Zoe Whittall delivers a gut punch and then comes back for more in "The Best Kind of People," a novel about believing - in who you are, what you believe and what you think about others. First, Sadie is spared by a crazy guy on shooting spree at her school. The unlikely hero is her father, a beloved teacher who tackles the gunman. Years later, though, that hometown hero is arrested for sexual advances with several young female students. One of the accusers is the little sister of Sadie's best friend. Sadie's family is rocked to the core - do they support the man they loved, or do they acknowledge he may not be what they thought? In their own way, Sadie, her brother and her mom must face their fears and decide for each self. Whose side do you take when there are nothing but angles ahead? Thanks to this author, readers will rediscover that things, including people, aren't always what they seem.

The premise was initially interesting but the execution fell completely flat for me. Even the opening scene which I'm sure was supposed to be suspenseful and dramatic seemed over the top and off putting. I was confused about how George could be arrested in the first chapter and then nothing happens for 300 more pages? Unfortunately, I was bored and not engaged with the characters or writing.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, the publisher and Zoe Whittall for the opportunity to read and review this book!

This book is just out of the pages of the newspaper - although this time we get to glimpse what the family goes through when it is thrust into a scandal. The Woodbury's are an average family - dad is a well-respected, heroic teacher at the prep school where their oldest son, Andrew, graduated and Sadie is still a student. Mom, Joan, is a nurse at the nearby trauma hospital. Then on Sadie's 17th birthday, her dad is arrested for improper sexual conduct with girls that he took on a class ski trip months ago.

Whittall does a great job letting us feel all the different sides to these stories and all the varying emotions the family goes through trying to deal with this situation.

Great read!

This book didn't work for me. A local hero, well respected in his community, is accused of crimes of a sexual nature against minors. It started off well but I couldn't stick with it.

Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Reviewing this book is a lot harder for me than I anticipated- I'm definitely a little conflicted. When I started "The Best Kind of People" I was really excited because I immediately connected with Whittall's writing style. On page one she described someone as "He was the kind of angry that only made sense outside of language". Woah- love that. And there were some other moments in the book where I felt that same tug that I love as a reader, where the language is just so striking and amazing. At the same time, there were large chunks that felt pretty overly written, it's a tough balance as a writer and unfortunately the flowery writing took quite a bit of my enjoyment of the book.

The topics in this book were what drew me to reading it, and I guess that is where the potential feels most unmet. The characters weren't as conflicted as I had initially thought they might be, and at times their choices just seemed very unbelievable. For example, one of the main characters, Sadie, is first in her class and is presumably very dedicated to her studies. Yet somehow that aspect of her character just seems to fall away, which is absolutely possible in a situation as traumatic as finding out your father may be a child molester- but it would be a conversation, and certainly a struggle for Sadie to maintain her GPA and her standing amongst this chaos- and yet, it wasn't.
Sadie was intitally the character I was most drawn to, so perhaps that is why I was so frustrated by her storyline. Her life as a successful and strong student was hardly discussed, and instead a lot more time was spent talking about Sadie's frequent drug use and attempt at a relationship with a significantly older man. Every time I felt drawn to a character they would say or do something that just really made me struggle to connect or even feel sympathy for them.

This was a three star read for me- there were moments that I enjoyed- the pacing was strong, the characters ( while at times acting in unlikely manners) were developed, and the premise of the book was intriguing. But ultimately the writing style and characters left me wanting more.

A definite page turner of a book exploring the real human nature of a most unforgettable and unravelling family with seemingly "perfect lives." Written with deep emotion and empathy as well as a full development of each character, this book shines on family dynamics and what happens when things are just not what they seem. Thank you for the opportunity to have read this title prior to publication --- it shines from beginning to end!

I found this book to be more confusing than anything else. The story starts inside the head of school shooter, bent on taking out his girlfriend who works at the school. I assume this is to show how George's heroic actions during the crisis endeared him to the community, but there is little else about it throughout the book. From there, it jumps to a few years later and into the middle of an intimate scene between Sadie, George's 17 year old daughter, and her boyfriend, and I'm still scratching my head over the relevancy of that. Once George is arrested, I expected the real story here to begin taking shape and thought that I would learn something of his guilt or innocence, which would create some suspense to the story. Instead, I got what began to feel like an information dump about a lot of other people. There are pages and pages of the sexual activity of teenagers, along with their drug use and drinking, but the story reads as if all the teenagers in this community are participating in such activity, making it hard to empathize with Sadie's behavior being the result of the charges against her father. In fact, I found little about any of the characters to elicit empathy, other than the wife. Joan's behavior and reactions were the only ones that made much sense. But, as crazy as it sounds, I did keep reading, mostly out of curiosity about George than anything else, but the bulk of the story was just more of the same. George, who this story supposedly revolves around, isn't what I would consider even a secondary character. Finally, we get to the ending, which was a disappointment at best. The conclusion is rushed and unrealistic in many aspects. After giving it some thought, I believe there were just too many characters and too much going on for the author to stay on track and instead of one family's struggle to cope, it became a bit of mess of several characters running in different directions.

About a year ago, a billboard went up in my city featuring a pretty generic prison image – a pair of hands sticking through some bars, I think – and a somber message – “When you serve time, your family serves it with you.” It was up for several months, and right across the street from a coffee shop I stop at from time to time, so I saw it regularly and always had time to ponder the message – as I waited in the drive-thru line for some offensively foofy drink.

During the time this billboard was up – and since, really – I have, from time to time, thought about what it must be like for someone who has a loved one in jail.

But I never really, truly understood it until I read The Best Kind of People.

This book, set in a small, affluent town, centers primarily around the family of a previously well-respected teacher who, at the start of the book, is accused of sexual misconduct with students and, in short order, arrested.

At its core, The Best Kind of People had something serious going for it that so many books lack – amazing writing. I was not surprised when, upon preparing for this review, I learned that the author is also a poet. Her ability to pick just the right words was on the level of John Corey Whaley and John Green – two wordsmiths who hold my utmost esteem.

But it wasn’t just a way with words that set this book apart. It was also the strong character development – the strongest I have seen in quite some time.

This book had a large cast of characters but all felt distinct and unique.

Each character had his or her own motivations and personality and all received ample character development from the author. They all felt dynamic and round, ripe with possibility.

As a writer, it should be no surprise that my favorite character was the writer – Kevin, live-in boyfriend to the accused mans’ daughters’ boyfriends’ mother. Yeah. That was a mouthful.

Anyways, this character was bright and real and flawed in all the right ways. His writing process, described eloquently, felt entirely authentic. Not since Scott Westerfeld’s Afterworlds have I read a book containing such enjoyable insight into what it means to be a writer. And, unlike in Afterworlds, this depiction of a “writer” was decidedly authentic. It wasn’t the get-a-book-deal-and-suddenly-be-rich caricature of a writer. It was a realistic view of a literary one-hit-wonder of sorts, actively working to become, at the least, a two-hit-wonder.

And I retained this affinity for this character despite the fact that this character – like all characters in the book – did some pretty shitty things.

It takes a certain sort of bravery and definitely amazing strength as a writer, I think, to create these characters that are all flawed, and yet still somehow get the audience to care for – and even love – them. This is something that Paula Hawkins failed to do in Into the Water but something that Zoe Whittall has masterfully done here.

It was because there were so many different characters, each bringing his or her own life experience, that Whittall could so effectively and comprehensively look at these complex issues – specifically, the issue of consent and the ability to consent as well as the impact of leveling charges both on the accuser and on the family of the accused. Using these characters, she didn’t tell you how to feel about these things, she told you a story and let you arrive at your feelings independently.

Stellar writing and stunning characterization aside, this book probably resonated with me personally so well because I always considered myself so divorced from that message on that Starbucks adjacent billboard. I was secure in my station and confident that nothing major would change.

As I took my caramel macchiato and shifted my car into drive, I felt authentically bad for those people. The kind of people who would know someone in jail. The kind of people I wasn’t. I was, in my estimation, the best kind of people – immune to those types of worries.

I was – I am – the Woodbury’s (though with a much less ostentatious home).

Fortunately for me, the reminder that I am just as vulnerable as anyone else came in the form of a literary lesson, not a personal life experience.

This a not a "feel-good" book and that's okay because it is definitely a book that forces us to think about different points of view - something I think we fail to do much too often. I found this to be very well written and nicely paced. You will either love this book or hate it and I loved it.

This book starts out strongly with George Woodbury, a local hero and highly respected Teacher of the Year for several years running, being arrested for 'impropriety and attempted rape' of female students during an overnight ski trip. The legal concept of 'innocent until proven guilty' seems to no longer be honored in today's court of public opinion and in this small wealthy town, George and his family quickly become pariahs. The judge decides that George is a flight risk and denies him bail, and sets a trial date several months in the future. How unjust is that to have to rot in jail if you are innocent?

But soon his own family starts having doubts; everyone says the girls' stories are credible, so what are they to think? "...If someone puts the possibility of something terrible in your head--and people around you believe it--you can't go back to thinking it completely inconceivable."

We never hear George's own story nor these so called credible accusations of his accusers and that I think is the weakest aspect of this story. I really wanted to hear both and judge for myself. One couldn't help but think about the 'mass hysteria' amongst the teenage girls involved in the Salem witch trials!

Instead, the book concentrates on how a situation like this effects those closest to the accused, how it changes their lives, their friendships, and their status in society. Is everything they thought they knew about the person they loved a lie? Have they been duped? Are they themselves stupid or naive? "Imagine the person you love and trust becoming a different person overnight. What would you do?"

I tired of this focus after a while and thought the final wrap-up came too quickly so that it felt a bit hashed together. A weird fact about George is revealed towards the end that is a game changer for his wife. Can she forgive and forget or does she need to move on? I'm not sure that I found her ultimate decision understandable. Boy, some people are screwed up!

I appreciate being allowed access to an arc of this new book from NetGalley, the author and publisher for an honest review.

This book is about a long time popular high school teacher and family man who is accused of sexually assaulting some of his high school students on a ski trip. It is about how the family his wife, daughter and son dealt with the accusation and whether or not the accusation was true or not.
Overall I rated this book five stars out of five. This was so emotionally and passionately written. It was so realistic I thought I was a voyeur watching this story unfold in front of me. It was heartbreaking and real. It was well written, and the character development was excellent in every way. I really liked the layout of this book on how it had a chapter from each family member's perspective and how that person was handling the accusations against their husband/father. The only thing that was a little disappointing was the ending it was too short, and it seemed as if there was no closure to the book. But this was mostly because I was so into this book and didn't want it to end. I wish the ending were more fair to the rest of the book. But overall I am so glad I read this book because I completely enjoyed reading it even though it was heartbreaking. Go out and read this book because it is highly recommended.
I would like to thank Netgalley, Zoe Whittall, and Random House Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very interesting book. This book was in the point of view of the suspects family. When most books, tv shows or movies are either the point of view of the victim or the suspect, it is really refreshing and interesting to see it with the family of the suspects point of view. I really enjoyed this book and felt one way towards the suspect and by the end wasn't sure how I felt about him. I would recommend this to family and friends to read because it's such a different take on this type of book.

I was given a free ecopy of this book from Netgalley through HarperCollins Canada for an honest review. I enjoyed the style of writing for this book but I just didn't love the characters. At the beginning of the book, George, a husband and father, is arrested for making sexual advances to high school girls. George is a respected teacher in his community so this makes the charges even more shocking to people. Joan, his wife, and Andrew and Sadie, his children, are torn between what to believe and how to go on with their lives. George is held in jail until his trial a few months away and the family struggles while they await the trial. His children have many issues to deal with on their own, independent of the problems their dad has. All of the characters seemed to have a lot of dysfunction. While I liked this book I didn't love it but would like to read more from this author.

When George Woodbury, a prep-school teacher is accused of sexual impropriety with a student. Everything in his life and everyone in his life gets their world turned upside down. Fast paced, and what could be a difficult subject is treated so well by Whittall that you can't help but stay engaged.

Off roading anyone? That's how this book reads.

George Woodbury, comes from several generations of wealth, he is a well respected pillar in the community, a high school teacher. One day he is accused of sexual misconduct by three high school girls. What sort misconduct you ask, well the reader never really finds out. There is very little about the accusations, the accused or the accusers in this book. Instead we go off-roading into the lives of the family members following George's arrest.

The arrest scene is unrealistic. This man who is described above as almost saintly, is arrested and then denied bail because he is a flight risk??? He sits in prison for 10 months before anything happens. Seriously? This would never happen.

Joan, George's wife is described as tough, as a nurse can handle any situation at work and is a get down to business woman. When in fact she is weak, out of control and has her head in the sand. Why would the author paint the picture of her one way and portray her another?

The daughter is a train wreck. We hear about her sexual activities, pot smoking, crush on an older man (her boyfriend's mother's boyfriend Kevin ).

Kevin, is a weird addition to the story, another off-road side trip that has no relevance.

I had to keep reading to find out where all this was going only to be left completely flat in one page at the end. Some reviewers stated the end was brilliant. I certainly missed the boat on that one, I thought it was a cop out and left undone. Interestingly enough I did enjoy the story. I would have thought that the editors would have caught the many discrepancies and inconsistencies in the story.

First off, let me start by saying that I thought this was going to be a suspense-type book and it is not. I think this through me off a little but that is my bad for not reading the full description but I don't think that it affected my overall feelings for this story.
How would you feel if one of the people you knew, trusted and looked up to the most was accused of something horrible? How would you react? It is easy to answer that from this side of things but how would that answer differ if you were actually in that moment? Out of love and your knowledge you would stand by that person and fight for them but how would you feel?
This story delves into the Woodbury family and how they deal with the accusations and arrest of their beloved husband and father. It also deals with how they are treated as the family of the accused and how our society reacts to such crimes and those they deem as the ones who "should have known". It is a rather dark and deep look into how families of accused criminals are mistreated and shunned by those around them.
I think that Ms. Whittall does a great job of looking at things from the families perspective but I feel that we never really got a chance to get to know any of them very well as there was a lot of jumping around in perspective. I also never really liked any of the characters so I had a hard time "rooting" for any of them. Don't get me wrong, I had plenty of sympathy for them but they all came off very self-involved and were never truly there for each or seemed to have a great relationship to begin with. I wanted to enjoy this and see them all grow and learn from these experiences but none of them really seemed to change at all-disappointing. 2/5 stars

Blurb from Amazon's website:
A local schoolteacher is arrested, leaving his family to wrestle with the possibility of his guilt, in this exquisite novel about loyalty, truth, and happiness.

The Woodburys cherish life in the affluent, bucolic suburb of Avalon Hills, Connecticut. George is a beloved science teacher at the local prep school, a hero who once thwarted a gunman, and his wife, Joan, is a hardworking ER nurse. They have brought up their children in this thriving town of wooded yards and sprawling lakes.

Then one night a police car pulls up to the Woodbury home and George is charged with sexual misconduct with students from his daughter’s school. As he sits in prison awaiting trial and claiming innocence, Joan vaults between denial and rage as friends and neighbors turn cold. Their daughter, seventeen-year-old Sadie, is a popular high school senior who becomes a social outcast—and finds refuge in an unexpected place. Her brother, Andrew, a lawyer in New York, returns home to support the family, only to confront unhappy memories from his past. A writer tries to exploit their story, while an unlikely men’s rights activist group attempts to recruit Sadie for their cause.

Provocative and unforgettable, The Best Kind of People reveals the cracks along the seams of even the most perfect lives and the unraveling of an American family.
           Thank you to Netgalley and Ballentine Books for the chance to read an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.  I fear it just wasn't for me.  I try to never do this, but after struggling through half the book I am throwing in the towel.  The premise caught my attention immediately- I love books like this where you get a deep look into a family.  The drama, the intrigue... it's my catnip.  I can't decide where this one fell flat, all I know is that it never caught hold of me.  I was bored and forcing myself from page to page waiting for a character to make me feel.  Even the opening, which should have been very exciting, seemed dull to me.  I guess I simply didn't care for the execution.
          On the adult content- there's a lot.  Language, drug use, sexual content.... while none are very graphic, it is there.  Since this is a book I can see appealing to teens, I feel like I should put that warning out.  Again, it isn't graphic, though, so I give it a five.

Could not get into this past the opening chapters. Begins great with character development and setting, looses itself in needless backstory and lacks little aside from the central criminal charges.

This was actually quite a decent book. I had some doubts given that I think this subject/storyline has been done over and over, but I found the book to be well-written, and the characters to be mostly likable and sympathetic. Although the subject has been done before, it was still an intriguing plot line, and I was anxious to see what the author would do with it. I had a lot of compassion for Joan, and really felt for the hard decisions she had to make. Andrew's character was interesting and provided a bit of a side story for distraction. Sadie was least-likable for me - while I'm sure she was in a difficult place, she was a bit too spoiled for me. Without providing any spoilers, I was rather frustrated with the ending - the ultimate choices of the characters were predictable and disappointing, and there were key questions that were never resolved for me. But overall I really enjoyed it and felt the author did a good job with a familiar storyline

This was a very tough book to read. Zoe Whittall is a very talented writer, and courageously takes on a very complicated subject. How does a family hold its center when everything they believe about themselves is challenged? George Woodbury, a nice man, a popular teacher and content father and husband is accused of sexual abuse of minors. The effects on his wife, his son and his daughter echo in ever widening circles through their lives, and the lives of the people who love them.