This was almost a dnf as I found it very unsettling and hard to read but at the same time it was an addictive, well written book that made for a challenging read. The hard subject matters were covered well and also made for an eye opening read, having seen what's been in the news over the years its so close to the truth. I'm glad I stuck with it as I did enjoy it, despite it being an emotionally tough read for me personally.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC

The Girls are Good follows Martina and her teammates from an Italian gymnastics squad to a European competition in Romania. It documents their struggles as professional athletes; keeping slim and training past the point of injury, to the abuse they suffer at the hands of those in positions of power around them and the criticism of both self, team mates and others. It’s a week of intense competition and by the end of the week, one of the gymnasts will be dead.

Let me start by telling you this book is really messed up. I know some parts of it are probably a really sad realistic representation of what the world is like for professional gymnasts but it was so dark and twisted that at times I struggled to read it. I wouldn’t say it was enjoyable and the mental health problems of the girls made it really hard to read. I can honestly say I’ve never read something like this before, but I’d be really interested in hearing what actual professional gymnasts think of it!

Some hard themes here but very appropriate given that this book isn’t all that far from what we know can be the truth in competitive sports and specifically gymnastics. An addictive read that really shocks! Definitely dark and truly horrific in places but an absolutely fantastic book that I could not put down

This book was eye opening in not a good way, I found it really tough to read at times especially given the similar stories that have come out of the UK and the US in recent years, and though it was short, it meant I had to pause quite often and it took me a while to read. It wasn't what I expected (murder mystery/thriller set to the back drop of a competition) but perhaps that's not a bad thing. Overall I can't say I particularly enjoyed it but I would recommend it to anyone who wants a more in depth look at the world of competitive gymnastics or simply wants to read something enlightening...if that's the word?!

The Girls Are Good is a harrowing look at the tough life of a professional gymnast and her troupe as they attend a competition in Romania. There are themes of abuse, eating disorders and bullying. It really reminded me of the Larry Nassar case and I wonder if this was part of the inspiration? I found the book quite hard to read at times as the girls are so neglected by the adults in the novel. They are cruel to each other yet you feel soul crunchingly sorry for them and disappointed with humanity. The book takes it day by day over the competition period which means there is a lot of in-depth analysis of day to day life. I can't really say it was an enjoyable read, it was however, enlightening.

The Girls Are Good follows a gymnastics team as they travel to Romania to compete… and by the end of the week one of them will be dead.

It’s a short but super intense book which is very erratic and can sometimes be a struggle to read in parts. The central character is Martina, a young girl who is sexually abused by her coach and bullied by her peers for being poor.

It’s a very bleak look at how child athletes often have their childhoods stolen away - they are pressured to be the best and look the best and don’t get the chance to actually be children.

It covers quite a few triggering topics so beware before reading.

This hits hard from almost the very first page, particularly given recent stories about girls treatment in UK gymnastics and the horror that was revealed about Larry Nasser in the US. It’s well handled here and exposes so much of what lies behind a completion sport like this. With shades of Megan Abbot; and Erin Kelly’s Watch her Fall this is an accomplished thriller

Holy smokes, this hit hard. Especially because I was expecting a YA murder mystery/thriller set in the world of elite gymnastics. I was thinking it’d be the one of the top gymnasts murdered and who did it and how, but no, that is not at all what this novel is about. Instead, the murder barely figures into the story. Really, it is a deep, dark, harrowing look at the realities of elite gymnastics and the abuse and trauma these athletes endure. The main character is Martina, a member of an Italian national gymnastics team that is travellng to Romania for an international competition with the goal of eventually qualifying for the Olympics. The level of backbiting and bitterness among the teammates is eye-opening, as is the abuse and neglect suffered at the hands of the team physiotherapist and their coach. This was hard to read and makes me feel a little guilty at how much I have enjoyed watching gymnastics competitions without giving much thought to what these athletes suffer and put themselves through.

For fans of The Virgin Suicides and anything by Megan Abbott, in the wake of the abuse scandals coming out of gymnastics and #metoo, this gripping novel about a team of teenage italian gymnasts and the lengths they'll go to, to win and be ever more perfect is eye-opening, but given how women are pressured to be perfect at everything, not shocking.

The Girls Are Good by Ilaria Bernadini is a story filled with rivalry and obsession set in the cut throat world of elite level international gymnastics. Martina is a young Italian gymnast, a member of the international team who is travelling to Romania with her teammates and coaches to compete, with the long term goal of making the national Olympic team. She is dedicated and determined to succeed but knows that despite her training and ambition she lacks the natural talents of some of her teammates, particularly Carla and Nadia, and they are not afraid to let her know about all her faults in minute detail. Over the course of a week long competition Martina and her team mates tread a fine line between supporting one another and competing against one another, and all the nuances of the complicated relationships and rivalries make for compelling reading. The author tackles some difficult subject matter, including physical and sexual abuse, bullying both physical and psychological and disordered eating , so readers should be prepared for some tough scenes on the page. The book was described as a psychological thriller , but really it was more of a character study , and a gripping one at that.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

A Harrowing but well-written look into the world of gymnastics and the pressures and horrors they face. I was hooked from the beginning of the read but I felt that having each chapter be one day, left them feeling very long to get through.

Thank you to for sending me a copy of this🫶🏼

The Girls Are Good is a psychological thriller set in the world of professional gymnastics. Having done gymnastics when I was younger (definitely not at professional level😂), I was so interested in reading this. It’s such an unsettling and harrowing read about the vulnerability of young gymnasts. Written from the perspective of Martina, the story follows an Italian female team competing at a competition, providing an insight into the challenges they are all facing, including sexual assault, eating disorders, compulsions and ways to deal with their trauma. Martina clearly portrays bitterness, jealousy and rivalry towards her team mates and other competitors as she tried to succeed in the competition.

Covering physical, emotional and psychological damage and abuse, it is such an impactful read and I ended up reading it in two sittings because once I’d gotten into it I just couldn’t stop. It’s just over 200 pages so good if you’re looking for a quick read! It definitely isn’t an easy read, but it’s completely embers immersive and will keep you hooked!

If you enjoyed My Dark Vanessa then I would recommend this one!!🤍

4⭐️ from me🫶🏼

The plot sounds very interesting and bitchy. Makes for an intriguing read, short as well.

Starts with a team of young teenagers who’s life are based on gymnastics. They are from Italy heading off to Romania to compete to get into the Olympics. Death is mentioned at the start of this novel.

You’d expect this to be a thriller however throughout the bitchiness and a lot of trigger / awkward subjects I didn’t feel too compelled to continue reading this as it wasn’t too fun in my experience.

I appreciate the attempts though.

This was a DNF for me. I found the issues confronted by the female gymnasts depressing and exploitative. I did not enjoy reading about their lives, I’m sorry to say.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this title.

I don’t know a lot about gymnastics. However, as the mother of a young girl, it felt like a rite of passage to sign her up to lessons when she was younger and sit and watch her for an hour a couple of times a week as she attempted to master a cartwheel. By the time she was in Year 4, she’d decided it wasn’t for her.

Relieved is probably the best word for describing how I felt when she told me. I had become increasingly concerned about the pressure that was being put on the kids by the club and their parents. There was an intensity, a focus on winning, that I found uncomfortable, and a hierarchy that pitted child against child and elevated those that were good to a status where other children were supposed to ‘make way’ so they could use the equipment when they wanted for as long as they wanted.

I appreciate that this won’t be everyone’s experience and it may just have been the club my daughter attended. But reading The Girls are Good (at the same time that more and more stories of abuse of gymnasts are appearing in the papers) brought back memories I had been happy to leave behind. And made me think that maybe there is something unhealthy about the sport, and the desire to win at all odds.

The world Ilaria Bernardini has created is dark and deadly. It feels like a real – if exaggerated – reflection of what gymnasts who have spoken out are describing. There is no love, no loyalty, just the desire to win at all costs (although there are lots of flowery words that mask the truth). If there is physical harm, you get through it. If there is mental harm, you ignore it. You keep going no matter what. And yet the girls keep going because this is all they know, all they’ve known since they were little.

This desire, this pressure to succeed, comes across in every page. As I read it, I felt weighed down by the expectations the coaches were putting on the gymnasts and the gymnasts were putting on each other. At times, it actually felt unbearable. And it made reading the book hard – I put it down several times because it all felt too much – too dark, too harsh, too ugly. I went back though because I needed to know if it was going to end the way I thought it had to (it did).

Now I’m left in a strange place. I didn’t like the characters (not one redeeming feature amongst them). I didn’t like the story (so dark, so unforgiving). But I did like the way it was written (because I felt the intense pressure the gymnasts were feeling; it was so unrelenting). As a result, I think I’ll be selective in who I recommend it to among my family and friends. But I will look out for other books by Bernardini because there’s a real writing talent there. 4 out of 5 stars.

A story with a powerful concept and subject, particularly with the awful scandals that have emerged in worldwide gymnastics in the last few years. Unfortunately the execution was lacking. The repetitive nature of the interactions, events and Martina's internal monologue, while reflective of the superstitious rituals/OCD of the young gymnasts, soon became a core to read. Coupled with the slow pace no talk tension developed until the very end which produced a climax that was too predictable to pack any real punch.

Potential trigger warnings; sexual abuse, eating disorders, body dysmorphia and OCD.
I wanted to love this book because the synopsis sounded as though it was full of the darker themes that come with the competitive atmosphere of young women in sport. I have read similar topics in novels by Megan Abbott and Erin Kelly and found them to be dark but intriguing and most importantly gripping. Unfortunately I didn’t get the same sense of urgency from this novel.
The main character, Martina, is at a gymnastics tournament and the ruthless competition is palpable but Martina is overwrought with anxiety. I think I would have enjoyed Martina more if she were set as her own personality but instead one moment she fears these girls on her team and the other she imitates their cruel ways. At times I felt so uncomfortable with the way these girls act and speak, because her teammates aren’t just self centered, often they are just brutal in misplacing their own insecurities.
I felt like the twist of murder in such a competitive atmosphere might have saved the plotline for me but I just wish it hadn’t have been so rushed and concise in regards to the book as a whole.

A stark, unsettling insight to the world of professional gymnastics. Subject matters of abuse, mental health and teenage vulnerability were well tackled and made for a challenging read. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC

The premise of this book grabbed me from the start: the murky world of female gymnastics, with all its competitiveness and intensity. There were bits of the book that I really enjoyed, such as the complexities of the relationships between team mates and the insight into training regimes. The writing was bare and powerful, with a lot implied but unsaid, and the author does a great job of building tension.

That said, I did get a bit bored three quarters of the way through the book. The tension had been built up by this point and I felt this section of the book before the climax was just drawing out the tension unnecessarily.

All in all, I’d say this was a good book that will make a really good TV drama (almost skandi-noir style) but not a book that I’d rave about.

I found this book to be such a compelling read and I raced through it in just one day! I was totally absorbed in this darker side of gymnastics and had the chilling opening line in my mind throughout as I was reading. This is because it tells us how in seven days time there will be a dead gymnast!

I loved how this story was set over one week in the snowy location of Romania as Martina and her fellow Italian teammates compete in an intense competition against other countries’ formidable gymnastics teams! It is evident just how much of an obsession the sport is to these athletes and everyone is determined to win. They are truly tested to the limit and as they know only too well, any sign of weakness can spell the end of their dreams.

The narrator of this story is teenager Martina, who wants to be the best gymnast in the world; as does everyone else around her! She was so brilliant at showing the darkness and damaging side of gymnastics and there are so many elements of this book which make for shocking reading! The acknowledgements at the end of this book were very interesting in this regard and learning what the author’s basis for the book was.

It’s definitely a chilling and at times quite uncomfortable read, but I just couldn’t put it down as I was desperate to know what happened! The characters truly do have some damaging and cruel thoughts in this book! I was completely wrong too about my thoughts on who the dead gymnast would turn out to be and I’m glad that I was surprised in this way (it was only shortly before the truth was revealed that I worked out what was happening and who was behind it)!

This is a powerful and intense read, and one that I won’t forget!