A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Lizzie Kitsakis is working late when she gets the call. Grueling hours are standard at elite law firms like Young & Crane, but they’d be easier to swallow if Lizzie was there voluntarily. Until recently, she’d been a happily underpaid federal prosecutor. That job and her brilliant, devoted husband Sam—she had everything she’d ever wanted. And then, suddenly, it all fell apart. 

No. That’s a lie. It wasn’t sudden, was it? Long ago the cracks in Lizzie’s marriage had started to show. She was just good at averting her eyes. 

The last thing Lizzie needs right now is a call from an inmate at Rikers asking for help—even if Zach Grayson is an old friend. But Zach is desperate: his wife, Amanda, has been found dead at the bottom of the stairs in their Brooklyn brownstone. And Zach’s the primary suspect. 

As Lizzie is drawn into the dark heart of idyllic Park Slope, she learns that Zach and Amanda weren’t what they seemed—and that their friends, a close-knit group of fellow parents at the exclusive Grace Hall private school, might be protecting troubling secrets of their own. In the end, she’s left wondering not only whether her own marriage can be saved, but what it means to have a good marriage in the first place."

My Thoughts:

A Good Marriage is one of those books that I almost let myself put off reading because of all of the hype that it was receiving pre-release.  I know that shouldn't be a thing but sometimes books that are SO popular almost scare me off more than those books which receive little to no buzz (I STILL haven't read The Hunger Games if that tells you anything).  Kimberly McCreight is also an author who I've always intended to read but hadn't yet tried until now.  All of that being said, I'm so glad that I decided to mood read my way through August because it led to me picking this one off of my shelves where it was sitting with all of the other books that I haven't gotten to yet.  I have to say that I really, really enjoyed this one!  I wasn't sure what to expect because as with so many popular books, I had seen a mix of reviews where some readers loved it and others not as much.  The thing about this book though is that for me, it gripped me from the very first page.  It's told from a couple of different viewpoints - one is from Lizzie's point of view as she is drawn into the investigation of what happened to Zach's wife and the second viewpoint is from Amanda's viewpoint and the events leading up to her death.  The combination of the two viewpoints made for a very compelling read.  So compelling that I ended up finishing the last fourth of this book by candlelight at my kitchen table because we had lost power earlier that afternoon from a huge storm.  I just HAD to see how everything was all going to end!!  And while I really, really enjoyed this book - there were a few minor issues that I had with it that kept it from being a five star read.  I cannot share specifics because spoilers but if you've already read this one and want to discuss, just send me a message.  I will say that this book really takes a look at marriages and some of the hard truths that can be behind some of them.  I felt so badly for Amanda for a variety of reasons throughout the book.  And it was hard for me to relate the facts of her death with the parts of the book that were told from her viewpoint because I liked her.  I didn't want that ending for her even though technically it had already happened.  Does that even make sense?  I just came to care for her character so it was hard to see everything that she was forced to go through with really no happy ending to come.  I've seen reviews that compare this to a legal thriller but I don't think that I agree.  There are some legal parts to it but it's not a courtroom setting or anything like that so just a FYI so that you go into this book with the right expectations.  I do think that this is a very suspenseful read - and totally worth all of the hype that it received!  Lesson learned that I should probably shy away from hyped books less...

Overall, I enjoyed my time with this book and am eager to read more by this author.  I believe I already have at least one of her other books waiting on my shelves to be read.  Readers that enjoy mysteries, suspenseful reads that keep you guessing, and those that enjoy books where everyone seems to have a secret or two should definitely check this book out.  Also, I saw a comparison to Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty - I can see the comparison (not in specifics necessarily) so if you enjoyed that one you may want to pick this one up as well.  All in all, this is a book that I would definitely recommend!

Bottom Line:  A suspenseful and compelling read!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher.  Honest thoughts are my own.