Sometimes bad things happen to good people, so good people have to do bad things.
Alice Feeney’s Good Bad Girl is a layered, twisty thriller that keeps you guessing until the very end. Feeney’s knack for crafting tangled narratives is on full display here, with three generations of women connected by a series of unexpected events that explore themes of motherhood, guilt, and identity.
The novel revolves around a kidnapping that took place twenty years ago, and its ripples across time. We meet a conflicted young woman, a care home escapee, and a daughter searching for answers. Feeney weaves together their lives with the precision of a puzzle master, leading the reader down one path only to take sharp turns into the unexpected.
The beauty of Feeney’s writing lies in her ability to breathe life into flawed, complicated characters. No one is entirely good or bad, hence the title, and the exploration of these moral shades adds depth to the suspense.
However, the novel’s fragmented structure may feel disorienting at times. As perspectives shift, the timeline can feel a bit jumbled. But stick with it, Feeney masterfully ties everything together in a finale that is both surprising and deeply satisfying.
Good Bad Girl is perfect for fans of psychological thrillers with complex, female-led narratives. If you love a story where the truth is only revealed in layers, this book should be on your list.
Thank you to Alice Feeney, NetGalley UK and Pan MacMillan for a free copy of this book in return for my honest review.
