Fifteen year old Milly was raised by a serial killer: her mother. When she finally breaks away and tells the police everything about her mother’s crimes and years of abuse, she is given a new identity and placed in an affluent foster family and an exclusive private school. She wrestles with being the daughter of a murderer and the love she still feels for her mother, despite her crimes, but her hopes are simple. Milly wants to be good. Then Milly’s foster sister, Phoebe, starts bullying her. A teacher may have discovered her secret. And her vulnerable best friend may be a perfect victim. As tensions rise and Milly begins to feel 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
Explosive, controversial and extraordinary; that is how I would best describe this magnificent book. This novel has chilled me to my core and has installed great horror inside of me, it was such a compelling, unique read that as I was reading it I kept thinking to myself “Surely this novel can’t get any better?!” but it did, it got better and better and upon finishing it all I could think was how much I loved it!
Good Me, Bad Me follows Annie, the daughter of an infamous serial killer knows as ‘The Peter Pan Killer’. Annie has suffered terribly all of her life at the hands of her sadistic mother but at the age of 15, she finally decides to inform the police about her mother’s heinous crimes after witnessing a murder so horrific that it has traumatized her for life. She walks into the police station with two items of evidence – tiny blood splattered dungarees and a blood-splattered teddy bear. To say the detectives are shocked is an understatement, they can’t even process what they are hearing but soon they set a plan in motion and on that very night they arrest the mother and she is jailed.
Annie is soon given a fresh start with the ‘perfect’ family called the Newmonts; she is given a new identity and is now called Milly. Milly is slowly but surely adjusting to her new life, her foster father is sympathetic and nice towards her; he himself is a psychologist and an expert in trauma so he is helping her wonderfully so and her foster mother is doting and wants to make sure she feels right at home. However just as she is starting to adjust to her new life the daughter of the foster parents – Phoebe, begins to hate Milly even more and it is very apparent that she does not want her there and will do anything to be rid of her…
Milly and Phoebe attend the same expensive, private school and although Phoebe is popular, Milly is not and she is horrifically bullied by her and her fellow friends day in, day out. It becomes a living hell for her and this is the last thing she needs given her tragic background but Milly won’t ask for help so she instead hides and tries to put it to the back of her mind. It soon becomes apparent to Milly that her foster family is not as perfect as she first thought and that Mike may not be as altruistic as she believed. On top of the bullying and the growing concerns about the family she shares a home with Milly is psychologically damaged and is under immense pressure, especially as she is preparing for the trial against her mother who she will have to sit across from in court and testify against and this is where our novel really starts.
Good Me, Bad Me is a tragically, dark suspenseful story that will end up haunting your dreams. It is a chilling read and an incredibly well-written, multi-layered Psychological Thriller. Psychological Thrillers are my absolute favorite kind of novels to read so I was destined to adore this from the start (if you want to read my review of my favorite Psychological Thriller of all time then head over to my review of Gone Girl! This novel is engrossing with a disturbing plot full of well-developed yet flawed characters.
Our protagonist Milly -previously known as Annie- was an incredible character. Seriously, she was brilliant and her thoughts kept me hooked until the very final page. As I was reading about her all I could think was that this girl is a deep and intricate thinker, her thoughts are haunting and incredibly sad and to be inside the mind of a traumatized teenager was really insightful and I have to applaud Land for her wonderful research. Ultimately Milly is a precious character and when she has nightmares and many sleepless nights you feel for her. She is haunted by feelings of guilt for the role she took in her mother’s crimes and doesn’t believe she will ever get past those feelings. The burdens of her past and trying to keep it all a secret is too much for Milly and you really feel for her; she did play a part in the children’s murders but she could not have stopped them and for this, you feel for her even more and the horrific conditions she was raised in. Just imagine being in Milly’s shoes…imagine if your mother was a serial killer or any other family member; it would be the most horrible thing on earth so the fact that Land has written such an important character and brilliantly so astounds me.
Land’s writing is impeccable and without it, this story would fall flat. There is a danger with these kinds of novels that the novel can just become a cheap thriller full of cheap thrills but this is not that kind of novel but rather a dark intricate look into the mind of a traumatized teenager and the effects that has on you. Her detailed research into victims of trauma really surprised me, she did not have to put so much research into her novel so the fact that she did and that she did it incredibly well made me adore her even more. Land wrote Milly’s character with such intensity and profoundness that sometimes it was a difficult read, the power of her words and her character development shocked me; she has truly created an authentic, brilliant character. Land writes with such profoundness and importance that as you turn the pages you are filled with trepidation at what is going to happen next. It is definitely a heart in your mouth read.
Good Me, Bad Me is a read which keeps you guessing until the very end and you are constantly as a reader making predictions about the novel and how it will turn out but just as you think your predictions are right, a few chapters later the novel changes course once again. These are the best kind of reads in my opinion because it shows how masterful an author is. It is so disappointing in my opinion to guess and foresee all of your predictions so the fact that I did not with this novel was incredible and when I reached the ending everything I had thought about the story, the characters, the plot, everything was wrong and that is all down to Lands masterful writing! Land had many amazing plot devices throughout this novel, one of them being Milly repeating the story of her life to the detectives at the beginning of the novel but also her plot device of Milly having ongoing conversations with her mother inside of her head was frankly mind-blowing and one of the smartest plot devices I have ever read as it gives the reader a terrific insight into the toxic environment Milly grew up in and how her mother groomed her from a very young age to be a murderer. The plot, the characters, the exceptional writing makes this one of the most thrilling reads I have ever experienced.
To summarise, if you adore Psychological Thrillers just like me then you will adore this novel! It is exceptional and will keep you hooked and horrified to the very last page. This book gets Four Stars from me because it gripped me and shook me to my core and it is very hard to do this to a reader who has read many psychological thrillers so well done you Ali Land!
Thank you so much as ever for reading book lovers! I appreciate it so much. Please do comment below what you think of this novel and whether you could see yourself reading it. Do you like Psychological Thrillers? Let me know and also let me know how you would feel if one of your family members was a serial killer like Milly’s mother in the book, I would be terrified!
Amazon U.K. / Goodreads / Book Depository / Publisher; Penguin – Michael Joseph
Thank you so much for reading!
I read where this author had many years and degrees in the mental health field. I am sure she received all A’s in her classes. Great read. start to finish. Thanks for your review Ammie or I never would have had the pleasure of reading this.
Not much. I am a engineering student and this is vacation time so, I thought of reading some good books.
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Yes, engineering is amazing. I am into mechanical design engineering.
Nicely reviewed. I’m gonna go find it and read it.Thank you😃
Hi there Gauri! Thank you so much for commenting and for your kind words!
I am so glad that you loved the sound of this novel, it is so wonderful!
Do you read many thrillers? (:
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What a great review, thanks for sharing it!
Thank you for commenting!
Do you read many psychological thrillers? (:
Not really, I tend to read fantasy and science fiction these days.
I love Sci-Fi! Do you have any good Fantasy reads I need to get back into the genre!
Fantasy? Here is an awesome crew of authors; Terry Brooks, Terry Goodkind, JRR Tolkien, David Eddings, and finally Kristen Martin. I haven’t read Mrs. Martin’s books, but my wife swears by them!
Thank you for the recommendations I will check these out now!
Happy Reading!
YES!!! Lord of the Rings is worth reading, I didn’t list it because I thought everyone had already read it! If you haven’t, fix this now! Read the whole universe of books; Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit!
As for Game of Thrones, I won’t read it until George RR Martin finishes it. I’m not convinced he will so I’ll wait.
Hahah ok I will read it! And yeah that is true, it’s probably good idea to wait, I’m in agony here! Lol.
Ugh, as a fellow reader I salute you!! Stay strong, it still might happen!
Haha funny.
I try!
It’s okay. I get it, you’re a very busy lady!
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Thanks, glad you’re enjoying my blog!
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Wow this sounds soooo good?!
Oh and this book is really great! Do you read many psychological thrillers? (:
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This was such an amazing review. Just went and added it to me Goodreads TBR!
Thank you so much for commenting and for your kind words! I appreciate it so much!
This book really is incredible. Do you read many psychological thrillers?
No I haven’t read very many but I am interested in reading more.
It is a really great service and this would be the perfect read to start you off (:
😊 yes my name is Misty!!
Nice to meet you Misty! (:
Nice to meet you too!! If you don’t mind me asking what is your name?
It’s ok!! Nice to meet you Aimee!!
You too! I can’t wait to read more of your posts (:
Aww thank you so much that is so sweet. I enjoy reading your posts as well. I always start my day reading everybody’s posts! I found a psychological thriller called Sister Sister have you read it?? I found it on Amazon Kindle for $1.99. I sounded really good so I bought it.
Aww you are so sweet! And I do that too lol.
I haven’t heard of this but it sounds great so I will check it out now. Thank you!
No problem!!
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I looooved this book!! I gave it 5 stars at the end of last year, it was incredible! I’ve recommended it to loads of people 😊
I swear I am the only person who has only just read this book! Lol.
It is so incredible though isn’t it!? I was so engrossed the whole way through I loved it (:
Do you read many psychological thrillers?
Honestly, I mainly read psychological thrillers! Mystery & thriller are my go-to books so I’ve read a lot and this one really does stand out form the crowd! Especially as a debut!
We have such similar book tastes because these are my favourite go-to reads too!
Have you read Gone Girl and Before I Go to Sleep? Those are my favourite thrillers of all time! (:
I have read Gone Girl, but not the other yet, it is on my TBR though 😀
What did you think of Gone Girl?! I love it and let me know when you get a chance to read it is so great (:
It was great! Really twisty and turny and I love how Flynn made it so that both characters were unlikable on some ways
Yes! They were both unreliable narrators and I love that (:
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This was such a great book! I reviewed it a while back and it blew my mind. Annie is such a chilling and conflicted character 😀
It is so great isn’t it?!?!
Very chilling and conflicted but really great at the same time.
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Also I feel that I am the only person who has only just read this book! Lol.
You are 😉 but it is okay! You are busy with plenty of other books.
Haha oh no. Oh well at least I read it now! What are you currently reading? (:
I am reading The Age Of Olympus from Titan Books for a blog tour. I was worried for the first 50 pages that it wasn’t for me, but then the plot kicked in and I am hooked!
Aww great! Does it have anything to do with mythology? (:
It has loads to do with mythology and I am loving it 🙂
So many great mythology books going around at the moment. Neil Gaiman and Joanne Harris have plenty to offer 😃
You will enjoy Age Of Olympus then 🙂
Great I will check it out for sure thanks! Will you be reviewing it soon?
I am sat reading it now, I will post a review asap. I am on the blog tour for the book. 28th of april, extract piece 😀
Do you read many psychological thrillers? (:
I tend to get sent a lot of psychological thrillers so yeah. But I am more of a crime/horror reader than anything at the moment…
Lol so do I, especially from penguin!
I have watched both the films… I never used to read psychological thrillers, it was only when I started reviewing really. Have you read Her Darkest Nightmare by Brenda Novak? That was unbelievably good 🙂
Oh no Stuart the movies are so much better! Especially Before I go to sleep. That movie sucked and was nothing like the book!
I will read them as soon as I can. Thanks for the recommendation:D
Let me know how it goes when you do!
I havent but thank you for letting me know I will go have a look now! (:
It is a great read. It follows a woman running a psychiatric prison hospital in Alaska. She works all day with the criminally insane. Pretty intense 😀
That does sound good! I am definitely going to add it to my TBR list. Thank you!!
The book I reviewed in my post this morning, Blame, is more of an emotional drama novel.
I need to go check out your page now and have a read. Thanks!!
I appreciated the support as always 😊
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This was a fantastic novel and so dark! I couldn’t believe what I was reading haha But it was captivating and I had a fun time reading it (in a weird way of course haha)
Thanks for commenting Annie I am so glad you loved this novel as much as me!
It was so dark and I thought it was such an ambitious piece of literature.
Oh I had a fun time too! So dark and different! (:
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Yes, that was so refreshing!
So glad you thought the same (:
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Oh wow, another great book to put on my list… which I have around here…somewhere… heh. Kudos for the wonderfully written review!! 🙂
Ellie thank you so much for commenting! I love talking with like- minded people so this is great!
DITTO!! 😀 (no thank-you needed!)
This book is so thrilling! Do you like psychological thrillers? (:
LOVE them! Have read just about all of Ruth Rendell’s books. She’s an expert of the genre. Read “Live Flesh”? Read it!! Here: https://www.amazon.ca/Live-Flesh-Ruth-Rendell-ebook/dp/B004I8WLD4/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1492631411&sr=8-6&keywords=ruth+rendell
Aww great! They are my favourite reads. Have you read Gone Girl?!
Yes! Loved it!!!
It is so brilliant isn’t it! What did you think of Nick and Amy? (:
Heh, this “notification” I just got doesn’t include what came before your question, and I forget where “Nick and Amy” are from! Gone Girl? LOL!!
No prob.! 😀
I love unpredictability. Twists and turns!
Yes! I can’t get enough of them and gone girl certainly has them!
Read that too!!! Hehe I think we have the same taste!!
Haha! We really do I love it (:
Thank you so much for recommendation! I will go have a look at this now (:
Enjoy! 🙂
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