Book Review – Good Me, Bad Me by Ali Land

Goodreads Synopsis:

Milly’s mother is a serial killer. Though Milly loves her mother, the only way to make her stop is to turn her in to the police. Milly is given a fresh start: a new identity, a home with an affluent foster family, and a spot at an exclusive private school.

But Milly has secrets, and life at her new home becomes complicated. As her mother’s trial looms, with Milly as the star witness, Milly starts to wonder how much of her is nature, how much of her is nurture, and whether she is doomed to turn out like her mother after all.

When tensions rise and Milly feels trapped by her shiny new life, she has to decide: Will she be good? Or is she bad? She is, after all, her mother’s daughter.

My Opinion:

Milly has been placed in foster care with Mike and Saskia Newmont following her mother’s arrest. Mike is a psychologist and is not only in charge of Milly’s physical, but her mental well-being as well.

Lucky, the staff at the unit told me while I waited for Mike to come. What a fantastic family the Newmonts are, and a place at Wetherbridge. Wow. Wow. WOW. Yes, I get it. I should feel lucky, but really I’m scared. Scared of finding out who and what I might be.

Her mom’s trial is just a few weeks away and Mike is working with Milly to unlock any evidence she may have locked away in her head.

Making the switch from psychologist to foster dad. He opens his eyes when I speak.
“I must have been crying.”
“Sometimes remembering does that to us.”
“Isn’t there another way?”
Mike shakes his head, sits forward in his seat, says, “The only way out is through.”

The Newmonts’ daughter Phoebe is Milly’s age, and the girls are both in their eleventh year at school. Milly wants nothing more than to be a normal teenager, but between her mother’s upcoming trail and Phoebe pushing her buttons, she is internally struggling.

You’re the spit of your mother, they used to say at the women’s refuge you worked at. That’s what I’m afraid of, I replied in my head.

This book is very appropriately named – Good Me, Bad Me. You can really feel Milly’s internal struggle. Milly continually hears her mother’s voice in her head, adding to the push and pull, be good, be bad.

They advice me to keep busy. Some of it I hear, most of it, I don’t.
I’m listening to another voice, one that says:
GAME ON, ANNIE!

I liked this psychological thriller, but it didn’t knock my socks off. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it just didn’t pull me in like I expected it to. There are a lot of great reviews for it, so I would encourage you to try it. I feel like I may be in the minority here and didn’t enjoy as much as most have.

My Rating: 3/5

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: None

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Publication Date: 1/12/2017 (UK), 9/5/2017 (US)

Pages: 337 (Hardback)

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Happy Reading!