It's gripping, takes you to dark and disturbing places inside people's innermost thoughts, can get pretty twisted, is well written, keeps you guessing and hits you with some huge surprises. It soon becomes apparent that the foster family is dysfunctional in its own way and Mike may not be as altruistic as first thought. As a result of this arrest, Milly (formerly known as Annie) moves in with a foster family to prepare for the upcoming trial and to attempt a new life without her Mom. Now in foster care, she is doing her best to fit in and enjoy what family life is supposed to be like.

The fact is, she was unable to help any of the children, and the last murder was just too much for Annie to bear, because she was very close to the victim. The victim's real mother was a monster who passed on these traits through her abuse and more and then there was the foster sister who was the stereotypical bully with bully friends.The concept of the story told through Millie and the idea of her mother's murderous tendencies coming though in Millie was excellent and from start to finish I loved this book and never wanted to put it down. Milly’s an incredibly compelling character, and draws immediate sympathy; and yet every now and then, she lets a thought slip, and you know it’s only a matter of time before she snaps. SET TO BE ONE OF THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY, CONTROVERSIAL AND EXPLOSIVE DEBUTS OF 2017 - for fans of quality psychological suspense and reading group fiction: once you read this book you'll want to talk about it. Though a voracious reader from a young age and a keen observer of the world, it took Ali over thirty years to put pen to paper but she sure is glad she did!

When Annie hands her mother over to the police she hopes for a new start in life - but can we ever escape our past?Land chooses not to delve into the story of this character in-depth, rather, she is described in a distant and dreamy sense by Annie’s recollections. Which brings me to my second concern: because of my intense dislike for all involved, when the climatic deed happened I was actually glad as I'm sure many of you were or even will be! Ali Land delivers a twisted and uniquely written read here which brilliantly delves into our main character’s mind as we really got into Milly’s internal struggles that she had with the good me and bad me persona and the voice she hears of her mother in her head.

Despite escaping her mom and starting a new life with a new identity, the memory of her mom still follows her and torment her. His wife, Saskia, is remote and probably narcissistic, and his teenage daughter Phoebe is able to hide her feelings, her attitudes, and her behavior. The first person narrative is captivating and unique, it allows for a short direct sentence structure and enables lengthy description to be abandoned and replaced by snappy impulsive griping words that delve deep in to Millie's mind. He has never worked with someone as damaged as Milly, but he is well placed to help her adjust to life without her mother, and he knows what warning signs to look for if she’s struggling. I do think regardless it will be a popular book and a great one for book clubs due to the great discussion that could be generated!Milly knows she has 'good and bad' inside her, but she'd rather be good unless someone feeds the wolf within! Through the character of Annie/Millie, Land examines the blame offspring of dangerous criminals face and the self-fulfilling prophecy.

Where Good Me, Bad Me works best for me is where Annie/Milly tells us about what it was like living with her mother and the new life she has with her foster family while she waits to testify at the upcoming trial. After graduating from university with a degree in Mental Health, Ali spent a decade working as a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Nurse in both hospitals and schools in the UK and Australia. Debut author Ali Land has a fantastic way of writing, with her short, clipped and concise sentences - this only goes to prove less is more!Land tackles the main character of Annie/Milly with both resonance and self belief in her key protagonist. Great characters, dark and disturbing plot with great twists and turns to keep the reader interested. The ability of Ali Land in structuring this plot, her character of Annie/Millie, one person split in two personalities, and our conception or perception of what constitutes good or bad, good or evil, a bad seed kept me turning the pages. An intensely creepy novel about a young teenage girl Milly, who was unfortunate enough to grow up with a sadistic mother.