A review by nuhafariha
Good Girl by Aria Aber

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy.

Available January 2025.

Compulsively readable, Aria Aber's debut novel is like a retelling of Bluebeard set in contemporary Germany and imbued with a heap of drugs and indie cinema aesthetics. While I generally enjoyed the writing style, I found myself getting annoyed with some of the vapid comments of the narrator and her own self sabatoge. As a Muslim immigrant myself, it felt like the narrator despised her own skin and cultural heritage and upheld values of white supremacy. I had trouble with this aspect of the book and it soured the reading experience some.