I decided to request One of the Good Guys on Netgalley because of the simple fact that it's being published by Gillian Flynn’s imprint.

One of the Good Guys follows Cole as she moves to the countryside for a fresh start after separating from his wife. Readers follow along as he adjusts to his new life and meets an artist living next door all while getting tidbits of his previous life.

Cole gives Joe Goldberg (from You by Caroline Kepnes) vibes. From the beginning of the novel, Cole comes off as genuine and caring. He’s one of the good guys, you know? However, as the novel progresses there’s a sense of wrongness with his inner monologue. Cole makes unsettling comments that are quickly glossed over that become more and more frequent until readers realize that he’s not being entirely truthful and forthcoming.

Just as I was starting to get bored of Cole and his narrative, Hall switched to Cole’s ex-wife’s perspective. Mel’s chapters give readers a snapshot of their married life as the years progressed. Most of these moments centered around the couple trying to get pregnant through IVF. Mel’s chapters become difficult to read as her despair, frustration, and seeming lack of agency grows until it’s all consuming.

Hall then presents readers the rest of the story through various different mediums: news articles, podcasts, Twitter threads, Reddit threads, etc. Each offering a different perspective on the story as it unfolds in real time. The opinions expressed in this section of the novel can be difficult to read at times. It’s supposed to be uncomfortable as Hall makes it obvious that the central theme of the novel is violence against women and the narrative around violence against women. The purpose of the novel is not the mystery, but its social commentary regarding how society views and treats women. The ending is a predictable rollercoaster that still triggered me.

Overall, One of the Good Guys is a thought provoking novel about violence against women and the discussion around the topic. Hall uses the mystery as a catalyst for the discussion and the use of the various mediums drives the point home.

Well to start it was good but also very into gender normative stereotypes. As a 35 year old woman I don’t know if I was fully into the always being scared as a woman plot but it was entertaining in a lot of parts. I will say I really enjoyed the book I just wish it was more about the thrilling plot over the gender stuff.

What started as a quiet and slowly intensifying story of a manipulative and controlling husband and his wife who is progressively losing her confidence, turned into a political lecture. The stage was already set to be a strong statement on how women are belittled and undervalued and if the story progressed as its trajectory was headed, would have been both an excellent thriller and a statement in support of women's rights and the problems related to those rights in the current world. Instead, it fell flat at the point where the climax of the novel should have been and I found the ending most unsatisfying in terms of the plot. The writing is excellent and for that it merits 3 stars, in my opinion.

My copy of this ARC was provided by NetGalley and the publisher, the opinions expressed herein are strictly my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of One of the Good Guys.

I was eager to read this because the premise is intriguing. I liked what the author did for the first half of the novel, give us Cole's perspective and let us see how nuts he really is.

Cole has recently separated from his wife and has left London to start over as a wildlife ranger.

When he meets Lennie, an artist living nearby, he strikes up a friendship and the two of them bond over their sad pasts.

Then, two young female activists disappear and Lennie and Cole find themselves in the middle of the investigation.

Is Cole really one of the good guys?

To put it mildly, Cole has serious issues but the reader doesn't know this until the narrative progresses and we see red flags waving in the air as more of Cole's disturbing personality is revealed.

In the second half of the novel, the POV shifts to Cole's estranged wife, Mel, and we see who and what Cole really is. Not one of the good guys.

The last quarter of the novel is comprised of texts, tweets, and excerpts from interviews.

I'm not a fan of this style despite its increasing popularity in novels lately.

I like the premise and it had potential to be dark and thrilling, but the narrative was bogged down with political commentary about feminism, #MeToo, the woes of women in a patriarchal society (we can't have it all and we can't win no matter what we do).

Then, as we reached the end, the narrative took too many turns that tested my ability to suspend disbelief.

I sympathized with Mel, but I didn't like her or Lennie. I understand their motivation behind their plan for Cole and the female activists but it sounded far-fetched.

I don't mind novels that revolve around social and political issues but this was too much gender politics.

I read to be entertained and forget about the problems of the world, not to be reminded of them.

I read this as a tongue-in-cheek thriller poking fun at men who think they’re fully aware of male toxicity, and avoid it at all costs, but in reality, they’re the most toxic of all.
This describes the main character, Cole. He’s just moved to the seaside in order to rethink his life. He’s thrilled to meet another newcomer, Leonora, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that she’s attractive. They hit it off and are soon visiting each other every day. And she’s so darn cute. Cole does everything in his power to gain her love and respect, because they need to start making babies now. Because she’s good stock for a mother. But then a series of events puts Cole under suspicion. From the police, the townsfolk, and the pretty new neighbor. This is where the fun begins.
With a series of who’s manipulating who, this is a quick and entertaining read that made me chuckle. The ending was a bit off, and suddenly got complicated, but I love the writing style and plan to read more from Ms. Hall.
Thanks so much to Zando, Gillian Flynn Books, for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is January 9, 2024.

"Good guy" Cole Simmonds has moved to a remote cottage on the English coast after a separation from his wife Melanie, who remains in London running her PR company. The first half of the book is told from Cole's perspective. I was definitely struggling to paint an image of who this man was when hearing events through his voice. He seemed somewhat detached from reality, but also overly emotional at times. What is his deal? It was hard to connect with him as a character, which I think it somewhat by design. The ambiguity about his personality and character can lead to many interpretations.

The second part of the book is told through multiple viewpoints. There are WhatsApp chats between friends, news stories and transcripts of broadcasts, the voice of Lennie, the artist who is living in a neighboring cottage to Cole, the voice of Cole's wife Melanie and flashbacks in their relationship. You can see what is coming (or at least what you think is coming!) but nothing is as it seems!

For me this book felt like less of a psychological thriller, and more of a astute social commentary (but not in a bad way!). Yes, there's the plot line about two missing girls in the area where Cole and Lennie live, but that is more a mechanism to display the ambiguity about Cole as a man and his personality. Who is a "good guy" and how is that defined? There's definitely some TW in this book for rape, abuse, infertility.

All in, I found the book to be really thought-provoking. Less of a thriller than I was thinking it would be, but a book that shows that reality can often be in the mind of the one doing the interpretation of that reality.

One of the Good Guys is a cool concept; an unreliable male protagonist tells his side of the story. It is interspersed by equally unreliable women narrators and many social media ponderings of the events in the book. The public’s blog postings, news articles, and What’s apps, while a novelty in a plot, became a nuisance and an unwanted interruption to the story. Too many povs to successfully work. I do applaud the author’s creativity; however, I feel like it was too much and impeded my enjoyment of the book.

Cole leaves London eager for a fresh start in a remote, seaside cottage, far away from his workaholic wife, Mel, and their hectic city lifestyle. He wants to live simply - growing his own vegetables, trapping his own game - and finding peace as he recovers from the pain of his marriage ending. He meets a charming artist in a nearby cottage and they begin to grow closer. Meanwhile, two young women on a long-distance charity walk to raise awareness about violence against women pass through the area and mysteriously disappear.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. I won’t say much because I don’t want to ruin anything for anyone and the way the story unfolds is WILD, but I will say it was warped and weird and feminist AF and would be such a great book to discuss with a group because there are a lot of Things to Have Opinions About in it. I haven’t read Hall’s earlier books, but have gleefully added them to my TBR and will be first in line to read whatever she writes next.

I really liked the premise of this book. Men all
Claim to be good but why are there so many scared Ladies out there? Coke has recently separated from his wider and have moved to a remote seaside town and is working as a ranger. He meets Lenora. We explore Cole and his wife Mel and their story and also Lennie who all have their own stories and secrets. And then there are the hikers who go missing and there is a whole lot of drama and juiciness. I liked the story and how it jumped back and forth in time.

From Gillian Flynn's imprint and enticingly billed as a “a propulsive and twisty page-turner with razor-sharp sociopolitical insight”, this novel disappointingly fell rather flat for me as I didn't find it to be particularly gripping and the insight was a little heavy-handed.

Cole thinks he’s one of the good guys. He is a (metaphorical) card carrying feminist and is comfortable showing his sensitivies and vulnerabilities. Sadly, his marriage failed and he’s now making a fresh start on a remote part of England’s south coast with a park ranger job that comes with a cottage. He tentatively makes friends with another newcomer, artist Lennie. Then, two young women who are walking the coast path to raise money and awareness for women who are victims of violence disappear and Cole may have been the last person to see them.

The first third is narrated by Cole and despite his belief that he’s one of the good guys, he comes off as queasily creepy and it’s pretty unpleasant spending time with him. Even though nothing he says would raise a red flag, the author pretty skillfully manages to make him come across as being more than just slightly off.

The remainder of the book turns the tables on Cole by looking at him through others’ perceptions: it looks at the past through his wife Mel’s eyes and the future through Lennie’s artist’s statement and a mishmash of media, both traditional and social. With the exception of Mel, nobody comes off as particularly sympathetic (including Cole's mother of course), which is probably intentional, as part of the point the author wants to make is about how society perceives and portrays women.

The novel takes on the difference between how men, even ones who think they are “good guys”, and women see the world. It’s not that the author hasn’t got a fair point, it’s just the dice are so loaded against men by having Cole as their representative when there is clearly something askew with him and by the largely one-note male responses to the social media posts. The only positive male portrayal is the art critic’s response to Lennie’s installation.

This is an oddly structured novel. The mystery itself is less than exciting and takes rather a backseat, not helped by the irritating and convenient trope of Cole’s migraines causing him to black out. So all I was left with was mostly unlikable characters and rather didactic themes. Ho hum.

Thanks to Zando and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

Freshly separated from his wife Mel, Cole takes refuge in a sea side cabin away from bustling London. With his new life as a ranger, Cole has a chance to reflect on the aftermath of a failed union. The longing for a child was at the core of their demise. A close neighbor Lenorna, a reclusive artist, befriends Cole and sparks new life into this shattered man. As Cole settles into his new reality, a pair of young girls are hiking along the coast to raise awareness about violence against women. The girls go missing and suddenly the investigation turns into a nightmare that draws in Cole, Lenora and Mel.

One of the Good Guys was a very compelling read. The characters are all flawed with histories rich with childhood trama. Cole is portrayed as a kind and meek man. Lenora is an artist and single mom. Mel is a workaholic that never wanted children but did her best to please her husband. The characters are slowly pealed like an onion and we start to see their true colors. The plot centers around the two missing girls and the social media court of opinion.

The story starts off in Coles perspective as we learn about the backstory of his marriage. Mel’s and Lenora’s story interweaves the second part of the book and then we wind back to Cole. The plots twists into a different which was unexpected but on some level seamed like a reach. The interspersing of social media posts really highlighted the human nature of judgement. This also broke up the narrative in a nice way.

Overall this book was very entertaining and the characters all unreliable and unlikable. If you want a good winter read- This is your book.

I read "One of the Good Guys" almost in one stretch, it was that hard to put down! The book is a clever page-turner that explores everyday prejudice against women, specifically male violence towards them from micro aggressions, sexist jokes and harmful stereotypes to rape and domestic abuse.

One can sense from the beginning that something is off, but it is done in such a masterful, subtle way that it creates incredible suspense. The story has a few changes in voice, point of view, and style, with twists that keep the story interesting..

This is a thought-provoking book with compelling insights into gender injustice. It is a must-read for anyone interested in gender equality and the fight against sexism and misogyny–or for anyone looking for a riveting read.

This book was about Cole. He was married to Mel for 7 years. The thing that was most important to him was to have a baby. They tried unsuccessfully and eventually resorted to IVF. They tried twice and failed. Mel was a professional woman owning her own business and it was thought that the stress of that business was supposedly keeping her from carrying a child. She went in for the third injection but didn't complete the procedure. She became disillusioned with her marriage and left.

Cole decided to move away to an isolated cabin and became a park ranger. That's where he met Lennie B. She was an artist and was also living in isolation, not far from Cole.

This book is all about a scheme put together by two women, Lennie B. and Mel, in order to implicate Cole. Their plan was devious. They even tried to get him arrested for the disappearance of two women who turned out to be safe and sound.

The last one third or so of the book was nothing more than newscasts and tweets. I didn't enjoy that portion at all. This will not get my recommendation. I gave it one star.

Although I am still not entirely sure how I feel about One of the Good Guys by Araminta Hall, there is no doubt that it stirred up a ton of emotions in me. The basis of this story revolves around 'one of the good guys' Cole and his soon-to-be ex-wife Melanie. When Cole moves to the countryside, he ends up meeting an artist named Leonora and things just keep building from there. We get a handful of different viewpoints with time jumps, as well as some mixed media towards the end of the book and I loved the way this helped the entire story unfold. A lot of reviewers seemed to have known where this book was headed, but I am not kidding when I say everything shocked me.

It is difficult to review One of the Good Guys without any spoilers, and I honestly don't even know how I would compare it with Hall's previous novels as it has been a minute since I read one. I would think that if you were a fan of her writing, you would like this book regardless, but it also deals with some very (to some) controversial topics. I definitely get what she was trying to do here, but I have to agree with the other readers who said it was a bit of overkill. The very end was extremely moving, and I know without a doubt this would make an incredible discussion book for a book club or buddy read. There is a mystery in here, but there are also some literary fiction vibes, and I would definitely check triggers before reading.

After his wife, Mel, walked out of him, Cole moved to a tiny little town out of London, rent a small cottage and work as a ranger. It's kind of a start-over for him. Mel is a workaholic who doesn't seem having a same point of view about where their marriage should be heading, hence the separation.
Cole meets Leonora - who's also a new residence and they start spending time together

Two young girls who are doing the Walk for Women as part of protesting against violence to women, will be in town for their stop. However, both of them gone missing after a night and unfortunately Cole was the one seen them after an "argument".

This book will be great for a book club as I think I'll trigger a heated discussion.
It brings up an issue of male violence against women, but at some stage, it made me thinking further about women violence against men too.
It brings up about gender stereotype issue and how social media handles the news.
It's definitely very thought provoking and ...
Which side you'll be on? Cole? Or all those women?

Review Copy

I was pretty jacked to finally get going on ONE OF THE GOOD GUYS. It sounded like a book I could really get into. But while I like a long, slow burn type read that I could sink into, this just confused me. I didn't know who was who or what was what and the burn just fizzled out. While I was trying to figure out what was happening, I thought about what I could be reading. I'm sorry. Was I the only on one? Looks like not. I think it was the writing that got me, but that's personal. So I say check it out. It's from Gillian Flynn books and just probably is for you.

So grateful to get to read this book before the release date in January, thank you to the publisher! This book was a ride and a half. It started off with this nice guy after a break up trying to move on with his life and then switched to the ex-wife were you find out their actual history and omg I was shook! This book is loaded with the subject feminism, its very heavy. I loved the multi-media side to this book too. The book flips backwards and forwards between men and woman's views on bits of feminism epically when it came to the girls walking for charity and when it came to Cole. I strongly agree with being a woman and being scared to go out at night in the dark as you never know who's out there but also I know that not every man will want to hurt me so its a great subject for a book and a debate.

Araminta Hall's ONE OF THE GOOD GUYS is an interesting, thought-provoking slow burn of a thriller. It's rare that a thriller can be so thought-provoking, so I definitely call this novel a win!

This book is divided into three sections: 1) Cole, 2) his soon-to-be ex wife Melanie, and 3) a mixture of Leonora and social media/journalistic pieces.

Cole is in the process of getting divorced from Melanie. Cole has *interesting* self-talk about being such an upstanding man, such as being willing to take care of any children he and Melanie have (they were going through IVF and there are fertilized embryos at stake). After he and Melanie broke up, he moved to a rural area and became a park ranger and befriends his neighbor Leonora. Around this same time, two young feminist women go missing while on a march to end violence against women.

This novel has a unique premise, and as the reader the story line reveals itself very naturally. I'm not one to accurately guess how a book will reveal itself, but even for me this novel allowed me to easily stay a step ahead.

As a woman, I know "one of the good guys." I dated him in high school. You probably know at least one of these as well. The author captured him perfectly.

This novel has several themes, which I won't spoil for you. My only caution is that by the time you finish this book, you are hit in the head with the themes so many times that you may feel pummeled by them. Perhaps some subtlety could have added more texture and nuance to the narrative.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gillian Flynn Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. (I think we have all wondered what Gillian Flynn has been up to, and I'm excited to see that she now has her own imprint!)

Thank you netgalley for this arc!

Ah, I wanted to love this more than I did, for those who love Joe Goldberg, this is your book. That’s not a bad thing, but it’s just not great.

It was readable and a good read but is it one I’ll remember in a month probably not . It’s a good quick no brainer read worth your time