The problem with reading an amazing book like [b:Idaho|30141401|Idaho|Emily Ruskovich|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1477489980s/30141401.jpg|50575377] is that the next book you read is going to pale in comparison (It would be like a really good singer taking the stage after Adele. The really good singer doesn't have a prayer of measuring up.) I think that's what happened here.

"The Good Goodbye" had the makings of a decent suspense book -- family drama, unanswered questions, lots of red herrings -- but at the end of it all I simply felt like it was a little bit better than okay. And to top it off, there were several plot holes that annoyed me: a person "faking" their way into Harvard would be uncovered. It is ridiculously hard to get into the Ivies and involves more than good grades and SAT scores.; this story takes place in the modern day -- they are Skyping for Heaven's sake-- yet the kids don't have their chicken pox vaccines because the mother didn't "get around to it". Unless someone is an anti-vaxer, every kid has his/her chicken pox vaccine these days. It's not something that one "gets around to" like a flu shot. This wasn't even a major plot point, so it was doubly annoying.; and while not a plot hole, I was annoyed that the brothers were named "Vincent" and "Theo" (I know, this is very picky, but why name the characters after a set of famous brothers without even making mention that they were named for famous brothers).

2.75 stars rounded up to 3. ( )

Two cousins, Rory and Arden, and their families are the focus of this book. The two girls have been like sisters since they were infants, very similar in appearance and always together. Rory is the outgoing confident leader of the two and Arden is the quiet and somewhat awkward follower. Together their families own a restaurant and due to an unfortunately bad investment made by Rory's father they are now in danger of losing ownership of the restaurant and their financial well-being is in jeopardy. So the girls must both give up their dream colleges and attend a lest costly local school where, of course, they share a dorm room.

There is a fire in their dorm room and both girls jump from a window to save themselves. As a result, they are both in critical condition in the hospital. The story behind the fire begins to unravel as the girls and their families cope with what soon become life-threatening injuries for Rory and Arden.

Interesting characters portray themes of family relationships and secrets, lies, and cheating in a book that is a little bit mystery and a lot of emotion. ( )

This just did not catch my attention at all. The story is told in 2 parts: the first the present time when the girls are in hospital, and the second are flashbacks to before. The hospital events do not move at all until the book is nearly done. There's just no plot moved forward. Very drawn out plot and not all that interesting. ( )

Good book. It was a surprise. ( )

I was intrigued to pick up The Good Goodbye by its synopsis and immediately became hooked into the story from the very first pages. From the beginning of the novel, the story sets a fast pace. Once you are introduced to the main characters you are thrown into the midst of chaos. We see a tragic incident occur and the family as well as the readers are left to pick up the pieces surrounding the accident.

Each chapter is the point of view of the main characters and it constantly shifts throughout the entire novel. Having multiple viewpoints allows you to see the different perspectives of characters through one’s eyes and you also get a better understanding of how the characters react emotionally to each situation. Rather than getting each character’s back story at the start of the book, we learn more about them through the various viewpoints and flashbacks.

From the beginning, The Good Goodbye also presents this picture perfect family. As the plot moves along you find out things are not as great as it seems and tensions arise between characters. As the story unravels you’ll keep guessing what was the motive behind the accident and why did it occur. With each flash back you get a puzzle piece that helps you tie together the mystery as well as seeing past the facades of each character.

Since this novel is so suspenseful it’s hard to discuss it without giving too much of the mystery away. Overall, I enjoyed its many twists and turns that kept me on edge the entire story. Nothing is as it seems and soon as you put in trust in one character, the next chapter you might rethink your choice. The novel was well written and what makes this story so good is the fact that you are placed inside the character’s head rather than be a bystander.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a honest and fair review. ( )