Talk about a nutso teacher!

Teddy Crutcher is a teacher at a private school, the Belmont Academy. He has won the Teacher of the Year award but kids don't enjoy being in his class. He can be sarcastic and when he thinks a student is too privileged, he decides to make him suffer. He believes that by making them sweat he is doing them a favor.

Enters Zach Ward, a 17-year-old student. He has the looks, he comes from money and he is liked by everyone. Zac is smart and has good grades and his family is a power couple. That is enough for Teddy to give Zac a B on his latest paper to bring down his GPA.

Besides, picking on a student, Teddy also has a secret pastime. A pastime that Teddy believes is his duty. Some teachers need to be more mellow, some need to be more alert, and some need to die!

Just when Teddy thinks he is getting away with everything, an ex-student Fallon is back to watch him.

Was Teddy narcissistic and unrepentant? Sure. Was he a psychopath? Sure. Yet, I was avidly awaiting the next chapter and devouring every second of his craziness.

Once again, Samantha Downing has done it and For Your Own Good takes you on a rewarding thriller ride.

I know, with so many books out there sometimes you just have to pick your poison. Grab this one, it's worth it.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Berkley via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you're looking for your next compulsive read, look no further! Once I started this book I struggled to put it down.

In For Your Own Good you know who is behind the events from the start, but it was so much fun watching everyone try to figure it out. Throw in some unexpected twists and you have yourself a really addictive read. Are the characters a little OTT? Perhaps, but it worked so well and only added to my enjoyment of this novel.

This is my first Samantha Downing novel, and definitely won't be my last

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley for my gifted eARC

Well that was fun!! A good psychological thriller that I never saw coming. I throughly enjoyed For Your Own Good.

"𝘌𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩. 𝘗𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘈𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘢𝘭."

🏫𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁
-Teddy Crutcher was named Teacher of the Year at the prestigious Belmont Academy –an award he feels is well deserved.

-Teddy himself could not afford to attend Belmont. Except for the Invisibles (scholarship kids), Belmont kids come from wealthy families with demanding parents who pay exorbitant tuition and expect their kids to earn straight A's and go to Ivy League schools.

-Teddy is dedicated to ensuring his students meet their academic potential and are the best they can be—even if he must use unorthodox methods to deal with those who get in his way.

-After all, it's for their own good.

🏫𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁
-After I read this first chapter, I knew this book was going to be mischievous fun.

-This book is told from several POVs, which at first was jarring but gives you a glimpse into the minds of the other, primarily unlikeable characters.

-What I loved about this mystery style is that, with so many odd behaviors and secrets, it is challenging to see twists coming or make any predictions (not that you'd want to)

-This is the first @smariedowning novel I've read, and I'm definitely going to order her first two books!

-If you enjoy dark humor, diabolical characters, outrageous behavior, questionable morals, then you should pick up a copy of this book!

-It's for your own good.

This one was just kind of BLAH. It was an easy read but I am not sure I really enjoyed it? I will try out her next book because I did enjoy My Lovely Wife a lot.

Teddy is Teacher of the Year at Belmont Academy and he couldn't be more excited . He cares very deeply for his students and the academy but how far will he go to make sure that his ‘ pet students’ are on the pathway to success.

For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing is an entertaining , gripping , dark novel. This book has a lot of unlikeable characters who have no morals or thoughts for anybody else but in this story it works beautifully .An intriguing plot with an unexpected twisty ending kept me hooked to the end. Cannot wait for the next one !

I would like to thank Berkley Publishing Group & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

For Your Own Good is my favorite Samantha Downing book! I liked her first two, but I loved this--it was so well paced and the story was definitely a thrill ride! I am definitely seeing more and more people checking out her books, and I know patrons are already asking about her next book. I also see popularity for this picking up in the fall, when even more people want a thriller to read.

This was an intriguing story that kept me guessing throughout on who the actual killer was. I loved the academic campus setting and the switch between multiple narrators and perspectives. Downing has a way with plot twists and this one is certainly no different.

The clanking of lockers being open and closed, the squeaking of shoes on the linoleum floors, the endless chatter and sharing of gossip before classes started, it was all a melodious harmony within the school’s walls. Music he heard every day and never could tune out because it was too perfect to miss. He smiled at students, said hello, nodded and waved as he passed by. His classroom was just down the hall and he had some work to do before the first students trickled in… work to protect the students from the evil lurking in this school… an evil none of them could see.

For Your Own Good was a fancy private school suspense book with excellent character development. This one is a little unusual since you know who the bad guy is the entire time, but Samantha’s writing keeps you engaged as you’re watching from the outside and seeing the evil unravel within Belmont school.

Told from the perspective of a few characters, which I enjoyed, this thriller is unique and the bad guy’s character was written so well… you couldn’t help but hate him. Knowing the killer the whole time is definitely a different plot take, one that while interesting, isn’t my favorite because I prefer to be kept guessing. It was still a good story though!

If you love a private school setting in books, suspense, and murder… you’ll want to pick this one up.

TW: Murder, Poison, Death of a Parent.

I absolutely loved Samantha Downing’s first novel, My Lovely Wife. In fact, I even read it twice because I thought it was such a great read and my book club loved it too! Her second novel He Started It, just didn’t grab me like the first one. I haven’t read it yet but the description just didn’t sound as exciting or interesting as My Lovely Wife sounded when I first heard of it. But when I saw this one was coming out—her third thriller—the description sounded so excellent and I just couldn’t pass up!

I love novels about darker academia and this book sounded like it would be a perfect summer thriller read so it was an easy yes for review from me! I also saw that it was recently announced that Robert Downey Jr and HBO Max have teamed up to option this stunning new thriller for the streaming service in the coming year!

If that bit of news doesn’t grab your attention then I don’t know what will! I was already interested in this novel based on the name Samantha Downing but adding in one of my favorite actors to potentially produce and create this book into a series sounds absolutely irresistible to me! I cannot wait to see what the vision is for this book when it comes to the HBO Max series, after reading the book I think it’s going to be a perfect book to bring to the streaming service! You should definitely run out and secure a copy of this book now, it’s going to be a hot read this summer!

Summary
Teddy Crutcher has won Teacher of the Year at the esteemed Belmont Academy, home to the best and brightest.

He says his wife couldn’t be more proud—though no one has seen her in a while.

Teddy really can’t be bothered with the death of a school parent that’s looking more and more like murder or the student digging a little too deep into Teddy’s personal life. His main focus is on pushing these kids to their full academic potential.

All he wants is for his colleagues—and the endlessly meddlesome parents—to stay out of his way.

It’s really too bad that sometimes excellence can come at such a high cost.

USA Today bestselling author Samantha Downing is back with her latest sneaky thriller set at a prestigious private school—complete with interfering parents, overeager students, and one teacher who just wants to teach them all a lesson… (summary from Goodreads)

Bodies are dropping, Ivy League admissions are rolling in, and unexplained poisonings are on the menu at New England’s prestigious Belmont Academy.

Academic excellence comes at a high cost in bestselling author Samantha Downing’s forthcoming thriller, FOR YOUR OWN GOOD (Berkley Hardcover)– on sale in a month, on July 20th.

As announced this morning in The Hollywood Reporter, Robert Downey Jr. and Greg Berlanti’s team at HBO Max (also behind The Flight Attendant) are teaming up to bring bestselling author Samantha Downing’s newest twisted thriller onto the small screen.

In FOR YOUR OWN GOOD, the very person who has the power to shape a student’s future knows it. Teacher of the Year Teddy Crutcher doesn’t just push his students to their full academic potential—he wants them to learn how to be good people. Much better than their privileged, meddlesome, entitled parents. After all…it’s for their own good.

Amazon and Nicole Kidman’s Blossom Films are adapting Downing’s debut,My Lovely Wife,as a feature for the streaming giant.

Advance Praise
“Downing’s thrillers are…an awful good time.” –Entertainment Weekly

“[Downing is] a writer who deserves to be a superstar.” –Criminal Element

“…the new queen of fiendish ingenuity.” New Orleans Advocate

“…dark and bold.” –Shelf Awareness

“Downing’s mind is truly twisted—and we love her for it.” —Hello Giggles

“…immersive, albeit chillingly dark.” —Booklist

“…one bold and fearless author…” —CrimeReads

Review
When I read My Lovely Wife for the first time, it was love at first page. I instantly fell in love with Downing’s prose and characters. I felt uneasy throughout the book and the nameless narrator was chilling. So my expectations were high going into this third book. As mentioned before, I haven’t read the second book she wrote, mostly because I was afraid it wouldn’t stack up the the debut. The debut was solid and sometimes the subsequent books just don’t measure up—-well after reading this book I can firmly say that is NOT the case for Downing. I actually think this book was executed better than even her debut novel and now I am on the hunt for the second book she wrote so I can devour that one too!

This book boasts a lot of characters in it’s plot which at first might be overwhelming for readers but for me, I found a lot to immerse myself in. The characters are all interesting, layered, and none are really all that straight forward which makes them fun to read about. As an educator myself, I love reading books about the darker side of academics especially when it comes to elite prep schools. The world of academics is so crazy even at public schools, and worse in the elite private sector. Now you are talking about families with money, influence, and entitlement which only makes things even more competitive so this book had a lot to hook me and draw me in but also for me to find relatable! I loved the setting and the characters so much! You should read this book simply for that reason alone!

Downing could have written a book purely on darker academics alone, but throwing in a little murder made it even better. At it’s heart, this is a murder mystery and one readers won’t soon forget! I loved the mystery and was engrossed in all the details of the story. I read it in a couple of days and was sad when it came to an end because it was such a great read. This book definitely lived up to the hype for me and cemented Downing as a new auto buy author for me! If you only pick one thriller to read this summer, let it be this one! I have even recommended it to my book club for a fall read and I think I will read it again because it was just that good! I don’t want to give away too much of the plot and story so I will simply say that the characters and plot/setting are excellent and you will not be disappointed! Easily 5 stars for me!

Book Info and Rating
Format 384 pages, Hardcover

PublishedJuly 20, 2021 by Berkley

ISBN 9780593100974 (ISBN10: 0593100972)

Free review copy provided by publisher, Berkley, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.

Rating: 5 stars

Genre: thriller, mystery

I have read all of Downings other books so I went into this one expecting twists and unreliable narrators and I got both of those things in spades. I really liked setting it in a school full of overachieving students and their teachers. It gave everything a heightened sense of drama that I loved. There were enough twists and surprises that I never quite knew what to think and which character to trust, and I really enjoyed it.

i loved this!! i wasn't sure how this was going to go - Samantha Downing's first book I was obsessed with, but her second was not my favorite - so i'm so happy i ended up enjoying it.
it's not the super thrilling, edge of my seat, sort of over the top thriller I usually find myself enjoying (like Downing's first book) but it almost read like an intense Desperate Housewives set in a school which sounds odd but I really liked it.

The ending is what made this book for me. I felt like the author made it all come completely full circle. I instantly knew I disliked the main character, Teddy, but I wasn't sure if he was the culprit we were looking for. Each of the characters had flaws that were revealed through the multiple points of view that we got throughout the book. I love that the author added in characters part way through the book - I felt that was a plot twist all on it's own! I've read a lot of thrillers, but the way this one turned out was completely unique and I was thoroughly please with the way it turned out.

Downing writes bad people in a way that’s incredibly sus. Like, what happened to you?! Haha, I’m joking but also, you okay?

This was yet another book by this amazing author that I flew through in less than 24 hours. As I mentioned, Downing is SO GOOD at getting inside the heads of truly awful people. For Your Own Good had perhaps the biggest cast of unsavory characters, mysterious happenings, and twists and turns that kept me guessing. I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next.

I really enjoyed this book! It reminded me of My Lovely Wife, Samantha Downing's debut novel, which I loved. It's one of those thrillers where there's not really a mystery, as you know who the "bad guy" is from the beginning. But that doesn't mean there's not suspense and twists along the way! I was eager to learn what would happen with all the characters and the school, and was happy with the ending as well.

OMG - This. book. Was. So. Much. Fun!!!

WARNING: Do NOT let Teddy know what your favorite coffee flavor is….. Just sayin!

Teddy Crutcher …... Teacher of the Year OR Psychopath of the Year at the prestigious and respected Belmont Academy? Despite the fact that he has been voted Teacher of the Year (and has the plaque to prove it) my vote is most definitely for Psychopath of the Year ……

Teddy - #HomicideHigh’s, oops, I mean Belmont Academy’s most HATED English teacher. He comes from poverty and believes it is his calling to give his privileged students the BEST education possible to help them succeed in life. But poor poor Teddy is FED UP. Fed up with overbearing parents that think money can buy anything (including grades), fed up with entitled students who think they can just show up to class and sit wherever the hell they want, and fed up with every last one of his colleagues (especially the OTHER English teacher that everybody LOVES) ….. BARF!!! Teddy is ruthless, vindictive, deranged, and extremely TOXIC and his lessons are of the deadly kind (and quite clever if you ask me). But, despite all his faults - I absolutely LOVED him.

Short chapters, VERY easy to read, and a fabulous storyline - FOR YOUR OWN GOOD had me ditching plans and turning pages WAY into the wee hours of the night. Without a doubt, one of the most entertaining, delightfully addictive, and unputdownable thrillers I have EVER read.

Every year I’m on the lookout for that ONE (1) book to give away as a Christmas gift to my bookish friends - FOR YOUR OWN GOOD is for sure my pick this year (hopefully said friends aren’t reading this review). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / FIVE (5) Stars all the way! Do yourself a favor and RUN to a bookstore to get yourself a copy. You will NOT be disappointed!

I loved For Your Own Good so much! My favorite thing about it was that it’s completely unique and unlike anything I’ve read before. All of the intricate details came together so well, and I never knew why was going to happen next! This is my first Samantha Downing book, but it certainly won’t be my last! Perfect for anyone who loves a twisty thriller!

This book was my favorite Downing yet! You've got a bunch of rich people behaving badly- my favorite- and Teddy Crucher is a villain for the ages. This was pure fun. There were a lot of characters, which is something that I can struggle with, but I had no trouble here. It was almost cozy in a way- you have people dying right on the page and more suspects than you can handle. I truly thought it was a bit chaotic and unpredictable, but all came together very well. Loved this unique spin on what feels like a familiar story!

I loved this twisty, propulsive thriller! Teddy is a schoolteacher at an elite private school who's after school secrets lead to some very interesting dilemmas for him. There are a bunch of misbehaving psychos in this story and it was super entertaining. I didn't see any of the twists coming plus the pace had me binging this in a day

The characters are a little over the top, and the story gets a little convoluted at times but it was a very enjoyable, quick read. Escapist fiction at its best. Strongly recommended