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Good Girls Lie
Length: 11 hrs and 53 mins
J.T. Ellison’s pulse-pounding new psychological thriller examines the tenuous bonds of friendship, the power of lies and the desperate lengths people will go to in order to protect their secrets.
Goode girls don’t lie…
Perched atop a hill in the tiny town of Marchburg, Virginia, The Goode School is a prestigious prep school known as a Silent Ivy. The boarding school of choice for daughters of the rich and influential, it accepts only the best and the brightest. Its elite status, long-held traditions and honor code are ideal for preparing exceptional young women for brilliant futures at Ivy League universities and beyond.
But a stranger has come to Goode, and this ivy has turned poisonous.
In a world where appearances are everything, as long as students pretend to follow the rules, no one questions the cruelties of the secret societies or the dubious behavior of the privileged young women who expect to get away with murder.
When a popular student is found dead, the truth cannot be ignored. Rumors suggest she was struggling with a secret that drove her to suicide.
But look closely… because there are truths and there are lies, and then there is everything that really happened.
J.T. Ellison’s pulse-pounding new psychological thriller examines the tenuous bonds of friendship, the power of lies and the desperate lengths people will go to in order to protect their secrets.
Goode girls don’t lie…
Perched atop a hill in the tiny town of Marchburg, Virginia, The Goode School is a prestigious prep school known as a Silent Ivy. The boarding school of choice for daughters of the rich and influential, it accepts only the best and the brightest. Its elite status, long-held traditions and honor code are ideal for preparing exceptional young women for brilliant futures at Ivy League universities and beyond.
But a stranger has come to Goode, and this ivy has turned poisonous.
In a world where appearances are everything, as long as students pretend to follow the rules, no one questions the cruelties of the secret societies or the dubious behavior of the privileged young women who expect to get away with murder.
When a popular student is found dead, the truth cannot be ignored. Rumors suggest she was struggling with a secret that drove her to suicide.
But look closely… because there are truths and there are lies, and then there is everything that really happened.
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First published December 31, 2019
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About the author
J.T. Ellison
81 books6,858 followersJ.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 30 novels, and the EMMY® award winning co-host of the literary TV show A WORD ON WORDS. She also writes fantasy under the pen name Joss Walker.
With millions of books in print, her work has won critical acclaim and prestigious awards They have also been optioned for television, and published in 28 countries.
J.T. lives in Nashville with her husband and twin kittens, one of whom is a ghost, where she is hard at work on her next novel.
With millions of books in print, her work has won critical acclaim and prestigious awards They have also been optioned for television, and published in 28 countries.
J.T. lives in Nashville with her husband and twin kittens, one of whom is a ghost, where she is hard at work on her next novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,794 reviews
April 1, 2020
Year’s last good but not so good book for me! Yes, it’s less tricky for my taste!
I liked two things about this book: spooky, eerie atmosphere and epilogue.
The story-line is also intriguing with very special private school only accepts rich, privileged, successful, smart ladies named Goode located at the hills of Virginia. Honour Code is the most important thing to protect responsibility and dignity of these girls community. As you can imagine there are established secret societies and their rules to protect.
But one day all hell breaks loose and everything gets out of control when they find the corpse of a girl hanging from the front gates of the school. Did she kill herself? Or is there a secret killer who wants revenge against those girls?
When too many girls involve in a mystery, this means more drama, angst, verbal ugly fights! Well, I loved the beginning of the mystery, eerie, disturbing, mystic atmosphere of the traditionally weird school yard. But when I move to the second half, my spider senses start to scream at me how the story could conclude and who may responsible of the deaths. Yes, there is nothing surprising.
Everything is so much obvious, a little hmmm okay, please pass me salt and pour me more wine kind of I got bored and disappointed but I still want to finish it thoughts flew around my mind.
I read J.T. Ellison’s previous works and I always enjoy the author’s riveting writing style. This book is good choice as a holiday book because it’s a quick read.
It doesn’t numb your mind and plays with your grey cells too much. You easily solve the mystery and at some parts you feel like you’re a few steps ahead from the author. When you finish it, you don’t whine about anything, you just take a deep breath and tell yourself, “hmm okay what’s next and bring the bottle, I’m thirsty!” (At least that’s what I did after my reading)
So the book, the story, the characters didn’t affect me much. It’s not so memorable story but is also not boring, slow, nonsense reading. It’s mediocre, three starred: I don’t like it so much but I also didn’t hate it kind of another Switzerland thriller book just took a place at my previous thriller rides.
I liked two things about this book: spooky, eerie atmosphere and epilogue.
The story-line is also intriguing with very special private school only accepts rich, privileged, successful, smart ladies named Goode located at the hills of Virginia. Honour Code is the most important thing to protect responsibility and dignity of these girls community. As you can imagine there are established secret societies and their rules to protect.
But one day all hell breaks loose and everything gets out of control when they find the corpse of a girl hanging from the front gates of the school. Did she kill herself? Or is there a secret killer who wants revenge against those girls?
When too many girls involve in a mystery, this means more drama, angst, verbal ugly fights! Well, I loved the beginning of the mystery, eerie, disturbing, mystic atmosphere of the traditionally weird school yard. But when I move to the second half, my spider senses start to scream at me how the story could conclude and who may responsible of the deaths. Yes, there is nothing surprising.
Everything is so much obvious, a little hmmm okay, please pass me salt and pour me more wine kind of I got bored and disappointed but I still want to finish it thoughts flew around my mind.
I read J.T. Ellison’s previous works and I always enjoy the author’s riveting writing style. This book is good choice as a holiday book because it’s a quick read.
It doesn’t numb your mind and plays with your grey cells too much. You easily solve the mystery and at some parts you feel like you’re a few steps ahead from the author. When you finish it, you don’t whine about anything, you just take a deep breath and tell yourself, “hmm okay what’s next and bring the bottle, I’m thirsty!” (At least that’s what I did after my reading)
So the book, the story, the characters didn’t affect me much. It’s not so memorable story but is also not boring, slow, nonsense reading. It’s mediocre, three starred: I don’t like it so much but I also didn’t hate it kind of another Switzerland thriller book just took a place at my previous thriller rides.
January 5, 2020
Good Girls Lie but not here in this in this elite all-girls boarding school where honor is a code??? Well, appearance is everything, but things are not always as they appear. There are a few secrets hidden in the dark corner and behind closed doors in this school and not everyone seems to follow that code.
Good Girls Lie is a simple and easy read with a little dark to it. With a story that centres around teens, I was a bit worried about the teen drama however I thought the drama was kept low here between the Goode girls. There is some cattiness, games, and competition here between them, but I thought just enough to create some conflict between them that added to the suspense and tension to the story.
The setting is interesting and I seemed to find myself drawn to stories where the setting is characters themselves. With this school, it also harbored some secrets here with our characters making it even more exciting.
The story does start off with a dark scene that is a little chilling to catch your attention and the mystery starts to form there. You don’t need too many detective skills here to pick up on the clues and figure out what is going on, making this a fun and easy read.
I received a copy from the publisher!
Good Girls Lie is a simple and easy read with a little dark to it. With a story that centres around teens, I was a bit worried about the teen drama however I thought the drama was kept low here between the Goode girls. There is some cattiness, games, and competition here between them, but I thought just enough to create some conflict between them that added to the suspense and tension to the story.
The setting is interesting and I seemed to find myself drawn to stories where the setting is characters themselves. With this school, it also harbored some secrets here with our characters making it even more exciting.
The story does start off with a dark scene that is a little chilling to catch your attention and the mystery starts to form there. You don’t need too many detective skills here to pick up on the clues and figure out what is going on, making this a fun and easy read.
I received a copy from the publisher!
January 2, 2020
There is something about the Goode Girls..........they come from well respected families...they are wealthy...they are smart...they are wealthy...they are driven...they are wealthy...Also..they drink, do drugs, cut school, murder, bully, haze, lie and get into the BEST colleges!
The Goode Prep school is the best of the best. All girls of Goode are hand picked by the dean and have been for decades. Goode is almost a guarantee to an Ivy League school of your choice upon graduation. The girls of Goode seem to have it all...don't they?
I loved the atmospheric feel that the author managed to create. An old building surrounded by wrought iron gates, a wicked past filled with suicides and murder. The building is cold, dark, secluded. Often as the girls were going about their day I felt a tinge of unease and creepiness as I imagined the building and the secrets it kept.
The girls at Goode seemed much older than the high school girls that they were. They were functioning in an environment with very little supervision, treated more like college students. They were expected to be able to write a thesis and it was not uncommon to be a part of secret societies with outlandish initiation processes.
Ash Carlisle was like all the other girls that arrived at the school. Well except her family is dead and she was witness to it. Pretty much everyone around her dies...well there is that. Maybe it is just a coincidence? Bad luck?
As a fan of J.T. Ellison I knew she would bring a big twist into the mix. She did with this book as well, although I did find it a slower pace and more atmospheric than her other books I fully loved the boarding school setting. I thought the ending was a bit predictable but I still enjoyed the road we took to get there.
Let it be known....Goode girls always get their way...even if it kills them...
March 30, 2025
Menacing, edgy, & an engrossing page-turner!
GOOD GIRLS LIE by J.T. ELLISON is a riveting, spooky, dark, gritty, and twisty thriller that has quite the seductive and intriguing storyline. It opens up with a brutally chilling scene when one of the students is found dead and then it has us going back in time to learn the events of what happened leading up to this horrific tragedy. This is probably one of my favourite tactics, it definitely caught my attention, freaked me out a little bit and kept my interest piqued right to the very end.
J.T. ELLISON delivers a quick, clever, taut, well-written story here that has an absolutely fantastic creepy atmospheric setting to it that was both haunting and suspenseful. The Goode School is a prestigious all-girls boarding school that was a character all in itself that I was thoroughly entertained by. I loved all the spooky, claustrophobic, creepy, and gothic vibes that surrounded it.
I wouldn’t necessarily say that I was totally engaged the whole time I was reading this or surprised by the twists but there were definitely parts to the story that I found quite appealing and immersive. The way that the story was told through alternating perspectives was another tactic that definitely appealed to me.
If you follow my reviews you already know that I never read the synopsis. I like to go in completely blind and see if I can figure out the direction and the storyline all by myself. Sometimes I must admit that there are a few books where I’ve been a few chapters in that I had no clue where the story was headed, needing to read the synopsis. I didn’t have a problem figuring this one out or knowing where it was headed. Even though I thought it was a little bit predictable, I wasn’t disappointed at all with the reveals.
Norma’s Stats:
Cover: This cover immediately appealed and intrigued me and definitely enticed me to want to read this book. I think it is an extremely fitting representation to storyline.
Title: An intriguing, relevant, and totally effective representation to storyline. I loved how it played so fittingly into storyline. Goode girls don’t lie…hahaha we will see about that!!!
Writing/Prose: Easy to follow, intense, entertaining, suspenseful, magnetic, engaging and compulsively readable.
Plot: Dark, twisted, disturbing, atmospheric, creepy, interesting, fast-paced, twisty, and entertaining.
Ending: I wouldn’t say that the ending was all that surprising but the Epilogue was downright fantastic, exciting, and utterly creepy!
Overall: 3.5 Stars! I do love me some drama and angst in my thrillers and throw in lots of juicy secrets along with a spooky and eerie setting then I’m one happy camper! If that appeals to you as well then I think you are going to absolutely love this one!! Would recommend!
Thank you so much to Harlequin / MIRA for kindly sending me a copy of this book!
GOOD GIRLS LIE by J.T. ELLISON is a riveting, spooky, dark, gritty, and twisty thriller that has quite the seductive and intriguing storyline. It opens up with a brutally chilling scene when one of the students is found dead and then it has us going back in time to learn the events of what happened leading up to this horrific tragedy. This is probably one of my favourite tactics, it definitely caught my attention, freaked me out a little bit and kept my interest piqued right to the very end.
J.T. ELLISON delivers a quick, clever, taut, well-written story here that has an absolutely fantastic creepy atmospheric setting to it that was both haunting and suspenseful. The Goode School is a prestigious all-girls boarding school that was a character all in itself that I was thoroughly entertained by. I loved all the spooky, claustrophobic, creepy, and gothic vibes that surrounded it.
I wouldn’t necessarily say that I was totally engaged the whole time I was reading this or surprised by the twists but there were definitely parts to the story that I found quite appealing and immersive. The way that the story was told through alternating perspectives was another tactic that definitely appealed to me.
If you follow my reviews you already know that I never read the synopsis. I like to go in completely blind and see if I can figure out the direction and the storyline all by myself. Sometimes I must admit that there are a few books where I’ve been a few chapters in that I had no clue where the story was headed, needing to read the synopsis. I didn’t have a problem figuring this one out or knowing where it was headed. Even though I thought it was a little bit predictable, I wasn’t disappointed at all with the reveals.
Norma’s Stats:
Cover: This cover immediately appealed and intrigued me and definitely enticed me to want to read this book. I think it is an extremely fitting representation to storyline.
Title: An intriguing, relevant, and totally effective representation to storyline. I loved how it played so fittingly into storyline. Goode girls don’t lie…hahaha we will see about that!!!
Writing/Prose: Easy to follow, intense, entertaining, suspenseful, magnetic, engaging and compulsively readable.
Plot: Dark, twisted, disturbing, atmospheric, creepy, interesting, fast-paced, twisty, and entertaining.
Ending: I wouldn’t say that the ending was all that surprising but the Epilogue was downright fantastic, exciting, and utterly creepy!
Overall: 3.5 Stars! I do love me some drama and angst in my thrillers and throw in lots of juicy secrets along with a spooky and eerie setting then I’m one happy camper! If that appeals to you as well then I think you are going to absolutely love this one!! Would recommend!
Thank you so much to Harlequin / MIRA for kindly sending me a copy of this book!
March 15, 2020
4 surprisingly sinister stars for Good Girls Lie
A thriller set within an exclusive all girls boarding school? I'm so in! There's just something about sneaky, catty girls and sinister happenings that I find irresistible. Mix in some bad behavior, sexual surprises, secret societies, hazing and yes - murder and you have quite the page turner.
The book starts off with an unforgettable death scene that pulls you right in and and will have you needing to know what happened.
“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭’𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯 𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭’𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦.”
Told in a flashback format, this death brings lies to the surface amidst The Goode School's elite students and faculty. Beneath its beautiful, rich and influential facade lurks a dark labyrinth of cruelty, secrets and murder.
I really enjoying the creepy, disturbing vibe this one had. The setting was wonderful and the plot moved at a quick pace. There were a few twists and even though some were predictable, I was pretty happy with most of the reveals. Overall this was a fast-paced, engrossing thriller.
Thank you to J.T. Ellison, Harlequin and NetGalley for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A thriller set within an exclusive all girls boarding school? I'm so in! There's just something about sneaky, catty girls and sinister happenings that I find irresistible. Mix in some bad behavior, sexual surprises, secret societies, hazing and yes - murder and you have quite the page turner.
The book starts off with an unforgettable death scene that pulls you right in and and will have you needing to know what happened.
“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭’𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯 𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭’𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦.”
Told in a flashback format, this death brings lies to the surface amidst The Goode School's elite students and faculty. Beneath its beautiful, rich and influential facade lurks a dark labyrinth of cruelty, secrets and murder.
I really enjoying the creepy, disturbing vibe this one had. The setting was wonderful and the plot moved at a quick pace. There were a few twists and even though some were predictable, I was pretty happy with most of the reveals. Overall this was a fast-paced, engrossing thriller.
Thank you to J.T. Ellison, Harlequin and NetGalley for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 20, 2019
Goode girls don't lie
.......or do they?
A code of honor, secret societies, and murder!
The Goode School is a prestigious all-girls school where the girls gain early acceptance to the ivy schools of their choice. This boarding school in Marchburg, Virginia accepts only the brightest (and richest) girls - daughters of politicians, prominent businessmen/women, and elite members of society. Rules are expected to be followed, there is an honor and conduct code that must be abided by. Sure, the secret societies and their hazing i.e. tagging activities are overlooked. They are time-honored traditions after all.
Then one day a student is found dead. Was her death a suicide? Was she murdered? Soon suspicions are voiced and students, police and the dean begin to have doubts about one student. Are their doubts correct? Who is to blame?
The setting was wonderful. An all-girls school in the hills without much around, secret societies. This sounds like the making of a very book (even movie) but there was just something a little lacking in this for me. I wanted just a little bit more oomph to this. I wish there would have been more mystery as to who the culprit was. The reveal was not shocking to me. Plus, I was really hoping that a secret relationship would come out. This is a book that I feel would make a great plane book. It's entertaining, a great way to pass time, but will I remember it months from now. Probably just vaguely. I will say that I found the epilogue to be excellent. Very clever. I thought the epilogue was the best part of the book.
The writing was good, and the plot moved at a good pace. Many are enjoying this book more than I did so I encourage my fellow readers to check out those reviews as well.
Thank you to Harlequin- Mira and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
A code of honor, secret societies, and murder!
The Goode School is a prestigious all-girls school where the girls gain early acceptance to the ivy schools of their choice. This boarding school in Marchburg, Virginia accepts only the brightest (and richest) girls - daughters of politicians, prominent businessmen/women, and elite members of society. Rules are expected to be followed, there is an honor and conduct code that must be abided by. Sure, the secret societies and their hazing i.e. tagging activities are overlooked. They are time-honored traditions after all.
Then one day a student is found dead. Was her death a suicide? Was she murdered? Soon suspicions are voiced and students, police and the dean begin to have doubts about one student. Are their doubts correct? Who is to blame?
The setting was wonderful. An all-girls school in the hills without much around, secret societies. This sounds like the making of a very book (even movie) but there was just something a little lacking in this for me. I wanted just a little bit more oomph to this. I wish there would have been more mystery as to who the culprit was. The reveal was not shocking to me. Plus, I was really hoping that a secret relationship would come out. This is a book that I feel would make a great plane book. It's entertaining, a great way to pass time, but will I remember it months from now. Probably just vaguely. I will say that I found the epilogue to be excellent. Very clever. I thought the epilogue was the best part of the book.
The writing was good, and the plot moved at a good pace. Many are enjoying this book more than I did so I encourage my fellow readers to check out those reviews as well.
Thank you to Harlequin- Mira and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read
January 1, 2020DNF @ 15%. Not connecting with characters or storyline.
March 12, 2020
Fabulous Mystery And Subdued Thriller!
There Is a boarding school which happens to be called The Goode Academy known for it's prestigious reputation of accepting only the most privledged and the brightest, talented and the most elite of teenage girls who will become the finest of young women and will be accepted into any university or Ivy League school of their desire before they graduate from Goode's doors. There will be one among their midst however, who may not belong and when the new sessions begin strange events start happening and there is tension and deception and a sense of darkness lingering in the halls and behind the walls of the academy that can be subtly felt by many students but unfortunately none of the girls or the faculty knows that there a real evil dwelling in the stately boarding school that will affect the lives of all before the first term is even finished.
Bravo, bravo to J.T. Ellison on her writing of this fabulous book! I was intrigued from the first page and was consumed by the flawless writing style and storytelling. I felt as if I was an invisible character listening and following the girls and wishing I could tell them to be careful and not so mean and spiteful. I was entrenched in the drama and the mystique of the school's underlying mysteries. This book had me from start to finish and I just wanted the story to continue and find out what would happen to many of the characters and their thoughts and feellings in the next chapters of their lives if they lived to tell their stories.
I want to thank the author J.T. Ellison and the publisher "Harlequin and Mira" (US and Canada) and of course Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this wonderful novel for an honest and unbiased review!
I highly recommend this book and I am giving a rating of 5 Privledged 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Stars!!
There Is a boarding school which happens to be called The Goode Academy known for it's prestigious reputation of accepting only the most privledged and the brightest, talented and the most elite of teenage girls who will become the finest of young women and will be accepted into any university or Ivy League school of their desire before they graduate from Goode's doors. There will be one among their midst however, who may not belong and when the new sessions begin strange events start happening and there is tension and deception and a sense of darkness lingering in the halls and behind the walls of the academy that can be subtly felt by many students but unfortunately none of the girls or the faculty knows that there a real evil dwelling in the stately boarding school that will affect the lives of all before the first term is even finished.
Bravo, bravo to J.T. Ellison on her writing of this fabulous book! I was intrigued from the first page and was consumed by the flawless writing style and storytelling. I felt as if I was an invisible character listening and following the girls and wishing I could tell them to be careful and not so mean and spiteful. I was entrenched in the drama and the mystique of the school's underlying mysteries. This book had me from start to finish and I just wanted the story to continue and find out what would happen to many of the characters and their thoughts and feellings in the next chapters of their lives if they lived to tell their stories.
I want to thank the author J.T. Ellison and the publisher "Harlequin and Mira" (US and Canada) and of course Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this wonderful novel for an honest and unbiased review!
I highly recommend this book and I am giving a rating of 5 Privledged 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Stars!!
January 8, 2020
EXCERPT: The girl's body dangles from the tall, iron gates guarding the school's entrance. A closer examination shows the ends of a red silk tie peeking out like a cardinal on a winter branch, forcing her neck into a brutal angle. She wears her graduation robe and multicolored stole as if knowing she'll never see the achievement. The last tendrils of dawn's fog laze about her legs, which are five feet from the ground. It rained overnight and the thin robe clings to her body, dew sparkling on the edges.
There is no breeze, no birds singing or squirrels industriously gathering for the long winter ahead, no cars passing along the street, only the cool, misty morning air and the gentle metallic creaking of the gates under the weight of the dead girl. She is suspended in midair, her back to the street, her face hidden behind a curtain of dirty wet hair, dark from the rains.
Because of the damage to her face, it will take them some time to officially identify her. In the beginning, it isn't even clear that she attends the school, despite wearing the Goode School robes. But she does. The fingerprints will prove it.
Of course there are a few people who know exactly who is dangling from the school gates. Know who,and know why. But they will never tell.
ABOUT THIS BOOK: Goode girls don’t lie…
Perched atop a hill in the tiny town of Marchburg, Virginia, The Goode School is a prestigious prep school known as a Silent Ivy. The boarding school of choice for daughters of the rich and influential, it accepts only the best and the brightest. Its elite status, long-held traditions and honor code are ideal for preparing exceptional young women for brilliant futures at Ivy League universities and beyond. But a stranger has come to Goode, and this ivy has turned poisonous.
In a world where appearances are everything, as long as students pretend to follow the rules, no one questions the cruelties of the secret societies or the dubious behavior of the privileged young women who expect to get away with murder. But when a popular student is found dead, the truth cannot be ignored. Rumors suggest she was struggling with a secret that drove her to suicide.
But look closely…because there are truths and there are lies, and then there is everything that really happened.
MY THOUGHTS: 'Lies will flow from my lips, but there may perhaps be some truth mixed up with them; it is for you to decide whether any part of it is worth keeping.' - Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own
And lies certainly do flow from everyone's lips in J.T. Ellison's latest thriller, Good Girls Lie. The opening chapters had my pulse pounding and I voraciously flicked over the pages until my Kindle went flat. The pace does settle for a time before the climactic ending.
Ellison has written an atmospheric and creepy novel with cutting edge characters. These teenage girls are rich and privileged, cliquey and bitchy. They can be cruel and manipulative. They are adept at hiding their true feelings, preferring to be seen as 'cool', to be admired and emulated.
The culture of their school almost encourages their behaviour... until it all backfires and popular students start dying. Is it a coincidence, or perhaps just plain bad luck, that there is a new girl at the school. One whose entire family is dead...
Highly recommended.
😯😯😯😯.5
#GoodGirlsLie #NetGalley
THE AUTHOR: J.T. Ellison began her career as a presidential appointee in the White House, where a nuclear physicist taught her how to obsess over travel itineraries and make a seriously good pot of Earl Grey, spawning both her love of loose leaf and a desire for control of her own destiny. Jaded by the political climate in D.C., she made her way back to her first love, creative writing. More than 20 novels later, she is an award-winning New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with thrillers published in 27 countries and 15 languages. She is also the EMMY-award winning cohost of A WORD ON WORDS, a literary interview TV show. She lives in Nashville with her husband and two small gray minions, known as cats in some cultures. She thinks they’re furry aliens.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harlequin MIRA for providing a digital ARC of Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
There is no breeze, no birds singing or squirrels industriously gathering for the long winter ahead, no cars passing along the street, only the cool, misty morning air and the gentle metallic creaking of the gates under the weight of the dead girl. She is suspended in midair, her back to the street, her face hidden behind a curtain of dirty wet hair, dark from the rains.
Because of the damage to her face, it will take them some time to officially identify her. In the beginning, it isn't even clear that she attends the school, despite wearing the Goode School robes. But she does. The fingerprints will prove it.
Of course there are a few people who know exactly who is dangling from the school gates. Know who,and know why. But they will never tell.
ABOUT THIS BOOK: Goode girls don’t lie…
Perched atop a hill in the tiny town of Marchburg, Virginia, The Goode School is a prestigious prep school known as a Silent Ivy. The boarding school of choice for daughters of the rich and influential, it accepts only the best and the brightest. Its elite status, long-held traditions and honor code are ideal for preparing exceptional young women for brilliant futures at Ivy League universities and beyond. But a stranger has come to Goode, and this ivy has turned poisonous.
In a world where appearances are everything, as long as students pretend to follow the rules, no one questions the cruelties of the secret societies or the dubious behavior of the privileged young women who expect to get away with murder. But when a popular student is found dead, the truth cannot be ignored. Rumors suggest she was struggling with a secret that drove her to suicide.
But look closely…because there are truths and there are lies, and then there is everything that really happened.
MY THOUGHTS: 'Lies will flow from my lips, but there may perhaps be some truth mixed up with them; it is for you to decide whether any part of it is worth keeping.' - Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own
And lies certainly do flow from everyone's lips in J.T. Ellison's latest thriller, Good Girls Lie. The opening chapters had my pulse pounding and I voraciously flicked over the pages until my Kindle went flat. The pace does settle for a time before the climactic ending.
Ellison has written an atmospheric and creepy novel with cutting edge characters. These teenage girls are rich and privileged, cliquey and bitchy. They can be cruel and manipulative. They are adept at hiding their true feelings, preferring to be seen as 'cool', to be admired and emulated.
The culture of their school almost encourages their behaviour... until it all backfires and popular students start dying. Is it a coincidence, or perhaps just plain bad luck, that there is a new girl at the school. One whose entire family is dead...
Highly recommended.
😯😯😯😯.5
#GoodGirlsLie #NetGalley
THE AUTHOR: J.T. Ellison began her career as a presidential appointee in the White House, where a nuclear physicist taught her how to obsess over travel itineraries and make a seriously good pot of Earl Grey, spawning both her love of loose leaf and a desire for control of her own destiny. Jaded by the political climate in D.C., she made her way back to her first love, creative writing. More than 20 novels later, she is an award-winning New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with thrillers published in 27 countries and 15 languages. She is also the EMMY-award winning cohost of A WORD ON WORDS, a literary interview TV show. She lives in Nashville with her husband and two small gray minions, known as cats in some cultures. She thinks they’re furry aliens.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harlequin MIRA for providing a digital ARC of Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
February 21, 2020
Now this was a fantastic read. I devoured Good Girls Lie by JT Ellison in about 3 hours yesterday afternoon. I set out to read this thriller, released in December 2019, assuming I'd finish about 25% before bed... nope, I couldn't put it down. What a great story that pulls you in, keeps you guessing, and drives you a little batty. While I loved it, there were a few flaws that had me scratching my head, but overall, I definitely recommend it.
Ash Carlisle has been dropped off at a Virginia all-girls school after her parents die tragically. She's British and just arrived from her hometown to finish school. She's 16 and precocious but also emotionally challenged after everything she's gone through. The very first day, Becca, the head girl, tortures her. Later on, she wants to become best friends. Meanwhile, Ash's roommate and next door neighbors try to be friends. Then they turn somewhat evil. Which group of friends should Ash trust? We know in the beginning, one of these girls is found hanging (dead) at the school entrance. You won't find out who until closer to the end, but you will keep guessing until you figure it out. And you will, because it becomes obvious in a necessary way... but you probably won't figure out why!
The suspense and thrills are top notch. A few reliances on over-the-top silliness. Teenage girls are truly awful sometimes. Really, I think if I had any of them as friends, I'd never speak again. Does this really happen? I don't know for sure, nor do I understand whether schools like the Goode one exist... if they do, please destroy them now! But these are all good reactions to the book because it means the author has done a superb job at pushing her readers to get angry and feel something.
This is a psychological read. You know you're being led down the wrong path. I'm fine with that. I get that someone is lying. I also know there's a missing character. We can't tell who (s)he is, but there are a number of options that will have readers smacking themselves upside the head each time a new twist arrives. While I loved this about the book, in a few scenes, I kept thinking... that's such a vague way to write this scene. In the end, you realize why... so... because of this, I felt a little used as a reader. I think it could've been done a little differently with another POV and thoughts from surrounding character... that's the only reason I couldn't knock this one up to a five star read.
That said... it's one of my faves in the last few months. I adore Ellison's writing style and plots, so this was a perfect read for me. I find she's growing quite high in my 'must-read' list, and I definitely recommend her books to someone with an open mind who doesn't set out to look for problems when they read. Live a little. Get lost in an author's imagination. Don't be too picky. And you might find the balance in a story like this one is quite phenomenal.
Ash Carlisle has been dropped off at a Virginia all-girls school after her parents die tragically. She's British and just arrived from her hometown to finish school. She's 16 and precocious but also emotionally challenged after everything she's gone through. The very first day, Becca, the head girl, tortures her. Later on, she wants to become best friends. Meanwhile, Ash's roommate and next door neighbors try to be friends. Then they turn somewhat evil. Which group of friends should Ash trust? We know in the beginning, one of these girls is found hanging (dead) at the school entrance. You won't find out who until closer to the end, but you will keep guessing until you figure it out. And you will, because it becomes obvious in a necessary way... but you probably won't figure out why!
The suspense and thrills are top notch. A few reliances on over-the-top silliness. Teenage girls are truly awful sometimes. Really, I think if I had any of them as friends, I'd never speak again. Does this really happen? I don't know for sure, nor do I understand whether schools like the Goode one exist... if they do, please destroy them now! But these are all good reactions to the book because it means the author has done a superb job at pushing her readers to get angry and feel something.
This is a psychological read. You know you're being led down the wrong path. I'm fine with that. I get that someone is lying. I also know there's a missing character. We can't tell who (s)he is, but there are a number of options that will have readers smacking themselves upside the head each time a new twist arrives. While I loved this about the book, in a few scenes, I kept thinking... that's such a vague way to write this scene. In the end, you realize why... so... because of this, I felt a little used as a reader. I think it could've been done a little differently with another POV and thoughts from surrounding character... that's the only reason I couldn't knock this one up to a five star read.
That said... it's one of my faves in the last few months. I adore Ellison's writing style and plots, so this was a perfect read for me. I find she's growing quite high in my 'must-read' list, and I definitely recommend her books to someone with an open mind who doesn't set out to look for problems when they read. Live a little. Get lost in an author's imagination. Don't be too picky. And you might find the balance in a story like this one is quite phenomenal.
December 29, 2019
Good Girls Lie by JT Ellison ticked all the boxes for a great psychological thriller for me. I am a big fan of JT, loving her stand alone books as well as the Taylor Jackson series through the years. When I heard about her new book I was desperate to get my hands on a copy. l was thrilled when I was approved for an ARC. And true to form once I started reading I did not want to put it down. I was completely hooked after that first chapter - and it just kept getting better.
So Good Girls Lie opens with a young student hanging from the front gates of the Goode School in Virginia, a boarding school for the daughters of the rich and elite. A new student has arrived, Ashlyn Carr. She has recently become an orphan when both her parents died suddenly. Being from England this is a whole new world for her. A school steeped in history, old and creepy with secret societies and lots of mean girls. Ash has plenty of her own secrets and struggles to find her place. She tries to fit in and make friends but these girls do not make it easy. And then girls start to die...…
Absolutely loved this book, could not get enough. Highly recommend.
Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin MIRA for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.
So Good Girls Lie opens with a young student hanging from the front gates of the Goode School in Virginia, a boarding school for the daughters of the rich and elite. A new student has arrived, Ashlyn Carr. She has recently become an orphan when both her parents died suddenly. Being from England this is a whole new world for her. A school steeped in history, old and creepy with secret societies and lots of mean girls. Ash has plenty of her own secrets and struggles to find her place. She tries to fit in and make friends but these girls do not make it easy. And then girls start to die...…
Absolutely loved this book, could not get enough. Highly recommend.
Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin MIRA for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.
January 27, 2020
Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison is a fascinating thriller about the lifestyle of the rich and connected gone completely awry. This is my first J.T. Ellison book but I look forward to reading many more. The Goode School in Marchburg, Virginia is a girls’ boarding school that caters to the daughters of politicians and celebrities. The school prepares the students for admission to the Ivy League schools. A new girl arrives at Goode: she is from England and has recently lost both her parents to suicide. The dean takes her under her wing, and before long, the suspicious death of a student occurs. It soon becomes apparent that all is not what is seemed. The police get involved and become suspicious that this may be a case of murder. Not much more can be added so as not to divulge the plot. At first look, I thought this was a YA novel but this mystery can be enjoyed by most. Good Girls Lie will have you hooked from the first chapter and will take you on quite a ride. You will be astounded by the ending. Highly recommended. Thank you to Harlequin Mira and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 8, 2020
Favorite Quotes:
Everyone lies. To themselves, to each other. It’s a way to belong, to be included. To look important.
I employ the only tool in my arsenal— silence. It only adds to the mystique. Who knew? I thought lies had power until I saw what silence could do.
My Review:
J.T. Ellison has mad word skills and is a master storyteller, her descriptive and emotive prose fully created each scene from the ground up with multiple textures, scents, sights, and sounds. I was sucked right in and fully present, sometimes, uncomfortably so. While it wasn’t an edge of your seat thriller, I was deeply invested in this twisted and tense hybrid tale that was part YA, part Women’s Fiction, part suspense, part family drama.
The main character of Ash was always taut with tension and anxiously on edge for fear of discovery and I found myself often nibbling on my cuticles with the extremely poor posture of my shoulders in my ears while clutching my Kindle with a vise-like grip. This was a long, complex, and cunningly paced tale with multiple layers and interesting textures. The storylines were rather ingenious, shrewdly plotted, and expertly populated with a cast of diabolical and oddly intriguing characters of all ages. The most heinous was, of course, the teenaged girls, who were especially vile and vicious as only teenaged girls can be. Although, and I know from personal experience, rich and privileged teenaged girls are the absolute worst of the breed.
Everyone lies. To themselves, to each other. It’s a way to belong, to be included. To look important.
I employ the only tool in my arsenal— silence. It only adds to the mystique. Who knew? I thought lies had power until I saw what silence could do.
My Review:
J.T. Ellison has mad word skills and is a master storyteller, her descriptive and emotive prose fully created each scene from the ground up with multiple textures, scents, sights, and sounds. I was sucked right in and fully present, sometimes, uncomfortably so. While it wasn’t an edge of your seat thriller, I was deeply invested in this twisted and tense hybrid tale that was part YA, part Women’s Fiction, part suspense, part family drama.
The main character of Ash was always taut with tension and anxiously on edge for fear of discovery and I found myself often nibbling on my cuticles with the extremely poor posture of my shoulders in my ears while clutching my Kindle with a vise-like grip. This was a long, complex, and cunningly paced tale with multiple layers and interesting textures. The storylines were rather ingenious, shrewdly plotted, and expertly populated with a cast of diabolical and oddly intriguing characters of all ages. The most heinous was, of course, the teenaged girls, who were especially vile and vicious as only teenaged girls can be. Although, and I know from personal experience, rich and privileged teenaged girls are the absolute worst of the breed.
September 9, 2023
I love JT Ellison books because they always have interesting twists and I never know which characters to trust. Ashlyn is a student at a private girl’s boarding school in the US, although she comes from England. Her parents are recently deceased. This boarding school has all the usual fun stuff… secret societies, hazing, super rigorous classes, mean girls, charismatic professors… and a new addition… murder. Plenty of red herrings that will keep you guessing and an interesting cast of characters!
Trigger Warnings:
Trigger Warnings:
June 11, 2020
An okay mystery...
I like this type of setting (an old boarding school, secret societies, crazy teenage girls...), but this book didn't really work for me. I didn't get attached to any characters nor felt a creepy atmosphere. The second half was better than the first, but nothing exceptional.
I have to say that I didn't see it labeled as a Young Adult book, but it felt like it.
2.5 rounded up
I like this type of setting (an old boarding school, secret societies, crazy teenage girls...), but this book didn't really work for me. I didn't get attached to any characters nor felt a creepy atmosphere. The second half was better than the first, but nothing exceptional.
I have to say that I didn't see it labeled as a Young Adult book, but it felt like it.
2.5 rounded up
January 2, 2020
3.75 stars
Fast-paced, fantastic setting, and the amount of drama that you'd expect from Pretty Little Liars, this is a fun romp for fans of boarding school mystery/thrillers.
Pacing: ★★★ 1/2
Setting: ★★★★★
Reveal(s): Not overly surprising, but incredibly entertaining
Enjoyment: I love boarding school mysteries, so... yes.
Nestled in a small town in Virginia, there sits a prestigious all-girls boarding school catering to the elite. Appearances and social ties are everything, and these girls are primed for success at any cost.
Enter Ash, a girl with a secret and everything left to lose.
Ash has come to the Goode School to escape her tragic recent past and remake herself in the image of a Goode girl. Goode girls are honorable, smart, and polished. Goode girls are dedicated to their studies and are guaranteed spots at Ivy League schools. Goode girls can't afford to have setbacks or secrets.
But this "perfect" boarding school is built on secrets, hazing, and lies. Nothing is what it seems, and Ash finds herself not only in danger of revealing her true past but also getting crushed by Goode's other members—who have some serious qualms about an English girl one-upping them on their home turf.
I loved this devious, back-stabbing, girls' revenge mystery/thriller story. It definitely knows its audience, and it caters to us well. There is plenty of intrigue, hidden romance, double-crossing, atmosphere, and of course murder(s).
In particular, I loved the framing of the story—we have several POVs, and certain facts that I took for facts turned out to have different conclusions. Which was sometimes a nice surprise and sometimes an easily guessed—yet entertaining—reveal. I will say that I definitely guessed the largest mystery plot point, but I still kept reading because the story itself was so entertaining.
My main reluctance to rate this higher was due to the easy to guess plot points and the pacing. At times, this felt long. It IS long, but unlike some long books that feel short, this one feels as long as it is.
Come for the drama, stay for the drama! This is definitely a worthy inclusion into the genre of boarding school mysteries. I loved it.
Thank you to Harlequin - MIRA for an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.
Fast-paced, fantastic setting, and the amount of drama that you'd expect from Pretty Little Liars, this is a fun romp for fans of boarding school mystery/thrillers.
Pacing: ★★★ 1/2
Setting: ★★★★★
Reveal(s): Not overly surprising, but incredibly entertaining
Enjoyment: I love boarding school mysteries, so... yes.
Nestled in a small town in Virginia, there sits a prestigious all-girls boarding school catering to the elite. Appearances and social ties are everything, and these girls are primed for success at any cost.
Enter Ash, a girl with a secret and everything left to lose.
Ash has come to the Goode School to escape her tragic recent past and remake herself in the image of a Goode girl. Goode girls are honorable, smart, and polished. Goode girls are dedicated to their studies and are guaranteed spots at Ivy League schools. Goode girls can't afford to have setbacks or secrets.
But this "perfect" boarding school is built on secrets, hazing, and lies. Nothing is what it seems, and Ash finds herself not only in danger of revealing her true past but also getting crushed by Goode's other members—who have some serious qualms about an English girl one-upping them on their home turf.
I loved this devious, back-stabbing, girls' revenge mystery/thriller story. It definitely knows its audience, and it caters to us well. There is plenty of intrigue, hidden romance, double-crossing, atmosphere, and of course murder(s).
In particular, I loved the framing of the story—we have several POVs, and certain facts that I took for facts turned out to have different conclusions. Which was sometimes a nice surprise and sometimes an easily guessed—yet entertaining—reveal. I will say that I definitely guessed the largest mystery plot point, but I still kept reading because the story itself was so entertaining.
My main reluctance to rate this higher was due to the easy to guess plot points and the pacing. At times, this felt long. It IS long, but unlike some long books that feel short, this one feels as long as it is.
Come for the drama, stay for the drama! This is definitely a worthy inclusion into the genre of boarding school mysteries. I loved it.
Thank you to Harlequin - MIRA for an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.
January 28, 2020
"Everyone lies. To Themselves, to each other. It's a way to belong, to be included. To look important."
I honestly wasn't crazy about Good Girls Lie.
The beginning was too slow and without much of a story. To me, none of the characters were likable.
Let's meet the cast of women:
First, the novel starts with the introduction of a teenage woman from London, Ash Carlisle. She's starting a new school year in a well-known boarding school for young girls, Goode School. Ash is hiding something. Something painful and most likely deadly.
Second, there is Becca Curtis, a senior who is most of the time a mean girl. She's abusive but at the same time very lonely. Her mother is a senator who has never behaved warmly towards her.
Third, there is Camille Shannon, who’s Ash's new roommate. A girl who cries at night but won't tell Ash why.
Lastly, we have Ford Julianne Westhaven. The Dean of Goode School who has inherited the job as part of her family's legacy but who dreams of becoming a writer and moving to New York City.
When one girl appears to have committed suicide, Ash becomes a suspect. Dean Ford wants to believe Ash's innocence but when more clues point to Ash, she doesn’t know what to believe until a second girl is found dead.
I had issues with the behavior of the girls and their decisions. I found the mystery to be lacking.
vI’m sad this one didn’t work for me. I had high hopes. :(
Cliffhanger: No
2/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by Harlequin-MIRA via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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January 2, 2020
Nothing is what it seems.
There is a young girl hanging in the front gates of the school murdered. There we begin the story, on this thriller that kept my interest right through the very, very end. The plot is beautifully executed and the suspense slowly revealing in just the right moment as you are kept craving for more.
The setting is in an all-girls prep school in the picturesque town of Marchburg, Virginia. It is a school coveted by the elites, where graduates end up in prestigious universities and Ivy League schools. Ash arrives from England in hopes of starting a brand-new life after witnessing the death of her parents.
There are secret societies, traditions, hazing, and just for good measure, suicides and murder.
T.J. Ellison’s brilliance is in her ability to still surprise the reader who is expecting the twists and turns - but it catches you when you least expect it.
One of my favorite thrillers I have read so far.
All the stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
There is a young girl hanging in the front gates of the school murdered. There we begin the story, on this thriller that kept my interest right through the very, very end. The plot is beautifully executed and the suspense slowly revealing in just the right moment as you are kept craving for more.
The setting is in an all-girls prep school in the picturesque town of Marchburg, Virginia. It is a school coveted by the elites, where graduates end up in prestigious universities and Ivy League schools. Ash arrives from England in hopes of starting a brand-new life after witnessing the death of her parents.
There are secret societies, traditions, hazing, and just for good measure, suicides and murder.
T.J. Ellison’s brilliance is in her ability to still surprise the reader who is expecting the twists and turns - but it catches you when you least expect it.
One of my favorite thrillers I have read so far.
All the stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
December 13, 2019
The Goode School is an elite prep school in Marchburg, Virginia. Each class contains only fifty girls, hand-picked by Dean Westhaven herself. The school has been in the Dean's family for generations. The girls all go on to college--mostly the Ivies--and are the daughters of the rich and elite. Goode is filled with traditions, rumors, haunted tunnels and arboretums, and secret societies. Coming to Goode from England this year is Ash Carr, now Ash Carlisle. Ash's wealthy parents are dead and Goode gives her a chance to start over without the notoriety that follows in her home country. But soon, a student is dead at Goode. She apparently had a secret--and she isn't the only one.
I am a total sucker for a good boarding school mystery. Add in the fact that this one is set basically in my backyard, the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia, and it's written by one of my favorite authors, J.T. Ellison: I'm all in. GOOD GIRLS LIE didn't disappoint. This was a captivating thriller that kept me frantically flipping the pages of my Kindle. I didn't know who to believe, what to believe, or what on earth was going on. And I loved it.
The book opens up with a death--a body is found hanging on the school's gates. From there, the story backs up, and you are left guessing, wondering if Ash is a reliable narrator or not. For a story that features teenage girls, it's surprisingly adult and dark.
"Of course, there are a few people who know exactly who is hanging from the school's gates. Know who, and know why. But they will never tell."
This is a mystery filled with juicy backstories and gossip. The town of Marchburg has a storied past, and I found myself caught up in all of it. The Dean and her mother--twisted past. An old incident at the school--twisted past. Ash and her family--twisted past. Do you see a pattern emerging? Around every corner, a new dramatic turn emerges. If you like your thrillers with lots of drama and surprises, you'll enjoy this book. It's different, dark and twisty, and quite good. 4.5 stars.
I received a copy of this novel from Netgalley and Harlequin-MIRA in return for an unbiased review. It is available everywhere as of 12/30/2019.
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I am a total sucker for a good boarding school mystery. Add in the fact that this one is set basically in my backyard, the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia, and it's written by one of my favorite authors, J.T. Ellison: I'm all in. GOOD GIRLS LIE didn't disappoint. This was a captivating thriller that kept me frantically flipping the pages of my Kindle. I didn't know who to believe, what to believe, or what on earth was going on. And I loved it.
The book opens up with a death--a body is found hanging on the school's gates. From there, the story backs up, and you are left guessing, wondering if Ash is a reliable narrator or not. For a story that features teenage girls, it's surprisingly adult and dark.
"Of course, there are a few people who know exactly who is hanging from the school's gates. Know who, and know why. But they will never tell."
This is a mystery filled with juicy backstories and gossip. The town of Marchburg has a storied past, and I found myself caught up in all of it. The Dean and her mother--twisted past. An old incident at the school--twisted past. Ash and her family--twisted past. Do you see a pattern emerging? Around every corner, a new dramatic turn emerges. If you like your thrillers with lots of drama and surprises, you'll enjoy this book. It's different, dark and twisty, and quite good. 4.5 stars.
I received a copy of this novel from Netgalley and Harlequin-MIRA in return for an unbiased review. It is available everywhere as of 12/30/2019.
Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ PaperBackSwap ~ Smashbomb
January 1, 2020
J. T. Ellison does it again! An exclusive boarding school, secret societies, mysterious tunnels, creepy staircases, codes of conduct, hazing, murder, dark secrets, twists, and tainted histories. The book starts off with a body hanging from the school gates and then it goes back to the events leading up to this tragedy. Ash is the new girl, grateful for the opportunity but worried she won’t fit in. Ash has left the UK and her past behind and is ready for a fresh start. BUT Ash has plenty of secrets of her own. As the girls start getting murdered and the lines start to get blurred I began to wonder how reliable of a narrator was ash? I enjoyed this book so much, I was 100% invested in the story. Loved all the drama, the angst, and the juicy secrets. Also loved the setting of this boarding school with all its creepy secrets and hidden nooks and crannies. Not to mention it was out in the middle of nowhere in a secluded mountain town, it added such an eerie vibe to the story. This was a thriller that made my pulse race, my spine tingle, and blew my mind.
This book in emojis 🎒 👩🏼🎓 💻 ✉️ 📓 🤯
*** Big thanks to Harlequin Mira for my copy of this book ***
This book in emojis 🎒 👩🏼🎓 💻 ✉️ 📓 🤯
*** Big thanks to Harlequin Mira for my copy of this book ***
October 8, 2019
I love thrillers... I can't get enough of them!! But, they actually have to be GOOD.
Lately, I've seen quite a few thrillers that have become "fillers". In other words, a whole bunch of random extra info or too much extra unnecessary details that are added to the plot.
Unfortunately, I have struggled with J.T Ellison's books before with having the same issue as I did with this book. It's extremely way too long!!
There was a lot of interior dialogue going on and too much telling and not showing behind the mystery here.
I loved the atmosphere of this one... taking place at an elite boarding school. What more can you ask for? Girls that murder?! Sign me up!
I want to love J.T Ellison's books but they end up just becoming fillers and wayyy too long! There isn't enough spice in the plot and didn't quite deliver the way I wanted it too.
If you're a fan of her work then I think you'll love this one!
3 stars!
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Harlequin/Mira for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
Publication date: 12/30/19
Published to GR: 10/7/19
Lately, I've seen quite a few thrillers that have become "fillers". In other words, a whole bunch of random extra info or too much extra unnecessary details that are added to the plot.
Unfortunately, I have struggled with J.T Ellison's books before with having the same issue as I did with this book. It's extremely way too long!!
There was a lot of interior dialogue going on and too much telling and not showing behind the mystery here.
I loved the atmosphere of this one... taking place at an elite boarding school. What more can you ask for? Girls that murder?! Sign me up!
I want to love J.T Ellison's books but they end up just becoming fillers and wayyy too long! There isn't enough spice in the plot and didn't quite deliver the way I wanted it too.
If you're a fan of her work then I think you'll love this one!
3 stars!
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Harlequin/Mira for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
Publication date: 12/30/19
Published to GR: 10/7/19
December 23, 2019
Check out all of my reviews at: https://www.avonnalovesgenres.com
GOOD GIRLS LIE by J.T. Ellison is a standalone suspense/thriller that kept me turning the pages quickly until the very last page. I would think I knew what was going on and then, BAM, I was so wrong and another tiny reveal would send me off on another tangent.
The Goode School is a premier private boarding school for females only in the tiny town of Marchburg, Virginia. It is for the best, brightest, elite daughters of the rich and prestigious. All the girls are prepared for brilliant futures and all the girls must follow the school’s code of honor and never lie.
There is a new girl this year from Oxford in the sophomore class, Ash Carr. Recently orphaned, Ash is still being admitted by the dean, Dr. Ford Julianne Westhaven on scholarship as she waits for her settlement. Ash learns many of the girls know how to pretend to follow the rules and secret societies add to the potential of tripping Ash up and her personal secret being discovered.
When a student is found dead, rumors spread and it becomes increasingly difficult to tell who is telling the truth and who is telling a lie. How far will girls from the Goode School go to hide their secrets?
This is a tightly plotted and fast-paced thriller that kept me guessing. I do not normally read YA books, but this has so many threads of murder, sex, hazing and secrets that I was just pulled into the story and kept forgetting how truly young the characters were. The characters are fully fleshed out and memorable as the story progresses and you learn their secrets. I loved the epilogue which was another great twist to the story.
I highly recommend this thriller and will be looking for more books by this author!
GOOD GIRLS LIE by J.T. Ellison is a standalone suspense/thriller that kept me turning the pages quickly until the very last page. I would think I knew what was going on and then, BAM, I was so wrong and another tiny reveal would send me off on another tangent.
The Goode School is a premier private boarding school for females only in the tiny town of Marchburg, Virginia. It is for the best, brightest, elite daughters of the rich and prestigious. All the girls are prepared for brilliant futures and all the girls must follow the school’s code of honor and never lie.
There is a new girl this year from Oxford in the sophomore class, Ash Carr. Recently orphaned, Ash is still being admitted by the dean, Dr. Ford Julianne Westhaven on scholarship as she waits for her settlement. Ash learns many of the girls know how to pretend to follow the rules and secret societies add to the potential of tripping Ash up and her personal secret being discovered.
When a student is found dead, rumors spread and it becomes increasingly difficult to tell who is telling the truth and who is telling a lie. How far will girls from the Goode School go to hide their secrets?
This is a tightly plotted and fast-paced thriller that kept me guessing. I do not normally read YA books, but this has so many threads of murder, sex, hazing and secrets that I was just pulled into the story and kept forgetting how truly young the characters were. The characters are fully fleshed out and memorable as the story progresses and you learn their secrets. I loved the epilogue which was another great twist to the story.
I highly recommend this thriller and will be looking for more books by this author!
January 11, 2020
Hol-eeeeeeee-crap this book, y'all. I've read plenty of JT, but this one takes it to a whole other level. The writing is genius, and the story sinister and eerie, with the kind of suspense that creeps up the back of your neck. Read it and report back, because I need to talk about this story.
December 27, 2019
The Goode School is considered the Ivy League prep school known as the Silent Ivy. Its elite status, long-held traditions and honor code are ideal for preparing exceptional young women for brilliant futures at Ivy League universities and beyond. In a world where appearances are everything, as long as students pretend to follow the rules, no one questions the cruelties of the secret societies or the dubious behavior of the privileged young women who expect to get away with murder. But when a popular student is found dead, the truth cannot be ignored. Rumors suggest she was struggling with a secret that drove her to suicide.
It's been a while since I've read one of Ellison's book and I forgot how much I like her writing as well as her ability to build suspense. There is a reason why she is such a successful writer in the genre. Good Girls Lie is a tautly written tale of girls, rich elitist girls, sequestered away at a remote boarding school. When new "Ash" is admitted, she appears to be the perfect "Goode Girl." She is tall, tanned, has perfect hair and the smile of an innocent but she also has a lifetime full of secrets. Her smile is practiced and her motives are impure but is it she who drove a fellow student to commit suicide or are there more secrets to reveal. The answers to these questions are what make this heart-pounding thriller so good!
Good Girls Lie is set to be published December 30 and should be on every suspense lovers 2020 TBR.
Look closely…because there are truths and there are lies, and then there is everything that really happened.
It's been a while since I've read one of Ellison's book and I forgot how much I like her writing as well as her ability to build suspense. There is a reason why she is such a successful writer in the genre. Good Girls Lie is a tautly written tale of girls, rich elitist girls, sequestered away at a remote boarding school. When new "Ash" is admitted, she appears to be the perfect "Goode Girl." She is tall, tanned, has perfect hair and the smile of an innocent but she also has a lifetime full of secrets. Her smile is practiced and her motives are impure but is it she who drove a fellow student to commit suicide or are there more secrets to reveal. The answers to these questions are what make this heart-pounding thriller so good!
Good Girls Lie is set to be published December 30 and should be on every suspense lovers 2020 TBR.
December 19, 2019
Here I go again with another 3 star rating...
WAIT!
That's not bad, it means I did like the story, but I wasn't totally riveted in certain reading times or surprised by the twists. Goodreads doesn't appear to appreciate half stars and neither do some of my reviewer buddies. Just for the sake of argument, this read is one that had me feeling a bit indecisive.
What I did like:
1. Call me strange but I like the whole private school setting with secret societies and nasty mean girls. That is, in the fictional world sense.
2. I love characters with secrets. The more desperate and despicable, the better. This book doesn't disappoint.
2. The sit up and take notice beginning really caught my attention and terrified me. The ending matched it perfectly.
3. The cover, I chose this book based on the cover and never read the synopsis. I went in blind
What I didn't like.
1. Although the majority of the story is told from the enigmatic Ash who is the new student hailing from England and arriving in America, the author starts popping in other perspectives and it didn't work so much for me. The senator character (yucky!) The sheriff's niece (important to the investigation-yes, but she seemed filler-ish. )
2. There was a lot of building towards what would take place and my interest waned a bit in some chapters.
3. I had hypothesized a major vein of the plot and was disappointed when I was proven correct. Even more so when I factor in, I didn't read the synopsis prior to my reading.
Thanks to HARLEQUIN-Mira for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.
Goodreads review published 18/12/19
Publication Date 30/12/19
WAIT!
That's not bad, it means I did like the story, but I wasn't totally riveted in certain reading times or surprised by the twists. Goodreads doesn't appear to appreciate half stars and neither do some of my reviewer buddies. Just for the sake of argument, this read is one that had me feeling a bit indecisive.
What I did like:
1. Call me strange but I like the whole private school setting with secret societies and nasty mean girls. That is, in the fictional world sense.
2. I love characters with secrets. The more desperate and despicable, the better. This book doesn't disappoint.
2. The sit up and take notice beginning really caught my attention and terrified me. The ending matched it perfectly.
3. The cover, I chose this book based on the cover and never read the synopsis. I went in blind
What I didn't like.
1. Although the majority of the story is told from the enigmatic Ash who is the new student hailing from England and arriving in America, the author starts popping in other perspectives and it didn't work so much for me. The senator character (yucky!) The sheriff's niece (important to the investigation-yes, but she seemed filler-ish. )
2. There was a lot of building towards what would take place and my interest waned a bit in some chapters.
3. I had hypothesized a major vein of the plot and was disappointed when I was proven correct. Even more so when I factor in, I didn't read the synopsis prior to my reading.
Thanks to HARLEQUIN-Mira for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.
Goodreads review published 18/12/19
Publication Date 30/12/19
August 1, 2025
"Creepy, unnerving, and deliciously evil! “Ellison’s skillful characterization, compelling plot, and her shocking final twist make GOOD GIRLS LIE a nail-biting dark and atmospheric top psychological thriller of 2019!” 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟—@JudithDCollins #JdCMustReadBooks
The thriller queen, J.T. Ellison, cranks up the intensity in her latest highly creative psychological thriller. Infused with British and Gothic undertones and decade-old murders at this historic, prestigious all-girls boarding school, tucked away in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. (would make a great movie)! 🎬
The school is old, isolated, elegant, and stretches back hundreds of years, with a ton of legends.
“There are truths, and there are lies, and then there is everything that really happened, which is where you and I will meet. My truth is your life, and my lie is your truth, and there is a vast expanse between them.”
Behind the massive black wrought iron gates and it’s stunning architecture and beauty, there has been bloodshed, murder, scandal, hauntings, and tragedy over the years.
The current thirty-something headmistress or dean as she prefers to call herself Dr. Ford Julianne Westhaven (great-granddaughter several times removed from the founder of The Goode School) determined she will not repeat her mother’s fiasco when in office.
She will make sure her girls follow the Honor code, and they will be ready for their Ivy League education. She is all about sisterhood! She chooses and handpicks every girl.
After all, she doesn't even want to be here. She is an inspiring author, an introvert, and just wants to write her novel. While doing so, a little rendezvous with the dashing mysterious younger guy driver (in secret, of course). Some scandalous history here.
She hides out in her cabin and knows when to get out of her Chanel suited-self, let know her chignon and ditch the pearls, at just the right time. Her destiny lies ahead.
For now, her job is to nurture their strengths and help them find ways to mediate their weaknesses. Make them strong, not delicate creatures easily crushed by the world. She must keep up appearances. However, she knows “Ivy Bound” can get too intense. And Senior Becca Curtis pushes its limits.
However, things take a turn for the worse, and her life and the girls get more complicated. Just when she thought she would get through the year without a scandal. Everyone is a suspect. There is a hanging, a murder, severe damage to the girl’s face. Whose body is it?
Ash Carlisle is from Oxford, England, and her parents have died tragically (or murdered), and she is ready for a new start. She is not on social media, and her past will remain hidden. She will get a fresh start.
The plan is flawless. Or is it? She only wants an Ivy League education. The Goode School in Marchburg, VA. will be perfect. A full scholarship. She will keep her head down and keep to herself.
That is until the will is read, and other things begin happening all around her. Things do not go as she planned. There are prying eyes and jealous girls who want to know more about this Oxford dame. What is behind this Ash girl, who leads a charmed life and manages to get into this school on a full scholarship.
But you can never escape your past?
However, soon, she gets connected to the girl that runs the school, but she will make it tough on her. Her roommate and suitemates do not make it easy on her, either. Everywhere she turns, she runs into obstacles. Not only the hazing, the constant demands, and the haunted past of the school, she has other secrets which could prove deadly, and she soon discovers her plan may not be as easy to pull off as she thought.
Lies have kept her safe and protected. Can she reinvent herself at the new school on the mountain, or will it come back to destroy her?
Ellison knows how to work a room (or should I say work her characters, plot, pacing, juggling multiple narratives and infusing past and present) like a star and at the same time, keep you glued to the pages.
WOW! Just when you think you have it figured out, bang, there comes another twist!
Keep up readers; there are places in the school you need to watch out for:
The Commons is where you go if you get tapped.
The red staircase is off-limits. Too many bad memories, from a girl who committed suicide, flinging herself from the railing and cut her wrists, so the blood dripped down from the staircase. It had soaked in so deeply they had to paint the stairs red to cover it up. The word is one of the secret societies makes you spend a night locked in the stairwell.
There is also the arboretum, also haunted, with a terrible past. Never walk the path alone. It is outside the walls.
Oh, and the bell tower— stay out of the attic, where secret societies found infants bones between the ceiling and walls and ghosts ring the bells.
Also, stay away from the tunnels and old cottages (former Underground Railroad)
Most definitely stay away from the front gate – you may find yourself hanging by the red tie.
Trust me; you will not be able to breathe easy until you reach the END, then you may have a smirk smile on your face!
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Fans of Michele Campbell's She Was The Quiet One, Simone St. James' "The Broken Girls", and Charlie Donlea's upcoming "The Suicide House" will devour Ellison's Good Girls Lie!
#JDCMustReadBooks
The thriller queen, J.T. Ellison, cranks up the intensity in her latest highly creative psychological thriller. Infused with British and Gothic undertones and decade-old murders at this historic, prestigious all-girls boarding school, tucked away in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. (would make a great movie)! 🎬
The school is old, isolated, elegant, and stretches back hundreds of years, with a ton of legends.
“There are truths, and there are lies, and then there is everything that really happened, which is where you and I will meet. My truth is your life, and my lie is your truth, and there is a vast expanse between them.”
Behind the massive black wrought iron gates and it’s stunning architecture and beauty, there has been bloodshed, murder, scandal, hauntings, and tragedy over the years.
The current thirty-something headmistress or dean as she prefers to call herself Dr. Ford Julianne Westhaven (great-granddaughter several times removed from the founder of The Goode School) determined she will not repeat her mother’s fiasco when in office.
She will make sure her girls follow the Honor code, and they will be ready for their Ivy League education. She is all about sisterhood! She chooses and handpicks every girl.
After all, she doesn't even want to be here. She is an inspiring author, an introvert, and just wants to write her novel. While doing so, a little rendezvous with the dashing mysterious younger guy driver (in secret, of course). Some scandalous history here.
She hides out in her cabin and knows when to get out of her Chanel suited-self, let know her chignon and ditch the pearls, at just the right time. Her destiny lies ahead.
For now, her job is to nurture their strengths and help them find ways to mediate their weaknesses. Make them strong, not delicate creatures easily crushed by the world. She must keep up appearances. However, she knows “Ivy Bound” can get too intense. And Senior Becca Curtis pushes its limits.
However, things take a turn for the worse, and her life and the girls get more complicated. Just when she thought she would get through the year without a scandal. Everyone is a suspect. There is a hanging, a murder, severe damage to the girl’s face. Whose body is it?
Ash Carlisle is from Oxford, England, and her parents have died tragically (or murdered), and she is ready for a new start. She is not on social media, and her past will remain hidden. She will get a fresh start.
The plan is flawless. Or is it? She only wants an Ivy League education. The Goode School in Marchburg, VA. will be perfect. A full scholarship. She will keep her head down and keep to herself.
That is until the will is read, and other things begin happening all around her. Things do not go as she planned. There are prying eyes and jealous girls who want to know more about this Oxford dame. What is behind this Ash girl, who leads a charmed life and manages to get into this school on a full scholarship.
But you can never escape your past?
However, soon, she gets connected to the girl that runs the school, but she will make it tough on her. Her roommate and suitemates do not make it easy on her, either. Everywhere she turns, she runs into obstacles. Not only the hazing, the constant demands, and the haunted past of the school, she has other secrets which could prove deadly, and she soon discovers her plan may not be as easy to pull off as she thought.
Lies have kept her safe and protected. Can she reinvent herself at the new school on the mountain, or will it come back to destroy her?
Ellison knows how to work a room (or should I say work her characters, plot, pacing, juggling multiple narratives and infusing past and present) like a star and at the same time, keep you glued to the pages.
WOW! Just when you think you have it figured out, bang, there comes another twist!
Keep up readers; there are places in the school you need to watch out for:
The Commons is where you go if you get tapped.
The red staircase is off-limits. Too many bad memories, from a girl who committed suicide, flinging herself from the railing and cut her wrists, so the blood dripped down from the staircase. It had soaked in so deeply they had to paint the stairs red to cover it up. The word is one of the secret societies makes you spend a night locked in the stairwell.
There is also the arboretum, also haunted, with a terrible past. Never walk the path alone. It is outside the walls.
Oh, and the bell tower— stay out of the attic, where secret societies found infants bones between the ceiling and walls and ghosts ring the bells.
Also, stay away from the tunnels and old cottages (former Underground Railroad)
Most definitely stay away from the front gate – you may find yourself hanging by the red tie.
Trust me; you will not be able to breathe easy until you reach the END, then you may have a smirk smile on your face!
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Fans of Michele Campbell's She Was The Quiet One, Simone St. James' "The Broken Girls", and Charlie Donlea's upcoming "The Suicide House" will devour Ellison's Good Girls Lie!
#JDCMustReadBooks
December 30, 2019
The Goode School is an exclusive all - girls school. Only 50 selected each year, the students selected are among the most gifted, intelligent, and generally come from wealthy, prominent families. These students are prepped to become Ivy Leaguers.
But a stranger has come to Goode, and this ivy has turned poisonous.
In a world where appearances are everything, as long as students pretend to follow the rules, no one questions the cruelties of the secret societies or the dubious behavior of the privileged young women who expect to get away with murder.
There are truths and there are lies, and then there is everything that really happened. Be warned ... not everyone is who they say they are .... and not everyone is a Goode Girl.
This is an extraordinary psychological thriller full of suspense. The story starts with a young woman hanging in front of the school ... and this isn't the first suicide death. Or are they suicides? The story is told in different voices, blurring the lines between what's true ... and what's not.
The characters are finely drawn, some are unique, some are likeable, some are flawed, but they are all unforgettable. Highly suspenseful, the action starts on the very first page and doesn't let up until the very last word of the very last sentence.
Many thanks to the author / Harlequin-Mira / Netgalley for the digital copy of this fast paced thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
September 22, 2019
I received a free e-copy of Good Girls by J.T. Ellison from NetGalley for my honest review.
This book takes place at an elite all girls boarding school. The girls that are accepted her are demanded excellence. Ash, a new girl, arrives and she along with other girls have lots of secrets.
A murder, rituals and secret societies entangle this story. Although there are plot twists, I struggled connecting with the characters and found certain aspects of the book to be very unbelievable.
I think the story had a good premise, I just felt as though it was lacking in certain areas.
This book takes place at an elite all girls boarding school. The girls that are accepted her are demanded excellence. Ash, a new girl, arrives and she along with other girls have lots of secrets.
A murder, rituals and secret societies entangle this story. Although there are plot twists, I struggled connecting with the characters and found certain aspects of the book to be very unbelievable.
I think the story had a good premise, I just felt as though it was lacking in certain areas.
July 30, 2019
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
The Goode School is an elite, private school for girls settled amongst the scenic hills of Virginia. A school known for its elite students, on the fast track to Ivy League schools of their choice, where the only rules are those in the school’s Honour Code, created to ensure responsibility, honesty and dignity amongst staff, students and faculty. So, when a young girl is found hanging from the front gates, the school is quickly turned upside down. Fingers are pointed at everyone, and after a rash of recent deaths at the school, no one is blameless. Rumours fly, and lies abound, but what really happened?
J.T Ellison is known for novels such as Lie to Me and Tear Me Apart, among many others. My only other experience with Ms. Ellison was with “Lie to Me”, so although I am not going into this review completely knowledgeable of all of Ellison’s novels, the two I have read are merely middle of the road novels, with enough entertainment and suspense to keep a reader intrigued, but not enough twisting and turning to really satisfy.
When a group of rich girls are secluded in one place, you know something bad is going to happen. Money, power, secrets mixed with self-confidence and hormones? It’s a no-brainer. From the beginning of this novel, there are hints and teasers as to what you expect would be an epic twist. Although the twist is there, it is not what we are expecting and I found it to be disappointing.
The story is well-told, and the characters are all beautiful and perfect, rich and brilliant, the type of girls that are easy to hate (and in this case, to blame). There are questions throughout the novel, and the ending does provide some satisfying just desserts, but the “wow factor” you expect from the twist does not deliver.
Overall, I enjoyed reading Ellison’s novels, as they generally have a consistent style and flow, which makes for an easy read. Fans of Ellison will definitely enjoy her new novel, as her creativity and talent shines through. “Good Girls Lie” has all of the teenage angst you would expect from a private all-female school (my worst nightmare, to be quite honest), with a little bit of murder and deception thrown in.
The Goode School is an elite, private school for girls settled amongst the scenic hills of Virginia. A school known for its elite students, on the fast track to Ivy League schools of their choice, where the only rules are those in the school’s Honour Code, created to ensure responsibility, honesty and dignity amongst staff, students and faculty. So, when a young girl is found hanging from the front gates, the school is quickly turned upside down. Fingers are pointed at everyone, and after a rash of recent deaths at the school, no one is blameless. Rumours fly, and lies abound, but what really happened?
J.T Ellison is known for novels such as Lie to Me and Tear Me Apart, among many others. My only other experience with Ms. Ellison was with “Lie to Me”, so although I am not going into this review completely knowledgeable of all of Ellison’s novels, the two I have read are merely middle of the road novels, with enough entertainment and suspense to keep a reader intrigued, but not enough twisting and turning to really satisfy.
When a group of rich girls are secluded in one place, you know something bad is going to happen. Money, power, secrets mixed with self-confidence and hormones? It’s a no-brainer. From the beginning of this novel, there are hints and teasers as to what you expect would be an epic twist. Although the twist is there, it is not what we are expecting and I found it to be disappointing.
The story is well-told, and the characters are all beautiful and perfect, rich and brilliant, the type of girls that are easy to hate (and in this case, to blame). There are questions throughout the novel, and the ending does provide some satisfying just desserts, but the “wow factor” you expect from the twist does not deliver.
Overall, I enjoyed reading Ellison’s novels, as they generally have a consistent style and flow, which makes for an easy read. Fans of Ellison will definitely enjoy her new novel, as her creativity and talent shines through. “Good Girls Lie” has all of the teenage angst you would expect from a private all-female school (my worst nightmare, to be quite honest), with a little bit of murder and deception thrown in.
February 9, 2020
"In a world where appearances are everything, as long as students pretend to follow the rules, no one questions the cruelties of the secret societies or the dubious behavior of the privileged young women who expect to get away with murder".
Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison
Done!
M y first 5 star review of 2020!
Thanks Dita for recommending another winner!
Good Girls Lie is an incredible book. It's fun, twisty and was just an all around great read.
So Ash is the new girl in town at her Boarding school, The Good School, a place where young ladies from Elite and privileged families come to..what do they come to do? Study. Work hard. Drink. Smoke. Gossip. Tap other girls for secret societies..just your average everyday Prep school galore.
Ah but Ash has secrets..so does just about everyone in or around the creepy school on the hill. There are whispers of past students being murdered, a creepy attic, hidden corridors and just about everything a good YA Campus novel needs to be interesting.
I adored this book. I LOVE campus novels and especially like the ones that can deliver on EVERYTHING..this book did that.
There were no shortage on twists and they were good twists. Also you will know this book is going to have twists within the first few pages. The book is great on the Gothic and creepy atmosphere and all the characters are extremely well written.
You most likely will not guess the final twists although you may drive yourself crazy trying. I did for awhile until I just said to myself..hey I don't have a clue. Then I put all my questions aside and just concentrated on enjoying the heck out of this book without trying to guess at all the weirdness. It does make for a more enjoyable reading experience that way I must say.
SPOILERS:
I liked Ash. So of coarse I was thrilled that she was not a murderer. I figured that but was not quite sure. I could not stand Becca but that was an awful end for her.
So..my verdict is 5 stars. This one was such fun! Thanks again Dita for the recommendation and I will pass mine along as well.
Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison
Done!
M y first 5 star review of 2020!
Thanks Dita for recommending another winner!
Good Girls Lie is an incredible book. It's fun, twisty and was just an all around great read.
So Ash is the new girl in town at her Boarding school, The Good School, a place where young ladies from Elite and privileged families come to..what do they come to do? Study. Work hard. Drink. Smoke. Gossip. Tap other girls for secret societies..just your average everyday Prep school galore.
Ah but Ash has secrets..so does just about everyone in or around the creepy school on the hill. There are whispers of past students being murdered, a creepy attic, hidden corridors and just about everything a good YA Campus novel needs to be interesting.
I adored this book. I LOVE campus novels and especially like the ones that can deliver on EVERYTHING..this book did that.
There were no shortage on twists and they were good twists. Also you will know this book is going to have twists within the first few pages. The book is great on the Gothic and creepy atmosphere and all the characters are extremely well written.
You most likely will not guess the final twists although you may drive yourself crazy trying. I did for awhile until I just said to myself..hey I don't have a clue. Then I put all my questions aside and just concentrated on enjoying the heck out of this book without trying to guess at all the weirdness. It does make for a more enjoyable reading experience that way I must say.
SPOILERS:
I liked Ash. So of coarse I was thrilled that she was not a murderer. I figured that but was not quite sure. I could not stand Becca but that was an awful end for her.
So..my verdict is 5 stars. This one was such fun! Thanks again Dita for the recommendation and I will pass mine along as well.
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