Book Review – One of the Good Guys by Araminta Hall

Blurb:

“Don’t ignore the warning signs!

If most men say they’re
one of the good guys, then
why are so many women
afraid to walk alone at night?

Cole is the perfect husband; a romantic, supportive of his wife, Mel’s career, keen to be a hands-on
dad, not a big drinker. A good guy.

So when Mel leaves him, he’s floored.
She was lucky to be with a man like him.

Lennie has made the same move for similar reasons.
She is living in a crumbling cottage on the edge of a nearby cliff. lt’s an undeniably scary location, but
sometimes you have to face your fears to get past them.

Craving solitude, he accepts a job on the coast and quickly settles into his new life where he meets reclusive artist Lennie.

As their relationship develops, two young women go missing while on a walk protesting gendered violence, right by where Cole and Lennie live. Finding themselves at the heart of a police investigation and media frenzy, it soon becomes clear that they don’t know each other very well at all.

This is what happens when
women have had enough …”

Book Review

4/5 ⭐️

One of The Good Guys is told in 3 parts with 3 very different narratives and different writing styles which I really enjoyed. There is quite the twist towards the end. It was one I saw coming but hoped it wasn’t going to be the case. Without giving too much away, I wanted it to go in one direction, which I guess is what the author wants you to believe, but in fact it goes in another.

I didn’t particularly like any of the characters. They are each kind of awful and manipulative in their own way (maybe with one exception). That isn’t a criticism, that’s just how they were written. The story is told from Col, Mel and Lennie’s POV. Lennie I just couldn’t warm to her from the very beginning. I knew straight away that there was more than meets the eye with her. Cole is “the nice guy”. He genuinely believes his actions come from a good place but he’s not all he seems and was a little disturbing at times (for those who have read the book and are reading this review… page 52! 😬 That’s all I’ll say). He was *too* nice. There was something about him that unsettled me in the beginning but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Mel gives you insight to her side of her relationship with Cole and boy what happens from her perspective angered and enraged me so much. I even hated the Dr. Neither him or Cole showed any empathy for what Mel was going through.

The ending of the book… yeah I still don’t know how I feel about it. I feel so conflicted. I think what happened in the concluding part was very manipulative in itself and it just didn’t sit well with me, but it shows what lengths some people are willing to go to avenge themselves or others when they feel they aren’t being listened to and just being ignored.

It was scary to me how real this all could actually be if people continue to be ignored and justice isn’t won. So many women and men go through this abuse everyday! If you’ve been through abuse or know of someone who is/has, I urge you to read One of The Good Guys! The book has had such an impact on me and I think it will resonate with many! It has you questioning everyone and trusting no one! Don’t ignore the warning signs! The book explores many types of red flags: manipulation, narcissism, controlling, victim blaming, coercion. To name a few, and it really opens your eyes.

I read this as part of a book break read-a-long with fellow book bloggers and it was absolutely wonderful to chat with them and share our thoughts on the book as we made our way through it. Can’t wait to do it again some time, it was so much fun!

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