Goodnight Beautiful: A Novel

Written by Aimee Molloy

Narrated by Val Toomey, George Newbern, Marin Ireland and Joel Froomkin

Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award 

From “master of clever misdirection” (Kirkus Reviews) Aimee Molloy, author of the New York Times bestseller The Perfect Mother, comes an irresistible psychological thriller featuring a newly married woman whose life is turned upside down when her husband goes missing.

Newlyweds Sam Statler and Annie Potter are head over heels, and excited to say good-bye to New York City and start a life together in Sam's sleepy hometown upstate. Or, it turns out, a life where Annie spends most of her time alone while Sam, her therapist husband, works long hours in his downstairs office, tending to the egos of his (mostly female) clientele. Little does Sam know that through a vent in his ceiling, every word of his sessions can be heard from the room upstairs. The pharmacist's wife, contemplating a divorce. The well-known painter whose boyfriend doesn’t satisfy her in bed. Who could resist listening? Everything is fine until the French girl in the green mini Cooper shows up, and Sam decides to go to work and not come home, throwing a wrench into Sam and Annie's happily ever after. 

Showcasing Molloy’s deft ability to subvert norms and culminating in the kind of stunning twist that is becoming her trademark, Goodnight Beautiful is a thrilling tale of domestic suspense that not only questions assumptions but defies expectations.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Oct 13, 2020
• ISBN: 9780063006843

Aimee Molloy

Aimee Molloy’s debut novel, The Perfect Mother, was a New York Times bestseller, and has been translated into more than twenty languages. She lives in Western Massachusetts with her family.

Reviews for Goodnight Beautiful

[Linda Grant · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I want to listen but the audio is horrible with skipping and jumping

[Janet Elias · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Please fix the audio! :) It’s impossible to listen to.

[Verdina Worsley · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a good read. I loved how the chapters were short.

[Sue Ellen Peck · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent! Couldn’t stop listening. Gripping. Enjoyable... and a little twisted... lol

[Ashley · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Confusing. I couldn’t figure out how the characters just came into play, but I couldn’t stop listening just to try and figure it out..

[Laura Hamilton · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved the twists and turns. Very good read... or listen?

[Nicole Beaudry · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fantastic book on audio! I don’t think I would have liked it as much on paper, the twists and inner dialogue are great on audio!

[Sam Beaver · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Although I have heard mixed reviews, I really enjoyed reading Aimee Molloy’s novel. Not only was it a thriller, but it was quirky and hilarious. Most of the characters were well developed. I say mostly because for the entire first section, I thought Sam and Annie bought Agatha Lawrence’s home. I thought Annie was the one listening in on the therapy appointments. Part II does a better job of introducing and explaining the true landlord, Albert Bitterman Jr.

I absolutely love Sam and Annie’s relationship. I love the energy and unconditional love for one another even after secrets are revealed. Their relationship is a reminder that it is important to celebrate every day together. Sam and Annie’s marriage was young but they celebrated it almost daily and they had fun doing it.

As for the landlord, all I can say is that he is something else. ? Part III really dives into his character. The reader gets to know him very well.

Shoutout to the narrators of the audio version of this book. They did an amazing job! I highly recommend not only this book but also the audio version.

[Lenore Sullivan Trammell · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A mind bending, enjoyable ride. The listening experience was especially good. Highly recommend!

[Bianka Rubio · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Really enjoyed this one, there are some twists and turns that were very unexpected throughout but all came together in the end.

[kennylef_495849271 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Hilarious and well written. I meant to listen to this book during the week, but it was so good with all of it's plots, twists and turns, I finished it in two days! Look forward to more books by this author!

[heather brooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great read, enjoyed the story line and the characters. Narrators did an amazing job. Will be looking for more works by this author.

[Alexis · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Great reveal about 1/3 of the way through but after that it lost momentum. The antagonist’s motives were never fully explained and the ending felt rushed. The author gives great detail though, so fun to listen to!

[LMW · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was a riveting listen but I’m not sure it all came together in a satisfying way. It still feels sort of unfinished to me. Entertaining but not satisfying is how I’d describe it.

[zmagic69 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3 1/2 rounded up to four, stars.
The story is well written but after the first part (there are 3 in the book) the story is rather predictable.
The first part and the first couple of chapters in part two carry the book.

[flourgirl49 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This story is told from three different perspectives - Dr. Statler, a psychologist; Annie Potter, his wife; and Dr. Statler's landlord. They are all liars, and they are all keeping secrets. There are several twists in the story, but I have to wonder how Stephen King feels about having elements from one of his book storylines incorporated into this one. Although this book held my interest, and I whizzed through it, I was bothered by the Stephen King tie-in - not very original.

[jynell-71874 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If you had the opportunity to eavesdrop on other people's therapy sessions, would you?

Dr. Sam Statler has started his new practice as a therapist in the perfect location, having just moved from the city. He's newly married and he and his wife enjoy roll playing fantasies in which they pretend to meet each other over and over again.

When Sam says he's on his way to his "hot date" but never shows up, his wife knows that something has happened to him. Unfortunately, no one else seems to believe her... There are plenty of reasons to believe he's just left town, but Annie can't believe any of them.

The book has three main characters: Sam, Annie, and... well, I don't want to give it away... The narration between these characters was well timed and having three different voices really brought the story alive. Their voices fit the characters exceptionally well. In fact, my favorite character became the third one... so full of quirks!

I loved that Molloy delivers twists throughout the book rather than just at the end... After the first one nearly mid-way through, I wondered what else could happen... but I was pleasantly surprised as the plot thickened and the story took on new shapes.

Thank you Libro.FM, Harper, and Aimee Molloy for allowing me to read this and give my honest opinion.

[carol420 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a psychological thriller you’ll think you have all figured out...but believe me... you don’t! Don’t even try to guess who amongst the plethora of equally unreliable characters is the culprit, just give in to the wild ride. I’ll let you in on a little secret. Come closer... when you get to page 92 the rug gets pulled out from under you.... but that is where the real story begins. This story is told in alternating perspectives...which I don’t usually care for...but in this case it worked very well.

[rmarcin-630843 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I devoured this book - reading straight through to the finish!! There are several twists in this book that will stop you in your tracks. This is the perfect psychological thriller with a nod to Stephen King. Annie and Sam are desperately in love newlyweds, with a perfect marriage, or so it seems. But Sam is hiding things from his beautiful wife, and then he disappears without a trace. Twisted!! Thanks to Hodder And Stouton and NetGalley for the copy. All opinions are freely given.#NetGalley #GoodnightBeautiful

[vanessa_menez-453497 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was one crazy read! It was a total surprise and the twists were so unexpected. There were so many times I got gobsmacked while I was reading, that I kept thinking, "What was that!". I had to re-read quite a few parts to make sure that I didn't miss anything.

I can't say that I loved the ending but this is still a really good psychological thriller!

[jacsun · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

There's a therapist and his wife; his mother with dementia and a crazy landlord. With these characters, the book is an emotional ride with twists and unexpected turns.

Dr. Sam Statler is a therapist and has just moved to a small town in upstate New York with his wife, Annie Potter, so he can be near his mother with dementia. He has found a really nice office space in a house built in 1854 where he can see his patients. He doesn't have to pay rent. It's free of charge in exchange for helping with small maintenance. This is the first clue amongst many others.

Then the author introduces the book "Misery" by Stephen King which gave me nightmares. Maybe I should stop reading? No way. Parts made me pause to try to catch up to what was happening. Anytime there's a psychologist giving advise, it makes me think twice about some of the people I know.

While there's no book questions at the end, maybe it may be a fun one for a discussion with others.

[twink_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Oh, if you love a good twisty read, you're going to want to pick up Goodnight Beautiful by Aimee Molloy!Sam and his wife Annie move back to the small town Sam is from. He sets up his counselling practice on the main floor of a beautiful old home. The landlord lives above. And there's a vent that allows sound to travel......There's more, but I am in no way going to spoil this read for you! Molloy is a master of misdirection. I was caught up in the book immediately and rapidly flipped pages until I reached the end of part one. And I then stopped - had I read that right? Everything I thought about one aspect was wrong. So, I flipped back to the beginning, looked again and mentally applauded Molloy. Psychological suspense is one of my favorite genres and I truly appreciate being caught off guard. So, back to the next part - and it happened again! Yes! I had assumed the twist had already happened and was unprepared for another one. Goodnight Beautiful is such a great page turner. Well written. I loved the dark humor and nod to a famous author. But most of all, being fooled. Bravo!

[penny_l-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Goodnight Beautiful is such a page-turner! An engrossing psychological thriller with quite a few good twists as the plot unfolds. The fast paced story does not lag and, as true identities and motives are revealed, it all masterfully comes together.The publisher's book summary is all that can be said, anything more would be a spoiler. It was an excellent read for a cold rainy October night!