Marisa Walz delivers with a stunning debut about Cody, a luxury event-planner who has a perfect life. But when her identical twin, Dana, dies tragically, Cody become obsessed with Morgan, a woman she met in the hospital waiting room. Cady's life unravels as she befriends Morgan, becoming obsessed with her. This book is full of twists and moral ambiguity, and lots of deliciously twisted moments that will keep you from being able to put the book down.

Good Intentions is a gripping psychological suspense debut centered on Cady, a successful event planner whose life unravels after the tragic loss of her twin sister Dana. Instead of mourning Dana’s death directly, Cady becomes obsessed with helping Morgan, a grieving mother she meets in the hospital, believing healing Morgan will ease her own pain.

Marisa Walz crafts a tense, emotionally charged story that blurs the line between compassion and fixation, anchored by a morally complex protagonist. The intense focus on grief and obsession creates a claustrophobic atmosphere that both fascinates and unsettles, while the layered relationships keep you second-guessing everyone’s motives.

Though the small cast limits secondary character depth and the story leans more on emotional tension than action, Good Intentions offers a psychologically rich, morally ambiguous narrative that resists easy answers. Fans of flawed protagonists and dark, suspenseful character studies will find this a compelling and haunting read.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Good Intentions by Marisa Walz

Rating: 4/5 — An emotionally rich, unsettling, and memorable debut.

Marisa Walz’s debut, Good Intentions, is a sharp, unsettling dive into grief, obsession, and the fragile line between compassion and control. At its heart is Cady, a luxury party planner whose world implodes after the sudden death of her identical twin, Dana. While reeling from her own loss, Cady latches onto Morgan, a grieving mother she meets in a hospital waiting room—and from there, her “good intentions” spiral into something far more dangerous.

Walz excels in crafting a psychologically complex protagonist. Cady’s voice is intimate, unnerving, and deeply human—her thoughts a stream of rationalizations that feel both understandable and chilling. This interiority is what makes the book stand out; even when Cady makes questionable or horrifying choices, Walz keeps her tethered to enough vulnerability that the reader can’t look away.

The pacing, especially through the middle chapters, sustains a taut psychological tension. Themes of identity, sibling bonds, and grief are interwoven with thriller elements, giving the novel a dual literary and suspenseful edge. Walz’s prose is elegant yet piercing, often leaving emotional echoes long after a scene ends.

The final act, while compelling, feels slightly rushed. Some narrative threads could have used more space to breathe, and the climactic twist may strike seasoned thriller readers as predictable. A few supporting characters also come across more as devices than fully developed figures, which makes Cady’s obsessive world feel at times too narrowly focused.

Despite its imperfections, Good Intentions is a striking debut that showcases Walz’s ability to blend emotional depth with thriller pacing. It’s a book that lingers—raising questions about grief, empathy, and how far people will go when their “good intentions” blur into dangerous obsession.

For fans of morally gray protagonists, psychological suspense, and character-driven thrillers, this is a must-read. I look forward to seeing where Marisa Walz takes us next.

This intense psychological suspense novel captivated me from the very start. The author's narrative style was enthralling as I traced the protagonist's descent into a state of all-consuming grief and mental instability. The central character's portrayal felt profoundly genuine and unvarnished, and I initially felt a deep sense of empathy for her plight—a feeling that was completely reversed around the midpoint of the story. From that point on, her deep-seated insecurities, self-destructive patterns, and complete disregard for others' personal space began to wear on me. It became a repetitive cycle of poor decisions, all under the guise of good intentions. What was most upsetting for me was her treatment of her pet. Other readers who have read this book will understand this particular point of frustration. The plot started to feel redundant as a result. I continued reading, propelled by my curiosity to solve the central mystery.

The conclusion was genuinely surprising, but I do wish the author had unveiled the key revelation sooner than the very last chapter. I decided to give this book 4 stars because the author's prose was a pleasure to read, the concept was innovative, and it successfully evoked a wide range of emotions in me. While my personal enjoyment was limited, the execution was strong. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys thrillers featuring unreliable narrators with unsettling qualities.

My gratitude to St. Martin's Press for providing me with a digital ARC through NetGalley in exchange for my candid feedback.

Oh, how I enjoyed this train wreck of a narrator! Once I got into the story, which didn't take long, I couldn't put it down. The ending was a little cliché and almost predictable, but it was a very fun and entertaining read. Thank you #netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 / 5

This dark, obsessive-driven thriller hooked me from the very first page. The author's well-written prose was captivating while I followed along on Cady's journey and her downward spiral into grief and madness. Her character was unapologetically human and raw, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for her.... until she COMPLETELY changed my mind. About halfway through, her insecurities, destructive behavior and lack of personal boundaries began to grate on my last nerve. Let's keep making the same mistakes over and over again.... 'Good intentions', my A$$! I think what bothered me the most was her poor dog. Readers will know. Who does that?! The story started to become monotonous from that point forward. I trudged along because the mystery still intrigued me. It was definitely an unexpected shocker, but I wish that the author didn't wait until the final chapter to host her reveal. I rounded up to 4 stars due to the author's enjoyable writing style, creativity, and how she made me feel all sorts of emotions. I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have liked, but the execution was well received. I would recommend to those who enjoy unreliable narrators with disturbing character traits.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for granting me a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

When I saw this book available on NetGalley, I was super excited to read it. I love an unreliable
narrator. The idea of a woman becoming obessessed with another woman in a hospital waiting room
is a very interesting premise. Throughout the story we learn a lot more about Cady's past and her
relationship with her twin sister, Dana. It's a little scary because the author created Cady's
character in a way that the reader can easily relate to her. I was able to see myself sinking
into Cady's shoes. I got through this book in just a few days, and I was very engrossed in the
story.

I was able to predict the "twist" in the last chapter. I wish the author had spent more time on
the twist instead of throwing it in the last chaper. There are a lot of ways this book could
have gone, and I feel like it was wrapped up too quickly which left me a bit unsatisfied at the
end.


Thank you St. Martin's Press for providing this eARC for review consideration via NetGalley.
All opinions are my own.

Found this book slow paced and depressing, not my cup of tea. The book was well written with good character development. I was left with some unanswered questions. The story evolves around a twin with how she is coping with the grief of the accidental death of her twin. How it effects her everyday life, her marriage, her business. Her need to seek out a woman who lost her son on the same day she lost her sister, which is revealed at the end. This story will evoke a wide range of emotions within yourself. Received an ARC and this is my honest voluntary review.

A well written and creepy novel about obsession and friendship. For once, I did not guess the ending. ; )

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an early read in exchange for my honest review.

Cady, a luxury party planner, loses her identical twin sister Dana and Dana’s unborn baby in a car accident. At the hospital, she meets Morgan, a mother who lost her 12-year-old son the same day, and becomes so fixated on her that Cady’s marriage and business start to suffer.

The book is written as if Cady is speaking to her sister, sharing her internal thoughts. I didn’t mind the narrative setup, but I honestly didn’t enjoy Cady at all. Her choices and actions were so frustrating that I wanted to shake her and ask if she was okay.

The story initially grabbed me, but as the chapters went on—even with quick, easy-to-follow writing—it kept going without a proper or meaningful ending. While we did get some answers to Cady’s behavior and secrets, too many loose ends remained for me to recommend this book or give it a higher rating. As the title suggests, "Good Intentions", I believe Walz aimed for that with this story, but it came across as scattered and poorly executed.

There are so many puns I'm itching to make about the title, but I'm trying to show some restraint. Just picture something along the lines of the author having good intentions with this story, but that doesn't mean it was successful. There goes my restraint, but you can't help it with a title like that and a story that I just wanted to like more than I did.

Cady has just received news that her twin sister, Dana, was in a bad accident, and when Cady arrives at the hospital, she's too late. She's completely devastated but keeps replaying a moment in her mind from the waiting room when another woman received similarly horrible news. As she grieves, Cady becomes obsessed with the woman. Her name is Morgan, and Cady follows and befriends her, worming herself into Morgan's life. Cady's husband is leery of her obsessive friendship and hints that Cady has a history of behaving inappropriately like this. But Cady ignores him and continues on, basically seeing Morgan as a substitute for Dana. Even Morgan gets weirded out a few times and tries to distance herself from Cady. But you know how that goes: the more Morgan tries to break away, the harder Cady pushes to stay close. And everything goes downhill from there.

The author uses the trusty 'secret in the epilogue' tool that works pretty well here, but I had already guessed that something like that had happened. Maybe some readers will be surprised, but it also takes the focus off the fact that there's no true ending before that, where something dramatic happens that causes Cady to learn her lesson and change her behavior. She's working on herself, supposedly, but there didn't seem to be any real point to the story. Except for explaining her current obsession, the book doesn't end with Cady showing any growth or change. She doesn't learn that good intentions are not enough to make up for the chaos she causes. I don't know, it's not like I disliked the book, but I was just left wanting more.

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley to read and review. I thought this was a really good book. I had trouble putting it down because I couldn't wait to see how far the main character would take the things she was doing. I did have a guess at the final twist, but there was a lot of the book I didn't figure out ahead of time. I would recommend this to anyone who likes thrillers without a lull.

Good Intentions is an intense, psychologically suspenseful debut that had me hooked from the start. It follows Cady, whose world unravels after the sudden death of her twin, Dana. On the day of Dana’s passing, she meets Morgan, a grieving mother, and becomes convinced that helping Morgan heal will fix her own grief. What begins as sympathy quickly spirals into fixation, and watching Cady cross those blurry lines is both fascinating and unsettling. At first, you feel for her, but soon you’re left wondering, what is she doing!? The pacing is a little slow at first, but the unfolding tension is absolutely worth it. A chilling exploration of grief, obsession, and blurred morality.

Good Intentions by Marisa Walz is an emotional, relatable read about love, choices, and personal growth. The characters feel real, and the story really makes you think about how our decisions shape us. It’s a bit slow at times, but the emotional depth makes it worth sticking with. A solid pick for fans of contemporary fiction with heart. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book! I will be looking forward to more of this author’s work in the future.

Good Intentions surprised me in the best way, taking a simple idea and turning it into something layered and unforgettable. Marisa Walz writes with an honesty that makes the smallest moments feel significant, like she’s holding up a mirror to real life. The characters aren’t polished or perfect, and that’s exactly what makes them so compelling—you want to sit with them, argue with them, root for them. I found myself slowing down while reading, not because the story dragged, but because I wanted to savor the little truths tucked into each scene. It is rare to find a book that feels both intimate and expansive at once, and this one does it beautifully.

This book was so good! It gave me “the swimmer” vibes by Loreth Anne White in the sense that I was devoured the whole book after being hooked onto the plot, the mysterious characters and racing towards the end.

The plot follows the FMC who is grieving the loss of her twin, her grief is overwhelming and she deals with it by becoming fixated to a stranger, a mother who is grieving the death of their child. There is a third character involved and between them it becomes unclear who is unhinged and who is trustworthy.

This is definitely an intensely psychological thriller and I loved every second!

Thank you to St Martin’s Press for the NetGalley gifted copy! I highly recommend for anyone looking for an addictive book that will keep you guessing until the end!

This book hooked me from the beginning! I would recommend it to fans of unreliable narrators and psychological thrillers. The hook is definitely the mystery that is dangled throughout -- what is Cady's secret (or her secrets) and who is the mysterious man that continues to follow her? Her voice is strong and compelling, though I did think there could have been a touch more plot development.

Thanks to NetGalley for the loan of this book. Cady has it all, a successful business, a happy marriage, living the good life, when an auto accident kills her beloved twin sister and her world begins to unravel. The author takes us with her on this difficult journey of acceptance. The author brings Cady’s grief alive, at times I wanted to holler at her. The book ends with a very unexpected twist. Wonderfully written. A great read.

Is it still an epistolary novel if the addressee is dead? Cady’s life spirals when her pregnant twin sister, Dana, is killed in an auto accident. Cady’s marriage, her wildly successful business, her emotional life: all understandably take the hit. Cady’s husband Matt suggests counseling. Even that takes a weird detour. Through it all, Cady keeps writing to her twin sister, obviously keeping some significant truths from Dana and from herself.

Marisa Walz has written a tragic story that ends with a twist I certainly didn’t see coming. In fact, I successfully predicted very little of “Good Intentions.” Other than remembering that the road to hell is paved with them, I didn’t bring much to the table. I just kept turning those pages, wondering what secrets Cady and Matt were keeping.

“Good Intentions” is a remarkable first novel. I recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader copy. This is my honest review.

Cady's life is perfect - a doting husband, a successful party planning business that brings in enough money for them to live in luxury, and a twin sister she adores. She and her husband were even trying for a baby actively and going through IVF. Her world quite literally comes crashing down on February 14th, Valentines day, when she gets a call that her sister was involved in a horrible car crash and is in critical condition. She rushes to her sister's side and in the waiting room of the hospital, sees a fellow woman grieving the death of her son - on the same day Cady finds out her sister is dead. Cady develops an interest in that woman and her pain. She finds her name, her home, and joins a grief group with her. At what point, however, is all of this - her actions - considered more than just 'good intentions'?

When I found out this was Marisa Walz's debut novel, I was shocked. It is written so well and pulls you into the depth of Cady's emotions, and the tumult of her life as she deals with her grief. I found myself trying to guess what would happen in the end to Cady, her husband and all the other characters in the book. Once I reached the end and the climax of the story, however? I didn't expect the result at all. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and time felt like it slipped by as I flew through it. It most of all is a beautiful if not distressing illustration of grief, connections with others, and toxicity in relationships. I cannot wait to see what Marisa Walz does next.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.