I’ve really enjoyed JT Ellison’s past novel and was super stoked to receive this advanced copy of Good Girls Lie. I wasn’t let down! The was awesome and the descriptions were spot on and the narrative was perfect. This definitely in my top 5 this year!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great thriller, and reminds me of some of the Gossip Girl, Private, etc series. Ash has just come to the Goode school after dealing with the horrible tragedy of the death of her parents. There are obviously some suspicious circumstances surrounding their deaths, especially when the present is interspersed with tales of the past. Despite the feeling you get that Ash is guilty of some horrible things, I find it difficult to dislike her. This makes sense during one of the Big Reveals at the end of the novel.

Ash starts to navigate the privileged waters of Goode school, dealing with petty girls, jealousies, secret societies, and malicious gossip. But then girls start dying, and everything takes a much more serious turn.

It is difficult, in my opinion, to get a good thriller that seems surprising, but also realistic, and that the ending isn't too far-fetched. This one does a decent job of it, and I found myself pretty satisfied at the end of the book.

DNF 20%

1) The interactive narrative—the type that addresses the readers and asks lots of questions about its own story—was irritating rather than amusing. There were these clunky attempts at being clever that failed abysmally. If anything the use of certain words seemed incredibly unlikely especially if they were being used by a teenager. For instance, how likely is it that someone would think this: "Epochs of instinct tell me this is an important moment".... ? ! This doesn't sound clever or likely given that a 16 year old is thinks that she has 'epochs of instincts'...

2)Speaking of teenagers...none of these girls sounded like modern teenagers. The story takes place in 2019 and J. T. Ellison's teenagers are completely out of touch with reality.

3) "Each class has fifty girls […] all of whom go to college […] a full 90 percent go traditional Ivy"...sure.

4)Over the top drama-lama: "there is something smoldering in the other girl's depths. Fire and hate and more, something wrong." Phrases like this are laughable. I understand that 'potentially dangerous teenage girls' are the new thing but to attribute to a girl's eyes so much 'wrongness' seems like a cheap effort to convey this sense of 'danger'.

5) Boring. As the self-congratulatory narrative is more focused on appearing clever rather than interesting there was nothing to keep my interest. This lukewarm start will probably lead into a Gossip Girl kind of scenario...

A dark, twisty thriller set at an elite all girls boarding school written by JT Ellison?!

Sign. Me. Up.

Seriously, I don’t know why I love stories that take place at boarding schools. Or ones having to do with secret societies and hazing by terrible, cliquey teens, but I do. So much. I do however know why I love stories by JT Ellison. I’ve read all her books and loved them, but this one was by far my favorite.

Synopsis:

Perched atop a hill in the tiny town of Marchberg, Virginia, The Goode School is a prestigious prep school known as a silent Ivy. The boarding school of choice for daughters of the rich and influential, it accepts only the best and brightest. Its elite status, long held traditions, and honor code are ideal for preparing exceptional young women for brilliant futures at Ivy League universities and beyond. But a stranger has come to Goode, and this ivy has turned poisonous. In a world where appearances are everything, as long as students pretend to follow the rules, no one questions the cruelties of the secret societies or the dubious behavior of the privileged young women who expect to get away with murder. But when a popular student is found dead, the truth cannot be ignored. Rumors suggest she was struggling with a secret that drove her to suicide. But look closely.....because there are truths and there are lies, and then there is everything that really happened.

Whew. Once I picked this book up I could not put it down. There are so many twists and turns that by the end my head was spinning. What a ride!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Mira books for the advance digital copy! This one is out December 30!

thought it was an excellent . loved the story , This book had me from the start to the finish. it had an ending that surprised me in the end, I'd give it a thumbs up.

I was so ready to give this 3 stars. It was boring me and confusing me. But, i kept pushing on and omg I'm so glad I did. Not a crazy typical J.T Ellison psychological thriller, but still fascinating and messed up in it's own way.

I really enjoyed this book! The set up (starting with a future event and then switching back to present time; switching perspectives, but not always indulging who's it is) is well timed and we'll managed. The teasers were well placed and never gave away too much. The plot is a little predictable, but the very ending was not and I loved that!

3.5/5

Well, this story progressed in a somewhat unexpected way. I'm a sucker for boarding school mysteries, and this book starts off in a pretty much average/standard way. Maybe that's why it took a while for me to actually get into the book, as nothing really interesting happens until the mysterious death occurs, which is when the plot eventually thickens. When things begin to unravel and secrets are revealed, the pacing also quickens and the ending was delivered pretty quickly too, but luckily it was a pretty satisfying ending. I'm pretty sure the only thing that I disliked was the secret societies that occurred in the school because I found it to be a waste of time as it did not contribute much to the plot at all other than giving Ash an alibi during the murder.

Character-wise, the only interesting one was Ash. Everyone else wasn't given enough screen time nor development and had pretty much remained as the flat characters that they started off as. Ash was interesting because there was always a shroud of mystery over her (which later makes sense later on down the road). She has her head on her shoulders and has a pretty strong footing against the mean girls at the school. Not only that, she is pretty much a genius and a skilled hacker and is overall a good perspective to read from. Once you learn more about her mysterious past/self, you kind of see her in a new light, making you question more about her. Overall, solid character.

Overall, this was a pretty solid boarding school mystery.

The Goode school for Girls is a extremely prestigious outstanding prep school in Virginia.
When a student is found murdered who is responsible?
When Ash Carlisle arrives at the school from England with both parents recently dead how will she fit in and cope with this new life.
Things are happening at Goode and not for the better can Ash see what ishe the truth and what is a lie.

Good Girls Lie
By J.T. Ellison

4 stars

Classic murder thriller.

The story builds tension, engaging the reader as the girls of the Goode Girls Boarding College skip classes and initiate new bees in to clubs.

But it is not all fun and games.

The mystery about the new students is well developed, as the author unravels the secrets that the girls carry, as well as the staff.

The Goode School is a prestigious prep school accepting only the best and the brightest. Its elite status, long-held traditions and honor code are ideal for preparing exceptional young women for brilliant futures at Ivy League universities and beyond. But a stranger has come to Goode, and this ivy has turned poisonous.

In a world where appearances are everything, as long as students pretend to follow the rules, no one questions the cruelties of the secret societies or the dubious behavior of the privileged young women who expect to get away with murder. But when a popular student is found dead, the truth cannot be ignored. Rumors suggest she was struggling with a secret that drove her to suicide.

Great plot, tension filled story

This title has been reviewed by This title was provided by Netgalley and the publisher in return for an open and honest review.

#GoodGirlsLie #NetGalley

4.5 stars for me !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good Girls Lie is a book full of plot twists that will keep you up reading well into the night.

The book takes place at a private girls school in Virginia (that alone leads to many side stories).

Ash has come from Oxford to enroll in this prestigious school after suffering a great personal loss. Or was it ?

Nothing is as it seems to be: who is innocent, who is guilty.

The Goode School for Girls has so many secrets both past and present.

I thought I had the ending figured out but I didn't.

Well worth the read. So much is offered in Good Girls Lie.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harelquin MIRA (US and Canada) for the opportunity to get lost in the dorms and halls of The Goode School for Girls.

Ash Carlisle is a new student to the illustrious all girls school in Virginia that has catered to elite families and groomed Ivy League success stories for generations. She isn't they typical new student; she has crossed the pond from her hometown of Oxford but has brought along the ghosts of her past and the recent traffic deaths of her parents. She has decided to make the best of her new arrangements and catapult herself into a better life even if she isnt everything she has claimed to be. She quickly catches the eye of senior Becca Curtis, the head girl in charge who loves to haze younger girls despite being the head of the schools strict Honor Code. Ash is also being carefully watched by Dean Westhaven who has been running the school for the last decade after her mother was outed as dean after a brutal murder. When new bodies start dropping around campus Ash's secrets and past may be exposed.

This is a great psychological suspense story. I loved the setting of an all girls prep school filled with secret societies, an honor code, and teenage angst. For the most part the characters are interesting although some of the side characters were a little basic. You are never truly sure who to love, hate or even trust. The plot holds some surprises especially in the ending. It is a fun read full of twists and turns.

This is my first book I've ready by J.T. Ellison and I was blown away. I was riveted to every word in this dark, twisted Gothic like tale.

Set in an all girl's, elite, for the rich only boarding school in Virginia, Ash Carlisle arrives all the way from Oxford, England as a newly admitted sophomore. Grieving the recent tragic deaths of her parents, one over-dosed and the other committed suicide, Ash attempts to reinvent herself and fall under the radar. But quickly she attracts the attention of resident head girl and bully of The Goode School, Becca. The Goode School has a long standing tradition of honor and preparing exceptional young women for exceptional futures. However, buried deep in these traditions are secret societies, horrific hazing practices, and cruelties beyond imagination. When a popular student is found dead, the truth is hard to deny. Rumors swirl, accusations are made, threats, blackmail, and then a truth that's stranger than fiction because Goode girls don't lie...

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book. It was an absolute chilling thrill to read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book!

What a twisty, wild ride of a book. Ash has been accepted to the distinguished Goode school in Virginia. The all girls school for the wealthy and privileged, the girls that attend are promised their pick of colleges. Yet, the school has a troubled history, and so does Ash. What will happen when the two intersect?

Ash has to learn who, if anyone she can trust. In a world where both friend and foe are intertwined, how will she hide her past? And what happens when her past is revealed?

There are many twists in this book, and a lot going on, but it never felt overwrought. There was always an undercurrent of menace, down to the last page. Quite a feat!

This book takes the reader to the privileged world of the American private school - an elite place, trying to convince everyone they have traditions and their own special customs, with a record of their young ladies going straight to the Ivy League. We follow Ash as a new pupil, but Ash clearly has a complicated history and is trying to re-invent herself.

The book begins with a murder, although we then step back in time before we have even discovered the identity of the victim. Then there is another, there are 'tapping' rituals and secret societies, and the complex relationships of young women.

The story itself is interesting, although I was not very convinced by the writing style - it felt very forced in parts. The characterisation is a little stereotypical and not, in parts, at all believable. The author tries almost too hard to provide so many back stories and twists that it makes the plot too murky and it loses any credibility.
However, it kept my attention as I watched the plot unfold.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Mira for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Good Girls Lie had all the elements of murder, mayhem, sex, and intrigue. Unfortunately, it took a long time getting to the heart of the story. I personally dislike when authors write endless pages of detail. I get the story was set in fictional Marchburg, VA at a historic all-girls boarding school. but the pages upon pages of the campus description drove me crazy!

I pushed through all the unnecessary descriptions and wanted to know the story of Ash Carlisle. We start the story with a dead girl hanging outside the gates of the Goode School for girls. Ash is from Oxford England. When I read the phrase, "There are truths and there are lies, and then there is everything that really happened. That passage had me thinking I need to know this girl's story.

The story dragged in many places which detracted from the mystery of all the dead girls that kept popping up on campus. I am not sure the backstory of the sheriff's niece, Kate was necessary and the scandal that plagued the school's caretaker, Rumi could have been more prominent.

When we got to the climax of the story it came at us hard and fast. JT Ellison is a new author for me. I saw glimpses of BA Paris' writing style of making the reader think up is down and down is up. I appreciate when an author keeps you guessing and wondering until the very end. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC and I have provided an honest review in exchange.

"Goode" girls never lie and always follow the honor code of their school, so you are told. I was hooked from page one and held on until the last page. So many dark twist and turns and secrets. I loved that it kept me on a roller coaster of drama the whole way through. This book did not disappoint and ending with a bang. This is the first book by J.T. Ellison that I've read but I can't wait to read more.

I have been looking forward to this book for a very long time because I have enjoyed every single book written by J. T. Ellison. This certainly didn't let me down. Set in an exclusive girls only boarding school, the cast of characters included a headmistress looking to escape to New York City, her secret boyfriend, a cop ex-boyfriend, and a multitude of high school girls. The book was filled with secrets, twists and turns, and a few unfortunate deaths along the way. I admit, I didn't guess the biggest twist of the book. And the ending was satisfying as well. I would highly recommend reading this book if you enjoy suspenseful, quick reads.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/edit/43193837

This book intrigued me from the get go due to the setting. As a current Virginian, most books set within the Commonwealth are curious to me. Add in the fact that it is loosely derived from numerous Virginia private schools that span decades and you have me hooked. This book was no different. The setting was an obvious 10 and the twists and turns presented added to the intrigue. While some things were far fetched, they were still believable enough to make this a great read. #goodgirlslie #netgalley

The setting for this novel was an upscale all girls school with some notably deep seated problems. From the the “hidden” sororities and the overlooked hazing, not to mention the suicide/murders. Like all schools, the administration and students had personal issues that needed addressed as well. The author kept you on your toes by having the reader second guessing who was causing the issues.
Some of the areas were wordy but the author made up for it in the twists and turns of this novel.

Thank you to the author, netgalley and publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.