A review by cakt1991
Flawless Girls by Anna-Marie McLemore

3.5

 I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own. 

Flawless Girls has a lot going for it, and depending on what you’re looking for, I think you’ll really enjoy it. Having recently finished Bridgerton season 3 part 1 (and gone back started rewatching), I really liked the way this book explored a similar concept of extreme femininity and the pressure put on a “finished” girl to be a proper lady, especially when you don’t fit in, for whatever reason, including falling outside the gender binary (something that the show lacks thus far). 

While I can’t say I was super invested in the characters, I did like the exploration of gender, especially with the MC being intersex. And the relationships between the girls at Alarie House intrigued me in their own way. 

The writing is quite beautiful and engrossing, and the story itself is rife with symbolism. I admit it was a little more literary and metaphorical in places than I expected, but it was balanced by short chapters which kept the pacing going. 

While this was kind of a mixed bag, this is still an objectively good book, and I’d recommend it to readers interested in a literary historical-horror that explores queerness and gender identity.