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sophia_konrad's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
bookishgoob's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.75
Prep school, secret societies, an unexplained disappearance, dangerous games. These are just a few of the elements of All These Beautiful Strangers.
17 year old Charlotte has been tapped by the secret society at her new england prep school. Still haunted by the disappearance of her mother 10 years earlier, Charlie tries to balance trying to become initiated into this society and figuring out what happened to her mom.
This was a beautifully written and tense thriller. The characters were so well put together and the delivery of information was so nice. I loved that there was things eluding to things that happened but it wasn’t as blatant as “that was then….. before… the thing happened” and then having to wait to find out. It was so well paced and we found out the information alongside the characters. Some things were predictable, but they were still fun to figure out. I don’t find predictability a problem, i think it’s fun to put together the clues and find out.
One thing i really didn’t like was in chapter 13, Dalton went on a tangent to Charlie about how she wasn’t like other girls and that’s why he liked her. The “you’re not like other girls” thing is so tired. other than that, i think it was a strong story with incredibly strong writing. I wish this author had more books!
17 year old Charlotte has been tapped by the secret society at her new england prep school. Still haunted by the disappearance of her mother 10 years earlier, Charlie tries to balance trying to become initiated into this society and figuring out what happened to her mom.
This was a beautifully written and tense thriller. The characters were so well put together and the delivery of information was so nice. I loved that there was things eluding to things that happened but it wasn’t as blatant as “that was then….. before… the thing happened” and then having to wait to find out. It was so well paced and we found out the information alongside the characters. Some things were predictable, but they were still fun to figure out. I don’t find predictability a problem, i think it’s fun to put together the clues and find out.
One thing i really didn’t like was in chapter 13, Dalton went on a tangent to Charlie about how she wasn’t like other girls and that’s why he liked her. The “you’re not like other girls” thing is so tired. other than that, i think it was a strong story with incredibly strong writing. I wish this author had more books!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Cursing, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Pregnancy, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Incest, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Torture, and Toxic relationship
melissalivanos's review
3.75
Giving it four stars because I had the context of knowing what to expect going in: I wanted a slightly elevated Gossip Girl-esque YA book that also had a secret society and a murder mystery thrown in, and that’s exactly what I got. I didn’t mind that I was able to anticipate some of the central discoveries of the book, because I still wasn’t able to guess the end. I appreciate that it had twists and turns, that the protagonist was pretty well-developed and interesting and how the story explored the themes of family, loyalty, selfishness and integrity. Overall, it was immersive and a lot of fun.
I will say, my one bone to pick with this book is that when a character commits sexual assault, it goes completely unaddressed and that makes me pretty mad. It feels irresponsible that it’s never mentioned or critiqued in the end. However, looking at the book as a whole, I still really liked it.
I will say, my one bone to pick with this book is that when a character commits sexual assault, it goes completely unaddressed and that makes me pretty mad. It feels irresponsible that it’s never mentioned or critiqued in the end. However, looking at the book as a whole, I still really liked it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
cereads's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
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