GOOD GIRLS LIE

5 stars out of 5

Wow! Add this one to my short list of books I really, really didn't want to put down. Absolutely loved it from start to finish.

Much of my reason for enjoyment is the in-depth, intriguing character development; each and every one has a complex, often secretive backstory, revealed as the story progresses. As might be expected, there are twists - some quite surprising - that kept me hooked as well. I'm aware, though, that some say the story has its unbelievable moments. I agree that's true to a degree; but in my mind,  there's no reason a good story can't stretch the imagination a bit. I'm not reading it because I want to be immersed in total reality - in many cases, in fact, that wouldn't be any fun at all.

As this one opens, a recently orphaned girl named Ashlyn Carr has come to the elite Goode School in Virginia. She was admitted following a Skype-type interview by the dean, Dr. Ford Julianne Westhaven. The students here are highly intelligent but societal misfits, and Ash definitely fits the profile. But almost the moment she arrives, Ash bumps heads with senior Becca - the daughter of a powerful senator - who's clearly bonkers but just as clearly rules the student body with a heavy hand. The plot thickens when one of the girls is found dead - hanging from the front gates. 

Flashbacks show Ash's life before her life got Goode when she and her parents lived in England, and it's not pretty. And early on, Ash (and readers) learn that life at Goode isn't very pretty either; there are secret societies and cliques, for instance, that bring out the worst in the girls who live here. Nor do the faculty and staff get off easy - they have their own secrets and peccadilloes that make life miserable for themselves and others around them.

Although Ash is talented enough to get private lessons from the school's computer whiz teacher, she can't seem to make much headway when it comes to making friends. Even her roommate, Camile - another girl who has some serious secrets to hide - turns on her. Then suddenly, the tide seems to turn when Ash receives a coveted invitation to the Attic from Becca - a rarity for a freshman and a sure sign that Ash has finally made the grade.

Or not. After all, good girls lie, don't they? A big part of the appeal of this story is trying to figure out which (if any) of the Goode girls are truthful. Thoroughly enjoyable book, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison (MIRA, December 2019); 464 pp.