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The After Girls
Ella, Astrid, and Sydney were planning the perfect summer after high school graduation. But when Astrid commits suicide in a lonely cabin, the other girls' worlds are shattered. How could their best friend have done this, to herself and to them? They knew everything about Astrid. Shouldn't they have seen this coming? Couldn't they have saved her?
As Ella hunts for the truth, and Sydney tries to dull the pain, a chilling message from Astrid leaves them wondering whether their beloved friend is communicating from the after life. The girls embark on a journey to uncover Astrid's dark secrets. The answers to those questions - questions they never dreamed of asking - will change their lives forever.
As Ella hunts for the truth, and Sydney tries to dull the pain, a chilling message from Astrid leaves them wondering whether their beloved friend is communicating from the after life. The girls embark on a journey to uncover Astrid's dark secrets. The answers to those questions - questions they never dreamed of asking - will change their lives forever.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published March 18, 2013
25 people are currently reading
2195 people want to read
About the author
Leah Konen
14 books872 followersLeah Konen is the author of The Last Room on the Left, Keep Your Friends Close, You Should Have Told Me, The Perfect Escape, All the Broken People, and several young adult novels, including Love and Other Train Wrecks and The Romantics. Her books have been featured in Vogue, Rolling Stone, Marie Claire, Reader’s Digest and The NY Post, among others. She lives in Brooklyn and the Catskills with her husband and two daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
June 7, 2021
2.5 stars ✨
February 8, 2013
The After Girls is the story of what happens to friends left behind after a suicide. The transition from high school to college is a time in life when friendships naturally fade and break apart; after Astrid's suicide, Ella and Sydney must strive harder to keep their friendship strong or risk losing two best friends in one summer. It's is a thrilling read that reminds you of the power of fierce friendships and makes you want to call your closest friends.
August 15, 2016
After Astrid's suicide, her best friends Ella and Sydney struggle to understand and mourn her loss. Sydney escapes with boys and alcohol while Ella searches for answers and believes she sees Astrid's ghost.
THE AFTER GIRLS is a story about secrets we keep, lies we tell to ourselves and others and how we grief together and apart. I related much more to Ella, filled with sadness and wanting answers. She wasn't always likable or kind, but I understood her motivations. Sydney's character felt more aloof and less developed.
I don't know why writer chose to alternate chapters using Ella's and Sydney's third person POVs, first person would have worked better and made their grief feel more compelling. I wish some of the minor characters, like Grace and Jake, has been further developed.
THE AFTER GIRLS is a somewhat dull, forgettable story that won't stay with me.
THE AFTER GIRLS is a story about secrets we keep, lies we tell to ourselves and others and how we grief together and apart. I related much more to Ella, filled with sadness and wanting answers. She wasn't always likable or kind, but I understood her motivations. Sydney's character felt more aloof and less developed.
I don't know why writer chose to alternate chapters using Ella's and Sydney's third person POVs, first person would have worked better and made their grief feel more compelling. I wish some of the minor characters, like Grace and Jake, has been further developed.
THE AFTER GIRLS is a somewhat dull, forgettable story that won't stay with me.
April 12, 2013
Review first appeared on my blog: Book Addict 24-7
I received a copy from Merit Press in exchange for an honest review
Leah Konen's debut, The After Girls, is an exploration in how grief can affect everyone in different ways. Lunacy is both rampant and a very real threat, while the power of friendships and the need to know the truth rule the characters' lives. Eerie, dark, touching, and surprisingly romantic, Konen's novel shows the reader how death can have the power to either destroy you, or make you stronger.
The concept of the story is very powerful. The After Girls begins with two best friends, Ella and Sydney, mourning the sudden death of their third best friend, Astrid. Astrid's suicide is not only the start of a near-tragic novel, but it is the theme that creates the dark tone within the pages. Even as Ella and Sydney find potential romance, their actions, thoughts, and decisions always have an echo of Astrid's death.
Ella and Sydney not only have to heal after Astrid's death, they also have to learn how to be two, instead of three. This challenge is introduced when Sydney is forced to consider how Ella's mourning is all-encompassing. Konen teaches her readers that everyone has a different way of mourning, and though Ella's journey after her best friend's death is near psychotic and definitely obsessive, she too eventually finds peace.
Sydney, however, is the interesting character. The After Girls is written in third person limited (to either Ella or Sydney), so we are allowed glimpses into both lives. Sydney, originally the rebel, changes and falls into near-destructive behavior--grief is a very dangerous emotion that opens up too many outlets for people to explore, especially teenagers.
But then, suicide is a risky topic and a very real threat in today's society. Konen's novel does touch on how Astrid commits suicide, but unlike other novels depicting similar situations, The After Girls focuses more on how a sudden death can make some people complete opposites of who they used to be.
Even with the darker themes of depression, obsession, and addiction, Ella and Sydney share delicate moments of friendship that hint to us that everything will be okay. They obviously care for each other like sisters, but they are so lost in grief, that they are barely holding onto each other. Given the situation, it's understandable that the characters will often clash in an attempt to understand their new messy world.
Despite the seemingly despondent tone some of the characters adopt, Ella and Sydney experience love, both forbidden and unexpected. What I wasn't so keen on was how someone (who will remain nameless so as to avoid spoilers), who is apparently very important to one of the character, is barely shown in the novel. Of course, this could be intentional, so as to show us just how distant the characters are from each other, but I still found that odd.
For some apparent reason it took me a long time to get through this. Any other day, I would think the pacing is fine. But every time I turned to read The After Girls, my brain would quickly turn to something else. The storyline is great, the mystery is thrilling and spooky, and the characters are challenges to be solved. Perhaps it was the narrative voice, which was kind of ambiguous, that turned me off more often than I'd care to admit. I blame this on the fact that I am not a huge fan of third person narration.
The ending is nostalgic and fitting. The characters are given a chance to mourn, while hoping for a future--which, after the darkness in most of the novel, is a very light and welcoming conclusion.
I recommend The After Girls to readers of contemporary young adult fiction. There is romance for the romantics, character growth, and an unforgettable tale of grief that will haunt the reader even after turning the last page.
I received a copy from Merit Press in exchange for an honest review
Leah Konen's debut, The After Girls, is an exploration in how grief can affect everyone in different ways. Lunacy is both rampant and a very real threat, while the power of friendships and the need to know the truth rule the characters' lives. Eerie, dark, touching, and surprisingly romantic, Konen's novel shows the reader how death can have the power to either destroy you, or make you stronger.
The concept of the story is very powerful. The After Girls begins with two best friends, Ella and Sydney, mourning the sudden death of their third best friend, Astrid. Astrid's suicide is not only the start of a near-tragic novel, but it is the theme that creates the dark tone within the pages. Even as Ella and Sydney find potential romance, their actions, thoughts, and decisions always have an echo of Astrid's death.
Ella and Sydney not only have to heal after Astrid's death, they also have to learn how to be two, instead of three. This challenge is introduced when Sydney is forced to consider how Ella's mourning is all-encompassing. Konen teaches her readers that everyone has a different way of mourning, and though Ella's journey after her best friend's death is near psychotic and definitely obsessive, she too eventually finds peace.
Sydney, however, is the interesting character. The After Girls is written in third person limited (to either Ella or Sydney), so we are allowed glimpses into both lives. Sydney, originally the rebel, changes and falls into near-destructive behavior--grief is a very dangerous emotion that opens up too many outlets for people to explore, especially teenagers.
But then, suicide is a risky topic and a very real threat in today's society. Konen's novel does touch on how Astrid commits suicide, but unlike other novels depicting similar situations, The After Girls focuses more on how a sudden death can make some people complete opposites of who they used to be.
Even with the darker themes of depression, obsession, and addiction, Ella and Sydney share delicate moments of friendship that hint to us that everything will be okay. They obviously care for each other like sisters, but they are so lost in grief, that they are barely holding onto each other. Given the situation, it's understandable that the characters will often clash in an attempt to understand their new messy world.
Despite the seemingly despondent tone some of the characters adopt, Ella and Sydney experience love, both forbidden and unexpected. What I wasn't so keen on was how someone (who will remain nameless so as to avoid spoilers), who is apparently very important to one of the character, is barely shown in the novel. Of course, this could be intentional, so as to show us just how distant the characters are from each other, but I still found that odd.
For some apparent reason it took me a long time to get through this. Any other day, I would think the pacing is fine. But every time I turned to read The After Girls, my brain would quickly turn to something else. The storyline is great, the mystery is thrilling and spooky, and the characters are challenges to be solved. Perhaps it was the narrative voice, which was kind of ambiguous, that turned me off more often than I'd care to admit. I blame this on the fact that I am not a huge fan of third person narration.
The ending is nostalgic and fitting. The characters are given a chance to mourn, while hoping for a future--which, after the darkness in most of the novel, is a very light and welcoming conclusion.
I recommend The After Girls to readers of contemporary young adult fiction. There is romance for the romantics, character growth, and an unforgettable tale of grief that will haunt the reader even after turning the last page.
April 15, 2013
My Summary:
Tick tock goes the clock and Ella, Astrid, and Sydney watch their childhood memories fade away like dandelions seeds blowing in the wind.
Standing in the lonely cabin reminiscing over pictures that had been taken, the three girls cling to the security of knowing they will always be together.
Tick tock goes the clock and high school graduation is now approaching leaving the girls to plan the perfect summer.
Unfortunately for one, the clock stops.
Frozen in time, Astrid’s body lies on the floor “her gorgeous red hair splayed out around her, her blue dress—the same one she’d worn to graduation—crumpled and wrinkled. The key—the one that was always tied around her neck, … lay flat on her chest.”
Ella and Sydney feel abandoned and alone.
Their worlds have been turned upside down leaving the girls to make sense of this horrific tragedy and to seek answers to their many questions.
How could they have spent so many seconds, minutes, hours, days, months or years with their best friend and not know her true thoughts?
How could they have missed the signs?
Could they have saved Astrid from this horrible fate?
Watch how the grief-stricken girls conquer their own demons while uncovering the facts behind the death of their friend.
My Thoughts:
After discvering this book, I have come to find that this is one of those rare finds that you would find at a garage sale marked down for $.10 which turns out to be more valuable than its description portrays. I really enjoyed the book. I am definitely suggesting my library buy it. This book provides a realistic look at loss and how its grasp reaches far beyond a person's death. The storyline is great, the mystery is thrilling and spooky, and the characters are interesting to watch as they fight past their own demons in an effort to grieve differently.
Rating: 4
I received this pre-pub from netgalley, courtesy of the publisher.
June 15, 2015
So this ended exactly as I predicted early on, but that didn't lessen my enjoyment. I did think the ending did not explain things thoroughly, but it was easy to fill in the gaps. I felt the writing was beautiful and sad. The grief felt by Sydney and Ella was real and heart-wrenching. It really highlighted the pain felt by those left behind in the wake of a suicide.
I liked the dueling chapters with each girl's POV. This typically works best in first person, but in this case third person worked great. Each girl was unique and fleshed out. Both girls are consumed by grief, but each deal with it in their own way. Sydney resorts to self-medicating by drinking. There was a fair amount of drinking from all of the characters which is probably realistic, but by showing it as the norm made it a problem for me.
The relationships felt sincere, and even though there are two love triangles, they felt realistic and not contrived. I absolutely loathed Max. I could see why Sydney was drawn to him since she seemed self-destructive, but every scene he was in made my skin crawl. I do not understand the fascination with bad boys. It is so prevalent in YA lit these days that the girl falls for the bad boy. Give me a nice guy any day of the week.
This was a satisfying read, and I definitely want to see more works by this author.
I liked the dueling chapters with each girl's POV. This typically works best in first person, but in this case third person worked great. Each girl was unique and fleshed out. Both girls are consumed by grief, but each deal with it in their own way. Sydney resorts to self-medicating by drinking. There was a fair amount of drinking from all of the characters which is probably realistic, but by showing it as the norm made it a problem for me.
The relationships felt sincere, and even though there are two love triangles, they felt realistic and not contrived. I absolutely loathed Max. I could see why Sydney was drawn to him since she seemed self-destructive, but every scene he was in made my skin crawl. I do not understand the fascination with bad boys. It is so prevalent in YA lit these days that the girl falls for the bad boy. Give me a nice guy any day of the week.
This was a satisfying read, and I definitely want to see more works by this author.
April 5, 2013
To see my full review:
http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...
The premise of this novel really drew me in, especially as I really loved Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher, and I was hoping this novel would be similar. Unfortunately, as I read and got to know the characters, I found that I really didn’t care for them. While the community grieves for the loss of Astrid, Sydney becomes somewhat of a callous character, partying and distancing herself from her hurt as much as she can, even if that means losing Ella in the wake of it all. Ella, on the other hand, embraces her grief, becoming obsessed with figuring out why Astrid chose death over life, and her obsession sends her on a downward spiral throughout the summer, placing her friendships and relationship with her boyfriend in jeopardy.
Truth be told, the premise sounds a little bit like Pretty Little Liars (I have only seen the TV show, not read the books), and while some aspects of the novel shadow the TV show, it’s also vastly different. Yes, these surviving girls don’t necessarily strum on the readers’ heart strings, and the callousness of Sydney made me think of the nastiness of the girls in the show, but there is no taunting from Astrid like A taunts her friends, and so, in my opinion, this is where the similarities end. Astrid’s messages to Ella are not coldhearted, and there are only a few strategically placed throughout the novel. In truth, as no one else sees them but Ella, it makes her look even more disheveled and obsessed, leaving the reader wondering if these messages are actually real, or a figment of the imagination.
I know that everyone grieves differently, and that we should not judge others, but as an outsider looking in, I really grew to dislike Ella and Sydney as the novel unfolded. The world became all about them, and their epic fights and obsessive behavior really made me wonder just how much they truly cared for Astrid in the first place. As Sydney struggles to outrun her guilt, questioning why she never asked Astrid about her family, or pushed deeper when Astrid seemed on the verge of sharing, she becomes very real, but her shut down of these emotions time and time again made me lose interest in her on the whole. Ella was interesting, but I also felt that her obsession went too far at times, and in the end, I honestly didn’t care much about either girl, or even why Astrid did what she did. The ending was eye-opening, though, and I’m happy to say that things do brighten for the characters, but getting there is a bit of a hike.
http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...
The premise of this novel really drew me in, especially as I really loved Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher, and I was hoping this novel would be similar. Unfortunately, as I read and got to know the characters, I found that I really didn’t care for them. While the community grieves for the loss of Astrid, Sydney becomes somewhat of a callous character, partying and distancing herself from her hurt as much as she can, even if that means losing Ella in the wake of it all. Ella, on the other hand, embraces her grief, becoming obsessed with figuring out why Astrid chose death over life, and her obsession sends her on a downward spiral throughout the summer, placing her friendships and relationship with her boyfriend in jeopardy.
Truth be told, the premise sounds a little bit like Pretty Little Liars (I have only seen the TV show, not read the books), and while some aspects of the novel shadow the TV show, it’s also vastly different. Yes, these surviving girls don’t necessarily strum on the readers’ heart strings, and the callousness of Sydney made me think of the nastiness of the girls in the show, but there is no taunting from Astrid like A taunts her friends, and so, in my opinion, this is where the similarities end. Astrid’s messages to Ella are not coldhearted, and there are only a few strategically placed throughout the novel. In truth, as no one else sees them but Ella, it makes her look even more disheveled and obsessed, leaving the reader wondering if these messages are actually real, or a figment of the imagination.
I know that everyone grieves differently, and that we should not judge others, but as an outsider looking in, I really grew to dislike Ella and Sydney as the novel unfolded. The world became all about them, and their epic fights and obsessive behavior really made me wonder just how much they truly cared for Astrid in the first place. As Sydney struggles to outrun her guilt, questioning why she never asked Astrid about her family, or pushed deeper when Astrid seemed on the verge of sharing, she becomes very real, but her shut down of these emotions time and time again made me lose interest in her on the whole. Ella was interesting, but I also felt that her obsession went too far at times, and in the end, I honestly didn’t care much about either girl, or even why Astrid did what she did. The ending was eye-opening, though, and I’m happy to say that things do brighten for the characters, but getting there is a bit of a hike.
April 15, 2013
Ella, Astrid, and Sydney are the best of friends. That all changes then Astrid takes her own life. Ella is the one that finds her. Now, Ella and Sydney are trying to understand the best ways that they can on how they missed the signs that lead to Astrid’s death. Why could they not tell Astrid was depressed? They are after all her friends.
While Sydney wants to mask her pain with alcohol, Ella tries to figure out what clues she missed about Astrid. Ella receives some help in the form of Astrid herself. It seems that Astrid is communicating with Ella. What does Astrid have to say?
The After Girls is the first book from new author, Leah Konen. This book is more emotionally deeper then some of the young adult books that I have read. So at times it made it a little rough to want to stick with this book. Only because it was sad but could also come off as depressing. Ella being yelled at by Astrid’s mother because she was grieving her daughter. Then there was Sydney who was getting drunk. I can understand each person copes with death in their own way but still hard to read this goes on for most of the book. After a while I did have to skim parts of the book to make it read faster. It did drag a little.
However Leah really gets gritty and brings the raw emotions that anyone can relate to when dealing with a friend’s death. I would recommend that the older teens read this book like seventeen +. Again as I pointed out the younger readers might not be as mature enough to handle. Leah Konen shows a very mature side to her writing and what she is about with her debut novel, The After Girls. I am curious to see what Leah comes out with next.
While Sydney wants to mask her pain with alcohol, Ella tries to figure out what clues she missed about Astrid. Ella receives some help in the form of Astrid herself. It seems that Astrid is communicating with Ella. What does Astrid have to say?
The After Girls is the first book from new author, Leah Konen. This book is more emotionally deeper then some of the young adult books that I have read. So at times it made it a little rough to want to stick with this book. Only because it was sad but could also come off as depressing. Ella being yelled at by Astrid’s mother because she was grieving her daughter. Then there was Sydney who was getting drunk. I can understand each person copes with death in their own way but still hard to read this goes on for most of the book. After a while I did have to skim parts of the book to make it read faster. It did drag a little.
However Leah really gets gritty and brings the raw emotions that anyone can relate to when dealing with a friend’s death. I would recommend that the older teens read this book like seventeen +. Again as I pointed out the younger readers might not be as mature enough to handle. Leah Konen shows a very mature side to her writing and what she is about with her debut novel, The After Girls. I am curious to see what Leah comes out with next.
May 6, 2013
I received a free ecopy of this from NetGalley.
This book wasn't bad exactly (thus the two- instead of one-star rating). But for me it was a mistake to grab a copy: it was really, decidedly not at all my usual fare. And it definitely wasn't the kind of book to attract people from outside the usual audience. For people who like coming of age stories, and that sort of feel, it would certainly be a lot more appealing.
For me, the book was kind of drab. The writing was nothing special, the plot often bored me, and several of the characters (okay, mostly Ella) made me want to reach into the book and shake sense into them. Their problems often were frustrating, honestly.
I think what I expected from the book was... a little more like a ghost story. What I got was something that, had it cut everything else out except for the more ghostly-aspects? Would have been a lot shorter. It's partly my fault though: I should know that stuff like romance is regularly unappealing to me.
There are some definite points I didn't like at all. For instance: ; some things never felt wrapped up: . And, again, there seemed to be more of a supernatural element under the surface, but it delivered less ghost story than it seemed to promise.
In the end, it may well be an enjoyable read to those more accustomed to the genre. For me, though, it wasn't a great book. I didn't hate it, but it was a chore to get through.
This book wasn't bad exactly (thus the two- instead of one-star rating). But for me it was a mistake to grab a copy: it was really, decidedly not at all my usual fare. And it definitely wasn't the kind of book to attract people from outside the usual audience. For people who like coming of age stories, and that sort of feel, it would certainly be a lot more appealing.
For me, the book was kind of drab. The writing was nothing special, the plot often bored me, and several of the characters (okay, mostly Ella) made me want to reach into the book and shake sense into them. Their problems often were frustrating, honestly.
I think what I expected from the book was... a little more like a ghost story. What I got was something that, had it cut everything else out except for the more ghostly-aspects? Would have been a lot shorter. It's partly my fault though: I should know that stuff like romance is regularly unappealing to me.
There are some definite points I didn't like at all. For instance: ; some things never felt wrapped up: . And, again, there seemed to be more of a supernatural element under the surface, but it delivered less ghost story than it seemed to promise.
In the end, it may well be an enjoyable read to those more accustomed to the genre. For me, though, it wasn't a great book. I didn't hate it, but it was a chore to get through.
April 22, 2013
Sydney and Elle are going through a rough time after their best friend, Astrid, commits suicide in their secret cabin. They're each dealing with the pain differently, but then weird things start to happen and they must come together to figure out what's going on. How can it be that Astrid is dead, yet Elle is receiving Facebook and text messages from her?
I thought this book was going to be a lot more paranormal than it was, but I still wasn't disappointed because it took on human emotions seriously and honestly. Not only are Sydney and Elle dealing with the death of a loved one, but as the book goes on we get to learn more and more about Astrid, her psychology, and what led her to commit suicide. There's also Astrid's mother, a character who is experiencing some dark emotions as well. In that way, The After Girls is a little bit heartbreaking, but also honest and raw.
The one issue I had with The After Girls was the dynamic between Sydney and Elle. They're supposed to be best friends, but several times as I was reading I was wishing they would tone down the drama and just be there for each other. But of course, everyone deals with loss in different ways and they were both experiencing other problems in their lives (read: boys) so perhaps that's why they butted heads so much.
Four stars! Throughout the novel, The After Girls kept me interested, which is impressive since I've been feeling pretty scatterbrained with my reading recently. I recommend this one wholeheartedly for those readers who like to read about loss and mystery.
I thought this book was going to be a lot more paranormal than it was, but I still wasn't disappointed because it took on human emotions seriously and honestly. Not only are Sydney and Elle dealing with the death of a loved one, but as the book goes on we get to learn more and more about Astrid, her psychology, and what led her to commit suicide. There's also Astrid's mother, a character who is experiencing some dark emotions as well. In that way, The After Girls is a little bit heartbreaking, but also honest and raw.
The one issue I had with The After Girls was the dynamic between Sydney and Elle. They're supposed to be best friends, but several times as I was reading I was wishing they would tone down the drama and just be there for each other. But of course, everyone deals with loss in different ways and they were both experiencing other problems in their lives (read: boys) so perhaps that's why they butted heads so much.
Four stars! Throughout the novel, The After Girls kept me interested, which is impressive since I've been feeling pretty scatterbrained with my reading recently. I recommend this one wholeheartedly for those readers who like to read about loss and mystery.
July 23, 2023
I just finished reading The After Girls and I'm left in a bit of a wonderful haze. I don't usually read a lot of YA fiction but full disclosure I'm good friends with the author so in my loving support I purchased her book. What followed was me completely devouring the book in four days. I'm one of those annoying people who reads multiple books at the same time--currently I'm reading the 5th Game of Thrones book and I'm a huuuge fan--and yet when I laid down to read in bed it was The After Girls that I reached for from my nightstand. I. Was. Hooked.
I loved the characters (rebel Sydney was my favorite by far! which I guess says something about me...) and I fell in love with the setting as well. I've never been to the Appalachians but Leah describes the area so beautifully. I read in her blog that she based the fictional town of Falling Rock on Boone, NC. Note to self: visit.
But what I loved the most was the overall story. The mystery surrounding Astrid's death and Ella's fascination in finding the truth created a compelling page-turner that clearly had me hooked. Leah has woven a masterful tale that is a delight to read. I cannot wait to continue to follow her career. What an outstanding debut!
I loved the characters (rebel Sydney was my favorite by far! which I guess says something about me...) and I fell in love with the setting as well. I've never been to the Appalachians but Leah describes the area so beautifully. I read in her blog that she based the fictional town of Falling Rock on Boone, NC. Note to self: visit.
But what I loved the most was the overall story. The mystery surrounding Astrid's death and Ella's fascination in finding the truth created a compelling page-turner that clearly had me hooked. Leah has woven a masterful tale that is a delight to read. I cannot wait to continue to follow her career. What an outstanding debut!
September 19, 2013
As far as Young Adult novels go, this is a nifty effort. The ending has a ton of heart and feels like a good pay off. Both for the reader and the two "after" girls. The story itself is an interesting mix of teen drama, mixed with Are You Afraid of the Dark? and just a pinch of Scooby Doo. I liked this. I really liked this. The writing itself is sharp and cuts through the suicide and propels the book to its real message: how well can you really know another person? Their motives, ideas, feelings, the whole inner-world. The omnipresent narration was a smart choice for this and reveals that we're usually wrong. Especially when we ignore our instincts, which usually feels strongest in hindsight. Far from being a bleak novel though, the story repeatedly lands on the positive outcomes of collaborations between the characters. This also leads to the exciting climax which demonstrates what love, trust and honesty can accomplish. What a good message! What a good book!
April 15, 2013
Ella, Astrid and Sydney are best of friends. They think they know everything there is to know about one another until Astrid commits suicide. Ella and Sydney are left wondering what they could have done to help their friend. While Sydney drowns her sorrows in alcohol, parties and her band. Ella is consumed with trying to figure out why Astrid could have done this.
The novel is a look into friendship and grief. I think the author did a great job of portraying grief and how everyone deals with their grief differently. Although I have read reviews comparing the book to Pretty Little Liars, the book could not be farther from that series. Although there is a twist in the book that adds a little mystery to the story, the story is far from a Pretty Little Liar's tale.
The book will grab you from the beginning and keep you involved until the very last word.
The novel is a look into friendship and grief. I think the author did a great job of portraying grief and how everyone deals with their grief differently. Although I have read reviews comparing the book to Pretty Little Liars, the book could not be farther from that series. Although there is a twist in the book that adds a little mystery to the story, the story is far from a Pretty Little Liar's tale.
The book will grab you from the beginning and keep you involved until the very last word.
July 8, 2015
A complicated and addicting novel about two best friends dealing with the aftermath of their friend's death. Sydney and Ella are both devastated but grieve in different ways... Sydney tries to forget it all and Ella grows obsessed over the truth behind Astrid's death -- partly because she doesn't want to believe she is gone and second because she can't believe she had missed the signs. Kind of scary to think about how much we really know the people in our lives and the secrets they may be harboring. Glad I read it but not as emotionally compelling as I wanted it to be.
December 16, 2015
Review más tarde...
July 2, 2020
It was a good book but it would've been better if it was alternating between Ella and Sydney in 1st person instead of 3rd, and maybe from Grace's point of view too.
September 24, 2025
It was okay, but kind of boring. I didn't find the characters particularly compelling and found myself annoyed at how it dragged on and on.
April 17, 2013
High School is a tumultuous time for most kids. It is often marked with extreme highs and extreme lows. Most teen escape relatively unscathed but some choose to make a terrible choice and end their lives. These individuals leave a huge hole and plenty of questions. One of the most painful things about a friend or family member's suicide is the guilt that those who are left behind are often faced with. The After Girls is the story of two girls who spend the last summer of high school mourning their best friends tragic death while trying to piece together what happened and deal with their own guilt. It deftly explores the grieving processes and pain of those left behind in a way that is both suspenseful and moving.
I'm not going to do my review the way I usually do because my feelings about this book can't be explained with bulleted lists or snarky comments. Like many people I'm all too familiar with suicide. Especially when I was in high school, it felt like an ever present shadow at my school. My junior year two of my classmates took there own lives within a couple of weeks of each other. One of the girls sat next to me in English, the other was a friend. To protect her identity I'm going to refer to her as Beth. Beth and I were not close friends. We had some classes together and we were both in drama club. We hung out rarely but we bonded at the beginning of Junior year over our mutual distaste for a certain girl in our Theater Arts class. I was in a bad place, I was dealing with the normal hormonal teenage angst as well as some family issues at the time and I wasn't myself. After a long talk with Beth one day, she turned to me and said "you have a lot to live for, you know". I don't know why, but those few words made a huge impact on me. I decided to seek help and Beth and I continued to hang out at school. Then, one morning, the principle interrupted our drama class. The news wasn't good. Beth had killed herself the night before. No one saw it coming. She was there one day and gone the next and I didn't know how to deal. We weren't best friends but she had been there for me when I needed her. I hadn't. Now, I know that I couldn't have known what was going on, she didn't tell anyone, but at 17 I felt like I could have done something.
I think that's why this story resonated with me so strongly. These two girls lose there best friend and are so wracked with guilt that they are willing to do anything to cope. Ella tries to find out why Astrid killed herself and becomes so obsessed she begins to see things. Sydney, on the other hand, begins drinking heavily and hanging out with her abhorrent ex to numb the pain. In the process they start to drive a wedge between their friendship and spiral deeper and deeper out of control. Konen does a beautiful job of making these characters and their grief intensely realistic. From the first page the reader feels for each of them and truly cares about the story. Astrid, the victim, is not who they imagined her to be. They at once feel betrayed and guilty. These are such difficult emotions to bring across and it is done perfectly.
This is not a book about death though, it is a story of resilience and survival. It is about being thankful for what we have when we have it and trying our utmost to support and love our friends while we can. What I most appreciated is that Astrid is not turned in to this glamorized martyr. She is a girl who had severe issues that were not dealt with. She chose a permanent solution to a temporary problem and left devastation in her wake. She is not villainized but she is not left without blame either. Suicide is always a messy topic for an author but I think that Konen did an amazing job with this book. I think that this is an important book for anyone who has lost someone to suicide and for teens in general. I would recommend it across the board.
I'm not going to do my review the way I usually do because my feelings about this book can't be explained with bulleted lists or snarky comments. Like many people I'm all too familiar with suicide. Especially when I was in high school, it felt like an ever present shadow at my school. My junior year two of my classmates took there own lives within a couple of weeks of each other. One of the girls sat next to me in English, the other was a friend. To protect her identity I'm going to refer to her as Beth. Beth and I were not close friends. We had some classes together and we were both in drama club. We hung out rarely but we bonded at the beginning of Junior year over our mutual distaste for a certain girl in our Theater Arts class. I was in a bad place, I was dealing with the normal hormonal teenage angst as well as some family issues at the time and I wasn't myself. After a long talk with Beth one day, she turned to me and said "you have a lot to live for, you know". I don't know why, but those few words made a huge impact on me. I decided to seek help and Beth and I continued to hang out at school. Then, one morning, the principle interrupted our drama class. The news wasn't good. Beth had killed herself the night before. No one saw it coming. She was there one day and gone the next and I didn't know how to deal. We weren't best friends but she had been there for me when I needed her. I hadn't. Now, I know that I couldn't have known what was going on, she didn't tell anyone, but at 17 I felt like I could have done something.
I think that's why this story resonated with me so strongly. These two girls lose there best friend and are so wracked with guilt that they are willing to do anything to cope. Ella tries to find out why Astrid killed herself and becomes so obsessed she begins to see things. Sydney, on the other hand, begins drinking heavily and hanging out with her abhorrent ex to numb the pain. In the process they start to drive a wedge between their friendship and spiral deeper and deeper out of control. Konen does a beautiful job of making these characters and their grief intensely realistic. From the first page the reader feels for each of them and truly cares about the story. Astrid, the victim, is not who they imagined her to be. They at once feel betrayed and guilty. These are such difficult emotions to bring across and it is done perfectly.
This is not a book about death though, it is a story of resilience and survival. It is about being thankful for what we have when we have it and trying our utmost to support and love our friends while we can. What I most appreciated is that Astrid is not turned in to this glamorized martyr. She is a girl who had severe issues that were not dealt with. She chose a permanent solution to a temporary problem and left devastation in her wake. She is not villainized but she is not left without blame either. Suicide is always a messy topic for an author but I think that Konen did an amazing job with this book. I think that this is an important book for anyone who has lost someone to suicide and for teens in general. I would recommend it across the board.
April 19, 2013
Best friends, Sydney, Ella, and Astrid, had high hopes for the summer after their senior year of high school , but when Astrid is found dead from an overdose, Ella and Sydney are left to pick up the pieces and try to move on with their lives. Not only are Ella and Sydney left with so many unanswered questions, but they are also left to wonder if they ever really knew Astrid, at all. When Ella starts getting cryptic messages from Astrid, she wonders if she is really dead or if someone is playing tricks with her head. Sydney, on the other hand, feels responsible for her friend’s death and doesn’t know how to cope emotionally. As summer moves forward, and college becomes reality, the girls wonder if their lives will ever be normal again.
I wish I could say The After Girls, Leah Konen’s debut novel, is now one of my favorite books, but I can’t. I had high hopes for this book, but it didn’t move fast enough for me. The plot kept getting thicker, but then nothing was resolving itself in a timely manner. At one point I thought the book was going to turn into a series, because it was nearing the end and it hadn’t started to wrap itself up, but luckily, that isn’t the case.
When I first read the synopsis of The After Girls, I thought, “Oh, this sounds kind of like Pretty Little Liars, I’ll read it!” But instead of being LIKE Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard, it basically IS Pretty Little Liars, but with different characters. I kept picturing the girls from the Pretty Little Liars TV show, as the characters in the book, and couldn’t get my mind away from them. This was unfortunate because I kept thinking that the good guys were the bad guys and vice versa.
I almost stopped reading this The After Girls twice: once when I first started reading it, and once about halfway through, I even read two books between the time I started this book and finished it. But in the end, I’m glad I finished it. The ending was not what I expected at all. I had all of these ideas of who did what, and I was dead wrong, no pun intended.
Even though I didn’t love the book, I did like the characters, especially Sydney and Ella. Sydney is in a band and is a part of an awkward love triangle with her band mates. She plays violin and is hoping to become famous with her band. Sydney’s band sounded really cool and I think if they were real, I would go see them play. Ella works in a coffee shop, but not Starbucks, and I enjoyed the coffee shop scenes; it reminded me of the good times I had working at Starbucks, and all of the hustle and bustle. Ella also becomes a part of an awkward love triangle between her high school boyfriend and Astrid’s estranged cousin.
If you like mysteries and can get over the fact that this storyline is way too similar to Pretty Little Liars, then the The After Girls by Leah Konen is worth reading. If you haven’t read or watched PLL, then I think you will definitely like this book, as well. If I hadn’t invested so much time into PLL, then I definitely would have enjoyed The After Girls a lot more. For a debut novel, Leah Konen does a good job at creating likeable characters and an interesting storyline; who knows, maybe she’s a huge PLL fan, as well.
I was given an ARC e-book of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I wish I could say The After Girls, Leah Konen’s debut novel, is now one of my favorite books, but I can’t. I had high hopes for this book, but it didn’t move fast enough for me. The plot kept getting thicker, but then nothing was resolving itself in a timely manner. At one point I thought the book was going to turn into a series, because it was nearing the end and it hadn’t started to wrap itself up, but luckily, that isn’t the case.
When I first read the synopsis of The After Girls, I thought, “Oh, this sounds kind of like Pretty Little Liars, I’ll read it!” But instead of being LIKE Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard, it basically IS Pretty Little Liars, but with different characters. I kept picturing the girls from the Pretty Little Liars TV show, as the characters in the book, and couldn’t get my mind away from them. This was unfortunate because I kept thinking that the good guys were the bad guys and vice versa.
I almost stopped reading this The After Girls twice: once when I first started reading it, and once about halfway through, I even read two books between the time I started this book and finished it. But in the end, I’m glad I finished it. The ending was not what I expected at all. I had all of these ideas of who did what, and I was dead wrong, no pun intended.
Even though I didn’t love the book, I did like the characters, especially Sydney and Ella. Sydney is in a band and is a part of an awkward love triangle with her band mates. She plays violin and is hoping to become famous with her band. Sydney’s band sounded really cool and I think if they were real, I would go see them play. Ella works in a coffee shop, but not Starbucks, and I enjoyed the coffee shop scenes; it reminded me of the good times I had working at Starbucks, and all of the hustle and bustle. Ella also becomes a part of an awkward love triangle between her high school boyfriend and Astrid’s estranged cousin.
If you like mysteries and can get over the fact that this storyline is way too similar to Pretty Little Liars, then the The After Girls by Leah Konen is worth reading. If you haven’t read or watched PLL, then I think you will definitely like this book, as well. If I hadn’t invested so much time into PLL, then I definitely would have enjoyed The After Girls a lot more. For a debut novel, Leah Konen does a good job at creating likeable characters and an interesting storyline; who knows, maybe she’s a huge PLL fan, as well.
I was given an ARC e-book of this book in exchange for an honest review.
April 18, 2013
Rating: 4
The Low Down: Ella, Sydney and Astrid have been best friends forever. But when Astrid commits suicide after they graduate from high school, Ella and Sydney have different ways of handling the hurt and loss. Ella is determined to find out the why while Sydney believes that nothing good will come from knowing. How could they have let her go? Why didn’t they push and pry and try to get her to open up? It’s because they always believed they’d have another day with her, another year, a lifetime.
Ella’s boyfriend, Ben, is worried about her. Then Astrid’s aunt and cousin, Jake, show up to help out at the coffee shop while Astrid’s mother, Grace, takes a breather. Ella has an immediate connection with Jake, someone who knew and loved Astrid and doesn’t mind that it’s all Ella can talk about right now. But is Ella’s closeness to Jake threatening her relationship with Ben?
And Sydney’s fear comes to fruition; they start to unravel the mystery surrounding Astrid’s death, discovering secrets and lies and deceptions. Then Ella swears she receives text messages, phone calls and Facebook posts from Astrid. That she sees glimpses of her red hair, her favorite dress. And things are happening at their favorite hideaway, a cabin in the woods, creepy things that can’t be explained. After all, it is where Astrid was found. Is she still there?
Best Thang ‘Bout It: I loved the even tenor of this book. Don’t get me wrong; it was heartbreaking, devastating and full of pain. What it wasn’t? Melodramatic. Fake. Depressing. It was written exactly how one would feel in those days after something horrible and unexplainable had happened. Like moving through jello. Like walking around with earplugs in. Like feeling the inevitable “if only I had...” that you feel when you don’t have any of the answers. Trying to make sense of things. How everyone handles tragedy so differently. How you wish you could feel “normal” again. How you wish you’d noticed anything “before.”
It’s all real, honest and laid bare: the feeling of being ripped apart, everything changing, about being left behind to deal with the aftermath. There's no "bad guy" or martyr here. And you will need a big hug after you’ve finished reading.
The Bottom Line: The Writing King of Difficult Subjects has to be John Green. After reading The After Girls, I would definitely put Ms. Konen in his court.
The After Girls by Leah Konen was published today by Merit Press. A free copy of this book was given to Ink and Page in return for an honest review. Big thanks to Merit Press and Leah Konen.
Genre: Young Adult Fiction Contemporary
Ages: 13 and up
Just So You Know: There’s some underage drinking, sexual discussions and profanity.
The Low Down: Ella, Sydney and Astrid have been best friends forever. But when Astrid commits suicide after they graduate from high school, Ella and Sydney have different ways of handling the hurt and loss. Ella is determined to find out the why while Sydney believes that nothing good will come from knowing. How could they have let her go? Why didn’t they push and pry and try to get her to open up? It’s because they always believed they’d have another day with her, another year, a lifetime.
Ella’s boyfriend, Ben, is worried about her. Then Astrid’s aunt and cousin, Jake, show up to help out at the coffee shop while Astrid’s mother, Grace, takes a breather. Ella has an immediate connection with Jake, someone who knew and loved Astrid and doesn’t mind that it’s all Ella can talk about right now. But is Ella’s closeness to Jake threatening her relationship with Ben?
And Sydney’s fear comes to fruition; they start to unravel the mystery surrounding Astrid’s death, discovering secrets and lies and deceptions. Then Ella swears she receives text messages, phone calls and Facebook posts from Astrid. That she sees glimpses of her red hair, her favorite dress. And things are happening at their favorite hideaway, a cabin in the woods, creepy things that can’t be explained. After all, it is where Astrid was found. Is she still there?
Best Thang ‘Bout It: I loved the even tenor of this book. Don’t get me wrong; it was heartbreaking, devastating and full of pain. What it wasn’t? Melodramatic. Fake. Depressing. It was written exactly how one would feel in those days after something horrible and unexplainable had happened. Like moving through jello. Like walking around with earplugs in. Like feeling the inevitable “if only I had...” that you feel when you don’t have any of the answers. Trying to make sense of things. How everyone handles tragedy so differently. How you wish you could feel “normal” again. How you wish you’d noticed anything “before.”
It’s all real, honest and laid bare: the feeling of being ripped apart, everything changing, about being left behind to deal with the aftermath. There's no "bad guy" or martyr here. And you will need a big hug after you’ve finished reading.
The Bottom Line: The Writing King of Difficult Subjects has to be John Green. After reading The After Girls, I would definitely put Ms. Konen in his court.
The After Girls by Leah Konen was published today by Merit Press. A free copy of this book was given to Ink and Page in return for an honest review. Big thanks to Merit Press and Leah Konen.
Genre: Young Adult Fiction Contemporary
Ages: 13 and up
Just So You Know: There’s some underage drinking, sexual discussions and profanity.
December 23, 2014
Real rating: 3.75 stars
Originally posted on: http://www.hello-chelly.com/2013/08/l...
THE GOOD
The After Girls evoked so many emotions and thoughts in me as I read. My best friends mean the world to me and trying to put myself in these girls' shoes for even a second was a like punch in the gut. The author's descriptions of how each girl - Ella and Sydney - deal with the aftermath of Astrid's suicide is nothing short of heartbreaking and it was impossible to read this without feeling affected by their grief.
The story begins right after Astrid has been found and Ella and Sydney are going in opposite directions with how they deal. Ella is all about the answers. She wants to know why Astrid did this, what was she hiding, what didn't they know about her family life and did they ever truly know Astrid to begin with? Ella knows she can't move on until she finds out. Sydney, on the other hand, is driven by something else entirely - guilt. We learn there were moments when Astrid would be on the brink of confiding in her, but something would always interrupt. And Sydney never pushed. Now she's asking herself why she didn't press her for answers and if she had, could she have saved Astrid?
Even though their shared grief should be bringing them together, it's driving them apart because they can't comprehend why the other is acting the way they are. Ella is still working at the Astrid's mom's cafe (with family she never knew Astrid had) and going to her house for dinners. Whereas Sydney chooses to focus on her band (there's a performance in the beginning that moved me so unexpectedly) and partying. It was frustrating to see two best friends at odds when they needed each other the most but it also made sense in a way. Grief affects everyone differently and despite that, they tried to be there for each other. They tried to understand.
(SUPER MINOR) RESERVATIONS
The summary mentions that the girls receive "a chilling message from Astrid" but I must've completely missed that because when it actually happened in the book I thought - uh oh, please do not go all Pretty Little Liars on me (nothing against the show!). All I can say is, if you feel the same way, just keep reading. I wasn't expecting the mystery factor but if you think about it, Astrid's death is a mystery to them and I could understand their desire to find the truth. It all comes together in the end.
DO I RECOMMEND?
I do! There are these little quotes splattered throughout the book where I found myself stopping and just thinking about the author's words. She has a lot of honest and raw things to say about friendship which I enjoyed a lot.
Originally posted on: http://www.hello-chelly.com/2013/08/l...
THE GOOD
The After Girls evoked so many emotions and thoughts in me as I read. My best friends mean the world to me and trying to put myself in these girls' shoes for even a second was a like punch in the gut. The author's descriptions of how each girl - Ella and Sydney - deal with the aftermath of Astrid's suicide is nothing short of heartbreaking and it was impossible to read this without feeling affected by their grief.
The story begins right after Astrid has been found and Ella and Sydney are going in opposite directions with how they deal. Ella is all about the answers. She wants to know why Astrid did this, what was she hiding, what didn't they know about her family life and did they ever truly know Astrid to begin with? Ella knows she can't move on until she finds out. Sydney, on the other hand, is driven by something else entirely - guilt. We learn there were moments when Astrid would be on the brink of confiding in her, but something would always interrupt. And Sydney never pushed. Now she's asking herself why she didn't press her for answers and if she had, could she have saved Astrid?
Even though their shared grief should be bringing them together, it's driving them apart because they can't comprehend why the other is acting the way they are. Ella is still working at the Astrid's mom's cafe (with family she never knew Astrid had) and going to her house for dinners. Whereas Sydney chooses to focus on her band (there's a performance in the beginning that moved me so unexpectedly) and partying. It was frustrating to see two best friends at odds when they needed each other the most but it also made sense in a way. Grief affects everyone differently and despite that, they tried to be there for each other. They tried to understand.
(SUPER MINOR) RESERVATIONS
The summary mentions that the girls receive "a chilling message from Astrid" but I must've completely missed that because when it actually happened in the book I thought - uh oh, please do not go all Pretty Little Liars on me (nothing against the show!). All I can say is, if you feel the same way, just keep reading. I wasn't expecting the mystery factor but if you think about it, Astrid's death is a mystery to them and I could understand their desire to find the truth. It all comes together in the end.
DO I RECOMMEND?
I do! There are these little quotes splattered throughout the book where I found myself stopping and just thinking about the author's words. She has a lot of honest and raw things to say about friendship which I enjoyed a lot.
April 21, 2013
When I received an email regarding reviewing this book I quickly agreed. I had not previously heard anything about this book but after reading the synopsis I needed to know more.
The After Girls follows Sydney and Ella as they come to terms with the death of their best friend Astrid, and how they are dealing with it. In Sydney's point of view she turns to drink to block it out, whilst Ella is seeing Astrid, getting messages and phone calls off her, and even Facebook messages.
We learn about Astrid's death at the very beginning of the book, and from that point onwards we see the girls slowly spiralling into a state of either oblivion, or disbelief and denial.
This trio of friends have grown up together, sharing lots of things and basically doing what teenage girls do. they have their own little run down shack they found abandoned in the woods, and made it theirs, stamping their mark all over it with photos, books etc. This is where Astrid goes to die, but Ella can't understand why she committed suicide and needs to find out why she died.
The After Girls is full of anguish, denial, and grief. Seeing how each girl is dealing with the loss of their friend is an emotional journey, and each one deals with it differently. Ella is determined she needs to find out why Astrid did this, and will stop at nothing to discover the truth, but some truths are meant to remain hidden, and some of the truths Ella discovers rock both of these girls.
Throughout The After Girls there is the constant question hanging over everyone's head, even my own, why did Astrid commit suicide, as the plot progresses there is then the added mystery of what is really happening with Ella, is everything she see's real, or is it really just her imagination. I love how Jake, Astrid's cousin, is there to help Ella, even though they have only just met, and to me he feels like he is the only one that understands Ella, even though he doesn't understand everything she is going through.
The ending of The After Girls was not something I suspected and it made me feel sorry for all involved with it. Leah Konen writes truly gripping story with hints and clues to what is going on, but not enough to give it all away, but with enough going on to keep you reading and wanting to know more. The subject of suicide can be a sensitive subject to others, but Leah has written about it in a sensitive way but still manages to capture your emotions.
The After Girls follows Sydney and Ella as they come to terms with the death of their best friend Astrid, and how they are dealing with it. In Sydney's point of view she turns to drink to block it out, whilst Ella is seeing Astrid, getting messages and phone calls off her, and even Facebook messages.
We learn about Astrid's death at the very beginning of the book, and from that point onwards we see the girls slowly spiralling into a state of either oblivion, or disbelief and denial.
This trio of friends have grown up together, sharing lots of things and basically doing what teenage girls do. they have their own little run down shack they found abandoned in the woods, and made it theirs, stamping their mark all over it with photos, books etc. This is where Astrid goes to die, but Ella can't understand why she committed suicide and needs to find out why she died.
The After Girls is full of anguish, denial, and grief. Seeing how each girl is dealing with the loss of their friend is an emotional journey, and each one deals with it differently. Ella is determined she needs to find out why Astrid did this, and will stop at nothing to discover the truth, but some truths are meant to remain hidden, and some of the truths Ella discovers rock both of these girls.
Throughout The After Girls there is the constant question hanging over everyone's head, even my own, why did Astrid commit suicide, as the plot progresses there is then the added mystery of what is really happening with Ella, is everything she see's real, or is it really just her imagination. I love how Jake, Astrid's cousin, is there to help Ella, even though they have only just met, and to me he feels like he is the only one that understands Ella, even though he doesn't understand everything she is going through.
The ending of The After Girls was not something I suspected and it made me feel sorry for all involved with it. Leah Konen writes truly gripping story with hints and clues to what is going on, but not enough to give it all away, but with enough going on to keep you reading and wanting to know more. The subject of suicide can be a sensitive subject to others, but Leah has written about it in a sensitive way but still manages to capture your emotions.
April 16, 2013
The After Girls marked my attempt to switch it up and try more contemporary, issue books, rather than my usual fantasy/scifi/dystopian/paranormal reads. So I may interpret things differently that someone who reads a lot of contemporaries (but I still get my opinion, dang it!).
I went into The After Girls expecting a who lot of feels. However, I didn't get nearly as many as I was hoping for. The problem: I didn't connect with the characters. I think it was a combination of the 3rd person writing combined with their actions and personalities. Neither of them were people I would want to be friends with.
The other major problem I had was the parenting (or lack there of). Maybe I was an exception to the rule, but I was very close with my parents in high school. Not that I didn't spend tons of time with friends, but my parents were always there. Ella and especially Sydney were always going to parties and getting drunk. I know that's a reality for a lot of high school kids (myself included), but there were zero consequences! Sydney would go out to a party, pass out at the party, come home the next morning, then still be in bed at 1 pm with her mother not willing to wake her up because she was cranky. What? If I did that, I'd be grounded for ages and ages! Sydney's mom, step-dad and little sister make appearances in only one or two scenes and Ella's mother in probably only two as well. I just think parents would be a much larger part of these girls' lives after the loss of their best friend. I know mine would have been!
However, it wasn't all doom and gloom! I liked the character of Jake, although towards the end he annoyed me a bit. I actually liked Ben a lot as well, although Ella pissed me off with the majority of her interactions with him (but I'll give her a bit of a pass considering what she was going through). Max made me so angry, which I really think he was supposed to. There were so many times I wanted to slap him and give Sydney a good shake! And Carter, he was my favourite. Although he's too good for Sydney in my opinion.
My favourite part of the book was definitely the eerie feeling Konen managed to portray. I was hooked to find out what was going on with the weird, supernatural-y occurrences. And the ending did surprise me, which I always enjoy! So hooray for a good ending!
Overall, The After Girls is an eerie read with a good ending, but my lack of connection with the characters kept it from reaching it's full potential.
I went into The After Girls expecting a who lot of feels. However, I didn't get nearly as many as I was hoping for. The problem: I didn't connect with the characters. I think it was a combination of the 3rd person writing combined with their actions and personalities. Neither of them were people I would want to be friends with.
The other major problem I had was the parenting (or lack there of). Maybe I was an exception to the rule, but I was very close with my parents in high school. Not that I didn't spend tons of time with friends, but my parents were always there. Ella and especially Sydney were always going to parties and getting drunk. I know that's a reality for a lot of high school kids (myself included), but there were zero consequences! Sydney would go out to a party, pass out at the party, come home the next morning, then still be in bed at 1 pm with her mother not willing to wake her up because she was cranky. What? If I did that, I'd be grounded for ages and ages! Sydney's mom, step-dad and little sister make appearances in only one or two scenes and Ella's mother in probably only two as well. I just think parents would be a much larger part of these girls' lives after the loss of their best friend. I know mine would have been!
However, it wasn't all doom and gloom! I liked the character of Jake, although towards the end he annoyed me a bit. I actually liked Ben a lot as well, although Ella pissed me off with the majority of her interactions with him (but I'll give her a bit of a pass considering what she was going through). Max made me so angry, which I really think he was supposed to. There were so many times I wanted to slap him and give Sydney a good shake! And Carter, he was my favourite. Although he's too good for Sydney in my opinion.
My favourite part of the book was definitely the eerie feeling Konen managed to portray. I was hooked to find out what was going on with the weird, supernatural-y occurrences. And the ending did surprise me, which I always enjoy! So hooray for a good ending!
Overall, The After Girls is an eerie read with a good ending, but my lack of connection with the characters kept it from reaching it's full potential.
November 29, 2013
I found this review in the middle of some papers I was grading. I thought I had already posted it. Better late than never.
Sydney, Ella, and Astrid have been best friends for years. They make plans for the future. Those plans are ruined when Astrid commits suicide. Sydney and Ella are left to pick up the pieces. They both believe they should have seen it coming. They should have been able to see the signs. They knew she was often dark and moody, but they chalked it up to just her personality. After her death they each deal with it differently.
Ella starts getting phone messages she believes are from Astrid. How can that be? She’s dead. She keeps searching for the reasons, sure that Astrid would have left her a message as to the reason.
When they say opposites attract they were not kidding. Sydney was very outgoing and not always in a good way. Astrid was the opposite of Sydney. She was always withdrawn and kept a lot of secrets from her friends. She valued each of them for different reasons. Ella was the one who seemed to balance out the trio. She was the level headed one, the strong one. In real life if I had to pick one of them to be my go-to person it would have been Ella. It is funny that I had friends like this. They ranged from one extreme to the other. I was a very shy person and would occasionally do things I knew my parents would not approve of because my outgoing friend Patty would encourage me. I don’t mean bad things. Simple things such as wearing my skirts rolled up to right below my butt. I went to school every day with dresses below my knees. I also wore makeup at school knowing I was not allowed to wear it. Montana was my friend who was my voice of reason. She was not over the top like Patty but would try to show me that I was fine the way I was. This book hit many cords in my life. Some of them were painful. It was a great book caused me to reflect on my teen years. I believe this book can be a big help to teens with the issues they have today. If I had to compare it to a book I would compare it to books by Jay Asher or Laurie Halse Anderson.
I am pleased to see an author who is willing to take on those tough topics for teens. This is one I definitely recommend to teens.
Sydney, Ella, and Astrid have been best friends for years. They make plans for the future. Those plans are ruined when Astrid commits suicide. Sydney and Ella are left to pick up the pieces. They both believe they should have seen it coming. They should have been able to see the signs. They knew she was often dark and moody, but they chalked it up to just her personality. After her death they each deal with it differently.
Ella starts getting phone messages she believes are from Astrid. How can that be? She’s dead. She keeps searching for the reasons, sure that Astrid would have left her a message as to the reason.
When they say opposites attract they were not kidding. Sydney was very outgoing and not always in a good way. Astrid was the opposite of Sydney. She was always withdrawn and kept a lot of secrets from her friends. She valued each of them for different reasons. Ella was the one who seemed to balance out the trio. She was the level headed one, the strong one. In real life if I had to pick one of them to be my go-to person it would have been Ella. It is funny that I had friends like this. They ranged from one extreme to the other. I was a very shy person and would occasionally do things I knew my parents would not approve of because my outgoing friend Patty would encourage me. I don’t mean bad things. Simple things such as wearing my skirts rolled up to right below my butt. I went to school every day with dresses below my knees. I also wore makeup at school knowing I was not allowed to wear it. Montana was my friend who was my voice of reason. She was not over the top like Patty but would try to show me that I was fine the way I was. This book hit many cords in my life. Some of them were painful. It was a great book caused me to reflect on my teen years. I believe this book can be a big help to teens with the issues they have today. If I had to compare it to a book I would compare it to books by Jay Asher or Laurie Halse Anderson.
I am pleased to see an author who is willing to take on those tough topics for teens. This is one I definitely recommend to teens.
February 24, 2017
Really hard to get in to but I still read the book.
July 7, 2015
Okay, let me tell you… this book rocked my world! It gave me actual goose bumps and chills on several occasions, and I became obsessed with finding out what in the world was going on. It got to be one of those books that I was reading every possible second I could, even standing up in the back room after work when my day was done and I was waiting for my mom to finish (yes, we work together). I was flying through the pages as fast as I possibly could to get to the end so I could finally uncover all the secrets and discover the truth behind all the creepy happenings (text messages from dead friends, anyone?). Seriously, I was captivated and totally entranced, particularly after Ella starts getting calls and messages from Astrid… yikes!
Underneath all of the incredible suspense and creep factor, which I loved, lies the story of the friendship shared between the girls. I really liked how dynamic and well crafted each character was. Ella was the good girl, Sydney was the cool, bad girl, and Astrid was the mysterious, withdrawn girl. Despite how different they all were, they really fit together. I really loved how defined they all were, and their personalities were very evident. Sydney and Ella were coping very differently with the loss, and at some points it even seemed like their friendship wasn’t going to make it because neither of them truly knew how to deal. A lot of their other relationships were affected by the suicide as well. I really loved how Konen showed all the different ways that people deal with tragedy… everyone has their own way of coping. Ella… wow, at times, I really was scared for her. She was taking drastic measures to try and find out the “why,” and I was just blown away.
I could go on and on, but all that really matters is that I loved this book. I couldn’t race through the story fast enough! I was reading it all the time and when I wasn’t reading it, it was consuming my thoughts. The suspense, the raw emotions, the mystery… it created such a fantastic, dark story that took me by total surprise. I highly recommend this book to all YA fans.
Note: I received a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Underneath all of the incredible suspense and creep factor, which I loved, lies the story of the friendship shared between the girls. I really liked how dynamic and well crafted each character was. Ella was the good girl, Sydney was the cool, bad girl, and Astrid was the mysterious, withdrawn girl. Despite how different they all were, they really fit together. I really loved how defined they all were, and their personalities were very evident. Sydney and Ella were coping very differently with the loss, and at some points it even seemed like their friendship wasn’t going to make it because neither of them truly knew how to deal. A lot of their other relationships were affected by the suicide as well. I really loved how Konen showed all the different ways that people deal with tragedy… everyone has their own way of coping. Ella… wow, at times, I really was scared for her. She was taking drastic measures to try and find out the “why,” and I was just blown away.
I could go on and on, but all that really matters is that I loved this book. I couldn’t race through the story fast enough! I was reading it all the time and when I wasn’t reading it, it was consuming my thoughts. The suspense, the raw emotions, the mystery… it created such a fantastic, dark story that took me by total surprise. I highly recommend this book to all YA fans.
Note: I received a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
July 29, 2013
The After Girls by Leah Konen was a very realistic and heart wrenching look at what suicide does to people and how people deal with their grief. It also brings the question of, do you ever really know someone? You can be best friends with them but do you really know them and what is going on in their life?
This story revolves around three girls who are the best of friends, Ella, Sydney and Astrid. One horrible day Astrid takes her own life in the place that the three friends had made into their own special place, their clubhouse. Ella is the one who finds her and shows Astrids mother where she is. It sticks with her as it would any person. While Ella and Sydney are trying to learn to live without their friend and with the questions that her suicide has left them with, weird things begin to happen.
At first I was like, okay this is going to be one of those books where the girl has come back to show them signs of foul play with her death. It wasn't. Not by a long shot.
Slowly Ella begins to feel like she's losing her mind when she thinks she's getting messages from Astrid. Sydney thinks that Ella is going crazy with her grief but is trying to be the best friend that she knows how to be while also grieving for their friend. Sydney tries to move on through hooking up with a guy and drinking. It doesn't work though.
Astrid's cousin is in town to try to help Astrid's mom, Grace deal with her death and other things that you come to find out. The problems that unravel are amazing and I really didn't see any of it happening. However, it was very realistic in that it happens every day.
It's horrible that Astrid felt that the only way out was to kill herself and this book made me tear up in quite a few parts. I'm just sad that I didn't read this sooner and put it off because this book deserves a lot of attention.
This is a good book for people to read to see what suicide does for the people around them.
Such a good book, I highly recommend to everyone.
July 26, 2016
To be precise, I'm going to say this book was more 2.5 stars. It was okay, but I felt like it was very "two steps forward, one step back." I mean, every time something cool and exciting happened (), there would be a chapter where nothing overly exciting happened. And then the exciting thing would be glossed over. Because of that, the book felt like it was longer than it needed to be.
Other than that, I liked the characters, I liked how they acted, I liked their friendships and romances.
One thing that particularly stood out to me was
Other than that, I liked the characters, I liked how they acted, I liked their friendships and romances.
One thing that particularly stood out to me was
April 12, 2013
When their friend Astrid committed suicide, Sidney and Ella are left to pick up the pieces. Pieces of guilt, what ifs and memories of their friendship. Both tried to handle their grief in their own ways. Sydney was the one who wanted to let it go, move forward and just forget everything. I understand her, at least that way, she never have to be reminded of all the opportunities she could have in helping Astrid, and maybe, Astrid would not kill herself. In parties and drinking, Sydney could pretend everything is fine, and even for just a moment, she could forget that one of her best friend died.
Ella on the other hand wanted to solve the mystery of Astrid's death. They thought everything is fine with Astrid, that all of them have planned the future together. Ella could not accept the fact that Astrid gave up and left them, that Astrid chose to end her life than choose to ask their help in whatever she's going through. She believes Astrid is telling her something, that her ghost is possible reaching out to her ,telling her a message, and he won't stop until she finds out all the mysteries behind their friend's death.
It shows two ways of moving on, one is Sydney's way-- forget everything and move on, and the other is Ella's, that is face all the feelings and facts before moving on. Both are effective I guess, it's the individual's character on how to cope up with the hurt of losing someone. Just one thing remains, both are hurting really bad. :(
It's a little bit confusing where the story is going. Is this a paranormal story or just a simple story of friendship, life and death. But in the end, it doesn't matter. What the books wanted to tell has successfully been expressed by the story regardless if ghosts are real or not. It's that in life, we lose some, we gain some. Losing someone would hurt a lot, it comes with regrets of things we could have done to save them, to stop them from leaving, but when it comes in the end, all we have to do is accept the fact the they're gone, but we still have our lives, to live it and move on and let ourselves be healed.
Ella on the other hand wanted to solve the mystery of Astrid's death. They thought everything is fine with Astrid, that all of them have planned the future together. Ella could not accept the fact that Astrid gave up and left them, that Astrid chose to end her life than choose to ask their help in whatever she's going through. She believes Astrid is telling her something, that her ghost is possible reaching out to her ,telling her a message, and he won't stop until she finds out all the mysteries behind their friend's death.
It shows two ways of moving on, one is Sydney's way-- forget everything and move on, and the other is Ella's, that is face all the feelings and facts before moving on. Both are effective I guess, it's the individual's character on how to cope up with the hurt of losing someone. Just one thing remains, both are hurting really bad. :(
It's a little bit confusing where the story is going. Is this a paranormal story or just a simple story of friendship, life and death. But in the end, it doesn't matter. What the books wanted to tell has successfully been expressed by the story regardless if ghosts are real or not. It's that in life, we lose some, we gain some. Losing someone would hurt a lot, it comes with regrets of things we could have done to save them, to stop them from leaving, but when it comes in the end, all we have to do is accept the fact the they're gone, but we still have our lives, to live it and move on and let ourselves be healed.
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