In Such Good People, April’s life is forever changed after a fateful encounter with Rudy, a night that leads to his arrest, her expulsion from college, and a path of unexpected consequences. Years later, with a successful career, a happy family, and a political husband, April’s past resurfaces when Rudy is up for parole, threatening everything she’s built. A gripping story of loyalty, love, and the moral complexities of protecting the life she created versus the man who sacrificed everything for it.

I appreciated the author’s familiarity with the gritty realities of the criminal justice system. She got the dialogue right, I also appreciated her empathy with all the characters in this story. The situation in which April finds herself is complex, and the author is up to the intellectual task of portraying the conflicting loyalties her characters feel. Well done.

I would like to, as always, start this off by thanking Sparkpress for providing me with a free review copy of this book via NetGalley! The opportunity is greatly appreciated.

Overall I have to say I loved this book! I found the characters to be very compelling and well written, even the ones I didn't like as much as others. I absolutely loved the switching between perspectives, which is something I am quite picky about when I read, because it forced me to to consider what each character was feeling and it really helped me to understand them all. I thought the main characters all had a very complex dynamic, and it felt very authentic to real life in my opinion. I loved how their interactions helped develop their characters as the story progressed.

I found its exploration of themes like justice, friendship and difficulties in life to be very insightful. They gave me a lot to think about and I frequently found myself reflecting on the characters' journeys and responses to the events in the novel. The premise was simple enough to follow, and so it really gave the characters the room they needed to shine and I felt it was done beautifully. Blumenfeld has a wonderful voice in her storytelling, and I cannot wait to read more by her.

I do, however, wish that the plot had been given a little more love and attention. I found elements of it to fall flat for me, or that some things didn't make much sense. For a book so rooted in reality and the human experience, it did throw me off a little bit. I wish it had been developed even just a little bit more, and I would have absolutely loved to see an even deeper exploration of Rudy and his entire story. Honestly, I think just an entire novel following Rudy would be fantastic. I found his story and development to be the most compelling of them all, and so to not be able to see it in its full potential felt a bit like a let down.

I think that, despite enjoying the book overall, there were just a few little nagging moments that could have been improved upon if they had been given a little more attention, and it definitely could have brought this up to a 5 star book for me. I'm excited to see how everyone else finds it once it's released!

a jarring piece on community, the gaps in our criminal justice system, and recovery. a very relatable story that felt authentic the whole way through. i love when stories are told from multiple perspectives from people embedded in the plot because it feels like it’s challenging you to consider perspectives you may not have considered.

it did feel longer than it needed to be and i do wish the writing was more cohesive and engaging. the writing did not feel as immersive or connected as it could have been which for me, drove down the impact factor a little bit.

overall - i did enjoy this one and would recommend to other litfic stans!

Really enjoyed this as a whole, as it has a strong, compelling plot and well-developed characters. However, one character begins one way, then morphs into the antithesis of himself, and then reverts back. Didn't really make sense to me and was distracting. Would love to better understand the author's thinking here. So be prepared! For me, it was very jolting and didn't follow the logic of what had been established, and I probably spent way too long thinking about it and going back to try to find some clue that this part of the character's personality lurked under the surface. It could just be me that it hit this way!
Other than this strange character shift, I think this novel asks some important questions about justice, how we respond when faced with hard choices, and most importantly, the endurance of deep friendships. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing a digital ARC for review.

From the very first page, this book draws you into its world with engaging prose, well-developed characters, and a compelling narrative. The author's storytelling is confident and immersive, weaving together themes that resonate long after the final chapter.

The characters were really well developed, and I’m always a fan of stories that weave between the past and present. There were moments where I wanted a bit more, but overall, it was a great read!

Thank you Netgalley and Sparkpress for the arc!

Overall, I enjoyed reading ‘Such Good People’. The novel has well developed characters, with an interesting premise and compelling writing. The book was easy-to-read and I will look for more titles by the author, Amy Blumenfeld.

While the characters are complex I found the plot a little simple and weak. I felt more time could have been spent developing a stronger plot line as I found Rudy’s incarceration without anyone asking questions until he was released a little unbelievable.

There are also times the characters did things or said things that felt wooden and unnatural, placed there solely to progress the authors determination to reach plot lines. April not talking to her kids but sending them to school where gossip always happens, Peter’s rage even though he knew Aprils past and not having a contingency plan if the news leaked despite running for a high profile job, April leaving her family for Rudy’s homecoming after her children were visibly upset over the gossip, Jillian only picking up the inconsistencies upon Rudy’s release despite being so nosey at the beginning as if she wouldn’t follow all aspect of her breakout story and figure it out sooner. These are all things that didn’t fit with the characters I felt were so well developed and also seemed unlikely given the overall circumstances.

This was a good book. Will definitely read more from this author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Family and friendship are the focus and at the core of this novel. I love books like this one with complex and flawed characters. They're written beautifully and well- crafted by Blumenfeld. I was hooked from the beginning. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one - it was a touching story about the bonds of friendship as we followed the backstory of April and Rudy. It was an easy, feel-good read perfect for warm weather at the beach!

I enjoyed watching the progression of April and Rudy's childhood as we bounced back and forth between "then" and "now" timelines. Some parts felt a little confusing and I had to double-check which period I was in, but overall it was enjoyable to see how they grew and progressed. It reiterates the idea that people are complicated and we don't always get the happy endings we hope for, but there were some plot holes that I wish were fleshed out a bit more. Like what's the deal with Jill - why did she feel the need to get so involved? Why didn't the medical examiners and/or lawyers do a better investigation for Rudy? I did like the story but some of these plot points caused things to fall apart a bit for me in the end.

Overall, 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Thank you for the ARC!

I was immediately taken to a place in Chicago just reading the first chapters of the book, it feels really immersive. However I would hope to connect to the story more and was wishing to see what happened next with a clear direction.

In Amy Blumenteld's novel Such Good People a crucial meeting will influence the friendship between of April and Rudy our two main characters that grow up together in Brooklyn and they remains good friends even after April attending college but thanks to an inconvenient incident Rudy ends up in jail while April’s expelled from college.

Time has passed and Rudy’s released from prison and this causes a tangle between past and present through the perspectives of April and her husband,Rudy and Julian a journalist.

This story captures in a very interesting and unique way the messiness and the complexity of relationships in a world full of chaos,expectations and choices and so in the end this book explores love,forgiveness friendships,misfortune and second chance and in some parts in a very devastating but still in a realistic deeply way.

A lot of thanks to Netgalley and SparkPress for the e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest opinions

While the book didn’t exactly blow me away, it also wasn’t the worst read I’ve ever come across. I’d say this book is solid 2.5 stars. The multi-perspective structure is always a favorite of mine. I’ve always felt like it keeps things fresh and offers insight into the lives of different characters. The writing also has a bit of cinematic flair, which gave the story a grounded realism that I appreciated.

April had me at my wit’s end with her irrational choices however. I swear, I found myself mentally screaming, “For the love of God, April!” I mean, how many bad decisions can one person make before someone tells her to get it together. That said, I did like the idea of the plot. It had promise, an interesting premise, and the potential to be something really good. But it could’ve used a little more… substance? Some moments lacked the emotional depth to really land, and the plot felt like it was trying to go for something deeper but just couldn’t quite pull it off. And the ending? Oh boy. It was like the plot was on cruise control, pacing along steadily, and then—bam!—everything suddenly falls into place while new situations are quickly tossed in. Then, just as quickly, it’s over. I couldn’t help but think, “Well, that was a bit lackluster.”

That being said, the character dynamics were somewhat strong. I found myself wondering what I would do in their situations, which is always something I enjoy in a book. Overall, I’d say it’s a somewhat enjoyable read that left me wanting just a touch more. Nothing I’d write home about, but I guess I’d mention it if someone asked, though I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and SparkPress for the ARC!