A Most Anticipated Book by: Crime Reads, Buzzfeed, Popsugar, Bustle, New York PostFrom “master of clever misdirection” (Kirkus Reviews) Aimee Molloy, author of the New York Times bestseller The Perfect Mother, comes an irresistible psychological thriller featuring a newly married woman whose life is turned upside down when her husband goes missing.A handsome psychotherapist. His lonely wife. And … whose life is turned upside down when her husband goes missing.
A handsome psychotherapist. His lonely wife. And in his home office ceiling, a vent …
You’d listen too, wouldn’t you? (You know you would.)
Newlyweds Sam Statler and Annie Potter are head over heels, and excited to say good-bye to New York City and start a life together in Sam’s sleepy hometown upstate. Or, it turns out, a life where Annie spends most of her time alone while Sam, her therapist husband, works long hours in his downstairs office, tending to the egos of his (mostly female) clientele. Little does Sam know that through a vent in his ceiling, every word of his sessions can be heard from the room upstairs. The pharmacist’s wife, contemplating a divorce. The well-known painter whose boyfriend doesn’t satisfy her in bed. Who could resist listening? Everything is fine until the French girl in the green mini Cooper shows up, and Sam decides to go to work and not come home, throwing a wrench into Sam and Annie’s happily ever after.
Showcasing Molloy’s deft ability to subvert norms and culminating in the kind of stunning twist that is becoming her trademark, Goodnight Beautiful is a thrilling tale of domestic suspense that not only questions assumptions but defies expectations.
more
Constructed with house-of-cards precision, this cunning story surges forward as though powered by outboard motor. But Molloy proves equally skilled in the elusive arts of character and dialogue: Goodnight Beautiful isn’t only the most suspenseful novel you’ll read this year; it’s likely to be the funniest, too. I wish that every book, in every genre, were as deeply imagined and fully inhabited as this one.
Fast-paced, addictive and exquisitely chilling thriller. It started with a bang of a twist and didn’t let go. I couldn’t put it down until I’d finally turned the last page. Masterfully plotted, populated with rich intriguing characters. Aimee Molloy is a master of misdirection and perfectly timed revelations. Loved all the psychology woven into the story.
I’m going to save my full review for publishing date – 10/13/20 – but absolutely, definitely put this on your TBR list because it’s a stay-up-all-night, turn off your phone, settle in and get comfortable because you will not want to put this thriller down once you read the very first page!! Goodnight Beautiful Aimee Molloy
This is chilling psychological fiction as it contains a sociopath who does some clever, kinky manipulating and plotting. You won’t find out who that is for quite a while into this book, but have fun guessing who it is.
The story revolves around Dr. Sam Statler, a psychologist. He’s newly married and has decided to move back to his smaller hometown in upstate New York to care for his ailing mother and live a quieter life.
He’s found the perfect place to fashion his new private practice in a beautiful old building and the owner is willing to let Sam redecorate however he likes. He’s getting the space for what he thinks is a really good deal.
Sam is riding high because he’s found a letter stating that his father is leaving his mother and ultimately him a good deal of money after many years of neglect. Sam wastes no time in spending money on furniture, a new car etc. All he needs is to get his mother to sign the papers for him to have power of attorney. That shouldn’t be hard right?
Sam feels he’s in the perfect place in his life. He has a new practice and a new wife, Annie, whom he adores. But we all know that things are never as perfect as they appear and Sam is about to learn a very big lesson!!! He’s very good at seeing inside his patients minds and motives but fails to turn the same attention on himself and those close to him, BIG MISTAKE!!
I hope this is enough to get you interested in reading this thriller with the ultimate unreliable narrator. Ms. Molloy uses this element to manipulate the reader more than once. There are quite a few twists that you will not see coming, I can pretty much promise you that.
I think fans of Ms.Malloy will be delighted and eager to devour her new offering and I’m sure she will gain new fans.
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss.
The novel is set to publish on October 13, 2020
I can’t remember how I found this book, but it left me mostly feeling confused and disappointed. Maybe I wasn’t reading carefully enough to appreciate how this author turned what seemed like an unoriginal plot tactic into something more. Whatever the reason, this wasn’t the book for me.
Wow! This book is a hard one to review without giving away the twists. If was hard to get into at first, but then the twists start coming! What you think you know, you don’t! I love that this book tells the story from multiple points of view, and it makes you think while you read to figure out whose POV you are reading. My one critique, the book’s ending was too tied up in a bow…I tend to favor books that end leaving you thinking…..what?! This one didn’t do that, it wrapped up everything nicely with no questions remaining. Nevertheless, you won’t be sorry if you pick this book up to read!
Goodnight Beautiful is a superb domestic thriller that will smack you in the face if you’re not paying close enough attention. And you’ll deserve it, too.
There were more “what the heck?” moments in Aimee Molloy’s Goodnight Beautiful that I can possibly recall. More than once I found myself stopping and re-reading a section to make sure that the twist Molloy just nailed me with was deserved or just a shady sleight of hand. It turns out each time was well deserved.
I’ve said it before—I love to be fooled and Molloy got me with this one. No spoilers here because you should experience it too.
Psychotherapist Sam Statler goes missing after recently returning to his hometown of Chestnut Hill, New York. Sam is recently married, something he and his wife of 13 or so weeks celebrate every single week. Newlyweds, right?
Sam is back in town to help care for his ailing mother and sets up a practice in town in the basement of a beautiful old home with some special quirks.
The journey to find Sam and who we as the reader are trusting, are the driving elements of this exceptionally crafted work of art. There are moments where some of the narration may seem needlessly tedious, but it’s certainly all done for effect and often with a sarcastic wit. One of our unreliable narrators is a real gem.
Some reviewers have (wrongly) compared this novel to one of Stephen King’s most famous works. Again, no spoilers, so figure it out yourself. I will say, King doesn’t own this idea any more than Molloy, who has definitely staked a claim for queen of this genre.
3.5 Rounded to 3
For the most part, I did enjoy this retelling of Stephen King’s Misery, but it was just too predictable for me. I figured out all but one part of the big “reveals” in the first couple of chapters. The author does well with the part I assumed incorrectly as I bet most will LOL.
The writing was done well enough that I was engaged but some of it I skimmed through because I already knew what would happen. Those parts were boring for me.
Overall, this is an interesting one and for those who haven’t read Misery, you will probably enjoy this more than I did.
My favorite kind of psychological thriller is one that takes me on a journey, twisting and turning my emotions until I don’t know which end is up. I love being surprised, of being certain I know the gist of things, and then having the rug pulled out from under me. Goodnight Beautiful gave me all of that and more!
This review is going to be short and sweet. I’m not going to delve too much into the story itself, as that is a journey readers need to take for themselves. It’s the kind of book that you just need to go into blind and experience it for yourself.
The author has done a brilliant job of creating a mood of anticipation, of giving the reader just enough to make assumptions about the course of the story. It was so well done that, when all was finally revealed, it made it so much more satisfying.
This really was the perfect psychological thriller, and I loved the entire ride!
My recommendation: If you love a great thriller that will keep you guessing, this is the one to read!
I devoured this book – reading straight through to the finish!! There are several twists in this book that will stop you in your tracks. This is the perfect psychological thriller with a nod to Stephen King.
Annie and Sam are desperately in love newlyweds, with a perfect marriage, or so it seems. But Sam is hiding things from his beautiful wife, and then he disappears without a trace.
Twisted!!
Thanks to Hodder And Stouton and NetGalley for the copy. All opinions are freely given.
#NetGalley #GoodnightBeautiful
*spoiler alert**
Such a strong beginning.
The first twist at the end of part 1, made me reread pages because, of course, I had fallen in the author’s trap. “Oh that book is so good!” I said to myself.
But then it slowly went downhill.
The fact that it was like Misery from Stephen King was like ah ok.
Too bad the author didn’t think about something new.
I finished the book hoping, but no.
I remain disappointed.
Such an interesting and unexpected story!
I was intrigued by so many reviews and I finally found the time to read it.
I must admit that I’ve read it in one sitting because it kept my interest from the first chapter and wanted to know what’s going to happen with the newlyweds and what life’s going to bring in for them.
I loved the medical research and how the author has included it here, so many psychological aspects and I wanted to know more why Sam was acting like that and what actually happened with his mother. I loved her letters . There were a few things that didn’t work for me as in why Annie didn’t do more to look him up but that hasn’t stopped me from enjoying the story overall.
And that ending was very unexpected, to be honest.
I can easily see why it’s a must read story and I highly recommend it.
Actually this was a 3 1/2 star read for me. It was good, but didn’t grip me like some books do. I felt that it was rather predictable. The plot seemed a little stale as it was based on Misery by Stephen King. The tie in that was used was clever, but not mind blowing. It is worth reading, but would not be top of the list for me.
Wow, this was an amazing read! Packed with twists and turns, kept me on the edge of my seat. I loved every page, from beginning to the end!
Great read, solid four stars. The writing craft is superior and carries much of the load holding the reader in tight to the story. This book is an unreliable narrator similar to other great thrillers like Gone Girl, and Girl on The Train. The story starts off fast and really moves. The unreliable narrator construction can leave the reader feeling cheated, but not here, the author covered the character’s tracks masterfully. What I liked most about this one is the voice. Voice is the most difficult to get right and to stay consistent. I was immersed in “The Fictive Dream,” from start to finish. The details and the voice created live three-dimensional characters. The author follows closely many standard precepts in writing that also helps to hold the reader in the story. I highly recommend this one for thriller readers.
David Putnam author of The Bruno Johnson series.
Quite the ride this book was. I saw a review that called the author ‘a master of clever misdirection’ and boy, was that right. Heart-pounding, original, compelling.
Started out very interesting and kept my attention. Ending was very odd and really not believable.
Very haunting book. I enjoyed it a lot.
Thank you Harper Audio & Librofm for gifting me a copy of this audiobook.
Once again, I went into a book with very little preconceived notions because I took a look at the title and the cover and decide to give it a try This book turned out to be a thriller, one I quite enjoyed.
Newlyweds Sam & Annie move to a little town in upstate New York in order to be close to Sam’s ailing mother. One day, Sam leaves his office and never arrives home, seeming to disappear without a trace.
Not all is as it appears in this book. I loved how the author had you believing one story, only to flip the script and have you realizing you had it all wrong. There’s a couple big twists, ones you won’t see coming! This story is told from the POV of multiple people, which adds an additional layer of intrigue and interest to the story. I seriously couldn’t get enough, especially once the twists started to unfold!
: Wow! I’m so glad that I had listened to this on audiobook. I thought that the narrators did an amazing job at bringing each character to life (each POV had its own narrator). Each narrator was easy to understand and gave a district personality to the character they were portraying, making it easy to pick up in the middle of a chapter and know exactly who’s POV we were in.
Well-structured plot and twists but I didn’t feel that connected to the characters.