I am a big fan of thrillers. The page turner aspect is what I love- and this book has just that. It is so twisty! Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

Good Girl by Miranda Smith
Finished: 5/21 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you @netgalley and @bookouture for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Publish Date: June 24, 2020
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“My brother was thirteen the first time he tried to kill me.”

With her past behind her, Della is living her life as a loving wife and a dedicated teacher. With the school year coming to an end, everything is going as planned, until a new student, Zoey, comes into her class. Della recognizes that something isn’t right with Zoey. When a student is viciously attacked, Della is consumed with memories of brother and her failure to stop him. With no one to believe her about Zoey, Della will risk her job and her marriage, to keep history from repeating itself.
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I’ll start by saying I was interested to see how this one was going to end. You Della’s POV from now and the past. I was more interested in the chapters from her past. It was incredibly frustrating that none of the characters believed her, but it’s understandable why they didn’t. I did not like her teacher friend’s. I can understand their concern, but I would have rained hell down if someone outed me and risked my chance for tenure, just sayin! Della’s character did bother me in the aspect of her withholding things from her husband, or even her therapist. I guess that’s because I’m an open book and I feel it’s better to get things out. There weren’t any major twist in this and I wouldn’t consider it a thriller. This was an average read for me.

Della's brother was 13 the first time he tried to kill someone. She'd always known there was something wrong with him, but no one believed her.
Years later, Brian is nothing but a long buried secret to her. She lives a well adjust life as a wife and high school literature teacher, and rarely dwells on the past.
One day Della gets a new student in class and everything changes. There's something wrong with Zoey, but no one else can see through her.
But, when another student is hurt, she's more determined than every to prove she's right before it happens again.

I enjoyed Good Girl.. I feel like it's kind of old hat to compare it to Gillian Flynn or Karin Slaughter, but it's not really a stretch either. It was well paced. There was a good amount of suspense. For a while, I was wondering who the actual psycho was. It would have been interesting either way.

There is a part that I was not a fan of. I will never get behind the idea of "women say they don't want kids, but eventually they do." Aside from that, I really did enjoy it.

4/5
*I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my review.

Good Girl by Miranda Smith is a thrilling ride from start to finish. I was looking for a read that would hook me early, and this one certainly delivered.

Della Mayfair is a high school teacher, devoted to both her husband and career, but living in the shadow of a past that can never be truly left behind. When Zoey enters her classroom as a new student, Della immediately senses that something is off with this clever girl who effortlessly charms the rest of the school community. Della, you see, recognizes evil, having grown up with a brother who terrorized her throughout the years, once even going so far as to attempt to kill her. Can one person encounter pure evil, so closely and personally, twice in a single lifetime?

This is a dark and unsettling tale, told from the alternating timelines of past and present, in the voice of Della. Ms Smith has really peeled back the layers of our narrator's state of mind, both in the now and then, and the result is both gripping and chilling. Recommended. 4.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

The Good Girl by Miranda Smith was a novel I was gifted from Netgalley.
Truly, I had no expectations for this book. I’ve never read this author, nor did I even see any of my other “IG reader friends” talking about it. I’m SO glad I took a chance on this book because I loved it!
Here’s the synopsis:
Della is a high school English teacher when one day she gets a brand new student. There’s something “off” about Zoey, but it seems that only Della can see it. Everyone else thinks she’s the perfect, model student!!
🤔does she look familiar?
🤔is she intentionally stirring up trouble with the other students?
🤔 why did she tell Della she was from FL, but her transcript says SC?
Della has so many questions, and without the help of her colleagues, she begins investigating on her own. What Della discovers is hair raising...and let’s not forget to mention, Della’s own secret past that no one knows about!
The book alternate between past and present and comes together perfectly in the end!!
This was a surprisingly great book, and a page turner for sure!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you, Bookouture and NetGalley for this arc.

Synopsis: Della has a good life, a great career as a teacher, married with a childhood friend who is a doctor, but underneath all her success is an awful past she prefers to keep as a secret. Then one day, she met this new student Zoey who is smart, athletic, and friendly, but they had a bad start, and Della can sense evil in her. Can Della brush it off when things started happening what it feels like a dejavu of a past she tried to forget and hide?

I’m sure there’s a considerable difference between paranoia and gut feeling, and because we live in the world that stands by a belief of “without evidence, nothing you say is true.” I am annoyed about how the characters in this story don’t want to trust Della’s words; however, it is the same reaction that makes this story realistic and exciting. Della’s character evolves, and that’s what I like about it. The story is alarming and mind-bending but will get you hooked from start to finish. The narration is forthright and won’t leave you hanging. I love it.

Everybody loves you: teachers, other students, parents,... That can only mean one thing: you truely are a good girl.

Nobody believes you when you try to tell them something or warn them. You must be telling tales or being jealous. That can only mean one thing: you are not a good girl.

Are people right though? Maybe you are good on the outside, but you are really a master of deception? And in the second case, is it possible that no one is convinced because of that master in the art of shenanigans?

They did not believe you before, but you proved them wrong. What about now?

The cover is a perfect match to the heart of the story. I love it when the outside of the book and the inside form a whole.

The story is great as well as the storytelling. I felt Della's frustrations and wanted to kick the others for giving her not more credit. 

Another gem to treasure in my book jewels box. :) 5 stars.

Thank you, Miranda Smith and Bookouture

I enjoyed this book but wasn't as enthralled with this book as I would have liked. Lately, I have read a lot of superb thrillers so unfortunately this book a lot to live up to from the beginning. I appreciated the flow of the writing. It kept me reading until the end, however I was never truly gripped by the plot. I found the main characters complete obsession with her high school students a little bizarre. I know this was the point of the drama for this book, but it overall just gave me a sense of ick from which I could not recover.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange of an honest review.

Please forgive me for being totally sleep deprived while writing this review...because...I STAYED UP UNTIL 1AM FINISHING THIS BOOK.

I tried going to sleep, I really did. But every time I closed my eyes, I just kept thinking about this book, and I neeeedddddeddddd to know how it finished.

This isn't your typical edge-of-seat- thriller. This is more of a psychological, character study.

What we've got here is Della, a well-adjusted teacher that lived through a horrifying past where her brother was a very, very, VERY bad man. She's tried to separate herself from her past until a new student comes along that reminds her so much of her brother. She begins to obsess about this student as bad things start happening around school and the town. She tries to speak up about her concerns about said student, but like in her childhood with her brother, nobody believes her.

Is this student like her brother or is Della projecting her experience on an innocent student...YOU DON'T KNOW!

So the book is about psychopaths, yes, but more Della and her journey to lead a normal life, and do the right thing.

I was shocked at how much I liked this book. I went in thinking this would be a crazy, far-fetched thriller, given that the very first line of the book is this:

"My brother was thirteen the first time he tried to kill me."

BUT, this actually turned out to be much different than I expected. I don't want to give too much away as I think this is better to read knowing less about the story.

HIGHLY recommend!

A big thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC and wanting my honest opinion!

"Good Girl" follows a teacher who is convinced one of her students is a psychopath. She's had experience with this behavior in the past. This story switches from past to present weaving everything together. I really liked the writing. It gave off an eerie vibe that had me turning pages pretty quickly. The story was interesting and full of suspense. I recently read Miranda Smith's first book "Some Days Are Dark" and loved it. She seems to be very good with thriller/suspense novels. I look forward to reading more.

3.5 STARS

When I read the synopsis and the first few pages, I knew this was going to be a fascinating read. It did have some Chapters that seemed to drag and become repetitive, but overall, it was entertaining.

Throughout the book, I was left wondering if the main character, Della, was telling the truth or not. It is so mysterious that I would classify this book as a suspenseful/mystery read.

I flew through this book and if you like suspense reads, this is for you. The reason why I gave it 3.5 stars is because it did get a little dull in the middle section of the book, but the beginning and ending were very well written and I would recommend GOOD GIRL.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC. This book is expected to be released on June 24.

I really enjoyed this story. Though slow in a few spots, overall it was very exciting and suspenseful. The characters were well developed and interesting. I also enjoyed the dueling timelines. We get a chance to see exactly why Della thinks she knows what Zoey is up to by reading about her experience in the past with her brother

Good Girl by Miranda Smith is a very well written, engrossing thriller that will keep a reader up at night. Told from Della's point of view in the present and her past, readers will be on the edge of their seat dying to find out if Della is losing her grip on reality or if she is the only one who can see clearly.

Della's brother tried to kill her when she was just a kid. Everyone liked her brother, thought he was a good guy, athletic, good looking, there was no way a boy like that was a monster. But he was. And for most of Della's young life, she was the only one who saw the monster behind the good looks.

Now Della is a teacher and has little connections with her past. She is married to a doctor who she knew when she was young. She goes to therapy. She has dealt with the issues in her past. She believes all of this until she meets a new student, Zoe. When she looks at Zoe, she sees the monster she saw in her brother's eyes.

No one believes Della, the other students and teachers like Zoe. Sure she had some trouble at her other schools, but nothing drastic. She is just a kid who has made mistakes, but Della is sure that Zoe is hiding something and she is determined to find out what it is that Zoe is hiding. Will Della go too far in trying to prove her point about Zoe? Is Zoe just a girl or is Zoe the monster Della believes her to be?

Good Girl is a fantastic read. I believe I devoured this book in one day. I really did not want to put the book down. Very, very good!

Thank you Netgalley and the author for the book. I loved reading. Book full of twists and super interesting. Loved it!!!! Perfect reading.

WOW! Hooked from the first chapter and couldn’t put it down. Full of plot twists and suspense. The story is told by alternating back and forth between past and present to give the reader necessary background to fully build the story which only added another layer to the storyline. Excellent!

Wow I loved this book. It’s a dark and twisted tale about a teacher who after growing up with a brother who was evil and cruel beyond measure growing up but no one would believe her, is scared when she meets a new student called Zoey and becomes convinced she is just as dark and dangerous as her brother. After a girl is attacked Della tries to warn staff members that’s Zoey is responsible but when no one believes her, including her own husband her life and mental health is thrown into turmoil as she tries to prevent anyone else coming to harm and it’s a rollercoaster of a journey to the climatic conclusion.
Is Della right or is she allowing her past to cloud her view on an innocent child?
This is an exciting read which I could not put down and I can’t wait to read more by this author.

Good Girl by Miranda Smith was a great suspense novel and I have to tell you, I began this book thinking I knew exactly what would happen and I was wrong. I am always happy to be wrong when I am reading a novel because I want to be shocked! I want a punch from out of left field that I didn’t see coming! This ended up being a book that I got sucked into and really couldn’t have guessed the ending.

Check it out:

My brother was thirteen the first time he tried to kill me.

These days, Della is a loving wife, a dedicated teacher, a woman trying to do her best. She has put her past far behind her. But she hasn’t forgotten the lessons she learned.

It’s just a regular morning when Della welcomes Zoey to her English class. She treats her like any other new student: assigns her a desk, hands out the work. But then she meets Zoey’s cold, calculating eyes and freezes as terrifying memories threaten to overwhelm her.

Della knows what evil looks like when it hides behind a confident smile. Her own brother, the town’s darling, couldn’t keep his true nature hidden forever. Della has been watching out for people like him ever since, determined to stop them before it’s too late.

When a student is viciously attacked and Della is sent a detailed account of the crime, she’s more convinced than ever that Zoey has darkness inside her. But to make people believe her, she needs proof. Will she risk everything to get it? And without it, can she be sure she’s right?

The reader wonders if Della is projecting her fears onto this poor, misunderstood student. Is Zoey like Della’s brother, or more likely, Della is personalizing something she notices in Zoey’s behavior? This was a fantastic, intense, entertaining book that you need to read!

Coming out on June 24, pre-order now!

Okay, I have to say A LOT, but I won't give spoilers. First of all, as soon as I read the synopsis I loved it and said I NEED TO KNOW MORE. It was a super entertaining book and certain chapters were so intense that I had to stop a bit to talk to myself and discuss my theories.

I liked the main character even though she did not showed more nuances than she appeared, but the way she related to the secondary characters like her husband (who is also another of my favorite characters), her family, her coworkers like Pam and Marge, and of course with Zoey, made me possible to connect more with the plot, in addition certain details related to Della as a teacher were very good and made the character feel more real.

Going a little deeper into the plot, the topic of Brian being a sociopath was very interesting but in the end I never got to understand it (which is fine because he didn't understand himself), however what was most appealing to read was how h acted around his family before, during and after the murders he committed.
In addition, all this influenced Della because she continues even after many years suffering for what her brother did; and this leads to talking about Zoey, the girl Della thinks is like her brother, a sociopath, but throughout the plot the only one who is 100 percent sure is her and certain situations also make you doubt if she is right or not.

Finally, this is a book that you can read very quickly even though it has certain dense themes, if you like thrillers with real endings this is for you.

Btw, I will write a review in spanish too and you will be able to read it in my bookstagram acc @itsmaryhere.

Was honestly hooked! Fast paced and filled with plenty of twists!

My kind of book! Enjoyed so much!

I read a significant amount of psychological thrillers, and I don't believe I've seen this particular angle before. I enjoyed it and would recommend to anyone looking for a fast thriller.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me an ARC in return for my honest review.