Brooke's Pick: For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing

Teddy Crutcher, Belmont Academy’s Teacher of the Year, is frustrated by his colleagues and endlessly meddlesome parents who begin digging a bit too deeply into his affairs after the death of an Academy parent and his seemingly missing wife.

Dark Academia is a subgenre that is exploding in the literary world. Think books set in often prestigious academic institutions with danger stalking the hallways and twists and turns lurking around every corner. Acclaimed suspense author Samantha Downing returns with a dark academia novel that is sure to fulfill the cravings of anyone who can't get enough of sinister stories set in schools.

People are dying at Belmont Academy by poison, but no one knows who is toxic among the students and staff. Of course, there are plenty of suspicious people creeping around, including Teacher of the Year Teddy Crutcher, who is a despicably snooty academic sort with an agenda all his own. As the body count rises, many of those who walk Belmont Academy's esteemed halls will find themselves in the hot seat. The FBI are on the hunt for a killer, but just how many people are players in this deadly game?

For Your Own Good was my pick for the 2021 PopSugar Reading Challenge's dark academia prompt. I feel that this novel really fit the bill, as it embodies menacing and ominous tones throughout. You definitely get a feel of wealth and privilege as you read this novel, as well as no-holds-barred ruthlessness in the elite's pursuit of getting exactly what they want and feel they deserve. That encapsulates dark academia for me, so if you are looking for a read with these vibes, you will really enjoy this book.

For Your Own Good embraces dark humor and never takes itself too seriously. Be prepared to hate every single character in this novel and scoff at their thoughts and actions. In fact, you may actually want to see them all dead. But perhaps that's the point. With multiple viewpoints and multiple deaths, you may think that you have this mystery all figured out, but just when you think you've solved it, Downing pulls the rug out from under you again and again.

I came to For Your Own Good after reading Downing's first novel, My Lovely Wife. My Lovely Wife was a 4-star read for me, and I didn't enjoy For Your Own Good quite as much, hence I feel like a 3-star rating is appropriate. This novel has many of the characteristics that people love about the suspense genre - a who-dun-it and why, a fast pace, and tons of twists and turns - but as a reader who prefers my thrillers to be more psychological, For Your Own Good didn't capture my attention and admiration 100%.

Availability: Book; Large Print Book; eBook & eAudiobook in cloudLibrary Rating: *** Stars (I liked it) Reviewer: Brooke, Public Relations Librarian

ARE YOU AND THIS BOOK A GOOD MATCH? DISCOVER MORE WITH NOVELIST APPEALS! For Your Own Good

GENRE: Thrillers & Suspense PACE: Fast-Paced STORYLINE: Intricately Plotted TONE: Darkly Humorous; Suspenseful CHARACTER: Large Cast of Characters SUBJECT: Missing Women; Parent-Teacher Relationships; Prep Schools; Private Schools; Rich Families; Serial Murders; Success; Teachers; Teacher-Student Relationships