For Your Own Good

3.75 stars!

This is a book that 100% does not take itself seriously. It’s just full of murder and a plot full of twists and turns. It’s definitely not like a “normal” mystery/thriller, and stuff happens that I definitely was not expecting until the very last page. People died whom I was not expecting, and Teddy kept getting away with everything and I was just like !!!

I normally would not like an abrupt ending, but I actually quite liked this one. It worked really well for the story and seemed perfect for this novel in particular. Also I really enjoyed getting into the main character’s head. Writing from the antagonist’s point of view can be tricky and often not done well I feel, particularly when writing psychopaths, but I feel like the author really got into Teddy’s head in a realistic manner.

I couldn’t put it down and read about 85% of the book in one day. I’ve just been bad about reading in general lately, which is why it took me almost a month to get to reading the rest of the book.

Bestselling author Samantha Downing sets For Your Own Good at a high school and bases the story on experiences with which everyone can relate -- the "pressure and confusion" of being a teenager.

Teddy Crutcher has finally achieved his goal. He has been named Teacher of the Year at Belmont Academy, the exclusive and prestigious private school from which he, unlike many other faculty members, did not graduate. Teddy is dedicated to his profession and his pupils. He fervently believes that it is his responsibility to ensure that his students turn out to be the best people they can be. So long as they conform to his moral and ethical standards, of course . . . which are questionable, at best. Teddy enjoys injecting "a little drama" into the lessons he delivers. Because unlike his students, he did not have a privileged upbringing. "No one told him that right and wrong aren't always what they appear to be. he had to learn that for himself. He also had to learn that lying isn't an option; it's a necessity." So if Teddy has to make specific things happen, engineering the desired results, he will. No matter whose life might be changed as a result of his efforts.

Teddy is yet another fascinating and diabolical character created by Downing. As she reveals Teddy's thoughts, it is clear that he sincerely and wholeheartedly believes his opinions and actions are well-founded and justified, and that he is performing an important service by bettering his students and, thus, the world. For instance, he poses on social media as a friend of his students, especially one of his brightest, Zach. He knows the behavior is "borderline self-destructive," but his curiosity outweighs his good sense. After all, it's the only way to keep track of what is happening in his students' lives. And that information is critical to his ability to carry out his responsibilities.

Teddy resorts to all sorts of repugnant methods to control what happens at Belmont. For instance, he alters the coffee pods in the teachers' lounge. He slips some of the coffee drinkers cold medicine. Others calm down with a dose of Valium or sleeping pills. He gives his most talented students lower grades than they deserve, including Zach, a senior with straight A's, a bright future, and overbearing parents who expect Zach's tuition to ensure that he continues receiving great grades. In Teddy's estimation, "Zach is a smug little bastard who has no appreciation for anything or anyone except himself." The paper he submitted deserved an A, but Teddy graded it more harshly. "If Zach were a better person, he would've received a better grade." Because, after all, "Teddy is just helping everyone. Doing what's best for them." That's Teddy's mission, even though he feels perpetually unappreciated.

Sonia Benjamin, a Belmont graduate, is known to the students as Mrs. B. She's a good teacher who oversees The Bugle, the school newspaper. The students love her. Teddy arranged for her to have a very bad day at school, but she recovers and returns just in time for the celebration of her ten-year anniversary at the school. To commemorate Teddy's ten-year anniversary, there was just a small gathering in the teachers' lounge and his ten-year pin was delivered to him via his department mailbox. "But Sonia is different. As a former Belmont student, she's part of the family." Teddy doesn't approve and arranges an unpleasant surprise for Sonia that goes horribly wrong, even though he only "meant to ruin her party. Just a little."

Courtney Ross, a junior who is the newspaper editor, is Zack's good friend. Her mother, Ingrid, is a member of the Belmont Academy's board of directors -- the group that selects the Teacher of the Year. When Courtney is wrongfully accused of a horrible crime, Teddy has to act to maintain control of the situation.

For Your Own Good is replete with shocking plot twists and surprising revelations. As with her previous books, Downing surrounds Teddy with a cast of compelling supporting characters, including one who was previously victimized by Teddy, and has returned to teach at Belmont and extract revenge. And a former math teacher, Frank Maxwell, who had a mental breakdown and, following treatment, embarked on a new career in the ministry. Frank knows a great deal about Teddy and his personal life.

In For Your Own Good, Downing takes the relatable experiences of high school students, teachers, and parents to exaggerated, perverted extremes to pen an engrossing and completely entertaining mystery. The story is not just tautly-constructed, inventive, and clever, it is imbued with dark hilarity. The story moves at a steadily brisk pace, and Downing intensifies the dramatic tension as Teddy begins piecing together clues about what is actually happening to his life -- and why. But is it too late for Teddy and his psychopathically well-intentioned machinations? In true Downing style, she delivers a stunning but conclusion to the story. Readers will be anxious to see just what Downing comes up with next.

Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.

Interesting storyline, not the best characters. I enjoyed how fast-paced it was since some parts felt either reparative or like they were dragging on.

i liked it! i think the push and pull between characters was well played out. fast paced, and the back and forth between 'i think this person did it' and that person thinks someone else did it made for a good story line. and i liked how it ended. i just think its easily forgettable?.. but was enjoyable to read! i'd recommend it for sure

Seemed kind of juvenile, both in language and character...a few amusing twists, but too long getting to them