Good Bad Girl is an intriguing domestic thriller with multiple points of view. Twenty years a go a baby is stolen. Years later Edith is living in a care home desperate to escape, Patience works at the home and befriends Edith, Clio is no longer speaking to her mother; meanwhile a murder occurs and an investigation is under way to solve it. Is there a connection and if so what is it?

Alice Feeney is an author whose books I have devoured ever since her debut. You can always expect an unexpected, twisty thriller. It took me a while to get used to all the characters but once I did the story flowed well. I really enjoyed the deception and mystery throughout, however I did feel this was a bit too much of a slow burn for me and it took me a while to really get in to the story. I did work out some of the twists but there were a couple I did not see coming! Overall, although not my favourite of the author’s books, I did enjoy it once I got in to the story and I can see plenty of readers loving this, especially those that enjoy slow burn domestic thrillers. I will definitely be waiting patiently for her next novel! 3.5 stars. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this copy in return for an honest review.

4.5 rounded up

The world is full of people who are good at being bad and those who are bad at being good and sometimes bad things happen to good people who are forced to do bad. On Mother’s Day twenty years ago during a lapse in concentration, a baby is taken. In the present day, it’s another Mother’s Day and Frankie is struggling, her child is missing and she’s all alone in the world. She doesn’t trust people, she has no reason to, and thus she keeps her distance. Meanwhile, eighty year-old Edith, tricked into Windsor Care Home is plotting her escape, especially as she believes her friend May has been murdered. She has developed a strong bond with Patience who works at the Home as a general dogsbody. Despite being aware that Patience is not exactly truthful, Edith needs her help, especially as she and her daughter Clio are not speaking. Four women, two murders, three suspects and one victim.

Although this is a slow burner, domestic drama/thriller which initially takes a little while to get going as the four main characters and their relationships are established, I think this may be Alice Feeney’s cleverest novel yet. This is by no means her darkest novel, but the premise is excellent as she explores the good/bad idea through an examination of motherhood, especially those struggling with situations such as postpartum depression. It is extremely thought-provoking and so perceptively observed with some sentences that really resonate and jump out at me, so I read them several times over. This is one Alice Feeney novel that deserves a re-read as I’m sure I’ll have missed some clever nuances along the way.
It also makes you reflect on your own experiences of motherhood.

Once each of the four characters threads start to connect so cleverly this is when the Queen of the Twisty twist revs up and gets going, delivering some real slam dunkers. She continues to surprise me right to the very end with one jaw dropping revelation – nicely played! Here we have characters who have much to conceal with secrets piling on secrets and how each links to the other is very well done. It’s highly entertaining watching the truth wriggle it’s way reluctantly to the surface and seeing how that all plays out. The author keeps you in suspense time after time so scenarios retain their air of mystery. The characterisation is exemplary, each one is well fleshed out and has there own unique voice and personality with their own shades of good and bad. The ending is good, a little bit sad and a little bit glad.

Alice Feeney has carved her own niche in this genre, each of her novels is different and I have no doubt she’s got another bestseller to add to the mounting list. Be patient with this one, it’s so worth it.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Pan Macmillan for the much appreciated are in return for an honest review.

I was hooked from the first page and the last line was a *chefs kiss*. This is an interesting thriller with multiple points of view, with helpful illustrations so it’s not confusing. I think my favourite Alice Feeney book.

Another corker by Alice Feeney! A story told by multiple characters, Patience, Frankie, Edith and Clio, starting with a baby going missing on Mother’s Day 20 years prior. The plot centralises around young care worker Patience, working in a care home where Edith has been placed in without consent by her daughter, Clio. Frankie’s daughter has runaway and is desperate to find her. For some unknown reason, she is also seen at the care home. Then the care home manager, miserable Joy is murdered and DCI Chapman investigates and is fixated on there being three suspects, two murders and one victim. They are all liars, and the truth needs to be told.
In typical Alice Feeney style, the plot builds up and the characters lives are interlinked, with plenty of twists to keep you guessing and need to know more right until the end.

“The world is full of people who are good at being bad, and people who are bad at being good”

Two murders, one victim, three suspects and a missing baby. How are they all entwined, though?

I’m not crying… Wow! What a page turner! You know that feeling, it’s late at night, your eyes are drooping but you keep saying “just five more minutes”, well that was me with this book! I absolutely DEVOURED it. My jaw dropped with a “Whaaaaaat?!?” SO many times and even at 95% there was a twist I didn’t see coming.
I didn’t expect a mystery/thriller to make me cry though, it’s utterly tragic in places and the trauma involved with each character is very real.

5 stars, I’d happily read from this author again.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me access to an advanced copy.

An ok read. First book I have read by this author.
Thanks for the opportunity to read & review it.

I have read of all authors previous books, Daisy Darker being favourite so was very excited to read this ARC, thanks for the chance.
As with all her previous work there is sinister simmering all the way though the novel that keeps your interest. I was however not sold on the story or the characters. It was good read and I loved note to the love of books.
Passed an afternoon and kept my interest but felt I have read better from the author.

Alice Feeney has always been a hit or miss author for me. When I saw this ARC I decided to request it and had in my mind that this would be my make or break with her.

This is one of those books that you spend the first 80% of it in a constant state of confusion. The story is told through the perspective of a number of women, Edith who is in a care home, her daughter Clio who appears to hate her mother, Patience who works at the home and Frankie who works in a prison and is also a patient of Clio (a therapist). And this all relates to a missing child who was stolen from her pram about 20 years ago. Confused? Yeah I was too, but thankfully the author does a good job of keeping you interested, dropping little bombs along the way before coming to a satisfying conclusion which ties it all together well.

Thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

On the whole, I enjoyed this read and the mystery and intrigue at its heart. Feeney introduces us to a group of characters and we are unsure how they are all connected but as the book goes on, the connections are revealed. I liked this aspect however I did think a lot of it was obvious, having said that Feeney did throw in some surprises which ramped up the excitement a bit. I enjoyed how this was written, it is engaging and drew me in and kept my attention throughout. The characters are good, I liked that they were mysterious and learning about their secrets was entertaining.
Overall 'Good Bad Girl' is an enjoyable, engaging read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an advance copy.

“The world is full of people who are good at being bad, and people who are bad at being good”🐞

First of all I would just like to thank NetGalley, Alice Feeney and Pan Macmillan for an ARC of “Good Bad Girl” in exchange for an honest review.

I struggled for a while on what to rate this. I found this quite slow paced and a struggle to get through initially. However, everything that is in this book is needed so that the intricately twisty plot can unfurl later on. I will say though that at the end of every chapter there is a cleverly placed cliffhanger to keep you on your toes, which I loved.

This book is told from multiple POV’s and through several unreliable narrators. Alice Feeney’s writing is absolutely brilliant. There are so many though-provoking and wonderful quotes in this book that I just didn’t expect.

The plot of this book must have been so convoluted to produce but it is done so masterfully and with exquisite ingenuity. It’s actually mind-baffling to think about. Alice Feeney truly is an ingenious writer.

I loved all the emotion that’s packed into this book as well. It’s not just a twisty thriller, there are several heart-wrenching moments littered throughout that will stick with me.

100% recommend to everyone, this book is brilliant.

“People always have choices, they just pretend not to in order to feel better about making bad ones”🐞

I really felt i had to concentrate on this intriguing tale.
Numerous female characters whose lives were entwined.
I enjoyed working out who was good and bad and who was lying.
A fabulous read which i highly recommend.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

I loved this book. Alice Feeney is one if my favourite authors because she knows how to write amazing stories. Good Bad Girl is another cracking read. I really enjoyed the difference in perspective from each of the characters and loved how they all came together at the end. Thank you for my advanced copy, I thoroughly enjoyed it

Good Bad Girl by Alice Feeney is my first book I have read by this author and WOW it did not disappoint. It was gripping and suspenseful thriller full of secrets, lies, and murder. It is told from 3 different perspectives which keeps the tension building. 20 years ago a baby went missing now a murder in a care how are these three strangers linked to that missing baby and who is a killer.

This was a fantastic thriller which I highly recommend to everyone. It had me on the edge of seat until the very end I really didn’t know who to trust as everyone was telling lies. Excellent!

Received and read in a day…

I have to start with a disclaimer: I love everything Alice Feeney has written and this is the first time I’ve been approved to read an advance copy. I was (as always) worried about reading her new novel as Rock, Paper, Scissors has been the best book I’ve read in years and is the book I’ve re-read and bought as gifts for so many people. I also loved Daisy Darker equally.

Although this feels like a departure from her previous style, this book is a gripper. Told from multiple POV, it starts with a baby disappearing from a supermarket. We get to meet Edith (a nursing home resident), Patience (an employee at the home and a runaway), Clio (Edith’s daughter), Frankie (a prison librarian who is searching for her missing daughter) and Theo (a gallery owner).

What follows is a twisted tale of emotional lives that intersect and combine- the reader has to work to find out how these strong yet vulnerable women are linked.

I feel like this is a very personal and emotional book for Alice Feeney to write and her feelings come to life with her words. Very different but a wonderful read. If you get it, be ready to clear your diary, pick a comfy chair and prepare to read it in one sitting.

Already recommended friends add it to their pre-order list. Thank you so much to the publishers and Netgalley for the opportunity to read in exchange for my independent review.

A woman looks away briefly, and her baby is stolen from her stroller. 20 years later, on Mother's Day, a woman is murdered in a care home. How are the two events connected?

More of a family drama than a thriller per re, Feeney once again delivers an absorbing read. This book is not as dark as some of her stories, but for me it provided a welcome change of style, and it showcases her versatility as a writer.

A key theme of the book is motherhood, and it includes a look at postpartum depression. The story takes a little time to warm up, primarily because there are 4 points of view featured here, and the connections between the various characters are not immediately evident (though the reader can have some fun trying to figure it all out!)

So we have Edith, who's in an old people's home, where she is convinced that her daughter Clio has decided to dump her because she just can't be bothered with her anymore. Edith develops a good relationship with Patience, who's a young caregiver at the home, but she has no idea about Patience's hidden agenda.

Meanwhile Frankie works at a prison, and worries about her daughter, who has recently run away from home. The characters all have their own understandable preoccupations, but as mentioned earlier, Feeney takes her time clarifying the connections between them.

The slow start is more than made up for in the second half of the book, when things really take off. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and look forward to the next book from the talented Alice Feeney.

I love Alice Feeney soooo much! She quickly became one of my favourite authors. This book was super entertaining again even though I needed a little bit of time to get into this book because of the different POV's. I do believe that Rock Paper Scissors will always be my favourite but I absolutely loved this one too and it also felt a little bit different from her other books. But not in a bad way! Looking forward to read more books by her.

"Good Bad Girl" by Alice Feeney delivers a gripping and suspenseful tale of secrets, lies, and the search for the truth. Two decades after a baby is stolen, a murder in a care home sparks a connection between the two crimes, leading to a web of deceit and intrigue.

The story unfolds through the perspectives of Edith, an elderly woman determined to escape the nursing home, and Patience, a caregiver who harbours her own hidden agenda. As their paths intertwine, trust becomes scarce and the mystery deepens. Clio, Edith's estranged daughter, also plays a crucial role, facing a new threat that unravels her own past.

Alice Feeney masterfully crafts a complex and twist-filled narrative, keeping readers on edge with every turn of the page. The characters are well-developed, each with their own secrets and motivations that add layers of suspense to the plot.

"Good Bad Girl" explores themes of family, betrayal, and the lengths people will go to protect their loved ones. With multiple murders, a missing baby, and a tangle of connections to unravel, this psychological thriller will keep readers guessing until the very end. Alice Feeney's skilful storytelling and well-paced suspense make "Good Bad Girl" a compelling and satisfying read for fans of the genre.

What an intricately woven tale that had me on the edge of my seat! I stayed up until the early hours so I could finish it. The story is told from multiple points of view and I couldn’t ever work out how things were going to pull together, which made it so much more exciting. I’m going to call it and say that this is Alice’s best book yet!

First of all thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc

Unfortunately this was a dnf for me, the plot and characters were difficult to follow and it was so slow I was just bored and didn’t want to read anymore of the story