This is part of my Summer Reads series where I’ll be sharing book recommendations – a series of “not just cookbooks”.
This week’s Summer Reads pick came across my desk thanks to a chance sighting on NetGalley – as soon as I read the synopsis, I immediately requested a copy.
From the publisher:
It’s 10 p.m. on a Thursday in the spring of her freshman year of college, and April is standing at the back of a crowded Manhattan bar waiting for her friend, Rudy, to arrive. Their eyes lock the moment he enters the room, and in an instant, lives and legacies are altered forever.
Within hours, Rudy is arrested. Within days, April is expelled. Within weeks, he’s incarcerated. And within months, she meets Peter, a prodigious young attorney who makes her world recognizable again.
Nearly fifteen years later, April is happily living in Chicago married to Peter, a mother of three with a fulfilling career and standing yoga date with her girlfriends. On the eve of Peter’s election for local office, Rudy is up for parole. Headlines explode about April’s past, jeopardizing Peter’s campaign and everything they hold dear. Suddenly, April is faced with an impossible choice: protecting the life she created, or the person who sacrificed everything to make that life a possibility. Such Good People is a captivating portrait of blurred lines, divided loyalties, and what it means to love purely, steadfastly, and interminably.
I had not heard of author Amy Blumenfeld, prior to reading this book but I’ll look out for more from her. This was such a good read!
April and Rudy grow up together in Brooklyn and even though April moves away to college, they remain good friends. An evening out in New York as young adults changes the course of both their lives. The story begins years later – we pick up on April’s life – she’s moved to Chicago, is a happily married mother whose husband, Peter, is running for public office and she’s moved on from her earlier trauma – and Rudy’s still in jail, just about to be released on early parole. What happens next throws both their lives into turmoil for different reasons. April’s friendship and loyalty are put to the ultimate test in this gripping story that blends emotion with hard facts.
Written from multiple POVs (April, Rudy, and a friend from college, Jill), and in a dual timeline, this is a really compelling story that examines the themes of justice, friendship, love, loyalty, class, privilege – it’s the ultimate “why do bad things happen to good people?” story. It makes you think about choices and how even the smallest decision can have a ripple effect lasting a lifetime.
From the start, I questioned the murder conviction, based on the evidence and I was really engaged in Rudy’s story and invested in seeing justice for him. The characters were well developed and even though some of them did unlikeable things, I felt empathy towards them all. Difficult situations call for difficult decisions and made for a compelling story.
“Unputdownable” – a really excellent summer (or anytime) read!
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Disclosure: I received an advance digital copy from NetGalley and SparkPress in exchange for an honest review. I am not receiving any compensation for reviewing the book. Neither the author nor the publisher reviewed this post prior to publication. All opinions are my own.
Buy Such Good People on Amazon (this affiliate link should bring you to the Amazon store in, or closest to, your country).
For free worldwide shipping, find Such Good People on Blackwell’s.
Support your local Indie bookstore and purchase Such Good People on Bookshop.org.
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