Wooow what a surprise! I think I will have to backread all of Michelle Dunne's books!
We meet Grace Murphy who keeps to herself and goes through life without too much fuzz. She works as a barista and cares for her sister, making sure she has something good to eat clean home. These are the things they lacked as children . . .
Detective Jerry Hughes knows about Grace’s brutal and troubled childhood; even his own private life was not spared by Grace's fate.
Jerry is still in lose contact with Grace and her sister and starts to get suspicious when men start to disappear who have a physical resemblance to someone from Grace Murphy’s past . . .
I just loved it and Emer Heatley did such an engrossing narration!
Thank you #NetGalley #Dreamscape Media for this audiobook

I felt like this thriller started off pretty strong with great character development and a really intense storyline for the family. However, as the book went on, I felt this lost some steam and the ending felt pretty anticlimactic. I was constantly waiting for the other show to drop and it never did. I wish the ending had been a bit more dramatic because I feel like it would have done a lot for this. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars. I think my issue with this book was that it was categorized as a thriller. This was a dark read about revenge, but also years and years of abuse. The content of abuse for the characters, starting at such an early age, made this book hard to read at times. Definitely not the content I was expecting to read going into a thriller read. I did like the ending, it was very satisfying. The narrator did a really good job with the narration.

Dark. Very very dark. Honestly the darkest thriller I have read in a while. If you are a person that cannot handle that I strongly suggest skipping this novel. Check the trigger warnings before reading.

Dunne writes a novel that has a complex protagonist with a disturbing past. She and her sister barley escaped a childhood from hell and are now just struggling to survive adulthood, in various degrees of success. They also have a deep trauma bond with a local police officer who helped them when they were children. Now that same officer is trying to find out what happened to the sister while also trying to find a string of missing men in town with no connection.

Heartbreaking and disturbing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author (and wonderful narrator) for my copy of this audiobook.

This was just a bit too gruesome for me. I wasn't able to get super far into it. It was like Dexter but it felt too dark at the beginning for me to push past.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so twisted and gripping! Some of the mentions of extreme child neglect and abuse were disturbing as were some of the murder descriptions, but it was all needed to portray why Grace did what she did. I gasped at every twist and turn in this book and was on the edge of my seat throughout. This book was very good and well written.

I enjoyed this audiobook and I look forward to listening to more books by this author. I found the storyline very exciting and could easily connect with the characters.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Michelle Dunne for the advanced copy of this book. I agreed voluntarily to give my unbiased opinion.

This was a interesting and crazy book, the fact that Grace had to go through so much in her life was sad. Though it made this story that much better, I could not stop listening to it. This story is about how Grace handles her present and her past.. It is a fast paced story with many twists and turns. The three main characters, Grace, Amber and Jerry are described very well. This book will pull you in, and not disappoint!

Found it quite difficult to get through, wasn’t the best story I’ve ever read nor the worse so I can’t really complain. It did take me a lot longer than usual to get to the ending as I wasn’t really connecting with it.

This thriller is dark and disturbing. Although it kept me engaged, much of it was difficult to read. The description of severe abuse is an integral component and explanation of the protagonist’s motivation. The narration was intense and added an emotional layer to the story. Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for my audiobook.?

"​The Good Girl​" was an eye-opening read that delved into complex and difficult subject matters that are not typically found in the novels I often pick up. As I reached the end of the story, I found myself grappling with conflicting emotions.

The novel fearlessly delves into tough topics such as child neglect, sexual abuse, substance abuse, and abandonment. Throughout the book, I was deeply affected by moments of revulsion as the narrative revealed the disturbing events. The failure of the mother, as well as the public, to intervene in the face of such evident hardships was particularly infuriating.

The unexpected nature of the storyline kept me hooked, and I couldn't put the book down at several points. Despite the heavy subject matter, the writing and storytelling were incredibly compelling. I would definitely recommend this novel to other readers. Special thanks to NetGalley for providing an early copy of this book.

3.5⭐??
Thanks to Netgalley for this arc.
I'm slightly traumatized now because of this book. This novel had me disturbed from page one; I mean the descriptions are nauseating. This story is messed up, everyone in it is messed up, it's gross and disgusting, yet very intriguing. I'm going to be honest, I was lost at times through out the story, trying to understand who was who, what everyone's connection is, what was happening, what was going to happen... but I can say it made me feel things the whole time, whether that's disgust or sadness, I felt it. I really don't know what I would rate this book, it was crazy and like nothing I've read before, but I don't know if I enjoyed it 100%. Was it a waste of time? not at all, but, would I pick it up if I could go back in time? No. The audio-narration was great though.

Grace Murphy is a barista at a coffee shop, she has a very troubled childhood and tries to keep to herself. She befriends a Det. Garda Jerry Hughes at a young age and as she grows up he is a staple in her life while he watches out for her.

Throughout the book, I had some very concerned feelings for Grace and needed to know how the book ends. I definitely found this plot to be intriguing. I personally didn't find it too much of a mystery, I feel like I called the ending very early into the book, but I still found the plot to be engaging and made me want to keep listening. I definitely found this dark thriller to be very descriptive but gruesome at times.

I enjoyed the narration by Emer Heatley, I found the voice to be engaging and helped keep my attention.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was amazingly dark, gritty and a total mindbender.

The things the sisters went through is quite graphic, The book doesn't pull punches so if you are a little squimish, check the triggers.

The narration was amazing!!

So Grace and Amber were severely abused as kids and Grace is very protective of Amber. We get the POV of Grace as an adult, living her life taking care fo her sister who turned to drugs after what happened to them as children.

This book is so damn grim! It's going to take you through child abuse, kidnapping, loss, pimping out a child.... drug use! This book will check all the trigger boxes. The whole book was a wild ride. I am usually very good at guessing but this one left me in the dust. One of the very best thrillers I have read and that is saying something.

I dont think I have been left with my mouth hanging open over a book ever!!

5 stars.... all the stars

Grace Murphy and her younger sister Amber have led a troubled life including physical abuse and severe neglect by their mother. However as a young adult Grace has made a life for herself and her troubled sister as a barista in a small coffee shop in Cork, Ireland. Amber is proud of her job and knows all her patrons, especially Detective Jerry Hughes of the local Guard. He has watched out for Grace and Amber from afar as the girls were growing up, always trying to help as best he could. But now suddenly Grace needs Gerry's help. Her sister Amber is missing and she is desperate to find her. As Jerry begins to search for Amber he begins to find that Grace has done some questionable things and as he delves deeper her discovers more than he ever wanted to know about her. This book is not for the squeamish, it touches on several difficult topics such as drug abuse, child abuse and torture so just be warned. This is a great psychological thriller where one is almost rooting for the bad guy, well... almost. I listened to the audio book version of this novel and the narrator did a great job with her Irish accent and was easy to understand for an American speaker. Highly recommended for a good listen.
Many thanks to Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for a chance to listen/read an ARC version of this audio book. All opinions are my own.

What an exceptionally unique take on the Thriller genre. I do wish more Thrillers were like this. ‘The good girl’ is absolutely grounded in the harsh realities of living in Cork, yet it surprised even me, someone that usually sees plot twists from a mile away. This just goes to show that sometimes Thrillers should stop looking for the supernatural or exceptional and rather the ordinary, because it can be so much more harrowing.

One of the things that stands out about this book is that we know who the culprit is right away. We just don’t know how or why. But that does not mean that there are no twists and turns. I also really appreciated that once the reader does learn the story, everything falls into place and no questions remain unanswered. This felt very satisfying to me as a reader.

The book is written in a third person narration, that closely follows Grace, our protagonist. This format felt perfect for this story, because we do get close to Grace, but not close enough for the book to be emotionally draining.

If you have read the trigger warnings and don’t feel worried about the topics which are mentioned in this book, I would recommend this read to anyone, even those that normally don’t look for Thrillers because of how well this book is written and how gripping it is. This book is a dark, disturbing and tragic tale of abuse over generations, but you’ll want to keep on reading.

I listened to the audiobook and can recommend this production. If English is not your native language, or you have problems understanding certain accents, you should keep in mind that this story is set in Ireland and that the narrator therefore has a matching Irish accent. I usually have to concentrate a bit more to understand English with an Irish accent, but I got used to the accent of the narrator fairly quickly and found her voice to be pleasant and easily understandable. I recommend listening to a free excerpt to determine if the narration works for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for gifting me this ALC of the audiobook to review. All opinions are my own. I was not paid to leave this review.

The Good Girl
by Michelle Dunne
Narrated by Emer Heatley

Grace and her sister have had a tough life. Somehow Grace has turned her life around. Her sister wasn't so lucky, and the demons of her youth led her to a life on the streets. Grace has been doing everything to keep her sister safe and fed, with a roof over her head. Once constant bright point in Grace's life has always been Det. Garda Jerry Hughes. He knows all too well the horrors and filth that the girls have seen and lived. With her sister missing, Grace turns once again to Det. Garda Jerry Hughes for help. He doesn't know that she's hiding a huge secret of her own. One that could land her in a great deal of trouble. As revelations are made, time is of the essence. Lives are at stake. Oh, and nothing is as it seems.

So, there may be triggers for some if scenes of abuse are difficult for you. This is a gritty, dark story. It kept me listening until the very end. I empathized with Grace and her sister about the terrible things they had to deal with and go through. There are some surprises, and though I don't want to spoil anything, you can likely guess what some of the twists are. Overall, this was a good audiobook. The narration was well-done, and the accents were easy for a native American speaker to understand.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and the author for the chance to listen to and review this ARC!

The Good Girl by Michelle Dunne
Narrated by Emer Heatley
Length: 10 hours 10 minutes
Publication date: June 18, 2024 by Dreamscape Media
Genre: Psychological Thriller

Content Warnings: torture, child abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, child rape, murder, drug use

Highlighting the fallout from intergenerational abuse, The Good Girl is an easy recommend for anyone needing a fix from a great psychological thriller. The narration is wonderful with the flair of an Irish accent and easily goes from 3rd person POV's across different timelines.
The twisted and dark torture can be difficult to read and has your stomach doing flips at times but transitions seamlessly back to our plain jane barista and serial killer, Grace.
I knocked a star off as I was left disappointed with the ending and left without closure that I apparently needed following Grace's story. Otherwise, this would have been a stellar 5 star for me.

Many thanks to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for this advanced audio copy for review. All opinions expressed are authentically my own.

Michelle Dunne's latest, THE GOOD GIRL, is a gripping, twisted, dark psychological whydunit crime thriller that poses the chilling question:

Would you know a serial killer if you met one?
What if she served you your coffee every day?

Whydunit vs. Whodunit...

THE GOOD GIRL is not a whodunit, as we know the serial killer's identity from the start. However, the whydunit makes the book intriguing, as the author unravels the two sisters' physical and mental past and the need for vengeance.

Would you be able to spot this serial killer?

About...

Set in Cork, Ireland, twenty-seven-year-old Grace Murphy is a barista at a local café in Cork. Grace is focused on her mission. She is to do her job, take care of her younger sister, Amber (drug addict), and provide for her with a clean house and hot meals, something they never had growing up.

She is also a serial killer.

The two sisters suffered a troubled and traumatic childhood with much abuse. Most people in the neighborhood know about their past and environment. The sisters live across the street from one another.

Grace does not seem like the person who would have a man cabled-tied to a chair and slowly dying being tortured in her house. She keeps to herself, her head down, is good at her job as a barista, and cares for her sister.

Detective Garda Jerry Hughes knows about Grace and Amber's brutal and troubled childhood; his own life was profoundly affected by it, and there is their neighbor, Maggie who looks in on them.

Jerry checks on the sisters occasionally, but recently, he has been too busy with work. Men have been going missing and seem to have no connections aside from a physical resemblance to someone from Grace's past.

The story is told from the third-person perspectives of Grace and other characters from present and past timelines. The author gives us glimpses of Grace's life and Amber's now and in the past. Due to their traumatic background, she has different personalities.

VICTIM: Vulnerable, prey, abused, and, as a child, no role models or help.
BARISTA: Friendly, helpful, and a great employee.
SISTER: Caring, kind, nurturing, protective, and loves her sister.
SERIAL KILLER: Taking control back. Vigilante. The abuser. Devious, manipulator, predator, villain, no moral compass, seeks vengeance and revenge.

Sometimes darkness is right in front of you.

Your feelings may change from about Grace from past to present and the traumas she has suffered with no where to turn. Is she the good girl that men called her when she was being molested and abused? Or is she the bad girl, the killer, who has suffered years of abuse and is ready for payback? Taking matters into her own hands—vigilante justice?

My thoughts...

THE GOOD GIRL is a dark, gritty, disturbing, and unsettling crime thriller, psychologically rich and almost like a character study. The writing is smart and savvy, and the suspense is intense and riveting.

Because we know the killer, the author focuses on the WHY and HOW, and there are still plenty of twists, turns, and surprises. At first, you think this girl is deranged and obsessed; however, after unraveling her past and her sister's, you may find yourself pulling for her.

Readers will enjoy Detective Jerry Hughes and the elderly neighbor, Maggie. The author cleverly allows readers to see the characters from multiple perspectives, creating tension and suspense and a jaw-dropping ending!

Absorbing, this is a dark, unsettling read, but also there is some dark humor. The abuse of the girls is so heartbreaking. Be aware of triggers for some; however, THE GOOD GIRL was a fascinating psychological thriller, and I was highly impressed. This a good example of how abuse is repeated throughout mutli-generations and passed down, while often difficult to break the vicious cycle without a lot of therapy.

This is my first book by the author, and I look forward to her upcoming book, The Hotel Maid, published by Storm Publishing on August 23, 2024.

Audiobook..

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Emer Heatley for a spine-chilling, emotional, and engaging performance.

Recs...

THE GOOD GIRL is for fans of authors Jennifer Hillier, Karin Slaughter, A.R. Torre, Mary Kubica, Jennifer McMahon, Christina McDonald, Paul Cleave, S.A. Dunphy, and Charlie Donlea.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the introduction to this author and title and the gifted ALC for review.

blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: June 18, 2024
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A gripping psychological thriller with an intense and absorbing narrative, it kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.
I loved how Grace's character is portrayed
with depth, highlighting her solitary and obsessive nature, shaped by a brutal childhood.

Really loved how the plot is clever with some disturbing yet mind boggling twists, making it a standout in the psychological thriller genre

A little too graphic and comes with multiple trigger warnings so not every ones cup of tea