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livxrose's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Sexual assault, Suicide, Drug abuse, Drug use, Blood, Violence, and Rape
stolenwater's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Bullying, Drug abuse, Suicide, Gaslighting, Murder, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
Minor: Abortion
mariamj's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Drug abuse, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Bullying
Moderate: Blood and Murder
Minor: Pregnancy and Rape
jholt2899's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Ambrosia never wanted to go back to Wesleyan. Someone else has different plans, though, and after a series of mysterious letters and emails, Ambrosia is drawn back to Wesleyan. Too bad her former best friend, Sloane, is also back under the same pretenses. The past has a way of coming back and there is nothing that either Ambrosia or Sloane can do to stop it.
The Girls Are All So Nice Here is a decent enough thriller. The first half was certainly entertaining, and I love characters that are easy to hate within this genre. Ultimately, the flaws of this book came from the pacing and lack of climax. The pace was just a bit too slow by the end, and I needed things to start progressing. Thrillers follow a formulaic pace traditionally, and there wasn't that speedy, racing end that we have come to know.
The climax came just a little too late for it to make sense, and I felt that the last 15 pages were a rushed madhouse comparatively. The character reflection was wonderful. I adored reading about how terrible everyone was because it created this nice juxtaposition. Who doesn't love a shady b trying to run from her horrible past?
Rating: 4/5 stars
TW/CW: blood, murder, suicide, rape, sexually explicit scenes, cheating, substance abuse, drinking
Graphic: Blood, Suicide, Murder, Sexual content, and Rape
Moderate: Infidelity, Drug abuse, and Alcohol
fungivibes's review
1.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Drug abuse, Rape, and Suicide
signediza's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Rape, Sexual content, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
deedireads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
TL;DR REVIEW:
The Girls Are All So Nice Here is a brutal, twisted thriller with a wild ending, told from the perspective of the mean girl herself.
For you if: You like thrillers and narrators that people love to hate.
FULL REVIEW:
First, big thanks to Simon & Schuster for sending me an advance copy of this one. I veryyy rarely read thrillers; they just aren’t my thing. But every once in a while it’s nice to mix things up and read something different from the heavier literary fiction and complex fantasy I gravitate to.
The Girls Are All So Nice Here is a mean girls story flipped inside out: The narrator is the bully. That, in itself, is a really interesting choice that makes this book do something that others in the genre don’t. Ambrosia “Amb” Wellington is a pretty terrible person, all of it stemming from an overwhelming hunger to feel accepted and validated. The timeline flips back and forth between her freshman year of college and what happened with her roommate, and the present day at her 10-year college reunion as she desperately tries to hide her secrets (and past self) from her husband.
There’s no doubt that Laurie Elizabeth Flynn can write a story that keeps you reading. The ending of this one wasn’t so much a twist — the devastating details are revealed gradually throughout — as a shock. I just never would have expected her to do that. And the epilogue is the WTF icing on the cake.
This is an uncomfortable, brutal, gripping story about the devastating effects of the toxic gender expectations that lead women to hurt and compete with one another. If you like to read thrillers and are looking for something that sets itself apart with interesting choices (not to mention an author who’s sure to be a new talent to follow), pick this one up.
Graphic: Rape, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Body shaming, Blood, and Sexual content
literarymarvel's review
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Body shaming, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts
illegiblescribble's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
it's been a while since i've read a thriller that left me reeling like this one did. the characters for the most part were unlikeable, the depiction of college life mildly unrealistic, the ending a wish fulfillment, but "the girls are all so nice here" is more than the sum of its parts. the real treat is the number of breadcrumb details scattered throughout the book that are easy to miss due to the first-person narration; ambrosia's voice is so strong it drowned out my inner skeptic that usually scoffs at the ridiculousness of most thrillers' plots!
while my college experience was nothing like ambrosia's, her constant worry and desperate attempts to fit in resonated with me (and i heard plenty of wild tales from the more adventurous of my friends!). ultimately, "the girls are all so nice here" was a page-turner that i could not put down until i had finished it... at 4am! if that's not high praise, i don't know what is.
thank you to netgalley and simon and schuster for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, Violence, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, and Sexual content
Minor: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts