Wow. Had my hooked from the beginning. I couldn’t put this one down. Absolutely loved it! 10/10. Highly recommend

Thank you to NetGalley for an Arc of this book.

Nelly has hit some hard times in life. She is recently divorced and lost her teaching job of over 10 years. But her luck is about to turn around, or so she thinks. She landed a job across the country in Overland, a small town in Pennsylvania. During a charity run she meets the principal of her school as well as some of the other teachers. She immediately recognizes one of the teachers and the guy who tried to sexually assault her 20 years ago, back when they were teenagers. Nelly doesn’t come forward right away, she needs proof that it’s really Marshall, who goes by Emmett. The biggest problem, everyone loves Emmett and it seems like no one believes he could be behind all the strange things that keep happening to her. Can she prove that Emmett is really Marshall or is her past trauma just making her paranoid?

I thought the story was overall okay. I had some issues with word choice, like “deluded,” which the author used a lot. Then there was an unbelievable death towards the end. I also had a third issue but don’t want to spoil it for those who want to give this book a try.

TW: sexual assault, divorce

This was a really good book. The story had me gripped from the first page and I stayed up after midnight to finish.

The plot was thought out and I was on edge and couldn’t add up the pieces until the end.

The characters were well written. I felt sorry for the main character Nelly and everything she went through and not being believed. (please check trigger warnings!)

Would definitely recommend.

The Good Teacher kept me wanting to keep reading, the ending could of been better but overall it was a good read.

Nelly Peak's story is one heck of a ride. Fresh from a tough divorce, she steps into her new job at Overland Middle School, hoping for a fresh start. But oh boy, does she get more than she bargained for when she comes face to face with her past in the form of Marshall Dawes, now known as Emmett Moore.

The tension is palpable as Nelly realizes who Emmett truly is and the danger she's in. The author masterfully weaves a web of mystery and intrigue, keeping me guessing with every turn of the page. And let me tell you, there are twists that I never saw coming!

Nelly is such a compelling character, a true force to be reckoned with. I found myself rooting for her every step of the way as she faced down her demons and fought for justice. The way she stands up against injustice is truly admirable, and her resilience is nothing short of inspiring.

I appreciated how the book delved into important themes like assault and society's response to it. It's a poignant reminder of the challenges victims face and the strength it takes to speak out. However, I do wish there was a bit more depth to Emmett and Vanessa's relationship to better understand their characters.

While the ending tied up the loose ends, I couldn't help but feel it was a tad rushed and maybe a bit too tidy. Nonetheless, it didn't take away from the overall thrill of the story.

"The Good Teacher" is a gripping thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. I highly recommend it for fans of the genre.

Nelly needs a change and applies for a teaching job in another city hopeful after her divorce that this will be the fresh start she needs. As she arrives and is introduced to the other teachers, one of them seems very familiar but she has never met an Emmett Moore. It keeps nagging at her the way he is looking at her and what he says reminding her of an older guy that attempted to rape her in middle school and the memory as haunted her for years. Weird but also terrifying things start happening at home and at school that make her look bad to the administration while Emmett seems to be the golden boy that the whole town loves. She is determined to find out the truth and expose him but what kind of danger will it put her in and what will it cost her? This is a fast paced, edgy thriller that I read in one day!

Thanks to Inkubator Books and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy!
#TheGoodTeacher #NetGalley

This is not the first O'Rourke novel that I have read and honestly, they astound me every time. I could not put it down.

This novel follows Nelly, a teacher, who has just accepted a job at a new school. However, her world turns upside down when she recognises her new colleague to be a man who once took advantage of her, and she cannot seem to shake the feeling he is out to get here. And yet, this colleague is well loved by his fellow staff, active in the community and has the greatest heart, as well as having a totally different identity.

The narrative revolves around Nelly trying to get to the bottom of this unease, and trying to understand quite what is going on. There are twists, turns and drama through every page and the urge I had to read this is one whole sitting was REAL.

The novel did explore some triggering topics, and this was done in such an honest way. I really salute O'Rourke for truly exploring some of the challenges faced in this novel and, in ways, I felt so sorry for Nelly. She really was such a multi-dimensional character and the issues she faced honestly made me warm to her even more.

This book is a book that was fun while it lasted and then forgotten. It took a minute to get into it and although I liked Nelly, she became a little annoying to me and uggh I hate saying that with everything she has gone through.

Overall this is a solid read, the ending was meh so giving 3.5.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this copy!

About the book-
"The Good Teacher" follows the life of Nelly, a school teacher, who had recently moved to a new city for a teaching job. She was excited to start teaching but upon arriving the school, she was introduced to the English teacher, Emmett Moore- who looked eerily similar to a guy who tried to force himself on her when she was younger. She couldn't help but wonder if this was the same person just with different name or was she just imagining things.
As Nelly tried to find more about the beloved teacher, strange things start to happen to her. She was being stalked, someone was trying to sabotage her at work and Emmett was being more friendly than he should be.
Was she right ? or was she just imagining things, making connections when they didn't exist? Nelly couldn't stop second guessing herself but she knew that if she was right and Emmett was actually a fraud, then he shouldn't be allowed near children and It was time to show what she always has been, a good teacher.

Review-
This book was decent. It started out fine, got good in the middle but I felt that the ending didn't provide justice to the book. It was....anticlimatic. Not going into spoilers, i just wished that the author gave a bit backstory into the relationship of Emmett and Vanessa, to understand the characters a bit more. Reading the title i thought the profession of teaching may have a bit of a bigger role in the plot but that wasn't the case. The only importance of the profession in the plot to me was that her lesson plan got missing and that's when she started thinking that Emmett maybe sabotaging her. And her saying that Emmett is a teacher but he shouldn't be allowed near children. But whatever.
I have got to admire Nelly personality. I loved it. She was a strong woman who stood up against injustice. The fact that she wasn't intimidated by the authorities who were trying to get into her mind was appreciable. Her patience is something i need haha. I would have started a brawl if someone talked to me like the Mayor and Emmett talked to Nelly. I swear the number of times Emmett talked over Nelly was infuriating, i wanted to punch him till he was unconscious.
I also liked how this book touched the topic of assault and our society's response towards it- always blaming the victim. Nelly was def a girl's girl. She reported her ex's boss when she saw him ignoring his assistant's "no". She had learnt self-defense, was clear in her morals and had empathy. Idk man i just like a character so much more when i get to know that they know self defense.
The plot twist at the end-ish of the book where we find the whole thing was really good though. I liked it.

SPOILER SECTION!!
Ok, now the cons. Vanessa helping Emmett out of...love?? Umm i would have liked more insight into their relationship if THAT was going to be a big thing in the ending. Also, from the start the former teacher's (i forgot her name) "mysterious" and "unexpected" leave from the school was being mentioned. I hoped that the author would have told us something more about it.
ANd!!! what about Nelly's friend Tina???? the girl just died dead. I am not a fan of Tina seeing how she behaved but stilll. I think Vanessa killed her? ok, But what about Tina's Husband having no criminal record even though Tina mentioned it??? that was sus.
Also, Beck told Nelly that some evidence was found at her house. From where did that come? Did Vanessa straight up went into her apartment? no clue. And how did Nelly not realised that emmett must have d0ne something with her phone when the mobile phone repair guy told her that there was virus in the phone? at that point she knew that emmett was doing everything so she should have realised that he must have done something with her phone too. but its ok. i can let that slide. maybe she was thinking of many things and that didn't cross her mind.
OH!!! and also. the thumb dislocating thing? idk why it seemed weird that it happened with both the girls? and Nelly said the other girl looked similar to Nelly. Soooo was that intentional ? was Marshall really finding girls looking like Nelly. like a serial killer (rapist?) or something?
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Bottom line, the mystery was good, the ending was okay. and i liked nelly :)

Thanks to Netgallery and the publisher for my first arc AHAHAHAHAH!!!!!
Byeeeeee!

I loved how fast-paced this book was—I finished it in just one day! It was my first time reading this author, but it won't be my last. It had me hooked right from the start and kept me engaged throughout.

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed "The Good Teacher"! It seems like the author's style resonated with you, especially if it gave you a vibe similar to Freida McFadden' work. It's always exciting to discover a new author whose writing you love.

Such a great book to read, in my mind d I had my own ideas but once again I was only partly right. The beginning was good then got a little slow but definitely picked up and had me turning pages so fast to see the end. Twists that I loved, friendships made, and new starts, fabulous

Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an early release of this

Hooked from the start!
The Good Teacher is the story of Nelly, a divorced teacher needing a new start and a clean slate. Only when she arrives to her new school, she meets someone from her past... or is he? No one knows his real name, and he is everyone's hero... so surely it couldn't be the same man from so many years ago...
I really enjoyed this book! I devoured it in about a day and a half, opening it up any free moment I had. I was so engaged in Nelly's journey that I felt like I was going crazy too!
I am also a teacher, so reading a book about teachers makes me very critical. While it is obviously a work of fiction, there was no huge inconsistencies with the teaching field. It honestly made the book better for me being to think about it from my own teaching perspective!
Highly recommend!

This book is a fast paced psychological thriller which keeps you questioning everything. The Good Teacher begins with a teacher named Nelly, moving to a small town to start over. But when she meets a fellow teacher named Emmett, she freezes because he looks like a ghost from her past. Emmett looks like the boy that attempted to rape her years before named Marshall. The book is a super fast and easy read. Fans of Freida McFadden will love the twists and surprises.

The Good Teacher by Brian O’Rourke is a fast paced psychological thriller.
Nelly had been going through a difficult period in her life, recently divorced, she moves across the country From California back to the East Coast.. After leaving her teaching job, she is thrilled to get hired at a small school called Overland. The job seems like a dream come true, until she meets the teachers and administrators at a charity race. Everyone seems great until a face from her past, one that has haunted her nightmares, walks up and shakes her hand. But wait, the man introduces himself as Emmett. Why does this man look like her attempted rapist, Marshall, from nearly twenty years ago. But how could a respected and beloved teacher be the terror from her past?

The book switches back from her present to her past, slowly showing what happened to her, ending her friendship with her ex best friend Tina.

When Nelly wakes up to a flat tire, she begins to spiral, believing that her past is stalking her. But is she just seeing fire where there is no smoke, or is there actually something nefarious happening? Is she spiraling from the recent events and stressors in her life?

I enjoyed the fast paced book, and devoured it in one day. This was my first read by this author but definitely will not be my last. Fans of Freida McFadden, Kiersten Modglin, and Daniel Hurst will love this twisted story. The book kept me engaged from the very beginning.

The Good Teacher ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

After her divorce, Nelly is looking for a fresh start. She gets a job teaching in the small town of Overland. The type of community where everyone knows everyone. One of her coworkers is highly respected by the locals and when she is introduced to him, she is in shock. The man who they call Emmett, she knows him as Marshall, is the guy who attempted to rape her when she was 13 years old. But is it really him? He acts differently than he did when he was younger and looks a little different too. But after strange things start to happen, she just can’t shake her gut feeling.

Overall, I really liked this one. Once you get to reading you’ll be hooked. The chapters are short and told in a past/present tense. All the twist and turns had me second guessing myself a few times. It was an easy binge!

This book will publish on April 28, 2024. If you like a good psychological thriller, then this is one you’ll want to checkout! Be sure to add to your TBR list. Thank you to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for my advanced readers copy. This is my honest and voluntary opinion.

3.5/5 (I enjoyed it while I was reading it but it will is not memorable)

Wow, where to start? The basic premise is that Nelly moves to a small town to teach at a middle school. When she gets there, she sees the most well-liked man on the faculty (Emmett) and realizes that he looks exactly like the boy who attempted to sexually assault her when she was in high school, but he goes by another name.

Throughout the book Nelly tries to expose Emmett for what he did to her, all while he makes her job miserable. It's definitely a thrilling book, but instead of the suspense part I felt a lot of frusteration toward Nelly's situation--so many terrible things had happened to and around her and no one took her seriously. It was very well written in that regard and hard for me to read because I know it happens in real life.

I had only one issue with the plot of this book: the ending seemed really unrealistic. <spoiler>How did all of that happen and Nelly wasn't a suspect at all? Honestly the Sherif could have thought she did it. </spoiler> Otherwise it was a great ending.

Overall a fun and quick thriller to read! I did enjoy it and would consider reading some of Brian O'Rouke's other books in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley + Inkubator books for this ARC!

Six days after coming to a new town to restart her life, Nellie finds herself handcuffed and tied to a chair in a strange basement. How does Nellie get into such a predicament? This thriller is off and running and I read on.

It takes me a while to get into this story, but once I do, it keeps my interest. In fact, I end up reading the novel in two sittings. The past is interwoven with the present and propels the thriller to its powerful twist. Thank you, Inkubator Books and NetGalley, for the chance to read and review an advance reader copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkubator books for allowing me to read an ARC of The Good Teacher. It was a fast paced twisty thriller that had me on the edge of my seat. I would recommend this to any thriller lover out there.

The Good Teacher follows Nelly, who is hoping for a new start at a new school district. Much to her surprise, one of the teachers who is introduced to her is none other than the man who attacked her over 20 years ago. As the school (and towns) golden boy, it's hard for Nelly to get anyone to believe that he is out to get her.

All I can say is WOW! This book had me hooked from start to finish and I could not put it down. It was so frustrating to see Nelly fighting so hard to have anyone believe her just to keep getting a door shut in her face. Because of this, I flew through the book since I needed the satisfaction of her winning out in the end. This story gave me everything I wanted in terms of a good pace, plot twist and ending. I've never read a book from Brian O'Rourke before, and I certainly will in the future after The Good Teacher!

pretty good book i think, everything was gone so well i enjoyed it and that's saying something considering my slump. but i would totally recommend this.