Good Rich People by Eliza Jane Brazier was a wild ride! it felt like a Black Mirror episode and at times I found myself wondering what was happening. I didn’t love the characters but I was hooked and kept reading

I thought this book was going to be a lot more thrilling. The characters and plot fell very flat for me. I did not like a single character in this book, maybe that was the point, but that is not enjoyable to me. Not only were they all unlikeable, but they also all felt two dimensional to me as well, there was no depth to these characters. This could have also been intentional as well. Because most people are not as wealthy as these characters in this book most people cannot relate to these characters so in my honest opinion they need to have something that is either likable or relatable and these characters had none of these qualities. This book missed the mark completely for me. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The saying “money can’t buy happiness” has never been more true than when it comes to Layla and Graham. They have a lifestyle that is unimaginable to most - their glamorous house is built into the side of a mountain, they have staff to take care of their every need, and money to buy anything they want, but yet they are bored. Instead of seeking adrenaline in a more traditional manner by skydiving or another risky hobby, they choose to rent out the house below them and then “play games” to mess with the tenant’s life. Does their tenant have a family? No problem, they’ll stage an affair and gambling problem. Or maybe they’ll find a way to get the tenant hooked on drugs. Or maybe they’ll make the tenant so miserable that they will commit suicide. It doesn’t matter, as long as the tenant loses and Graham is entertained.

Now it’s Layla’s turn to prove herself to Graham. Can she make the new tenant miserable and destroy her life? Or will the new tenant “win”?

Good Rich People is twisted, gruesome, messy, and quite the page turner! As much as I would cringe on one page, I’d need to keep reading the next to uncover the next grisly turn of events. Kudos to Eliza Jane Brazier on a thriller that was both macabre and enthralling!

Thanks to Berkley Books and Eliza Jane Brazier for the advanced copy! Good Rich People is on shelves today, January 25. Be sure to check it out!

Lyla greatly enjoys being rich. All she has to do to stay that way is keep her husband and mother in laws game a secret. When they decide it is her turn to play however, things take a turn. See the target is Demi, but is she? Demi is not about to go out without a full fight…

Ok this book reminded me a modern day The Most Dangerous Game retelling. It wasn’t quite as fucked up as The Most Dangerous Game, but it was certainly up there. Truly goes to show how much the rich can get away with. I needed to know what Lyla was going to end up doing, and it kept me turning the pages nonstop. This was a unique story with a crazy plot.

In a word, this book is SAVAGE!! This is not for everyone and if you love a book about rich people behaving very badly - this will be a win for you! I've seen very positive reviews for this and I bumped this up on my TBR. I didn't love it quite as much as others, but also could not put it down to see how wicked these people really were! The people and places are described so vividly and many scenes will stay with me including the epic rose garden gun fight, the fountain, and the dinner scenes. This is truly a bizarre, highly addicted, unique, and wild ride.

4.5 Stars

If you're like me & enjoy books about rich people behaving badly, you've got to make it a point to pick up Eliza Jane Brazier's "Good Rich People"!

This was the first book I've read of Brazier's & I really enjoyed her writing style - the structure of this was so smart & provided for some great twists. There's a ton of amazing, searing commentary in here on the rich vs. the poor, & I loved that Brazier made it a point to shine some light on the homelessness situation going on in LA - the way that particular plot was woven in was done brilliantly, in my opinion. I honestly had no idea where this was all going to end up, but was so satisfied by how it all played out. This easily has one of the best finales of any thriller I've come across recently, channels some major "Ready or Not" vibes. There was one big question I had that I wish was answered, but sitting on it more, it didn't take away from the overall story whatsoever. All in all, Brazier really nailed that balance of dark comedy & genuine suspense - this was wicked good fun! I'll definitely be reading more from Brazier in the future!

Thank you so much Eliza Jane Brazier, NetGalley, & Berkley for providing an ARC in exchange for a honest review, & to Berkley for having me as part of the blog blitz for the book's release!

Love and money drew Lyla to Graham. It’s why she fought for her marriage. It’s why she accepts Graham and his proclivities. It’s why she puts up with the game Graham and his mother play. She doesn’t play. No, she doesn’t have a taste for it. But after disastrous results with the last game—results they blame on Lyla—it seems Lyla will have to take a turn if she is to prove herself to the family.

Enter Demi. She’s young and very wealthy, not at all like the others who have been part of the game. Demi is to take up residence in the guesthouse. She’s to be Lyla’s game. But Demi is not exactly what any of them expected.

Will Lyla win? Or are the odds stacked against her?

Eliza Jane Brazier’s latest pokes fun at the fact that rich people can pretty much get away with anything. In a really dark and twisty way!

Lyla set her eyes on Graham and was not going to back down without a fight. It’s that strength and willingness to do anything that draws him to her. But her mother-in-law makes no bones about the fact that she doesn’t like Lyla. Lyla isn’t one of them and she never will be.

But that doesn’t mean she’s not going to try.

Demi is nothing like the others that have been drawn into the game. But Lyla and the family don’t even know the half of it!

Good Rich People is as twisted a read as they come. Everyone is lying to and manipulating everyone else! Which you might think would make for a book with no likable characters. And that's kind of true, except that I found I really did like Demi!

I liked Lyla’s evolution as well, which is already in play before the book starts. But I loved Demi’s determination!

All that said, I didn’t think everyone got quite what they deserved in the end. I wanted more of a resolution with Astrid. Hers was the only one I really felt was missing something. But she does have a resolution, so we’re not left hanging thankfully.

This is definitely one of those books where I think it's best to go into it without knowing too much about it. Which is why I'm trying to be kind of vague in my review—I want everyone to be able to go into it with as little info as possible, because I think that's the best way to enjoy the story.

There are so many aspects of Demi's character that I want to talk about, but I also think they're a bit spoilery! I can't wait to see what everyone thinks about this book. As a whole, Good Rich People is darkly comedic fun, certainly perfect for fans of If I Disappear, but just as great for newbies discovering Eliza Jane Brazier!

I'm in the minority opinion here when I say I did not enjoy this. I did fly through it, but ultimately the story just fell flat for me. First, with some parts I felt like there were passages or explanations missing and I would get confused about what was happening (maybe this will be fixed in final copy). The way the narrative was structured was confusing with how it flipped between perspectives, I didn't totally *get* the book or what it was really saying. While there were some parts and some reveals that I enjoyed, I ultimately just did not enjoy the reading experience. There was also a very graphic animal scene that I felt was not necessary and was done more for shock value.

"𝑰 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒐 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒆'𝒔, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆."
𝑴𝒚 𝒔𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒖𝒊𝒏𝒆. "𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒆𝒙𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏."
𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆, 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒂 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍.

Thank you @netgalley and @berkleypub for this ARC that publishes tomorrow, 1/25!

Was this a dark comedy? A sharply written satirical commentary on how the 1% lives? I'm not sure what I just read, but GOOD RICH PEOPLE takes the award for my most original read in recent memory!

Filled with unlikable characters, Lyla and Grant live with Grant's domineering, slightly insane mother in her palatial estate. There is a guesthouse beneath the property that they rent out to tenants, and that's where the craziness begins.

The tenants are carefully selected...self-made professionals who rose to success from nothing, with an air of poverty and desperation still clinging to them. For fun and out of sheer boredom, the trio of rich twats begin a campaign of merciless terror to ruin their tenant's life in a plethora of ways...getting them addicted to drugs or ruining their professional reputation just for starters.

But they meet their match when Demi moves in because Demi is not who they think she is. In a series of outrageous and over-the-top events, this vapid trio may find the tables have turned after all.

Campy, irreverent, darkly comedic, and utterly outrageous, move GOOD RICH PEOPLE to the top of your list!

“There’s a murderer living with me.
There’s a body I set fire to.
There’s a bag of hands and teeth.
And I’ve always wanted a Chanel bag.”

Well that was…different 😵‍💫. This book was kind of all over the place, and not necessarily in the best way. Not a lot even happens until the last 20% of the book. I found myself putting it down and not being pulled to pick it back up.

This book is being touted as a survival game thriller, which is certainly is. But I couldn’t really figure Lyla out. She and her stupid wealthy husband Graham invite self-made success stories to live in their guesthouse and then conspire to ruin their lives. Then Demi, a homeless girl with a tumultuous past, finds herself as their newest tenant when fate intervenes. She is not their typical tenant, or even the tenant they think they chose, but Lyla and Graham don’t know that.

This book touches on some heavy subjects such as the wealth divide (specifically in L.A.), drug addiction, and homelessness. There aren’t any characters with any redeeming qualities at all which is probably why it took me so long to get through this book.

I think you will either love or hate this book. It’s different. It’s unique. It’s not like what you’re probably used to reading. It is neither awful nor superb. But it is well written and the end is very intense.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing, Netgalley, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

BOOK REVIEW: Good Rich People by Eliza Jane Brazier
Publication Date: January 25

⭐️⭐️⭐️️

T.I.M.E. Most Anticipated Books of 2022

CONNECT WITH THIS BOOK | T.I.M.E. SIMPLE LIVING TIP
Keep game-playing to actual games... ✨😎✨

T.I.M.E. Brief Review: One of the most unusual thrillers I have ever read! Bonus points on the trailblazer writing style... I am not sure why I did not connect more with the story. All of the elements were there for me to really love it... So will definitely keep Eliza Jane Brazier on my radar for future reads! She is an author to watch... Cheering you on, Eliza!... ✨😎✨

Pages: 329
Genre: Thriller
Sub-Genre: Psychological Thriller
Time Period: Present Day
Location: Hollywood Hills

IF YOU LIKE THIS BOOK THEN TRY…
Book: If I Disappear by Eliza Jane Brazier
Movie: Burn After Reading

--------------------

All my reviews can be seen at This Is My Everybody | Simple Living | Denise Wilbanks at www.thisismyeverybody.com

♡ Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

This is more than a suspense book, it’s a wild ride. It’s hard to keep track of the players without a score card.

Lyla and Graham are a wealthy married couple living near Graham’s domineering mother. Graham and his mother are into games. Dangerous games. They are intent on renting out their guesthouse and destroying the lives of those who live there. It's become a sport to them.

Demi is their new tenant and she’s sure moving into Graham and Lyla’s guesthouse is the best thing that could happen to her. Slowly, she starts to question everything she believes.

I don’t want to give too much away about this book and spoil it. So, I won’t say more about the plot. I have to admit, I found it difficult to like any of the characters in this book. It’s hard to root for anyone when none of the characters are very nice.

The intensity level is high in this one. Even though I didn’t particularly like any of the characters, I still couldn’t put the book down. It was addictive. I had to know how this would all end. The author did a good job of keeping the reader interested from chapter to chapter.

It is an odd, but intriguing book to say the least.





FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was a really excellent examination of poverty and class that was somewhat marred by an under-explored ending. I suppose one could argue that everything that needed to be said was contained in the preceding pages but I, for one, wanted to know what happened to Helen next.

Good Rich People is the story of Lyla, a moneyed young woman whose father lost everything, so decided to claw back her rightful place in society by fascinating the handsome and obscenely wealthy Graham Herschel. Even tho she suspected that he wasn't a good person, she didn't particularly care -- or, as she begins to suspect towards the end of the book, she subconsciously thought she could change him. But as her marriage begins to falter, she finds herself drawn further and further into the sick games Graham and his mother Margo play with the tenants they specially select to live in the guesthouse below her own home, just across the street from Margo's palatial estate.

Demi Golding is their latest tenant, and Lyla can't figure out whether she's just stubbornly solitary or, worse, a plant brought there by Margo to ensure that Lyla doesn't win. For it's Lyla's turn to play the game, to prove herself to her husband and mother-in-law, to show that she deserves to stay in their rarefied circles. But she's already broken the rules once, when everything went wrong with their former tenant. Will she be able to break the rules again in order to save herself, and possibly the lives of others?

The cultural and literary allusions come fast tho never too heavy-handedly in this elegantly constructed novel that's part comedy of manners and wholly a crime thriller. A bit like an American version of Bong Joon-ho's amazing movie Parasite, this novel features both a shallow, trapped, rich housewife as well as a woman who's known the kind of grinding poverty that renders people like herself invisible to society at large. While Lyla's peccadilloes are often played for dry laughs -- there was one throwaway line that was eerily reminiscent of Lucille Bluth's "It's one banana, Michael. What could it cost, ten dollars?" -- Demi's suffering speared me to my core. It's rare to read such an honest accounting of what it means to have nothing, not even a safe place to reliably sleep. My mouth felt dry reading Eliza Jane Brazier's words, to be reminded so forcefully of the desperation that seizes you when you're battling to become a real, recognized person in an American society stacked so firmly against the poor and dispossessed.

And while I found the denouement just a smidge less than satisfying, I did greatly appreciate Ms Brazier's acknowledgments, where she credits the British benefits system for keeping her late husband, and thereby herself, supported. "These systems save lives and are desperately needed everywhere," she writes, and I could not agree more. My family and I were extremely lucky not to have to brave the streets in order to survive in America. Those days are behind us now, and will hopefully never be seen in our futures again, but I wouldn't wish them on my worst enemy. It's a crime that anyone in a country this prosperous is treated as poorly as those experiencing homelessness, and I'm hoping Ms Brazier's book helps raise awareness about what a very real problem our lack of a support system is.

Good Rich People by Eliza Jane Brazier was published today January 25 2022 by Berkley Books and is available from all good booksellers, including <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/15382/9780593198254">Bookshop!</a>

Good Rich People is one of those books that you turn the last page and think 'what in the world was that?' I know I did, but I also thoroughly enjoyed it. It's dark and twisted, sometimes shocking, and it comes with those characters you love to hate. Seriously, these are some really unlikeable characters, which makes the story even more entertaining. Most of us couldn't even imagine knowing someone like Lyla and Graham, let alone being like them, and to be honest, they're probably as over the top as the storyline. Funnily enough, that's part of what makes this one so much fun to read. It's pretty out there, and there are also a couple of jumps in logic, but with everything going on, that wasn't a big drawback for me. I think this book is gonna be one of those where a lot of people are going to have to agree to disagree, and I think it very well may be split down the middle on opinions. What I know is I enjoyed the story and while it stretched the suspension of disbelief, it was just the escape from reality that I needed.

Very strange and guaranteed to be unlike any thriller you’ve read. I enjoyed the gothic elements. Some parts felt a little undeveloped (like Astrid’s role) and I was slightly confused but the purpose of the repetition in the last chapter but more than likely something just went over my head. I read in one day and found it quite entertaining.

Synopsis⁠
Graham and Lyla literally have it all: mansion, fancy cars, yachts, private islands. In fact, they’ve so much that they’re bored. Recognizing her husband’s need for stimulating entertainment, Lyla has always turned a not-so-blind eye to “the game” he and his mother play. They like to lure unsuspecting victims into the guest house and prey upon them. But last time really hit home for Lyla. She’s left shaken, but not as shaken as Graham’s confidence in her. Can she still be trusted to guard the family secrets? To be sure, he has to put her to the test. ⁠
⁠
Musings⁠
Dark, sadistic, twisted, frighteningly pathologic: these are just a few words I’d use to describe this amazing book. None of the characters in this book are likable, but I found myself sucked in and hanging on for dear life as the story unfolded. The immorality of each of the characters makes it very difficult to connect with them, so that could be a turnoff for some readers. But there’s an aspect of schadenfreude that keeps you flipping pages as quickly as you can. To say this book was a mind game is an understatement. The author’s writing style conveys with clarity the apathy, fear, loathing, and ignorance of “the rich,” while simultaneously capturing the desolation, isolation, and desperation of “the poor.” I also enjoyed dual points of view and timeline hopping, too. It was easy to keep track of what was going on despite the frequent changes. I found myself wanting more of each character’s perspective each time the story shifted. The chapters are short, the dialogue crisp and witty, and the inner monologues are scathingly funny. All in all, this one was a winner for me in so many ways.

In a nutshell this is a book about wants, needs and deep desires. And how those can vary depending upon your personal situation. Lyla marries into a filthy rich family and is drawn into their game. They play with people. People they consider beneath them. They do it for sport to keep the doldrums away.

I have to say while I did not connect with or like any of the characters, I couldn’t put it down. I wanted the details of the game and how this rendition would play out. And those details and what happened to cause the previous game’s bad outcome unravels slowly throughout the book.

And while this is going to sound as contrasting as the title, this is an incredibly slow burn but at the same time a wild ride. At times this is crazy over the top, but I found it entertaining.

One thing I will say is the point of view switches back and forth between two characters and the story sometimes picks back up to relive the story from the second point of view and other times the story moves forward at the switch. I did spend a little time acclimating where I was in the story after a character switch, which caused the slow burn to burn even slower.

If you are up for a slow burn thriller that is crazy over the top, then this one's for you.

2.5 Stars

Good Rich People follows the ultra-rich and the cruel games they can play. This book was pure chaos for the whole 336 pages. None of the characters were likable, not just unlikeable, but they were truly atrocious individuals. They made horrible decisions, and I was constantly screaming at them in my head. I have to say that I could not stop reading this book and finished it in just a few days.


The dark humor in this story was present throughout, and I thought it added to the over-the-top actions of the characters. This book reminded me of the movie Ready or Not.


This book had some twists that kept me guessing. It was a quick read that kept me turning the page to see how it would end. I enjoyed the game element of the story and how everyone in the family and on the estate had a part to play. I will say it was hard not liking any of the characters. I didn’t want any of them to win their “game.”


There were a few parts in the story where I felt lost. The ending was confusing. Also, I wouldn’t say I liked that the events were told multiple times from two different perspectives. It often took me out of the story because I had to remember where I was in the timeline.


This book is perfect for those who like unreliable narrators, reading about the elite, and want some dark, twisty humor in their thrillers. It will also appeal to people who like books with cinematic quality.

This book is absolutely unhinged in the best way. I’ve been on a thriller kick lately and this did not disappoint, so I’m grateful to have received a copy through Net Galley. First you’re pulled in by the couples’ game, then you’re rooting for them to be bested by it. Too many thrillers fall into a trap of predictability about halfway through but Good Rich People never stopped entertaining and leaving me at the edge of my seat.

I really liked this book. It jumped right in to the story and while it took awhile for me to get used to how the author separated out the narrative I really liked it.