He’s not like his father… but what if he is? After divorcing her deranged ex-husband, Nora found marital bliss with Roger, a loving spouse and devoted stepfather to Owen, Nora’s teenage son. People in town think Owen is strange and a loner. Some say he’s dangerous. They’d say even worse if they knew about Owen’s father… which is why they never will. Nora’s hidden that part of her past. It’s why she avoids talking about her first husband, and why she made Owen promise to never tell anyone about him. But now, Nora’s worst fears are coming true. She’s seeing signs that her son is becoming eerily similar to his father?! Wow! Some wild and shocking twists! It also had suspense, murder, mystery, great characters and a very interesting storyline! I highly recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Nora’s ex husband Dale was a serial killer and is in prison. Their son Owen begins saying and doing things very similar to what Dale would do and his coach goes missing after an altercation with Nora’s husband aka his adoptive father. Everyone except Nora and her husband Roger believe Owen is evil. Nora begins to fear that her son could be taking the same path as Dale.

Throughout the story Nora makes comparisons of Dale and Owen. At times she suspects he could be capable of hurting someone just like his father had, but at other times she denies he could have any ounce of evil in him even with evidence she finds. She infantilized him and refused to see the truth that was right in front of her. The story is very repetitive with Nora going back and forth of not knowing what to think of her son and being oblivious to what everyone else already knows about not only her son but also the truth of the missing men in their town. It’s very easy to figure out how this would end from the beginning of the story and the involvement of each character of this story.

Even though it was a very predictable story I still enjoyed it. There was no shocking moments and no surprise twist thrown in. This story makes me question how many other families are willing to overlook the malicious behavior of their loved ones just to protect them.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first book by Rowen Chambers.

This book follows a journey Nora takes after divorcing her ex-husband who is in prison for murder. She moves on and marries Roger, who's the best husband and dad ever. At least, according to Nora. Others question this due to alleged rumors.

Owen is their son and is awkward and socially inept. The people in town and at his school bully him and think he's weird and dangerous. Is he though?

Nora tells the story and while it's kind of predictable and Nora is kind of blind to things, it's a solid read with a couple of twists at the end. Is Nora blind to what's really going on with Owen? Was her ex falsely accused?

It was a quick easy read thriller. If you like Frieda McFadden this is the book for you. I figured it out about halfway through, but there were things that made me doubt I had it figured it. It wasn’t very complex and I did think the ending was rather satisfying and intriguing. I would definitely like to read this authors back list and will keep an eye out for new releases.
Thank you to Netgalley, Waltham Publishing and Rowen Chambers for providing the early copy!

i think the sign of a good book is when even if you think you might know where something goes or have suspicions of someone or something, that even if proved right, the getting there makes it an even better or just as good experience. the tension and build can be just as good as if you dont have a clue or are shocked by a twist. and for me this is it. i was anxious to know if i was right or my fears warranted. and Rowen does feelings and emotional charge brilliantly. i was falling over the pages to see just what was going to come. the way the book is paced and laid out allowed me to do just that, read and read and read.
i felt up in the air at time. wanting to shake Nora. but also can see how her own experience made her all out of sorts and easily vulnerable herself.
this is a corker of a thriller and i feel ever so lucky to have gotten the chance to read it. when done well, reading these types of books can bring pure joy to a day. and Rowan is getting a good knack of kicking out these types of books that grip, hook and send emotions all over the place.

OK, I saw the end from the beginning, but was still an entertaining read! Solid mystery, twists and turns, and if you read a lot of this trope you may see it coming, but it is well written, tight, and is fast moving. Like watching Halloween for the umpteenth time, you know what's what, but worth the time and you enjoy it all the way. Have to say nobody in that town would really be missed, not exactly a nice community!

THE GOOD SON BY ROWEN CHAMBERS.
Release date set for the 19th of May 2025.
It took me a minute or so to get in to this book but when i did i enjoyed this story.
I Found it to be a quick fast paced book that I got through fairly quickly.
This is my 2nd book by Rowen Chambers and the rest of there books are on my TBR pile.

I found this novel quite predictable actually. Nora barely hesitated to believe her husband over her son. I found her to be a weak character, because I would definitely fight for my son and not allow people to say the things they did about Owen. And for these despicable people to say those horrible things to her face seemed unlikely in real life. Good thing this is a fictional novel.
Quick read, short chapters, and fell a little short for me personally.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3/5

It was brilliant a great read! Amazing… it was filled with twist after twist in the end, which was something I never saw coming… If you’re after a book that you won’t be able to put down, this is it.

Three words to describe this book are: enthralling, breath-taking and hard to put down! I loved it!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ stars