This book goes through what a group of young girls endure in order to succeed in gymnastics. It’s not a secret that young girls and boys suffer so much to become successful in this profession, so when I saw the synopsis for this one and saw we also have a murder thrown in the mix I wanted to read it instantly!

I felt like most of the book was just going over the girls training, sleeping, eating, training, being bitches, training, repeat again. The murder part of the book was underwhelming at best, and you had to get through 75% of the book to even get there.

In conclusion, I have no idea what the hype is around this book.

Thanks NetGalley for an e-arc!

I really enjoyed this book, though it was not the easiest read. On the simplest level, it is about a small group of teenage gymnasts, and is told from the point of view of one of them, Martina, whose narrative is full of rivalry, jealousy, uncertainty, bitterness, and the rituals that help her manage the stress she is under as she battles for a place in the finals of competitions with her team. She is from a more underprivileged background than her teammates, two of whom have an intense and ultimately incredibly destructive relationship, one of them in awe of her more successful friend.

Beyond gymnastics and the intensity of teenage relationships, this book is about emotional, physical and psychological damage. The gymnasts are exploited in all sorts of ways by the people to whose care they are entrusted, and there are also uncomfortable questions around the extent to which they are complicit in their own damage - though the line is drawn somewhere short of the worst of the abuse, and the girls have clearly been left down by the people who are meant to be looking after them, including their own familiies.

The book is a challenging read not least because it contains echoes of the treatment meted out to many international gymnasts, that has recently come to light thanks to the bravery of many survivors. It made me question my own enjoyment of gymnastics as a sport, as I questioned the sacrifices made and suffering endured by its stars. At the same time, the book was completely engrossing, and i was completely. absorbed by the world of its protagonists. A really well written, immersive read, which I would really recommend!
Thank you to Net galley for the advance copy.

Told from the point of view of a fourteen year old gymnast and Olympic hopeful, this fast paced novel set over the course of one competition completely hooked me, I finished it in two days!

I felt like I needed to digest things before writing about it because it really impacted me. There are a lot of powerful themes - sexual assault, mental illness, perfectionism and bullying and all were explored in such a compelling way. I really felt like I got a window into competitive gymnastics and how children really have to give up expectations of a normal life from such a young age.

I loved this, strongly recommend

A raw and intriguing look into the competitive world of gymnasts. This book was actually written in 2010 by the Italian author, who is now re-writing it again into English I believe. While this is raw and unflinching read, the writing is taut and precise, the plot however was lacking. There is a lot going on here, you have an abusive physiotherapist, you have girls essentially starving themselves and acting out their insecurities. It’s a nasty world. However nothing is really resolved, there is no character growth.
I think it’s because I’ve listened to the podcast about Larry Nasar and other abusive men in the sports world, I thought there’d be more of a story. Some closure and resolution. There was sadly none. I think the problem for me was that this felt like a book written in 2010, and not 2022. It felt dated.

I’ve noticed this book all over Instagram lately, and the premise sounded ace, so I was beyond excited to read this. And it’s a short read, too. However, this ended up being rather...underwhelming 😪
This reminds me of Megan Abbott’s early novels which also explore themes of female adolescence and competitiveness. It also reminded me of Such Small Hands, the Spanish novella, in the way it treats the murder aspect - very European, very artsy. Not in a suspenseful thriller way at all.
So what’s this about? In a nutshell this follows out red-haired protagonist, as she flies with her team to Romania for a gymnast competition. So much is riding on this trip. The girls have trained their whole lives for this. This could be what gets them into the Olympics. We watch alongside our protagonist observe the knuckle cracking, the bitching, the harsh whispering and mocking behind-the-scenes.
First of all the murder aspect barely comes into the story. I was halfway through and wondering so when the murder going to happen? It doesn’t until the very end and the resolution is so underwhelming and tepid.
Second of all the adults are all awful in this one. I couldn’t believe that ALL ADULTS could be such idiots. You have the negligent coach, Rachele, and you have the pedophile physiotherapist, Alex. This could’ve been a MeToo read, however it wasn’t. Rachele is aware of what’s happening regarding Alex yet chooses to ignore it.
Third of all ALL of the female teenagers were vile!!!! Especially Nadia and Carla. I understand teenagers can be mean, but this was a whole other level. Which is fine. But it got so repetitive after a while with their constantly referring to everyone as dogs which leads to ⬇️
Fourth of all, there was hardly any plot. Literally we spend most of the novel just watching the girls train, eat, bitch around, sleep and repeat. It’s a pity because it started of well, but then I saw there was very little plot and just constant recycling of terrible people and their daily routine. Some plot would’ve been nice. Overall a disappointing read.

I’ve heard many good things about this novel from my publishing industry friends so I was intrigued to check it out. While definitely a tense rollercoaster of emotions, this wasn’t quite the novel it’s being promoted as. First of all this isn’t really a thriller - even though the opening line references a death of one of the girls, that doesn’t actually happen until the end and it’s pretty obvious what happened. It sort of reminded me of Leila Slimani’s Lullaby, in the sense that this is more character driven. A literary suspense, heavy on the literary.
In a nutshell this follows one protagonist, who is more of a passive observer type, as she watches her gymnast colleagues during a week in Romania. There is a competitive energy, as well as their physiotherapist being sexually abusive (trigger warning). Tensions come to a boil at the very end.
This wasn’t my kind of read, if I’m honest, but I liked how it was a window the world of competitive gymnastics and the gruelling training these girls go through.

Wow… During one week of intense competition, Martina and her teammates are tested to the limit, and any sign of weakness can quickly spell the end.
By the end of the week, one of the gymnasts will be dead. Every girl will do anything to win…but at what cost? This is a rapid-paced, compelling story with masterful execution. The constant action means there is never a dull moment

The writing is superb, the characters well developed and the story is dark and raw. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley, Ilaria Bernardini and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book, in exchange for an honest review!

This book contains insight into the horrific pressure young gymnasts are under. It covers body image, sexual abuse, mental abuse, and the impact on their mental and physical health. All of this is on top of toxic friendships and relationships, maintaining a family and social life balance, and other problems. The end shows how far someone can go when they're pushed and are under severe pressure. I'll be thinking about this book for a long time.

What a wild ride this book was! Set in the world of professional gymnastics, it shows the dangerous underbelly of this glorious sport. Loved it!

A whipsmart deadly thriller about obsession and perfection.
Perfect for the age of instagram and social media, The Girls Are Good is a well written, dark read that will keep you turning the pages, racing until the end, which will make you gasp.
With carefully considered writing on difficult themes such as SA and deeply intricate characters, The Girls Are Good is one you’ll be thinking about for long time.

Oh WOW. I started this book and was IMMEDIATELY HOOKED. I couldn't put it down.
Martina's character was so fully fleshed with her dreams, her hopes and her OCD like behaviours that showed the extent of the pressure she and her team were under.
The SA scenes were written with such sensitivity and I felt empowered with Martina when she decided to just stand up and rebel in the little ways.
The characters of Nadia and Clara reminded me of the characters from Bunny by Mona Awad- they were excellently written.
Overall, an amazing book with a jaw dropping ending. Absolutely loved it!

I don't think I've ever read a book quite like this before. The writing was so raw and gripping, yet no words were wasted. The writer has a true talent for the written word, and has developed a voice that is unique and compelling. I both admire and envy her. The plot was interesting, as was the insight into the world of competitive gymnastics. I gave it 4 stars, however, because I felt that whilst being dark and almost haunting, the plot wasn't developed enough for me and the characterisation was incomplete - I didn't really feel I understood why some of the girls behaved the way they did - what drove them, excited them, motivated them. I also don't think the abuse was explored enough.

The Girls are Good is the harrowing story of what young gymnasts must endure in order to succeed. The book follows a team of Italian girls at a gymnastics competition over the course of a week and discusses raw and potent issues including sexual assault, compulsions, disordered eating and trauma. Bernardini creates an addictive read laced with beautiful poetic moments. The protagonist’s narrative (Martina) was unrelentingly raw, emotional and so very thought-provoking. This impactful story has etched a lasting mark on me and I couldn’t recommend it enough. Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for providing an eARC in exchange for my honest review! :)

The Girls are Good was like nothing I have ever read before. A dark and harrowing story filled with equally dark and harrowing characters. The writing was weird but spectacular and managed to capture the intensity of the world the girls occupied.

Ilaria Bernardini's The Girls Are Good stars a team of young gymnasts determined to make it to the top. Our narrator, Martina, knows she isn't quite as talented as the best gymnasts on her team, and she's also on the outside of the tight, toxic friendship bonds that have formed over the years. During one week at an international competition, everything begins to unravel as the team face dangerous rivalries unlike those they've ever experienced before. The Girls Are Good has a worthy purpose; like Rachel Kapelke-Dale's The Ballerinas, it highlights obsession with body image, sexual abuse, and psychological pressure among women and girls working in these highly pressurised environments, all vital issues to discuss. But I am so tired of reading book after book where women and girls never get to experience any joy in their successes, even for a moment. The cumulative impact of these fictions, even though I acknowledge it's not their authors' intentions, is to suggest that Ambitious Women Meet Bad Ends, and that women and girls just shouldn't pursue success in the first place. The Girls Are Good also feeds into some familiar cliches about adolescent girls and their friendships by portraying close bonds between girls as unhealthy, and competitive girls as a bit unhinged. I would love to read a novel that celebrates women's happiness, talent and achievement beyond personal relationships, and so I found this novel dispiriting and depressing, even though it undoubtedly explores important truths about gymnastics.

I will post this review to my blog and to Goodreads nearer the publication date.

4+

This is brutal, and it does not let up.
I was a bit broken by these young, so very young girls, and how everyone failed them.
How they pushed themselves, and punished themselves,and each other.
I barely paused whilst reading this.
Packs an emotional punch.

The Girls are Good by Ilaria Bernardini

When I say I could not put this book down I mean it. I finished it in less than 12 hours. On the surface the book is about teenage gymnasts and the dedication to their sport but scratch the surface and their world is a much darker place. The book deals with sexual, and mental childhood abuse, eating disorders and lack of self worth all driven by the desire to succeed and how the adults around these young women fail to protect them. An interesting read from the child’s perspective.
5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
The book was gifted by netgalley but all views my own.

#thegirlsaregood #ilariabernadini

This is a stark, deep, in depth look at the thoughts, hopes, dreams, fears, emotions a d pressures of gymnast Martina who is setting off with her team to compete in the olympics. It shines a light on the gruelling conditions they put their lives through, both mentally and physically in order to be the best that they can be in order to compete.

It is an eye opening read for sure and the amount of studying and research that the author would have, had to have done in order to put the book together is extraordinary. It really shows thou because the book is written really well. You really feel for the characters and you really want them to win.

A deep and in-depth character story following fourteen year old gymnast Martina and her team as they set off for an international competition which could take them one step closer to the Olympics.

All told from Martina's perspective it takes us deep into Martina's mind, her hopes, dreams, fears and obsessions are laid bare. The character writing is exquisite.

The mental and physical pressures on the gymnasts are huge, and all involved get damaged. The writing is bleak, beautiful and absolutely compelling.

Definitely recommended. Not my typical type of book, but I'm so glad I read it.

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK