I'd describe this one as "cozy horror" - it's got a lot of horror things going on, but never goes too far or gets too scary. There are also multiple storylines here, which were sometimes a little tough to follow - but I managed! Overall enjoyed this, but had a few stumbles throughout that pulled me out of the story.

An erased memory. Stalked by a deranged killer. Deadly games of survival. These things three women must face in order to make it out alive—but out from where?

Celia, Allie and Maggie may not be in the same situation, but all three share the same stubborn will to live. They do whatever it takes to overcome the bloody obstacles ahead of them and wind up by each other’s sides. Three final girls with one agenda: find out who set them up to die and make them pay tenfold for the horrors they forced these women into.
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Who loves a final girl in a horror movie? Well what about three?! This book read like three separate plots that all eventually connected in the last bit. I really like how Henry captured the personalities of each woman but also giving them the same tenacious will to survive. Each circumstance was more harrowing than the last—Henry did a great job with the build-up—and the terror felt so real. I enjoyed how the ending played out. It reminded me of “Cabin In the Woods” but with a way better resolution. No doubt this is worth all the stars and i’m recommending this to everyone!

https://www.cullmantimes.com/opinion/book-review-23-for-the-end-of-23-with-a-nip-at-24/article_a58778f8-984c-11ee-a813-6b9f0d6a9c68.html

note: this review appears in several daily newspapapers and magazines Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, et al
23 for the end of ’23 (with a nip at ’24)

By Tom Mayer

By the end of 2023 there will have been about 1 million new books published this year alone, the vast majority by authors we’ve never heard of and never will. The big names — King, Grisham, Hoover, even Pilkey with “Dog Man’s” loyal legion — grab the bulk of the attention … and why not? Dependable storylines, top-notch editing and deep discounts make for predictably good-reading weekends.

But what about the others similarly worthy of recognition and, more importantly, a place in your online cart? While I can’t diligently discuss the other 999,997 books that could paper your winter evenings, I can offer 23 for ’23 … with a bit of a cheat. First, this isn’t a “best-of 2023,” and the books I’ve reviewed throughout the year won’t be found here. Second, there are a couple of headline-catching names in the list because of their late publication date. And third, since it’s the end of the year, I’m going to reveal a few titles that you’ll want to mull over now, but won’t be available until the turn of the new year. Oh, and fourth, I’m going to end with a few older titles by a couple of literary giants that one praiseworthy publishing house, Blackstone Publishing, has seen fit to resurrect.

But that’s it for the caveats. Your 23 for ’23, picked, plucked and promoted by our editors follows, and in no particular order, though that in itself does seem to be a bit of a caveat. The list …

In review (books available now)

1. “The Sandbox” (The Sandbox Series Book 1) (Blackstone Publishing) by Brian Andrews and Jeff Wilson originally debuted on July 25 as a techno-thriller that “redefines the meaning of murder in the 21st century” which, of course, is code for a story delving deep into the world of artificial intelligence. Because it’s from Andrews and Wilson, we’ll throw in the Pentagon, a Green Beret, a female protagonist homicide detective with a gift for reading people and a story that’ll have you reading into the night. Watch a video from the Navy vet-authors on the publisher’s website at https://www.blackstonepublishing.com/the-sandbox-ebvs.html#541=1900683.

2. “The Caretaker” (Doubleday) by Ron Rash. Simply, North Carolina Ron Rash’s work is not only worthy of a Pulitzer Prize, it would be a miscarriage of literary justice were he not to obtain that distinction before he puts down his pen for good. Case in point, 2023’s “The Caretaker,” a deceptively simple story set in 1951 Blowing Rock about a 16-year-old outcast, among others, who people this amazingly accurate, if fictional, place in the mountains of the Old North State.

3. “The Life and Times of Hanna Crafts” (Ecco) by Gregg Hemcimvich. There’s a reason this story was named a “most anticipated title” by myriad news outlets, the Associated Press, Lost Angeles Times and Washington Post among those. Like Rash’s novel, “The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts” is set in North Carolina, but here in 1857 and about a woman who escapes from a plantation. “The Bondwoman’s Narrative” was a success when published in 2002 by an unknown author. Professor Hemcimvich unravels the secret of that author’s identity more than a decade later.

4. “American Girl” (Blackstone Publishing) by Wendy Walker. In this well-drawn thriller, an autistic 17-year-old is involved in murder and small-town secrets that lead to a complexity of suspects and a dangerous denouement.

5. “Let Us Descend” (Scirbner) by Jesmyn Ward. An Oprah’s Book Club pick for 2023, the two-time National Book Winner Ward gifts us with a reimagining tale about American slavery and a journey from the rice fields of the Carolinas to the heart of a Louisiana sugar plantation.

6. “The Last Applicant” (Lake Union Publishing) by Rebecca Hanover. Hanover has won her own share of literary prizes and this contemporary novel about an admissions director of an exclusive Manhattan private school whose every boundary is tested by a woman determined to get her son into the city’s most prestigious class of … kindergarteners. Secrets not only abound, they unravel in this tautly told story.

7, 8. “The Aeronaut’s Windlass (The Cinder Spires) (Ace) by Jim Butcher is not a new book, but available again now in paperback to complement the next chapter of this steam-powered series with “The Olympian Affair (The Cinder Spires) (Ace). Excellent and magical world building is on display from this veteran author.

9. “Resurrection Walk” (Little, Brown and Company) by Michael Connelly. The author’s seventh Mickey Haller novel begins with Haller’s half-brother, Harry Bosch — himself the central character in a separate but connected Connelly series — acting as driver for The Lincoln Lawyer. Those who know both characters will not only find this … unusual … but downright disturbing. The surprises keep coming as Haller and Bosch take on the case of a woman on death row who was convicted of killing her husband, but just might be innocent.

10. “Good Girls Don’t Die” (Berkley) by Christina Henry. While I have a rule against reviewing dystopian literature, it was bent here because, one, Henry lulled me into the story that is only part dystopia and two, I really, really wanted to know how this story of total misdirection — where nothing is as it seems — would come out. Well done, Ms. Henry.

11. “Silent Calvary” (Crown) by Howell Raines. As if the pedigree of the author — Raines is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist — wasn’t enough, the subtitle would have brought me to this compellingly told, “submerged historical” tome: “How Union Soldiers from Alabama Helped Sherman Burn Atlanta — And Then Got Written Out of History.” A riveting tale about an unsung regiment of 2,066 Alabamian yeoman farmers includes one of those men from Raines’ own lineage.

To Reveal (books to consider now with selected reviews to come in 2024)

12. “Unbound” (Blackstone Publishing) by Christy Healy. A gender-bent reimagining of Beauty and the Beast with a double dose of Irish mythology and folklore. Destined to be a new classic.

13. “The Devil’s Daughter” (Blackstone Publishing) by Gordon Greisman. The author writes with screenwriter credentials in a tale that roams from vice-riddled Manhattan to tonier climes where lies and secrets cloud every aspect of a murder.

14. “Almost Surely Dead” (Mindy’s Book Studio) by Amina Akhtar. Part stalker, part ghost story, this fresh psychological thriller comes from the author of “Kismet” in a story about an extraordinarily ordinary life that turns from everyday life to a true crime podcast.

15. “The Chaos Agent” (Berkley) by Mark Greaney. Testing the Gray Man in this 13th installment of the series is the possibility of a tech company using artificial intelligence with real-world ambitions. Start here, or quickly tear through the first 12 books, because you’ve got a few weeks. “The Chaos Agent” (Gray Man 13) publishes in late February.

16. “The Lady in Glass and Other Stories” (Ace) by Anne Bishop. If you know anything at all about this master of fantasy, you know how privileged I was to get a glimpse of this collection of Bishop’s shorter works long before its Feb. 27, 2024, debut. Including two new stories written for the volume, and one with ties to earlier work, this book spans the author’s most cherished, fantastical worlds.

Vintage books with a fresh look

17-23. You might have noticed that several of the reviews in 1-16 skew heavily in favor of Blackstone Publishing. That’s for a good reason. Not only is Blackstone extremely selective in its literary repertoire, it produces extremely well-crafted hardcover books. Indeed, though I prefer e-books for reading, it is with this and a few other publishing houses (Lividian Publications is another example) that I suggest purchasing only the hard cover. To wit: the selected back works of two authors that Blackstone has given the royal treatment. All of the following books are beautifully bound with textured and foiled hard covers, homage jacket art and superior sewing. True treasures. Oh, and then there are the stories. …

… Including Don Winslow’s Neal Carey Mysteries. Blackstone began rolling out in August, books 1-5 of Winslow’s early works portraying a private eye filled with contradictions. Neal Carey hones his street smarts and owes his education to the Bank, an institution with a reputation for keeping its wealthy clients out of the messes they manage to work themselves into. A glimpse into this master writer’s early work is a perfect setup for what he has loudly hinted may be his last novel, and one set to publish in April. But more on that later in another review. All five of the Neal Carey books are available: “A Cool Breeze on the Underground,” “The Trail to Buddha’s Mirror,” “Way Down on the High Lonely,” “A Long Walk Up the Waterslide” and “While Drowning in the Desert.”

… Also including several stories from the late Michael Crichton (2008) writing as John Lange. Similarly and superiorly produced, Blackstone can claim the credit for reissuing these classic tales from the creator of “Jurassic Park” and “ER.” Beginning in July and running through early December, the publishing house released “Zero Cool,” “Easy Go,” “The Venom Business,” “Drug of Choice,” “Odds On” and “Scratch One” in a timely tribute to the author. A new introduction by Sherri Crichton enhances the offerings.

And for those of you keeping score, yes, with Crichton’s listings, my tally actually reaches 27, not 23. But since I was only able to get my hands on the five Winslow, but only two of the Crichton-Lange novels by press time, I’m sticking with 23. I told you I was going to cheat.

A fun, exciting thriller from a master of the genre! I enjoyed the plot and excitement build up of this one.

3.5 Stars

There are three stories, with three different women: Celia wakes up as a wife, mother, and restaurant owner, but doesn’t remember any of it.

Allie is supposed to get away with her two besties to celebrate her birthday, but plans change when one of the boyfriends (total jerk!) hijacks the trip and takes them to a secluded cabin out in the woods.

Maggie wakes up with several other women forced to participate in deadly competitions.

All three stories connect by the end.

Good Girls Don’t Die had a kind of Twilight Zone vibe. Wished there was a little more to the ending other than that abrupt one, but I was happy with how it turned out for the most part.

Lisa Flannagan's audio performance was excellent. Sort of reminded me of Lorelei King, one of my favs! I listened at 1.5x normal speed.

I was thinking this was a different author when I originally signed up for it. I read this as part of a Berkeley arc buddy read. I prefer physical copies, but this seems to be the only way to get any Berkeley arcs. The book was okay, I wouldn’t say a favorite but I enjoyed it.

This is not my specific interest, so it didn't appeal to me as much. I do horror, but lean into the gothic so I"m not sure I was the best one for this. I didn't ask for this book. It was somehow automatically sent to me.

I had so much more fun with this book than I was expecting! I was initially interested because I loved Near the Bone when I read it last year, and I was curious to check out something else by Christina Henry. This is not similar to that reading experience at all, but I still enjoyed it!

Good Girls Don't Die tells the story of three (well... kinda four) women who are stuck in three different horrific situations pulled from fiction: a scenario out of The Stepford Wives, a final girl slasher moment, and a battle royale. We are dropped into each situation knowing very little about what's going on, why it's happening, and how they might get out of it.

One thing I liked a lot about Good Girls Don't Die is that blurs the line between horror and real life and uses that to amp things up. One of the reasons we're pulled towards horror is that it gives us an opportunity to channel our fear in a way that is ultimately safe. We read about final girls, for instance, and feel both the terror and the catharsis that comes from enduring and surviving. But of course, if we had to experience these things in real life, we don't know what we'd do. And even though this is obviously a work of fiction in itself, the fact that it plays with that makes it interesting and engaging, and it adds another level of terror.

The villain was cartoonish, especially compared to the tone of the rest of the book, but I didn't mind that too much. I wanted to know so much more about the people in the Stepford Wives scenario -- who was in on it, who was an actor, what did they think was going on, etc.

This book is definitely not for everybody. Still, I'm happy I read it!

This was such a fun one! Of you're a fan of Cabin in the woods you'll enjoy this one! I read it in one day haha, I was so hooked and I also enjoyed the gore, and zanniest in it!
Thank you, Net Galley for this arc!

I’ve gotta say, with the number of thrillers and suspense books feeling very predictable and repetitive, I was going into this one with mediocre expectations. I love Christina Henry and her retellings, but holy crap! I was so impressed with this book. Not only did it keep me guessing until the end, but talk about something unique and refreshing. Imagine waking up and just knowing that something is off. You can’t quite explain it but there’s just something that isn’t right and out of place. That is the reality of things for three women – Celia, Allie, and Maggie.

Each woman finds herself dropped into the middle of a story in the genre they love: one in a cozy mystery, one in a slasher movie, and the other in a dystopian novel. I couldn’t imagine waking up in the middle something from my favorite genre – that would be when I’d regret loving horror books and movies. As a reader, you can think all you want that you would make better decisions than the main characters involved, but once faced with that as your reality? You might find that it’s easier said than done. This was inventive, unique, and each story had me captivated. It isn’t until the very end that we find out how they all connect to each other and I was happy with the conclusion! Highly recommend this and her other novels as well. Wonder what Henry has in store for us next!

Good Girls Don’t Die is my first Christina Henry book and I am kicking myself for waiting so long to try one!

The premise for this book is wonderfully unique and I loved the way that Henry divided the book into parts, with individual sections focused on each of our three main characters and then a final section that serves to tie the stories together. I honestly could have read full books about each of the three women. Henry creates compelling, tense, and thrilling plots for each of them. Our characters are unique in their personality and outlook on life, but their shared motivation to survive helps to tie them together and make these stories connected.

I was hoping for a bit more from the ending. It left me feeling rushed compared to the sections for the women, but I appreciate that Henry was aiming to wrap up any and all loose ends. Overall it makes sense with the story and the flow, I just wasn’t ready to part ways with the book as soon as it happened!

A huge thank you to Berkley for my gifted copy!

Thank you to Berkeley Publishing, NetGalley, and Christina Henry for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What a unique read! The first part of this book had me drawn in almost instantly and I couldn’t put it down until I knew what happened. As the different worlds & stories were taking place, I just started getting more and more angry with most of the male characters. The ending was so so satisfying to me. I look forward to reading more of this author in the future.

This title is available now!!

This is one unique and good book.
Three different women Celia, Allie, and Maggie wake up one day not knowing where they are and what’s going on.
Told over three different stories each women wake up in different like stories.
One ends up a cozy like mystery.
Ones ends up in a Thriller
And the last women woke up in a dystopian story like in Hunger games or the Maze type games
This book keep you up reading to find out what’s going to happen next and why did these three different women end up in their own story.
I recommend reading this thank you @netgalley

Great and original plot idea! It did fall somewhat short for me when the 'girls' came together though. I really loved all the mentions of various thriller stories. Expect allusions to Memento, every teen age cabin in the woods horror flick, The Maze Runner and Hunger Games.

Three women, three different scenarios, and a WTF is going on mind bender story that leads to a crazy connection reveal with ramifications for the villains who have trapped them in stories that are not of their own.

Christina Henry's Good Girls Don't Die is a story that follows three women who wake up in a fantasy like world reminiscent of an episode of Black Mirror. The main players are Celia, Allison, and Maggie. The book itself is broken into 4 sections with 1 section each for the three main players. Celia wakes up in a house that’s supposed to be hers. There’s a little girl who claims to be her daughter and a man who claims to be her husband, but Celia knows this family—and this life—is not hers.

Even though she has a New York State drivers license, and even though she clearly has some skills as a restaurant owner and cook, there is something at the back of her mind telling her that this is all wrong. Then things spiral out of control. A woman who Celia argued with ends up dead, and she receives a phone call saying "You're going to pay for what you've done. Women like you always get what they deserve." Is this some sort of survival game? Someone did this to Celia. Someone stripped her of her life and now it is time to fight back. It appears that someone intends to treat Celia like she's one of the Stepford wives by stripping away her entire identity.

Allison is supposed to be on a fun weekend trip with her best fiends Cam and Madison. When her friend’s boyfriends (Brad & Steve) unexpectedly shows up and invites the group to a remote cabin in the woods, Allison is weary about being a third wheel. To make matters more twisted, Alli is an aficionado of horror classics. Let's call this scenario Cabin in the Woods. She knows most if not all of the signs that something is wrong. No one else believes Allie, but when the car they were riding in is destroyed, and one by one her friends are attacked and left for dead, Allie knows that someone has picked her for some sort of sick survival game.

Maggie wakes up to find that she is with 8 other women who seemed to have been chosen for some sort of survival game. The people running the game claim that they have no right to refuse anything they are told to do or they will lose someone close to them. In Maggie's case, that is her daughter who she fought tooth and nail to get away from her psycho ex-boyfriend. Maggie allies herself with a woman named Sonya to try to get though the maze and the ending that wakes for them. Let's call Maggie's scenario a cross between the Hunger Games and the Maze Runner.

At the end of the main characters parts in the story, they each find a door where the have escaped from a mob of men who want them dead. Maggie, Allison, Sonya, and Celia now have to figure out why they were chosen in particular. There are hints along the way that should give readers a clue as to why they were chosen, and who is responsible. Let's just say that the twists at the end of the book are not only surprising but unexpected. It is mentioned quiet a few times along the way that these character think of themselves in terms of books like Hunger Games, Truman Show, and Black Mirror.

3.25
This was an interesting book which had a unique concept. I enjoyed each individual woman's story but I was sort of disappointed when the women joined together to confront their enemy.

Good Girls Don’t Die is a trippy, exciting, compelling thrill. I absolutely couldn’t put this book down, and finished it all in one day. It's best to read without expectations -- the twists and turns will keep you guessing!

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

I’ve only read one book by Christina Henry, Horseman, and thought it was great. I know her books are usually retellings of familiar stories, and I expected this one to be the same. Although it wasn’t, I still thought it was great. I was hooked from the first chapter. This story wasn’t like anything I’ve read before, either.

We first meet Celia who has no memory of who she is. Several chapters are devoted to her story. We move to Allie, trapped in a cabin in the middle of nowhere with her friends when things begin to go wrong. Several chapters of her story follow. Finally, we meet Maggie, kidnapped and plunked into a survival situation. Her chapters come next. Three women. Three stories. Only one way out. This book was so much fun to read. I had no idea what was happening in each one, much like the women, and following their situations was captivating. I loved this book.

The amateur sleuth. The FInal Girl. The death game contestant. We all know how their stories end in the books.


But as three women will discover, real life is nothing like the stories.


I love short stories, and I really love when a book includes 3 separate stories and merge to a satisfying conclusion like this one. While all three of the women in the story feel like one we read before, she puts her own twist on horror in real life scenarios, which in my opinion makes it that much more suspenseful.


I will probably always read anything Henry puts out but I thought this one was particularly creative and I liked how it tied together in the end.

I really loved the premise of this story. It was unique and I highly recommend to go in blind. I love Christina’s writing. She really gets you hooked and keeps you wondering.