This book felt like an episode of Black Mirror. It was dark, witty, insightful, and undeniably disturbing. It made me both cringe and think, I was uncomfortable, but I couldn’t stop reading.

Brazier has a unique way of writing. She describes settings and characters in a very sharp manner. Her writing is purposeful and poetic while at the same time gruesome. The way she describes settings in the book is atmospheric, and extremely cinematic. This is the type of book that would make a great phycological thriller movie.

The plot (and the characters) are completely insane. Even the way the book is written is strange. We have two points of view within the novel, and the timeline often backtracks. For example, we’d see a scene for character one’s point of view, hit an important point, then jump back and see the scene from character two’s point of view. This was both annoying and intriguing. I wanted to know what was happening in the original timeline, but I also wanted to read the scenes from both character’s point of view. Everything that happens throughout the book is completely ridiculous and not at all believable. But hey, I wasn’t looking for a contemporary. The entirety of the plot felt like a fever dream or a really bad trip.

While I did enjoy it, the book definitely could have been shorter. Certain scenes could have been cut out as they didn’t add much to the plot. There was definitely some filler. The author’s writing style, while enjoyable, was overly descriptive in some instances. That being said, I still really enjoyed the book.

The themes within the novel held an almost satirical tone; rich people who don’t deserve it, an overbearing mother-in-law who doesn’t think her daughter-in-law is good enough, obscene violence from the hands of people in power. All of these factors send a message to the audience. The book also sheds a light on poverty in America. One of the main characters is homeless, this factor and the view of poverty-stricken people by the wealthy is talked about often. The book shows how truly devastating poverty and homelessness can be, and how one of the main characters will do anything to survive. The wealth disparity of the characters in the book sends the message that no one is truly deserving of the wealth they do or do not have.

The characters were entirely unlikable, yet I kept on reading. But to be fair, I’m a sucker for unhinged characters. While the characters were unhinged, they were still well developed and fully fledged people. They were insane, but also strangely human. In an odd way, I understood why they made the choices they did.

Overall, this book was dark, suspenseful, and at times horrifying but I couldn’t put it down. It was written expertly and held a deeper meaning than what appeared on the surface.

I would recommend this to: Anyone looking for a good psychological thriller.

I found this book incredibly unpleasant to read, and yet I still wanted to finish it. The characters were all horrible and I wasn't rooting for anyone, just for the book to be over already.

It is a story of an absurdly rich couple and mother-in-law who like to play games with their tenants by trying to ruin their lives. Their new tenant is actually a woman without housing who takes over the identity of the true tenant after she does following her death from an overdose. Who will win this terrible game?

Good Rich People focuses on Lyla and her husband Graham who live with Graham’s mother, Margo, on a property in the hills of Los Angeles. They are extremely wealthy with the money mostly coming from Margo. Graham is a sociopath, his mother a controlling narcissist, and Lyla emotionally unstable but willing to please, to fit it. Margo rents out their guesthouse and together with Grahan plays them until they completely destroy their own lives. Their last “game” ended with a dead body in the fountain, which they blame on Lyla who befriended the dead tenant. Now, it’s Lyla’s turn to destroy the next tenant and prove she is a part of the family.

I read this book in one afternoon. It’s a page turner. Good Rich People is a perfect mix of soapy and thrilling with an addictive element that won’t let you put the book down. To be entirely frank, I hated each and every character. They are all horrible, unlikeable people and everything each of them does is twisted in absolutely unrealistic ways. However, the POV characters are written brilliantly in a way that almost makes you root for them. Almost.

I also felt like there was some satire to the whole story. The characters’ wealth and their lifestyles are portrayed in a way that simultaneously feels real and entirely made up. And their desires are portrayed in almost a mocking way that makes them realistic with a hint of satire. I mean, these people play “games” with other people’s lives. That’s their definition of fun. The book is ridiculous, engaging, and twisted in all the best ways.

This book had all the qualities of those classic domestic thrillers that get turned into limited series starring Nicole Kidman. I don’t say this often because I’m not a huge fan of screen adaptations but I would love to see this story played out on screen. Highly recommend this book!

Eliza Jane Brazier really knows how to craft a page-turner! I flew through this book, desperate to find out what was going to happen next and learn the fate of some awful people - people (the POV characters anyway) who she somehow made me care about despite what they got up to. I loved how she used the timeline jumps to show how Lyla and Demi each viewed the same situations. Fabulous writing with plenty of dark humor and painfully real observations about human nature. Pick up if you like clever thrillers and commentary on class.

I found the premise quite fascinating and was immediately intrigued but unfortunately did not connect with the characters as they seemed to be caricatures of what very wealthy bad people who are bored are supposed to be. I did like the tension as it was building to a climatic end but overall it wasn’t my favorite type of noir.

Good Rich People has a plot just as intriguing as the title is eye-catching. I was immediately swept up into the fascinating world of Lyla and her husband, Graham, as he challenges Lyla to take part in his favorite game. The game is simple, the goal: the ruination of an unsuspecting individual for the amusement of those who have everything. No intervening if you’re not the main player, which is a rule Lyla is learning the hard way to never break again.

The writing was witty, and the perspective of Lyla was so captivating, seeing her life and day-to-day interactions that are so different from what “normal” people experience. I was caught off guard multiple times by the twists and turns of the plot. While I overall thoroughly enjoyed this thriller, I did find the ending to be a bit underwhelming. Having seen such great writing exemplified throughout the novel, I had high expectations for a crazy ending that wound up falling a bit flat. But, I absolutely will be recommending this to my fellow readers and friends!

This book started out being rather dry, but I'm glad I didn't give up on it. A bored rich family preys upon less fortunate targets for entertainment, but things aren't always as they seem. The story develops into a crescendo of suspenseful events and hidden motives with plenty of intriguing plot twists. The conclusion contained an interesting turn of events in a world where money is power, and everyone has a price.

Eliza Jane Brazier does it again. Another creepy, dark thriller, delving into the minds of people that will have you glued to the book and turning pages. A glimpse into the life of one wealthy couple and the sick games the husband and his mother plays, I was horrifyingly fascinated by what happens and how their tenant reacts to their "games.". I'm afraid of Brazier's amazing mind; how does she come up with these creepy, mind-blowing scenarios?! But that's what makes this such a wonderful thriller. I highly recommend if you want to get out of your own life and into the twisted lives of Lyla, Graham and Demi.

This one is very hard to review, as it’s quite quirky, but in a good way! Captivating and engrossing! Phenomenally written, in a way that really grabs you and keeps you there! Character development flawless, well what I would think is flawless for those with tons of money! Look forward to more by this author, as she definitely knows how to spin a twisty tale! Highly recommend!

Will buzz around and use Top Amazon reviewer number on release!

THIS BOOK!!!! I could not put it down!! Brazier definitely masters world-building; this book transported me to the dark, twisty hills of CA. The characters are BAD RICH PEOPLE, but the book is so richly-layered that I still couldn't figure any of them out.

SUCH a great read - I'm sad it's over!!

strange book, but I also found it a bit fun. The rich are very different, in many, many ways. Easily bored and having to find something to do can lead to the dark side

Welcome to the land of the ultra rich, where boredom rules and the only cure is a game to ruin those less fortunate.

Good Rich People is a dark and twisty read with a heavy emphasis on DARK. There was not a single likeable character in this story, no redeeming qualities, and don't even think about a happy ending (how gauche). Reading this felt like like a literary version of Real Housewives, but make it drug fueled, murder-y, and amp up the moral bankruptcy to the highest volume. I can't say I enjoyed the read, though I could not turn away.

This book was received as an ARC from Berkley Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book was really compelling at first but, when I kept reading on, all I felt was hate, jealousy, greed, and anger towards Lyla and Graham which starts off as congratulatory to some of others success stories but, reading their initial intention, If I was one of the successes I would properly decline their invite. Then enters Demi. I loved how she is not blind to their plan and sees right through them. She is motivated by her pain and struggle to fight back and take down Graham and Lyla once and for all. Reading this book made it clear of the proverbs "money is the root of all evil and "ignorance is bliss." The story was so exciting that I had to continue reading and then at the blink of an eye, I was finished. I know our readers love books like this and when they hear about this book, they'll definitely jump at the chance to read it.

We will consider adding this title to our Mystery collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

What a sick, disturbing and yet fun book! It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I enjoyed it. It’s also a sharp commentary on homelessness and poverty vs. wealth. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Read half of this book and I just could not finish it. I was so confused at times I had to back and reread previous chapters.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

It appears I’m in the minority in my opinion of this book. It certainly sounded interesting. Lyla and Graham are a tremendously rich couple bored with life, so they play a game. They invite self-made successful people to live in their guesthouse as a way of sharing with those less fortunate. They then play games with the tenant’s reputation and life, bringing them to ruin. Regrettably, the last game didn’t end well, and this game with their new tenant, Demi, isn’t off to a good start. Demi has a secret which will topple Lyla and Graham’s plan.

So, why was this book so awful? The timeline is all over the place and hard to follow. We have Lyla and Demi’s point of view, sometimes of the same encounter but with a different opinion. However, we switch back and forth in time without a clue of “when” and the retelling starts to become repetitive. The author purposefully withholds from the reader in order to create suspense, however, the fragmentation is just tiresome rather than leaving an eagerness to learn more. The characters are abhorrent with nothing redeeming about their personalities. They are unsympathetic and emotionless automatons who have no reason to exist. There wasn’t anything satirical or comical about their personalities, just vile people. It seemed to take forever to get to the climactic event, and it was such a letdown.

I really don’t like to be so critical and disparaging. I realize I’m in the minority and may have missed something, but my honest opinion is that this was just a waste of time.

https://candysplanet.wordpress.com/

Graham and his wife Lyla are rich. Very rich… but bored. He finds entertainment in ruining financially self-made individuals who rent their guest room. When Demi moves in and they have their eye on her, they don’t realize she may not be a good target.

I love books where we see how the 1% lives. While I think this was over exaggerated for parody reasons, it was still scary. A few of the rich women’s names for example: Peaches,
Mitsi, and Posey. I liked how it switched back between the two women. There were some surprises I wasn’t expecting. The timeline seemed to be awkward and I was confused at times but in the end everything wrapped up neatly.

“They hoard beauty, too, along with their money. The world is a beautiful place, or it would be, but they take it all. All the beauty, and what do we get? Broken sidewalks and spattered blood.”

Good Rich People comes out 1/25/22.

So when I started this book, I was getting some MAJOR Cruel Intentions vibes immediately, but more mature. Was really digging it. As it went on, the story took a turn, and I felt like the beginning and the ending felt disjointed. I also felt that the jumping between time and narrator was confusing at points. I think there's a great story in here, but I think that the execution could have been better. Still enjoyable though.

I don´t even know what I just read...it was that strange. This is the tale of a family with so much money they are bored. And ruining unsuspecting souls lives is what they do for fun. Until they meet Demi. Fast-paced, creepy, and ultimatley crazy, this was a thrilling read. Definately recommended.

This is the most weird, bizarre, peculiar, and annoying story I’ve ever read.
A rich couple and the husband's mother play a game where they like to take in a tenant and let them live in their guest house and then proceed to ruin their life just for the thrill of it. Lyla, the wife of Graham, does seem to have a few redeeming qualities, but goes along with it anyway.
The whole story seemed a bit confusing to me. Not a favorite.