Her Good Girl

Elaine
Stock
Genre: 
Inspirational

SUSPENSE/THRILLER:  Sadie Tremont is tired of doctor's. Growing up, her mother has insisted that she has had one mysterious illness after another. Her mother often demands that doctors see her and treat illnesses they can never find.  Sadie is starting to suspect that all the sickness and Tari Lynn's remedies are slowly killing her. She comes together with Sky who insists that they make her mother pay.  Torn between pleasing the young man who gives her the attention she desperately craves and loving her mother, she's perplexed. She finds a new friend in Callie who shows her that trusting God may be the answer she needs.

"Her Good Girl" is an emotionally provocative book that brings to light the pertinent social issue of mental illness.  The conflict is palpable, practically jumping off the pages. There is a lot of showing without telling. The author paints a picture of a specific mental illness, yet does so without ever coming right out and naming it. The characters are distinctive and well defined. The use of multiple perspectives is done well and gives a good picture of what's going on with respective characters.  Although shifting between various viewpoints is necessary, at times it becomes confusing. The pacing is a bit off, with the narrative starting out extremely slowly.  Its flaws aside, “Her Good Girl” brings the reader on an emotional journey that is heart-wrenching yet, in the end, very satisfying, leaving the reader feeling encouraged.

Jessica Samuelsen