For Your Own Good, by Samantha Downing {Book Review}

I always enjoy reading a second or third book from an author that I have recently discovered. I read Samantha Downing’s ‘My Lovely Wife‘ a while back, and I really enjoyed it. Samantha has a really different, twisted, wicked kind of brain! When I had the opportunity to review For Your Own Good recently, I jumped at the chance! Was reading this for my own good?? Let’s see…..

What is For Your Own Good about?

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.

My Thoughts

For Your Own Good is a really original, wicked sort of thriller. Samantha’s writing is not like any other author’s out there, her writing style is very unique, very entertaining….and really wicked in a delicious why-am-I-laughing-about-murder kinda way.

Once you start reading this book, you’re in for one hell of a ride….One filled with a lot of pettiness, a lot of murder and a lot of suspicious behaviour. Everybody seems guilty of something at Belmont, but we don’t know quite what!

For your Own good, to me, leans more towards ‘black comedy‘. So much murder, and you know whodunnit, and you know who keeps on ‘dunning it’…..so there’s no mystery or suspense, but it’s just so entertaining! There are so many characters, all with a secret, all with motive, so you’re really in it for the ride. In the end it all comes together…all the secrets kind of collide for a really satisfying conclusion!

My Rating

For Your Own Good has a Goodreads rating of 3.9 stars and it’s a solid 3.5 stars for me! Great writing, well paced and if you’re not into dark, gory thrillers, you’ll definitely enjoy this twisted, crazy, but also really entertaining story…..where Teddy just wants what is best for his students…right?

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House SA for my review copy of For Your Own Good.