This was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it. thanks for letting me have an advance copy. I'm new to this author.

Unfortunately, I read this book back in 2017 but completely forgot to upload a review on here, so can't remember exactly what I was going to say about it!

Wow. Unput-downable. A page turner. We should absolutely despise Ted for his duplicity, and, yes, perhaps it stretches reality a little to think he could have got away with his cheating for so long but the way he falls into 'playing away from home' is only too credible. I enjoyed the Stepford Wife-like milieu in which Abigail finds herself - a timely reminder of how things used to be and probably still are in some circles! - and the way the American Dream and the new consumerism are presented as a satisfying and achievable goal. A really enjoyable read.

Filled with period detail, The Good Guy vividly portrays middle-class married life in suburban American in the early 1960s. The author ably demonstrates how appearances differ--sometimes shockingly--from a person's internal life and sense of self, and how expectations force our choices in ways that affect women and men quite differently. Beale's characters are complex, and never descend into caricature even when decisions or consequences are predictable. The end of the book felt rushed, and somewhat betrayed the more leisurely pace of the rest of the novel, but overall the superb detail of place and period made the book worthwhile.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of Susan Beale's debut, The Good Guy.

Set in 1960's suburbia, where every home on the block has a small patch of green grass outside and inside is the happy homemaker preparing meatloaf for her hardworking decent husband. Except Abigail is far from happy and Ted is not so decent. Ted believes himself a good guy, who's entitled to some extra fun considering he did the right thing when he married his high school sweetheart, when she found herself pregnant.(As if Abigail was alone in getting pregnant) Looking for a distraction, a chance encounter with sweet, single Penny leads to a complicated affair.
There isn't anything really new or fresh in these pages, but the setting is captivating and evocative of the 1960's, where man is king and women are starting to resent their place in the kingdom. I felt for Abigail, but not enough to really root for her and I was more interested in how this story would end than actually taking the journey with her.
An ok read and nice first effort. I will be curious to see what this author does next.

This is a tale of family, home and culture in 1960s suburbia and has a distinct sense of being inspired by the success of shows like Mad Men. While it addresses some "big issues", it's a fairly lightweight read. It is (I believe) the author's first fiction, and that shows - some of the writing is clunky and the author's voice is inconsistent, swinging wildly into a different style on occasion. The characters are written with lots of detail, but not, for the most part, much depth, and none of them is especially likeable or sympathetic: Abigail is boring and quite unidimensional, Penny's naïveté is irritating and Ted is shallow, smug and self-centred. The ending is somewhat unsatisfactory: we learn very little about Penny or Abigail's lives, nothing about the children involved, and what we are told of Ted's future feels clichéd and a bit like it ran out of steam. Overall, not a bad book, but one that feels as though it could, with a bit more polish, have been so much more.

In 1960s New England Ted & Abigail live a seemingly perfect life. Childhood sweethearts, they are now married with a baby. Ted works as a tyre salesman and is successful whereas Abigail is home with baby, attending women's groups and feeling unfulfilled.

As part of Ted's work he's invited to attend a meal in Boston, where there are fancy restaurants and big city thrills. There he meets Penny who is quite unlike his wife with her carefree manner. Abigail (suffering most likely from PND) isn't as carefree and is more serious a character, and a lover of books who misses her education. Ted sets out to be friends with Penny but the friendship quickly blossoms. Meanwhile Ted has agreed that Abigail can return to get studies and she grows in confidence. Ted and Abigail get lost in their own worlds and Ted begins to stretch the truth with both Abigail and Penny. When Ted and Penny relationship takes a more serious turn decisions have to be taken that impact on everyone's lives.

I found this an enjoyable read, and found myself very much sympathizing with Abigail and understanding her character.

Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC.

It took me a while to get into but, by the second half of the book, I found myself quite invested in the story. It's a well written book but I didn't find any of the three main characters particularly likeable. I usually really struggle with books where I can't relate in any way to the characters but the little pickle that Ted got himself into held my interest. I thought the ending could have been a bit more solid as I hate being left with questions (where did Ted go?!) but an enjoyable read overall.

3 stars.

Ted, a car-tyre salesman in 1960s suburban New England, is a dreamer who craves admiration. His wife, Abigail, longs for a life of the mind. Single-girl Penny just wants to be loved. When a chance encounter brings Ted and Penny together, he becomes enamored and begins inventing a whole new life with her at its centre. But when this fantasy collides with reality, the fallout threatens everything, and everyone, he holds dear.

The Good Guy is a deeply compelling debut about love, marriage and what happens when good intentions and self-deception are taken to extremes.

I’m angry. With Ted mainly. What an unlikeable character he is. He lies, cheats and manipulates people. His wife Abigail is pretty pathetic too. The character Penny is the one I felt sorry for, but even she should have realised something was going on.

This is a well written book, but one I didn’t ultimately enjoy. 2.5*

My goodness am I glad that we no longer live in the world portrayed here!! Stiflingly intense novel with probably just 2 characters that you can begin to like!! A tad stereotypical of the two main protagonists. I grew up in the 60s and men and women did not always behave in these set patterns. I liked the way the guy played mind games with himself to reduce his guilt. If you are a fan of unlike able characters ruining the lives of others, then this well written book is for you.

The book by cleverly letting us in on the dreams thoughts and feelings of the three main characters transports you back to the 1960's The situation is nothing new but getting to know the players so well makes it hard to decide whose side you are actually on. There are always at least two sides to a story & that is clearly so in this book.

1960s USA (Post JFK assassination, pre swinging sixties), The Good Guy is a portrait of a marriage that goes wrong and probably was never right, but can't be fixed because of the narrow social mores of the time. Two mismatched people are unable to extricate themselves (or even consider extricating themselves) from the life they are leading, and the pain caused by The Good Guy of the title is dreadful as he falls in love with another woman and the lies begin to accumulate. It's a book that made me think hooray for easy divorce and birth control. An interesting read and sobering for people who have nostalgia for that "simpler" "more moral" time.

The Good Guy is a very strong debut and a novel that kept me gripped to the very end.

Beale is exceptional at creating believable characters that evoke genuine sympathy and scorn in equal measure. Ted, the eponymous good guy and villain of the piece, is well-rounded despite his obvious flaws and boundless weaknesses. His good intentions were outlined without venturing into martyrdom, and his underlying insecurities were subtly revealed throughout the narrative without ever feeling heavy handed or excuse-laden.

The women of this book are extremely interesting. In Abigail and Penny, Beale presents two women at opposing ends of a familiarly patriarchal predicament of the 1960s: both are trapped by the fear of social unacceptability – on sexual, professional, financial and familial terms. It was encouraging – and way more engaging – that Beale didn’t paint either as a caricature of the angel and the whore, the nagging wife and the seductive mistress, the prim mother and the adventurous single girl. Sure, there are elements of those features in their characters but they are so much more than that, and the endings they both achieve satisfied my abiding feminist angst.

This subject has been explored many times over in film, TV and books – anyone whose read Richard Yates’ Revolutionary Road (or seen the film) or watched an episode of Mad Men will be accustomed to the sexual and social politics of 1960s marital – and extra-marital – relationships. However, I think Beale brings enough unique insight and characterisation to this subject to refresh it, providing a nuanced tale that looks again at this complex and compelling scenario.

I would have liked to have read more about Abigail’s life later in the book. I loved the conclusion of her story (I won’t give it away but it’s a fitting end for character) but wanted to hear her development first hand rather than via Ted’s narrative. Perhaps Beale could revisit this intriguing character and explore her adventures in a sequel to this striking debut novel.

I really liked the 1960s setting of this novel, and I thought the story was interesting. I loved the different perspectives we got on Ted - at first it seems maybe he is a good guy - but by the end our opinions will have changed. However I did find that the book dragged somewhat and I just wasn't 100% sold on it.