A good psychological thriller that will have you racing through the pages.
Della knows something is off about a new student but can’t put her finger on what it is.
Her older brother is now in prison and made her life a misery when she was younger, and she recognises the same traits in Zoey but the other teachers don't have a problem with her.
The story goes back and forth in between Della finding out what her brother was really capable of and the present day with Zoey.
Della had trouble getting people to believe her about her brother and now faces the same challenge with Zoey.
This is a gripping psychological thriller that will have you hooked.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

It took me a little while to get into this book, but once I did I couldn’t put it down! My heart really broke for Della. Always on the defensive along with the burden of guilt, the load she carried was immense. What would you do if you knew someone was evil to the core, but no one believed you? Read What I Know by Miranda Smith to find out. You won’t be able to stop until you reach the exciting conclusion! Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

I liked this author’s Some Days Are Dark, so I was looking forward to this one. I was not disappointed. I love a good gaslighting, and I got plenty of that in this twisted thriller. It hooked me from the beginning and slowly continued to draw me in up to the explosive finale.

The author did a fantastic job setting the scene, giving the reader a peek via flashback to an event that shaped Della’s (the main character) life. I mean, wow…what an opening sentence. If that doesn’t pull you in, I don’t know what would.

The author then switches to the present when Della is an adult. Despite her family history (more on that in a second), she seems to have everything together and has made a good life for herself. I instantly related to her because she is an English teacher.

I was not surprised to see that author is a former teacher because she accurately nailed every aspect of teaching. The school scenes brought back many memories, from engaging students to dealing with ineffective administrators. The reality and accuracy of those parts made me “trust” the rest.

I’m not sure if that makes sense. If I know someone is accurate about a topic that I am knowledgeable in, I am more likely to go along with other aspects of the story, even if they seem a little off the mark.

Not that I think Della’s past is far-fetched. On the contrary, we know that evil exists in the world and that evil people have families that must deal with them. I’m referring to some of Della’s actions later in the book that could be considered (shall we say) professionally questionable. She oversteps and pushes the boundaries of professionalism, but she has her reasons.

I liked how the author kept the action in the present, but occasionally would flashback to another event from Della’s childhood. That plotting allowed the present-day action to continue while building the foundation from the past that continued to influence Della’s perceptions. It was effective.

My only complaint, and it’s pretty minor, is that while I appreciate how Della’s past shaded her judgment and cast doubt on her suspicions, I also felt like Zoey was too much of an enigma. Her motivations could have been more evident.

I also think the author had a great build-up to the “past’s” climax, but then it was all wrapped up in a few brief paragraphs. I think a little more detail there would have helped cement both Della’s story and given a platform to Zoey’s. The whole ending also seemed a tad rushed, given how evenly plotted the rest of the book was.

Regardless, it was engaging, and it certainly kept me guessing. I highly recommend picking this one up for a thrilling summer read.

A solid psychological thriller from start to finish. Going up as the sister of a psychopathic serial killer has made Della extra sensitive to people who strike her as...off. So when a new student in her class brings back eerie memories of her childhood, she's confused. No one believes her when she says that Zoey is not who she seems.

The writer keeps the pace steady and the plot strong. The story unfolds in two timelines - the past where Della uncovers the truth behind her brother's behavior and the present where she struggles to prove she is right - once again.

I think this book is also published under a different title - What I Know.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Bookouture in exchange for an honest review.

So this book appears to have changed title after me requesting it, although it is still 'Good Girl' on Goodreads so I don't know which title to refer to it as. Either way, I was HYPED for this book and I am ecstatic to say it didn't disappoint! What I Know is the tale of Della, a woman who uncovered her brother as a psychopath when she was a teen. Now a teacher, she gains a new student called Zoey who she gets ominous feelings about. When another student is attacked, Della becomes convinced Zoey is responsible and sets out to prove it. This book is told with past and present day chapters, gradually uncovering what happened with her brother and what is happening with Zoey now.

I LOVED this book. Firstly, this is a perfect example of how a solid thriller can have no twists and not suffer at all. You keep reading not because you want to be surprised, but because it is inevitable that something bad happened with her brother and you want to find out what. And with the present day plotline, there is the constant uncertainty as to how guilty Zoey is. Speaking of which, a thriller book where the main character isn't instantly dismissed by her loved ones for her suspicions? YES PLEASE. No one truly doubts Della until about halfway through the book where things start to get murkier, and even then it is handled so well. I am sick of reading thrillers where the main character's husband/best friend/sister etc will just instantly think they're crazy. It was so refreshing to see characters express doubt and concern like actual humans would, with their focus being on helping Della rather than calling her insane or refusing to listen.

Della herself was a great main character. You doubt her a little as a reader but not in a way which makes you think she is unreliable and therefore you can't trust her. She is so fleshed out and her backstory is very compelling. I was so glad she had two friends who, in a thriller first, had actual personalities! (I kid) Marge and Pam were welcome additions to the story and served their plot functions well whilst actually being interesting.

The main thing I want to commend this author on is taking this kind of subject matter and handling it so well. This thriller essentially pits a trauma survivor against a damaged teenage girl and it could be so easy to make the protagonist unlikeable considering how she treats Zoey. Likewise, it could be easy to have some really unfortunate implications about believing victims. But Smith dodges these pitfalls expertly and I never felt like we were supposed to agree with everything Della was doing, nor were we supposed to think Zoey was a complete monster. It poses some really interesting philosophical questions and makes them part of the story but never in a way which detracts.

I cannot praise this book highly enough and I am very excited to read Miranda Smith's other work now. If you like the sound of the premise, then I urge you to give this a try. There are triggers warnings for sexual content/assault and also I suspect if you have been gaslighted in the past, this book might be hard for you to read. But if you want to be utterly sucked into a good thriller plot for a few hours, you can't go wrong with this.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5 stars

I approached this book as a ‘3rd time lucky’ as the previous 2 I had tried to read over the last day hadn’t lasted long so was wary in case was me and not the books
Am happy to say I loved it
Della is a teacher, a woman with a past BUT not her past, her brothers, he is never far from her mind nor what he did but she copes and life is good
Until Zoey, a new pupil arrives in her class, instinctively she knows she is bad, rotten, and will cause chaos but like her brother she is crafty and soon it is Della who is on the back footing trying to stop what she knows will happen, and when it does happen no one believes her
This book ‘jangled my nerves’ with its tense narrative and dark forebodingness as it went from the past to the present and didn’t let up in its intrigue and suspense
I really liked Della ( except for her crying, way way too much crying but I just grimaced in the end whenever she started and moved on ) and was routing for her all the way, Zoe with her snideness and wheedling plus hidden to many narcissism made her great to dislike
A really good story,well written and kept me rapt and ‘on edge’ from beginning to end
10/10
5 Stars

Good Girl
“My brother was thirteen the first time he tried to kill me.”

I had the pleasure to review this book early. Thank you to net galley for this opportunity. This book was definitely a wild ride of emotions, drama, and tragedy.

In my honest opinion, I had a pretty tough time connecting to the characters in this book. I think it stems from the fact that I can’t stand when characters don’t take another character seriously when multiple points are pointing to a specific person. If these characters had just listened to the main character from the beginning, then so much tragedy would have been avoided.

This story follows Della. She is a teacher and she loves her job but she has a very dark past. Growing up, her brother was a bit of a psychopath. They don’t tell you right out what happened until the end of the book, and I am not here to spoil anything but the brother was a very terrible man. A new student named Zoey starts at Della school and instantly she has so many similar characteristics to Della‘s brother. Della starts to see the signs that something is not quite right with Zoey but of course, nobody wants to believe her until it was way way too late.

The story is told in the present and in the past so you get to see what’s happening to Della as a teacher and you get to see what is happening to Della when she is growing up with her crazy brother. This book was definitely good, interesting, full of suspense and thrills, and in the end I would say everyone got what they deserved. I was so happy to be able to review this book early and I hope many people grab a copy and dive into this thriller.

Delia is convinced that one of her students, a new girl, Zoey is going to be just like Delia's brother, Brian was. Brian had been convicted of murder. Is Delia being unfair to Zoey, jumping to conclusions and tarring them with the same stick? Or has the past experience with her brother made Deila more astute.

What you do if someone was evil and no one believed you? Deila's brother was a psychopath and o one had believed her until it was too late. She recognised similarities between her brother and new student Zoey. But the other teachers don't have a problem with her. The story jumps back and forth in time. The story is told from Deila's perspective. This is a roller coaster read younwont want to put down until you reach the conclusion.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and the author Miranda Smith for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Although I guess more or less what would happen next right through this book I thought the author succeeded in carrying the line of suspense well through the novel. Good Girl is centred around Della, a wife, mother and teacher who experienced many traumatic ordeals when she was young, at the hands of her brother. A new student joins he class one day and she experiences the same spine chilling sense when she looks into her eyes, as she did upon looking into the eyes of her brother. She is sure very early on that this girl, Zoey, is not to be trusted and her suspicions are confirmed when a student in their school is viciously attacked, We aren't given too much insight into Zoey's or Della's characters but I did find the chapters dealing with Della's earlier life highly interesting and this tendency of escaping to the past contributed well to the telling of the story. I enjoyed this read even though I found it very easy to predict what was going to happen next.

A overall good read. Those familiar with with genre may pick up on a bit of the foreshadowing throughout the early chapters though this doesn’t necessarily draw away from the storyline. The plot is strongly character driven and well laid out, which is where the reader sees most of the trepidation played out. With the lack of “big” impact moments and the subdued violence, the plot pace feels sluggish. The constant anticipation waiting for something more to occur leads to an anticlimactic ending. 3 stars.

Thank you to #NetGalley for this ARC of #GoodGirl that was read and reviewed voluntarily by @wayward_readers

A compelling read.

Della has a traumatic past which she has tried hard to leave behind. While working as a schools teacher she tries to forget her brother and the evil deeds he committed.

When Della meets Zoey, a student at her school she is worried by the similarities to her brother. Just like in her past no one sees what she sees and Della questions if she is going mad.

The character of Della is engaging, however at times I felt I needed more connection to her. I wanted to know more from Brian’s point of view, although we do get some of that towards the end.

The book is compelling and a good read, the ending feels a bit of an anti-climax somehow but definitely worth a read.

Della is a high school teacher and when a new girl, Zoey, arrives in her class, she gets the feeling that this girl is like her brother, Brian, a convicted murderer. Is Della just jumping to conclusions and being unfair to Zoey, or does her experience with her brother enable her to recognise this behaviour without any proof?

Smith structures the book by weaving the past with the present and keeps the reader engaged all the way through. I enjoyed it but there was nothing about the characters, writing or the plot that really left an imprint for me.

Stunning book by a new-to-me-author! The very first sentence, " My brother was thirteen the first time he tried to kill me" hooked from the start and did not let go until the very end. It is told from Della's POV, past and present. A fascinating treatment on psychopathy and it's reverberations. Cannot wait for the author's next!

Miranda did a great job with this book. I was hooked right from the start. Kept me at the edge of my seat. Zoe was a mysterious character that keeps you wondering where the story will lead. A pretty great book for anyone a fan of thrillers.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Using "Girl" in the title of any thriller is almost like putting the word 'free' on anything. People will always pick it up.

That said, this was nothing new/special to me. An almost tired and overdone plot. The characters were meh...nothing stood out. In fact, I can't even remember anyone's name and I finished this book an hour ago.

I love thriller and love that the genre has had a boost the last few years. This, however, just seems like an opportunity to make a quick buck.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
When Della was thirteen years old, her brother tried to kill her for the first time. After a childhood spent growing up with a psychopath for a brother, Della is desperate to live her own life, away from the traumas of her childhood. Now a teacher, married to a doctor, Della has been able to focus on teaching, and helping the teenagers in her class, and so far she has been able to put her past behind her. But when new student Zoey enters Della’s class, Della is immediately taken back into her past. Zoey is calculating, manipulating and charming—all the dangerous traits that made her brother get away with his crimes for so long. But everyone else sees Zoey as an over-achieving athlete, and assume that it’s all in Della’s head. Della puts her career, and her life, on the line to prove that something just isn’t right with Zoey.
Miranda Smith’s novel, “Good Girl”, is only her second fiction novel. Prior to these, she spent the majority of her writing career in information and non-fiction writing. I am super excited that Smith has made the foray into psychological fiction writing.
This novel focuses on my favourite topic of late (psychopaths) and I thoroughly enjoyed the telling of the psychopath’s life through a sibling’s eyes. Although obviously fictional, “Good Girl” lets us delve into the life of a seemingly normal boy, who turns into a murderous psychopath. This part was thrilling for me, and I wanted more of it. I found Della’s obsession with her student to be a little unrealistic and disturbing, but again, the twisted mind of young Zoey pulled me in and kept me entertained.
Hands down, this novel had everything I look for, and for a sophomore fiction novel? Colour me impressed.
I made a few guesses as to what kind of twists and turns would be revealed in the ending, and there really wasn’t a big twist. The ending was simple and concrete, but I was satisfied with the overall conclusion Smith brought to the novel.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this novel. I will definitely be checking out Smith’s work in the future.

I read this book in one sitting. It was that hard to put down.

Della’s brother began trying to kill her at age thirteen. Growing up with a psychopathic brother puts you on high alert for warning signs all around you. When a new student joins Della’s class she can’t get over the similarities between Zoey and her brother. Bad things start happening around the school, and no one believes Della. Is she right to be cautious of Zoey or is she losing it because of her own personal experiences?

I loved the writing of this story. Told between present day and reliving Della’s past we can see the similarities between past and present. The story is told well with the differing time lines and definitely holds your interest.

Good Girl is a wonderfully thrilling story that poses the question of how much trust we should put in our gut instincts.

When Della, a high school teacher, gets a new student in her class with only weeks left in the school year, she starts feeling suspicious.

Della starts feeling uneasy after the new girl, Zoe , says she moved from the very place that Della ran away from. A place where she faced a dark and traumatic event that would affect her for the rest of her life.

A few more suspicious events with seemly rational explanations give way to the attack of a student.
Della is convinced that Zoe is involved in the attack. With the victim unable to remember what happened and Della being the only one who suspects her, Della finds herself trying to prove that her gut instinct is right and not down to her childhood.


This story was a brilliant read . The way Della's past was slowly revealed gave the story a chilling level of suspense throughout. I really enjoyed reading from the two different timelines within this book. The Different timelines showed how Della learnt to trust her instincts as a teenager and explained her determination not to let her doubt lead to her not acting sooner.

Overall it was a fantastic read !

Many thanks to Netgalley and bookouture for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and are in no way influenced by the nature in which I received this book .


This review will be live on my blog ( thetwoquills.wordpress.com) on 08/06/2020

Della and Zoey !!

Della is convinced that her student Zoey , well there is just something off about her, something does not add up.

Della should know her brother Brian was the same and no one believed Della then either.

Zoey is new to the school and suddenly things start going wrong.

The pages turn quickly. You just want someone to believe or at least listen to Della , maybe she has it all wrong.

Great entertaining read!

Thanks to Net Galley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review Good Girl. Love the cover !!

An absolute must for psychological thriller fans!! This book was so twisted and suspenseful! This is the kind of book that keeps you up late at night!