The Goode School is an elite prep school in Marchburg, Virginia. Each class contains only fifty girls, hand-picked by Dean Westhaven herself. The school has been in the Dean's family for generations. The girls all go on to college--mostly the Ivies--and are the daughters of the rich and elite. Goode is filled with traditions, rumors, haunted tunnels and arboretums, and secret societies. Coming to Goode from England this year is Ash Carr, now Ash Carlisle. Ash's wealthy parents are dead and Goode gives her a chance to start over without the notoriety that follows in her home country. But soon, a student is dead at Goode. She apparently had a secret--and she isn't the only one.

I am a total sucker for a good boarding school mystery. Add in the fact that this one is set basically in my backyard, the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia, and it's written by one of my favorite authors, J.T. Ellison: I'm all in. GOOD GIRLS LIE didn't disappoint. This was a captivating thriller that kept me frantically flipping the pages of my Kindle. I didn't know who to believe, what to believe, or what on earth was going on. And I loved it.

The book opens up with a death--a body is found hanging on the school's gates. From there, the story backs up, and you are left guessing, wondering if Ash is a reliable narrator or not. For a story that features teenage girls, it's surprisingly adult and dark.

"Of course, there are a few people who know exactly who is hanging from the school's gates. Know who, and know why. But they will never tell."

This is a mystery filled with juicy backstories and gossip. The town of Marchburg has a storied past, and I found myself caught up in all of it. The Dean and her mother--twisted past. An old incident at the school--twisted past. Ash and her family--twisted past. Do you see a pattern emerging? Around every corner, a new dramatic turn emerges. If you like your thrillers with lots of drama and surprises, you'll enjoy this book. It's different, dark and twisty, and quite good. 4.5 stars.

There is a mystic about boarding schools. Uniforms, dorms, secret societies....it's appealing when you are a girl growing up in a small town. I always wanted to go to a school like The Goode School. Exceptional women on a fast track to an Ivy League college.

BUT, not everything is as it seems. Cruel teasing, bullying, suicide, rumors, and the fact that everyone around Ash seems to die.... Good Girls Lie from J.T. Ellison is a perfect thriller. There are secrets. There are lies. There are questions. There are answers. The Goode girls are not so good.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

3.75 stars

Fast paced, fantastic setting, and the amount of drama that you'd expect from Pretty Little Liars, this is a fun romp for fans of boarding school mystery/thrillers.

Pacing: ★★★ 1/2
Setting: ★★★★★
Reveal(s): Not overly surprising, but incredibly entertaining
Enjoyment: I love boarding school mysteries, so... yes.

Nestled in a small town in Virginia, there sits a prestigious all-girls boarding school catering to the elite. Appearances and social ties are everything, and these girls are primed for success at any cost.

Enter Ash, a girl with a secret and everything left to lose.

Ash has come to the Goode School to escape her tragic recent past and remake herself in the image of a Goode girl. Goode girls are honorable, smart, and polished. Goode girls are dedicated to their studies and are guaranteed spots at Ivy League schools. Goode girls can't afford to have setbacks or secrets.

But this "perfect" boarding school is built on secrets, hazing, and lies. Nothing is what it seems, and Ash finds herself not only in danger of revealing her true past but also getting crushed by Goode's other members—who have some serious qualms about an English girl one-upping them on their home turf.

I loved this devious, back-stabbing, girls' revenge mystery/thriller story. It definitely knows its audience, and it caters to us well. There is plenty of intrigue, hidden romance, double-crossing, atmospheric school stuff, and of course murder(s).

In particular, I loved the framing of the story—we have several POVs, and certain facts that I took for facts turned out to have different conclusions. Which was sometimes a nice surprise and sometimes an easily guessed—yet entertaining—reveal. I will say that I definitely guessed the largest mystery plot point, but I still kept reading because the story itself was so entertaining.

My main reluctance to rate this higher was due to the easy to guess plot points and the pacing. At times, this felt long. It IS long, but unlike some long books that feel short, this one feels as long as it is.

Come for the drama, stay for the drama! This is definitely a worthy inclusion into the genre of boarding school mysteries. I loved it.

I did not make it all the way through this book. I stopped at 32%. I did not find the story believable and I did not like any of the characters. I just wasn’t invested enough to continue.

GOOD GIRLS LIE was a twisty good read. Ash's story intrigued me and I found the beginning well-developed. I finished in a couple days and remained engaged throughout the read. There were lots of twists and turns at the end of the story, however that made me wonder if it was a bit much. But, I would read more from this author. Thank you Netgalley.

I LOVED Good Girls Lie. Boarding school novels are some of my favourites and Good Girls Lie takes that genre and delivers an addictive read that I could not put down!

You have rich girls, mean girls, decades of tradition, secret societies, newcomers with mysterious pasts and murder! What more could you ask for from a book!?

Secrets are currency at The Goode School. And the pupils, the Dean and teachers and the townspeople know how to use secrets and the past against each other in ways that make for a thrilling read. Ellison does an amazing job creating the atmosphere of the school and its place in the town, as well as developing the characters and the relationships they have with each other. Fans of The Secret History should love this read.

This book has cemented J.T Ellison as an auto-read author for me and I can't wait to read her next book.

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin MIRA, and J.T. Ellison for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

The massive, black, wrought iron gates to the school stand open in greeting for orientation day. Term starts tomorrow, Thursday, so Tuesday and Wednesday are set aside for students to get settled in the dorms, buy their books, sign up for activities and sports teams, hand over their phones, and otherwise run amok on campus, reuniting with their friends and making...Great Read Enjoy it very much

This one really intrigued me. I only read one other book by this author, and my feelings on both books are similar.

This book started out pretty good. It was very mysterious and interesting. Then, it eventually wasn't. I have the big reveal figured out pretty close to the beginning. So when it happened, it didn't surprise me. If I'm being honest, it was revealed without much fanfare after such a build up.

The characters eventually grated on my nerves. The book kept slowing down at parts. I found it hard to finish. I wasn't overly impressed with the writing either.

This book, for me, was just so-so. I wasn't a fan, but I didn't completely dislike it either.

Perched atop a hill in the tiny town of Marchburg, Virginia, The Goode School is a prestigious prep school. The story begins with a young girl found dead - murder or suicide? Then retraces the weeks and events preceding. Alliances, friendships, deceit - all things expected of girls regardless of their background. And then a twist.

A secluded boarding school, secret societies, and murder. What’s not to like? Will keep you entertained.

The setting of the book seems innocent enough. A teenage girl, Ash, has recently lost both of her parents and she leaves England to attend an elite all girls high school in the US. However, the school is full of secrets, despite the strict Honor Code, that requires all the girls to act in the best manner possible and report or self-report any indiscretions. It all begins to come apart when a teacher dies before classes even begin for the semester. This was not to be the last death of the semester....

I was enthralled with this book. Ash's past is complicated and her life on campus has not been made easy. I loved the setting! I have always loved the history and older buildings of the schools on the east coast and the description of the school is gorgeous! I could visualize the setting the entire time I was reading the book.

The book keeps you guessing until the very end. The only reason I did not give this book 5 stars is I was slightly confused by the ending and did not completely understand who the characters were so I didn't know if justice was fully served or who came out ahead.

Oh the mean girls are here! This book is a compulsive read with everything thrown in to each sordid chapter:secrets, lies, murder, suicide,affairs,hazing, alcohol, drugs, and so, so much more . Highly recommend this twisted read!

This one was a bit difficult to get into… but once you’re past the first third of the book, the action picks up and Good Girls Lie is hard to put down!

This book had plenty of potential: an intriguing setting, all-girl school drama, secret societies and murder. However, the “big reveal” or the “big twist” of the story was easy to figure out as it was hinted at quite early on in the novel.

Back to the setting: I quite enjoyed the boarding school setting. Though it was sometimes hard to remember the girls are only in High School, as it had a more of a college feel (drugs, alcohol, parties, sorority-like secret societies, etc). Also, some of the rules were hard to believe, as a reader: such as, the no-cellphone-allowed-on-campus rule. A No-Cellphone rule during class would be easy to get behind, but cellphones not even allowed on school grounds, in this day and age, is simply unfathomable. Especially since kids are away from their parents during the whole school term.

There were many narrators and I particularly enjoyed Dean Westhaven’s point of view. She is an interesting character, with many facets of her personality, that make her easy to relate to. The main character though, Ash, sometimes feels a little cold and shallow. Her personality is harder to empathize with.

As I mentioned earlier, the first 30% of the novel was difficult to get into. I sometimes felt like it dragged on a bit too much. Once the action picks up, however, I devoured the rest of the novel quickly. The ending was also a bit disappointing, no huge twist that I hadn’t seen coming.

All in all, I give Good Girls Lie 3 stars, for the action-packed second half of the novel, and for the setting, which I enjoyed imagining.

The opening scene of this book is amazing and you know immediately going in that this is going to be a book that will be hard to put down! Welcome to The Goode School in Marchburg Virginia, an all girls prestigious boarding school that only the wealthy can afford, they send their young daughters to this school prepare them for the Ivy League futures. Behind the walls of this elite school holds some very dark secrets that include, murder and secret societies. Enter Ash Carlisle she’s from England she’s alone, recently losing her parents to a horrific murder suicide. Immediately picked on by the head girl she soon discovers her school isn’t the getaway she was hoping for. Not al of the girls are who they appear. Ash has her own secrets she’s hoping to keep hidden what they are we aren’t told right away, she hopes to keep them in her past. Soon the lies begin to pile up and when a murder happens you start to see not everyone is who they appear to be... this book had me at the edge of my seat. The author did an amazing job weaving each character in and had me guessing what was going to happen. I loved how everyone had their own secret and appearances are deceiving especially when you throw an all girls boarding school!! Five stars!

Wow! Add this one to my short list of books I really, really didn't want to put down. Absolutely loved it from start to finish.

Much of my reason for enjoyment is the in-depth, intriguing character development; each and every one has a complex, often secretive backstory, revealed as the story progresses. As might be expected, there are twists - some quite surprising - that kept me hooked as well. I'm aware, though, that some say the story has its unbelievable moments. I agree that's true to a degree; but in my mind, there's no reason a good story can't stretch the imagination a bit. I'm not reading it because I want to be immersed in total reality - in many cases, in fact, that wouldn't be any fun at all.

As this one opens, a recently orphaned girl named Ashlyn Carr has come to the elite Goode School in Virginia. She was admitted following a Skype-type interview by the dean, Dr. Ford Julianne Westhaven. The students here are highly intelligent but societal misfits, and Ash definitely fits the profile. But almost the moment she arrives, Ash bumps heads with senior Becca - the daughter of a powerful senator - who's clearly bonkers but just as clearly rules the student body with a heavy hand. The plot thickens when one of the girls is found dead - hanging from the front gates.

Flashbacks show Ash's life before her life got Goode when she and her parents lived in England, and it's not pretty. And early on, Ash (and readers) learn that life at Goode isn't very pretty either; there are secret societies and cliques, for instance, that bring out the worst in the girls who live here. Nor do the faculty and staff get off easy - they have their own secrets and peccadilloes that make life miserable for themselves and others around them.

Although Ash is talented enough to get private lessons from the school's computer whiz teacher, she can't seem to make much headway when it comes to making friends. Even her roommate, Camile - another girl who has some serious secrets to hide - turns on her. Then suddenly, the tide seems to turn when Ash receives a coveted invitation to the Attic from Becca - a rarity for a freshman and a sure sign that Ash has finally made the grade.

Or not. After all, good girls lie, don't they? A big part of the appeal of this story is trying to figure out which (if any) of the Goode girls are truthful. Thoroughly enjoyable book, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

Any book by J.T. Ellison is a must read. Simple as that. Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

I love love love when an author surprises me!
The story is addictive and the writing is tight.
I thought I had the whole thing figured out, but she still managed to throw a few surprises in at the end.
Much love to NetGalley and HARLEQUIN - MIRA (U.S. and Canada) for my ARC.

Thank you so much to MIRA Books for this eARC!
I tend not to read a ton of thrillers, but when I heard Good Girls Lie was set at an all girls boarding school I was immediately interested! Ash Carr - who’s parents have both recently died- arrives from England at The Goode School, and everything starts going wrong.
The tone of the entire book is unsettling- I never knew who to trust, and I kept second-guessing the opinions I thought I had. If you like thrillers with tons of atmosphere, this is definitely one to pick up!

There are truths, and there are lies, and then there is everything that really happened, which is where you and I will meet. My truth is your lie, and my lie is your truth and there is a vast expanse between them.

Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison is a thriller of a most complex and convoluted nature and I absolutely loved it! The paragraph I outlined above perfectly captures the essence of the story. Who’s lying and who is telling the truth? And, whose truth is it?

Good Girls Lie has a cast of compelling characters that were, at times, unreliable narrators but had me so emotionally invested that I literally had to keep turning pages to satisfy my curiosity. The setting alternates between a fictional boarding school, The Goode School, located in Virginia and the U.K. The majority of the story takes place at The Goode School, where the privileged daughters of the elite and wealthy come to get the finest education possible before they head off to a prestigious college. I really enjoyed the world building and found the history behind the fictional school fascinating; after reading the authors note, I discovered there is a mix of schools and Ms. Ellison’s own experiences that the Goode School is constructed from.

The plot is tightly woven and thought-provoking; it moves along quickly and I was delighted to find that I didn’t know what I thought I knew! I absolutely love when a book - especially a thriller - has this effect on me! There are the requisite plot twists and red herrings, definitely, but they are well-crafted, well-placed, and above all else, they made sense! Especially when that ah-ha moment hits! Even after I thought all was done, Ms. Ellison had a surprise ending that kept the suspense going.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the mystery/suspense or psychological thriller genre.

A big thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin MIRA, and J.T. Ellison for allowing me to review Good Girls Lie in exchange for my honest review.

J.T. Ellison has come out with a brand new thriller to captivate their audience – Good Girls Lie. Though I’ll confess that it’s also the first novel I’ve read by them – so my review will not be making comparisons to their past work.
Good Girls Lie is a complex and disturbing novel, one that combines thriller elements with an in-depth study of human nature and the various extremes that come from the bonds of friendship.
The Goode School is one of the most prestigious all-girls schools in the country. Designed as a place to send the daughters of the influential, this is one of those stereotypical schools that only take the best of the best. And one has to continue to earn their place, once they’ve made it in.
Naturally, this is a highly competitive environment, with all of the girls seeking to go on to greater and bigger things. And that means they’re willing to do anything to get ahead – and create trouble in the process.
The Goode School has faced its fair share of scandal in the past. But they’re not prepared for the level of chaos that is about to be brought down on them. And it all starts with the death of a student. Though really, things were set in motion quite a while before that.

“If you spend your life apologizing, you’ll never gain any confidence.”

Warnings: Good Girls Lie is a classic thriller, in that it doesn’t shy away from some of the more graphic things human beings are capable of doing to one another. There are some graphic murders included, along with abuse, suicide, and scenes depicting hazing.

Good Girls Lie was a thrilling an intense tale of epic proportions. Have you ever picked up a book and found the web so tangled that you couldn’t look away? That is exactly the sort of story that’s taking place at the Goode School.
Honestly, it’s been a hot minute since I read a thriller that got to me as much as Good Girls Lie did. It had all of these brilliant – yet disturbing – elements in all of the right balances. I just couldn’t get it out of my head. Actually, it’s been a day since I finished reading it, and I still can’t get it out of my head.
What really impressed me about this novel was the level of detail that J.T. Ellison was able to weave into the story. Each scene felt so rich and alive, which certainly added to some of the more disturbing scenes.
Almost the entirety of the book is set at the Goode School, and yet the world was carefully thought out and expanded to its fullest. It’s almost hard to believe that this one school could contain so much intrigue and drama. Though I doubt that the Goode School would actually be proud of that fact…
There was a strong sense of mystery surrounding the thriller elements. This was not a clear cut story by any means. You couldn’t just pick up the book, read the first chapter, and know who did what. There were hints dropped along the way, of course, but nothing was clear. And that made plenty of room for shocking twists.
I loved every minute I spent reading Good Girls Lie. I almost wish that I could go back and read it again for the first time. But I can’t. On the bright side, I now have a new author (well, new to me) to go and read through their backlog. And that sounds like a win to me.