I love being given the opportunity to update our school library which is a unique space for both senior students and staff to access high quality literature. This is definitely a must-buy. It kept me absolutely gripped from cover to cover and is exactly the kind of read that just flies off the shelves. It has exactly the right combination of credible characters and a compelling plot thatI just could not put down. This is a great read that I couldn't stop thinking about and it made for a hugely satisfying read. I'm definitely going to order a copy and think it will immediately become a popular addition to our fiction shelves. 10/10 would absolutely recommend.

This is a gripping thriller. The story is told from multiple perspectives.
I felt the ending wasn’t as thrilling as it could have been.
It was still enjoyable

Really enjoyed this - will definitely be recommending and looking forward to the next one by this author!

Great academia setting, lots of dodgy characters. I wanted a little more interpersonal drama like in Downing's other books, but there was so much going on that it worked really well.

I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

Right up my alley! Unpredictable and entertaining. And the prettiest academia cover? YES!! Read this if you are into fast paced academia mysteries with well round up characters.

Really enjoyed this book full of twists and fast paced throughout. The short chapters ensured I was fully engaged. Fabulous characters!

Woah!! That was an epic read. Dark, twisty, gripping! Everything I like in a thriller. A great read.

This book is engaging from beginning to end, and I couldn't wait to finish it, just had to see what happens. There is a few surprises along the way which keeps you entertained until the end. Recommended.

I'm a fan of Samantha Downing's work and I really enjoyed For Your Own Good. The short snappy chapters meant i could fly through this book and the pacing was excellent. Would definitely recommend for fans of the genre!

Enjoyed the short snappy chapters but I couldn't get into the plot. This is so unusual for me with this author as I usually devour her books. Somehow this one wasn't for me.

I enjoyed this book but I guess I wasn't completely gripped by it hence the missing star. Probably a me thing to be honest.

I would definitely read more by this author though as her writing is fantastic.

For Your Own Good is such an addictive thriller with outstanding characters and world-building throughout. Filled with twists and an unpredictable ending, this one is sure to hook readers from the start. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys fast-paced psychological thrillers. Be sure to check out For Your Own Good today. Highly recommended!

𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙎𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙖 𝘿𝙤𝙬𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜

I absolutely adored MY LOVELY WIFE by Downing so I was really excited to be granted this— it sounded like an original plot that stood out from the crowd of thrillers. Told through multiple POV’s from a mixture of staff and students, this was intense and captivating with short chapters and intersecting plot lines.

With intriguing and, let’s be honest, often frankly psychopathic characters, I was really gripped by the first half as the plot started unfolding but I felt like I missed the element of surprise that I’ve come to expect from a thriller— every potential mystery was explained instantly so although there was tension throughout, there was no build up and we knew who the “killer” was, so I found myself waiting for a major twist that just didn’t come. Downing’s trademark ending of course came into play but whereas I thought it worked brilliantly in MY LOVELY WIFE, with the ending of this book I was just left with so many questions and a feeling that the story just wasn’t wrapped up.

Despite this not quite being for me, it was still fast-paced with unlikeable characters you can’t help but need to know more about and packed full of drama and twists and I did still enjoy it! Also highly recommend MY LOVELY WIFE which was absolutely a five star read for me!

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (3/5)

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫 + 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐀𝐑𝐂!

This book if written by an author that I'm unfamiliar with. Saying that, it was an interesting read that had me guessing from the start.

Samantha Downing is fast becoming one of my “go-to” authors for twisty books with unreliable narrators, crazy characters and enjoyable plotlines.

For Your Own Good centres around a prestigious private school for the gifted and rich children – Belmont Academy and our main narrator is Teddy Crutcher who at first glance appears to be a dedicated English teacher and having won the coveted Teacher of The Year Award is determined to ensure his students are taught the most important lessons in life to succeed.

However, this being written by Samantha Downing – you can forget Mr Crutcher being like Mr Keating from Dead Poets Society – more like a lovechild of Miss Trunchbull and Dolores Umbridge with a splash of delusion and a pinch of psychopath.

When a parent of one of the pupils is murdered during a school celebration, the school is thrown into panic and horror and the reader is whisked away on a bumpy journey with some of the main characters as they face what appears to be a spate of violence towards the staff and pupils.

This book almost gave me whiplash – I was absolutely convinced I knew what was happening and then another character popped up and blew my theories out the water.

For Your Own Good has Downing’s unique dry humour with some brilliant batsh*t characters that bring the world of privileged education to life. Another highly entertaining, dark, dysfunctional and often disturbing book which I would recommend.

For Your Own Good is a read I could not put down. So well-paced and full of twists you won't see coming. You think you have it figured out but you don't. a compelling page-turner.

Samantha Downing never fails to disappoint! Very well written and enjoyable. I would definitely recommend

For Your Own Good is a fast paced read with short snappy chapters that immediately draws you in. There is plenty of action and so many twists and turns that your head will be spinning. It will have you turning the pages obsessively because you will be curious as to what the hell is going to happen next.

The reason I liked it and not loved it for me came down to mainly knowing who the 'bad-guy' was from very early on (it's told within the storyline so not a spoiler). That and the sheer volume of twists and shock-horror moments kept me at a little bit of a distance from the characters and storyline.

Still, a really good thriller to sit down and immerse yourself in without too much overthinking.

My first book, that I have read by this author, absolutely brilliant! Highly recommended, and I will definitely read others written by this author!