would make a sophomore who is already accepted into the “in crowd” sob into her pillow at night? That’s one of the mysteries that keeps the reader involved in the story. There is also Dean Ford Westhaven, a woman with an attitude of entitlement and a lot of secrets about her love affairs. This book will transport the reader into the fictional world of a private girls’ school and will not let you go until the last satisfying page. The strengths of the book are in the well-developed characters and the intricately woven plot. At the end, I was left with a sense of awe at how everything came together. Readers of suspense and psychological thrillers will thoroughly enjoy this latest book by J.T. Ellison!

Another story about girls at a prestigious boarding school, most from broken homes. This one is all about Ash who has recently lost both her parents, but before they died they wanted to send her to a boarding school in America. We immediately know that Ash is a troubled young girl that wants to fit in, but we also know from snippets of the past that something sinister is going on.

I have to admit this book held my attention. Maybe it is my fascination with girls in high school that are snobby and rich, and manage to bully the girls that struggle to fit in. I was a little confused at how the headmistress's point of view really fit in to the story, but I guess it gave some additional perspective on the school and it's dynamic, as well as another woman who came from a troubled past.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and the twist at the end.

In Good Girls Lie, J.T. Ellison takes us into the world of the prestigious Goode girls' private school in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Although everything seems perfect in this all-girls rigorous school, secrets are woven in every character's life in the novel. Even when you think you have things figured out, the plot takes an unexpected turn.

This was almost a five star book for me because I loved the suspense, mystery, and not knowing what was going to happen next. However, there are parts of the plot that seemed a bit artificial and some loose ends that I would have liked to have seen tied up. With that being said, it is definitely worth reading.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc of this suspenseful read!

This was a very well written, twisted read, in which the author really made sure to make the setting, plot, and characters very believable. I thought that it was a good read, but didn’t hit 5 star for me, because it was a bit slow paced and I enjoy the faster paced books. Overall, it’s a good thriller with some intense moments and twists. I would recommend to fans of thrillers set in wealthy settings!
Will tell Chapter Chatter Pub about it!