I feel like there was real potential with the beginning of the story, I was instantly hooked. It was almost a slow burn, gathering little pieces of information here and there to finally reveal the big picture. The big mystery of what happened to Piper has been an obsession with her twin sister and Iris has revolved her career choices around getting close to this person she believes is responsible for Piper's disappearance (or murder).

The ending.... what can I say? It felt so rushed and incomplete. Not to mention totally unrealistic! I was left thinking there is no way!

Thank you to Netgalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon House and Tarryn Fisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date for Good Half Gone is March 19, 2024

I have read a few books by this author and liked them a lot so I was excited to dive into this one. Really enjoyed it. It was suspenseful and kept me entertained. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read this ARC.

Good Half Gone starts with an intriguing premise that quickly grabs your attention. However, as you delve deeper into the story, you notice the cracks in its execution.

The narrative needs to work on maintaining a consistent pacing. One of the main issues I had was the amount of time spent on details that, while interesting, do not significantly contribute to the story's progression or the characters' development. These detours from the main plotline can frustrate and disconnect the reader from the storyline.

Another area where the book could improve is its character development, specifically the protagonist, Iris. She is a character who is driven by her past and her desperate need for closure. Yet, her character needs more depth, and her motivations often must be clarified. This lack of clarity creates a disconnect between the reader and Iris, making it hard to empathize fully with her struggles and journey.

The story's setting, Shoal Island Hospital, is meant to add a layer of suspense and mystery to the plot. However, its secrets are revealed predictably, reducing the suspense and leaving the reader underwhelmed.

Despite the promising setup, the novel fails to deliver on its potential fully. The narrative could benefit from a better balance between the plot and character development and a more unpredictable reveal of secrets. The novel provides a mediocre reading experience that leaves the reader wanting more depth and complexity from the story and its characters.

Thank you to HTP (Harlequin Trade Publishing), Graydon House, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Eeeeeehhhh I’m kind of left scratching my head at the end of this one. Not sure that this has a very believable ending, but if I look at it firmly from an anything can happen in the fiction world I can possibly buy it.

I love this author and have previously rated some of her other works 4/5 stars. This one was more of a 3.5. The idea of one twin being kidnapped and her twin looking for answers caught my attention. I would definitely say it’s worth the read but go into it knowing you have to be ready to believe the unbelievable.

Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC for my review

3.5/5

I'm a big fan of Tarryn Fisher, but the central twist wasn't entirely surprising to me. The novel's strength lies in its emotional core and compelling character relationships. I really liked Iris's determination. Her relationships with other characters, particularly her grandmother and Cal, were enough for me to not be bothered that the mystery seemed very obvious.

I do think that some of the plot in the middle could've been left out, and if the middle had been more focused on what Iris was supposed to be doing, I probably would've rated this higher.

Despite this slight dip in pacing, 'Good Half Gone' remains a captivating read. My biggest issue would have to be that when I sent the ARC to my Kindle, it formatted really weird. It was hard to follow, but eventually I got into it. This did NOT factor into my rating, but I wanted to note it here in case anyone sees this when requesting. Hopefully it get's fixed!

This pains me to say but this book didn’t do a thing but make me mad.

1. The authors need to crap on religion so frequently in her works is really annoying. Small side note- christians can have tvs in their house. Like what, that line took me out. “They didn’t even have a tv.. they’re super christian” LOL

2. Not a single thing in this book would have happened in real life. Not one. You can’t even cop that “but it’s fiction” bc no. Just no.

The twist was also glaringly obvious. From the minute the same weird thing happened with two different characters… you just know. There were also multiple lines repeated that served no purpose to the story. The plot holes are all over the place.

This did not feel like a Fisher book to me.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, NetGalley, and Tarryn Fisher for this ARC. Tarryn Fisher as an author has been a bit hit or miss for me, and this one sadly was a bit of a miss for me.
I was really excited to read this book based on the author and synopsis, however I found the story to be a bit disjointed between the multiple characters + backstories, subplots and (what felt like) a random romantic relationship in the middle.
Once the FMC finally made it to the criminal care facility, I was like HERE WE GOOO but sadly this just didn’t get better for me.
However, I know a lot of people love this author, and maybe this particular story was just not for me.
2.5 ⭐️ rounded up to 3

This was a fast read with an interesting story. Iris is searching for answers for her sister’s disappearance so she takes a job at a hospital for the criminally insane. Things get complicated quickly! It was a real page-turner!

This book had my attention from the start. As I was reading I’m like dang I’ve done figured this out but nope it took a different turn. By the end was like how did this happen but the author brought it all together and still it leaves asking you asking How? If you’re looking for something to make you question everything then this is the book to read.

Iris Walsh watched her twin sister Piper get kidnapped, but police try to convince her that she ran away from home. For eight years Iris has been looking for Piper and now she finally believes she knows where to look.
…
Iris believes her twin sister Piper was trafficked, but police found no evidence. Since police were of no help Iris found clues her own way. The answers lie within Ward D at an isolated island for the criminally insane.
…
Good Half Gone is about Iris spending eight years of her life looking for the guy who killed her sister. Working at Shoal Island is an elaborate scheme to get close to the guy who can make that happen. Iris is doing all this so she can get closure for Piper’s son Cal. He’s going to reach an age where he will want to know who his father is.
…
I highly recommend readers read the excerpt and not go in blind or you will be confused. I suggest reading a few reviews from different ratings to gain a better perspective. Tarryn gives readers parts of the past in between the present to help explain what is taking place filling in the last eight years. Not much was shared about Good Half Gone while she was writing this book. Now that I’ve read the premise and started reading I’m not sure where my heads at. It reads like a YA with a dark tragic topic. The writing reminds me of Marrow and Never Never.
…
Tarryn Fisher is one of those writers that I’m eager to read. I look forward to her new releases and even help promote them. I’ve read the entire backlog of books she’s written. This book was written in a way that gave me plenty to ponder which is kind of dangerous because it allowed my mind to drift to many possibilities instead of staying inside the story. For a good majority of the book I was confused by what was taking place. Even when Iris started working at the hospital I still was puzzled. The pieces didn’t fall into place easily. That’s not a bad thing. I got bored by my inability to stay focused on what was taking place which in my defense was unclear. Yes Iris was looking for the man who killed her sister, but the course of action was not as entertaining as I had imagined.

This novel starts out jumping from the past to the present in order to keep the reader engaged in the storyline. The story follows a single-mother as she tries to uncover what happened to her twin sister when they were 15 years old. Through lots of twists and mystery, the reader is taken on an adventure through the main characters life and how much she will do to uncover the truth about her sister.

This book sounded amazing. A missing twin. Kidnapping, maybe sex trafficking, the surviving twin vowing to do anything to revenge her sister. This starts off so strong and suspenseful. (The timeline is off a lot with iris’s son’s age and how many years since Piper has been missing but maybe that’ll be fixed in the final edited version) The police completely fails on investigating Piper’s disappearance so years later Iris is still looking for answers. Iris seems so strong willed and determined to find out what happened to her sister. About half way through the story, Iris seems to lose all focus and has a random, fast paced relationship that doesn’t seem to fit her character. She seems to give up on her sister. Finally towards the end, Iris seems to get her focus back after a terrifying event at the hospital. The twists seem pretty far fetched but that made me really not expect them at all. I had a feeling a certain character was up to no good, but I didn’t know how. If the middle of this book was stronger and more focused on Iris’s original plan, it would have been a 5 star for me. Still overall a crazy, twisty read. Thank you NetGalley for my advanced copy!!

I received this book as an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the author and publisher for this opportunity.

Definitely suspenseful…each chapter gives you just enough of a clue to the mystery to keep you reading.

A bit slow but a good plot and culmination of clues to arrive at the conclusion was worth the wait.

#NetGalley #goodreads #GoodHalfGone

After getting early access to the first few chapters of Good Half Gone I was so excited for this book. It started off really strong but unfortunately didn't continue that way. The middle felt monotonous and last 20% just had me scratching my head in confusion at the turn of events. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my arc.

***Possible Spoilers Ahead***

What Worked For Me:
- The beginning started with a bang
- Iris felt like a very real and flawed character that I could empathize with
- I was desperate to know what happened to Piper and if she was alive
- The writing in Tarryn's books is always well done

What Didn't Work For Me:
- Not letting the reader know who Iris wanted to get close to at the facility or why she wanted to didn't add any tension or suspense to the story and just made the pacing drag in the middle of the book
- The end. I was confused as to why people that were essentially already free felt the need to escape

I haven’t loved all of the books I’ve read by this author but this was definitely an exception. I loved the detailed character descriptions and I felt that the arcs of the story flowed very well.

I received an ARC from NetGalley. I have been dying to get back into my favorite headspace while reading a Tarryn Fisher book. Tarryn killed it in Good Half Gone! From chapter one my stomach was spinning as if I'd just stepped off the tilt-a-whirl. Throughout Good Half Gone I was submersed in emotions for Iris whilst experiencing them myself. The feelings of being lost and confused in a mirror maze, the curiosity of which characters are hiding behind the masks, the helplessness of feeling alone, the fight of never quitting and answer seeking. I loved the authenticity of the main characters which balanced the counterfeit "others" whilst kept my investigative brain activated. As always with Tarryn, I didn't want it to end, but it was an ending I appreciate. Beyond thankful for my Tarryn "fix"!

“Good Half Gone” is a thriller mystery by Tarryn Fisher. I’ll admit, Ms. Fisher’s books are dark - sometimes too dark for my taste. Her books also have odd twists in them - basically piling on the thriller mystery aspect. So, with that being said, this was a weird book. It’s told from one point of view but in two different times - one is in the present (which is post-2020) and the other in the past (when cell phones were common place, maybe around 2000). The main character, Iris, has witnessed the kidnapping of her twin sister - yet the police choose to do little but consider her sister a runaway. Understandably, Iris is traumatized from this event, even after year of therapy (understandable). Iris is still determined to find her sister’s kidnapper and takes an internship at a state hospital … because she’s determined that her sister’s kidnapper (and possibly murderer) is in said hospital. I was all on board with this … but then things went off the rails into minor side plots and back history bits when I really wanted the focus to be on Iris and her investigation. Skip the romance … how about more with Iris’s Grandmother and child? Just when things seem to be building up to something big - there’s another twist thrown in … along with the big reveal .. and a rather dissatisfying ending (though what happened with Iris’s sister is revealed). This book did hold my attention, side-plots aside. This wasn’t a bad book, but it wasn’t what I was hoping for in the end.

This was a slow burn that came to an abrupt end. I never saw the ending coming!! The only reason why I rated it a 4 instead of 5 stars was because I wish it was just a little longer!

I loved the flashbacks to the past to where we met in the middle! Overall, I would highly recommend this amazing thriller!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC to read and review!

Unfortunately, I really struggled to get into this one. I've read most of Ms. Fisher's novels and they tend to fall around the 3-star range but this one might be my least fave. The prose was odd and it just felt like it had a weird flow all throughout. I was not too fond of the characters either, especially in flashback scenes, Not sure this one was my cup of tea...

This is my 993rd review for Netgalley. Hold onto your panties folks, I saved this special review for a really special author, Ms. Tarryn Fisher.

I was first introduced to Fisher, many moons again and I have been head over heels since. I fell in love with Fisher’s writing style and had to read every single one of her publications, which I did (numerous times) . I loved each and every one of them and I was completely and totally obsessed.

I thought I did a pretty good job stalking this author via social media to see if she was working on anything new but I was surprised when I saw Good Half Gone, pop up on Netgalley. You little rascal, Fisher, you kept a great secret!

Good Half Gone, has blown any book I have read thus far out of the water. This is an all consuming, edge of your seat, nail biting thriller, that will have you holding your breath until the very last page.

Good Half Gone, releases March 19th and you do not want to miss it (I pinky promise)

Check out this teaser :

Iris Walsh saw her twin sister, Piper, get kidnapped—so why does no one believe her?

Iris narrowly escaped her pretty, popular twin sister’s fate as a teen: kidnapped, trafficked and long gone before the cops agreed to investigate. With no evidence to go on but a few scattered memories, the case quickly goes cold.

Now an adult, Iris wants one thing—proof. And if the police still won’t help, she’ll just have to find it her own way; by interning at the isolated Shoal Island Hospital for the criminally insane, where secrets lurk in the shadows and are kept under lock and key. But Iris soon realizes that something even more sinister is simmering beneath the surface of the Shoal, and that the patients aren’t the only ones being observed…