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iaproton's review
dysfunctional family,depressing ,family drama
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Cancer and Dementia
nancy_ahyee's review
3.0
Publisher’s description: Everyone that meets Kat Keating is mesmerised. Beautiful, smart and charming, she is everything a good girl should be.
Her sister Eleanor, on the other hand, knows she can't compete with Kat. On the awkward side of tall, clever enough to be bullied, and full of the responsibilities only an older sibling can understand, Eleanor grows up knowing she’s not a good girl.
This is the story of the Keating sisters - through a childhood fraught with secrets, adolescent rivalries, and on into adulthood with all its complexities and misunderstandings. Until a terrible truth brings the sisters crashing together and finally Eleanor begins to uncover just how good Kat really was.
************
I had a really hard time getting through Amanda Brookfield’s “Good Girls.” Slow-moving through about 50% of the book, I couldn’t connect with the characters, which I think is critical in a coming-of-age story as this is presented. Eleanor felt so much older than her 40 years, which might be what the author wanted, but I kept picturing her in her 60s and had to constantly remind myself that she was younger.
While we see so much of Eleanor and Kat’s childhood in detail, there were many gaps in the current day that I would have preferred to see. And I think it might have been helpful to see hints in their childhood of what was revealed about 60% of the way through the book. I felt like this was supposed to be a book that tugged on your emotions, and the suspenseful and surprise elements really detracted from that.
And the tragedies just kept piling on. By the end, I was really thinking to myself, “Enough already,” as opposed to feeling sympathetic.
There are clearly others who loved this book, and I suspect there will be more. I really think anyone reading this could go either way to loving it or not. For me, it was a bit of a miss.
Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. This title is scheduled for release on October 8, 2019.
Her sister Eleanor, on the other hand, knows she can't compete with Kat. On the awkward side of tall, clever enough to be bullied, and full of the responsibilities only an older sibling can understand, Eleanor grows up knowing she’s not a good girl.
This is the story of the Keating sisters - through a childhood fraught with secrets, adolescent rivalries, and on into adulthood with all its complexities and misunderstandings. Until a terrible truth brings the sisters crashing together and finally Eleanor begins to uncover just how good Kat really was.
************
I had a really hard time getting through Amanda Brookfield’s “Good Girls.” Slow-moving through about 50% of the book, I couldn’t connect with the characters, which I think is critical in a coming-of-age story as this is presented. Eleanor felt so much older than her 40 years, which might be what the author wanted, but I kept picturing her in her 60s and had to constantly remind myself that she was younger.
While we see so much of Eleanor and Kat’s childhood in detail, there were many gaps in the current day that I would have preferred to see. And I think it might have been helpful to see hints in their childhood of what was revealed about 60% of the way through the book. I felt like this was supposed to be a book that tugged on your emotions, and the suspenseful and surprise elements really detracted from that.
And the tragedies just kept piling on. By the end, I was really thinking to myself, “Enough already,” as opposed to feeling sympathetic.
There are clearly others who loved this book, and I suspect there will be more. I really think anyone reading this could go either way to loving it or not. For me, it was a bit of a miss.
Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. This title is scheduled for release on October 8, 2019.
nazeerah's review
3.0
Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.
I was really excited to read this book as the blurb is really good. It started out really well. I loved how it alternated between different characters at different times in their lives. It started dragging towards the end though and I did skim a bit to see how it ends. Overall it is a good book but just a bit slow towards the end.
I would recommend this book as I am sure others would enjoy it.
I was really excited to read this book as the blurb is really good. It started out really well. I loved how it alternated between different characters at different times in their lives. It started dragging towards the end though and I did skim a bit to see how it ends. Overall it is a good book but just a bit slow towards the end.
I would recommend this book as I am sure others would enjoy it.
leahalice's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
sloth34jc's review
4.0
4.5 stars for this book. I became really engrossed in the story, which flits between past and present and between 2 character’s stories fluidly throughout. Eleanor, our main character is easy to like, and I found myself rooting for her throughout. I also loved Nick, the other main character, and found his story really engaging. The author gives depth to all of the characters, with beautiful descriptions that help you to imagine the settings and emotions clearly. Although some parts are sad and make for difficult reading, it is ultimately a book about love and friendship and perseverance and I came away from it feeling uplifted. I’m now off to read some of Brookfield’s other books!
Thank you to netgalley, the author and publishers for gifting this book in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to netgalley, the author and publishers for gifting this book in exchange for an honest review.