This one I stopped and started multiple times. It was interesting, once I stuck with it. ( )

Great twist at the end! ( )

I really enjoy books like this, especially when I listen to the audio version: books that have varying chapters as told by the various characters in the book. It's fun to get different people's perspective on the same situation as the story unravels. This book was very interesting and I really enjoyed the ending! The characters were developed well, and I could actually see, in my mind's eye, the different locations as they were described. Well done, Mary Kubica! ( )

This is a psychological thriller that focuses on the abduction of a young teacher. Mia Dennett comes from wealth, and that made her a perfect target. Chicago Police Detective Gabe Hoffman is assigned to lead the official search and soon finds himself becoming increasingly attracted to Mia’s mother, a British woman in her early 60s. The story switches between the past and present and is told by several of the characters; Mia’s mother, Eve and her abductor, Colin; and Gabe, the detective. Mia was set free after many months of living in the woods of Minnesota with her captor. She has a kind of amnesia that her psychiatrist says, allows her to block out parts of what happened to her. Gabe is still trying to track down the truth about what happened to her, while her mother is desperately trying to find her daughter that she believes is buried underneath Mia’s apathy and confusion. We follow the abduction itself through Colin’s words and discover the odd bond that developed between the captor and the captive in time they spent together. My husband is a retired police detective, and he say that that truly often does happens in real time. The author did a wonderful job of telling this story. She has made the characters engaging and mostly likeable, allowing for the story to move along smoothly. The only thing I found a bit hard to believe was that the Chicago Police Department, one of the busiest organizations in the United States, if not the world, would have the man power or the time to assign a single, high ranking detective to one single case for months on end with no end in sight...but then stranger things have happened and money does speak loudly in a language entirely of its own. The story more than earned the 5-star rating in spite of this unlikely happening. ( )

I think the less said/read in advance about suspense books the better. Something which may seem innocuous could end up being a spoiler. I ended up somewhat spoiling this book for myself by reading one of those seemingly benign comments.

So, all I will say is that I listened to the audio version of this book, and I wanted to *keep* listening.

3.5 stars.
( )

Stopped reading. Underwhelmed --- I fear a victim of Over-hype.

Decided to read it when a friend gave it to me after finishing it herself and sending a text "OMG the ending!" I've seen this floating around on Goodreads forever and I feel like everybody I know has read it and enjoyed it but this typically isn't really my kind of book so I hadn't bothered to pick it up before. That was wise.

I like books with shifting POV and time streams but this just felt very slow to me. I think I was so busy waiting for the shocking twist that I couldn't enjoy getting there. eventually, I just skipped ahead and read the final chapter -- something I never do.

I'm not giving a star rating because I didn't really do this book justice. Just wrong book at the wrong time for me.

Twenty-four year old Mia Dennett is the daughter of Chicago Judge James Dennett, a man of old money and dismissive family responsibilities, and British Eve Dennett, a homemaker and socialite. Sister to Grace, the oldest and a lawyer just like their father, Mia doesn’t buy into the family lifestyle; instead, she is an art teacher. Jason, her inconsistent boyfriend, is supposed to meet her on the night she is kidnapped but calls to say he has to work late.

From the beginning of the novel, the reader is aware that Mia has been taken by a man named Colin Thatcher and that he kept her in cabin in Minnesota. In fact, Mia has already been found only a few chapters in. What follows is a mixture of multiple perspectives, both before and after Mia is found, telling the story of how Mia, who refers to herself as Chloe, copes with her kidnapping, how Detective Gabe stops at nothing to find her, and how her mother Eve tries to solve Mia’s trauma-induced amnesia and help her remember the truth.

While many will suggest that Kubica’s novel follows in the same vein as Gone Girl, I actually found this to be much more entertaining. I could not put this book down whereas I struggled through Flynn’s multiple narrators. What works for Kubica is her uncanny ability to seamlessly weave both time and storytelling. The chapters are short, and each character’s narration adds something new and unique to the plot.

Colin’s “Before” chapters are the most interesting because it is through his eyes that you see what actually happened to Mia, which she doesn’t remember. I found myself anxiously skimming through some other chapters just to get to the Colin pages. Detective Gabe’s chapters are interesting as well because you can watch as he puts the pieces together to find Mia while also developing a closer relationship with Eve. Perhaps least interesting are Eve’s “Before” accounts because she tends to be a little “woe is me” whereas her “After” chapters are fascinating because the reader watches her become the mother she wants to be.

The Good Girl is filled with twists and turns leading all the way to the last two pages where you will be absolutely floored. Don’t skip to the ending; it’s worth the wait! ( )

I loved this book! The author made me care about the "bad guy", made me wonder about the "good girl" and questioned the dynamics of her family. Do NOT skip to the end, this is a great page-turner! I won't say much more about it since I don't want to give anything away (although I'll be emailing Mary, the author, with a LOT of questions!) :) ( )

Knowing what I know now, after reading the whole book, I would like to go back and reread it seeing how that knowledge changes the book for me. Great debut book. ( )

I read it voraciously, but couldn't remember anything about it soon after! ( )

A very good story with great in depth characters .It’s a page turner though I must admit it could have been too in a few less pages. ( )

3.5*

It took a fairly long time for me to get into this book, maybe a third of the way through or more. The second half in contrast flew by with a big twist at the very end!

I do wonder whether Mia really loved 'Owen' or whether it was actually Stockholm syndrome. ( )

Couldn’t get into it. Boring and flat. The mom chapters are annoying. Just blah ( )

A missing person and possible kidnaping of a prominent Judge is the story line. Mia his daughter is found alive. The unfolding of the story is told in 3 voices, Gabe, the detective investigating the case; Eve, Mia's mother who is devastated by the events and Colin, the suspected kidnapper. Interesting, although it dragged alittle was heartbreaking. The Epilogue shed a new light on this story and left wondering if the truth will ever come out. ( )

Another freebie from Audible. I really enjoyed this as an audiobook—probably much more than if I’d read it. The three narrators do a great job with what is really a pretty average thriller in the vein of Gone Girl.
( )

I remember when I read this book it absolutely WRECKED me and I was depressed afterwards and wouldn’t read anything for months. So heartbreakingly good. ( )

“The goal with teenagers is simply getting through it alive, with no permanent damage.”
― Mary Kubica, The Good Girl

I was just..I was bored.

I had heard so much about The Good Girl and stayed up late into the night reading it. While I was enjoying it at first, where the book ultimately went was not for me.

SPOILERS:

I actually loved the whole idea and thought Mia was an interesting character. I knew she was going to fall in love with her kidnapper. And as the book goes on, II came to like Colin. He sure wasn't what he seemed but then again in this book, nobody is.

Here is what did not work for me:

I felt it was overly long and way to much dialogue. Normally I like books that are dialogue driven but here..my mind started wandering. I could not stay involved.

The horrible ending. It is not just that Colin dies but he almost becomes an afterthought. And Mia's big reveal at the end on the last page? That could have been the beginning of a whole other book. I really think if the cabin scenes had only been a quarter of the book and then the big reveal came and the rest of the book focused on that..I think it would have been a five. But I just could not stem my feelings of frustration in reading this.

I thought the character development of the two main characters was great but some of the more miner characters felt like stereotypes. This is not the worst book..far from it. But it did fall short for me in terms of personal involvement in the story. ( )

excellent plot! Really enjoyed this story! Really keeps you guessing until the very last page. ( )

Good read. I enjoyed it. ( )

Disappointing ending

I loved this book; loved the writing style and how quickly it drew me in. That being said, I absolutely hated the ending. Would have been 5 stars from me if the last few chapters didn't ruin a great story. ( )

Didn't see the end coming ( )

Page turner. ( )

Page turner. ( )

Nope nope nope. ( )

Great and unexpected twist at the end! ( )