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sidbookreviews's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Full review to come on my blog!
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Drug use, Alcohol, Gore, and Blood
Minor: Vomit
ukalaylee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, and Suicide
Minor: Drug use
caseythereader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
đź“š Friends, every single YA thriller I've ever read, I hated. I also hate horror movies, I do not like to be purposely scared. Enter THE MARY SHELLEY CLUB. Whew, I could not put this down! I had to know! I guessed wrong! I kept guessing! I trusted everyone, I trusted no one. I loved it.
đź“š This book is not only a look at the weird things rich people do to keep busy, but also their classism and racism, plus an exploration of PTSD and the varying ways people cope with it.
đź“š I will say, if you like your thrillers to have action on every page, this might not be it for you. But I wanted to see each club member's Fear Test, so I didn't mind a little repetitiveness because it still moved quickly.
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual assault, Stalking, and Violence
pastelwriter's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
For the majority of the book, I was sincerely just Vibing. I found the book very easy to read and gripping. It wasn’t until the like 75% mark that I was really glued to the pages, but before then I was certainly invested. I found the writing style compelling. The pacing of the story wasn’t super fast, but it never felt like nothing was happening. There was a steady build-up to the conclusion of the book.
In addition, from early on I knew I would enjoy this book no matter what because the humor in this book was definitely my jam. I highlighted so many passages in this book because so many of the things characters said was genuinely funny to me.
I also really liked the characters here! Rachel was definitely a character I enjoyed following. I love her need for control—her urge to gain agency over the traumatic experience she had. I love how she was trying to use horror movies and the Mary Shelley Club as a coping mechanism. All in all, she was a great lead.
I also liked Rachel’s best friend Saundra. She wasn’t the deepest of characters, but she was sweet and reliable. She was always in Rachel’s corner even if it could cost her social capital. She also was always encouraging Rachel to have a normal teenage life and experience, and that was so important for Rachel who could have easily stayed home all day just watching horror movies or hanging out with the Mary Shelley Club.
Speaking of the Mary Shelley Club. Thayer, Bram, Felicity, and Freddie the rest of the members in the group were all compelling in their own ways. Thayer was cute as hell. I definitely developed a soft spot for him. His interactions with Rachel were primarily so sweet that I couldn’t help but love him. The fact that Rachel early on just Got Him and his humor and his way of being was just so valid.
Bram and Freddie were like two sides of the same coin. I had so many fraught emotions when it came to these two boys. I loved them. I hated them. I wanted to trust them. I didn’t trust them. I wanted to know everything about them. I wanted Rachel to get away from them. I wanted Rachel to get closer to them. I wanted it all. They were playing with my heart from the very start because deep down I’m but a simple bitch. I didn’t even mind the love triangle vibes because in so many ways the two of them were so unreliable.
The only “con” I have to mention is that a big part of me was confused as to when this book was set. The characters talked about Miley Cyrus, Pitbull, and Lady Gaga (specifically the Paparazzi song), and I was just confused. The teens didn’t always sound like teens nowadays so that’s why I was like ??? I’m confused. But really it wasn’t a big deal. I was just confused. Still. I’m willing to chalk this up to the fact that we’re dealing with characters that are super rich.
Anyway. Something else I loved about this book is that we follow Rachel, a working class kid, who is transplanted into this world of super rich kids. She clearly feels the divide between them and herself. Yet she finds solidarity with the Mary Shelley club. Sure, most of them are still rich kids, but at least they get her interests. They don’t judge her for the things that happened in her past. They just join forces to pull off these Fear Tests where they prank other students to scare them. It was just pulled off really well—especially with the solidarity Rachel and Freddie build because they’re both kids that come from much humbler backgrounds than their peers.
Overall, I definitely recommend this book. I had a lot of fun reading it. I think that if you love horror and enjoy self-aware and meta media, you will enjoy this.
But seriously. I was hoping so badly that the antagonist wouldn’t be Freddie, and it was really because I wanted him and Rachel to turn against all these rich kids. Which is to say that I’m not against the two of them turning “evil." Freddie turning evil wasn’t inherently my issue here. I can stand behind antagonists in fiction in the sense that I can find a well crafted villain very compelling and can even root for them.
So, I guess my other issue here is that Freddie played me like he played Rachel. I was really rooting for him. His interactions with Rachel really had me swooning. I really bought that he was interested in her and genuinely liked her. He was always so kind, and I really am a sucker for sweet soft boys which is what he portrayed himself as. So, although I wasn’t really surprised that he was the antagonist because the seeds for it were definitely planted, it still hurt because ultimately I guess I’m a sucker for the tope of lovers who do evil together. Why couldn’t I have my two Latinx kids saying "eat the rich"? Oh well. Freddie really could have been baby, but he went ahead and turned against Rachel. So sad.
Graphic: Blood, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Gore
jainnyreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I absolutely loved this book! I have read very, very few thrillers because I don't often like the genre. However, I'd say THE MARY SHELLEY CLUB has blown me away and made me look at the genre differently! It was just absolutely incredible and completely un-put-down-able. I love any Young Adult novel featuring spoiled rich kids causing trouble, and this novel did not disappoint. I also enjoyed the exploration of racial/ethnic and socioeconomic divides throughout.
Additionally, I appreciated Moldavsky's work in handling trauma and grief in the main character, Rachel. Overall, I do wish there were some more answers regarding the revelation of the Mary Shelley Club at the end, but I also think the ending was perfect. Enough to wrap up the story well but leave you wanting more (a sequel perhaps!?)
I confidently recommend this novel to fans of thrillers and those new to the genre. After reading THE MARY SHELLEY CLUB, I fully intend on picking up more of Moldavsky's books!
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gore, Murder, Stalking, and Violence
quirkybibliophile's review against another edition
- 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
Thoughts and Themes: The minute that I started reading this book it was one that I could not put down. Lately, I’ve really been into the Young Adult Horror genre and I don’t know if it’s because of the weather or just because I hadn’t read much before so I didn’t know how much I would love it. This book stole my heart right from the start and then it broke it into a million pieces by the end which is why it got 5 stars.
First, it is taking all of me to just not keyboard smash for this review because I am still in all my feelings because of this book. I do not remember the last time that I stayed up just to finish a book because I wanted to and not because I waited until the last minute to read it. I really just want to ramble on about this book but what I want to ramble on about is the twists that occur at the end of the book and for that I will wait.
I saw so many reviews stating that they saw the twist coming and either I saw it but didn’t want to believe it like our main character or I was that oblivious to it. That really was part of why I loved the book, I enjoyed that I was being strung along just like the main character was. I liked the aspect that as a reader I was just as fooled as she was and that was why the ending hurt as much as it did. I felt just as heartbroken as she did when everything was revealed.
The way that this story ends really makes you think about the rest of the story and made me want to go back and re-read to see if I could make more connections now that I know everything. The ending also left me wanting more because I need to know what happens now or is it just up to our interpretation.
Characters: This is honestly my favorite part of the book and also the saddest. These characters are the reason I wish I had a physical copy so I could throw the book across the room but throwing myself had to do because I couldn’t harm my kindle. These characters are just lovable right from the start and I am so disappointed in them by the end of the story but I can’t tell you why without ruining this book.
There are several characters that you get introduced to right from the start. Rachel, Bram, Freddie, Thayer, and Felicity who make up the members of the Mary Shelley Club. Then you meet the side characters who play a role in this story, Lux who is Bram’s girlfriend and Saundra, Rachel’s best friend.
I really liked that we got a Latinx main character and liked reading the difference between her and the others at the school. I liked that we got to see how she felt that she was living in a different world because of her social economic status and we see her connect with Freddie because of this.
I liked the way that Rachel develops a relationship with each member of the Mary Shelley Club and how though they have one goal in mind they all have distinct personalities. I thought that it was great to learn more about each character as time went on and what I really wanted to know is their motives behind being in this club. I wanted to know what was keeping them there and what they were so scared of because we only got to see Rachel’s initiation into the club.
I want to discuss my favorite character with you all and I will but I just can’t tell you who it is without ruining the ending. I enjoyed the development of this character and their relationship with others, and seeing the manipulation throughout this whole story. I found the character lovable right from when you meet them so I was really heart broken by how things had to end up. I was rooting for them the whole time and was hoping for a different ending while knowing it had to end this way.
Writing Style: This story is told in first person through the perspective of Rachel, our main character. There are moments that the story switches to third person during a fear test so that we are able to see what that character sees at that time. I really enjoyed the fear tests and how they were included into the story. I liked that they made you feel like you were that character going through the fear tests. Each of those fear tests were moments in the story that scared me even if I knew it was all a game.
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Blood and Gore
justagirlwithabook's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This one got off to a sort of slow start, but by maybe a fourth of the way in, things started picking up and the storyline turned a bit more macabre, which I ate up, in one 4 and a half hour sitting! I really appreciated all the references to the cult classics of the horror genre, both film and text (as a former English teacher and current librarian, all the asides related to horror literature were a hit for me!). The storyline really focuses most on this traumatic incident that occurs at the very beginning, and then everything builds from there. We don't ever find out much about Rachel and her mom's story really; we only know them through the lens of this bad moment a year ago. While this might not work for some, I think it worked fine here, especially as a Young Adult novel that really carries itself well as a "slasher" type of story (it'd make a great older teen horror movie!). I didn't fully see the twist at the end when all was revealed, so it wasn't super predictable, which was great as well.
What I loved: the (mostly) fast pace, all the references to classic horror novels, authors, and films, the build up to the somewhat surprising ending, the 'slasher film' feeling of the story overall (5-stars for entertainment value!)
What I didn't love: the end-end of the ending (it felt like it ended quite abruptly rather than smoothly tapering off and letting us go - there were some loose ends that would've been nice to have wrapped up), not a lot of love for the main character (she was a bit abrasive, but then if this had been a horror film, we wouldn't need to have lovable characters to still get caught up in the scary of it all), the more mature content (in regards to language, casual underage drinking, drug use, and sexual commentary ... as a junior high librarian I was hoping this would be a great addition to my library shelves but it's much to 'new' young adult rather than just middle grade-YA).
I would definitely recommend this to older young adults who enjoy a good horror/thriller with a plot twist (as well as adults who can appreciate a pretty decent YA slasher novel when they see one). As a librarian, I would recommend this to general public libraries where young adult horror has a readership.
Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group (Henry Holt and Co.) for the Early Review copy in exchanged for honest feedback.
Moderate: Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, and Violence
Minor: Alcoholism and Drug use