I really like Samantha Downing, but this book was not my favorite. I thought the storyline felt a little forced, and I am used to a good page-turner from Downing. I was eager to turn the pages so I could be finished on this one. The characters were meh and under developed, and I felt the revenge aspect was a bit predictable.

Have you ever been duped by a character before? I’m still mulling over my rollercoaster of emotions in reading Samantha Downing’s latest FOR YOUR OWN GOOD. Teddy is a teacher at the prestigious Belmont High. We see the world through his eyes, the mundane monotony of his everyday life, the loathing that he has for some of his students and fellow teachers, the secrets that he’s hiding. And, while he’s immediately pegged as the bad guy, I didn’t think of him as such. I saw myself agreeing with him, yes, that person is overbearing, yes that kid is too cocky. Don’t get me started on the righteousness of the parents! I felt bad for Teddy and did not see him as a bad guy, when he clearly is, especially when people begin to die.

Belmont High is dealing with a scandal of sorts. A potential murder of a beloved mother, who was also in charge of a PTA-like group. The victim? Her daughter. Secrets come out about the mother/daughter duo, the texts that the daughter sent friends hoping her mother would die, the constant pressure that the mother put on her daughter to get into Yale, and only Yale. But, was this girl driven to kill her own mother?

Where does Teddy fit into all of this? Well, he’s the quiet observer, silently judging everyone. He’s keeping secrets. But is he a killer? The aspect that I found most appealing about this book was the inner workings within a private institution, the gossip, the drama, the juicy secrets. Narrations ping ponged back and forth between students, teachers and faculty. Everyone had a story to tell and it wove beautifully into the next one. It brought me back to my own private school days, when I was completely oblivious to the goings on of teachers and faculty. It makes me wonder if maybe I missed something…

This book is absolutely AMAZING!! I will forever stalk Samantha Downings books!! I had the extreme pleasure of interviewing her, and learning about her writing process. Incredible talent.

What a BRILLIANT book!

This follows a teacher named Teddy at a prestigious school. There are a string of murders that start to draw attention to his personal life, despite his attempts to stay away from the limelight.

Here's what I loved:
- The pacing was great. Short chapters, great cliffhangers, and to-the-point dialogue. Nothing ever dragged
- Because of the various POV, there aren't many "twists", per se, but it's written in a way that makes you NEED to know what happens next because you are shocked about what just happened.
- The campus setting was perfect and it felt cozy and scary at the same time

I think this would make a fantastic movie!

Thank you to the publisher for a gifted eARC!

I fell in love with Samanta Downing's books after reading He Started It last year. I still think about the ending of that book. I was not a fan of My Lovely Wife like others were, but let me say I loved For Your Own Good even more than He Started It. I loved the prep school setting, the multiple POVs and the slew of unlikeable characters.. It's a fun yet thrilling story that is a bit over the top, but who cares. I'm here for all the crazy fun. Absolutely recommend this one and can't wait for Samantha's next book. Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pro tip: go in blind!

Oh come on…more dark and sinister rich people moments! This one took place in a private school. This is the type of book where there’s a lot of characters and everyone is up to something.

The pace and layout of the book took me on a ride. I struggled in some parts because if redundancies. But then I would get hooked again. Overall I really ended up enjoying it.

🔹Beginning…instantly hooked.
🔹Then…ugh dragging. I peer pressured @theberrybookreport into reading it w me so we could discuss. I also reached out to @brenslibrary_xoxo to ask her thoughts be she loved it. She told me to stick w it and that it starts to really pick up at the halfway mark.
🔹Then 39% in, totally picked up again!
🔹(…insert some mild dragging on…)
🔹But everything falling apart/coming together.
🔹The end? Tied up way too neat in my opinion.

This was absolutely a pageturner. I couldn't put it down. Samantha Downing is quickly becoming an auto buy author for me.

This book is definitely creepy and twisted. So why did I not give it 5 stars? Me, the person who’s always in search of the weirdest psychological thrillers? Well, unfortunately I can’t quite point it out.
The first half of the book had me on the edge. Unputdownable.
But then, it got a little dragging.

"Someone has to save the kids. It's for their own good."

Samantha Downing is about to be a powerhouse. She started out strong with My Lovely Wife and just started churning out page-turners. The one thread I'm noticing through all her books is that there are never any "good" guys. Everyone is always, always, deeply flawed and fallible.

This had a very Dark Academia feel to it. It takes place on a big, old, important campus. Murder is happening and there is no shortage of suspects. What makes this one stand out, though, is it's mainly from the teaching staff's perspective. We get some students, too, but it's very behind-the-scenes.

Love to be paranoid? Check this guy out!

Twisty and clever, this was such fun to read -- mayhem and murder at Belmont Academy, home of some of the most entitled prep school teenagers and parents that you'd ever want to hang out with.

Rich, spoiled teens need an excellent education and counsel, don't they? Well, Teacher of the Year, Teddy Crutcher, is just the man who knows how to step right up and help mentor those darlings "for their own good." Sure, he may be a bit unhinged and misguided -- don't those cuticles of his look a sight -- but he only wants them to get what they deserve. He isn't too fond of his colleagues at the academy, and the parents just need to butt out of his business. Bribing for grades? Other teachers telling him how to run his classroom? Not going to happen on his watch.

Teddy has some issues, though. His personal life is in shambles, and by the way, where is his wife anyway? When Teddy sees an opportunity to push his way into more respect and attention, what is a little poison going to hurt? When people start dying at #murderhigh, suspicion falls on the most unlikely; which members of this community need to wake up? No spoilers.

What a cast of characters! Told from different points of view, the narrative was so lively and fast that I read this book in one sitting as I just could not put it down without knowing how it was all going to turn out. Having been educated and also worked in the private school system (albeit not this particular type of elite academy), I had to laugh at some of the interactions between administration, faculty, parents, and students. The author has an excellent style that brought these people to life on the pages, made me shiver, and made me whoop in recognition. I almost had to hold my breath as the story ratcheted to a very satisfying conclusion. Fans will definitely not want to miss this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Books for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend.

A compulsive thriller with character you will love to hate. For Your Own Good is definitely a binge worthy thriller that will keep you turning the pages with its fast pace and intriguing mystery. The short chapters makes this one perfect for summer and the thriller aspect is perfect for fall. 100% recommend this one!

I just love everything this author touches. She can do no wrong in my eyes. I will auto preorder every single book, and I regret nothing.

Ok, I admit that I am late reading For Your Own Good, but what a novel. For me the first couple of chapters were hard to get through, however after you read through those the thrill ride begins. This novel is dark, twisted and fun!
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

First line: Entitlement has a particular stench.

Summary: Belmont Academy is the best school in town. It churns out smart and well connected students to Ivy League universities. Teddy Crutcher, an English teacher, has just won Teacher of the Year. It is a high honor, especially for someone who did not attend Belmont as a student. And as a teacher he has high hopes for his students. He wants the ones who deserve to do well to achieve great things but he must teach the students who are entitled to learn a lesson. For their own good of course. When a parent dies at a school function the Belmont community is thrown into chaos. But then another murder happens. What is going on in this prestigious school?

My Thoughts: This is fine. I liked it. The characters were mostly terrible people. They each had such strong opinions about everyone else around them and were not afraid to act on their urges. Teddy was definitely scary in a calm methodical way. He could always justify his actions. But he also seemed to make sense in some of the things he thought which is even scarier.

I felt like the book was aimed more for young adult readers. And this may be because several of the main characters were teenagers. It felt like it was missing something that her other novels had which led me to give them a higher rating.

There were plenty of little twists but the reader knows from the very beginning who is killing. It was fun to read. And the ending was satisfying. Perfect for the story and the characters involved.

FYI: Death.

For Your Own Good was an incredible thriller! One of the things I love about Samantha Downing's writing is that every time I feel like I know the characters or what twist might be coming up, there is a major twist coming up.

Each character in this book was unreliable. Each character had flaws that made the book even more interesting. I loved the setting of the school, it helped add to the entire story. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good dark academia thriller, and even if they are not fans of dark academia, the thriller is still incredible despite the setting.

I look forward to the next book that Samantha Downing releases!

I enjoyed this book way better than “He Started It” which was a DNF for me. Teddy was an absolute mess. He really didn’t see anything wrong with his actions and it was something else. I haven’t read a character like Teddy in a long time and it was refreshing and nice change of pace. I have a new love for dark academia books and this was a good one. The ending was fitting and I definitely recommend listening to this book on audio. I felt it enhanced the story as I read along.

Samantha Downing is becoming one of my favorite authors. This book was a quick and great read! Teddy is a teacher at Belmont Academy and recently won Teacher of the Year because he is so focused on pushing kids to do their best. People start dying at Belmont Academy and no one knows what is going on. People have suspicions and one person is even arrested for killing her mother. But did she? Or is there someone else involved in the murders. Meanwhile Teddy doesn't seem too concerned about the murders and when the head master dies he happily takes over the position. I didn't particularly care for any of the characters but that didn't take away from liking the book- I believe they were meant to be unlikable. The book has you questioning who the killer is throughout. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC.

For your own Good tells the story of Teddy Crutcher, a by the book old fashioned teacher and his interactions with the students and staff. He is named as the Teacher of the Year at Belmont Academy and he is determined to make sure that each and every student and staff member knows it.

All Teddy has ever wanted is for everyone to respect him and to be left alone. The meddlesome nature of those around him begins to bother him to the point he starts to take action. Soon enough those actions become well deadly... even to some unexpected victims.

Teddy sets his sights on Sonia, his fellow teacher who is loved by parents, students, and other teachers where Teddy is not so much. Teddy cannot stand Sonia and his plan to teach her a lesson goes south. Especially when his anticipated victim of his meddlesome 'scientific experiments' is not Sonia at all but a well respected parent and member of the board.

Oh well. Even while Teddy regrets the sudden death of a parent he actually respects, leading to the arrest of a student he actually respects as well, this doesn't stop Teddy from his little science tests.

However, we cannot just consider the fact that maybe Teddy isn't the off kilter sort with the loose morals. Oh no... secrets abound at this school from the gym teacher Frank, to the new teacher Fallon. More on that really, well more so that you will just need to read the book and find out what happens.

The school is surrounded by death. From the suicide of the headmaster to the domino effect of deaths that take place at the school. Teddy realizes he has to make things right , for the sake of his students and the school itself. Really it is for their own good after all. However, there is someone out there that feels like teaching Teddy a lesson is honestly... for his own good too.

Downing does a great job with creating a colorful.cast of characters. A book itself that has been taken on by Greg Berlanti and Robert Downey Jr for a series adaptation on HBO Max. I can see why as these characters are downright twisted when it comes to their morals and justification for their actions. From Teddy's special 'treat' of his special milk (trust me just eww the visual on this one) to Fallon's borderline obsessive behavior, down to Franks bemoaning and stress over his own guilty conscience well... this group is just something else. A great read for the end of summer! Until next time. Happy reading !

“If only people understood how difficult it is to teach these students to be better people. He tries and tries and tries, and yet sometimes, even he can’t help them.

Not that he’s going to give up. He never gives up.

It’s for their own good.”
Teddy Crutcher is a teacher at an elite private high school with a chip on his shoulder and a bent towards psychopathy. Chock full of self importance and a fledgling martyrdom complex, Teddy fancies himself the star of the show as tragedy after tragedy take place at the illustrious Belmot Academy. He basks in revenge and awkward encounters.

“‘Nice to see you, even at a time like this.’

‘Yes well,’ she says. ‘There’s been too much tragedy around this school, hasn’t there?’

‘We were just talking about it,’ James says, glancing down at his phone.

‘Well,’ Teddy says. ‘At least there hasn’t been a school shooting. I guess there’s that.’

The silence that follows is long and uncomfortable, and Teddy enjoys every second of it.”
Samantha Downing’s newest novel is darkly fun, if a bit undercooked. Like binging on a guilty pleasure, the reader simultaneously continues to turn the pages eagerly while feeling a little sick with indulgence and a smattering of disappointment. All in all, this is a fair to middling thriller that begs to be read poolside, allowing the reader to periodically wash away a sense of grime with a the refreshing shock of cool waters.

Thank you to Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Random House, for providing an Advanced Readers Copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review

Teddy Crutcher works at a prestigious prep school, and finds great irritation with his privileged students and some of the staff members who were former students and have returned to teach at the school. The recent bestowal of "Teacher of the Year" award empowers Teddy and validates his thoughts that he is at the school to make sure students are put in their places. A rash of poisonings soon spread across campus, many of them fatal leading the school to be placed in the national spotlight. Teddy manages to come out on top of the scandal, but is not prepared for the students who are on to him and determined to reveal Teddy's true sociopathic colors.

Samantha Downing is a master at suspense and page-turning storylines. I have not yet been able to predict the outcome of her books, and this one is no different. Even though the perpetrator is evident, I wondered until the end of the book if he was going to get away with it or not. I don't know that this is my favorite Downing book, but I would still highly recommend it to those who like psychological thrillers and a good suspense story.