Honestly I feel bad for the rating I'm giving on this. This story didn't grab me I Honestly can't remember what I even read. All I know is I was bored and had a very hard time getting into the book in general. I think it just wasn't for me it could be for someone else though. I won't be leaving a public review on my social I will let people know when the release date is and that's it I don't like to give bad reviews because reading is subjective so just because i didn't like it doesn't mean someone else won't. Thank you for the opportunity to read this.

from the cover to the pages in between i was captivated this book. it help so many themes to it and made me ponder over so much right from social justice, to rehabilitation and also sometimes clear injustices. we also learn about people, about love and about friendship.
i wanted to read every last second of this book in one go because i needed to know everything all at once and then how this was going to end. there were a few things i thought i wanted to happen and then changed my mind as we learnt more and then a few things i didnt think i wanted to happen but felt true and needed all the same.
the book brings us April and Rudy who have been lifelong friends up until one fatal night when they were in collage and one is expelled and one is sent to prison.
over a decade later and time and people have of course moved on. for Ruby this means a home,husband and family. her husband is now ready for the big time, hes about to see his election entry for state attorney results. but Rudy is meant to be about to re enter the outside world. and bringing up the past leads for everything and everyone to be in question.
we learn from a few perspectives and are given both the past and leading up to present story of our characters. they all play a vital part in the books plot and i wanted to get to each of them and know more as the story played on. and i almost wanted to know too much too quick for my own eyes to read. i was excited and tense throughout. i definitely kept turning and turning and turning the pages long past what was good for me!
i was rooting for our main characters in this plot. and i found hearing just who they were and how they came to be so full of the complexity's and relatable nuances.
this book held on to me right from the start. i felt so involved in the plot and characters and i love how sometimes you really do FEEL for a book and makes me as myself and our society so many questions.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Such Good People is a beautiful story of friendship, justice, and loyalty.

The characters were imperfect and messy at times. I spent most of the book going back and forth between understanding their decisions and being frustrated by them. It’s messy, emotional, and thought provoking. Especially the eye opening themes of our justice system and journalism and how easily things can be twisted by ambition and the rumor mill.

If you want to read a book that will tug at your heartstrings while simultaneously igniting your passion for justice, Such Good People, which releases this coming July, is a book you need to add to your summer reading list. Set in between (now and then), aka present-day New York/Chicago and New York fifteen years in the past, we meet two friends, April and Rudy. The two neighbors were as close as any two best friends could be when they were growing up, but when April asks her friend Rudy to come to an event in Manhattan during a trip home from college, both of their lives are changed forever.

The story is so compelling that you'll find it hard to put this book down (and I didn't, finishing the book from cover to cover in just one day). It was the perfect escape from studying for an Anatomy and Physiology final, if only for a little while!

4.5 stars rounded up!

I really enjoyed this book. I was intrigued by the premise, and the author did a great job with it. The alternating timelines were very well done - I liked both then and now and it kept the book flowing really well. The story and bit of mystery sucked me in and I found myself constantly wanting to read more.

My only negative is that the ending felt a bit rushed - some of the character's personalities seemed change quickly (or develop rapidly) and didn't feel fully natural, but the author wrapped up the loose ends well. I would've preferred a bit more in those chapters, even if it made the book a bit longer!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

very well written literary and intense work of fiction. the character building is great and the plotting is great. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

This one was not for me. While I really appreciated the mystery of just what happened to the character's childhood best friend that landed him in prison, and was curious about the connection they shared growing up, the protagonist felt like she was pulling from a number of clichés that didn't spark interest. The buttoned-up future politician's wife, trying to keep her nose clean, but who won't talk to her husband about what's been brewing with her childhood friend's release. Then the news breaks and it's much worse than she expected ... but this is a plot contrivance that could be easily overcome by a single conversation. Doubt/avoidance aren't attractive in a main character. The curiosity didn't overshadow these impressions. I'm also not entirely compelled by the jailhouse narrative when we switch POVs. It also felt generic, like the requisite jokes about getting shoes and Doritos from the commissary. It's tough to write outside of lived experience, yet this seemed like the bare minimum of research and respect for that perspective.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sparkpress for sending me this ARC!

In a market of literary fiction and crime novels, 'Such Good People' successfully blends the two to create a touching and emotional story about the frustrating trials of the American criminal justice system. As someone with little knowledge of the legal procedures concerning manslaughter charges and more complicated cases like Rudy's, I found this book engaged me the most when it was dealing with the legalities of April and Rudy's backstory, and how those proceedings impacted their lives forever. April and Rudy were both engaging characters that were very easy to root for, although I think they could have had more of their flaws explored throughout the extensive timeline of the book.

While I do think the dialogue sometimes favoured worldbuilding and storytelling over genuinely believable character dialogue, I was thoroughly invested in the outcome of the conflict, and right till the last page, I was invested in both the family and legal drama. I was worried the ending might have taken a cliche turn, but I was so pleased with the way the story wrapped up, leaving a more open-ended but neatly wrapped conclusion to this nostalgic, tragic, but hopeful tale about childhood friendship, injustice, and standing by those we love even in difficult times.

3.5 out of 5 stars!

What a book! I could not put this book down. It has multiple POVs and past/now timelines. But it was clearly marked each chapter. It was fun to have multiple PIVs for one event. Kind of annoying someone with power can ruin innocent people but it kind of untangles at the end..

As much as I loved having multiple POVs, I thought some of them were not necessary. Maybe it was. I just wanted to move faster to see the ending.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 stars rounded down

THANK YOU NETGALLY & SPARKPRESS FOR THE ARC 🫶🎀

My favourite things about the book:
🎀 The relationship between the Defranco’s and the Zagoda’s
🎀 April’s moments of self-doubt
🎀 April’s character was relatable and well described
🎀 The reflection of society; the legal system, press, how you present yourself, flawed expectations, selfishness and reflections on class and privilege
🎀 We get to learn things at the same time as the main characters, the night being as much of a haze to us as it is to them

This book was at a good pace with a lot of attention to the plot. It also offered a lot to think about, about how I would have reacted in this situation. I loved it as a literary work; it is profound and emerging.

Things that didn’t really work for me:
👾 That we don’t get to learn how it ends with Sketcher
👾 Rudy’s conviction and legal procedure weren’t really convincing
👾 Rudy’s experience with re-entering felt rushed
👾 Jill wasn’t well thought-out; her character changed a lot while the book progressed (not in a good way), making her feel like a flat character

“Thank you for waiting’
“You know I always will”

This quote is my favourite part of the book; it really is a full-circle moment 😍

3.5 Stars rounded up | A Touching Tale About Loyalty, Integrity, and Justice

From the moment Rudy and April met on a childhood playground, they’ve been inseparable. As they begin college, their futures are bright—until one life-altering night puts them in the wrong place at the wrong time, upending everything. Told through multiple perspectives, Such Good People explores how a single event can create a ripple that shapes the trajectories of multiple lives.

What worked for me:
- I enjoyed the novel’s premise and appreciated its reflections on class, privilege, power, and opportunism—and how these forces intersect within our political and justice systems.
- The attention given to reentry, especially the challenges and the importance of support.
- The dynamic between Rudy and April’s families.
- April’s unwavering loyalty.

What didn’t quite land:
- I struggled to believe Rudy’s conviction. While wrongful convictions are all too real, the narrative leap from incident to conclusion—with minimal scrutiny—briefly pulled me out of the story. Though the book eventually circles back to this, I wished it had somehow signaled that this was an important and intentional red flag.
- Some characters felt underdeveloped. Rudy lacked depth and often came across as a doormat. Jillian was unhinged (stage 4 clinger!) and, though mildly redeemed by the end, her fixation on Rudy and April was over-the-top. Finally, April’s husband was so self-centered in moments of crisis that it was hard to trust his intentions or that he was as altruistic as we were led to believe.

Still, this was a compelling, fast-paced read that offered some good food for thought.

“Justice, justice, shall you pursue.”

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. I’m voluntarily sharing my honest review.

I would like to start this off by thanking Sparkpress for providing me with a free review copy of this book via NetGalley!

Overall I have to say I liked this book! The characters were very compelling and well written, even the ones I didn't like as much as others. Im always a fan of switching between perspectives, as it forces me to consider what each character is 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. Their interactions helped develop their characters as the story progressed.

This book had an intriguing storyline, but I personally found the pacing too slow, which made it a bit of a struggle to stay fully engaged. I’m glad I finished it, as I was curious to see how things would unfold, but I wouldn’t be rushing to read it again. The overall plot was good, but the slow pace held it back for me. I also found the relationship dynamics between the characters frustrating at times, and certain parts of the story felt unclear. That said, I appreciate the opportunity to read it and can see its appeal for others.

Such Good People centers around April and Rudy - two lifelong friends who have found themselves at the center of a terrible tragedy. Alternating between the past and present, and multiple POVs, the reader learns the backstory of each character and gets insight into their motives. This novel is about, loyalty and family - both blood and found. Well, I did enjoy the story and the alternating POV halt to propel me forward, I found myself so frustrated with most of the characters throughout the bulk of the book. With complicated relationship dynamics, I understand why these characters made some of the decisions that they made – however, it made for a slightly frustrating read..

Set in NY where April and Rudy grow up as neighbors and best friends. When she’s in college, Rudy gets into a fight protecting her. He ends up going to prison. April suffers the consequences also but finishes school, becomes a teacher, and marries Peter, a lawyer. They move to Chicago and have children. She stays in touch with Rudy over all the years. It emphasizes how many people and relationships are impacted when someone goes to prison and then when they are released.

The author of the book was influenced by her father who was a lawyer/judge and her mother who was a school teacher..

Excellent read told from the view of April, Rudy, and Peter. There’s no explicit sex or violence and no foul language. Just a good plot.

This book captivated me right away! The opening chapter is sure to suck you in. It's a story about being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and the story felt quite unfair to me. It made me mad at some characters while I was able to sympathize with others. There are multiple POVs and each has a unique tone and perspective. It's not my usual genre but I've still found myself thinking about it days later.

I really enjoyed this book. It's not the happiest book, but I found it pretty cozy. The pacing of the story was the right pace...there were times I found myself rushing through some stuff, but there was detail and not a lot of "fluff". The story goes between the current time and past. Focusing on the relationship of two best friends since childhood April and Rudy. April currently is a mother of three and the wife of Peter, a respected man who is up for mayor. There is also Jillian who is a reporter...the lives of these four people and their perspectives intertwine to create this story. The characters were well thought up...all of them grew and developed over time (since childhood or the college years to where they currently are). Some characters I loved, Rudy, then others I was annoyed by (Jillian)....

The plot paces on pretty well...good transitions between the current time and past...I felt more time could had been spent in the current time, but of course, the plot of the story is how the past affected where they are at now and their current situation. The ending was not rushed and came together well.

I didn’t have this on my radar until Bookstagram friends mentioned a new authors books. And I got curious with the synopsis so off to request I did.

I did enjoy the premise. It felt like something I hadn’t read before so kudos to the author on that.

I think for me, it just didn’t have a cohesive feel to the writing. It didn’t flow in the way that it could have as it switched difft POv. Writing for me is the top fav part, it’s how I can read every genre so the style matters (for me particularly).

Loved the idea of justice and friendship, but the plot itself needed a bit more depth for me.

I do however think that it’ll find many hands and hearts. I’m only one voice and know I can be picky about things.

Thanks so much to the publisher for trusting me with an early copy

While this didnt quite connect with me personally, I can appreciate the effort and creativity that went into its writing. The book offers a unique perspective and a clear voice, which I’m sure will resonate with the right audience.

The pacing, themes, or style weren’t quite what I typically enjoy, but that’s more a matter of personal taste than a reflection on the quality of the work itself.

Every book has its audience, and while I may not have been the right fit for this one, I’m confident others will connect with it in a meaningful way

Aw this book was so beautiful! I loved this book and it was so heartfelt, I’m obsessed. Highly recommend to fiction lovers!!