For Your Own Good
Fast paced
Suspenseful
Unpredictable

For Your Own Good

"USA Today bestselling author Samantha Downing teaches all the wrong lessons in her latest sneaky thriller about a calculating teacher in a privileged private school who knows he has the power to make or break your kid's future...and he uses it.... Teddy Crutcher has just won Teacher of the Year at the prestigious Belmont Academy, home to the best and brightest. He says his wife couldn't be more proud--though no one has seen her in a while. But Teddy can't be bothered with any of the rumors and the recent string of murders on campus. His main focus is on these kids. Sure, his methods can be a little unorthodox and maybe just a few of them don't actually deserve a bright a future. But someone's got push these kids to their full potential. It's really too bad that sometimes excellence can come at such a high cost"--
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Reviews

Photo of Kiki
Kiki@defokiki
4 stars
Jul 28, 2024

it was a random read and I could not put the book down! loved the twist and characters.

Photo of Bria
Bria@ladspter
4 stars
May 31, 2024

This would've been 4 stars if I never read the ending. I wanted more action but it was very...bleh.

Photo of Petaco
Petaco@didyousaytaco
4 stars
Jul 15, 2023

These people are all crazy. What a wild ride. I picked this up randomly and actually ended up enjoying the craziness. I also think it's crazy the sheer number of casual milk drinkers. So odd, or maybe that's just me. Also, people are dying and no one took any precautions to protect themselves!! It was just business as usual. Did no one think they could be next? I wouldn't be a victim because I'd be on a sabbatical like yesterday!

Photo of Alexa M
Alexa M@alexasversion
4 stars
Feb 6, 2023

lmfao. Samantha Downing is that bitch. this was so entertaining and i had the best time listening to this. i never had any clue where the story was gonna go - but was along for the ride.. genuinely laughed out loud many times - what a lovely group of insane people!!

Photo of James Winduss
James Winduss@j-c-i-winduss
5 stars
Jan 29, 2023

** spoiler alert ** I read this in less than a day so to say I enjoyed it would be an understatement. The story was interesting, the writing was super engaging and it was easy to get through. I will say, my only ‘criticism’ is that Teddy didn’t get away with it because I kind of wanted him to, but I can’t even really call that a criticism because I still enjoyed the way the author handled his downfall and it was clear from the start, in my opinion, that he never was going to get away with it entirely. Solid 5/5, will definitely be reading more of this authors work in the future.

Photo of celene
celene@recluseperformer
4 stars
Jan 23, 2023

oh wow,,,, yeah,,, samantha downing never fails to shook me to the core w her endings anyway the people i was shipping here carried this book sorry kdndkd 😭 but don’t quote me on this dkdmdk look away bye

Photo of aurelia
aurelia @aureliareads
4.5 stars
Sep 12, 2022

LOVE LOVE LOVE ITTT this was originally 5 stars but i knocked it down a bit.


anyways here's the full review:


i love basically everything about this book. the writing was on point (SHORT CHAPTERS?!?!?), and even tho we dont get a major reveal of the murders at the end i love the fact that many plot twists have been scattered throughout the book. the characters were sooo unlikeable, and the vibes from this one is perfection. dark academia, elite private school + twisted society filled with rich kids and narcisstic people, different people with different major secrets that connects with everyone? i. eat. them. up. every. time. the only reason this book didn't get the 5 stars throne was because of the slow beginning, but once i hit the 20% mark i raced thru the book like my life depends on it.


read this if u like dark academia, elite school/college/campus settings, slow burn thrillers (I PROMISE THIS IS NOT THAT SLOW). i wont personally recommend listening to this as an audiobook because there are too many characters to keep up with.

Photo of Cheri McElroy
Cheri McElroy@cherimac
4 stars
Sep 5, 2022

What a fun novel. Twisted, unlikeable characters, a prestigious school setting, and character-driven suspense? Yes, please.This is my favorite Samantha Downing book for sure. I am glad I gave this author another try.

Photo of aru
aru@sapphics
3 stars
Aug 15, 2022

for a book which was my most anticipated read, I was let down for a good 60% of the book. It shouldn't have to take a good chunk of the book for it to get exciting. Review to come

Photo of Amy Vicknair
Amy Vicknair@ammee411
3 stars
Aug 12, 2022

More like a 3.5. Serial killer a la Joe Goldberg but not as likeable. Ending a little too perfect fun.

Photo of kendall p
kendall p@vampreads
4 stars
Aug 11, 2022

idek what i just read…. i just know everyone in that school is insane i just can’t get over the mf celebratory milk

Photo of Amie ONeill
Amie ONeill@amieeereadsss
4 stars
Jul 24, 2022

I really enjoyed this book. The writing style was immaculate and the story had me intrigued the whole time. A v good thriller

Photo of Meg
Meg@emvy
4 stars
Jul 3, 2022

It's probably really bad but I only read really bad thrillers and also I was stunned that the wife wasn't murdered and buried in that garden and that was a good time.

This review contains a spoiler
Photo of Madhuri Sridhara
Madhuri Sridhara@madhurireads
2 stars
Apr 19, 2022

2.5/5 I'm definitely lost because everyone and their dog seems to love this book and I'm just wondering why. It was a fun ride for a while because the characters seemed interesting, the shorter chapters made it easier to read and the pacing was top notch. But then it started to get repetitive and boring. I just wanted to get it over with. There was not one single character I liked or gave a crap about and I knew that I wouldn't care no matter how it ended. Not worth the hype.

Photo of ashwitherow
ashwitherow@bessiew
4.5 stars
Mar 9, 2022

Enjoyed this even more than I expected to. My Lovely Wife pales in comparison to this book. Twists and turns throughout.

+6
Photo of Tori Nelson
Tori Nelson@torireadswhat
5 stars
Mar 8, 2022

For Your Own Good is unlike any suspense/thriller I've read this year! I was pleasantly surprised I could keep the story straight with the amount of characters. But the chapters were so easy to follow and so short, it was simple. This book is told in third person perspective, so as a reader, I got a lot of the story from the beginning. The best way I can describe it is like reading a script to a movie. I could clearly see the scenes and the characters of the story. And with the way it's written in an almost nonchalant way, the big moments seem that much bigger. That made this a fun read! I will never drink milk again and this just confirms my issues with cafeteria/buffet-style meals.

Photo of Monae Reads
Monae Reads@lifeasmonae
4 stars
Jan 31, 2022

This was a satire/parody more than a thriller but I still had a good time reading it! Every character in this book is extremely overzealous and it drives them to do scandalous things. I like the way the author overlapped the different POVS in a way where we get to see what each person thinks of the others and how wrong them are with their assumptions. I was laughing from beginning to end. 3.5/5

Photo of Caitlin Snyder
Caitlin Snyder@caitlinrose
4 stars
Jan 19, 2022

(-) A bit predictable (+) Great characters and storyline

Photo of Rebecca
Rebecca@bexx
3 stars
Jan 16, 2022

3.5

Photo of Maria Luiza
Maria Luiza@peachesbonbon
5 stars
Jan 12, 2022

Just sublime. The character's studies and how clear each character's mannerisms and preferences was written about was very interesting.

Photo of Emily C
Emily C@emcullitan
3.5 stars
Jan 10, 2022

The POV was unique — you know who the killer is from the start. I thought this would take away from the mystery of it but the author leaves other things for you to wonder about. I kind of felt like it dragged on a bit toward the end, and it didn’t seem like there was much of a “motive” either to the killings — more so just a crazy story overall though it’s a good mindless, fun read

+2
Photo of daisy
daisy@afternoonweather
3 stars
Jan 2, 2022

LMFAAAAAAAOOOOOOO WHAT

Photo of Laurel Ann Smith
Laurel Ann Smith@mrslaurelsmith
4 stars
Nov 30, 2021

This book felt like a slow burn but also very suspenseful. I really wanted to get to the end to figure out what in the world was going on! While I enjoyed the story, I was hoping for a bigger twist at the end.

Photo of Olivera Mitić
Olivera Mitić@olyschka
2 stars
Nov 24, 2021

Da je koncept "nije do mene, profesor me ne gotivi" tačan i da je knjiga - pa, bio bi ova knjiga. Mislim da mi je ovde ocena u suštini 1.5 🌟, što je stvarno šteta, računajući da mi je prvih 50ak strana bilo super. Posle toga je (jako velikodušno rečeno) zaplet otišao na sve strane, sa 20 nebitnih likova koji svi nešto spletkare i istražuju i podmeću jedni drugima. Da je Samanta Dauning samo napisala knjigu o profesoru psihopati koji progresivno postaje sve luđi kako radnja odmiče, mislim da bi ovo bilo fenomenalno. Umesto toga, ubacila je razne peripetije i nepotrebne komplikacije pri čemu se potpuno izgubila uverljiva motivacija likova. Na sve to, iako svugde piše da je žanr triler, For Your Own Good je daleko od toga. Sve vreme znamo šta se dešava i zapravo nema neke konkretne misterije čijem razrešenju možemo da se radujemo. Umesto toga, dobili smo jako antiklimaktičan i dosadan roman sa neiskorišćenim potencijalom zarad jeftine drame. Nisam sigurna da ću u skorije vreme dati drugu šansu ovoj autorki, koliko god popularna bila.

Highlights

Photo of ashwitherow
ashwitherow@bessiew

Knowledge isn’t just powerful; it’s valuable. Know when to use it and when to shut up.

Page 171

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