Thanks to Berkley Publishing and Kaye Publicity for the free copy in exchange for my honest review
FOR YOUR OWN GOOD – Samantha Downing (Releasing July 20th, 2021)
You can see my reviews for her other books: MY LOVELY WIFE (here) and HE STARTED IT (here)
Here’s the synopsis:
Teddy Crutcher has won Teacher of the Year at the esteemed 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 the death of a school parent that’s looking more and more like murder or the student digging a little too deep into Teddy’s personal life. His main focus is on 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.
It’s really too bad that sometimes excellence can come at such a high cost.
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…
My Thoughts: 5/5 stars
To say this was one of my most anticipated releases would be an understatement. I’ve absolutely loved what I’ve picked up by Samantha Downing and my expectations were high when I picked up FOR YOUR OWN GOOD. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed! Another binge worthy thriller with memorable characters, questionable morals, plenty of twists, short chapters, and lots of suspense.
Teddy is the Teacher of the Year at the prestigious private school, Belmont Academy. His mission was to put the students first, and it didn’t really matter to him how it was accomplished. Some of these entitled kids needed more help than others, but be wasn’t going to give up on them. At a school event a parent collapses and is later pronounced dead – a freak accident or was there foul play? When others at the school are also killed by the same means, the students, teachers, and parents are all one edge. Who is the killer?
I don’t want to give away anything and potentially spoil the fun, but this book was so much fun. Who knew the world of private schools was so cutthroat? I certainly didn’t! Downing gives us the POVs of students and teachers as the mystery unfolds. The layers slowly peel back to reveal more questions and revelations. I loved Zach’s POV and Teddy was just someone I loved to kind of hate. The pressure on the students and faculty is immense and now add in some murder to make the semester even more stressful.
I cannot recommend her books enough to people, and this just firmly cemented Samantha Downing as an auto-buy author. If you want a quick, smart, and addictive thriller, then this is the author for you. FOR YOUR OWN GOOD gives us a glimpse into the dark side of world of private schools and academia.
Jessicamap Reviews 