Cady is devastated by the loss of her twin sister. So much so,that she can’t function. It’s clear that she’s in The throes of a mental health crisis. But as the reader gets to know Cady better, it becomes apparent that more is going on. Walz paints a portrait of a woman in crisis…but is it really a new thing?

It was so unpleasant being in the main character’s head, my goodness! Somehow, I wasn’t expecting the ending but I think some people will see it coming. Very compelling and unsettling, definitely recommend!

I loved Marisa Waltz’s writing—Good Intentions was a deliciously deceptive debut! I especially enjoyed how many of the locations she referenced were right in my hometown and even in my current suburban neighborhood.

This story centered on Cady, a driven and successful luxury event planner with a fulfilling life, included a long-term partner and a vibrant social calendar. Her constant companion and confidante was her identical twin sister, Dana—until a tragedy striked. Dana was severely injured in an accident, and Cady arrived too late to say goodbye. Her world shattered. It was not Dana’s death that consumed her—not at first. Instead, Cady became fixated on Morgan, a grieving mother she happened to meet in the same hospital waiting room where Dana died. Cady perceived their simultaneous tragedies as fate rather than coincidence and became obsessed with helping Morgan heal, she believed that doing so may heal her own grief.

Good Intentions delivered a gripping blend of grief, obsession, and moral ambiguity, anchored by a complex, morally grey protagonist whose psychology was as fascinating as it was unsettling. The pacing was tense and twisted, blurred the line between compassion and fixation, and the emotional core-rooted in twin bonds, loss, and the search for meaning. It gave the suspense real weight. I was drawn in by the layered relationship dynamics and the way they kept me constantly second-guessing everyone’s motives.

That said, the intensity of the fixation themes felt claustrophobic at times, and the small cast left some secondary characters less developed. The story leaned more on emotional tension than action, which became redundant at times, I was hoping for a little more of a suspenseful thriller, and it refused to provide a clear-cut “hero vs. villain” resolution which was a bit underwhelming. Still, it was a psychologically rich and unsettling debut and I am eager to read more by Waltz.

Collectively, Good Intentions fit perfectly into the psychological suspense category. It weaved together themes of grief and obsession while exploring that dangerous pull of looking away even when you know you shouldn’t. If you are drawn to a flawed protagonist and constant shifts in sympathy, this is the kind of thriller that will keep you hooked and unsettled from the very first page to the last.

Thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for a complimentary copy of this debut novel in exchange for my review.

cady is called to the hospital where her twin sister just died. she meets a woman in the waiting room and becomes convinced that it is not a coincidence as the woman has just lost someone to.

This book was good. It took a little bit to figure out how this story was coming together. The end really surprised me. I did enjoy the book and look forward to more from this author.

This is a challenging book to read for anyone who has ever grieved a loved one. It explores how grief can shape us and our actions.

The story unfolds as though it's being told by Cady (the main character) to Dana (her recently deceased twin sister). It moves back and forth through time, which can often be frustrating but is well done here. The concept of "good intentions" and whether they excuse bad behavior is at the center of the story. The twist at the end is not one that I saw coming, and it is appropriately tragic.

The story leaves things a bit up in the air, unfinished and unresolved. And again while that can often be frustrating to a reader, in this case it was kind of a relief. I don't think I could have handled reading much more of Cady's story. And that is only because the writing was so visceral and real - I felt Cady's grief and mourning so clearly.

This was a well written book with a thought-provoking concept and compelling characters. Definitely recommend.

The beginning of this book grabbed my attention but — I shouldn't have been surprised — it's really, really sad. On top of that, the thriller element took a while to kick in, at which point my general mood was so bummed by the narration that it just doesn't seem like a fit. All of that to say that what I *did* read was well-written — it was just too heavy for me to finish.

This was a psychological thriller at its best. Cady meets a woman at the hospital where she is at since her sister Dana is has just died there. She then becomes obsessed. Cady unravels and becomes disturbed. There are good twists! This is an emotional breakdown of sorts and spiraling and you will want to see what happens.

I really had high hopes for this book after reading other reviews. It was just okay for me. The constant repitition of "Dana" and the characters saying each others names constantly was annoying. Halfway through, I really wanted to quit reading. The obsessive behavior by Cady had already been made abundantly clear, yet there wasn't any justification as to why she behaved that way. Much of her flashbacks were borderline pointless page fillers. As a debut novel, Good Intentions is just good. Hopefully future novels by Marisa Walz will be more thrilling and less dragging.

When the main character’s twin sister is killed on Valentines Day, her world implodes. This story of how she meets new people while grieving this terrible loss has many twists and turns. It’s a great read, seeing the storyteller unravel until the final scene. Very well written and rather disturbing.

Four and a half stars rounded up to five. Cady rushes to the hospital when she finds out that her twin, Dana, was in a car accident. Unfortunately, Dana dies. Whilst in the waiting room, she sees another woman, whose twelve year old son was hit by a car and died. Cady becomes obsessed with this woman, watching her house and joining a grief support group she belongs to.
This book was so good! I read it in one sitting. I never saw the plot twist coming, and what a plot twist! Suddenly it all made sense. Highly, highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Buckle your seatbelts folks! There’s a new psychological suspense author in town and on February 3, 2026 her debut “Good Intentions” is going to begin its takeoff for new heights! I know you’ll have to wait several moths, so what you can do now is add it to your TBR because it is SO VERY, VERY GOOD!

At the heart of the story is Cady, a married, successful party planner whose identical twin sister Dana is not only her best friend but truly her other half. As the story opens, Dana has had a tragic accident and Cady is en route to the hospital. In the hospital waiting room, Cady keeps a watchful eye on Morgan, a woman who is also experiencing a serious tragedy. With themes of grief, the blurred lines between compassionate and obsession and how trauma can distort one’s judgement, Ms. Walz has crafted an intense, emotionally layered story that is thoughtful yet disturbing. While the book may not yet be released, this reader already looks forward to many more by the author who demonstrates a talent for creating consistent psychological tension throughout its pages.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the invitation to be an early reader of this phenomenal debut in exchange for my honest opinion. And congratulations to Marisa Walz for this standout debut!!!

Marisa Walz announces herself as a formidable new voice in psychological suspense with Good Intentions, a debut that showcases the kind of narrative sophistication typically found in seasoned authors. This is a novel that operates in the liminal space between empathy and horror, asking readers to inhabit a mindset that grows increasingly disturbing while remaining heartbreakingly human.

The novel’s masterstroke lies in its protagonist’s voice—a stream of consciousness that feels simultaneously rational and unhinged, creating an reading experience that’s both compelling and deeply unsettling. Walz demonstrates remarkable control over her unreliable narrator, allowing glimpses of truth to emerge through layers of self-deception without ever fully exposing the mechanisms of delusion. This creates a reading experience where understanding arrives gradually, each revelation forcing reevaluation of everything that came before.

What makes this particularly effective is Walz’s ability to ground psychological breakdown in recognizable human experience. The grief that drives the protagonist’s increasingly questionable choices feels authentic and overwhelming, creating a foundation of sympathy that complicates moral judgment. The author understands that the most frightening characters are often those whose motivations we can understand, even when their actions appall us.

The exploration of twin relationships adds psychological depth that extends beyond plot mechanics. Walz captures the specific intensity of identical twin bonds—the blurred boundaries, the shared identity, the devastating incompleteness when one half disappears. This relationship becomes the emotional core around which all other elements revolve, making the protagonist’s subsequent choices feel inevitable rather than arbitrary.

The pacing demonstrates impressive restraint for a debut thriller. Rather than rushing toward shocking revelations, Walz allows psychological tension to build through accumulating details and shifting perspectives. The gradual unveiling of truth creates sustained unease that proves more effective than sudden plot twists, maintaining reader engagement through character development rather than external action.

The writing itself carries literary weight that distinguishes it from genre fiction focused purely on plot advancement. Walz has crafted prose that captures the fragmented nature of traumatic grief while remaining consistently engaging. The internal monologue feels authentic to someone processing overwhelming loss, complete with the circular thinking and desperate rationalization that characterize psychological crisis.

Perhaps most impressively, the novel manages to create genuine moral ambiguity without becoming nihilistic. Walz presents a character whose actions range from questionable to horrifying while maintaining enough humanity to prevent complete alienation. This balance requires exceptional skill—too much sympathy would undermine the thriller elements, while too little would make the story unbearable.

The conclusion delivers emotional impact that lingers long after reading. Walz doesn’t provide easy answers or comfortable resolutions but instead offers something more complex—a ending that feels both surprising and inevitable, horrible and somehow fitting. This kind of sophisticated storytelling suggests an author with deep understanding of human psychology and considerable narrative instincts.

For readers who like:
-Unreliable narrators
-Explorations of grief
-Literary thrillers

Final Verdict
Good Intentions establishes Marisa Walz as a thriller writer to watch, delivering psychological suspense that’s both intellectually engaging and emotionally devastating. This is sophisticated genre fiction that respects its readers’ intelligence while providing the visceral satisfaction thriller audiences crave. For a debut novel, it’s remarkably assured—suggesting an author with the skill and vision to become a major voice in psychological suspense.

Grateful to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Marisa Walz for the Opportunity to Read an Advance Copy of This Story in Exchange for an Honest Review.

I almost put this book down, as for me the first 50% was kind of slow and definitely depressing and I wasn't sure I was going to like it. But then the story got more interesting and Cady just couldn't seem to not destroy everything in her own life. It all started with her twin sister's death and quickly spiraled out of control with her sabotaging her own business, her marriage, friendships and family connections. I couldn't look away as I was rooting for Cady to get it together, but things just kept getting worse in her life because of her own actions. By the 75% mark in the story I couldn't stop reading and was on pins and needles waiting to see how this would all play out- is Matt lying or is Cady just crazy? What's Morgan's role in this whole thing? Then that ending! My jaw was on the floor. I never saw it coming.

This was a great debut novel from an author who hopefully has many more stories up her sleeve.

Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me to review an early copy of this book.

I think the idea of this book was great, but I do feel that it was very drawn out, and had a lot of unnecessary additions to it. The relationship with her husband at the end was never really explained. Also, I wished the big twist at the end would have come up sooner in the book, and been able to get reactions from the other characters.

Cady and Dana are twins , still living very much adjoined lives, even though both are married
with careers of their own.
Cady, the dominant one, has a very successful event planning business. And believes life is good for them,
until one day it all goes bad.
Dana is killed in a car accident and suddenly Cady is completely adrift: unable to face the reality of a life to be lived
without her twin beside her.
The story spiralled downhill for me, from that point on.
Cady had absolutely not a single redeeming characteristic in my opinion.
I found it too depressing.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. But they only gave me 48 hours. We’ll let me tell you. That’s all it will take to read this book. It grips you from the very beginning and it won’t let you go. More twists and turns on this roller coaster ride and the end just flipped me out you won’t see it coming. This story is about two inseparable twins. Who up to a couple of weeks ago did everything together. And then one of them was killed. The remaining twin talked to the twin that died the whole time. At first I thought, I wouldn’t like this, but it did add so much to the story.
I hate to give so much away, but the complete downward spiral of the remaining twin, was told in such a believe able story line. Great book club book, from this author. Just buy it. I can’t wait for her next book.

Cady, a successful events planner and a happily married woman, is thrown off balance by the sudden death of her identical twin,Dana, to whom she was very close. Cady, the narrator of the book, speaks in her mind to her dead twin, while spiralling deeper into a strange place mentally, as she tries to replace Dana with a woman she befriends at a bereavement group.

Cady's personality disorder takes her into a place of mental anguish that she lives with every waking moment, and even her husband Matt can't seem to pull her out of it. The book was overly long, concentrating on Cady's obsessive mind and machinations to control people and things.

It was an odd book, described as a psychological mystery and thriller, but I kept waiting for something momentous to happen, which it did, but only in the last pages of the book. I couldn't relate to Cady or empathize with her, so this was not a fully satisfying read.

Insane thriller. Thank you NG for the ARC! Twin sisters, and so much action, sadness, thoughts. I was up quite late trying to push through! Highly recommend!

4.5 stars.

✨What the actual…WHAT? Wow! This was a stunning debut that kept me flipping the pages late into the night and left me utterly speechless. This book is a is a compelling and spine-tingling look at the nature of grief and obsession and one woman’s descent into a frightening level of obsession. The author cultivates a lingering sense of unease and a gnawing feeling of apprehension, continuously raising the stakes and building the sharply honed tension to a fever pitch until the reader can’t help but ask, “What is this unhinged woman going to do next?” There are stunning revelations and breathtaking turns, and I could not get enough.

✨At one 1 a.m. moment, I sat straight up in bed and gasped with my hand on my heart. The ending had me staring into space with eyes wide and jaw on the floor. Shocked into silence. I’m still stunned. An incredible must-read psychological thriller.

🌿Read if you like:
✨Psychological thrillers
✨Domestic suspense
✨Morally grey main characters
✨Voyeurism and stalking narratives
✨Identical twin stories
✨Family drama
✨Chicago settings
✨Jaw-dropping twists

TW: infertility

My thanks to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book before its publication date.