This book starts off from Cole's perspective. Cole is a kind and caring man whose marriage fails after they struggle to conceive. His wife is the breadwinner and he had promised to be the main caregiver for their child. He comes home one day to find Mel gone and she grows increasingly angry at his reluctance to sign the divorce papers. Mel seems unreasonable in her attitude and she's causing a lot of hurt to Cole. He relocates with the idea that he's going to have a fresh start. He meets someone near his new home and embarks on a relationship with her. A pair of young women then go missing from the area and some unwanted attention comes from the police. As the perspective in the narrative shifts, we see that Cole might not be the nice guy we're led (by him) to believe... This book is a really fascinating and twisty read. I found it really gripping and finished it in under a day. It's definitely not the book you expect!

One of the Good Guys starts with an interesting premise. If most men claim to be good, why are so many women afraid to walk home alone at night? Cole has recently separated from his wife and has moved to a remote seaside where he is now a wildlife ranger. He meets and befriends Leonora, “Lennie”, an artist who is living nearby along the cliff. The first part of the story is told from his POV and he comes across as a meek, nice guy. But then, why does his wife make some of those comments?
Hall takes her time setting up the premise of the story. She lets the reader spend a lot of time with Cole in the first part. In the second part, we hear from his wife, Mel. And suddenly, Cole doesn’t seem quite so meek but much more passive aggressive and just off. We also hear from Lennie. And, as the story progresses, the one thing that becomes apparent is that none of these folks are good people.
There are some interesting psychological issues raised - the desire (or not) for a family, the need for someone who provides what a parent did not, gender stereotypes. But it also deals with how social media handles the news, the willingness of folks to condemn others without a full set of facts. It’s all about who one believes when there’s no proof either way.
The mystery part of the equation involves two young women who are walking to raise awareness about violence against women. On New Year’s Eve, while camping nearby, they go missing.
It’s a complicated story, bouncing back and forth in time and changing perspectives. This is one of those books that starts slow but gradually draws you in. Before I knew it, I was hooked and couldn’t put it down. But it’s also a book that will have me thinking about the issues raised for a while.
My thanks to Netgalley and Gillian Flynn Books for an advance copy of this book.

What an amazing read! The main character is revealed a page at a time through different points of view…like an onion being peeled a layer at a time. The plot is fast moving with many twists which keep it lively. There is also an important message concerning perceptions and acceptance in the treatment of men and women in society, This book is entertaining and thought provoking. I’ve never read anything like it.

Interesting premise for a story that just didn't quite make it for me. At first, I was really intrigued as to whether Cole and Mel, the two central characters, might have their happy-ever-after. The story evolved into something entirely different toward the end; an end that is surprising, and for me not satisfying.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC! Unfortunately, this story didn’t work for me. I thought it would be a gripping social commentary about conversations were all having all the time these days — conversations about gender and equity and sexual violence, etc. I got a tiny bit of that, but overall the story just seems to fall flat . . . with occasional bits of suspense or intriguing conversation, the sometimes successful take on elements of social media and hive-mind tendencies. I just feel this book could’ve done more, been more. However, this isn’t my last book from the author. I can’t wait to try her others.

Smart. Thought-provoking. Incredible. Not sure what else to say. This was so good! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It is not often that I have absolutely NO clue where a book is going to go...but this one kept me on my toes the entire time! I loved how the author make each narrator seem so reliable, that you could easily believe their POV. Each twist and turn was handled with precision and enough surprises to keep the story from falling into a predictable pattern.

A real page-turner with twists that I couldn’t see coming, One of the Good Guys is a thought-provoking novel that examines how women feel and what they experience on a daily basis, and the range of reactions this evokes from men. Hall explored several points of view that were often unlikeable, but exposed important parts of the story or allowed the audience some insight into the minds of characters we would otherwise have ignored. The different writing styles were compelling in their own ways and the plot was engaging throughout - from around the 30% mark, it was difficult to put the book down as I was keen to find out more about what was truly going on.

this book is not what i expected and unfortunately it wasn't for me.

i'm all about feminism and standing up for women's rights but i also think there's a better way of going about it that was opposite of what was portrayed in this book.

outside of the message, i found it to be very repetitive and it dragged in a lot of places. i was disappointed w/ the ending. what i thought was going to be a thriller ended up being a very political, drawn-out, underwhelming story.

with that being said, thank you so much for the early copy! even though this book wasn't for me i could see the appeal for some!

2.5/5

A propulsive and twisty page-turner with razor-sharp sociopolitical insight, One of the Good Guys asks: if most men claim to be good, why are most women still afraid to walk home alone at night?

This book was painful to read but in a good way. Every woman has a story of a man who seems to be good but is hiding a dangerous underside. This mystery kept me on the edge of my seat and nervous the whole time.

That was a very interesting tale. I have to say at the end, I can see the good and the bad to the plan the ladies hatched.

I got more and more angry as I read the first part of this book - even checking Goodreads to make sure the author was, in fact, a woman, because the perspectives just seemed so wrong. I was so relieved when I realized this was purposeful. However, while I obviously agree with most of the messages in the book, in the end it just seemed to be missing something that could have made it truly great. I was somewhat underwhelmed and not terribly surprised by any of the plot twists and turns. 3 stars.

Interesting concept, but I'm not sure if the characters were fleshed out enough. I did like the variety of writing devices used to tell the story - narrative, social media posts, newspaper articles, radio transcripts, etc. The commentary and artist's statement near the end of the book certainly give the reader a lot to think about and would make for a lively book club discussion.

This kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way through! I highly recommend this to any thriller book clubs out there!

I love to get a bunch of books at once and then dive in having forgotten what most of them are about and why I wanted to read them, so it was funny to get about a third of the way into this book squinting at it thinking "am I about to be Gone Girled here?" and then realize this one's from Gillian Flynn's publishing imprint.

And the answer was a solid: kind of. You will indeed spend the first 1/3 of this book in the POV of one of the most annoying men you can imagine, only to switch out not just to a totally different character's POV, but to a whole range of them, along with a multitude of social media posts from randos. The substance of this book sometimes felt like reading a series of Reddit AITA posts where you and all the other commenters are united in being like "OP, what on god's green earth is wrong with you? YTA" with all the frustration that implies - but I also do be looking at AITA with some frequency, so if that's your kind of internet car crash to rubberneck, then this book should be right up your alley. It may leave you with that same thrumming sense of discontent with like, society, but it's an interesting story uniquely told, and I think it did what it came to do. Can't argue with that, you know?

My thanks to Zando/Gillian Flynn Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Nothing inspires female rage quite like a self-proclaimed good guy.

After his marriage ends in catastrophe, Cole fulfills his dream of living in the countryside. There, he meets an artist, Leonora, who seems to get him in a way his wife never did. When two women’s rights activists disappear near Cole and Leonora’s home, they end up as suspects. Cole and Leonora are hiding something, but are they dangerous?

This book falls more in the category of social commentary than a thriller. We follow Cole for the first part, and he is unnerving. His way of justifying all his actions is so creepy. The whole time, he said the right thing and did the right thing, but it was obvious something was off. It’s easy, as the reader, to fall into the trap of “I would see right through Cole,” but I kept asking myself would I really? Most women in my life have had a Cole, myself included. I can’t help but remember all the times I entertained or justified a man’s actions because he had some nice qualities. It was interesting to see how Cole perceives his behavior, if unsettling.

Leonora and Mel are more personable, in a way. We see both women come to terms with the different types of trauma and abuse they have suffered at the hands of men. They aren’t particularly moral people, though. If anything, I could see people arguing that their actions were worse than Cole’s, but is that true? Is that a sexist angle, or is feminism pushing “support women’s rights and wrongs” a little too far?

One of the Good Guys forces the reader to confront the reality of being a woman. Sure, we see the most disturbed and depraved on the news, but not often do we think about men who think being nice means they are owed something. Every character is flawed and dubious, forcing a certain degree of objectivity. While it lacked the twists necessary for a good thriller, it more than made up for it with the raw and honest way it confronted violence against women. It navigated cohesively through a plethora of topics, including pornography, IVF, degrees of abuse, and gaslighting. What actions does society view as redeemable for men versus women? “Not all men,” but is it enough of them to justify the fear and hostility women feel? While the social media/podcast bits slowed the momentum of the plot, it also brought to light the horrors of the internet, and what we can get away with saying behind a keyboard and private profile.

Please check trigger warnings before reading. Includes but not limited to SA, BDSM, miscarriage, emotional abuse, manipulation, and murder. While nothing is unnecessarily graphic, it still is prevalent throughout the whole story.

Thank you NetGalley and Zando Gillian Flynn Books for the advance copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

SYNOPSIS:
- Cole sees himself as one of the good guys. His wife, Mel, has ended things with him after seven years together & many IVF failures. He is starting a new chapter in a remote location.
- Cole befriends his new neighbor, Lennie, who is an artist.
- Two young women activists disappear near where Cole & Lennie live. What happened to them?

MY THOUGHTS
- Interesting plot about tough topics.
- The formatting is unique. I liked the format of first 2/3s, but not the last third. The first third is from Cole’s perspective, the second third is from Mel’s, and the final third is social media posts, articles, comments, and podcast transcriptions. The last bit was difficult to read & follow; it was choppy.
- Lots of social commentary in the book, particularly regarding consent, violence against women, abuse, manipulation. Readers should check out trigger warnings as well.
- I really enjoyed seeing the perspectives of Cole & Mel. Those parts were well-written, and it captures how different they interpreted things.
- The narrative was pretty heavy headed & there wasn’t anything subtle for the reader to form conclusions about within the story. Writing style was pedantic. The execution was lacking. The ending was meh.
- On paper, I thought I would love it, as I do love feminist discourse, but I came away from the book very underwhelmed.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️underwhelming. wasn’t a fan of the structure and execution in this one. great premise though.

Thanks to Gillian Flynn Books and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. It will be published on January 9, 2024.

This was intense and thought-provoking. I didn't quite know what to expect, but I enjoyed it a lot. Great twist.

Nothing is as it seems in this heavy-handed tale of relationships, women and men. Fans of feminist fiction will enjoy it.

started this feeling sorry for Cole but I guess that’s the idea until we see Melanie’s POV and the story takes off for me , I can see why they did what they set out to do. It’s cleverly written and complex that the reader needs to take time reading as I feel it would be easy to miss out on an important part of the plot.