Cover Image: Good Girls Lie

Good Girls Lie

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Member Reviews

Thank you so much for this ARC!

This book has all the components for a juicy read! Elite boarding school, rich girls with interesting upbringings and lots of drama.

At times, I did feel like it was a young adult novel and really sometimes thought it dragged on a bit. I did listen to the audio version of this book, so many that impacted my response to the novel.

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This book was OK, but a little too convoluted for me. I had a hard time keeping the narrators straight and it was hard to tell all the girls apart. I ended up not really caring about any of them. The whole scheme seemed a little far fetched for two teenagers to come up with and I was turned off by the convenience of their meeting and friendship. I would have liked more of an ending for Ford (it seemed a little rushed) and didn’t mind the resolution on the plane but, it too, seemed a little convenient.

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I love, love, love some backstabbing girl drama in a thriller. However I was able to figure out the plot twists and the ending. While that might seem like a bad thing, it seemed to work for this book. I was able to be right where the author wanted me. I don't think this is his best book but it was enjoyable.

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Really enjoyed this book. Great read with a good plot, lots of twists and very interesting characters. Thoroughly enjoyed this one.

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Love this author and this one didn’t disappoint.

Just enough suspense but not overdone. Twists in this book and will keep you guessing.

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I love a good murder mystery, especially one with lots of plot twists, but this one got bogged down in its details for me. It was slow-moving with an ending that was so telegraphed from the beginning that I was surprised - it seemed too obvious to be the actual ending. Very atmospheric book - the author does a great job of painting the mental picture of the school and its eerie qualities - but ultimately pretty forgettable for me.

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This book has a great atmosphere - a prestigious all-girls boarding school almost guaranteed to get its hyper-privileged students into the Ivy League school of their choice. The high school is also filled with its own secret societies, drama, an Honor Code and urban legends......creepy right? And J.T. Lisbon does a great job of adding a mysterious character into the mix - the British bombshell Ash, who is clearly hiding secrets of her own.

All of this intrigue creates a brilliant little world of secrets, lies and betrayal as the main characters try to navigate the all too familiar drama of high school, but with the extreme privilege of being able to ask your parents to wire you hundreds of dollars or run a government background check on someone. What I liked about all of this is that it was very hard to get a handle on who were the “good guys” and who were the “bad guys.” It could literally change from page to page.

And the bad guys - or should I say, gals - were realllllly bad. There were some things that were tough to read (I’ll give you a hint, for me it was in regards to some hazing). I would be interested to hear if any of that really goes on in places like this. I mean, it was horrifying.

In the end, it’s really up to the reader to decide who the victim and who the “bad gal” was. I like that. The shades of gray made it really interesting and those twists and turns kept me turning pages and gasping.

However the *big* twist was a bit confusing. It had a lot going on and I’m still a little confused about how everything was supposed to work out and what was happening. I wish that was a little clearer. If it was, this would have been a five-star read, for sure.

Overall, I really irked this book. It was a great dive into a world that is so different from anything I know that I was sucked in from the very beginning. I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of dramatic thrillers and mysteries!

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I struggled to get into the story at first but once I did it was good. The setting of the all girls private high school was so intriguing. The Goode School was an eerie, dark, mysterious backdrop for this thriller. The characters and story line kept me interested.

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Good Girls Lie is a classic boarding school drama and thriller with a twist. It centers around the Goode School, a famous boarding school for girls of the elite. Good Girls Lie is a simple and easy read with a little dark to it.

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Murder. Who is killing the girls of the Goode School? And why? Who is this mysterious new girl that has shown up? What is it about her? Her parents died in a murder/suicide. Is she the grieving daughter she appears to be? There is something odd about her. This book is full of twists and turns. Just when you think you have it figured out, you don't!

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A boarding school is the perfect setting, and J.T. Elison does a great job of creating the perfect, slightly creepy atmosphere to stage this mystery. The clues are revealed as the story unfolds, and the reader follows the breadcrumbs down the path and keeps you turning pages to the conclusion. A satisfying read and highly recommended.

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Thank you TLC Book Tours Mira Books & Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I started this book way back when I first got it (late last year?) and I was definitely into it, but I got distracted by other books and deadlines and just never got around to finishing it. I decided to start over from the beginning with the audio.

I’m so glad I finally went back and read the whole thing, because I love a good, twisty Ellison novel! When you read one of her books, you literally can’t trust anyone or anything. You’ll make assumptions and you’ll be wrong. And I love that! Honestly, it’s like J.T. Ellison is a magician of the written word. While you’re looking over here at this shiny object, she’s pulling a rabbit out of her hat and smacking you in the face with it.

Boarding schools and secret societies seem to be a popular thriller theme lately and I’m not mad about it. Is it weird that even though super shady things go on at these schools, sometimes it makes me wish I went to a boarding school? 😂

Initially I got a little confused about what was going on at the end. I had to rewind the audio a couple times to make sure I wasn’t missing something. Definitely a book you can’t zone out on.

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I really wanted to give this a fair chance. I started it last year before publication date and always felt bad for giving up on the digital review copy so quickly. And I really do want to catch up on my NetGalley backlog. But I’m at 31% now and I think that’s more than fair enough when it comes to DNF decision making.

Firstly, this “pulse-pounding psychological thriller” is only slowing my pulse down and making me super drowsy. I’m not into it at all. I feel like I’ve encountered this story before. Or several stories like it. Maybe there is some excitement up ahead but I’m already so unimpressed and it seems unwise to keep chugging along.

Also, I think one twist was already revealed? It looks that way. And it was something I guessed at long ago. I am really not in the mood to force myself through something that I don’t think is interesting for the sake of possible jaw-droppers when I’ve already encountered this disappointment.

I think the author has a lovely writing style and the opening scene was certainly compelling, but this book isn’t for me. It seems many have enjoyed it so I’ll happily assume my role as the reading outcast once again and encourage you to check it out. I am a picky reader and that’s all there is to it. It’s not you, girls of Goode. Surely, it must be me.

Thank you to the publisher for my digital review copy through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

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This book represents everything I have ever thought about all girl schools. The backstabbing, conniving, psychotic girls and all their issues. I really enjoyed this book and it was a quick, easy read. I received an ARC of this thanks to NetGalley, but unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to read it before the release date.

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A story that was not my cup of tea. This was a tough book for me to read Sure it is a genre and theme many would ehjoy but so not me

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Really enjoyable, dark and twisty thriller! I plan to read more from this author. The atmosphere was really solid and believable.

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Good Girls Lie was a fast read - my favorite part was the setting, the all-girls boarding school and all the creepy feels that came with it. The mystery was forgettable - but I enjoyed the book.

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Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison was a kind of book. Set at an infamous boarding school called Good, this book dives into the improbable life of girls within a boarding school to include secret societies, past lives and transgressions, current misunderstandings and anger, and lies upon lies upon lies. I love the writing because it doesn't give much away until the inevitable happens and you're left with your mouth hanging open. Highly recommend. And the title...I mean come one...what an awesome play on words.

I received a review copy from the publisher, via NetGalley, for my honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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As an alumni of an exclusive girls only boarding school, I have always thought it would be the perfect setting for a thriller. JT Ellison obviously agreed with me and has written a chilling, suspense filled novel.
The Goode school is a prestigious school for the rich and influential. Attendance practically guarantees entrance to the Ivy League. Tradition and honour are held in the highest regard and, as long as students are discrete, they can get away with almost anything. Even murder. Ash Carlisle arrives at Goode desperate for a fresh start. Unfortunately, she immediately gets on the bad side of the head girl and involved in an unexpected tragedy.Meanwhile, the headmistress is only just putting the scandal of her predecessor to rest and must handle the darkest challenge Goode has ever faced. Is Ash as innocent as she looks or is there something more sinister lurking beneath her blonde locks? Only when the school faces complete ruin does the truth emerge.
It becomes obviously only a few chapters in that Goode is based on Ellison’s own boarding school experience – a fact confirmed in the Author’s Note. Girls schools- particularly those with significant history - are full of ghost stories, weird traditions, secret societies and quirks that make no sense to outsiders. All these factors add to Ash’s confusion as she tries to settle into Goode and make for a thrilling read.
The suspension is kept heightened from chapter one right until the end. This is not a relaxing book to read – highly entertaining but not relaxing. Bits of Ash’s history are revealed piece by tantalising piece leaving you wondering what she is hiding. Others may see the twist coming at the end but I admit I only figured it out a few pages before it is revealed.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin-Mira for a copy of the book in return for my unbiased review. This review is my own opinion.

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This book was pure entertainment! Full of conniving and manipulative young girls out to ruin each other. I was invested for the first third of the book. Then, it got super repetitive and the middle just dragged on. That being said, I liked the ending quite a bit. Yes, it was very far-fetched and cheesy but I personally haven't read a plot twist such as this one so I didn't mind it!

The main character was very mysterious and always kept me on my toes. Overall, a solid and entertaining read!

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