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baileyjohnk 's review for:
All Girls
by Emily Layden
***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.