This was definitely a page-turner! I felt super unsettled at the beginning reading from Cole's perspective, as a self-proclaimed "good guy" who maybe isn't exactly that....... <spoiler>is DEFINITELY NOT THAT</spoiler>, then a third of the way through having perspective shift in a really interesting way. The social commentary is stellar and I think this would be a good book club pick, in that I want (need) to discuss it with other people asap because the ending!!! I mean!!

This book was full of unlikeable characters. It really felt flat for me and I had no connection, Please make your own opinion as you may very well like it more than i did.

One of the Good Guys
by Araminta Hall
Pub Date: 09 Jan 2024

One of the Good Guys is a story about how women are treated by some men in today's modern world. The book is marked as a Mystery - Thriller. I can't say I see as much a thriller as a mystery. Although it is fiction, it's very informative and gave me something to think about. I found it very interesting, I liked the story and the main characters in the story.

I'm giving this 4 Stars only because it did get a bit slow in some places.

Synopsis: Desperate to escape the ghosts of his failed marriage, Cole upends his life. He leaves London behind for a remote stretch of coast, relishing the respite from the noise, drama, and relentless careerism that curdled his relationship and mental health. Leonora has made the same move for similar reasons. She’s living a short walk from Cole’s seaside cottage, preparing for her latest art exhibition. Although Cole still can’t figure out what went wrong with his marriage, and Leonora is having trouble acclimating to the hostile landscape, the pair forges a connection on the eroding bluff they call home.

A massive thanks to #OneoftheGoodGuys, #Zando, #GillianFlynnBooks and #NetGalley for the E-ARC. All opinions are strictly my own.

Thank you Netgalley, Araminta Hall, and Zando Gillian Flynn Books for the advanced reader ebook. This was quite a heavy read with a pretty triggering subject. It really put into perspective the world views we have to deal with as woman.

Gaaaaahhhh! This book is so maddening! The characters are brilliantly devious and inspire both compassion and hate from all sides. This thriller sheds quite a bit of light on what it means to be a woman in today's world but also what it means to be a man in a changing word. So many thoughts, many of which are conflicting. Ultimately, that makes this a perfect Book Club pick because there is so much to discuss and debate. It won't be a happy discussion though, so expect the nails to come out, emotions to run high, and blood pressure to spike!

4.5 stars!

Many have wondered over recent years just what happened to Gillian Flynn. We loved her first 3 books and yearn for more! Well, she is giving back by publishing others' works under her imprint Gillian Flynn Books. If you are a lover of her works, definitely check this book out. It won't disappoint and will introduce you to another amazing author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Zando, Gillian Flynn Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

This social commentary and thriller was such a delight! Newly separated from his wife, Cole has left London for a fresh start as a wildlife ranger. Soon after arriving he meets Leonora. She’s the antithesis of his first wife. Lenora is gentle, thoughtful, works a relaxed job as an artist. Cole’s new beginning starts as he and Lenora form a relationship. Is she the wife he’s dreamed of? There are multiple perspectives but not until we first get a good chunk of story from one. The first narrator is the definition of unreliable and perfectly done. Enthusiastically recommend!

This book is a wild ride! It’s a fast paced one that had me hooked- I started it Friday evening and finished it this morning. Its central theme is how women are treated in society today and whilst it IS a wild ride, it’s very believable.

When Cole moves to a remote coastal area following the breakdown of his marriage and meets artist Leonora, he starts to feel hopeful about his future. However when two girls on a coastal walk for a women’s charity go missing, it seems his life won’t be as ideal as he had thought it might be.

I really enjoyed that the story was told from multiple perspectives, as it shows (sometimes worryingly) how different people can interpret the same set of events. It was one of those books where you start almost believing the events are real due to how the author has chosen to frame them through social media comments, podcasts and news reports. I don’t want to give too much away about this one because I feel you don’t see the twists coming (even when you think you might have guessed them!) - but this book is like a work of art, Lennie B would be proud 😉. If you’re a fan of Lisa Jewell’s more recent books, you’ll probably enjoy this one.

This is a tough one for me to review. The beginning was slow for me. I was getting annoyed with how often Cole was using the word “cozy” to describe everything. It just seemed like a very fake set up. Come to find out, that’s kind of the point. Not everyone is what they seem. This turned out to be a page turner at the end.

Wow, in both a good and bad way! This novel took me a while to get into but it finally started to have a decent flow. If nothing else, the topic and characters bring out a myriad of strong emotions. You are basically taken on a ride to uncover the impact of innate male aggressions and misogyny in our society and how females are the ongoing reciprocates of it. I had a bit of a problem with the way the females set up the male character to illustrate their point but also understand they felt they had to go to extremes to be heard. A topic of much importance that brought up a lot of emotions on both sides, told in story form. I received this novel as an advanced copy. All views are my own.

While this book was quite uniquely written, it just wasn’t one I overly enjoyed. I understand the points Hall was trying to make, but found them over the top. Women do face fear every day, but this story was a bit on the preachy side. There wasn’t a single character I liked or connected with. The writing style was by far what I liked the most, but my feelings remain mixed. Thank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

One of the Good Guys is an interesting as well as though provoking drama.

Cole has moved away from his home in London after the breakup of his marriage. While the breakup is still fresh, he tries to understand what went wrong in the marriage. He meets Lennie who lives nearby, and they develop a friendship.

Two young female activists raising awareness about gendered violence disappear while passing through where Cole and Leonora live. They both become suspects in their disappearance.

I struggled with this book from the very beginning. I didn't really care about any of the characters. The story felt a bit disjointed for me. The book is mostly told from Cole and Mel's point of view, which were more of a he said she said situation. Relationships between genders are complex and tough to understand in the best of circumstances. This book felt as if it went from a drama to a political argument. The book just wasn't what I thought it was going to be.

One Of The Good Guys, by Araminta Hall

Short Take: Like ringing a doorbell with a sledgehammer.

(*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*)

Good morning, my beloved Nerdlings! Today’s a busy one, so I’m going to jump right in.

In One of the Good Guys, Cole (the titular Good Guy) is coming off a nasty divorce, and figuratively licking his wounds by working as a forest ranger in a tiny cliffside town in England. It’s there that he meets Leonora, a free-spirited artist who he is immediately attracted to.

However, there’s also trouble brewing in the midst of their budding romance. Two young women, walking across England to bring awareness to violence against women, disappear from their tent. Of course Cole and Leonora find themselves smack dab in the middle of everything, and of course Everyone Has Secrets and OF COURSE there’s a Shocking Twist.

But also, not really.

Duckies, this is a very hard book to review, and I think that’s probably the author’s intention. We are told over and over and over and over (and over and over and over) the many, multiple, and myriad ways that women are abused and taken advantage of by men who assume that their wants are all that matters.

And I agree, I see it all too often. Women, by and large, are living an impossible dichotomy. According to whichever flavor of misogyny someone prefers, we have both taken over everything and feminized male spaces and claimed mens’ jobs and status and destroyed masculinity, while simultaneously being the smaller, weaker, dumber sex who spend all our time on frivolous, meaningless pursuits. We are meant to be powerless, while also being held responsible for the bad behavior of whatever man is in our proximity.

Frankly, it’s exhausting, and so is this book.

I’m genuinely not sure if the constant, repetitive Battle Of The Sexes being played out among our main characters and various social media and news groups is meant to make me think, or make me angry. Mostly, it just made me sad and tired. Because it’s nothing but the worst of both sides, and endless reminders of how little most people are willing to try to understand the other side. There are plenty of men out there with ill intentions, but there are also many who are just clueless or careless or have never been taught to think about the effect of their behavior on others. There are so many men who want to do better, but are afraid to have the conversation of how to start, because women are (rightfully) angry about all of it.

It’s a systemic, societal problem that has been going on for centuries. I don’t know if there’s a solution out there, but I don’t think that the kind of discourse in this book will help in any way. Ms. Hall brings up a lot of gray areas and drowns them in black and white rhetoric.

However, lest anyone think that I’m just reacting emotionally & irrationally to criticism (as we women do, of course), there are other problems with this book. For one thing, the big reveal was entirely too easy to figure out. There was a whole thing about Cole having migraines & blackouts, mentioned many times by several characters, that just disappeared after a lot of buildup.

All that said, however, I didn’t want to put it down till I finished. I don’t know if it’s that the story was engaging enough, warts and all, or if I was just hoping for some kind of redemption, or growth, or something that never quite came.

The Nerd’s Rating: THREE HAPPY NEURONS (and some non-rabbit stew).

I have such mixed feelings about this book! So many things fit into so few pages! Truly impressed with the overall punch of this book for being so short. At times I either loved or hated most of the characters, which I guess is a sign of good character development! How the story was presented did a terrific job of highlighting how one situation can be viewed in multiple ways and at several moments in the book I thought back to events in my own life and how I've remembered them. I did struggle a bit with pacing and formatting when we got to the final third-ish of the book. There was so much bouncing around that it felt both distracting and at the same time I was wondering if I was missing something. I wish it had been a bit smoother and more consistent throughout the book. But, this is definitely a book to make you think!

One of the best thrillers I’ve read!

The book has multiple POVs, which I love, and the progression of the story is paced in a way that keeps you hooked.

An insightful (and disturbing) look at how violence against women can be perpetrated under the mask of love.

I will be reading anything that Araminta Hall publishes (I’ve previously read Our Kind of Cruelty and really enjoyed it, also).

One of the Good Guys
Araminta Hall
4 stars

Out 1/9/24

We know what the bad guys look and sound like but what about “one of the good guys”?

Cole moves to a rural cottage after splitting with his wife and meets an artist living next door. Two young women are marching to raise awareness & funds for violence against women and once they stop near Cole’s countryside, they abruptly go missing.

Three distinct POVs, jumping timelines, includes mixed media with text messages, tweets, reddit threads, etc. Engaging and uncomfortable at times, I see how this is published by Gillian Flynn’s new imprint.

This thriller holds up a mirror to our big ugly reality of the culture of violence in our world. It’s a deeply disturbing read because it works off our very real fear in today’s day and age.It amplifies how differently society reacts to men’s vs women’s experiences. Thought-provoking and leaves much for an ongoing discussion.

I’d picture this book suggested alongside Luckiest Girl Alive (book + movie) and Promising Young Woman (movie).

‼️ massive content warnings to check before reading!

Thank you Zando Books and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

Ok! So this one is really different than most of my books. First of all the writing was fabulous! Totally loved it. The content was a major turn-off for me. I’m just really tired of ‘man bashing’ books. This was major overkill on this topic. Again, the writing was superb. I would definitely read this author again (although I’ll read the blurb before I engage.
Thank you NetGalley, Araminta Hall and Zando for the opportunity to read and review this book

Everyone thinks Cole is the definition of a perfect man so when his wife Mel leaves him and demands a divorce he can’t understand what he has done wrong – he is sensitive, caring, loving, and always looking out for what is best for her and their marriage. He is just not like other men.

Cole decides to change his life and moves out of the city to a cottage in a remote coastal location where he meets Lennie, a artist who is also recovering from her own personal heartbreak. Lennie is relaxed, free spirited and comfortable in her own skin and Cole decides she is much more what he needs in a partner.

The tranquillity of his new life and fledgling relationship with Lennie is interrupted though when two young girls go missing whilst they are protesting against male violence. Cole and Lennie become embroiled in the police investigation.

The story is told through multiple narratives helping the reader gain perspective from all the characters, which really develops the story. This book was thought provoking and made me rage at times, as the mother of two teenage daughters. Why aren’t women safe walking home at night alone? Is anyone really as they seem? This is a clever thriller and I think all women should read it.

Thanks to Gillian Flynn Books for gifting me this arc via NetGalley.

One of the Good Guys is one of the books coming out next week. It is a bonkers thriller about a man whose marriage fell apart so he moved to a remote seaside town outside of London when he becomes embroiled in the disappearance of two missing activist women (protesting against violence against women). This book was twisted. The most unreliable narrators, the biggest plot twists, clever use of social media, news stories and podcast clips interspersed to mix things up, and timely commentary on social issues and how society treats, supports and believes women. It definitely kept my interest until the very end and it was clever in how it all unfolded.

“Gender relations are so f*cked. I don’t know how we’re going to come back from it.”

———————-

“And I know, historically, it’s been hard to be a woman but, my god, it’s hard to be a man right now.”

———————-

OMG - I’m not sure I’ll ever stop thinking about this book. If the quotes above make you angry… read this book. I’m not sure how men will feel about it but women will love the renegade justice and unique way of presenting female fear in relation to the threat of the seemingly harmless male who is capable of great violence.

Generally, I’m not one for a heavy handed commentary, especially on evolving gender roles. But, this was so expertly done that I found myself loving it more, the more I hated the characters. At first you have no idea what is going on and have one view of each person and then the perspective changes and wow. Then I found myself debating my own thoughts and feelings as I went. What a complete mind-f*ck! This is exactly what I want in a psychological thriller. Go in blind, I promise you, it’s better that way.

Read this one if you liked The Power or The Collective.

Thanks to Gillian Flynn Books for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions above are my own.

I was hooked from the beginning, and I loved seeing the different POV and changing my mind on the characters as I read the book. I definitely didn't see the plot twist coming, and altough I think it might seem a bit anticlimactic to some people, I thought it was quite intersting and thought-provoking. It would probably make a great book club discussion!