The Good Girl

    The Good Girl - Mary Kubica 5/5
                                                     
 

      When I borrowed this one from the library the librarian told me this was a little bit like Gone Girl, and I couldn't disagree more. Gone Girl burrows into your head kinda like a tapeworm, and refuses to leave, but the Good Girl is a different animal entirely. For a debut, this is quite strong and has the usual likable, and not so likable characters. James for instance, is a cold feeling father that makes the perfect villain. He's a horrible father, and a terrible husband so anytime he enters a scene you can almost hear a few boos and hisses. While the similarities to Gone Girl are no doubt popping up everywhere this one has sort of the same ideals, but Gone Girl is a much better novel and the surprises there are mouth dropping. I don't want to take anything away from The Good Girl because it does have its share of jaw dropping moments, but they just don't have the same impact.

     Mary Kubica is a decent writer and manages tell the story through three characters without the story becoming cluttered. This way, you get the entire story from a variety of different viewpoints instead of just one. This gives The Good Girl far more impact and you get to see a mother try and redeem herself while going through her own period of mourning. Owen of course, is the point of view that reveals the relationship between himself and Mia and how it begins to evolve from a simple kidnapping to something deeper. It's a plot twist you can see coming from a mile away, but it doesn't hurt the novel any. You already can suspect what's going to happen, but it also has one hell of a plot twist that you don't see coming. The detective portions are okay and are expected. We all know what his job is and his insight to the story doesn't add much depth, but it's a little break in the action.

     As far as thrillers go, this one was decent and continues the trend of smart, intelligent novels that keeps you interested without overwhelming you with plot twists that seem to go nowhere. Kubica's debut is suspenseful, and she keeps the story moving at a steady clip. It's those last few pages that really grab you, and ties everything up nicely. It's a well written, nicely paced piece of fiction that you'll find just about everyone gushing over, and for good reason. In the summer you want a novel that you can read at the beach, and in the winter you want something that makes you forget just how cold it is (if you happen to live in places where it gets cold). I'm a writer that loves a well paced novel and Kubica's debut is a solid read that grabs your attention and holds it. Is it better than Gone Girl? No, but it's still a damn good book and one I highly recommend.

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