I really enjoyed My Lovely Wife. This book really hooked me in the beginning but did lose my attention for the middle part of the book. A pretty ridiculous storyline, but very entertaining. Picked up at the end so overall fairly enjoyable. Not bad if you just want an easy read.

An engaging story which kept me turning the pages. The author often laid bait for a certain scenario which tricked my judgment towards where the plot was heading and I felt very frustrated by the inadequacy of the FBI!
I was disappointed that I was unable to connect fully with the characters ( written in third person just hinting at their actions), however, I did find myself rooting for Zach in the latter stages.

Loved this book, a gripping read and one that has you from page one, it didn’t let up, a fast paced and creepy as hell this one was a great book for me, defo a must read!

I love this author but unfortunately this was not my cup of tea . I found it extremely far fetched. This will not stop me reading more from Samantha.

Absolutely loved it. The twist at the very beginning compelled me to keep reading, I really brilliant psychological thriller. I loved all the twists and turns as it made a for really good read,

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for the arc of Samantha Downing's latest book For Your Own Good.

5 star read- well written and highly recommened it had me hooked right from the get go and had me on the edge of my seat it was sensational!

Follows teacher named Teddy whom won Teacher of the year award at his school Belmont Academy and everyone thinks he is such a great guy.. he tells people his wife will be so proud of him but she hasnt been seen by anyone for a while.. he has something to hide.. but what is it?!

Highly intense and gripping!

Sometimes you just really need to read a really creepy book that has you thinking "WTF" and turning the pages throughout.

This is that book. It is so compelling that I just couldn't put it down and when I did finish it - I found myself staring into space for a while trying to comprehend it all.

This school is just jam-packed full of characters who you are just going to hate. The entitled students, the parents who have expectations because of the school that their little darlings attended and of course, the staff.

Teddy has just been awarded Teacher of the Year and wants to help the pupils of Belmont reach their full potential. As long as you don't get on his bad side, that is.

I really enjoyed this book.

This was a fun, fast paced dark thriller. Set in the private school of Belmont, the story follows the current teacher of the year recipient Mr Crutcher. On the surface he seems like a successful teacher who is respected at the school and has a nice family life with his wife. But we learn his wife left him…why? and he keeps finding ways to exercise revenge on colleagues and staff who start getting under his skin. This book was a solid thriller that had many distasteful and nasty characters, not just Mr Crutcher. It was fun to dislike the characters and enjoy the at times absurdity of the murders and hijinks that ensue at the school. But a rip roaring read that you will race through!

Thanks to the publisher Michael Joseph, the author Samantha Downing and Netgalley for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another ridiculous plot from Samantha Downing, which was entertaining but just fell short of the mark for me. I found myself quite happy to read the book when I was reading it, but I never wanted to pick it up. The characters were fun and very morally grey, which I enjoyed, but it just didn't work for me as well as her first book. I would definitely still recommend it however for anyone who like dark academia and will continue to pick her books up in future.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

My favourite book of the year! Each book she writes gets better. This had me up all night trying to finish it. I can’t praise this author enough. She’s got charterers that are believable. Some dark humour. A rollercoaster of a book! I’d give 6 stars if I could!

Now this had me gripped in its vice from the very start to the very end!

I loved reading the perspective of the villain for a change. I loved just how chaotic it was, how quirky and slightly weird it was Haha.

The story takes us to an elite private school in Belmont, full of over privileged, stuck up, narcissistic kids, overbearing helicopter parents and overly competitive teachers.

People soon start dying, with plenty of suspects will the police find their killer before they kill again?

Whilst there is a large cast of characters it was easy to keep track as each one is so totally different in their own crazy, wicked slightly sadistic way.

Told from several POVs including the very unlikeable yet completely readable teacher Teddy Crutcher who has deep dark secrets that seems he will do everything in his power to keep hidden.

Sadly I can't go into any detail of this amazing book as it would definitely give spoilers but believe me when I say YOU HAVE to read it, it is a book you cant help but devour.

Massive thanks to netgalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Michael Joseph UK and Samantha Downing for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Teddy Crutcher, Teacher of the Year at the prestigious Belmont Academy is loved by everyone. The murder of a well-loved parent sends suspicions Terrys way.

Samantha is a fantastic author and this does not disappoint. It’s dark, thrilling and gripping. The ending is extremely satisfying. I feel this book will be instantly popular. It would also make a great film or tv series. My only negative is that it takes a little while to figure out who is who.

This was such a great fun book that has one of the worst teachers you could possibly imagine.

Teddy Crutcher has been named ‘Teacher of the Year’ at the Belmont Academy. As like all teachers he has his favourites and also the pupils he loves to hate. Teddy also seems to dislike most of the other teachers and also parents at the school.

During a celebration at the school one of the parents is taken I’ll and later dies in hospital. Teddy liked the parent but he won’t let her death get in the way of his teaching and striving for the best from his pupils.

It soon looks like the parent was murdered. And then suddenly more people from the school are taken ill - what is going on and could some one really be trying to murder people connected to Belmont.

This is a great thriller which was fun to read. Very far fetched but thoroughly entertaining.

Thank you to Penguin Michael Joseph UK and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this book,although I felt it lacked a litle something at the end.

There are multiple POV and no twists but I still think it was a good thriller. I previously read Downing's "My lovely wife" and enjoyed that so gave this a go and I am pleased I did. It's written well, with some unlikeable characters, and it seems like the author did a lot of research!

At the heart of the story is Teddy. He is an English teacher who cares about his students and wants them to be the best versions of themselves. Sounds good, right? Not exactly! Teddy’s ideas about what it means to be a good teacher are unconventional. For one, he knows how to keep a grudge. He goes out of his way to settle scores. He is cold, so cold. Someone is onto him. Belmont Academy is not focused on Teddy and his weird ways though. There are unexplained deaths at the Academy that have everyone on edge. What exactly is going on in this school?

I love Samantha Downing’s books. They have some kind of subtle darkness. A story begins all innocent enough before the darkness builds up. There are unlikable, selfish characters in this book. However, they are developed in a way that won’t have you hating them out rightly. I was captivated by all these characters.
There is a murder mystery that is a mystery only to the community and the investigators. Readers are in the know. I kept waiting to see how the mystery would get solved. I was curious about the villains especially when they just kept getting away with everything.

This was such a fun, captivating, twisty rollercoaster ride. I didn’t want the book to end. Nonetheless, the ending left me shook. Samantha Downing is definitely in a league of her own when it comes to twisted, entertaining characters. This was a brilliant read!

I have previously enjoyed ‘My Lovely Wife’ and ‘He Started It’ by Samantha Downing so I was really excited to get the ARC for ‘For Your Own Good’. I like that Samantha’s books are all so different which is somewhat rare for authors. My Lovely Wife focussed on a husband-and-wife serial killer team and He Started It was about a brother and sister’s road trip across America to get their inheritance. For Your Own Good also bucks the trend (although it is about a killer), it’s set in a high-school and includes points of view from the teachers and students who go there.

I really enjoyed For Your Own Good and I like that I was constantly kept on the back foot and trying to guess what would happen next. The perspective shifted between psychopathic teacher Teddy Crutcher, rich student Zach, neurotic teacher Sonia, ex-student Fallon and religious teacher Frank. Although there is a lot of characters, they are well-rounded and interesting, and I loved how they all brought new pieces of information which was linked to another point of view without them realising. My only criticism would be that there were sometimes multiple perspective changes per chapter but no formatting change or heading to signify the switch which became jarring in places. I liked how all of the characters had their own motivations though and that they are all quite dislikeable, but I still felt engaged with them and invested as a whole. It was quite amusing that I ended up rooting for the serial killer and hoping that they got away with their crimes!

The story itself is very dark with some comedy throughout. I find that a lot of thrillers set in a school can sometimes feel very juvenile and young-adult in style. This is not the case with For Your Own Good, which is firmly adult in its content and writing style. The pace is really well managed and there are lots of little twists and turns to keep tension high throughout. It does become a little far-fetched in its conclusion, which is a criticism I also had for He Started It, but I actually think that works quite well with the tone and style of the book in this case.

Overall, For Your Own Good is a thriller with dark humour at its heart - it’s well plotted and will keep you turning the pages to find out what happens next! Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin – Michael Joseph for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A darkly comic serial killer thriller. Teddy Crutcher husband been awarded Teacher of the Year at the elite Belmont school. But as the bodies mount up, #HomicideHigh. A crazy and fun read.

I was preapproved for this novel by the publisher as I had previously read, enjoyed and reviewed Samantha Dowling’s previous novel My Lovely Wife. Unfortunately, life got in a bit of the way for me and it was a while before I got round to reading the ARC.

Which was a pity as this is a very enjoyable novel. The pace is quite fast, with short chapters and multiple character Point of Views. A complete psycho serial killer novel. What I really enjoyed about this novel as that many of the characters are not nice people and have a truly dark side.
The only reason that this is a four star read and not a five star is that I felt at the end that I really had no idea about any of the motives.

Whilst we are told straight away who the culprit is I never felt that I was getting into what made him tick. I came away from the novel thinking that I was not entirely sure I know what was going on, or why any character would go to the extent it did. But maybe that was part of the novels charm you go through the twists and just come out the other side thinking Oh Well that’s that then.

Definitely enjoyed my cold November Sunday afternoon Infront of the fire reading this. Would recommend other readers do the same.

A twisty and fun read.

Samantha Downing sure knows how to write characters that you'll love to hate, very impressed with this, it is something so refreshing that can make a book like this delightful to read. Sneaky, sly and creepy some of the characters were making me feel so spoilt that even the totally implausible scenes seemed to fade away from my mind.

The speedy short chapters can soon be raced through when you're having as much fun as I did and the tension is like nothing else, coupled with the horrible characters, I had to keep moving in order to know what was in store in the next part. I really admire a book like this that can me going and make me want to come back it.

Many thanks to netgalley, the publishers and the author for this wonderful ARC in return for my review.

This book was not for me. It switches between too many POVs and yet the characters were all one dimensional and we didn't get to know them well enough for me to care about them. I found it a slow boring read and you know everything that is happening so there are no twists and turns. Not sure I would call it a thriller.