"I guess women aren’t meant to be strategic or cunning. Which seems unfair considering that gangsters and cowboys and superheroes are not only allowed vendettas but applauded for them. Men are allowed to act, but women, it seems, should only react."


We meet Cole, early forties, going through a bitter separation, who has just moved to a remote part of rhe UK to start a new job and a new life. He feels hard done by, he has only done this best in life, has desperately tried to make his marriage work. He's always been one of the good guys...


This is a firecracker of a book. You will start reading it and believe that what you are reading is simply an engaging thriller but there is so much more to it than that. This is actually a political statement wrapped up in a thriller.

Hall really nails what it's like to be a woman in 2023 and the dichotomy between the treatment of males and females. This book will infuriate you. I had to put my Kindle down so many times in order to process what I had just read. The insights in this book are razor sharp, so many great quotes. I want this to blow-up when it's released, it deserves the praise as its so much more than a run of the mill thriller. Its a dissection on feminism and how even when women are right, they're also very wrong in the eyes of society.

It's also written in a very engaging way and switches between first person narration and news articles, reddit posts, etc...It's hard to review this book without giving too much away. I still have so many questions. Some of the plot did feel like it was reaching but it doesn't take away from how well constructed this book is.

One of my standout reads of the year.

<i>„Men like Cole believe they’re right because society has told them that they are their whole lives. And, as a result, they find it hard when things are denied them.“ <i>

This brilliant novel is a political statement and the horror in it is real. People out there live it everyday single day. I read it with a knot in my stomach and couldn’t put it down. The mixed media format makes this a very fast and hard punching read.

<i>„Of course. The bar is so low for men. All they have to do is a bit of bloody washing up, or ask how you’re feeling, and everyone thinks they’re the second fucking coming.“ <i>

In this book, there’s comments from people on the Internet writing twisted and sick responses to tweets and posts. I’m sad to say that it’s nothing I haven’t read in real life before.
The harassment, sexism and misogyny in here is not superfluous or redundant in any way because this literally happens to females around the world every single day.

<i>„And the sick things is we are grateful. We do let them get away with things.“ <i>

I personally don’t think that this is a one sided approach or pointing fingers. This is NOT giving the benefit of the doubt to people who plainly DO NOT deserve it. In fact, there’s plenty of self doubt from the victims/survivors in this story, which is hard to read tbh.

4.5 stars — read this!

It took me a little while to get into this book, as I was unsure where the plot was going. I naively thought it would be a tame domestic thriller centred around the remote village.
However, the pace quickly picked up and the twists kept coming.
This is a really good thriller, that is well written with some tough topics.
I really enjoyed this book, and can’t wait to read more from her in future.

What did I just read? I kind of hated it but I also read it in two days, so...

Disjointed and verging on pedantic, this study of modern gender issues misses the mark--not that it doesn't contribute some interesting commentary but it's just poorly written. I was hoping for better since I adore Zando.

Cole moves to the sleepy seaside to get a second chance at life after being left by his wife Mel. He’s dumbfounded at what has happened- he’s nurturing, open about his emotions, loyal, happy to do all the home making and even wants to be a stay at home dad. So why would Mel leave him?

Soon after arriving he meets Leonora. She’s the antithesis of Mel: gentle, thoughtful, works a relaxed job as an artist, and has strong mothering tendencies as she has a daughter in the 20’s. The two start spending time together and a romantic relationship begins. Is this Cole’s new beginning, the wife and life he’s dreamed of?

But the upward trajectory of Cole’s new life doesn’t last long, as two feminist activists go missing while visiting his town. The crux is that only hours before they filmed Cole getting into a fight with them over abiding to local safety laws. And he doesn’t have an alibi for the night they went missing. But he’s a good guy, so he’ll be fine right? He definitely would do anything to them, right?

———

I really enjoy the feminist messages this book is trying to highlight. That men aren’t held accountable for their actions unless they are easily defined as vile. That the definition of a “good guy” is just one who is a decent human being and wow what a rare thing to cherish. That women taking control are cold and calculating but men can do so, often maliciously, and aren’t ever questioned. I think these are important questions to raise and highlight for all women (particularly younger,) and tbh men, if they are open and accepting. However, this large theme overtakes the last half of the book so much that I would no longer classify it as a thriller. Suspense, yes. Definitely women’s fiction.

Additionally, The way the last half of the book is told is unconventional. You are given two additional POVs, flashbacks, and story told through the media (news reports, press releases, tweets, Reddit threats etc.) It’s an interesting concept that largely adds to the feminist theme by incorporating outside perspectives but this is largely what killed the thriller vibe.

Overall 3.5 rounded up ⭐️. It was certainly unputdownable, and I enjoyed reading it, but it was a bit unsatisfying as I felt it lacked thriller elements.

Thank you NetGalley, Zando, Gillian Flynn Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was an unputdownable read. I mistakenly thought I knew the direction Hall was taking the plot and was surprised, and a bit disappointed. While I appreciate the feminist themes and narrative overall, I would have enjoyed if hall had taken a more expected approach to the ending of the book.

Thank you, NetGalley and Zando for the copy of One Of The Good Guys. When I started the book I wasn't sure what it was about (reading on a Kindle you can’t read the synopsis). It turned out to not at all what I expected after reading the first part, which was from Cole’s POV. While I agreed with the premise of how unfair and how dangerous it is to be a woman in this society, the way it was expressed was really heavy-handed. I don’t think this book will win any new converts to a feminist point of view, but might really turn people off. There’s a way to make a point without using a sledgehammer! I liked how the last part of the book showed the different opinions on social media, but it went on too long. I liked the writing style, the story was well-meaning, and the characters were interesting. I wish there had been more subtlety and balance.

“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?”

We begin with the male MC’s POV, Cole, who comes off as a whiny, stick in the mud, stick up the ass man-baby, always crying and just plain pitiful.

Recently separated from his wife, Mel, and also newly relocated, Cole is now living in the countryside near the coast. While currently single, with the front of starting fresh, it seems as though he’s mourning the end of his relationship while being passive aggressive in the same regard, with some sort of victim mentality to boot. Yea, he was like the biggest tool in the shed.
The more I read his POV, the more I realized that something was seriously wrong with this dude. And then things start to get really strange.

Then we switch Mel’s POV, his ex, who basically goes through the timeline of their relationship, start to finish. The difference in Cole, from his POV to Mel’s, well… it’s quite stark. His sexual, solitary preference is on the dark side. I found him repugnant.

We change up again to Lennie’s POV; someone who comes into the picture in such an odd, stretchy kind of way that’s meant to seem organic, but was schematic, conniving and quite far-fetched.

There just so many moving parts in this book. Lots of man v/s woman, man-bashing, scheming/plotting, deceit, gas lighting and this whole thing about how women are basically never safe alone anywhere, ever, but specifically walking to and from places by themselves….that point was driven home over and over and over and over again, so much so, it became redundant. The “twist’ towards the end….well that just made these women look unhinged. And while I understand women’s safety is paramount, I just….Idk, to me this felt way over the top.

However, I did appreciate the exhibit “walk-through” at closing. Reading that felt very real and vivid and daunting.

Thanks to NetGalley and Zando Projects for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 1.9.2024.

This is the first book I've read by Araminta Hall, but while living in hope for a new book by Gillian Flynn, reading the books chosen for Gillian Flynn Books is fascinating.

Cole is 'one of the good guys' newly separated and trying to make a new start, with a new job and house is a rural South Coast location.

Mel is the ex-wife, removed from Cole's life following failed IVF treatment and a bitter split.

Leonora is Cole's only near neighbour, could friendship or romance blossom on the windswept cliff tops?

The story is mainly told from their three perspectives. An ex-wife, an ex-husband and a potential new woman, it might sound a fairly typical setup, but trust me, you won't see where this is going.

Dark, twisted and highly unpredictable. The character writing is exquisite an I was hooked. The plot goes off if very unexpected directions.

There's a fair bit of social media commentary, newspaper reports, media reportage on the unfolding events, and honestly, I far preferred the traditional character writing.

Overall it's an unusual character driven thriller / literary fiction with a strong sociopolitical consciousness.

I loved the character writing and the setup, didn't enjoy the social media / media reportage and would have liked more focus on thriller / twist elements.

So a mixed bag overall, but an interesting and rather powerful read overall.

Thanks to Netgalley and Zando, Gillian Flynn Books

Really good and entertaining. Very important topic as well. I'd highly recommend this to thriller readers and those who seek riveting psychological novels.

One of the Good Guys takes #metoo one step further and ponders the consequences of direct action advocacy. This is a slow burn psychological thriller - you know the first narrator Cole, a recent arrival to the wild English coast, may be mischaracterizing his history with women but to what extent? And where does Leonora fit in, a woman who took herself out of a horrid upbringing to make art and now living in the old coast guard house? And what is their connection to the two young women walking along the coast in a social media campaign to raise awareness of violence perpetuated against women by men? Hall dramatically ties up all these strands in ways you definitely don't expect and will leave you pondering for days. Perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn's dark thriller writing, which makes sense since this book is being published on her imprint Gillian Flynn Books. Trigger warnings - sexual assault and infertility. Thank you to NetGalley and Zando Projects for this ARC.

Warning, wall of text incoming....

I asked for this ARC after seeing Gillian Flynn post a cover reveal on FB. I love Flynn's books and thought that if this was part of her imprint and she called it a twisty and propulsive psychological thriller, it would probably be right up my alley.

After the end of his marriage, Cole moves to the countryside for a change of pace, where he meets artist Leonora. They hit it off, but they are both hiding something, and Cole is still fighting with his ex wife, Mel. In the middle of all this, two young women doing a "Walk4Women" hike to raise funds for a domestic abuse organisation pass through the area and disappear. Cole was one of the last people to see them.

There were definitely parts of this book that were compulsively readable - for me that was mainly Mel's perspective (roughly the second third of the book), though overall I found it a frustrating reading experience.

The first 30+ percent of the book is seen from Cole's POV, and he just never really became believable to me as a character. Certainly I get that a person's own view of themselves is subjective, can be overly flattering, even completely out of keeping with how other people view them. But what I just didn't buy about Cole was his awareness and knowledge of women's issues. Men may acknowledge and have some understanding of these things - like how unsafe women feel walking alone at night - but absolutely not to the degree we see from Cole. I'd buy it if it was dialogue and he was trying to show women that he was understanding and sympathetic to their cause, but not as internal monologue. Men just do not think this way. Admittedly I cannot categorically state this, but it's been my experience with 40+ years on this earth.

Before I get into what I found frustrating about this book, I would like to say that I consider myself a feminist. I recognise and agree with most of the issues brought up in the story. However, I find it overwhelmingly lacking in nuance.

There may be mild spoilers ahead, but I'm not going into details of the plot.

A big part of the problem with the discussion surrounding any sociopolitical topic today - such as women's rights - is the lack of nuance, and the polarisation. If a woman raises concerns about trans people using women's public toilets, then they're a TERF and should be shunned and vilified (for clarity, this is not an opinion I hold myself - but it was the first example that came to mind as I recently had a discussion on the topic with an older female friend). While it is true that it is nobody's obligation to educate ignorant strangers on trans rights, bigotry, prejudice, etc., and it's nobody's obligation to take abuse of any kind just because someone is ignorant or even malicious, actually meeting people where they are and having an open discussion is the only way we're going to make progress. If anyone who expresses homophobic statements is immediately cancelled, the chance that they might learn and change their minds is close to nil. I admit the chance is not always good either way, but if we never try the success rate will always be zero.

The message of this book seems to lean into the "men = bad" mentality, and the idea that in our society women who speak up are vilified and men who "are trying" are hero worshipped. I'm not saying there is no truth to this, but it's certainly not that black and white, and leaning into that narrative I feel can only serve to reduce the discussion to the lowest common denominators. There was nobody in this book that had a healthy relationship with man (even in the case of Mel's friends who were only briefly mentioned, the man of the couple seemed a bit of an asshole), which feels a little ridiculous. I know there are bad men that do horrible things, and this is a real problem. I too am afraid to walk alone in the dark, get jumpy if I'm home alone at night or suspicious if a man approaches me when there's nobody else around. We as a society do need to find a way to deal with this and try to find true equality and mutual respect. But in my experience this doesn't apply to the majority of men, and the book therefore feels unbalanced.

I do think a good point is made here and there, like how women are not allowed to be people but have to be good/pure or evil. And it does bring up how society is polarised by social media statements because you have to be brief and you have to go to extremes or exaggerate to be heard, but I feel the book suffers from the same problem even though it has hundreds of pages in which to make its point.

The last 30-35% of the book is choppy, as we jump between various perspectives and social media platforms. This gives the feeling of following a real case and the comments and articles are mostly believable. (Except the author doesn't seem to know how Reddit works. You can't have apostrophes in usernames and subreddit names, and the sub is r/amitheasshole not r/aita - the author uses the correct sub the first time and the incorrect one the second. Another reviewer mentions that you cannot use ampersands in hashtags, which I will take their word for, but in that case it could also be considered user error as the word "and" is used by other accounts.) However, this is not really what I'm looking for in a work of fiction - at least not one that doesn't consistently seek to emulate the true crime formula.

I loved the idea of Leonora's exhibition as described towards the end of the book. It sounds utterly terrifying, in a good way. And there were certainly good points and good bits - it was easy and quick to read, it just ultimately wasn't satisfying as a work of fiction.

That being said, it certainly engaged me - I had a lot to say on the topic - so for that: 3+.

This book has a lot of different interesting aspects to it, but it's just too political and too "over the top" for me. Overly dramatic. Personally as a female, I haven't felt fear 24/7, there's a lot of exaggeration.

The first 1/3 of the book is entirely from Cole's perspective. As a character, Cole seems way too knowledgeable about female safety and double standards, which doesn't seem that realistic to me. By around the 30% mark I was feeling like the story was dragging a bit and was hoping it would pick up (it did!).

The 2nd 1/3 is his wife Mel's perspective, and the last 1/3 is a mix between Lennie and various social media sites. The most interesting was the first two thirds, because it was really well written how Cole and Mel went through the same events, but felt completely differently and had completely different reactions.

This is one of the books where reader's will probably hate every character and that is the intention. It will make you ask some difficult questions you might not want to know the answers to but thought provoking nonetheless. Perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn.

I saw @thegillianflynn post about this book One of the Good Guys by Araminta Hall yesterday on Instagram and I immediately requested an #arc through #netgalley. I was so excited when I was selected today! I absolutely devoured the book. It's a thriller based on the English coast (aren't all good thrillers based there??) I loved the build up, and the fact it was based on Cole being "a good guy." The narrative of male violence on women was very thought provoking and enraging. Definitely recommend if your reading mood is down with the patriarchy.

I loved Araminta Hall’s novel Our Kind of Cruelty, so I was really stoked about the opportunity to read One of the Good Guys.

What. A. Book! I thought I knew where this story was going—turns out I had NO IDEA, and was in for QUITE a ride!

This novel wasn’t what I was expecting—but in a good way. This twisty-turny story is as thought-provoking as it is entertaining. It’s an excellent feminist novel that will leave you with a lot to think about once you finish the story.

It’s fitting that One of the Good Guys is being published under Gillian Flynn’s imprint—this novel definitely has Gone Girl vibes!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review

One of the Good Guys
Araminta Hall

Having been a fan of Ms Hall since 2020 and having had the privilege of interviewing her for my website, reading this book was a no-brainer. It could not get in my hot little hands quick enough.

One of the Good Guys is something special, one of the best I’ve read in Ms Halls literary catalogue. We meet Cole, who leaves his failed marriage to reboot life, have a fresh start in the country. He finds himself a seaside cottage and a job that’s as far away from the bustle of the city as he can get. Cole encounters Leonora, a reclusive artist and finds what he believes to be a kindred spirit, someone he can relate to. Two female gender violence activists that disappear in the area bring Cole and Leonora together in a frenzy that neither saw coming. A police investigation and media firestorm ensues, Cole and Leonora realising how little they may know of each other. What happened to the activists? Who is Leonora? Where does Coles estranged wife fit in?

I loved this book. This was a 36-hour read. So, so good. The characters were beautifully written, well rounded and with substance. They were relatable which added to the ease of the read. The plot was unpredictable, not what I saw coming at all.

I can sum this book up in three words. Here and now. We dive into violence, feminism, how women feel unheard in certain situations, how assumptions are made, social media, general media, the impacts of both of these, and much more.

This book made me look inwards at myself; examine how I’d react in this plot. When a book does that, it’s a winner. Ms Hall has taken this book with her plot and characters, asked a multitude of questions, demonstrated the impact of media and social media and gifted us a great read.

After reading this author’s book Our Kind of Cruelty, I was happy to receive an advance copy of One of the Good Guys. Most men think they are good guys, but as the blurb from the publisher asks, “Then why are women still afraid to walk home alone at night?” Good question.

Cole is separated from his wife and has moved to a seaside town in England. Leonora has a tragic past and is living in a remote cottage there as well. Shortly after they meet and become friends two women traveling alone on an activist campaign go missing. Not only do Cole and Leonora not really know each other, but the reader doesn’t know who to believe. I love novels where I have to figure out who isn’t telling the truth or has a a skewed version of the facts. Araminta Hall does this well. I liked getting the different point of views from Cole, Leonora and Mel. It was interesting and aggravating to read the social media responses as it’s sadly typical of what is said in real life in response to these circumstances. This is a very good psychological thriller about the power imbalances between men and women. One of the Good Guys was published by Gillian Flynn Books. Thank you to @netgalley @zandroprojects @aramintahall for an early digital copy.

What does it mean to be "One of the good guys?

In this scorching contemporary thriller we meet Cole, a forlorn but earnest man doing his best to recover from a heartbreaking split.. He has rented a small cottage in a tiny little town to get away from London. When he meets Lennie, he is almost starved for a bit of attention and happy to make a friend. As the two get to know each other, Cole's ex contacts him and there seems to be more to Cole than meets the eye. With two young activists in the background raising awareness regarding the safety of women things begin to heat up. In true Araminta Hall fashion we come across twist upon twist leading us to the original question - What does it Mean to be one of the Good Guys?

Very unique story, the beginning was slow but the middle and end were well worth the wait! #Zando #GillianFlynnBooks #Oneofthegoodguys #aramintahall

I love how Araminta Hall hates “the good guys” even more than I do. Another takedown of love and marriage, up there with her earlier best.