Bad Habits: By the author of the best-selling thriller GOOD AS GONE

Written by Amy Gentry

Narrated by Rebecca Lowman

AN APPLE BEST BOOK OF FEBRUARY

"It is almost impossible to find the words for a truly original novel such as Bad Habits, a primal scream of a book that could be written only by this author at this time. Amy Gentry is in utter control of this anaconda of a story as it twists, squeezes and lashes out at the reader. And all the reader can do is stare helplessly back, mesmerized. In case it’s not clear, I loved it.” 
—Laura Lippman, New York Times bestselling author of The Sunburn and Lady of the Lake

A whip-smart psychological thriller from the author of Good as Gone (a New York Times Notable Book), in which a grad student becomes embroiled in a deadly rivalry that changes her into someone unrecognizable to her struggling family, her ambitious academic friends, and even herself

Claire "Mac" Woods—a professor enjoying her newfound hotshot status at an academic conference—finally has the acceptance and admiration she has long craved. But at the conference's hotel bar, Mac is surprised to run into a face from a past she'd rather forget: the moneyed, effortlessly perfect Gwendolyn Whitney, Mac's foil, rival, and former best friend.

When Gwen moved to town in high school, Claire—then known as Mac, a poor kid from a troubled family who had too much on her plate—saw what it meant to have. Money, sophistication, culture, the very blueprints to success. Mac had almost nothing, except the will to change. Change she did, habitually grinding herself to work as hard as straight-A Gwen, even eventually getting admitted into the same elite graduate program as Gwen. But then Mac and Gwen become entangled with the department’s power-couple professors and compete head-to-head for a life changing fellowship. The more twisted the track toward success becomes, the more Mac has to contort herself to stay one step ahead—which deception signals the point of no return?

Jack-knifing between Mac's world-expanding graduate days and the crucible of the hotel and its unexpected guests, Bad Habits follows Mac's reckoning between her hardscrabble past and tenuous present. What, exactly, did Mac do to get what she has today? And what will she do to keep it? With taut, powerful prose, Amy Gentry asks how far we'll go to get what we want--and whether we can ever truly leave the past behind.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Feb 2, 2021
• ISBN: 9780358440871

Amy Gentry

AMY GENTRY is the author of Good as Gone, a New York Times Notable Book, and Last Woman Standing. She is also a book reviewer and essayist whose work has appeared in numerous outlets, including the Chicago Tribune, Salon, the Paris Review, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and the Austin Chronicle. She holds a PhD in English from the University of Chicago and lives in Austin, Texas.

Reviews for Bad Habits

[jamey oneal · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I followed the narrator here. I really like this actor, Rebecca Lowman, and she was a good narrator for this one. It was read well and this is one that's probably more enjoyable as an audiobook than to read.

Is it predictable? Pretty much. They dragged out the "big secret" a bit too long and the third act really lagged for a while, but it was an enjoyable romp about the have and the have nots, what beauty means to be a woman, the insanity of academia, how power is used and abused, the stigma faced by powerful-and not so powerful- women, and how things like addiction and poverty can shape someone's world. I appreciated how she touched n race and disability without being pandering or too far out of her lane, and how she rounded out the ancillary characters. This is the kind of story I don't feel I have to offer tons of caution should I recommend it o to someone who is also an immigrant or POC, and that means more to me than you know, considering that I also fall into many of the categories myself. It's nice to see some diversity represented in a real-world way by an author who doesn't seem to be using them as props. It also feels very much like it's written for women as the audience, without having a "girly book" vibe.

Anyway, back to the story. at any time, it's a little hard to tell exactly how to place values on the moral decisions characters make, any it's not entirely clear who the real villain is, or if it's everyone and no one at the same time. I don't think there is a sequel, but if there was, I'd read it, as I'm interested in the adult characters and what is going to happen to them now.

A solid read and a good time.

[desiree_reads · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A smart mystery thriller of economic class, ambition, personality, and to what lengths a person will go to fight, and keep, their hard-won position in life.

Bad Habits is the story of Claire, a professor enjoying the pinnacle of her career with a noteworthy presentation at an elite hotel, when she is shocked to see her nemesis and former best friend, Gwen, in the hotel bar. Waking up the next day, addled from a serious hangover, Claire struggles to see through her foggy memory and what she may have said to Gwen the night before. She needs to know “how much” Gwen knows. As her mind reels, Claire takes us back to her teen years when she first met the wealthy and sparkling Gwen, and to their post-grad college years, when everything fell apart.

Well-constructed and well crafted, Bad Habits keeps the reader guessing as to what exactly Claire is so desperate to keep hidden and why.

If there are any critiques about this novel, there are two small things that come to mind: 1) The lackluster title, which doesn’t intrigue a reader nor describe the novel’s content in any meaningful way; and 2) It suffers a bit in comparison to a similar story this reader recently reviewed, Susie Yang’s White Ivy. While the story line of Bad Habits is a lot more satisfying and sensical than White Ivy, it flagged behind a bit in both wit and sense of place.

Sure to be a favorite of those who love a thriller that keeps you guessing, Desiree did find Bad Habits an enjoyable read that’s worth the reader’s time.

A big thank you to Amy Gentry, Mariner Books, and NetGalley for providing a free Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for this honest review.

Bad Habits is available February 2, 2021 in Hardcover, Paperback, Audio CD, and for Kindle. For a copy of Bad Habits, please consider purchasing from BookShop.org, the online bookstore that donates 75% of the book’s profit margin to independent bookstores. Desiree does receive a small commission if you purchase through this link, however, she shares this out of her enduring love for corner, indie book stores everywhere.

#BadHabits
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[rmarcin-630843 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Bad Habits is a psychological thriller about 2 best friends turned rivals. Mac and Gwen come from two worlds. Mac’s father left the family when she was young, but always told his daughter that she was a princess and the world was hers. But when he left, Mac, her mother, and her sister, Lily, struggled with making ends meet, and Mac left her world of beauty pageants behind. In high school, Mac meets smart, beautiful, and wealthy Gwen. Against all odds, they become best friends. Gwen inspires Mac to push herself, because Mac believed her dad-that the world is hers, and she will do what she can to capture it. After high school, Gwen and Mac are accepted into the same elite graduate program. But when a fellowship is on the line, what will they do to win it?Fast forward 10 years to a hotel where the two former best friends meet again and review the night that changed their lives and their friendship, and finally admit what happened and realize what some people will do to get what they want. Chilling.

[kulmona · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Thank you to both NetGalley and Goodreads FirstReads, for my e-Arc.Attending an academic conference, Humanities professor, Claire "Mac" Woods is riding high on her reputation, until she spots...her, Gwen. Gwendolyn Whitney. They have a history.They first met in high school when Gwen moved to Wheatsville, IL with her family. Because of their last names, they were in the same home room. But, that's where their similarity ends. Gwen was everything Mac was not : wealthy, elegant, intelligent, and cultured, it all came so easy to her. She was a "have." Whereas Mac, burdened by poverty, an addict mom, and special-needs sister was, decidedly, a "have-not." Still, they became unlikely friends.But, what Mac did have was drive and ambition. She worked herself to the bone to keep up with Gwen. Ultimately, both were granted admission to the same top graduate program and...competed for the same coveted fellowship.The Joyner fellowship could transform their career and, in turn, their life. But there is a price. Is it worth it? Will they be willing to pay? How much? Even Mac and Gwen themselves don't know.The plot shifts in time and setting from their teenage years in Wheatsville, to graduate school at Dwight Handler University and finally to the SkyLoft Hotel, venue of the academic conference, depicting the changes in their careers and relationship dynamic.The blurb, setting, and genre of this book drew me in so I was excited to get the opportunity to read and review it. Although the book had its moments, I thought it was just ok. The wordiness and excessive jargon slowed the pace and made the story feel long.

[pomo58 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Bad Habits from Amy Gentry is the type of psychological thriller that grabs you quick then takes a slow burn as more information, past and present, fills in. I happen to like this kind of pacing so loved the book.While there is some "academic" language used, we're talking about characters who are in academia during both timelines, it shouldn't be distracting if the story itself appeals to you. Some concepts are loosely explained in the process of the narrative while others can be read the same way most of us read details in techno-thrillers that we don't understand, they have a meaning between the characters but for the reader they largely serve to highlight the interaction between characters. In other words, knowing or not knowing most of the "academicspeak" won't affect your ability to follow the story. And it won't make you feel dumb unless that is a particular sore spot for you.As we move back and forth in time we learn more and more about their histories, individually and collectively. What I really liked was how I was constantly thinking about how the present would play out after learning something from the past. I wasn't usually right but that is part of the fun. As well as beginning to think about what must have happened in the past. I highly recommend this to readers of psychological suspense or thriller, as well as those who simply enjoy getting into the heads of characters.Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.