☂️ Good Bad Girl - Alice Feeney

4.5 ⭐️ - Alice hi, it’s me. My brain is mush. WHAT just happened?? You have done it again. I’m a big Alice Feeney fan. I have read a bunch and have a few to catch up on this fall but overall, I have enjoyed all of this. This newbie is no different. Twists, turns, surprises. I thought I knew, but I played right into Feeney’s mind games!

Twenty years after a baby is stole from a stroller in the grocery store, a murder is committed at a nursing care home. Unfortunately, the two crimes are linked. Edith may have been tricked into the nursing home but at 80 years old, she is planning her escape. Patience works at the facility and has formed a deep bond with Edith…even if she lies to her. Clio, Edith’s daughter, won’t speak to her mother and is about to get a visit from an ill intentioned guest. With no reason to trust each other, these women must solve a mystery and if they can somehow work together, they might just find out what happened to the missing baby, the mother that lost her, and the connections they have to each other.

Alright, so I learned something about myself in listening to this audio. I have to physically read Feeney’s books. I’m not sure if the plot was confusing on purpose, I wasn’t paying enough attention, or what but I continuously had to pause this audio and talk out loud to myself to keep the facts straight and I STILL didn’t have the write answers. Is it a me thing or is Alice Feeney just that good? I think it’s Alice. I love her books, I love her writing, and I love how unexpected the endings are to me, the most gullible thriller reader ever. This thrilling story is out on 8/29 and everyone should add this to their spooky season TBR!

Thanks for Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the early listener audiobook!

3.5 stars rounded up

Alice Feeney is a go-to author for me when I want a book with intriguing twists. I listened to this intriguing story as an audiobook and the narrators Katherine Press and Stephanie Racine (who has narrated most of the Feeney books) did a superb job at keeping things flowing even when they were confusing at first.

We first are introduced to a woman shopping for groceries with a newborn baby. She turns away for just a minute, and the baby is gone.

Next, we are introduced to a cast of different women:

Frankie, who is a librarian at a prison, her eighteen year old daughter has left home in anger.
Edith, who is elderly and in a care home, where she doesn't think she belongs.
Patience, a worker at the care home who has befriended Edith.
Clio, Edith's adult daughter who is estranged from Edith due to things that happened in the past.

Things come to a head on Mother's Day, when all of the characters and their stories weave together to create a surprising domestic drama tinged with murder.

I really liked how it all came together, but you need patience while the story shakes itself out and the pieces fall into place. I adored Feeney's thoughts about mothers and daughters and how those relationships are often up and down and filled with joys and sorrows. Her play on the theme of good and bad really makes this intriguing, because all of us are both, it just depends on the lens you view it through and the circumstances surrounding it. Every character in this book had both good and bad things about them.

Another hit for Feeney with this twisty suspense novel.

I was busy trying to figure out what’s this book about and by some point I just stopped caring. I loved his&hers by Alice Feeney and I’ll still read more of her books, but this one was kinda slow and just unimpressive. It’s not a bad book, it just kinda failed to engage me? If that makes sense. Idk, it was all kinda okay, I guess. Meh.

Huge Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this copy.

This audio just completely stopped working 48% through. It’s very frustrating that this happens often with audios I get on here. Luckily I have the physical arc or I’d have been really upset.

“The only good thing about losing everything is the freedom that comes with having nothing left to lose.”

“A good book can be a light in the darkness. A good book can cure loneliness, change minds, or even change the world. A good book is nothing less than magic.” ❣️❣️

Sometimes bad things happen to good people, so good people have to do bad things.

This audiobook is fab Fab FAB! The narration is superb! There are a lot of characters so I did struggle just a bit initially keeping them all straight. But the chapters are short (a fav), the characters are great (another fav), and there are lots of 😱 moments.

Alice Feeney’s writing is just…I don’t even know what to call it. She writes thrillers and I LOVED Rock Paper Scissors and Daisy Darker. Like loved! But even with the mystery/thriller genre her words are written so beautifully there is a notable quote in almost every chapter. As I read I annotate (or for audiobooks, bookmark) quotes I would like to revisit later. And in this book I had to stop bookmarking because I was essentially marking the whole book. 😂

This book touches on the sometimes complicated relationship between mothers and daughters, issues pertaining to women such as abortion and postpartum depression, and what a woman will do to protect someone she loves. Although not quite to the level of the aforementioned books, this is a solid thriller that I would recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and the author for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. Available now!

This book should of had a Mother's Day release date!

This book had quite the puzzle, but I am glad that all the pieces fit together nicely at the end even though a few were missing under the table for awhile.

This book does a lot of point of view switching, but I think sone of that helps in throwing off what really went down. It started with how could Clio's baby's disappeared be related to the deaths in her elderly mother Edith's care home. Of course I felt like the links between characters were the most important of all. All of these ladies secrets come out of the woodwork and the book really becomes enjoyable at that point!

Thank you to MacMillan Audio and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this Audiobook for my honest review.

I have heard so much about Alice Feeney and this book did not disappoint! The multiple POV's were a little confusing at first, but once I got used to them, I was able to follow. There are parts that you really have to pay attention to in order to follow. There are quite a few twists and overall, there was a lot to follow.

3.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC. It was provided in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 rounded up

Whooo buddy! Alice Feeney had me in a chokehold with this one. Couldn’t put it down and finished it in one day. I’m going to be thinking about the storyline and these characters for a long time.

I did have some trouble keeping the characters straight at the beginning. Multiple POVs, timeline shifts, and a cast of all women made it tricky. Once I had them figured out, it made sense and was a good plot device.

I do enjoy mysteries that are not necessarily violent, and keep me on my toes. This is my second book by Alice Feeney, I will definitely be reading more. My understanding is that Good Bad Girl is different from her other books. Something to keep in mind if you love her previous writing style.

Overall, this was a twisty, turny, edge-of-your-seat ride and I was here for it.

When this book begins, it is with a shocking event that grabs your attention and doesn't let go. A baby was stolen from a stoller in the grocery story twenty years ago and now a woman has been murdered in a care home. Somehow the two crimes are linked. Told from multiple perspectives, Good Bad Girl is a puzzle novel through and through.

If you've read from Alice Feeney before, I think this book will be both familiar and unique to you. I have now read four of her titles and each one seems so distinct to me (Rock Paper Scissors, His & Hers, Daisy Darker, and this title). I really enjoyed the layers of mystery here that occurred simultaneously with nuanced character development- no one in this book is clearly good or bad. They are just women usually doing their best in challenging circumstances.

Since the puzzle of this book begins from the get-go, I'd recommend avoiding the synopsis and in depth reviews of the plot. Just jump in and enjoy!

Another great read (listen) by Alice Feeney! I have gotten a bit burnt out on thrillers lately. They seem to be predictable and main characters can be so annoying! Not so with Good Bad Girl (and other books I’ve read by the author). This one had me guessing until the end. With Alice Feeney, even if I’ve figured out the “big twist” well in advance (Daisy Darker I’m looking at you) the books are still enjoyable.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to listen and review this book.

Two Mothers Days.
One Stolen Baby.
A Murder.
& somehow they are all connected 😳

This one started right in the past, in the action of the baby getting stolen! I was intrigued and ready to figure out the WHO & WHY!? and if that wasn’t enough then we are dealing with a murder in the nursing home! Ummhmm you read that right!

This was a bit different than her usual thrillers and I would say it read more like a drama to me. It was good but not super twisty thriller vibes. With the multiple POVS and multiple storylines sometimes it was a bit confusing. Around the 65% mark things started to fall in place for me and in the end it all came together.

Thank you for my macmillan audio for my ALC!!

3.5 stars

I would’ve liked this better with less POVs. I found it hard to keep track of who everyone was and how they were related to each other until about 60% into the book. I wouldn’t call this a psychological thriller, but more a lot of mama drama. Not my favorite from Alice Feeney but I still did enjoy the story as a whole.

This was my first ever audio book and I loved it! Alice Feeney is a go to author and I’ve never not given her books a 5 star review- her newest was no different! I loved the different narratives and the creative storyline. 100% loved this story!

I got to listen to this on audio and really enjoyed it. I loved that the narrator changed their voice so I was able to determine which characters were talking; which was great because there were so many and they were so unreliable and my head was spinning in the beginning trying to figure out where this story was going. ⁣
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Four characters, four back stories, two murders, a missing baby from the get go; lots of secrets, twists and turns. Make sure you pay attention to keep track of everything, so that while you’re in the ride, you enjoy it like I did. ⁣
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When things finally started clicking, I l⁣
Really liked how this story was finally solved and the puzzle pieces finally fit together. ⁣
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Another excellent work! Great characters and plot. Great twist! Couldn’t put it down! Finished in one day.

“Sometimes bad things happen to good people, so good people have to do bad things.”

As usual, auto-buy author Feeney kept me guessing with a family suspense novel focusing on mothers and daughters, secrets and lies, murder and coverups.

To avoid spoilers (it’s best to go into Feeney’s books blind), I’ll quote the synopsis. “Twenty years after a baby is stolen from her push-chair, a woman is murdered in a care home. The two crimes are somehow linked, and a good bad girl may be the key to discovering the truth.”

Bottom line? This was one of my favorites from Feeney. I enjoyed the audiobook with the addition of a beautiful Scottish accent in addition to the usual crisp British one. It was an engaging listen that I couldn’t put down.

Thanks, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for the Advanced Listening Copy. US Pub: 29 Aug 23

Alice Feeney does it again! She has a way of weaving stories together that is just flawless and this book is no exception. I loved all of the various storylines and had to keep listening to see how they would intertwine. I wanted to know who was who in the mysterious first chapter. I loved the narrators. They were so pleasant to listen to. And the accents were just enough to get a feeling of where the characters are from without being distracting. Overall, this was a great read and I'm already looking forward to her next one!!

I was a huge fan of Daisy Darker and could not wait to read:

☂️ Good Bad Girl by Alice Feeney
✨ Publication Date: August 29, 2023

Here’s the short synopsis because you know I go in blind and don’t want to ruin anything for you!

Short Synopsis:
Sometimes bad things happen to good people, so good people have to do bad things.

Twenty years after a baby is stolen from a stroller, a woman is murdered in a care home. The two crimes are somehow linked, and a good bad girl may be the key to discovering the truth.

Thoughts:
🌂 I was into the story from the beginning! I could not stop listening to this audiobook.

🌂 There are many twists and turns and just when I think I know where the story goes, I am wrong!

🌂 I am now excited to read Rock, Paper, Scissors, which I also hear is a great read.

🌂 Definitely recommend this one, especially to those thriller lovers!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

GOOD BAD GIRL
Alice Feeney

Two separate Mother’s Days:

A baby is taken from their stroller.
A woman is murdered.

Mother’s Day is hard for everyone!

I had so much fun unraveling the mystery that is GOOD BAD GIRL and I think you’ll enjoy it too.

GOOD BAD GIRL is Alice Feeney’s 6th novel, and it seems she only gets better with time. Her most recent works have been some of my favorites and this one is up there amongst the best.

In GOOD BAD GIRL, we are following Edith and Clio, mostly.

Clio recently put her mother, Edith, into a care home. Edith feels she doesn’t belong there amongst the elderly and frail at the end of their lives. That is not her situation. She has much more life to live, and she intends to do just that.

As soon as she can get out of the care home.

Clio is a therapist with issues of her own. She isn’t exactly speaking to her mother Edith and that is just where the story begins, kind of.

From the beginning of the book, you can tell you’re in for a wild ride. The characters are mercurial, and the story is multifaceted. The second you think you’ve got a handle on what is going on a path opens and what is revealed is better than you could’ve imagined.

I enjoyed this page-turner in one sitting, and I can’t wait for you to read it.

GOOD BAD GIRL comes out next Tuesday, August 29, 2023.

GOOD BAD GIRL…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy in exchange for a review!

Twenty years ago a baby was stolen from a stroller. Now, someone is killed in a care home and as far as the detective is concerned there are three suspects.

Frankie who works as a librarian in a female prison, has decided that today (Mother's Day) will be her last day at work.

Ever since being unceremoniously put into a care home, Edith's relationship with her daughter - which was holding on by a thread before - has deteriorated more and more. The only companion she has is Patience, one of the staff of the care home who has taken to helping Edith out with tasks.

Clio, Edith's daughter, knows that things between her and her mother are strained, but their past doesn't allow for much else between them. She does care for her mother in her own way as much as she's able.

Alice Feeney has built her own reputation in the mystery/thriller genre. Creating tantalizing stories and characters that pull you in and don't let you go until the very end. Compulsively reading (or listening) to find out what happens next. This is something that Alice Feeney does exceptionally well in her books and the way she builds and builds until a some kind of cracking reveal.

I think this book, moreso than others I've read by Feeney, was pretty easy to piece together. The connections were easy to make, and even by the end for the extra extra twist that Feeney likes to throw in for good measure - making sure that it's doubly difficult to sort out all the pieces ahead of time - I had that one figured out too.

I don't know if it's because it takes a bit to get to the "meat" of the story. The descriptions of characters, and their surroundings, are very precise. Everything is very calculated. Especially the particular bits of information that are glaringly left out in order to string the reader along. But this also gave me a lot of time to contemplate who these characters were.

I have by no means read (or listened to) all of Alice Feeney's stories, but from the ones that I have, I felt like Good Bad Girl went a little too far with the cliffhanger setups. At the end of each chapter, as narrators switch, we're typically left hanging on some kind of intense almost-reveal. This accomplished the goal of getting me to keep up with the story as I just wanted to find out what happens next, but for the most part, I was underwhelmed with the big reveals.

With all that said, however, I feel like this is an interestingly crafted story about family, the lengths we'll go for those we love, and how doing things with a person's best interest in mind can still hurt. I always find it interesting how Alice Feeney writes these characters who aren't inherently likeable. This story is complex in the fact that we get such a rounded perspective on each character's personality. First we get their own point of view but then peripherally we see them through the eyes of each other and oftentimes the veneer that they put on themselves, their own situations, rubs off just a bit and I feel like their true personalities lie somewhere in the middle, open for interpretation, of what we as readers are privy to.

I liked the dual narration and the idea that one narrator was for one particular character and the other narrator kind of took on the remainder of the characters was interesting because I felt like it denoted a certain level of age and maturity in the characters. There's also a haunting quality to the inflection used as the past events and mysterious present and future events determine the fates of the characters. Both at times innocent as well as ruthless, these narrators enhance the story in the best way possible.

Overall, I felt like this one was a bit more slow-burn of a mystery than an overly thrilling one from Alice Feeney. I think going into it with that in mind will help in appreciating the story for what it is.