WHOA! I liked this. I liked this a lot. It was the psychological aspect that kept me well beyond intrigued. For a long time, I didn't understand why the events were happening--what was it Teddy wanted to get out of it, but when that particular piece dropped was when I understood the premise. My favorite part of the book was getting into the psyche of characters besides Teddy. It was interesting to see/understand their versions of who was doing the right thing. Brilliant.

I love Samantha Dowling and this book is no exception. What an amazing thriller and a dynamic main character!!! I loved this book.

This is the second novel I've read from Samantha Downing; My Lovely Wife was the first and definitely set the bar high for me. Well, For Your Own Good did not disappoint!
Full of deplorable, yet relatable, characters and plenty of twisty turns - I read this in one sitting because I just had to know how it was going to end.
A solid, creative, and consistent thriller.
Thanks to Berkeley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the digital copy to review. All opinions are my own.

This was not my favorite book ever: it was a little out there plotwise and didn’t completely hold my interest throughout. However, the plot was original, entertaining and humorous.

Dark, twisty thriller for adults & teens!

Teddy Crutcher, an honors English teacher, has won Teacher of the Year at a prestigious prep school called Belmont Academy. Though his teachings are unconventional, Teddy is determined to help his students with their academics, teaching them “lessons” for their own good. When murders start occurring on campus, everyone is to blame.

Told from multiple point of views including students and teachers, this book keeps the suspense going until the last page- Samantha Downing never disappoints!

A special thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sending me an advanced copy!

I feel bad because I see so many great reviews of this book, but I didn't feel the same way. I haven't read anything by this author before so wasn't sure what to expect. It ready more like a dark comedy to me which I wasn't expecting.

I think I was looking for a little more thrill. I did find Teddy to be an enjoyable character and the way his character was approached was interesting. Crazy for sure but he still portrays himself as a caring individual/teacher who just wants what's best for everyone he encounters.

Even though this wasn't exactly a book that I loved I would still recommend it, especially for those that don't want the hardcore thriller but something a little more fun.

A quick, fun, suspenseful read! I found myself flipping through the pages as fast as I could. I loved all of the characters, and especially enjoyed getting to read about Teddy and his thought process.

Samantha Downing knows exactly how to hook you from page 1 and takes you on a wild ride! I’m always drawn to stories that include elite private schools. For Your Own Good is packed with scandal, murder, and mystery! It kept me guessing until the very end.

Samantha Downing’s latest novel was one of my most anticipated reads this year so far, and I am thrilled to say it did not disappoint!

English teacher Teddy Crutcher has just won the coveted Teacher of the Year award at the private school where he teaches. He feels he should’ve won it a long time ago because he works so hard at pushing his students to be successful. Not everyone appreciates his approach and methodology, but it’s really for their own good.

After the suspicious death of a parent on campus occurs, someone starts looking into Teddy’s life. He’s not alarmed though. He’s too focused on his students tapping into their potential. If only the students, their parents, and his coworkers started treating him like the gift that he is and stayed out of his way.

I’m keeping my synopsis brief as I believe it’s best to go into this one blind. I absolutely LOVED this book. It’s fun, dark, and twisted...with some wicked revelations revealed along the way. Downing has the most fantastic way of gripping the reader and making them flip the pages as fast as possible. There was more than one point where I said to myself as I read this, “Just one more chapter.”

This is a compulsive and addicting book that ramps up the suspense throughout and to the very last page. I honestly didn’t want it to end, and enjoyed every minute as the bodies piled up. I highly recommend this one, which I have no doubt will be another huge success for Downing.

Thank you to Berkley, who provided me with a widget to download an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This will be published on 7/20/21.

Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com

Wow! A very compelling thriller from Ms. Downing. I was happy to see that I liked this so much; I loved her debut novel but was disappointed with her second.

A+ Samantha Downing!
You are the Valedictorian!

It was SO MUCH FUN to get inside the head of your latest diabolical character, Teddy Crutcher-
TEACHER OF THE YEAR” at the prestigious private school, the Belmont Academy!

He feels the award is long overdue but finally, he is receiving the attention that he so rightfully deserves!

He is truly worthy of the award...he would DO ANYTHING for his students.
That is, the ones he likes.

If you are not the “teacher’s pet” however, he might just have to teach you a lesson.

And, he won’t accept bribes from your “well meaning” parents, either.

At the end of the day, he will watch the news and celebrate his achievements with a nice cold glass of MILK.
I can just picture his “milk mustache” now!

But, even Teddy can make a FEW mistakes.
“Oops!”

And, because there are SO MANY incompetent people in the World, he has to be the one to fix things.
SIGH.

ENTERTAINING from COVER TO COVER, this book is filled with CRAZY surprises and PLENTY of casualties, but I am going to leave this review VAGUE, so that YOU can be just as shocked as I was!

Your assignment-Mark your calendar for July 20, 2021 when this book will be released or pre-order now!
YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS THIS ONE!

Thank You to Samantha Downing, and Elisha at Berkley, for inviting me to read an early copy!
As you can see, this book went straight to the top of my 📚and it was my pleasure to provide a candid review!

So m any twists and turns of the very best kind. Well plotted and such an easy read. A must buy for library collections.

Another fabulous work by Samantha Downing. A private school with so many demons and now dealing with two murders and many potential suspects. Yet the guilty is the only one who isn't a suspect. By fooling everyone except one student who is digging and a prior student/returning as a teacher who is also highly suspicious. As the story unfolds more and more people are pulled into the plot.

So first up: you are going to probably hate *almost* everyone in this book. If that is not your flavor (it's not my favorite flavor, but I can tolerate it occasionally), I just wanted you to know that going in.

This is a multi-POV suspense novel set in a rich private high school. I think I read that and assumed boarding school, but it is not, in case that matters to you. Folks start getting poisoned and/or dying and multiple people could have done it! But who? That is the main driving plot point.

I liked it fine? It was fine. I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. A few things were surprising in the end, and there was a decent amount of tension spread throughout. But so many of the characters were just despicable (or the mainly despicable ones were given so much POV time) that it just sort of left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

This comedy of errors is a murderous mashup!

Uh-hem, the teacher knows best and Teddy is the teacher, so have a seat and definitely don't be a smarty pants !!

The bodies are piling up at Belmont Academy and the teachers and students are all on pins and needles. Except one of them, no reason for panic when you know best. Just calm down, people die every day (at least at Belmont). They are even trending #HomicideHigh....

The showy behavior of this teacher, had me cracking up! Teddy takes the cake, and I'm giving him the cake. The whole cake! After all, he is Teacher of the Year, and he has the plaque to prove it!!

I had so much fun reading this wild, campy, vindictive and murderous mystery! If you enjoy some outrageous parody that flows page after page and like to solve murder mysteries, give this one a try. You've been warned!

For Your Own Good is a fast paced thriller set at an elite prep school. A parent drops dead at a school function. Perhaps the Teacher of the Year had something to do with it. Or is it one of the students? Or a different teacher? Or maybe one of the staff members? My favorite part of this book was watching the domino effect that each character's decisions have on the rest of the characters. No one's motives are entirely clear, no one's actions are above suspicion, and no one is safe. Samantha Downing has really mastered the art of writing unlikable characters. I usually give up on books with unlikable protagonists, but Downing's style makes these characters both terrible and FUN. Definitely recommend. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to review.

I have enjoyed the author's previous two novels, and "For Your Own Good" is certainly no exception! I am also a fan of the "Dark Academia" trop - and here we have an Elitist Boarding school - Belmont Academy, with Teddy - the "Teacher of the Year", who has some unconventional teaching methods. Enter Zack, a high-achiever heading aiming for a bright future until he crosses paths with a psycho. Highly recommend the thrill ride! My thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for the ARC.

Review posted to blog: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend.com/

Well, Snap! Samantha Downing Does it AGAIN!

In this Wholly Original, Wildly Wicked, Absolutely Devious Thriller, Ms. Downing delivers a premise that will rock you to your core.

The BEST Part?: It is like NOTHING you have ever read before.

Masterfully plotted, with brilliant character development, and a truly deceitful, unscrupulous character, “For Your Own Good” is a novel full of cheating, duplicity, deception, and falsehoods.

Oh and Murder. Let’s not forget that!

It’s a novel chock full of Murder too. From that, you can’t run or hide.

When it comes to what takes place at Belmont Academy, what is real and what is not?

Who can you trust to have your best interests at heart, if not those in charge at an Institution of Higher Learning? One word of advice, if I may, however? Be alert. Be very alert.

Oh, and one more: If you’re reading this, go into it blind. Your enjoyment of it will grow exponentially.

A tad sick and seriously demented “For Your Own Good” may just be my favorite of Samantha Downing’s novels to date (even though I LOVED “My Lovely Wife” and believe I described it as “A Brand of Crazy All its Own”). Why do you ask? Because the premise of this is unlike anything I have ever encountered. So engrossed was I, that once I started this I was unable to come back up for air until I read the last page.

Mind-blowing, and utterly fabulous, “For Your Own Good” is the best thriller I’ve read all year. I highly recommend this masterful novel to one and all. A new addition to my Goodreads Best-of-List for 2021!

A buddy read with Ms. Kaceey that both of us loved.

Thank you to Ms. Elisha at Berkley Publishing Group (and NetGalley) for the arc.

Published on Goodreads, Twitter, and Instagram.

Ok, everyone! Take your seats! Class is about to begin!

A prestigious prep school.

Where the expectation is that all the students here will all go on to Ivy League schools. The parents will see to it. The pressure on the students and faculty is mounting. Somethings got to give. Who will break? And what will the consequences be?

Told from multiple perspectives including students, former students, and teachers. Here is your opportunity to put on your detective’s cap🕵🏻‍♀️ and see if you can find enough clues to solve this mystery.

Teddy – The teacher of the Year! He is very selective on who he wants to see succeed. Warning to all students…don’t get on his bad side.

Zach – A straight-A student bound for his Ivy League School until he has Teddy as a teacher.

Fallon- A former student of Teddy’s. Has she moved on from high school or is she back to seek revenge.

So many characters, each with their own agenda. And no one’s walking away unscathed.

“Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
And another one gone and another one gone
Another one bites the dust
Hey I’m gonna get you too
Another one bites the dust”
Songwriters: John Deacon
Another One Bites the Dust lyrics © Queen Music Limited, Queen Music Ltd

You are going to be rooting for (most) of the students, (some) of the faculty, and (all) of the craziness!

Samantha Downing knows how to write the best thrillers that draw you in immediately and take you on a ride right to the end.

I’ve read a lot of prep school-themed books lately, BUT none of them compare to this madness!

A buddy read with Susanne that we both loved!

Posted to: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...

Thank you to Elisha at Berkley Publishing via NetGalley for an ARC to read and review.

I really enjoyed this book by Downing. I like the short chapters, the twisted characters, and the pure backstabbing that occurs at Belmont Academy. The characters aren’t particularly likeable but that made it even better. Crutcher is just an evil character! I’ve read Downing’s other books and look forward to her next one!