3.5 stars. I’m a little torn on how to rate this book. On one hand it was a very propulsive and interesting story and a very quick read. On the other hand, the writing and some of the story elements were very clunky. Some of the characters (Jillian, Peter especially) had no consistency in their character traits or actions, they acted completely differently at different points of the story just to move the story along, but it didn’t really make a lot of sense. Peter, who was ostensibly this loving and devoted husband, all of a sudden started acting like a toddler throwing a fit?
Overall, I did enjoy this story a lot and I was very curious about how it was going to resolve. I liked the story of Rudy and April’s friendship and I appreciated the author’s choice to reveal exactly what happened to Rudy instead of dragging it out across the entire book.
Thank you to Netgalley and Sparkpress for an advanced copy of this book.

This book hooked me early and never let go. I really liked all of the characters and felt like they were well developed. It was easy to follow and engaging. It wrapped up satisfyingly.

Such Good People
By Amy Blumenfeld

This book failed to draw me in as it seems it did with other readers. I agree that it is character driven. Some characters are likeable, others are not. Some of them for me were not really all that believable.

April seems like an okay heroine. Rudy of course is the hero – but not quite realistic – a Gallahad! Peter, the husband, went from being "perfect" to being unlikeable very early on. The fact that her girlfriends stand by April is great – but unrealistic. Women are not generally that blindly loyal. I felt in places that the phrasing and word choices, instead of enhancing the narrative, actually took away from the flow.

In general, I did not enjoy this book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

April is a freshman at Rivington University when her journalism class makes a trip to NYC for a conference. Since she's close to home, she invites Rudy, a friend from childhood, to join her as the event is ending to catch up. But when Rudy arrives, April is trying to escape the attention of an inebriated bar patron, and a scuffle ensues. The next day, Rudy is arrested and all of their lives change forever.

More than a decade later, April is married with three children and her husband is running for State Attorney. Then she gets a phone call letting her know that Rudy is being let out of prison, and the press subsequently finds out about her ties to what happened that night.

This dual timeline story looks at how small decisions can have a ripple effect and how far some people will go to stand up for those they love.

I was definitely intrigued by the mystery aspect of the story and piecing together the little bits that didn't quite add up. However, many of the characters fell flat for me and as a result, the novel dragged at times. The basics of the story offered a lot of potential but the execution wasn't quite there for this to be a great novel. I wanted more depth and without spoiling the ending, there was definitely something to be desired in how things came together.

Overall: 3.75/5

Thanks to NetGalley for the early read of Such Good People! Sadly, I had a Kobo fail and ended up reading the whole thing on my phone, which probably didn’t help my overall enjoyment — definitely hoping to revisit this one with a proper e-reader setup.

The Wonder Years reference in the blurb totally hooked me (I was a big fan of that show!), and I really liked the idea of a single decision changing the course of two lives. The story had so much potential — secrets, sacrifice, and what we owe the people who shape our past — but I never fully clicked with the characters. The pacing felt a bit uneven and disjointed, which made it hard to stay emotionally invested.

That said, it wasn’t a bad read — just not a standout for me. Solid 3 stars, and hoping a second read will do it more justice!

Such Good People is a compelling, character-rich narrative exploring loyalty, justice, and moral disillusionment. The story alternates between timelines and viewpoints, centering on April Nelson, her childhood friend Rudy, and the shocking consequences of a fateful decision—years after the incident destabilizes April’s comfortable suburban life and threatens her husband’s political aspirations.

The description of this book piqued my interest so I thought I’d give it a try. April is the doting mother and wife to a prominent attorney, Peter who is running for public office. He’s a shoe-in until a story surfaces about an incident in his wife’s past. Rudy, a childhood friend of hers is being released from jail and secrets and rumors start to spread about her and what happened that one fateful night. The author goes back 15 years and replays the events and consequences of their actions. This is a great character driven novel as they examine their actions. The second half of the book takes a deeper look at whether or not justice was served. Love, loyalty and friendship are well rooted throughout this novel.
Thank you to NetGalley and SparkPress for an advanced eGalley of this book. All opinions expressed are truly my own.
#SuchGoodPeople #AmyBlumenfeld #NetGalley

Such Good People was a great read! It’s definitely completely character driven, so for those who prefer a more plot-focused read this may not be for you.

I was so invested in the characters and wanted to know exactly what was going on, which meant i got through this really quickly! I loved the different perspectives and felt this was written well so we understand the characters in greater depth, even if it was a bit slow-moving in parts.

Overall I’d really recommend this to anyone who is intrigued by the concept of this book.

Loved this book. Thanks for the arc copy. Can’t wait to post more about this closer to release date. Look for the review on my Instagram.I

I really enjoyed this book, especially the second half when we find out more about the miscarriage of justice. I found the telling of the story by the different characters added depth, as did the different time frames. The strength of the love and friendship between April and Rudy, and how this didn’t falter over the years, was the highlight of the story for me.

4 stars

Thank you Netgalley and SparkPress for an advance copy.

I absolutely loved this book! The story was amazing. I loved the friendship between April and Rudy and the fact that it never faltered even through all of the turmoil that life brought. The characters were likable and purposeful to the story. The last 30% of the book I could not put down. The multi POV worked well for me. This was an emotional read that looked into the wrongfully accused and what happens when lawyers suck at their job. This is a story that I'll remember for a long time. I can't wait to see what Blumenfeld comes up with next.

It's not perfect but I think this helps with the story line. It's so good and tackles many different topics. I look forward to the author's next book!

Such Good People has an intriguing premise, and with a comparison in its blurb to An American Marriage, I was instantly sold.

Unfortunately, this book just did not work for me and I am opting to quit it after getting about halfway through. The issues for me are as follows:

1. The dialogue is painfully unnatural and quite stilted. It’s hard for me to stick with a book where the dialogue is a distraction.
2. The plot feels a bit more thin than I expected, given the blurb. There is a weight that I expected the writing to carry that just hasn’t shown up 50% through, and that is a sign to me that it likely will continue on the thin side.
3. The characters feel very one dimensional. I am having trouble caring about them because they don’t seem like full people.

As always, just because a book doesn’t work for me does not make it a bad book, and I’m sure this will work well for some folks. I think if you gravitate toward lighter books but want to tiptoe into a more serious topic, this could be a good fit.

Thank you to the publisher for the early copy.

I truly enjoyed reading this book. I thought that the characters and different points of view were incredibly well done. The characters were interesting, their perspectives well thought out and they were all well developed. I enjoyed their interactions, growth and different takes on the same event. I was pulled into the story line from the start and remained invested and engaged throughout. There were some parts that moved a little slowly - I enjoyed the different POV but wanted a little more oomph from the plot at times. I loved the exploration of relationships - family, spouse and friends, Forgiveness, justice and the ups and down in life to be very well done. I really enjoyed this story and recommend anyone who wants to think a little about life to read it!

Thank you NetGalley for my advanced reader copy.

What a story. You never know what lurks in the human heart, though most people look like such good people. When students get caught in a spiral of death, law, and ambition, their lives spiral out of control.

Redemption and reconciliation make this a satisfying read. Highly recommended.

I selected this book on Net Galley a couple of months ago when I first saw the colorful cover and then read the summary, it piqued my curiosity. Such Good People takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster as you learn about the history of the friendship of Rudy and April. I enjoyed the multiple points of view in the book and was presently surprised on the mysterious way the author laid out the story. It kept me guessing for a good part of the book. I really enjoyed all the rich details of the food and the bonds that were formed in this community, specifically between April and Rudy's family.

The book made you think about the legal justice system and how complicated cases can be. The story showed how a split second decision sent both Rudy and April on very different paths. How things can snowball with devastating results.

I found this book very easy to fall into and the pacing was perfect. I had so many moments I was talking to the characters, trying to give them advice. It makes you think of what you do for found family and friends, and it also showed how class had an impact on the outcomes of a case. The victim's family had the means to create the narrative that suited them. Those were hard sections to read but very important. The story was thought-provoking without being preachy.

I think this book would also make a great book club book with so many different issues to discuss.

This is the author's second book, and I will be sure to read more from this author. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book prior to its release.

I just finished ​​Such Good People by Amy Blumenfeld and here are my musings.

15 years ago something happened in college that April is eager to forget. Her life is great, married attorney Peter on the verge of election to a local office but her past is coming back to haunt her and she doesn’t know which she needs to protect more.

Heavily heavily character driven. If you are like me you need to be in the mood for a book like this so I started it and had to put it down until I was ready. I can’t help being a moodie.

Once I did settle it, I really got sucked in. I had to know. I was 100% invested in each character. They all felt real, like these people are really out there… Existing in my world and that made it a much more entertaining read. It was really emotional but it also balanced it out with some humor! It was really well done..

It’s fast paced which I did appreciate as I need a decent pace. I really enjoyed how the author presents the hard choices and the moral complexities that come with making decisions where you are damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

Definitely worth the read.

4.25 stars

Thank you to @netgalley and @spark_ppc for my gifted copy!

At the start of this novel, April is in her 30s, a mom and teacher married to Peter who is running for office in Chicago. Then she gets a call from a journalist who to her surprise is not asking about Peter’s campaign, but about the fact that April’s friend Rudy is getting out of jail, a revelation that has personal and professional reservations for April and Peter. The book is told from both April and Rudy’s perspectives in both the past and the present, as we learn what happened back when they were 18 years old, and how it affects their present lives as well.

And wow, this was a good one! So compelling that I literally read it in one day because I just couldn’t put it down and needed to find out what was going to happen! I was so caught up in the characters and the way a tragedy altered their lives forever, and also by the thoughtful look at the justice system. I think fans of older Jodi Picoult books would like this one with its intersection of the personal and the judicial system. It would also make a great movie or mini-series. Not to mention a great book club book - looking forward to discussing with the friend I buddy read with.

**Such Good People** by Amy Blumenfeld is an engaging, sharply written novel that dives into the messiness of friendship, secrets, and what it means to be "good." The story is fast-paced and full of heart, with characters who feel real and relatable in all their imperfections. Blumenfeld balances humor and emotion so well that you’ll find yourself smiling even as you’re reflecting on the deeper questions it raises. A smart, satisfying read that keeps you turning the pages!

Oh, what a heartbreaking story this was! Such Good People is a moving novel of loyalty, family, love, loss, and the injustice of life - how something that seems almost insignificant at one moment can change the course of the lives of many people.

April and Rudy have been friends since they were children but everything changes when they both have started college, April a five-hour-bus ride away and Rudy at the community college in Brooklyn. Rudy is sentenced to prison and April struggles to start her life again. The whole thing resurfaces fifteen years later in Chicago, where April is living with her husband Peter and their three children, and threatens to destroy Peter's political career. And their marriage.

Thank you so much NetGalley and SparkPress for the ARC and thank you Amy Blumenfeld for writing this thought-provoking story.