Find out what Mumsnetters thought of Good Me Bad Me by Ali Land

I started this book and found it quite gripping. Life got in the way, but I want to know what happens to Milly and will finish it when I go on holiday.

I enjoyed this book, it was easy reading and kept my interest from the start. I just wanted the main character to be happy from the start which wasn't to be. The book allows you to grasp the concept of how much control a mother has over her child and how early childhood can affect a childs actions. If you want to read a book that holds your interest from start to finish then I recommend you to read this one.

Finished today as life got in the way a bit so took me longer than usual. I really enjoyed it, as horrible as part of the plot is. Really compelling read with plenty to second guess. I am loving all of these novels with unreliable narrators.

Wow..definitely lived up to the hype, great book,

Thanks for my copy.

I found the book a very easy and quick read - at times the language was a bit too "easy" and felt like maybe it was intended for teens/YA except for the subject matter.

Maybe it was intentional, but I found the contrast awkward as a reader.

The story was good, and I thought the mother's character was well written - her power over Milly really came through, despite not really appearing in her own right (or not very much).

I didn't think the ending was much of a twist, it was a logical conclusion from everything that had come before - but the lack of suspense didn't spoil it for me.

I'm around halfway now and so far I am thoroughly enjoying this. I like the simple text, which makes our teenage narrator more believable, and it also means you can easily find you have read quite a few chapters in a short time. The book centres on Annie who's mother is facing prosecution for multiple child murders. As far as I am into the book- Annie under her new name Millie is preparing to face cross examination in court, living with a foster family that includes a psychologist dad who is helping her prepare. The control the mother holds over her daughter, even when she is in prison, is very believable, and Annie's sense of responsibility for the crimes (again I haven't finished yet so I don't know where this is going within the novel) throws up many questions for me as to what age and circumstances would you attribute responsibility to a child- she is over the age of criminal responsibility but also has been effectively brainwashed and coerced by her parent. a really enjoyable read so far, despite the fundamentally horrific storyline.

Good Me Bad Me - A page turner. The story kept me wanting to turn the next page. Well written. Very disturbing as not much was given away. Your thoughts got you thinking about the child abused and the damage it can have on a child when they see there mother doing cruel things to another child. The way how the child could see their mother even though the mother was looked up. So connected no matter what. It felt like it was real and could relate to the difficulties that lay ahead of the child. Very well written the story. Couldn't wait to what surprises were around the corner. Suspense and your eyes opened up to not what you expected to read......wow. Ali Land kept you guessing, thinking and wondering. Thanks to Mumsnet to introducing me to another author to add to my book collection. Thank you :-))))))

Many thanks for my copy . The novel was complex and dark but at the same time having a girly family oriented feel very interestingly combined .
Great debut novel into the mind of a troubled teenager bring on more

great book, kept me in suspense the whole way through.

I tried to win a copy of this but wasn't successful so I went out and bought it. I thought that it was well written with lots of twists and turns but if I'm honest I didn't love it. I think the picture that was painted in my head of very upsetting. But then again that is the mark of a good author. Xx

Really compelling and unsettling - once I had started reading found it so difficult to put it down despite being really busy at work! Her relationship with her mother is fascinating... Out of sight is not out of mind!
Dark thrillers are not usually my thing but I really enjoyed it. Unique and intense.

This sounds a fabulous book. Hopefully I'll get the chance to read it.

I liked the book but, unfortunately, it didn't 'wow' me like it has done for so many others.

I didn't find it to be full of suspense and mystery. The story was told in such a way that there were no twists and turns. It was a little dark in places however which was good.

The characters were interesting and held some intrigue about them and their pasts. I would love to find out more about the history of Phoebe and Saskia.

The biggest issue I had with this book was the style of writing. I just couldn't take to it and felt slightly disjointed. It is probably a very good style to use when writing about someone dangerous and mentally ill but sometimes it felt like I was reading something written by Yoda.

As compelling reads are,this is one of the best and paciest,if not creepiest thillers.Read it within a busy day,and it does not disappoint.The most believable and realistic parts are concerning teenage bullying,not serial killers or gruesome murders.Bullying is something that happens everyday in all walks of life,and this was my main point of focus.I found the murders and being a daughter of a serial killer very,very disturbing and gruesome,but that was used as a background explanation for the final reveal and the personality we were dealing with.It's a very disturbing,gruesome,scary read.Not a bedtime story,as stays in your mind for a long time.I developed a true hatred to Phoebe and somehow a likeness to Milly/Annie,even though halfway trough we learned about her crimes-her morals as well.i found it one of the quickest reads,and this i commend,it definitely grabs you from the start!I liked the teenager's first person narrative as well,a change in your usual psychological thillers!

A pretty straightforward read that quickly engages and draws the reader in. Realistic portrayal of teenage girls bullying that has your heart strings tugging.

I've heard a lot of people recommending this book so I did decide to give it a go a few weeks ago. It's a very compelling read and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this! It's absolutely chilling and creeps under your skin right from the start, definitely a difficult story to step away from, with very chilling plot lines. You feel sympathy towards Annie as she struggles with being her mother’s daughter after what her mother is/does, but then at times you’re left wondering whether she is turning into her mother. Her life gets tougher throughout the book which makes you just want to read more! Love a good thriller book!

Thanks for the opportunity to read this book, which was excellent. Milly was a complicated character, groomed by her serial killer mother, she was torn between doing the right thing, and the thought that she was inherently bad because of her mother. The rivalry between Milly and her foster sister was very realistic. I wasn't especially surprised by the ending, it was fairly obvious what the outcome would be.
The book was a real page turner, and I would certainly recommend it.

My initial thought was that this book would be too graphic but I loved reading this book. Once I started I couldn't put it down. It is well written and deals with a difficult subject well. Define made me think and won't be forgotten for a while.

Thanks for the free copy. I enjoyed this book and was hooked from the beginning - so much so that I read it in one go finishing around 2.30 am. Luckily no work the next day!

Really enjoyed this book! I didn't find it gripping from the start though - I found it a bit slow to really get going, but I stuck with it & once the pace picked up then I couldn't put it down! It became my constant companion until I'd finished it.
I particularly liked the fact that it didn't give every gruesome detail of what had gone on before, but rather let the reader get to know Milly/Annie and her thoughts. Intriguing how much well-intended intervention can be manipulated, including that if the professionals. Won't add any spoilers but I will also post a review on Amazon.

Brilliant psychological thriller. Millie is a fifteen year old girl who has had a traumatic childhood at the hands of her serial killer Mum. She is fostered into a dysfunctional family, suffers bullying, has nightmares and cant escape her former life. A very gripping read. You cant put it down.

I was so pleased to get given a copy of this book as I enjoy a good psychological thriller and I'd recently had it recommended to me. So I was thoroughly looking forward to getting stuck in and expected to have it finished within a couple of days....

BUT...I struggled with it to be honest. Although I enjoyed it, I found it quite slow going at times and it look me nearly 2 weeks to get through which is unusual for me and this type of book.

I found the adult characters lacking in depth. The relationship between Sasha/Saskia? and Phoebe was unexplored. In fact that whole household seemed a bit lacking in connection - at times it just seemed as though it were all strangers just living in the same house. The relationship between Milly and the young girl from the estate was also a little bizarre and not fully explored - maybe that was the point, I don't know. It seemed to appear out of nowhere and be extremely intimate (violence, sleeping over) within a couple of days.

The book was creepy and disturbing, naturally given the subject matter, and I did enjoy it but I found it slow and shallow in places, so I'm not sure I would rush to read anything else by the same author.

Wow what a book. It was gripping, quite real and a bit disturbing at times but well worth reading. I read this within a few days as it was just too good not to find out what happened next. I also liked the way information was dropped into it and all the twists and turns. I would definitely recommend this book for thriller fans.
Thank you so much for our copy it was really really good.