@currentlyreading__
Book 53 of 2023

Totally up to date with all of the @alicewriterland right now due to this fabulous arc of 'Good Bad Girl' sent by @netgalley so a big thank you for that. This is published on 3rd August and if you have this on pre-order you're in for a treat - we have murder, deception, dysfunctional family dynamics and the twists we all know, love and expect from Feeney.

Twenty years ago a baby was stolen from a pram on Mother's Day and almost two decades later a woman is murderd in a care home. Somehow, these two events are linked and we as the readers sort the seemingly disparate pieces of the jigsaw and then slowly but surely, these are joined together but I must admit, I am slow to join the pieces but that makes it even more exciting when I do get to that final denouement.

Chapters were short in that classic 'just one more chapter' sort of way; moving between the settings of an art gallery, a houseboat, a prison, a care-home and a beautiful pink house. Characters are all linked and even though the first few pages were quite confusing in ascertaining who's who, but I absolutely loved it when I'd sussed out the characters and could move between each of their tales and figuring out who's good, who's bad and who's an amalgamation of the two.

A brilliant suspenseful domestic drama I have thoroughly enjoyed as well as my discussions with fellow arc reader @the_amateur_book_reviewer. She was a lot quicker than me on picking up the little clues hidden by Feeney!




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Everybody has a mother, but not everybody has a mother’s love.

The story is set two decades after a baby is snatched from a stroller, and later a woman is murdered in a care home. The two crimes are somehow interconnected, and the plot unfolds in this backdrop as the characters navigate their secrets, lies, and the quest for truth. The care home plays a vital role in the events and revelations that occur throughout the novel.

Despite being deceived into residing in a nursing home, eighty-year-old Edith is determined to plan her escape. Patience, who works at the care home, finds solace in cleaning up and bonding with Edith, as they share a kindred spirit. However, Patience conceals the truth from Edith on various fronts. Clio, Edith's own daughter, chooses not to communicate with her. Furthermore, someone with ill intentions is poised to knock on Clio's door.

The novel revolves around the long-held secrets and lies of its characters. They have been concealing the truth about their past, and as the narrative unfolds, additional secrets are unearthed. It also delves into the complex dynamics between mothers and daughters, examining the reasons behind the strained relationship between Clio and her mother.

Throughout the story, the characters continuously question whom they can trust, wrestling with their identities and the consequences of their past. The theme of redemption and the possibility of atoning for past mistakes are also explored. The characters are compelled to confront their pasts and seek reconciliation for their actions.

The care home setting in "Good Bad Girl" adds to the overall sense of suspense, mystery, and psychological depth within the novel. It intensifies the feeling of confinement, heightens the intrigue, and serves as a symbolic representation of the internal struggles faced by the characters.

"Good Bad Girl" by Alice Feeney is a captivating novel that delves into the complexities of mother-daughter relationships. The author's trademark twists kept me hooked, and I found the plot to be immersive and personal.

I am an Alice Feeney fan and she’s one of the authors whose new books always shoot to my ‘I must read this ASAP’ list. Saying that, I unfortunately didn’t love her last book (Daisy Darker) so I was curious about whether I would enjoy this one - I pretty much inhaled it in a handful of sittings so I think that answers that!

Honesty time: I had no idea what the hell was going on for the first few chapters. The story is split into the perspectives of four women: Frankie, Patience, Edith and Cleo, and it definitely took me some time to feel confident about who was who and how they were all connected. But once I had a handle on that, I genuinely flew through this book! The suspense was tangible, the chapters were short and packed a punch and there were twists that I didn’t see coming. There were also some truly emotional moments that touched me and made certain events click into place.

I don’t know if I would peg this as a thriller, it felt more of a domestic mystery to me - one that is well-written, intricately plotted and entirely gripping 👏🏻

Thank you to Pan Macmillan, Netgalley and the author for an E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting read. Lots of twists and turns and a twist towards the end. I sort of guessed a lot of the story but it was a good read nonetheless. #GoodBadGirl #NetGalley.

I’ve enjoyed the author’s books, but I didn’t have a connection with this one perhaps I was expecting it to be more psychological and twisty like her usual style. There are four female characters that are intertwined through hidden secrets and each with their own story to tell. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy

🐞 Sometimes bad things happen to good people, so good people have to do bad things.
Alice Feeney

🐞 THREE SUSPECTS, TWO MURDERS, ONE VICTIM

🐞 Pick this up if you like/ don’t mind:
📌 domestic thriller
📌 slow burn murder mystery
📌 short chapters
📌 multiple POVs
📌 alternating timelines
📌 binge worthy read
📌 unexpected twists and turns
📌 talk about post natal depression, motherhood and mother daughter relationship

🐞 Alice Feeney is an auto buy author for me. I will read anything written by her even if it’s a book about accounting. ROCK PAPER SCISSORS ✂️ is one of my favourite thriller. Talking about the book, the start was a bit confusing. I actually lost few of my brain cells trying to figure out who is who. Personally I don’t like it when the books confuse you but it’s quite the opposite when it comes to Alice Feeney’s books. It made me turn the pages faster and finished the book in two sittings. Few of the plot twists were predictable while rest came as a total surprise. However they weren’t jaw dropping like Alice Feeney previous books.

🐞 In short this book was quite DIFFERENT from Alice Feeney’s previous work but it was an enjoyable read. Thanks NetGalley for the eARC.

This is a really interesting and gripping book which is so cleverly told and the plot so very well unfolded that I was surprised and nearly every turn.

Told by many narrators we hear about a baby taken from her pram, an elderly lady in a care home, a book lover obsessed with counting, a counsellor unable to face her own demons and a young girl who tries to help others when she has been let down.

Highly recommended and definitely one of the best from this author.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan for allowing me to read an arc of this book.
I’ve only read Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney so far which I absolutely loved, so was eager to read more by this author.
I really enjoyed this one as well, and think Feeney does an incredible job of creating twists and turns that you never see coming.
All throughout this book I was trying to figure it out, and just when I thought I had it all worked out another plot twist came along to create more tension and suspense.
I didn’t know who I was supposed to like in the book as everyone has secrets, and you never quite know if you can trust any of the characters, but I did find myself hoping for the best for all of them.
I did really love Edith and of course Dickens, because who doesn’t love a dog really?!
We see each main characters POV throughout the book, so we get a different perspective on the past and present which helps to build the plot really well, and gives an insight into how the disappearance of the baby has shaped everyone’s lives.
Overall it was a good story, well written and fast paced, so worth a read.

Four women find themselves tangled up in a decades long series of secrets and lies in this twisty and captivating thriller. Alice Feeney is a master of weaving together storylines and never fails to produce a gripping read!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

A superb psychological thriller that covers so many aspects in one story. The story centres around Edith, the store detective in the care home and Patience one of the auxiliary staff at the care home. It shows clearly what family betrayal can really stoop down to and Clio, Edith's daughter, really had me fooled. The book begins with such a strong description of all the characters that it is easy to feel that you know them personally. The story shifts from the baby abduction 20 years prior to the current events so well that it is easy to try to guess the final outcomes, but although some are there to be seen, there are still many hidden twists that keep the reader on their toes. The Ladybird connections throughout is such a lovely touch/
A great author who writes in truly spellbound manner.

Good bad girl centres around four women Frankie, Patience, Clio and Edith and how they are linked to two seemingly separate crimes: the kidnapping of a baby from a supermarket and a murder in a care home twenty years later.

In classic Alice Feeney style, this story was extremely twisty and fast paced meaning I devoured this book in one sitting. I loved that all the characters had secrets and the use of unreliable narrators made the reveals even more shocking.

This is the fifth Alice Feeney book I’ve read and I’m yet to be disappointed. She’s definitely an auto-buy author for me!

2.5/5 stars.

Finishing this book almost finished me!
Felt like I was reading a cocky book, it was overly complicated to the point of bragging while all it really needed was to tone it down a few notches, filter out some details and cut off some pages.

It had too many indistinguishable (at least in the beginning) povs, too many confusing time jumps, too many unnecessary repetitive details and for how predictable it was it went on for too long.

It took massive amounts of willpower to convince myself to even finish this and I can’t really say the ending was worth it.

Thank you NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the digital ARC!

Apparently disparate and chaotic characters become embroiled in a murder at a care home. Ideal for readers who enjoy character-led, unusual thrillers. It will do well.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.

Sometimes good people do bad things. A sentiment I’m sure we all agree with. The question is: Who are the good people, and what did they do?

Initially we meet Edith. An apparently spritely 80yr old, who lives unwillingly in a nursing home. Edith paints the reader a picture of her situation, then we meet Clio, her daughter. Clio helps us to see another angle of reality, shifting the narrative from what Edith would have us believe. We meet two other women, Frankie, and Patience, who are closely linked, but are estranged from each other. All four women are inextricably bound together.
Each of these women are absolutely trying their utmost to keep trudging on through their lives. Each having faced challenges and made decisions, which still shape their lives. Long reaching effects of the loss of a baby twenty years ago, taken from it’s pram.

Alice Feeney writes with excellent characterisation. I felt empathy for each character, with the exception of Jude, a man with no redeeming features.
Frankie intrigued me instantly. She has clearly suffered loss, and now uses coping mechanisms to ward off anxiety, to anchor herself in the here and now. Though my favourite character is naturally Dickens, all authors should give their books a lovable four footed character.

As is usual with thriller books, we know that all of these characters must be linked. As these links started to show themselves, I expected things to become clearer, but nothing came into focus. The strands of the story are so fine and delicate, they feel barely tangible, like silk in a spider’s web. You know they are there, they exist, but it is difficult to see. Then the author drip feeds a nugget, a tiny detail, and a little something clicks into place. The picture becomes ever so slightly clearer.

Good Bad Girl is a slow burning, satisfying read. 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I liked it!!! The suspense around how the 4 women are linked keeps you reading, you think you know what’s going on but then there’s another curve ball.

I personally liked the way the historical event was weaved in throughout the book, sometimes this is done and doesn’t work but this was done so well.

To sum this up, family drama, mystery, intrigue, betrayal… it’s all there!!

I would recommend this book, thank you to Pan MacMillan and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book!

I am so pleased to have an early arc of this book! I adore Alice Feeney a this made my day.

I was hooked from the get go with this book! It’s quite fast paced, and reads like it’s set over a really short time period. There are some elements where we go back to an event that happened at another time (won’t spoil anything!) and I was searching for clues from the outset! It’s a fab book and I think it’ll do really well.

I did guess parts of this book towards the second half. The first half had me guessing with so many theories going on regarding who was who, how everyone was linked and how the story connects but the clues starting falling into place and I did guess what I think was supposed to be the “big reveal”. I dropped a star for that reason as I wasn’t as hoodwinked as I thought I was going to be.

I love how the story linked together and I found the character linking to be very clever. I particularly enjoyed that I couldn’t decide who I liked and who I didn’t. Everyone seemed so u trustworthy at one point or another in this book! Fab book overall.

Thank you Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Twenty years ago, a baby was stolen from a pushchair. In the present day, a women is murdered in a care home. It appears these two crimes are linked in some way, but how?

I thought the book was okay, but I found it was missing the wow factor Alice Feeney’s books usually have. In the acknowledgments, Feeney mentions how she had suffered a heart break in her personal life when she started writing this book and I think it really shows.

There was much more of a family focus in the book and the story explores relationships in much more depth than her usual books. Even though there were twists and turns in the story, I felt the plot was edging away slightly from being a typical thriller.

I loved the little drawings at the start of each chapter, it was something I’ve not seen in a long time. Even though personally I only found this an okay read, I think it’s an excellent one to try if you’re trying to get into thrillers.

A baby girl being abducted in a supermarket begins a story that is inspired by a mother's love for her daughter. A difficult and complicated relationship especially given the secrets and pain they can hide behind inside them.

The story revolves about four women, one living in a care home, one working there, one living in a pink house and one living on a boat house. One common thing about them is that they are all suspected for the murder of a woman in the care home.

The story is faced paced and filled with clues along the way. The mystery and connections are beautiful build up arriving perfectly to a conclusion without leaving anything unanswered.

I was wondering the whole time I was reading it and I loved the way the story was set, giving special attention behind a mother's love for her daughter and a daughter's for her mother.

I have read several books by this author and I honestly think this one is the best she has written up to day.


* I received an ARC and this is my honest opinion.

Good Bad Girls is a very enjoyable read.Full of twists and turns some of which I didn't expect .Four women are the main characters and each have their own story to tell which makes them very interesting characters .A very surprising twist near the end and a good ending ,a great read .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley, Pan Macmillan, Macmillan and Alice Feeney for an arc e-copy of Good Bad Girl in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This story is following Edith, Patience, Clio and Frankie as we follow the story of mothers Days Past and Present and unravel the mystery of a missing baby and murder.

This is my first Alice Feeney book and I cannot wait to read more from them, I have already bought Daisy Darker. The story is told in such a unique way, it kept me on my toes and literally had me shouting 'What the' (which is only slightly embarrassing to be doing at work when it's quiet). I flew through this book in 2 days, it is such a quick and easy read, I would have happily read on for many more pages about the characters.