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bpelle0207's review against another edition
1.0
DNF - my New Years resolution was to stop finishing books I was not enjoying and this is one of them.
The writing feels so clunky and unrealistic and just bizarre. It seems to be the book that will take until the very end to reveal something completely unworthy of having trudged through the book. I feel cringey for saying negative things after having not finished it but there you have it.
The writing feels so clunky and unrealistic and just bizarre. It seems to be the book that will take until the very end to reveal something completely unworthy of having trudged through the book. I feel cringey for saying negative things after having not finished it but there you have it.
brassbooks's review against another edition
2.0
I’ve come to the conclusion 2022 is the year I read books with such unlikable characters I’m surprised I haven’t thrown a book at a wall yet.
I managed to finish this quickly not because I enjoyed it so much, but because I just wanted to be done with it.
I feel like this had some potential… but ugh. Nope.
I managed to finish this quickly not because I enjoyed it so much, but because I just wanted to be done with it.
I feel like this had some potential… but ugh. Nope.
francinesisterreads's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars.
I found the premise of the book interesting, but felt the author didn't do the story justice. The writing felt disjointed and repetitive. At times I couldn't tell if the protagonist was taking about the present, the near past, or the past. It felt at times like the manuscript wasn't properly edited.
The mystery/thriller part of the story felt overdone, and drawn out, and I figured out the "twist" before it happened. The main characters garnered very little sympathy from me, and all of Stefan's accomplishments, especially while in prison felt very inauthentic. His dad Jep, seemed very detached from it all, and Thea struck me as very naïve in her expectations of what life would be like for her son after he left prison.
I also found that all of the support he did receive on leaving prison, and the things he was able to accomplish unbelievable, but I'm chalking that up to his privilege.
Not one I will be recommending.
I found the premise of the book interesting, but felt the author didn't do the story justice. The writing felt disjointed and repetitive. At times I couldn't tell if the protagonist was taking about the present, the near past, or the past. It felt at times like the manuscript wasn't properly edited.
The mystery/thriller part of the story felt overdone, and drawn out, and I figured out the "twist" before it happened. The main characters garnered very little sympathy from me, and all of Stefan's accomplishments, especially while in prison felt very inauthentic. His dad Jep, seemed very detached from it all, and Thea struck me as very naïve in her expectations of what life would be like for her son after he left prison.
I also found that all of the support he did receive on leaving prison, and the things he was able to accomplish unbelievable, but I'm chalking that up to his privilege.
Not one I will be recommending.
macrosinthemitten's review against another edition
3.0
Thea and Jep’s son Stefan had just been released from prison after being convicted of manslaughter. How the family begins to heal and move forward is the premise of this book. Stefan’s girlfriend Belinda died one night and while Stefan doesn’t remember what happened, enough evidence linked him to the crime. Thea begins to get texts and calls from a mysterious girl, claiming to know the truth but being afraid. As a series of harassing experiences pile up against Thea and Stefan, Thea begins to grow desperate to find out the truth.
The premise of this book sounded so good but it was so long and drawn out. I couldn’t believe that a mother who was convinced her son hadn’t committed the crime had waited so long to investigate it. Stefan worked hard but it seemed like all of his successes just fell into his lap. The last 60 or so pages got interesting and there was a strange twist at the end. Definitely not my favorite. 3/5 stars.
The premise of this book sounded so good but it was so long and drawn out. I couldn’t believe that a mother who was convinced her son hadn’t committed the crime had waited so long to investigate it. Stefan worked hard but it seemed like all of his successes just fell into his lap. The last 60 or so pages got interesting and there was a strange twist at the end. Definitely not my favorite. 3/5 stars.
nina_reads_books's review against another edition
3.0
Jacquelyn Mitchard has written extensively including her first fiction book The Deep End of the Ocean, which is obviously very well known, but this was the first time I had picked up one of her books. The Good Son is a very good example of a domestic thriller or suspense novel and I enjoyed the reading experience.
It has a great premise with the beginning pages introducing us to Thea, who is picking up her son Stefan from prison after he has served three years for murdering his girlfriend Belinda when he was just seventeen. But once home, Stefan struggles to move on. He feels the guilt of Belinda's murder despite having no memory of it as he was under the influence of a cocktail of drugs. He finds it almost impossible to find work and is subjected to harassment and protests at his release. Thea also struggles to relate to her son. She loves him but also can’t fathom what he did.
While the family are trying to rebuild their lives, Thea contends with a mystery hooded stalker as well as random calls from a young girl who seems to know something about the night Belinda died but is afraid to speak up. A new layer to the story emerges with mystery surrounding what happened that night. This all leads to a dramatic conclusion which didn’t go at all the way I expected!
The book starts off very strong, but I have to say it slowed right down and dragged throughout the middle bit and I did wonder where it was going. This middle section was also quite repetitive with the calls and texts from the mystery woman becoming a bit tedious to be honest. However, it picked up pace and I flew through the ending staying up way past my bedtime.
So overall a good solid read with a different and interesting perspective of life after prison from the point of view of a mother.
Thanks so much to @harlequinaus for my #gifted copy!
It has a great premise with the beginning pages introducing us to Thea, who is picking up her son Stefan from prison after he has served three years for murdering his girlfriend Belinda when he was just seventeen. But once home, Stefan struggles to move on. He feels the guilt of Belinda's murder despite having no memory of it as he was under the influence of a cocktail of drugs. He finds it almost impossible to find work and is subjected to harassment and protests at his release. Thea also struggles to relate to her son. She loves him but also can’t fathom what he did.
While the family are trying to rebuild their lives, Thea contends with a mystery hooded stalker as well as random calls from a young girl who seems to know something about the night Belinda died but is afraid to speak up. A new layer to the story emerges with mystery surrounding what happened that night. This all leads to a dramatic conclusion which didn’t go at all the way I expected!
The book starts off very strong, but I have to say it slowed right down and dragged throughout the middle bit and I did wonder where it was going. This middle section was also quite repetitive with the calls and texts from the mystery woman becoming a bit tedious to be honest. However, it picked up pace and I flew through the ending staying up way past my bedtime.
So overall a good solid read with a different and interesting perspective of life after prison from the point of view of a mother.
Thanks so much to @harlequinaus for my #gifted copy!
ejoyce246's review against another edition
2.0
I could not get used to the writing and almost stopped reading this. It was choppy. The verb tenses kept changing and things jumped around.
stamourk's review against another edition
1.0
*****SPOILERS ****
I had to really push myself to finish this book. It was really slow, especially in the middle. I felt like the author really had an opportunity to really dive in to a mother’s love for her son and fully moving on from a traumatic event but it was kind of all thrown away at the end when it turns out he didn’t even do the crime. If it was going to be a “who done it” book, she should have really committed to that. If it was going to be a story of a mothers love and life after incarceration, she should have committed to that. The mixture of both just made the whole book feel incomplete.
I had to really push myself to finish this book. It was really slow, especially in the middle. I felt like the author really had an opportunity to really dive in to a mother’s love for her son and fully moving on from a traumatic event but it was kind of all thrown away at the end when it turns out he didn’t even do the crime. If it was going to be a “who done it” book, she should have really committed to that. If it was going to be a story of a mothers love and life after incarceration, she should have committed to that. The mixture of both just made the whole book feel incomplete.