4.5 stars: I really enjoyed this book. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read it as an ARC. This book is part thriller/part commentary on our fuc*ed up world and how it treats women. I can see how some people might not have liked the book- what the female characters choose to do in it could be considered controversial. I personally had zero problem with it as Cole has been a piece of shit his whole life. This would be an amazing book club read- SO much to talk about. I was telling my husband about it on the beach yesterday- I plowed through this book wanting to know what would happen. I love how the author first introduced us to Cole and we got his mindset. Then we were introduced to the women in the book-Lennie and Mel. This book will give you so much to think about!

This was an interesting book. I was not sure what to expect going into it. The story follows Cole, his ex-wife and Leonora. There lives come together when Cole meets Leonora at his seaside cottage. The story is told in 3 parts from the three perspectives. Interspersed throughout the story are new stories following a walk made by two women bringing attention to the danger women face in the world. The story is one of feminism and makes you think about what it means to be a woman in the world, as well as a male feminist. I found the story interesting, but at times a bit far fetched. I think my favorite part was reading the twitter comments and other commentary from other characters outside of the story. Certainly a different sort of book.

"But you’ll always be a hero, just for doing what a million women do everywhere every day.”

Despite the heavy (and extremely current) themes addressed in One of the Good Guys, Araminta Hall's writing flows exceptionally, making the reading engaging and fast-paced. The multimedia aspect of the book, presenting different viewpoints like those of Cole, Mel, and Lennie, as well as elements such as news, podcasts, tweets, and conversations in WhatsApp groups, contributes to the story and the reader's experience.

Set in the post-#metoo era, the book sheds light on the various forms of violence against women in everyday life, from the fear of walking alone at night to the hatred spread on social media, the lack of justice and disbelief in victims who report crimes like rape, and even the way news are reported. As someone who has identified as a feminist for a long time, nothing Araminta Hall exposed in this book was new to me, especially the power dynamics within Cole and Mel's marriage, but I deeply appreciated her execution. She managed to make me feel anger, which anyone with a little empathy and sense of justice should feel. At the same time, it was cathartic to follow Mel and Lennie's revenge plan - I'm tired of "enduring" male violence, and if I can't take justice into my own hands, at least I can experience it through a book.

The author brings to the forefront a crucial theme widely debated across various channels nowadays, from YouTube and Twitter to forums and newspapers, into the format of a novel that delves into the psychological nuances of the characters. This book not only informs but also prompts deep reflections on the realities faced by women, all wrapped in an engaging and well-developed narrative.

In the acknowledgments, Araminta Hall thanks Gillian Flynn's imprint at Zando Publishing for publishing this book. I've been following all the titles published by it so far, as I'm a die-hard fan of Gillian Flynn, and I've loved most of them. She appreciates weird stories (same!) that most likely would have been overlooked by other publishers for their audacity and originality, but she's not afraid to raise controversial questions with the works she chooses to embrace, and I appreciate that.

"Why are female bodies so much more appealing when they’re broken?"

If you're tired, if you enjoy female rage and Paris Paloma, and if you liked the movie Promising Young Woman, I think you're going to love this book.

I have a lot of conflicted feelings about this book - in the beginning it feels like it's overly obvious that the man is a bad character, to the point that it felt like a red herring. I see what the author was doing but at the same time I don't know how I feel about the ending / solution found by the women.

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

Araminta Hall’s “One of the Good Guys” is a raging feminist thriller, and truly one of the most bingeable books I’ve read in ages. It’s about the façades men build, and the masks they wear, even when they purport to be good and kind, and declare “not all men.”

Woven throughout are observations on the endemic inequality of intimate partner relationships and the #MeToo movement, but make no mistake, this is as taut and suspenseful, and as byzantine and surprising, as Gillian Flynn’s “Gone Girl.” It’s a masterclass of engineering, brilliantly structured, alternating between two primary perspectives before its denouement transforms into a series of interviews and social media posts. Even more impressive: it’s white-knuckle thrilling with nary an act of explicit violence.

There will be more Araminta Hall in my future.

Definitely not what I expected. It was intense in parts, but also not moving fast enough. Sometimes it felt like Men bashing, and I felt cringy reading it. That ending didn't really help. I did like the overall message, just not sure if the delivery did it for me. I understand all the feelings shared, as I have felt those over the years myself, and have to keep thinking about them since I'm raising a daughter, but also the man bashing keeps coming back to me. Very much a he said she said kind of book. Not something that I will remember though or have a conversation over years to come.

Thank you to the publisher for my review copy.

This was incredibly heavy handed and repetitive. The first 30% was excellent and drew me in so much, and everything after that felt like a repetition of what we had seen before. I also dislike stories where a male protagonist exists solely to torture the female protagonist—I think it’s lazy and short sighted-and this novel fit the bill. So this wasn’t for me, but the writing was good overall.

I had high hopes for this book, the description was very promising, and even the first half of the book was very intriguing, and seemed to have a different perspective and point of view, granted it was a bit dark from the beginning, but it was still seemingly okay.
It wasn't until the perspective changed to the wife's retelling of the story that I started getting really uncomfortable reading the book, and as it went on, the less interested I got and I just really wanted to get over the book to see how it ended....
I think it has some good points worth mentioning which is raising awareness at mental health, abuse in relationships in different forms, sexism, and protecting women, but I also think it has a lot of negatives, one of the biggest ones is the kink-shaming happening in the book, which rubbed me the wrong way...
it was just overall an uncomfortable book to read, and I don't think I would reread or even recommend to friends unfortunately.

On that note, thanks publishers for providing an ARC for an unbiased review on the book.

Cole is recently divorced and looking for a fresh start and a more simple life away from the busy streets of London. His previous wife just didn’t appreciate him, and after all, he is one of the good guys. He moves to the English Countryside and quickly starts a relationship with a famous artist named Lenora. Even though things are heating up quickly between the two, there’s just something off about Cole, but what is it…

One of the Good Guys is a complex social commentary piece regarding violence against women and the ways society has become accustomed to it. I enjoyed it, but it didn’t quite hook me like some other thrillers do. There’s just a lot going on and many different view points. Some parts I enjoyed and others I didn’t care for and had me rolling my eyes.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

WOW! I’m backlogged with lots of ARC’s but continuously working on playing catch up. I knew this book looked promising since it was published by Gillian Flynn’s company. I would say it was a solid 4.5 star read for me! The characters are all so well constructed and sad to say that I know many people that this story reminded me of (mostly males with God complexes)! I would highly recommend if you like psychological thrillers with unreliable narrators at times!

If most men claim to be good, why are most women still afraid to walk home alone at night?

"One of the Good Guys" by Araminta Hall offers a captivating setting—a remote stretch of coast with a seaside cottage—that immediately drew me in. However, while the book has its strengths, it also has its flaws.

First off, I must mention that the book contains heavy themes of gendered violence and psychological abuse, with graphic scenes that may be triggering for some readers (IVF, SA, gore, etc). While I appreciated the glimpse into an abusive relationship and the focus on mental and psychological abuse, there were elements of the book overall that felt blatantly unbelievable and stretched the bounds of plausibility.

The ending, while creative, felt a bit lackluster and predictable to me; I also feel like it made the book overall lack credibility? I couldn't help but feel that it was heading in that direction from early on in the story. I also feel uneasy about stories about abusive relationships where there is retaliation (think The Last Mrs. Parrish)...gives me the ick. That being said, Hall's use of mixed media in the latter half of the book was a unique and interesting touch, adding depth to the narrative. I particularly enjoyed the idea of Leonora's exhibition as described towards the end of the book—it sounds utterly terrifying in the best possible way.

As a thriller, "One of the Good Guys" falls a little short. While there are moments of tension and intrigue, such as Molly and Phoebe's disappearance, and other plot pieces, they often felt overly constructed and dramatic without delivering the thrill factor I was hoping for. This is a mixed bag of thrills and twists. While it has its moments, it didn't quite live up to my expectations. This was my first book by Araminta Hall, and while I'm not writing her off entirely, I won't be rushing to pick up her next release.

Thanks to the author, NetGalley & Gillian Flynn Publishing for my advanced copy of this book to read. Published on January 9th.

If you've ever heard the common phrase "I'm all for feminism but...." or some iteration thereof, this book is for you. Cole puts on the facade of "one of the good ones", but what truly lurking underneath. The book is a bit slow at first as the author sets the stage, but soon reveals start unfolding and things get downright messy for our main characters. Araminta did a fantastic job creating a stunning duo of main characters, and using them to paint a thought provoking picture of current social issues. I did feel the countless social media and news posts included took me out of the story, and my the time the final reveals rolled around, I'd already figured everything out. Still, overall an enjoyable read about one of many social issues facing society today.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gillian Flynn Books for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all views expressed are my own.

I forgot to leave a review for this, but I really enjoyed it! It's been out for ages, so I won't say much more than I need to for my star rating. <3

One Of The Good Guys by Araminta Hall is the type of book that is hard to pigeon hole as a thriller because it is also a case study on society. It is told in three chapters/sections/parts each evoking a different level of awareness, making me extremely uncomfortable and was executed perfectly.

"One" creates a false sense of security, and was honestly a little boring (but it’s supposed to be)! It is building the privileged word that some members of society have, while others live in fear of. It is vanilla ice cream eaten with a jagged spoon.

"Two" flips the script completely, hitting out of left field with the gritty action ramping up! It sheds a new light, a new frame and perspective on what was said to be true. It's fresh gravel rash on an already healing scab.

"Three" is a rapid-fire game of Pong, with thoughts, opinions and views ricocheting in accelerated succession. It is told in various media formats and depicts the judgemental wars that play out on social media; I'm talking speculations from all - the feminists, the devil's advocates, the armchair sleuths! (Also, this is where the audiobook truly shines!) "Three" is a car hitting black ice, spinning and veering, teetering dangerously close to the brink.

Although this is only the second Gillian Flynn Books, an imprint of Zando Projects, I have read, I am quickly understanding the mirroring between Flynn's own works and the ones she chooses to publish. They are that noir type of book I love and crave, with narratives making the reader question the good, the bad, the wrong and the right.

As a side note, how this book projects itself in both print and audio versions are equally beautiful art forms. Visually, fonts and graphics add to how the story unfolds; audibly the voice acting and acoustic cues all add to the unfolding drama.

Thank you NetGalley, Zando, Dreamscape Select, and Gillian Flynn Books for the complimentary copies to read and review.

I’ve enjoyed this authors previous books however this one was not my favorite. I found the women vs men plot to be over the top, and didn’t enjoy the “women must always be scared of men” dialogue. I will continue to read this author as her previous books were five star reads.

Regardless of where you stand on the June Cleaver "shut up and be a good little woman" and the "I am a radical woman, hear me roar" scale, there is a lot to unpack here and much to think about. This book cleverly brings the arguments for both sides into focus. Discussions need to be had and people need to be heard without being trivialized or shamed. I'm not sure that the methods employed in this story is the way to go, but it certainly put the issue in the forefront. I really thought this was quite a well done story telling.

Cole worries a lot. About everything. But in a good way, sort of. Some might call his worrying overbearing. All he wants is for his wife to get pregnant and have a healthy child, never mind his peculiar sexual needs. But this does not work out and he moves into the country to clear his mind.
Meanwhile an artist moves in to the cottage nearby. Two women are coming thru the area on a walk for women.
This is where things go wrong for everyone.
This is a twisty novel but not especially easy to read. I feel like the author got lost in the last few chapters and sort of just through it together.
It is is an interesting premise though.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley
For allowing me this ARC

Hi there! Are you talking about One of the Good Guys, the new novel by Armita Hall?

If not why aren't you?

This is one of the *best* novels I have read in ages. It completely taps into the whole "but I'm a nice guy" horror story from a woman that is posted on Reddit and Tik Tok every 3 seconds. (And then the comments? A lot of them reinforce exactly what this book is about)

A scorching, searing look at how difficult it can be for women to live in a world that's filled with these "nice guys." I absolutely love this and given that this is the first book coming out of Gillian Flynn's publishing imprint, wow! I can't wait to see what's next!

Love this author and loved this new book! Twisty and unexpected in a great psychological thriller! Highly Recommended!

Overall I enjoyed this novel! The main characters in this novel aren’t “perfect” and all push moral boundaries, making it a bit tough to relate and also led me to question their actions. However, the characters still draw you in! The topic of misogyny is addressed fearlessly and tactfully. Would recommend!