GOOD ME, BAD ME by Ali Land

Rating: 4 / 5

I was in need of a fairly quick read for a recent readathon so I picked up GOOD ME, BAD ME by Ali Land. This is a book that has been on my shelves for quite a while so it is a perfect pick for the #readwhatyouown challenge for September.

GOOD ME, BAD ME centers on Milly, the daughter of a serial killer. After being raised by her single mother in an environment where she saw multiple children murdered, Milly has finally spoken up and turned her mother in to the police. She has now been placed into a foster family with a foster father who is trained to work with her and prepare her psychologically to take the stand as a witness against her mother.

Apart from her foster parents and those prosecuting the case, no one knows that Milly is the daughter of the woman who is making headlines. Even Milly’s foster sister is unaware and their relationship is rocky at best. Milly is the strange new girl, getting acclimated to a new home and a new family. She’s never really had a chance to have friends before and it is a challenge to find her way in this new life.

I really enjoyed this book and it kept me hooked throughout. Milly is a very complicated character. She is keeping secrets from those around her and from the reader. Milly is the narrator for the book, often speaking as if she is addressing her mother. Theirs is a difficult relationship and the reader is given glimpses of how difficult as the story progresses. Milly spends a lot of time wondering how alike she and her mother are. Whether it’s nature or nurture, Milly fears she’s more like her mother than she’d like.

This is a dark read, as I’m sure the synopsis shows. There are trigger warnings for child abuse, violence and murder. That said, it was a very interesting read and I do recommend it.