Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - Good Bad Girl

After finishing the book, my first impression is that it was incredibly enjoyable! This novel contained mystery along with everything. There were twists and turns to it. It had everything I could possibly desire in a mystery-crime book, and I adore the way the author writes. I thoroughly enjoyed it, even though the author took an unexpected direction that left me unprepared but had me feeling satisfied at the end of it. You should try it, I thought it was extremely good.

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syazahaniss's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Very confusing family histories and family dynamics. None of the characters were really relatable nor likeable.

The revelations at the end of the chapters had the potential to be impactful but they were instead borderline cringey for me. Not the author’s best work.

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foldingthepage_kayleigh's review

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

At first, I was having a hard time keeping the characters straight, but about halfway through, I finally figured out who everyone was, and was able to settle in and enjoy the story. I felt like this book was written by Lisa Jewell, rather than Alice Feeney, as it was more like a domestic drama/suspense than a thriller. And I would recommend this one to those who like that genre.

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thehumblehivehomestead's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

As an avid reader of Alice Feeney's work, I was so excited to pick up this new title from her.
"Good Bad Girl" follows a cast of women who are all hiding something. Twenty years ago, a baby was kidnapped in a grocery store, and in the present day a woman is murdered in a nursing home. These two crimes are somehow connected and the entire cast of women are about to find out how their stories are meant to come together.
I was very invested in this story from the beginning. All of these characters are somewhat morally gray, and they made decisions that I was not entirely on board with, but that is what made them interesting. I really empathized with Patience because she has such a good heart and it is evident from the first page how much she is struggling. She is working so tirelessly to save up enough money to be able to start a new life, and my heart just went out to her. I was also sympathetic towards Edith in the beginning. She feels like her family just left her to die in the nursing home, and she wants nothing more to just go home and be with her dog around her own things.

Something many of these characters had in common was that they are mothers, which I think provides interesting discourse on what it means to be a mother. Edith, Clio, and Frankie are all mothers who have made sacrifices for their daughters, and they all have strained relationships with their own mothers. It is impossible to be the perfect mom, but they each have been a good bad mom.

Even though I anticipated some of the twists in the story, I was still entirely invested, and I did not anticipate everything that ultimately happened. Alice Feeney is great at creating amazing turns and character developments that I do not see coming.
I look forward to enjoying more from Alice Feeney in the future.

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cc_shelflove's review against another edition

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hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This was absolutely my favorite Alice Feeney to date! I didn’t read the synopsis prior to reading and you shouldn’t either. 🤪 I will tell you that the book follows four women, Frankie, Patience, Clio, and Edith. The mystery to the reader is how are the lives of these four women linked? I must also mention that Frankie is a prison librarian… how unique! I had so much fun reading this. What makes a mother?

“A good book can be a light in the darkness. A good book can cure loneliness, change minds, or even change the world. A good book is nothing less than magic.”

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tabby2920's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was one wild ride! I'm still wrapping my head around this one but it was exciting ride that I was glad to be part of and fast paced mystery that mystery fans will immensely enjoy. There was just so many twists and curve balls that you won't see coming!

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ambersbooksandbakes's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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