I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was great. The book itself was so well written- it drew me in immediately and held my interest throughout. There were stories within the story and I really enjoyed it even though parts of it were heartbreakingly hard to read. Highly recommend this one!

I really enjoyed this one. It was a fast read. Depressing and heartbreaking as well. Definitely pay attention to trigger warnings with this book.

I really liked the characters in this book but I got bored during the middle of the book and lost interest for a while.

This was a beautiful, tragic story that will keep you fully engaged in the ride! You will feel so much for this fmc that you won't be able to judge her. The characters are relatable and whole book is well written. The ending will have you stunned. Enjoy the ride.

How would you ever suspect the woman who serves you coffee everyday is capable of torturing men?

I loved that this was written in a way unlike many thrillers! You know from the start who is behind the disappearances of these men but what you don’t know is why. Through the telling of current events & the past you begin to understand why these innocent men are becoming victims. Even with you knowing the culprit there are many twist and turns within this book.

The Good Girl definitely should come with some trigger warnings. This book contains abuse of children, neglect, torture, rape, mental health issues and drug abuse. This book is pretty graphic so keep that in mind if you wanna pick it up!

4.5 stars, spoiler-free review:
A hard-hitting, gut-wrenching crime novel. The book is well-written, gritty, harrowing, and suspenseful. I found it difficult to get into because the opening was so repellent. It took time for the interweaving stories to gain momentum and capture my full attention due to the extensive abuse scenes.

I took extra time with this ARC in the interest of giving it a fair evaluation. Michelle Dunne has delivered a powerful novel of a damaged woman's rage. It's justifiably a disturbing experience. For me, the pace and engagement improved in the second half. The final third became riveting.

The production values and voice performance of this Dreamscape Media audiobook are excellent. I particularly enjoyed the match with the narrator's Irish accent and the Cork setting.

I enjoyed the strong sense of place and the interactions between characters separate from those depicting abuse and torment. The contrast between Grace Murphy's public life as a barista and the horrors in her private world is masterful. The respect toward people in all parts of society–and the inclusion of a law enforcement officer with heart–make this a refreshing Crime read.

What resonated with me the most: Deeply unsettling portraits of obsessed people on both sides of the law and the unmet needs that drive them.
Other strengths: The richly portrayed lives of secondary characters and the interweaving stories. Good Girl doesn't serve up easy answers.

Dunne handles challenging material with skill that highlights our common humanity, even within extreme circumstances. I recommend The Good Girl to readers drawn to realistic Crime Fiction, Psychological Thrillers, serial killers, and female rage. I would read more books by Michelle Dunne. She’s a powerful talent.
Emer Heatley gives an outstanding performance of the many voices throughout the novel. The pacing and emotional nuances are perfect.

Thank you, NetGalley and DreamScape Media for this high-quality audiobook ARC.

This was a great book but very dark and heavy. There are a lot of triggers such as child abuse, violence and torture so approach it with caution. However this is a well written story that keeps you engaged and interested, even though you know right from the start who is responsible for the missing men. I highly recommended it if you like dark thrillers.

Thank you Dreamscape Media for a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

From the start this book nooks you in, opening scene is a man in a horrible macabre situation and how the main character Grace doesn’t seem to care. But then you see how caring Grace is towards customers, and her sister. So you’re wondering do you root for the man or for Grace.
The book is about abuse and cycles of abuse, there are a TON of triggers so make sure you check out the trigger warnings before you pick it up, but if you do read it you wont be disappointed!

This book was heartbreaking, disturbing, and thrilling. When they were young Grace and Amber lived in poverty with their mother. They were starved, abused, and neglected. As the story continues we get to learn all about Grace and Amber's past and current lives, and also why in the world Grace is holding a man captive in her home, while still going about her life as normal?
This started out really strong and I felt invested right away. The character development was excellent and I enjoyed getting to know everyone. I did think about half way through things started dragging and it felt long and a little repetitive. It did pick up again towards the end and there were a few twists I hadn't figured out. The narrator did a really nice job reading all the characters. All in all this was a pretty good thriller and I look forward to reading more from this author. 3.5 stars rounded up.
Thank you to NetGalley, Michelle Dunne, and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to listen to an ARC.

4.5⭐️
Well darn it! This book most definitely kept me interested and I think I won’t forget about it any time soon! Wow! I am still in a bit of shock 😂

Will I reread this one? I think so! Will I recommend this one? Most definitely! So twisty, so interesting, I couldn’t stop listening.

This story followed a troubled girl from her childhood into adulthood. It was definitely a crazy story! The way it came together in the end made the read worthwhile.

Be kind, you never know what someone is going thorough or what they've gone through.
This book really sucks you into the story!

Publisher's summary
Grace Murphy doesn’t seem like the type of woman who’d have a man cable-tied to a chair, slowly dying in her house. She keeps to herself and goes through life relatively unnoticed, working as a barista and caring for her sister, providing her with wholesome meals and a clean home—things they never had as children…
Det. Garda Jerry Hughes knows about Grace’s brutal and troubled childhood; his own life was profoundly affected by it.
Jerry still checks in on the sisters from time to time. But at the moment, he’s distracted by work. Men have been going missing in the city—and they seem to have nothing in common aside from a physical resemblance to someone from Grace Murphy’s past…

Thanks to NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for the ALC of this book!

The Good Girl
By: Michelle Dunne
Narrated by: Emer Heatley
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Release date: 06-18-24

The good girl.. is really good!! It's a 5⭐️ for me, I maybe generous for rating it but I really loved it! The audiobook is a must-listen, with an Irish accent narrator totally gripped me from start to finish!

But before diving in to this book, please read trigger warnings first. This thriller is dark and intense with a revenge plot that was a wild ride through twist and turns, but what I loved most was how the narrator brought everything to life that hooks you right away. If you're into thrillers that keep you on the edge of your seat and enjoy a bit of Irish charm, this audiobook is definitely worth checking out.

GRITTY, Grisly, Galvanizing tale…

Not an easy read, but IMPOSSIBLE TO PUT DOWN!!!

Gives a unique glimpse into the psyche of an active serial killer. I could not wait to better understand why (because we find out “how” on page 1) THE GOOD GIRL’s deviant mind led her to engage in such heinous acts. Then, perhaps more importantly, how had the madness failed to cause a single disruption in her typical day-to-day activities and interactions???

I appreciate the author’s portrayal of the harsh realities of Cork, Ireland, a place previously unknown to me. Similarly, I value Dunne’s depiction Amber’s struggle with opiate addiction. Despite her residence in this far-away land, I believe this element provides a thread common to at least some fraction of the population in most cities around the world.

Disclaimer: This book contains content that may be difficult for some readers.



***There are many triggers within the pages of THE GOOD GIRL.

Please note, while childhood sexual abuse is a lot to endure at any time, the events in this book were not overtly graphic in nature. Michelle Dunne does an excellent job of leading readers to foregone conclusions. Yet she manages to avoid bursting the bubble that preserves the audience experience as separate from the victim. I have tremendous respect for authors who can do this effectively. While I empathized strongly with the victims in the tale, it remained their story.

Though a work of fiction, this book does a great job of bringing some highly valid responses to the trauma bestowed upon the daughters of a family. For me, regardless of all the excitement, twists, thrills, and even solid character development, the most important consideration in whether to read this novel is that it indirectly gives merit to raising awareness of the possible effects of childhood sexual abuse. It is CRITICAL to explore the deviations in personality that result as a consequence of cases that go undetected whether en masse or in families.

#TheGoodGirl #BloodHoundBooks #ThrillerFiction #PsychologicalThriller #Netgalley @MichelleDunneAuthor @BookShell_F

TW for mental health issues, abuse, sexual assault.

This book was fascinating as it took you through the mind of someone slowly spiraling (Or quickly? You decide.) after a life of serious blows. I thought the writing was amazing, and that the characters were well written. You learn just enough to keep you asking more, and while some points felt very obvious to me, others were a slow burn of realization.

While this book wasn't for me, I'd recommend it to anyone who likes a really intense psychological thriller.

Wow.
I'd never heard of this author, but this was recommended to me by a fellow blogger.
This book starts with a firework of a bang. Dark, intriguing and a book you cannot put down when you've started it.
Loved, loved, loved.

I got the audio version too, and the narrator was superb. I do love an Irish accent, and she was fantastic.

This was a crazy one, the fact that Grace had to go through so much in her life was sad. Though it absolutely made this story that much better and one that I just couldn’t stop listening to. I think the author did such a great job in how she wrote this story that it just grips you and holds you to the very end.

Wow! This one gripped me from the beginning and did not let go! It was a wild ride of twists and turns that I did not see coming. Would recommend to anyone who loves a good psychological thriller!!

Grace Murphy spends her days working as a barista in a cafe. No one there has any idea she has a man tied up and being tortured in her home.

This was a very cool premise. I am Starbucks regular. I have three or four baristas that I know by name, who know me by name, know my son and my dogs, ect..... and this premise made me realize just how little I know about them. I was fascinated by the whole idea. It was well written and the characters felt real. While the opening scene (and many, many further in) literally made my stomach hurt to read, I loved how your opinion of Grace changes so quickly. the in the first handful of chapters. I was absolutely appalled by Grace initially, but the more backstory you get the more you almost feel for her. It reminded me a bit of 'Breaking Bad' in the sense that the main character is doing these truly heinous things but you know why they do it so you almost have to sympathize.

While I was aware of the warnings (generally, based on the NetGalley listing), I saw it all over the book blogs and yes, again, people were saying the content was rough, but I did not realize that it would be so graphic so consistently. I read horror and thriller, I manage through gross plots. I thoroughly enjoyed 'Pretty Girls' by Karin Slaughter which people generally note to be dark.... but both the parts concerning Grace's past and the parts about her present situation are extremely graphic with the gory details of rape and torture and that's just not something I'm looking for in a book since I read for pleasure and can't say that stuff gives me any. There's too much darkness in the world for me to want to consume more of it in my fiction. I also didn't feel like it really drove the plot forward, some of it definitely could have been implied or left out so that it wasn't quite so consistent with the gross, heavy content throughout. That being said, I think this one is perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn's darker stories, or fan of the horror genre who are able to read that kind of thing in a more dethatched manner.

Big marks for the writing, would definitely read this author again, I'm just not sure I can recommend it widely since it is such a rough story throughout.

"The Good Girl" is a book largely about the profound pattern of abuse. This book explores multiple forms of abuse- physical, emotional, sexual by through the lens of a set of siblings as children and then as adults. While a thriller, there really isn't a lot of guessing "who done-it" as you know from the beginning which main character is the culprit. There are several truly disturbing details throughout the story which can be triggering knowing something like this could realistically happen. While a worthy storyline with great narration, transitions, this was difficult for me to complete. While I would not recommend this for anyone who has a history of abuse, or childhood poverty, I do think it would be a great read for someone who has never considered the other side of being raised in a less fortunate community. Generational poverty, abuse, and the long term effects is something that needs more conversation. Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.