Good Girl - Book Review

By Lauren Layne

Synopsis

Jenny Dawson moved to Nashville to write music, not get famous. But when her latest record goes double platinum, Jenny’s suddenly one of the town’s biggest stars—and the center of a tabloid scandal connecting her with a pop star she’s barely even met. With paparazzi tracking her every move, Jenny flees to a remote mansion in Louisiana to write her next album. The only hiccup is the unexpected presence of a brooding young caretaker named Noah, whose foul mouth and snap judgments lead to constant bickering—and serious heat.

Noah really should tell Jenny that he’s Preston Noah Maxwell Walcott, the owner of the estate where the feisty country singer has made her spoiled self at home. But the charade gives Noah a much-needed break from his own troubles, and before long, their verbal sparring is indistinguishable from foreplay. But as sizzling nights give way to quiet pillow talk, Noah begins to realize that Jenny’s almost as complicated as he is. To fit into each other’s lives, they’ll need the courage to face their problems together—before the outside world catches up to them.

Review

I’ve read a few books from Lauren Layne and have quite enjoyed them, so I’m sad to say that this one was not a favourite, mainly because of the two lead characters. Noah is a hard character to like. For most of the book he treats Jenny horribly, saying crude and hurtful things to her all because he wants her but doesn’t want to want her. He would sincerely apologise each time, but then he’d go and do it again and again. Jenny, on the other hand, is a very nice young woman, but I did feel she wasn’t a strong character. People slander her and she never defends herself. Noah treats her like crap, but she comes running back as soon as an apology leaves his lips. I kept waiting for her to do something, to stand up for herself or to put people in their place, but she never did, which was a let down.

What saved this story was the humour that occasionally popped up. I loved the funny and cute scenes with Noah’s and Jenny’s dogs, and I also loved Noah’s friends: Finn and Vaughn. When the three of them were together, their banter was sarcastic, funny and very enjoyable to read. GOOD GIRL is told in dual POVs and while it’s part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone. Overall, this was a pleasant enough read that comes with a really sweet HEA.