Feeling like Samantha Downing is the queen of bingeworthy thrillers with the most bizarre characters to root against and crazy plot twists…but like I love it all so much.

I went into her latest release completely blind and oh man I did NOT know what I was in for. The story takes place at Belmont Academy, a private prep school, and follows a plethora of different characters. Most notably is Teacher of the Year, Teddy Crutcher— an English teacher who’s goal is to better his students and push them to be the best version of themselves. Sound like a pretty great teacher right?

As the book progresses, you understand more and more about Teddy and his nuances (his character made me both crave glass bottled milk, but also be a little weirded out by it?) and then realize that some weird stuff is happening at Belmont. This book is written from several different POVs— Teddy, other Belmont staff, students…— and you learn that each person has their own agenda and are left wondering how it all will tie in together.

This read super quickly because of the short chapters and also because each chapter ended on a cliff hanger (some bigger than others) that it made it almost impossible to stop reading! Plus of course, I could not get over trying to get a grip on each character’s intentions and end game. It’s addicting. While the ending felt like it wrapped up a little too fast, it was still satisfying because poetic justice is a wonderful thing.

Overall I enjoyed this even though it made me question if my high school teacher’s (or really any) ever had any weird ulterior motives. And it made me be weary of commonplace kitchens… but nonetheless I would recommend if you want a bingeworthy summer thriller with some characters you will love to hate!

Interesting read. Fast paced and kept me guessing. However, was kind of slow at times. Additionally, I didn’t love the HS setting. The storyline felt very unrealistic.

This is such a great mystery read. It took me a while to really get into it but once I did I couldn't put it down. There were some great twist and turns. It make for a good summer read or a beach read that you could easily finish within a week.

This was such a fast bingeable read! With short chapters and a story that just kept getting more twisty and disturbing, I flew through it. Samantha Downing is an absolute must-read author for me and she didn’t disappoint with FOR YOUR OWN GOOD! ⁣
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This is my first FIVE STAR of 2022! ✨

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It took me a bit to get into (thanks slump) but once I did, in the words of Queen “Don’t Stop Me Now!”

Another slam dunk by Downing!

Once I got into this book, I got hooked. And it was so great. Each character, especially Teddy, was just so complicated. I really enjoyed how characters picked up the narrative and passed it down the line to the next character and back again. It was such an interesting read, and just gripped me. I went through it so quickly, consuming each chapter with more hunger. I was really rooting for some characters more and more to find the next twist just around the corner. I enjoyed the ending, but could have used a bit more out of it. The epilogue left so much more to the imagination than maybe I would want, but that's probably the entire point. What a fun dark read.

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2022 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2022/01/readers-advisory-announce-2022-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

Probably a 3.5…I liked the premise and initially enjoyed the revolving cast of possible bad guys…but toward the end I just started to find all the characters more grating than entertaining…I was hoping to be redeemed with a twist of some sort at the end and, while it was kinda there, it just wasn’t satisfying to me…not bad but just not all that I was hoping for

Teddy Crutcher is a teacher for an exclusive private school.
He likes milk.
Not so much the entitled students he teaches.

One of his former students who’s college career he personally derailed has it out for him.

One of his current students is used to having daddy step in. Teddy is determined to make this kid suffer for the inconvenience.

Samantha Downing paints such vivid, twisty stories with the absolute best quirky details.
The freakin’ milk!!!!

Another fun, enjoyable, twisty thriller that I binge read. I don’t know why I waited so long to read For Your Own Good but it was the perfect book to start my 2022 reading year.

For Your Own Good is dark yet somehow funny and entertaining. It takes place at a private school, one of my favorite settings. The characters all seem to be hiding something but Teddy Crutcher is the worst of them all. I really loved They Never Learn by Layne Fargo and this gave me similar vibes.

I definitely recommend reading For Your Own Good if you like dark, entertaining and suspenseful thrillers.

I quite liked this book - I knew I wasn't supposed to cheer for the bad guy, but I just couldn't help myself. I enjoyed the characters and the setting (I love a dysfunctional elite private school) and was interested to see if Teddy would ever get caught and how. There were a few things that threw me off (the on-page absence of Teddy's wife, for one), and I did wonder how many severely unstable people could be at one private school at one time, but at the end of the day, this book worked for me (even the ending, which I thought was great, but I know others didn't enjoy as much).

Belmont Academy is a prestigious prep school full of dedicated staff and highly motivated students. Teddy Crutcher is a seasoned teacher who has even won the "Teacher of the Year" award. All Teddy wants is for the students to live up to their potential. Is that too much to ask? When people around the school end up dead - murdered, Teddy is very careful to not let it distract him from his mission. The students. Teddy ignores the meddling parents and the pesky police to keep the focus where it should be - the students. Will they be able to find out who is at the root of the murders without interrupting Teddy's mission?

Samantha Downing is such a gifted storyteller. For Your Own Good is an intricate thriller about an elite community. The teachers, the students, and the parents are all entitled in their own way. Belmont Academy is full of people that I would rather avoid. I didn't find myself attached to any of the characters, but I couldn't stop reading. CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS.


Bottom Line - I have been recommending For Your Own Good to all of my teacher friends. Don't we all have a little Teddy Crutcher in us?

Details:
For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing
On Facebook
Pages:384
Publisher: Berkley Books
Publication Date: 7/20/2021
Buy it Here!
Thank you to NetGalley for the book in exchange for an honest review.

I have really enjoyed the other books by this author, but this one was a bit of a miss for me. While I loved the premise and the details the main character really bugged me. The constant references of milk were odd. I understand trying to lead the reader in a direction or to drop hints so they will see the connections later on, but it felt FAR too repetitive to talk about the milk drinking ha!! I will certainly read her next book!

This book dragged for me. I felt no connection to any of the characters. The “twists” weren’t surprising. Overall, I was just disappointed in this book.

I really enjoyed this Samantha Downing book. I like the characters and the school setting. I liked the characters that were introduced and how they weaved together. The storyline was good and I enjoyed how we got into the lead character's head.

For Your Own Good was page turning, creepy, dark and incredibly hard to put down. I’ve never read another book by Samantha Downing but was so impressed with what she did with this story.

Every character is hard to root for except for Zach and even he is flawed in a lot of ways. And genuinely every time you would get to know a character, Downing would rip them away as fast as she had introduced them. It was like Game of Thrones all over. And she created the perfect serial killer- I mean a glass of cold milk at night, definitely serial killer vibes.

I loved that we knew the killer all along and instead just got to see how deep and dark his secrets got and how it twisted everyone around him in his web. All with the pretty evil premise that he was being a great teacher and just wanted the best for his kids.

You know the darkest scenarios you conjure in your head and brush them away? Downing runs with them in such a way where you find yourself watching your step, your back, your drink. If you want to read a book about revenge and dark academia, but from the teacher’s perspective, this one is for you.

This was such a clever and original idea. I loved the character Teddy and he was such a fun time to read about. This is one of my favorites that Downing has written and have recommended this to many people.

For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing is a fun and campy read about a psychopath of a teacher. He's so bad but you find yourself laughing along at his inner thoughts about his coworkers and the families of his students at the elite prep school that he teaches at. This thriller is so fast-paced that you reach the end of the book before you even realize that you've zoomed through all of the pages. Read and enjoy!

This story was extremely entertaining. I did not want to put it down! So many twists and turns and story lines with the characters I didn’t know where it would go. Loved the ending!