Review: Dark, psychological thriller
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 23, 2014
Eleni drowns her demons by drinking away her problems and engrossing herself in school work. Sounds like the typical college student? Maybe- except her behaviors are extremely destructive. Little does she know Gabriel, also haunted by demons, has been watching her-waiting to make his move. Just like his namesake, Gabriel takes the role of a fallen angel and sets in motion his devious plan to save Eleni.Whoa- what an intense read! I am left emotionally drained after reading this but must get my thoughts out! This book took my expectations and blew them out of the water- the formula is new and different compared to others in the similar genre. The main characters are different- both so demented yet lovable that I read each chapter greedily waiting to see what they would do next.It almost seemed this novel took the usual captive fantasy and back-masked it- we BEGIN with a semi-humane and damaged man instead of discovering his humanity along the way. We BEGIN knowing the why and the who from the man and make our great revelations from the heroine instead.I commend the authors for bringing real-life issues into this novel with tact, dignity, and a realistic portrayal. Gabriel suffers from a severe mental illness and we discover just how sick he is along with Eleni. A lot of times an author will throw a diagnosis out on a character that doesn't fit the psychological profile- merely an added shock factor. This isn't the case in this book- its believable and heart-wrenching.My heart went out to Eleni- she's the type of character that no matter what she did I would always "like" her. Despite her flaws of being promiscuous, a drunk, and a loudmouth I always had the feeling that she was a genuinely good person. A person who would give their last dollar to someone in need, a person that would care for a sick animal, and a person who may destroy themselves but would help someone else in her last breath. The ending only confirmed my beliefs and I can guarantee you won't be able to predict the direction this story goes!The Good Girl consists of contrasts: darkness and light, good and evil, scarred and beautiful, brutality and compassion. There is a profound message in this story that definitely spoke loudly to me- and I am anxious to see others' opinion upon its release. Please note this is a dark novel and may not be appropriate for all readers.