Liked the idea of this book, but thought it mostly failed to deliver. Had to force myself through it, rather than it gripping me and pulling me in, unfortunately. Not for me.

This is one of those books where you race through going 'just one more chapter' and before you know it you've (sadly) reached the end. Loved it.

This book has been predicted to be one of the most successful books of the year and has been highly recommended by the Richard and Judy book club. Do I agree? Absolutely, without a doubt. I just knew from the very first pages that I was going to be hooked.

Milly is the fifteen year old daughter of a sadistic serial killer mother who has spent many years abusing and grooming her. Only when she feels that she can no longer deal with what her mother is putting her through does she go to the police. It is here where our story takes us on a journey with Milly as she undergoes her own personal battle of 'good me versus bad me' as Milly takes on a new life with a foster family.

Each chapter was full of tension and drama. In particular, Milly's relationship with her foster sister Phoebe had me on the edge of my seat. Due to Phoebe's bullying of Milly there was always an air of is something bad going to happen? The friendship between Milly and her younger friend Morgan was sometimes uncomfortable to read but this I feel linked well with the overall theme of the book.

At certain points the author alludes to Milly having done something that she is not proud of and is terrified of people finding out and as the book gathered pace it truly took my breath away when I realised what exactly that it was. The ending was perfect. I was shocked. I wanted more and even more unbelievable I wanted Milly to succeed in life.

I would 100% recommend this book to other readers who enjoy a good thriller and I certainly cannot wait to read more from Ali Land.

I thought the concept of this story was a good one, Milly's the child of a multiple child killer and is taken in by foster parents after she has told the police about her mother's murders - but all is not rosy in the foster family. Her foster father is also her psychotherapist, her foster mother's unable to cope with her own daughter and the daughter in question is a bully who goes out of her way to make Milly's life unbearable. There are bits about this book that are good, such as the way Millie's story and her character unfurl gradually, making the reader more sympathetic to her, but unfortunately there is too much that I questioned in the story (why did the school not pick up on the bullying if the foster parents didn't?) that made it unbelievable.

Utterly and chillingly gripping. From the get-go, this novel draws you in and doesn't let you loose even when the book's over.

Milly's mother is a serial killer, and Milly's just turned her in to the police. Now she has to adjust to a new life - and new name - and wait for the trial, all the while wondering - will she turn out to be just like her mother? Placed in what seems to be the perfect foster home, it's not long before cracks start to show in the family's dynamic. Mike, therapist and all-round good guy, does everything he can to help Milly settle into her new world, while stay-at-home mother and wife Saskia is obviously uneasy at having the daughter of a psychopath in her pristine home. And then there's Phoebe - the golden daughter, spoiled, jealous and definitely not okay with her parents fostering another child.

This is as much a thriller as it is a story of family drama and coming of age - not only does Milly have to overcome the nightmares that years of horrific abuse have left with her, she also has to learn how to navigate these insidious family issues and the campaign of bullying that Phoebe instantly begins at the school they both go to.

Ali Land portrays Milly so crystal clearly I felt like I was standing by her side through the whole novel. We see exactly how she tries to decipher the social minebombs around her and behave like a "normal" 15-year-old girl in an impossible world. At times, it did feel like there was too much going on - rehearsing a play for Lord of the Flies, dissecting a heart in Biology and a school trip to London dungeon felt a little like overkill for a girl trying to overcome so much trauma.

Good Me, Bad Me deals with some heavy, complex issues with a clever and insightful touch, and I think I went through the full range of emotions reading the book (in one sitting - I really couldn't put it down). The twists and turns were nearly impossible to predict and I loved that Ali Land didn't pull her punches when it came to shocking her readers. An absolutely brilliant debut, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves psychological thrillers.

“Forgive me when I tell you it was me.”

Narrated in first person by 15-year-old Milly, this book is about the impact of a dysfunctional household on children that grow up with it. It is a story of Milly who grew up with physical, emotional and sexual abuse at the hand’s of her serial killer mother. And then there is the story of Phoebe, who, thanks to the lack of love and attention at home, has grown up to be a bully who will stop at nothing when it comes to hurting people while still maintaining an appearance of innocence.

Milly struggles to come to terms with her past and her new reality. In spite of turning her mother in to the authorities to stop her from killing more children, she craves for love and approval of a mother that she never had.

“Beautiful, pure things make me feel ugly. Tarnished. I remember asking you when I was three, maybe four, where I came from. I waited for you to sweep me up, rub our noses together in an Eskimo kiss and reply, you came for me, you belong with me, I love you. But you didn’t respond, you walked out of the kitchen left me standing there alone”

When Mike and Saskia take in Milly as a foster child, Milly wants to fit in at any cost. Phoebe, Milly’s foster sister is not ready to share her parents love and attention with Milly and sets herself upon a mission to make Milly’s life miserable at school.

As Milly struggles to overcome her inner demons and ruthless bullying at school at the hands of Phoebe and her gang, things are not as perfect at the home front either. Saskia, battles with her depression, addictions, an extra-marital affair and an angry and bitter daughter. Mike, a psychologist by profession, is weighed down by hostilities between Saskia and Phoebe. While trying to maintain a truce on the home front, Mike must help Milly overcome her demons and prepare her for the trial.

Ali Land has delivered a deep, dark and twisted psychological thriller that is not only gripping but unsettling. It is hard not to sympathise with Milly who has gone through so much in her life and now must deal with uncertainty of her future and Phoebe’s torments. I could not stop myself from turning page after page.

When it comes to the positives, where do I begin! The writing style is not usual – the sentences are choppy and narration keeps shifting from monologue to dialogue but that is exactly what makes this a great read. These effects add to the character of Milly and keeps the reader wondering if they should or should not trust her.

I also loved the multi-faceted characters and how they develop in moments rather than in chapters. The expertise of the author in Mental Health as her profession oozes through her style of character development in the book.

I have to say that I kept expecting gruesome, gory details of the murders and exploitation to be revealed, but the author very skillfully navigated past that and yet was able to create moments that were spine-chilling. It is an absolutely commendable job of story telling and I am in awe of Ali Land for this.

A brilliant read from beginning to end! I was hooked from the first page

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

"Good Me Bad Me is dark, compelling, voice-driven psychological suspense by debut author Ali Land.

How far does the apple really fall from the tree?

Milly's mother is a serial killer. Though Milly loves her mother, the only way to make her stop is to turn her in to the police. Milly is given a fresh start: a new identity, a home with an affluent foster family, and a spot at an exclusive private school.

But Milly has secrets, and life at her new home becomes complicated. As her mother's trial looms, with Milly as the star witness, Milly starts to wonder how much of her is nature, how much of her is nurture, and whether she is doomed to turn out like her mother after all.

When tensions rise and Milly feels trapped by her shiny new life, she has to decide: Will she be good? Or is she bad? She is, after all, her mother's daughter."

Good Me, Bad Me was told from the perspective of Milly, the teenage daughter of a serial killer. The short, broken sentences which gave the effect of being in Milly's mind were at times distracting but did make for a quick read.

There were a lot of scenes that could have been taken straight out of 'Mean Girls', which got a bit tedious. I was waiting for Milly to bite back but this never came.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book as it was something that I had not really seen before, but it was too predictable. I had worked out most of the plot line within the first few chapters. The details of the horrific murders were handled with grace but I would have liked to have seen more background details, although I am aware that too much emphasis on this would have made for a completely different book.

I feel Ali Land has good potential and this is a good starting block.

3.5/5*

What can I say? This book gripped me from the first page and though I found the Milly's voice disjointed to begin with, it draws you into her confused mind as she waits for the trial of her serial killer's mother and its aftermath. Placed in foster care under an assumed name she battles with the emotions of guilt of her past, love for her mum as well as trying to fit in. Throughout the book I was on tenterhooks unsure whether she was good, bad or somewhere in between. Well worth reading.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this strange book

a compelling story that you have to read to the end to find out what happens....its written in a style that i didnt quite like but its the actual storyline that reels you in...

9 murder committed and the murderer is dobbed in by her daughter...you are taken through the daughters life before the trial during and after

very thought provoking and just a bit scary

This read was well written,it was disturbing but good,couldn't put it down

Loved this book, a brilliant story that had me hooked from the first page. Utterly unputdownable and what a final chapter.

Well written, but rather disturbing to read. If I had liked the subject matter a little more I may have given it another star, but I'm afraid it was just too uncomfortable reading.

Review on Amazon and good reads- Lucy Niven

Loved the book thank you s much for the opportunity to read it. It made my holiday. Couldn’t stop page turning

A chilling thriller written from the. Victims perspective of her last present and future a good read although I found the ending a little predictable

One of the saddest books I've ever read. Also, the creepiest.

Good Me Bad Me is one of those books that I’ve been seeing all over social media with the general consensus being that readers found it hard to put it down – they were so right!

15-year-old Milly’s mother is a serial killer, and the only person who knows is Milly. It’s Milly who finally tells the police, Milly who is the sole witness and the only person who can see her mother brought to justice.

Milly isn’t her real name though. She’s been given a new identity to help to protect her from the huge media attention and contempt of the public. Only a handful of people know her history – his foster parents and her new headteacher.

She has been put in the care of Mike, a psychologist, and his family as she prepares for the upcoming trial. But Mike’s own teenage daughter, Phoebe, is less than pleased by Milly’s presence, even without knowing her history. Phoebe makes life even harder for Milly as she tries to forge a new life in a new city, a new school, a new family away from her mother’s abusive control.

This book is so hard to put down Told from Milly’s perspective we see a teenage girl trying to fit into a new life, a new school and make new friends. That in itself is a journey, a challenge for any teenager. But then we have the impact of Milly’s history, her battles not to miss the woman who has controlled her life, the woman who has murdered innocent children. We see Milly’s internal battle as she fears she is just like her mother and her preparation for trial, facing that woman again and doing all she can for her mother’s victims.

The writing style in this novel is very interesting and clever, Land adopts a style which seems to reflect the nature of Milly’s mind and further the reader’s experience.

There are so many issues packed into this book, I can in no way do them justice here – strained parental relationships, jealousy, self-harm, drug use, sexual abuse, bullying, all entwined within the story of one 15-year-old.

This is a truly gripping psychological thriller which, though it can be hard to read at times, and is maybe therefore not for everyone, is one that I can’t stop thinking about.

Milly has moved in with Mike, Saskia and their daughter Phoebe. She's their new foster daughter. But Milly is her new name because her mother is a serial killer and she'll be testifying against her in court. The book is from Milly's point of view and describes her time with the foster family in the run up to the court case against her mother. Gripping, dark, disturbing - a fantastic read from start to finish.

Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin UK and Ali Land for the opportunity to read and review this book.

An interesting read, but there was something missing. The idea was brilliant but I couldn’t connect fully with the characters.