Good Girls Lie: A Novel

Good Girls Lie is wonderfully atmospheric with a Gothic feel, and some of my favorite parts of the book were the descriptions of the school and its surrounding area. That's not to say that I didn't like the suspense of the story. And yes, I say suspense, not thriller, because this one moved a little too slowly for me to consider it a thriller. It does start out with a thriller vibe that is sure to pull a reader in. However, it slows down considerably after that and doesn't really pick back up until about the 50% mark. There is a decent twist, but if you're paying attention, it isn't hard to figure out way ahead of time. That's not necessarily a bad thing. I always try to guess the big reveal, and while I love it when the reveal shocks me, I'm not disappointed when I'm right either. Although, I will say that this one could've been a little less revealing in its tidbits and hints from the start. In the end, this one didn't wow me, but it was worth the read, and once the story took off, I was invested enough to keep turning the pages. I really think Good Girls Lie would make an excellent movie or mini-series with its rich atmosphere. One thing is sure, this author certainly knows her stuff when it comes to setting.

Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison is a riveting novel of suspense. The Good School is a prestigious prep for young ladies that resides in Marchburg, Virginia. This boarding school is for the intelligent daughters of the rich and powerful. They will receive a superior education that will get them into an Ivy league school and prepare them for a brilliant and influential future. But not everything is at it seems at this school. A new student arrives from Oxford, England who causes quite a stir. One student ends up dead and the truth must be uncovered. J.T. Ellison’s writing drew me into this engaging story. I enjoyed the author’s descriptive writing which allowed me to visualize the scenes. Virginia sounded beautiful in the fall. I thought the characters were thought out and developed. There are alternate points-of-view which I liked (Ash, Becca Curtis, and Dean Westhaven for example). It allows readers to view the events from different perspectives plus it keeps the tension up. Details are revealed a little at a time to keep readers guessing. Good Girls Lie is packed with secrets and deceptions. I kept trying to guess what is true and what is false. I just loved the fabulous twist. I thought the creepy aspects enhanced the story. There is a great ending where all the loose ends are wrapped up. Good Girls Lie has tradition, secret societies, hazing, deceits, clandestine relationships, jealousy and murder. As you can tell, I enjoyed reading this thrilling suspense tale. Good Girls Lie is a book that will keep you riveted until you finish the very last word.

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.