I read alot of books. Alot. I'm not sure how I'd react should I suddenly be IN one of the books I'm reading. That is the original plot line of GOOD GIRL'S DON'T DIE. Three women, three stories, each living a plot they recognize but how they got there and how they get out......well, that's a great question and it will keep you turning the pages back and forth trying to figure out the next chapter before Christina Henry shocks us all by jumping to an ending that came out of nowhere!!!! I'm honestly going to have to reread this one to see if there were clues I missed. This book is perfect for those readers who are looking for new and original and fantastic all rolled up into one!

Ugh. I really wanted to like this but I was so damn confused after part 1. I love thrillers and psychological ones at that, but this fell flat for me. As I kept reading, it was a slow decrease of interest soon after. I was lost a good chunk of this. I wished the 3 girls got together sooner to raise hell. I think weaving them throughout the book in someway would've kept me more interested. It felt choppy after each part and I was left so unsure. I'll give it a 3 star. But definitely not one I would recommend. It was definitely unique though!

Hello again dear reader or listener, today I have my least favorite kind of review to write, but I shall do so nonetheless, for you, because I care. This book was not bad, I actually read through it pretty fast and was interested throughout. But it wasn’t great either, nor did it draw out the emotional response it ought to, for me to be extra effusive.

With a quick thank you to the Berkley Publishing Group team for approving my eArc request on NetGalley, let’s get to it then!

This is my first book by Henry and while maybe this specific one wasn’t entirely it for me, I did like her writing style enough to want to give her other works a go. Her prose flows and adjusts its pace to fit the exact type of situation she wants to carry across in the most efficient manner. For instance, the first pov renders the slow and growing sense of confusion and dread, while the second builds up to a more frenetic pace, until finally the last pov starts running and it doesn’t let up till the very end. In fact, in Good Girls Don’t Die, Henry stitches together three short stories that eventually come to a connected end and resolution. While this was an interesting premise and structure, I found the finale not so much disappointing as just a simple denouement that somehow missed the exciting climax I was hoping for by a few centimeters. With a few very satisfying kicks of proper female rage however.

The three pov protags share gutsy survival instincts and inner strength common to most women, with each of them showcasing both what makes us strong and at the same time the actual or perceived flaws that they each need to try and overcome in order to make it through. Most of the horror and anxiety doesn’t come from their given situations that they need to figure out but from the lack of control they each have in what is happening. So, in that at least Henry does an amazingly frustrating job, as well as making sure her characters never lose their agency.

Another thing I deeply enjoyed were the jabs at certain real people, such as a certain manchild currently in charge of the sinking ship that is X. Not to mention other eccentric and overly rich white boys. But we digress so suffice it to say, the sass was on point. Moreover this book was somewhat of a horror/thriller/true crime pop-culture Easter egg hunt overall, which is always good fun.

I actually thought this book had several brilliant yet dark moments and its scare factor wasn’t to be found in the gore or eeriness of the plot as much as it was in the implications and toxicity behind specific mentalities. In fact, this is very much a book about the venom that exists in misogynism, and the deranged lengths these kinds of men will go to against women. This book was not scary but for the bitter realization that nothing that happened within was too far beyond the realm of probability. And if I am being honest with myself that is probably one of the reasons I did not enjoy it that much. I was spending far too much time while reading it nodding my head along and thinking this shit is what certain types could and would do to get back at a woman they’ve felt slighted by, or what an incel jackass thinks women are like, and the bitterly sad list goes on.
If this was Henry’s goal to begin with then she passed with flying colors.

In a way this is also very central to how the whole thing wraps up but I can’t really properly explain without major spoilers and, even though you don’t even need to completely get through the second pov to figure out what is going on really, figuring out the final details that connect it all together are the only thing that keeps you wanting to get to the end. At least it was that way for me. Said details were not a surprise, more like the extra bit of flavor to tie it all together better. And even then, some small plot holes remained imo. So yeah, I didn’t hate this book, nor did I dislike it. I was merely hoping for a bigger final oompf after all the buildup, while also not expecting that level of themes that were a bit too close to current social discourse for comfort. Which hey, it is also a valid goal if the author was trying to render it this way, even if it wasn’t to my liking at this time.

Until next time,
Eleni A.E.

This was such a fun read for me. Easily devoured, entertaining, campy, filled with ass kicking and slashing.

It’s a book made up of three stories. Three different women wake up in their own “worst” scenarios, and they must survive. One’s a murder mystery, another is a slasher at wood cabin, and then a dystopian survival game. Kind of weird that their worst scenarios have come to life and they have no idea how or why.

I loved the reveals in this story, and how it all ended. It was humorous, but at the same time a nod to real life problems. This year is for dark humor and horror, love it.

This book gave me the best kind of book hangover. Twisty, turny. Dark. And combining some of my favorite things: books, movies, feminist theory & a really interesting plot set up.

I loved going into this one blind. It was a 24 hour read for me. And my mind is still spinning. I can’t wait to “shove this one down my friends’ throats” so we can have deep, philosophical discussions about many themes covered in such an impactful way.

3 women. 3 messed up situations. I loved the ending but was also left with a lot of anger that I feel was intentional on author’s part. Grab this one if you like stories with dream like qualities, strong female characters & lots of messed up situations. If our tastes are anything alike, you won’t be able to stop thinking about this one.

A huge thank you to @berkleypub @netgalley & @authorchristinahenry for my ARC in exchange for an honest review!

What would you do if you woke up inside of your favorite murder mystery, slasher film, or dystopian fantasy novel/movie? That is what happens to three women: Cecilia, Allie, and Maggie. They have to fight to survive the story they say they love, but why? And what is happening?

Without giving away the ending, I think some slight formatting changes to the novel would have made it even better. That said, I flew through this and found myself wanting to know what was going on.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and Netgalley for the electronic advanced copy.

Three different women, three different stories, one crazy ending! Good Girls Don’t Die tells the stories of Celia, a women who wakes up in a life she doesn’t remember; Allie, who is stuck in her own horror movie; and Maggie, a woman thrown into a dystopian competition to save her daughter. One part Truman Show, one part Halloween, and one part The Hunger Games, this book was such an original concept!

This novel was so fast paced and hard to put down. Each woman’s story is told in a different part, with part four having them come together to figure out what is happening to them. I loved how each of the women had a love of stories, and how their favorite genre put them into the situation they were in. The plot was unlike anything I’ve read before, and I was engrossed in each of these women’s lives.

I listened to the audiobook which is narrated by Lisa Flanagan. While she was a great narrator, I would have loved a different narrator for each of the women. It was easy to differentiate their stories, but it would have knocked it out of the park with a full cast.

If you’re looking for a unique take on a thriller that also combines cozy mysteries, horror, and dystopian, then I highly recommend this one for you.

Thank you Berkley Publishing and PRH Audio for advanced copies in exchange for my honest review.

Short synopsis: Three women, caught in three different horror stories threatening their lives.

My thoughts: Wow was this a wild ride! I loved how unique the storylines and premise was, I want to keep this somewhat vague because I think it will really add to the story to go in somewhat blind.

I really liked how each read as a short story, each woman’s story kept me completely engaged and wanting to find out what was happening and why. And then when they come together- plot twist!

Read if you love:
- Amnesia trope
- Final girls
- Hunger games
- Genre mashup
- Short stories that blend together
- Being on the edge of your seat!

This is definitely not your typical horror/thriller/suspense. First, we start off in a cozy mystery going terribly wrong. Next, we've got The Cabin in the Woods. To round out the WTF is going on is The Maze Runner meets Hunger Games.

I finished this book a week ago, and I can't get over how that ending feels so realistic. Yes, I could see someone like Elon Musk doing something like this. Did he not burn Twitter to the ground and push out his misogynistic hate towards everything in existence? It's like these women were the target of that hate.

I totally could see someone doing this in real life. I just hope wealthy men do not read this book, so they don't get any ideas.

The women win in this story. But you need to read the Saw-like games they have to play.

This is a tense, smart story. It's also an infuriating story, featuring three women who are in three seemingly very different story lines, all with the uneasy feeling that something isn't right. As someone who reads or has read books in all the genres the story talks about, it's quite a gut punch to see genre conventions being used against people- specifically, against women- and how they fight back.

Christina Henry takes three classic thriller tropes and creates an original, binge-worthy story. Each trope feels like a short story, with the final act bringing the pieces together. The classic tropes featuring our female MCs include Celia: amnesia trope, Allie: final girl trope, and Maggie: dystopian/battle royale trope. Each entertaining tale keeps you on edge with fast-paced action and lots of WTFs for plot-driven thriller lovers.

I listen to the audiobook and read the paperback. Lisa Flanagan shines at performing the MULTIPLE characters in the book, giving a district voice to EVERYONE in the story, not just our MCs. Christina Henry pens feminist empowerment at its finest, and Flanagan delivers on the strength and resiliency of all three women. Terrific performance!

Whoa!!! What did I just read? My mind is still spinning out. This is a completely unique concept and I liked it. Christina Henry created three different scenarios. Celia, Allison, and Maggie are all the lead character in each of their stories. But what is real and what is fake? What exactly is going on? The repeated question on everyone's mind is why? The book is divided up into four sections. Each woman having their own time to shine. Each story becomes more insane. The intensity upping with each flip of the page. This does not mean you know what is going on, just that you have more information. Will you figure it out before the time stops? I do not want to go into any details and give anything away. Just know you are in for a rare treat. Thank you to Christina Henry and Berkley for this mind tweaking read that I will not soon forget.

Celia wakes up in a strange house with a man who claims to be her husband. The town insists that she’s married and has a daughter but she knows that’s a lie.

Allie heads out on a weekend trip with her friends for her birthday. Once they arrive, she has a bad feeling something is off but no one believes her.

Maggie woke up in a strange place and is forced to participate in a game so she can reunite with her daughter. She doesn’t understand why she ended up there or who was behind it.

I freakin loved this book! The plot was incredible and very entertaining. I loved how all three of the stories came together at the end. Christina has an amazing way with writing that’ll have you hooked from the first page.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go buy the rest of Christina’s books that I haven’t read yet and binge the hell out of them!

This beauty is the perfect fall/winter thriller. It had so many twists and turns that I never saw coming and kept me guessing until the end. I highly recommend checking this one out.

Thank you so much to Berkeley and NetGalley for the e-arc!

This deadly thriller kept me anxiously turning pages late into the night! It was such a unique concept for a book and a quick read! This is the perfect book for fans of horror books and movies and for women who aren't afraid to stick it to "the man"! I wish the ending was a little more drawn out and not so quick. I was left with a lot of questions but overall it was an exciting read!

"Men always underestimate women."

In the non stop tension filled thriller Good Girls Don't Die by creative author Christina Henry the/// repercussions of misogyny is displayed in the most horrific examples.

Celia wakes up and her daughter asks if she packed her lunch for school. Her husband says he's in a hurry and kisses her goodbye. Just another busy day except Celia is sure when she went to sleep she wasn't married and definitely didn't have a daughter.

Allie just wants a nice day at the beach for her birthday when her friends pick her up in their car to celebrate but when she wakes up after sleeping in the car she's at a cabin in the woods and just knows someone will die before the night is over.

Maggie wakes up in a maze with a group of strangers, all women. A masked man tells them they have just a few hours to complete the maze and all its deadly obstacles if they ever want to see their
loved ones again.

With detailed Easter eggs of various thriller stories this clever author has created a mash up of Memento, every teen age cabin in the woods horror flick, The Maze Runner and Hunger Games.

Three women, three different scenarios, and a WTF is going on mind bender story that leads to a crazy connection reveal with ramifications for the villains who have trapped them in stories that are not of their own making but will be of their own conclusions.

I received a free copy of this book from Berkley Publishing via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

The nitty-gritty: Christina Henry takes on cozy mysteries, slashers and dystopians in this fun page turner.

You never know what Christina Henry is going to do next, and with Good Girls Don’t Die she’s come up with something completely different from her other books. This was a fun, fast-paced thriller that is almost meta in the way it subverts certain literary tropes and genres, and I had a lot of fun reading it. A couple of elements didn’t completely work for me, but the entertainment value was enough for me to give the book four stars.

The story revolves around three different women, not related to each other, who find their lives turned upside down and must figure out how to get out of some very dangerous situations. First we meet Celia, who wakes up one morning and has no idea where she is. A little girl is calling her “mommy” and there’s a strange man getting ready for work. Does she have amnesia? If this is her family, why doesn’t she recognize them? Celia pretends she knows what’s going, but nothing is familiar to her. When she discovers a dead body at the restaurant where she (supposedly) works, Celia suddenly finds herself a murder suspect. Now she’s trapped and can’t trust anyone, so how does she get back her real life?

Allie has plans to spend her twenty-first birthday at a beach house with her two best friends Cam and Madison, until Cam’s boyfriend Brad crashes the party and takes them to a secluded cabin in the woods instead. At first Allie is just pissed at Brad for changing their plans, but soon she realizes someone is stalking the cabin. Even worse, there are no locks on any of the windows or doors, so there’s no way to protect themselves. And why aren’t there any bird or insect noises outside? Something is very wrong, and Allie is determined to figure out what it is.

Finally we meet Maggie, a young woman who has been kidnapped, drugged and taken to a secure facility. All she knows is that the men who took her also took her daughter Paige. If Maggie doesn’t participate in dangerous obstacle course, Paige will die. Maggie and nine other women must compete against each other and try to make it through the course alive in order to save their loved ones, but there are deadly elements to the game that make it nearly impossible to survive.

At first it seems these three women have nothing in common, but the author drops hints along the way to show how their stories are tied together. Each one observes that they seem to be stuck in a familiar story. Celia feels as if she’s in a cozy mystery; Allie finds herself in a teen slasher flick, and Maggie (who is a school librarian and well versed in YA fiction) is clearly reliving a Hunger Games type dystopian story. I loved the idea that Celia, Allie and Maggie are all smart women who aren’t afraid to figure out the truth, as bizarre as that truth may be. 

Henry’s theme of “strong women unite” doesn’t end there. The story includes some very toxic male characters that readers will love to hate, and it was nice to see they eventually got what they deserved. True, the men were more caricatures than actual flesh and blood characters, but I think they served their purpose for what the author was trying to do.

Each woman’s story is tense and exciting, and it was honestly hard to put the book down, I was having so much fun. Sure, there are predictable beats, but they worked because the author was clearly going for predictability on purpose. I also loved that Henry did a great job of making each story feel different, even though the characters’ situations are actually very similar. 

At the end, the reader finally leans the truth, and this is where the story falters, unfortunately. After such a thrilling set up, I was expecting a better twist, and it was underwhelming to say the least. But I had such a great time for ninety percent of the time, I can almost forgive the silly ending. For pure, escapist fun, I’m still recommending this book.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

This is a story about all the final girls.

I loved this one. This was a both familiar, and entirely unique story. I don’t want to give any details bc it’s absolutely a book you should go into blind- but I will say this was absolutely the satisfying feminist horror I didn’t realize I always wanted.

Thank you so much @netgalley & @berkleypub for this Scifi/horror eArc!

This is a super unique thriller. I don’t want to say much but three women, each dropped in their own story, in a reality that isn’t theirs, fighting for a chance to survive. I had no clue where this was headed but it all came together in a unique way in the end.
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Huge thank you to @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks @dg_reads and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Kinda Stepford Wives, kinda final girl, kinda Hunger Games… this one was intriguing. I went in blind, and I think that’s probably the best way to do it. It’s like three confusing, inconclusive novellas, but then the last few chapters ties everything together. The ending felt a bit rushed, but overall I did enjoyed it. Thanks to Berkley for my eARC! Good Girls Don’t Die is available now.

Thank you to the publisher #partner & @netgalley for gifting me an e-ARC!
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This was an absolutely WTF-is-happening, unputdownable, where-the-hell-is-this-going kind of book and I couldn’t turn the pages faster to see the ultimate resolution!😱

The book is initially divided into stories of 3 women - Celia, Allison and Maggie. Celia is a restaurant owner, married with one daughter.

On the surface, everything seems like a normal, happy family. However Celia is certain she is unmarried and childless. So who are these imposters in her life? Celia gets into further trouble when a woman who accused Celia of assault, is murdered. But even the murder and investigation seems…staged. Yet a woman died. What’s going on?!?

Allison is having the worst birthday of her life when her best friend’s douche bf takes Allison and her other friends to a remote cabin in the woods for a weekend trip that nobody signed up for. When night arrives, her friends start dying one by one, just like in the horror movies. Yet something is terribly off about this cabin. There are no animals or bugs. Just a serial killer. What’s going on?!?

Maggie suddenly wakes up to find herself in a Hunger Games-esque situation with 14 women who have been kidnapped to play a vicious game of outdoing each other. Every woman has a loved one being held hostage if they lose, and Maggie has to survive this game in order to go back to her daughter, Paige.

The final chapter blends all 3 women’s stories and this is where you finally get what’s really going on. I’m willing to bet money you didn’t see where the book was going to go because it’s so out there, in a good way, and I was here for it!