395 reviews for:

All Girls

Emily Layden

3.34 AVERAGE

slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
dark emotional medium-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: Complicated
emotional reflective slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
dark mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I really liked the structure of this, and the way all of the different narrators kept you moving quickly through the book and gave a wider view of the school as an institution and how different people viewed it. The only downside of this is that it lacks a satisfying conclusion and seems to just end, because the institution will long outlive them and their effect on it. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark funny reflective medium-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
dark mysterious reflective slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

All Girls is told from the perspective of nine different students who all attend an all girls boarding school for high school. Upon arriving at the school, and as the book begins, the girls and their families all see signs along the road that read "a rapist teaches here." This is shocking and frightening and sparks gossip, rumors, social media frenzy, and a year long investigation into the allegations. Each of 9 girls takes center stage in chapters that highlight  the school year from fall to the commencement ceremony.  The question on everyone's mind is how can this campus exist to empower girls but falter when push comes to shove?
reflective slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark reflective slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Thanks to Goodreads and St. Martins Press for this title I won in a giveaway.

This debut novel walks through a school year at an all girl's boarding school that starts off with a reminder of a sexual abuse scandal that happened there 25 years before. Each of the 9 chapters are perspectives from 9 different students at the school, and after the first few it felt like a lot of storylines to hold and keep track of.  Not to mention all the characters and how they puzzle together. I felt like this book kept skimming the surface of something powerful and interesting, but then we would move to the next girl's POV and I was left wanting more of certain storylines.

This book also does something that is a bookish pet peeve of mine, it plays with time in a way that takes away from the plot. It would say for instance: in 30 years she would reflect and then she would understand why this impacted her so deeply. I feel like that is a cop out and a disservice to exploring the feelings of the character in the moment. 

This book has been spoken of some as a mystery, and I would say if that's what you are coming to this book looking for, you will be disappointed. I think this book is a mystery in the way every book is a mystery, because you are waiting to find out where the plot goes. This should only be classified as a YA coming of age story. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark 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: N/A

Expand filter menu Content Warnings