Quick Synopsis

A destitute woman deceives her way into the guesthouse of a Hollywood Hills mansion and inadvertently becomes a target in the twisted game of the wealthy family upstairs.

Publisher’s Synopsis

Lyla has always believed that life is a game she is destined to win, but her husband, Graham, takes the game to dangerous levels. The wealthy couple invites self-made success stories to live in their guesthouse and then conspires to ruin their lives. After all, there is nothing worse than a bootstrapper. 
 
Demi has always felt like the odds were stacked against her. At the end of her rope, she seizes a risky opportunity to take over another person’s life and unwittingly becomes the subject of the upstairs couple’s wicked entertainment. But Demi has been struggling forever, and she’s not about to go down without a fight.  
 
In a twist that neither woman sees coming, the game quickly devolves into chaos and rockets toward an explosive conclusion.
 
Because every good rich person knows: in money and in life, it’s winner take all. Even if you have to leave a few bodies behind.

Book Review

Good Rich People is a dark, smart, and subversive story about the perceived superiority of the wealthy, the boredom that never worrying about money creates, and the lengths the rich will go to be entertained.

Eliza Jane Brazier tells this tale in equally compelling dual points-of-view filled with satire and social commentary. To have the desired effect, Brazier wrote an over-the-top, sarcastic story that is a bit tongue-in-cheek. It really worked for me, and I quickly read Good Rich People in an evening.

That being said, I have seen quite a few reviews that were unfavorable. It seems like some people may have missed the point of this book and its satirical nature. Yes, most of the characters are unlikeable but that is part of the point. If the characters were likeable, Good Rich People would not have worked. Instead, the characters are ugly people who perform even uglier actions. If you need them to be deliciously wicked, you are going to be disappointed.

The only area that Good Rich People that could have been better is the character development. I wish that Brazier had more fully fleshed out characters’ backstories to more fully develop them. This would have provided more context to their actions and motivations. That being said, I did not feel like anything was missing. If the characters had richer histories and the poor main character had criticized the rich more initially, I think this book would have been 5 stars for me.

While I thoroughly enjoyed Good Rich People, it will not be everyone’s cup of tea. If you cannot look past implausibility or dislikeable characters, this may be a book to skip. But if those things do not bother you and/or you appreciate sarcastic social commentary, I definitely recommend Good Rich People.

Note: There is a dog death in this book. I am very sensitive to these things and was not put off. It was not very vivid or especially gruesome.

Rating

Overall Rating

Writing

Plot

Character development