The Good Ones

The Good Ones

Yesterday I finished reading an early copy of debut novel The Good Ones by Polly Stewart. Nicola Bennett returns to her hometown of Tyndall County after her mother dies nearly after twenty years when her friend Lauren vanished. Nicola is surprised to see that most of the town has moved on from her disappearance. Nicola takes a job as a substitute English teacher and she uses this opportunity to investigate what happened to her missing friend.

 

Pros

The idea was a great one for a novel and the cover is gorgeous to look at. It was a quick read.

 

 Cons

Oh lord I hate bringing up more negatives than positives but unfortunately I have to. While the idea was decent, unfortunately the story meanders on and on. Without warning it would switch to a flashback of Nicola and Lauren’s friendship and what Lauren was really like. I also didn’t care for any of the characters at all. The ending seemed a tad Gone Girl-ish. I think this book would have benefitted if it was either shorter or if it was a short story.

 

 Overall

 

While the idea was decent, it wasn’t enough. I think The Good Ones, would have benefitted from more editing before it was published. The story meandered too much and there was something missing that would have made this mystery spectacular. This probably would have been better as a novella or a short story even. I do plan on giving Polly Stewart another chance in the future. The Good Ones will be published on June 6th if you want to pre-order it or put it on hold at the library.