Wow, this is a rather disturbing book that left me questioning exactly what I just read!

ONE OF THE GOOD GUYS starts off fairly innocuously, with the story of Cole, who moves to the countryside after a difficult split from his wife, Melissa. Their marriage crumbled as they struggled through IVF and Melissa's focus on her work. Cole seeks the peace and quiet of his small cabin in the country, where he meets Leonora, an artist living nearby. The two forge a friendship based in shared solitude. Things become more dramatic when two young women, who are raising awareness of violence against females, come through the area and then disappear.

Cole's story begins quietly as he tells his side but then abruptly changes format, giving us snippets of various media formats covering the disappearance of the two female activists, Molly and Phoebe, along with more narrative. I found the change rather unexpected and jarring. GUYS focuses on the idea of what makes a good guy--and how society treats women. At times it's a brutal read, capturing the thoughts and ideas from all sides on how women deserve to be treated. Sometimes it's violently dark, emotional, and disturbing. As it also includes flashbacks to Cole and Mel's (failed) IVF treatments, there are lots of triggers. I appreciated the insights the author tried to share on women, consent, and male privilege. But at times, they felt overwhelming to the actual mystery. As a thriller, GUYS fell a little short, with Molly and Phoebe's disappearance and the other plot pieces seeming to be overly constructed and dramatic, but not all that thrilling (I also figured out a lot early on).

There was a lot happening here, but it didn't come together too smoothly for me.

Cole is starting over after his marriage ended. Leonora has also moved recently and is living close to Cole. The story is told from many different points of view and we get to really know the characters. When two women passing through go missing, it really makes everyone question how well they know people. Some very deep issues are discussed and it was easy to get drawn into the story.

This is an entertaining read, with thriller elements twinned with social commentary on how society is so accustomed to violence against women.

When are you safe, as a woman? When you've isolated yourself away from society in the countryside? In the comfort of your own home? When your every step is broadcast on social media, providing loads of witnesses? Perhaps the answer is never. The women in Hall's One of the Good Guys confront these questions and the role fear plays in all their lives in a novel that will certainly start a conversation. Thanks to Zando, Gillian Flynn Books, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The question this book asks, why most women have fear when most men claim to be good, is an incredibly important one and one I have often discussed with friends. If we all know women who have experienced sexual assault and violence, or have even experienced it ourselves, then how come we don't really know the men who do this? Not many men go around saying yes, I have intimidated women, yes I have abused women, which kind of makes sense. But it creates a pervasive sense of fear which clouds the lives of many women. Even if it is not an hourly or daily thing, I think the lives of many women, myself included, are often coloured by a knowledge we may be in danger. This is a debate which needs to be had and one in which men need to, first and foremost, take a listening role, before being the ones to jump into action. So often I have sat in a pub, train, or bus and heard a group of boys or men say absolutely disgusting things about women, with the full knowledge it would not be safe or pleasant for me to interrupt and stop them. Men should be doing this themselves. I know plenty of men who are uncomfortable with misogynistic talk and action, who would not want to engage in that behaviour themselves, but the group pressure means they do engage with it or, at the very least, do nothing to stop their male friends from behaving that way. That needs to change to create a safer environment, not just for women, but also for men themselves. This issue of fear and intimidation needs to be widely discussed, but I also think it needs to be handled with a certain amount of nuance to make sure as many people, men, women and everyone else, can be included in the conversation. While One of the Good Guys brings up many interesting points, it does lack a bit of nuance in this area, which means it runs the danger of turning some people away from an important conversation.

At the start of One of the Good Guys, Cole has left his life in London behind after everything exploded alongside his marriage. Mel, his (still) wife, hounds him about signing the papers while he tries to reconnect with himself in the isolation of the countryside. There he meets Leonora, seemingly also on the run from the stress and fakeness of busy city life. But tragedy strikes in the silent countryside when two young women, on a journey to raise awareness about violence against women, go missing and pretty quickly it becomes clear that nothing is as it seems. The novel is split into three parts. The first is from Cole's perspective and gives us a glance inside his mind as he finds his footing in the country and meets Leonora. The second is from the perspective of Mel and depicts their marriage and its downfall through her eyes. The third part is technically Leonora's, except that it is largely told through other media as well, such as podcast transcripts, social media posts, press releases, and the booklet accompanying her art show. This structure does work quite well as it gives you different point of views on the central issue of fear and violence.

The main issue, however, is that these parts do not feel well-balanced in my eyes. The central part, depicting Mel's experiences, was the most gripping for me as it really seemed Hall had found a sharp but careful nuance in depicting how Mel looses herself in the marriage and all that comes with it. Parts of it were heart-rending. The first part, focusing on Cole, was an interesting start but I think every reader will immediately pick up on the fact this man is off. While that may be the point, there is a certain lack of self-awareness in the character of Cole that means I found it hard to take his perspective seriously. (Compare to Lie With Me by Sabine Durrant, where the main male character is an ass, but kinda knows it, and is therefore conflicted to a certain extent.) The third part is also not exactly subtle or nuanced. And this is where my own conflictedness comes in. I recognise a lot of the elements Hall plays with, the fear that can grab you as you walk past a dark alley, the sudden awareness of your own physicality when men act a certain way, the struggle of finding out what you want separate from what you're told to want. All of these elements are at play in One of the Good Guys, but there is not really any space for you to sit with it, if that makes sense. The end of the book is very crowded with opinions, statements, etc. and while this is incredibly effective in showing the noise and divisiveness of discourse today, it also doesn't help you as the reader. The ending of the novel, however, in which Leonora's art show is depicted, is incredibly effective because it allows for nuance, personal experience, and meditation on the themes. I would have loved more of that. Now, One of the Good Guys runs the risk of drowning its own messages in the noise. And again, I feel kind of bad about that because the criticism seems to so closely align with what the book is arguing against.

As a thriller, One of the Good Guys is very effective, providing the reader with characters who are all darker shades of grey and plenty of twists and turns. As a book about important social issues, however, it loses potency at various points throughout the story. Araminta Hall is undoubtedly a good thriller writer and I would love to read more by her. I also think Hall undoubtedly believes strongly in the cause she is describing in the novel. Whether this format is the best way to raise awareness, I don't know. And yet, I have just spent a few hundred words talking about it and One of the Good Guys has raised important questions. So, to an extent, it does work as a conversation started.

I appreciated a lot of the things One of the Good Guys was trying to do. While some elements are very successful, others felt a little too unnuanced considering the potency and importance of the debate the novel is trying to have.

2.5 stars
I was hoping I’d enjoy this more because it starts off so strong but pretty quickly the author starts hitting you over the head with what could’ve been great social commentary, but just ends up being obvious and heavyhanded. the addition of mixed media in the third act (mostly twitter threads and reddit comments) was fun in theory, but again in execution it was eyeroll inducing (without trying to spoil, it’s basically exploring two sides of an issue where one is very obviously the ‘correct’ one)

Many thanks to NetGalley, Gillian Flynn Books, and Dreamscape Select for gifting me a digital and audio ARC of this wonderful book and even better audiobook by Araminta Hall and perfectly narrated by Elliot Fitzpatrick;, Olivia Vinall, and Helen Keeley - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Cole leaves London and his failed marriage behind, and finds quiet refuge in a remote coastal town. His neighbor, Lennie, an artist, has rented the cottage next door for much of the same reasons. The two meet and form a friendship. But they soon find themselves in the middle of an investigation when two young women activists against male violence disappear from the area.

This is such a thought-provoking read on many levels - women's rights, misogyny, social media, I can go on and on. Told from the POV of Cole, his estranged wife, Mel, and Lennie, we also get mixed social media posts interjected, which are so relevant to the themes. This is also a difficult book to review without giving anything away - and the subtle twists and turns are part of the reading experience so no spoilers from me. I will say that the audiobook was just fantastic - at first I did a double take when there were sounds of keyboard typing, emails sent, etc., but the narration and effects really made this book come alive. This would be a great book club selection as there is much to dissect.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of One of the Good Guys.

VERY LIGHT SPOILERS

Oh my gosh, this book is at the least, incredibly interesting, and would no doubt bring a robust discussion to your bookclub.

Cole has started a new a solitude life by the coast. Heartbroken at the end of his marriage as well as his dream to become a father, he chooses to find respite as a ranger in this quiet town. But it doesn't take long before he meets Leonora, an artist who is also looking for quiet, but grateful for Cole's friendship.

But when two young women go missing, Cole finds himself in the middle of an investigation. He would never hurt these girls, but he has had an encounter with them, and it might not be good for him if it came out. But he really has no idea what waits for him on the other side of the investigation.

I can't say that I 100% agree with everything that went down in this book, some of it came off as a bit heavy handed and even wreck less. However, I definitely got the message that was being sent about how easy you could cloak abuse, selfishness, even narcissism under the cloak of "just trying to be a good guy." I thought that this was clever, fresh, and at the very least, entertaining as hell.

As soon as finishing: I have no idea how to feel. I'm going to need to sit with this one.

A few days later: Ok I settled on 3 stars. I'm still not sure how I feel. There are two sides in this book and you basically have to pick a side. Or be like me and don't. lol. Because there's a lot of information and a lot of WTF is happening?! in this book and I need to be as cryptic as I am being because you need to go in blind. The first 30-40% were pretty slow and boring. Cole seems like a good guy. Mel seems like a bitch. Lennie seems like a nice woman. Then we get the other side of the story and that's when everything gets ramped up. To an EXTREME. I don't think what was done was the right way. I also don't think the other side was right either. This is a men vs women novel and it felt kind of icky. Look, I have no experience with sexual harassment. I grew up and have lived in small towns my whole life. I've never been put in situations to be catcalled or harassed or assaulted. I've lived in a pretty small, safe bubble. So someone who HAS experienced any of this unwanted attention may have a completely different view of this book.

This was really good - I hadn't read anything by this author before but the description and concept had me intrigued.

The book started really well and it held up throughout. I loved all the different parts to the book and the changes in narrative.

It's a complex book and quite relevant to society today.

Really enjoyable, well paced book with interesting characters and a lovely writing style. I will read more by this author.

This was an interesting read and my first Araminta Hall. I enjoyed it and thought that hearing the perspective of various characters added to the story development and rounded it out. I started out feeling a bit strange about the characters and having no idea where the plot was going to go but the narration eventually made it quite clear. There were some thought-provoking opinions on the topics of feminism and gender roles. I was a bit disappointed in how it ended, as I perhaps was expecting something different when I read the synopsis. It's difficult to write a review for this one without giving any spoilers, so I will stop there :) If you're looking for a quick, enjoyable read, I would recommend this book.

I would not consider this book a mystery. Instead, the book has many strong discussions and makes you reflect on how women are treated in the modern world. At the end I found some of the feminism to be a bit preachy and the man bashing / gaslighting was overdone. This book was a quick read and I found the plot to be just ok.

The slow build of something not being right kept me intrigued in the beginning. There were so many moving parts in this book. The POV suddenly switched and the missing girls were only mentioned briefly. Therefore, I was not really invested. The last 30% of the book was choppy with alternating POV and the use of social media.

Thank you NetGalley and Zando Projects for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

One of the Good Guys was not exactly what I was expecting, but I really enjoyed reading it. I went into this expecting a murder mystery, but this book was more of a thriller with lots of commentary on society and rape culture. It's definitely one I will think about for awhile now, and while I think this book will not be for everyone, I do think it would be a great book for a book club as there are many things to unpick. Lots of important issues discussed here.

The story is told from three point of views, starting with Cole and ending with Lennie. We spend a bit of time with Mel in the middle of the story and I really liked that the author framed the story this way. Once Cole's POV wrapped up I was really thrown and while I suspected Lennie was involved in some way, I did not see things unfolding the way they did. I enjoyed the first half of the book more than the first and I think that's because the author did such a great job of writing Cole's character. He was infuriating! And so gross - the author really made my skin crawl with her depiction of him.

As the story unfolded in the second half I did really like the way the story unfolded through various media forms. It helped keep me engaged and I think it really added to the story. It was clever and yet it added to the authenticity as well.

Thank you to Zando, Gillian Flynn Books & NetGalley for a review copy.

Wow, what a mind-blowing novel. I went into One Of The Good Guys with the expectation of a dark, fast-paced psychological thriller. What I got was a thought-provoking exploration of gender violence and society's response to it. Not quite what I was suspecting. Not only did it take a different route, but it surpassed what I believed it could have been. This novel plays out like a current event story, even including snippets of social media commentary to move the story along. Well written and fantastic characters, you may be surprised by how you feel about each one by the end of the book. I enjoyed Aramanita Hall's prior novel, Our Kind Of Cruelty, but I loved One Of The Good Guys. Do I think everyone will love it like I did? Probably not. I can see there will be mixed opinions about it. Which I think would make for a great book club choice? There is a lot to break down and discuss with this one.

I received a complementary digital copy from the publisher through netgalley for my honest review and opinion.

Cole is newly separated from his wife and is living in a ranger house away from London in the country. To hear Cole, he is such a good guy and his wife and any other woman in his life were just awful to him because he was so caring. He meets Lennie, who lives in a little cottage nearby and finds her to be everything his wife wasn't for him. Things take a different turn when two young women who are walking the countryside to bring attention to domestic and sexual abuse and misogyny, disappear after having an argument with Cole the night before. Cole creeped me out. He just thought he was so good, you knew he was not telling the whole truth when he opened his mouth. His needs for having sex a certain way were so weird too.

The story really is a look at how we treat women, tending to not believe what a woman says over a man. Women having to be a certain way while men can do what they like. Though I might not agree on how the women went about confronting Cole, I get what they meant to do. The angry emails an social media posts were so bad and I have seen many like that online when it comes to men talking about women, and even women talking about women. It should anger you.

It is a vey thought-provoking read. I recommend it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Gillian Flynn Books for an advance copy for review.

One of the Good Guys was not at all what I expected, and I mean that in the absolute best way. I think this is a book you'll appreciate more if you go into it completely blind, so I'm not going to summarize the plot and I'd encourage you to be wary of reviews that go into too much plot detail. This book is full of unexpected, scathing surprises.

In her third novel, Araminta Hall combines a propulsive narrative with brilliant social commentary about gender, power imbalances, and the all-too-often skewed perspectives offered by the media, and of course by internet trolls around the world. With a multiple-perspective structure and snippets of mixed media like news articles, opinion pieces, and social media threads, One of the Good Guys feels fresh and modern and important, when I honestly expected it to be just another domestic thriller. It's so impressive.

The characters are interesting, psychologically complex, morally gray, and flawed, and from the very first page there's a sense of wrongness pervading the narrative, a feeling that all is not as it appears. That is definitely the case, and the plot unfolds with tension, shifting alliances, and perfectly-timed reveals.

Hall's focus is zeroed in on how women can be viewed in the modern world -- even now, long after equal rights and shattered glass ceilings and #MeToo, in a society that's supposed to be progressive and equal. Women are too fake or too bitchy, too ungrateful or too needy. They're victims, or they're making something out of nothing. All women want to be mothers, of if they don't, there's something seriously wrong with them. Hall's observations are brave and bold and unflinching.

One of the Good Guys won't be for everyone due to the heavy-handedness of the social commentary, but the way Hall melded it with a compelling, deeply psychological and suspenseful narrative had me turning the pages as quickly as I could. Thank you to Zando Projects/Gillian Flynn Books and NetGalley for the early reading opportunity.

Wowza! I thought I knew where this was going but nope! Mel and Leonora were both such interesting and complex characters. The dual POVs were so well done in this as you get to hear both sides of the story. This definitely will make you rethink how society treats women vs. men and it did reestablish that we have so far still to go. I think this would be a great book club selection - so many topical discussions could be had!

I wasn’t sure what I was getting into with this one. It’s a little bit mystery, a little bit psychological thriller, and a whole lot of feminism. We start off with Cole. He has moved to a cottage on the coast to start a new life after his marriage to Mel comes to an end. He portrays himself as a feminist, as very aware of the struggles women face, and is very against misogyny. We hear his side of the story, how his marriage fell apart. Then we get a second POV, Mel. We get her side of the story. It’s a bit startling to see through Cole’s eyes and then to see the same set of circumstances through Mel’s eyes.

Meanwhile, Cole has met Leonora in this little village. They forge a connection. Then, two female activists raising awareness about gendered violence disappear while passing through town.

This book really had me thinking. I would nod my head at so many points, but then have to stop and think about others. It’s so hard when we grow up being taught one way to really open up and actively hear another way. It was enthralling, and frustrating.

The third POV is Leonora, telling her story. There are also different mixed media formats, that really added all those outside, differing opinions to the story.

This would be such a great selection for a book club. There’s so much to discuss, and so much self searching to be done. I’ll be thinking about this one for quite a while.

Thank you to the author, Gillian Flynn Books and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This chronicle of a relationship gone off the rails is told in various POVs, evoking a "he said, she said" vibe plus input from a few other interfering characters. It takes a while to get there though, as at least the first 30% is told only from the MMC's POV - the presumptive "good guy" who absolutely gave me the creeps within the first 3 pages. Thus, well-drawn character, but hard to read. Once the two FMC's POV entered the fray, it got more interesting on the one hand, but I found the vaunted twists and turns fairly foreseeable. Overall, it was a book that left me thinking many thoughts about the complexity of gender relationships.

After his wife leaves him, Cole takes a job in a remote area. He decides to prove that he is "one of the good guys" by catching and growing his own food. He would like to have children and does not want to give up on IVF with his estranged wife, even though she is done with it. Cole finds his new life to be a bit isolating and befriends an artist who lives in the area. When two women who are camping nearby to shed light on violence against women go missing, will Cole become a suspect? But he sees himself as "good" and couldn't possibly be involved.

This book is being promoted as a mystery/thriller. It does have some mystery elements, but please do not go into this book (as I did) thinking that its action packed. If my expectations had not been so high and if I had understood that it's more of a slow burn, topic book, I think I would have enjoyed it more. There is a lot of talk about violence against women and how both women and men see themselves.

This book is well-written and well-plotted. I liked the changes in perspective along the way and the slow reveling of the characters' backstories. If you like Mouth to Mouth or Lisa Jewell books, this might be for you.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

I was very intrigued by the title and the description of the book.

This is an intriguing take on gender dynamics in the age of #MeToo and #NotAllMen. This book is also a meta-analysis as it asks so many important questions about men, what is expected of them and what the definition of a good guy is.

This was my first book by Araminta Hall and I loved it. Not only were the women relatable but I felt like I was living through some of the incidents in the book. Fear was a big theme in the book and I felt like she captured the emotion very well, both with the atmosphere and the description.

The book also does a great job of highlighting how different one simple event and life as a whole can be for both genders and I highly recommend it to everyone.

Thanks a lot to Netgalley and Zando for the e-copy. I will definitely be checking more of the author's books.

4.5/5