Review: The Good Girls, Claire Eliza Bartlett

I feel like I’m reconnecting with my younger self, reading more YA thriller & mysteries again. To be honest, I’m not mad about it at all on the contrary: I’m really, really enjoying myself! The Good Girls by Claire Eliza Bartlett was such a fantastic discovery, I’m excited to talk about it today!

The Good Girls by Claire Eliza Bartlett
Published by HarperTeen on December 1, 2020
Genres: mystery, thriller, young adult
Format: Paperback
Buy on Amazon, Bookshop, Blackwell's
Goodreads

The troublemaker. The overachiever. The cheer captain. The dead girl.
Like every high school in America, Jefferson-Lorne High contains all of the above.
After the shocking murder of senior Emma Baines, three of her classmates are at the top of the suspect list: Claude, the notorious partier; Avery, the head cheerleader; and Gwen, the would-be valedictorian.
Everyone has a label, whether they like it or not--and Emma was always known as a good girl. But appearances are never what they seem. And the truth behind what really happened to Emma may just be lying in plain sight. As long-buried secrets come to light, the clock is ticking to find Emma's killer--before another good girl goes down.

☂️ TRIGGER WARNINGS: (click to reveal)

rape, sexual abuse, pedophila, bimisia, cheating, suicide, abuse, underage drinking, underage drug use, dieting, disordered food and weight thoughts, murder.

There are no spoilers in this review.

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I ENJOYED…

☂️

• Right from the start, The Good Girls caught me with its unsual storytelling. It’s a bit of a mix between an omniscient narrator and different point of views, as well as some mixed media such as journal entries and police interviews in there. While I felt a bit thrown, at first, by the changes in point of views, I ended up really enjoying it and found the story even more compelling, this way.
• I think that The Good Girls did its work well, because, at first, I thought I wouldn’t love these characters. While I’ll admit it, I didn’t fully connect with them at first, I ended up really feeling for each and every one of them, no matter how unlikeable and messy they can be, at times. So, hats off to the author for that, that was absolutely fantastic.
• One thing I really enjoyed was how character-focused the story was, as well. It might feel a bit slow, or not exactly what you’re looking for in a book of the genre, but personally I appreciated it, a lot. We’re dealing with main characters that seem like clichés, main characters that you feel like you can put in a box and I absolutely adored how we unpeeled the layers, got to know them deeper and how each of them were more than what they seemed to be.

• I found the book absolutely captivating. It was a mix of the way the story was told and the characters, but I didn’t feel like I could predict everything, at all. I was hooked from page one, wondering what had really happened to Emma and what would happen next. The author does such a great job at building up tension, I loved that!

OVERALL

☂️

If you’re looking for a great YA thriller, I definitely recommend The Good Girls. While it’s a bit on the slower side of the spectrum, honestly it really is a captivating, unique read and I loved it. Can’t wait to read more from the author!

FINAL RATING : 4 stars!

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📚 Books similar to The Good Girls that I’d recommend:

• Review: The Falling Girls, Hayley Krischer
• Review: Parachutes, Kelly Yang

Did you read The Good Girls, or do you want to? Any YA thriller/mystery recommendations for me? Let me know in comments!

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