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3.34 AVERAGE
3.34 AVERAGE
While I appreciate the intent, this was very anticlimactic and the story got lost between all the unnecessary, constantly shifting POVs
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
***Netgalley ARC provided by HARLEQUIN-- Trade Publishing***
I think this book is more of a 3.5-3.75 but it is very impressive read for a debut novel. One of the best parts of this novel is the writing in general. Layden provides many a poignant moment in this novel, whether it be in dialogue, in inner monologue, or (and this is my favorite) in between the lines, in the quiet moments where words are left unsaid. She does a great world of building this boarding school world and pulling the reader into it. While you were able to picture each classroom, dorm apartment, and pathway on campus in detail, my favorite bits of world building was the traditions and hierarchy of the institution itself. Whether we follow a freshman or senior, we are often learning the ins and outs of Atwater through the experience of each scene. What's so great about this is that the reader almost feels as though they've been granted access to the secret club, the exclusive group that is Atwater. We are privy to information most young girls exempt from the private school world wish to know. The one drawback from this novel I have was the characters, or really the sheer amount of them. I need to disclose first that I love traveling around a novel from character to character. I love vignette style writing where we get a story from each person with zero promise that they will be revisited. I think a writers ability to build this many lives for a reader is a remarkable feat, something I could never accomplish as I struggle to even flush out two characters in detail. So I have to hand it to Emily Layden for being able to create this amazing web of girls for us to peek in on every 20 pages or so. What I will say is that, while I managed to learn almost every girl and their relationship to one another over time, it just became a bit complicated at certain points. While I understand each girls story had a purpose to show the intricacies of sexuality, consent, power dynamics, coming of age, justice, feminism, etc., at some point it began to feel just a tiny bit taxing, like putting the pieces together had become a chore. I think she could have accomplished the same message and magnitude with even a few less characters. On the other hand, their stories and all their themes as stated above were each interesting and touching in their own way. The last tiny gripe I have with the novel is the ending chapter. While it was fitting to have it on Graduation Day, I felt like the resolution was almost cut short. Like Layden was running out of document room and tried to find a faster way to wrap up everything we had read so far. Like I said, the setting and ceremony was the perfect way to end the novel, but it was not executed perfectly with the prose. Altogether, I enjoyed the read, even though the slow beginning caused things to finally pick up in the second third of the novel or so.
I think this book is more of a 3.5-3.75 but it is very impressive read for a debut novel. One of the best parts of this novel is the writing in general. Layden provides many a poignant moment in this novel, whether it be in dialogue, in inner monologue, or (and this is my favorite) in between the lines, in the quiet moments where words are left unsaid. She does a great world of building this boarding school world and pulling the reader into it. While you were able to picture each classroom, dorm apartment, and pathway on campus in detail, my favorite bits of world building was the traditions and hierarchy of the institution itself. Whether we follow a freshman or senior, we are often learning the ins and outs of Atwater through the experience of each scene. What's so great about this is that the reader almost feels as though they've been granted access to the secret club, the exclusive group that is Atwater. We are privy to information most young girls exempt from the private school world wish to know. The one drawback from this novel I have was the characters, or really the sheer amount of them. I need to disclose first that I love traveling around a novel from character to character. I love vignette style writing where we get a story from each person with zero promise that they will be revisited. I think a writers ability to build this many lives for a reader is a remarkable feat, something I could never accomplish as I struggle to even flush out two characters in detail. So I have to hand it to Emily Layden for being able to create this amazing web of girls for us to peek in on every 20 pages or so. What I will say is that, while I managed to learn almost every girl and their relationship to one another over time, it just became a bit complicated at certain points. While I understand each girls story had a purpose to show the intricacies of sexuality, consent, power dynamics, coming of age, justice, feminism, etc., at some point it began to feel just a tiny bit taxing, like putting the pieces together had become a chore. I think she could have accomplished the same message and magnitude with even a few less characters. On the other hand, their stories and all their themes as stated above were each interesting and touching in their own way. The last tiny gripe I have with the novel is the ending chapter. While it was fitting to have it on Graduation Day, I felt like the resolution was almost cut short. Like Layden was running out of document room and tried to find a faster way to wrap up everything we had read so far. Like I said, the setting and ceremony was the perfect way to end the novel, but it was not executed perfectly with the prose. Altogether, I enjoyed the read, even though the slow beginning caused things to finally pick up in the second third of the novel or so.
I've been on a bit of a prep school reading kick lately and let me tell you, I'm not mad about it!
Layden was super clever in how she handled the multiple points of views of her characters. There are nine students giving their perspectives in real time and each chapter covers a different student. I was impressed by this uniqueness in writing style.
With that being said, for me, this book was "okay." As much as I enjoyed the multiple POVs, it started to read more like a compilation of short stories.
Not a bad thing! Just different.
Also, the underlying plot point throughout the whole book was a rape allegation resurfacing against one of the male teachers and a student who attended the school 20 years earlier. As important it is to shed light on these types of issues, I'm not sure the delivery was totally there and I couldn't tell if this was a thriller or simply YA fiction.
I encourage you to check out the description and if it sounds like something you'd like, read it!
⚠️ If rape, molestation, or #MeToo is a trigger for you, I would not recommend this book for you.
Layden was super clever in how she handled the multiple points of views of her characters. There are nine students giving their perspectives in real time and each chapter covers a different student. I was impressed by this uniqueness in writing style.
With that being said, for me, this book was "okay." As much as I enjoyed the multiple POVs, it started to read more like a compilation of short stories.
Not a bad thing! Just different.
Also, the underlying plot point throughout the whole book was a rape allegation resurfacing against one of the male teachers and a student who attended the school 20 years earlier. As important it is to shed light on these types of issues, I'm not sure the delivery was totally there and I couldn't tell if this was a thriller or simply YA fiction.
I encourage you to check out the description and if it sounds like something you'd like, read it!
⚠️ If rape, molestation, or #MeToo is a trigger for you, I would not recommend this book for you.
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this book was really sweet! i think the author did a fairly good job at addressing the subject matter but could have been better. i loved all the characters so much!! i wish we got to see more of them though, i feel like a lot of personal issues from each character deserved more care and nuance. a lot of topics really weren’t elaborated on and the different characters didn’t all combine at the end like i would have wanted
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault
Moderate: Sexual content
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I overall enjoyed this, but you could tell it was a debut novel. The conclusion was unsatisfying, but the conclusion to these things in real life really was unsatisfying. I could have spent more time in the minds of the characters than one chapter per character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
All Girls, by Emily Layden, is an ensemble novel set in a girls boarding school in Connecticut. It's more a series of interesting vignettes over an academic year than a plot with a resolution. The girls' varied experiences touch many topics -- sexual consent, stereotypes, classism, power dynamics, racism, abuse, gender presentation, and more. Too many, perhaps, because the book never quite draws a conclusion or makes a statement.
Most of the scenes were girls at a turning point or realization, with insightful characterizations and descriptions, but we rarely see the consequences of these moments. Instead, it's on to another character, creating an interesting ramble through private-school adolescence, but with way too many characters to keep straight. I liked how the young women's experiences were taken seriously and their emotions were valued throughout the book. Many of the vignettes relate to sexual consent or men "getting a little weird" as one of the alums describes it, including a whisper network of which classes to avoid, but it never really formed a narrative or led to a conclusion.
I was very interested while I was reading, but I realized at the end of the book that I'd been waiting for the meandering stories to coalesce into something more, and it never quite did.
Most of the scenes were girls at a turning point or realization, with insightful characterizations and descriptions, but we rarely see the consequences of these moments. Instead, it's on to another character, creating an interesting ramble through private-school adolescence, but with way too many characters to keep straight. I liked how the young women's experiences were taken seriously and their emotions were valued throughout the book. Many of the vignettes relate to sexual consent or men "getting a little weird" as one of the alums describes it, including a whisper network of which classes to avoid, but it never really formed a narrative or led to a conclusion.
I was very interested while I was reading, but I realized at the end of the book that I'd been waiting for the meandering stories to coalesce into something more, and it never quite did.