Goodnight Beautiful

Talk about surprises! This book absolutely tripped me up not once, but twice, in VERY clever ways. Hats off to the writer- I love it when that happens. This book winds the reader down a fun, twisty path of secrets and subterfuge and confusion. I thoroughly enjoyed the different points of view and then the wild way the writer resolves all of the mess that she so beautifully created.

Woah, okay! Finally, a book that's just as good as the cover! I picked up Goodnight Beautiful as an add-on in my Book of the Month box and I am so freaking glad that I finally got around to reading this incredible book and I am happy that I decided to pick up another book by Aimee Molloy, after not liking The Perfect Mother at all. It really goes to show that not all books by the same author will work for an individual and I will be more hesitant to never read an author's work again, if I didn't particularly like their first one because you just never know. This book had nonstop twist and turns and I was immersed throughout the whole story, almost feeling like I got whiplash at certain points.

First of all, Goodnight Beautiful is about newly married couple, Annie and Sam, who move back to Sam's childhood neighborhood in order to be closer to his mother, who has a bad case of dementia. As they settle into their new lives and jobs, things transpire that no one could have seen coming. I loved this plot! As I have pointed out time and time again, I love a good domestic thriller and this one was fantastic. There were twists and turns all throughout the novel and a few big reveals at equal intervals all throughout as well. I love novels that have a big reveal towards the beginning of the book, it exhilarates me like nothing else can. There were times when I was confused whilst reading this book because I felt like I couldn't trust anything that I was inferring from it but it was more of a positive because it added to the excitement of feeling like I absolutely had to get to the end of the novel and find out exactly what transpired and how. Talk about a wild ride!

Secondly, the characterization was pretty good in this novel, I would put it above average. The main characters had complex backgrounds of their own and things they have been through in their lives and it made the story itself very believable and made the characters' actions understandable, even if also frowned upon. I found the ability to relate to all the flawed, messed up people in this novel and was experiencing the emotions right along with them. I will definitely be picking up Molloy's future works, without a doubt.

Thirdly, the writing style of the novel is the only thing that I found remotely negative at times. For me it felt a little choppy sometimes and there were moments when I had to reread the same sentence again to get the full understanding of what exactly was happening or if that particular thing was something that happened in the past or is happening in the present day. It wasn't too bad however, and I got used to it after a while. Also, the short chapters really added to the fast-paced nature of this novel and it was exactly what I needed after the last book I read was such a disappointment.

In conclusion, I think any and all thriller lovers and seekers will enjoy this novel. It was extremely fast-paced, suspenseful and shocking all throughout with the major and the minor reveals. I also felt that the novel is the perfect length and nothing is wasted or stretched longer then it needs to be. Give this book a shot, I think you'll like it!

Sam, a therapist goes missing. His wife Annie is frantic as what she hears about her husband after his disappearance doesn't add up. There are lots of twists and turns in the plot including one of pure genius. The story owes a lot to one of Stephen King's bestsellers as it pays tribute to the master while still maintaining a compelling story of its own.

3.5 Rounded to 3

For the most part, I did enjoy this retelling of Stephen King's Misery, but it was just too predictable for me. I figured out all but one part of the big “reveals” in the first couple of chapters. The author does well with the part I assumed incorrectly as I bet most will LOL.

The writing was done well enough that I was engaged but some of it I skimmed through because I already knew what would happen. Those parts were boring for me.

Overall, this is an interesting one and for those who haven't read Misery, you will probably enjoy this more than I did.