Bantam, January 19, 2016.
Four Stars
This is the story of Arden and Rory, cousins who lie
unconscious in the hospital burn unit as the novel opens. There was a fatal
fire in their shared dorm room, and as police question the girls’ parents, the
parents themselves begin to question how well they knew their daughters. On top
of all that, the parents have their own conflict, as Rory’s father’s bad
investment choices may have lost the restaurant that he co-owns with his
brothers’ wife, Arden’s mother.
Rory and Arden are cousins, but they grew up like
sisters, born only months apart. They attended the same private school,
although Rory was the popular girl and Arden the straight-A student. Their
sister-like competitiveness extended from grades and friends to love interests,
and their love triangle may have been the cause of the fire – however, the
girls cannot speak for themselves, so we only see flashbacks leading up to the
fire, making the story much more intriguing. There were definitely some really
great plot twists – I had a lot of guesses, but I was still surprised many
times.
Arden’s mother, Natalie, plays a large part in the
story, and it was interesting to see how her perspective of her daughter’s life
contrasted with actual events as seen through Arden’s eyes. The novel plays on
the fears of parenthood, questioning how well parents can really know their children.
The girls are 18-years-old, technically adults and suddenly given (perhaps too
much) responsibility. They are forced to make life-altering choices, yet their
parents still shelter them from their own concerns.
The contrast between Rory and Arden is a clear
example of nature vs. nurture – the girls are so similar, raised together and
attending the same schools, yet they have completely different goals and
motivations. In fact, the girls are not the only diametrically opposed
characters. There are also Vince and Theo, the girls’ fathers who are also twin
brothers; Arden’s younger siblings, twin boys; and the contrast between Natalie
and her sister-in-law, who make wildly different decisions regarding the
upbringing of their children. The character pairings explore how people can respond
so differently to the same situations, for better or worse.
The Good
Goodbye was very entertaining, and definitely kept
me guessing. I might have appreciated a bit more depth of emotion, but it wasn’t
necessary, and the characters were strong overall, especially within the
thriller genre. Many of the scenes were well-researched, especially the medical
scenarios involving the girls. Even with similar characters, their voices were
distinct, with separate voices and personalities – although the girls sometimes
seemed a little too juvenile for their age. The ending was handled well, and
tied everything together, making this a really fun, thrilling read.
I received this novel from Bantam and Netgalley in
exchange for an honest review.
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