Samantha Downing

"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"--

For Your Own Good

ashwitherow

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

Kiki

Bria

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

Petaco

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!

Alexa M

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!!

SOME LESSONS CAN BE DEADLY . . . The unputdownable new thriller from the author of international sensation and Richard & Judy pick, MY LOVELY WIFE 'Dark, sly and delicious . . . totally original - and totally compelling' JP DELANEY, bestselling author of PLAYING NICE 'Samantha Downing is totally the real deal. Wry and dark and witty and clever' SARAH PINBOROUGH, bestselling author of BEHIND HER EYES 'Wonderfully dark and twisty. I raced through it, desperate to know how it would end' BA PARIS _______ Teddy Crutcher won Teacher of the Year at Belmont Academy. Everyone thinks he's brilliant. Only you know the truth. They all smile when he tells us his wife couldn't be more proud. But no-one has seen her in a while. They're impressed when the tragic death of a school parent doesn't distract him. Even when rumours start to say it was murder. You're sure Teddy is hiding something about what happened that day. You're sure you can prove it. But you didn't stop to think that when it comes to catching a killer, there's no place more dangerous than just one step behind . . . _______ 'An irresistibly tale tale of parents, pupils and poison: the American dream turned suburban nightmare' TM LOGAN PRAISE FOR SAMANTHA DOWNING 'Wow! My Lovely Wife is a stunner - full of twists, well-drawn characters, and riveting suspense' Harlan Coben 'The next Gone Girl' Marie Claire 'The twist at the end of the first chapter made me read through the night' Jane Corry

James Winduss

** 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.

celene

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

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

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 

 THAT SLOW). i wont personally recommend listening to this as an audiobook because there are too many characters to keep up with. 

aurelia 

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. 

Cheri McElroy

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.

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

Amy Vicknair

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

kendall p

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

SOON TO BE A TELEVISION SERIES ON HBO MAX "A slick and chilling thriller, leading readers on a dark, sinuous journey through the halls of Belmont Academy—the type of place where you’re never sure who to trust, or who to fear."—Megan Miranda “It's going to be a very bumpy school year….a perfect summer book.”—NPR USA Today bestselling author Samantha Downing is back with her latest sneaky thriller set at a prestigious private school—complete with interfering parents, overeager students, and one teacher who just wants to teach them all a lesson… Teddy Crutcher has 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. Teddy really can’t be bothered with a few mysterious deaths on campus that’re looking more and more like murder or the student digging a little too deep into Teddy’s personal life. His main focus is pushing these kids to their full academic potential. All he wants is for his colleagues—and the endlessly meddlesome parents—to stay out of his way. If not, well, they’ll get what they deserve. It’s really too bad that sometimes excellence can come at such a high cost.

Amie ONeill

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

It's probably really bad but I only read really bad thrillers and also I was 

 that the wife wasn't murdered and buried in that garden and that was a good time.

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.

Madhuri Sridhara

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.

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

Tori Nelson

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.

Monae Reads

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

Caitlin Snyder

(-) A bit predictable 

(+) Great characters and storyline

Rebecca

Maria Luiza

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

Emily C

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

daisy

Laurel Ann Smith

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.

Olivera Mitić

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.

For Your Own Good

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