Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - The Grimrose Girls

If I was writing this review based on the first 90% of the book, it would be 4.5 stars. I loved the story and the writing, and the inklings of humor. I think that the characters’ behavior and attitudes are very consistent with their ages, which is rare. Another thing I loved is the awesome inclusivity, even in a book about a bunch of privileged teenage girls.

However, it has some faults. First of all, a lot of the stuff is REALLY on the nose with the whole “princess/fairytale” vibe. It’s the worst with Ella and Rory I think, but it happened with all of the fairytale characters. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the princess stories and how they fit into the modern world, but some details were just a little much. On the other end of the spectrum was Nani. Completely misunderstood her fairytale but I digress.

Another issue I had was the ending. Now the ending was great, I loved it. Definitely gave me some good brain-zaps of figuring things out and connecting dots, but it felt unfinished. I understand that it was intentional, but leaving out part of the story is frustrating to say the least. If she had added maybe 2/3 more chapters with more explanation, then I think this would have been so fantastic. It was a lot of build-up just to not answer some of the biggest questions of the book.

Even with those complaints, I did really enjoy it. Despite the terrible things that happened in the book, it still wasn’t too heavy to read and had great moments of humor and heart-warming sweetness. Truly encapsulated some of the more normal things that happen to you when you’re 16ish.

Overall, I would say that I do recommend this book due to its charming plot, familiar characters, and general aesthetic. However, don’t expect a book with perfect nuanced writing, and don’t expect all of your questions to be answered by the end.

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eviecate's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional lighthearted mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I loved this book! The characters were very compelling and I am so excited to see where this series goes. This book is for the kids who read Ever After High as a child and are looking for something a bit darker. I liked the writing as well although it was a little rough at the beginning. The only drawback for me is the mystery. It was very predictable and I guessed who the killer was from the beginning. It was very slow passed but I am hoping that it pays off in the sequel. If I read this book 3 years ago I would have been OBSESSED. The diversity was refreshing, both in LGBT and POC representation. I appreciate that Pohl is unafraid to label her characters on the page. I love fairytale retellings and this series is such an interesting take on it. I can't wait to see how it develops!

Notes after 24 hours: While i initially loved everything about this book there are a few problematic elements that I can't look past. I have knocked this book down a star because of the implications of the problematic representation. A lot of the representation is rooted in stereotypes. The worst of which being (MINOR SPOILERS) the Belle character from Beauty and the Beast's love interest is a trans woman. This character is also tied to the Ugly Duckling fairytale. This implication makes me feel very upset as I did love Svenja's character in the book, I just hate the portrayal of her as "beastly" or "ugly." Other stereotypes include: mean lesbians, the asian main character's arc revolves around parental pressure to be perfect, one character's mental illness being introduced by another character asking her if "she's taken her meds, yet." While i feel like this is still a good book despite stereotyping, I wish the author had put more thought into portraying identities other than her own.

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mollslol's review

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dark lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I thought this story had a lot of potential, but unfortunately the author just didn’t pull it off. The story focuses on multiple POVs to progress the plot, but oftentimes we just start to get a glimpse of a character’s story and motivations before we’re pulled into another POV. At the end of the novel, almost 400 pages in, I still didn’t feel like I truly understood any of the characters beyond a shallow description and their romantic interests. The plot itself is intriguing and hooks you, but fails to progress beyond “just a really good story idea”. The end of the novel leaves us with more questions than answers and it feels like the author wanted to leave it that way just for the sake of a sequel rather than because the story actually needed a sequel. Overall, I had high hopes for this book but I was pretty disappointed.

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bookedandbusy's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was incredible! I loved that the more I read the more I was able to see the fairy tale aspect. And I love how elements of the classic fairy tales were combined with the darker side of the classics. I can’t wait for the next book!!

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jessisbest's review

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adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Definitely not my cup of tea, but also not a bad book. Diverse cast of characters, including the rare depiction of an aro/ace character. Fine for what it is, but in my opinion, the killer reveal was especially weak.

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criticalbooks's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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