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Wredne dziewczyny idą do piekła
Wszyscy jesteśmy podejrzani o morderstwo, tak? Może być jakiś lepszy motyw na Halloween?
Witaj w Sierton, gdzie pozory mylą, a wzajemna nienawiść czai się w każdym rogu. Życie toczyło się tutaj mniej więcej spokojnie... aż do fatalnej nocy, gdy Ella Moore, najpopularniejsza i najbardziej znienawidzona dziewczyna w szkole, została zamordowana na własnej imprezie.
Wszystkie oczy są zwrócone na Dawn Foster – nową dziewczynę w klasie i ostatnią osobę, która podała Elli drinka. Ale czy to ona jest winna? W końcu każdy z przyjaciół zamordowanej miał powody, by ją zabić, a z dnia na dzień ujawnia się coraz mroczniejsza strona Elli.
Dawn postanawia sama przeprowadzić śledztwo. Musi odkryć prawdę i uprzedzić policję, zanim ktoś niewinny zostanie aresztowany. Przerażające tajemnice miasta sięgają jednak jeszcze głębiej, niż można by się tego spodziewać…
Witaj w Sierton, gdzie pozory mylą, a wzajemna nienawiść czai się w każdym rogu. Życie toczyło się tutaj mniej więcej spokojnie... aż do fatalnej nocy, gdy Ella Moore, najpopularniejsza i najbardziej znienawidzona dziewczyna w szkole, została zamordowana na własnej imprezie.
Wszystkie oczy są zwrócone na Dawn Foster – nową dziewczynę w klasie i ostatnią osobę, która podała Elli drinka. Ale czy to ona jest winna? W końcu każdy z przyjaciół zamordowanej miał powody, by ją zabić, a z dnia na dzień ujawnia się coraz mroczniejsza strona Elli.
Dawn postanawia sama przeprowadzić śledztwo. Musi odkryć prawdę i uprzedzić policję, zanim ktoś niewinny zostanie aresztowany. Przerażające tajemnice miasta sięgają jednak jeszcze głębiej, niż można by się tego spodziewać…
320 pages, Paperback
First published May 7, 2024
181 people are currently reading
47152 people want to read
About the author
Cindy R.X. He
3 books304 followersCindy R. X. He is the queen of tension and psychological crimes against readers¹, who writes chilling and suspense-filled tragedies² with propulsive, Hitchcockian plots³ and complex relationship dynamics⁴. Her books have been Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selections, Children's Book Council Favorites Awards Winners, nominated for the Arkansas Teen Book Award, recommended by the Chicago Public Libraries for Best Teen Fiction, as well as finalists for the Daphne du Maurier Award and the Killer Nashville Claymore Award.
Born and raised in multicultural Singapore, she currently resides in the French Alps with her husband, children, and rescue cat. She skis in the winter, gets dragged on hikes in the summer (and sometimes, even worse still, camping), and hoards books all year round.
¹ Courtney Summers ² Kirkus ³ Booklist ⁴ Publishers Weekly
Born and raised in multicultural Singapore, she currently resides in the French Alps with her husband, children, and rescue cat. She skis in the winter, gets dragged on hikes in the summer (and sometimes, even worse still, camping), and hoards books all year round.
¹ Courtney Summers ² Kirkus ³ Booklist ⁴ Publishers Weekly
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,111 reviews
December 28, 2024
Well, I devoured this twisty, riveting, smart thriller at lightning speed. It's a freaking great psychological thriller that kept me on my toes, flipping pages, and absorbing every twist in record time. As you can imagine, my jaw is on the ground after the biggest twist hit me in the face! I started to get suspicious in the middle, wondering if it could be true, but then shook my head and told myself, "No freaking way," only to realize, "it's way!" I'm stopping myself from ruining your reading experience!
Let's focus on the plot line: Dawn Foster, 17, transferred from Santa Cruz after her parents had a tragic accident that prevented them from working and affording their mortgage. They are forced to move to Wisconsin to live with Maddie, the aunt who is kind enough to accept them into her home.
Dawn tries to fit into her new social circle by attending the cheerleaders and befriending the three queen bee mean girls club: Ella Moore (the leader of the girls who everyone is afraid of), Naomi Chen, and Luciana Aguilar.
She even gets an invitation to Ella’s house party, which may help her get to know her new classmates a little more. But unfortunately, the party night ends in tragedy when Ella Moore is killed with poison, and Dawn is the last person who gave her a drink. She understands that Naomi, Lucy, and Ella’s boyfriend Scott, who are also suspects of the murder, are trying to blame her. The only way to save herself is to find the real culprit, but unfortunately, Ella has more enemies than friends, exerting her power over people by threatening them in creative ways.
We also read the POV of Hannah, another victim of the mean girls trio! Could she be the real killer, or is she the girl who committed suicide and is now living in a vegetative state, the sister of Isaac, whom Dawn has a crush on?
Who really killed Ella? By digging through everyone’s dirty secrets, did Dawn put her own life in danger too?
Overall, I loved the execution, the fast-paced trajectory that made it impossible to put the book down. I definitely enjoyed it and am rounding up my 4.5 stars to 5! I wish streaming platforms could find smart plotlines like this book has. It would make an amazing movie!
Many thanks to NetGalley and SOURCE BOOKS Fire for sharing this riveting page-turner’s digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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Let's focus on the plot line: Dawn Foster, 17, transferred from Santa Cruz after her parents had a tragic accident that prevented them from working and affording their mortgage. They are forced to move to Wisconsin to live with Maddie, the aunt who is kind enough to accept them into her home.
Dawn tries to fit into her new social circle by attending the cheerleaders and befriending the three queen bee mean girls club: Ella Moore (the leader of the girls who everyone is afraid of), Naomi Chen, and Luciana Aguilar.
She even gets an invitation to Ella’s house party, which may help her get to know her new classmates a little more. But unfortunately, the party night ends in tragedy when Ella Moore is killed with poison, and Dawn is the last person who gave her a drink. She understands that Naomi, Lucy, and Ella’s boyfriend Scott, who are also suspects of the murder, are trying to blame her. The only way to save herself is to find the real culprit, but unfortunately, Ella has more enemies than friends, exerting her power over people by threatening them in creative ways.
We also read the POV of Hannah, another victim of the mean girls trio! Could she be the real killer, or is she the girl who committed suicide and is now living in a vegetative state, the sister of Isaac, whom Dawn has a crush on?
Who really killed Ella? By digging through everyone’s dirty secrets, did Dawn put her own life in danger too?
Overall, I loved the execution, the fast-paced trajectory that made it impossible to put the book down. I definitely enjoyed it and am rounding up my 4.5 stars to 5! I wish streaming platforms could find smart plotlines like this book has. It would make an amazing movie!
Many thanks to NetGalley and SOURCE BOOKS Fire for sharing this riveting page-turner’s digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.
medium blog
November 17, 2024
Content warning: Suicide
Dear Reader,
When I was sixteen, after half a year of being bullied in school by a teacher, I attempted to kill myself. Thanks to the quick intervention of a friend who’d suspected something was wrong, that attempt was nonfatal; but I remained emotionally vulnerable for many years after. Even though that was decades ago—decades where the conversation surrounding mental health and suicide has improved—that is still hard to write. Even now, it is a part of me I still feel hesitant to share with others because the stigma of suicide persists; I worry that people may think less of me after knowing this part of my past.
Unfortunately, suicide is the second-leading cause of death today for teens and young adults aged 10–34 (CDC, 2022). More than one in three high school students, and nearly half of female students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2019 (CDC, 2020). I can’t help but think that maybe if we talked about it more—suicide and what might drive young people to attempt it—we could break down the walls of silence and offer a lifeline of empathy. In my debut YA thriller, PERFECT LITTLE MONSTERS, certain characters feel hopeless enough to attempt suicide. As you can imagine, it was difficult to write, but I think worth it if my book might help lessen the stigma surrounding it.
I hope you’ll find that PERFECT LITTLE MONSTERS is a twisty read that will keep you up all night. But at its heart, it’s a story exploring the impact of bullying and cruelty, and its oftentimes long lasting or devastating consequences. And because it’s a thriller, it’s a dark tale of what happens when a victim of bullying reaches her breaking point and, when her suicide attempt is nonfatal, makes a frightening decision.
Thank you for giving this book a chance. I'm so excited to share this book with you, and I hope it entertains, surprises, and chills you.
- Cindy
Dear Reader,
When I was sixteen, after half a year of being bullied in school by a teacher, I attempted to kill myself. Thanks to the quick intervention of a friend who’d suspected something was wrong, that attempt was nonfatal; but I remained emotionally vulnerable for many years after. Even though that was decades ago—decades where the conversation surrounding mental health and suicide has improved—that is still hard to write. Even now, it is a part of me I still feel hesitant to share with others because the stigma of suicide persists; I worry that people may think less of me after knowing this part of my past.
Unfortunately, suicide is the second-leading cause of death today for teens and young adults aged 10–34 (CDC, 2022). More than one in three high school students, and nearly half of female students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2019 (CDC, 2020). I can’t help but think that maybe if we talked about it more—suicide and what might drive young people to attempt it—we could break down the walls of silence and offer a lifeline of empathy. In my debut YA thriller, PERFECT LITTLE MONSTERS, certain characters feel hopeless enough to attempt suicide. As you can imagine, it was difficult to write, but I think worth it if my book might help lessen the stigma surrounding it.
I hope you’ll find that PERFECT LITTLE MONSTERS is a twisty read that will keep you up all night. But at its heart, it’s a story exploring the impact of bullying and cruelty, and its oftentimes long lasting or devastating consequences. And because it’s a thriller, it’s a dark tale of what happens when a victim of bullying reaches her breaking point and, when her suicide attempt is nonfatal, makes a frightening decision.
Thank you for giving this book a chance. I'm so excited to share this book with you, and I hope it entertains, surprises, and chills you.
- Cindy
April 10, 2024
This is a bit of a challenging review to write... I absolutely loved and devoured the first 75% of this book. This face-paced, suspenseful, who-done-it feels like if Mean Girls was a thriller. I could not put it down... but around the last quarter of the book or so, things started to take a turn for the worse IMO. First, I saw the twist coming from a mile away, which honestly isn't really the part that bothered me. I read a lot of thrillers, so predictability happens--I don't usually hold that against the author. I really did appreciate the centering around the harmful effects of bullying and the important issues around it. I think the author depicted what high school bullying *can* look like really well. My main issue with this book is around the depiction of mental health. The depiction of the MC's mental health near the ending left me with a bad taste in my mouth and honestly just felt.. harmful (I'm intentionally keeping this vague to prevent spoilers).
While I loved the first part of the book, I'm honestly still deciding if this is a book that I would recommend/promote on my platform. As someone who struggles with mental health (as well as some other reviewers I've seen bring this up), I'm just not sure that this was the best way to go for this ending. I feel like this book had so much potential and I'm bummed about how things wrapped up. I feel like there was absolutely a better ending (I can think of a view ideas myself) that did not weaponize/depict mental health and mental illness the way this novel ultimately did. I'm very curious to continue to monitor other reviews of this book, but for now, this one is an unfortunate miss for me.
Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
While I loved the first part of the book, I'm honestly still deciding if this is a book that I would recommend/promote on my platform. As someone who struggles with mental health (as well as some other reviewers I've seen bring this up), I'm just not sure that this was the best way to go for this ending. I feel like this book had so much potential and I'm bummed about how things wrapped up. I feel like there was absolutely a better ending (I can think of a view ideas myself) that did not weaponize/depict mental health and mental illness the way this novel ultimately did. I'm very curious to continue to monitor other reviews of this book, but for now, this one is an unfortunate miss for me.
Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
April 2, 2024
Synopsis:
Ella was the most popular girl, and for every kid who admired her, there was more than hated her. When she’s murdered, there is no shortage of suspects, and they all think she deserved it. The prime suspect is the new girl, Dawn. She was the last to give Ella a drink at the party she died at.
Dawn refuses to go down without a fight and is determined to clear her name. As she starts to dive into Ella’s past, she uncovers some enemies, and someone is out for revenge. She must figure out who killed Ella before the police pin the murder on her.
Thoughts:
This was a fun book to watch the week after we watched the new Mean Girls reboot.
This book is well paced and on the quicker side. I enjoyed that it kept me guessing the entire time! I think that this one did a good job of making me wonder who the culprit was the entire time, with plenty of red herrings. Looking back, all things were leading to the big reveal and the character who was the culprit, but I was so caught up in it that I didn’t see it coming – and that’s the way that I like it!
I really enjoyed getting to know all the characters in this one. I felt that they were well developed, despite being quite a few of them. It was pretty obvious that the book was centered around teenagers, because a lot of the behavior was juvenile. Sometimes this is a hard part about reading YA books as an adult because I have to remind myself, they are kids. I enjoyed reading about it, and it was a lot of fun.
Mental health was the main focus of this book, and despite the unhinged behavior present, I felt that the author did a good job of showing the different ways mental health can affect us. It’s not always a pretty journey, and we can often lash out. I don’t think that this book was perfect, but I think that it did a good job.
This book also dealt with teen bullying and suicide attempts, so please read with care.
Thank you to:
Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Fire @Sourcebooksfire and Netgalley @Netgalley for this e-arc. All thoughts are my own.
Ella was the most popular girl, and for every kid who admired her, there was more than hated her. When she’s murdered, there is no shortage of suspects, and they all think she deserved it. The prime suspect is the new girl, Dawn. She was the last to give Ella a drink at the party she died at.
Dawn refuses to go down without a fight and is determined to clear her name. As she starts to dive into Ella’s past, she uncovers some enemies, and someone is out for revenge. She must figure out who killed Ella before the police pin the murder on her.
Thoughts:
This was a fun book to watch the week after we watched the new Mean Girls reboot.
This book is well paced and on the quicker side. I enjoyed that it kept me guessing the entire time! I think that this one did a good job of making me wonder who the culprit was the entire time, with plenty of red herrings. Looking back, all things were leading to the big reveal and the character who was the culprit, but I was so caught up in it that I didn’t see it coming – and that’s the way that I like it!
I really enjoyed getting to know all the characters in this one. I felt that they were well developed, despite being quite a few of them. It was pretty obvious that the book was centered around teenagers, because a lot of the behavior was juvenile. Sometimes this is a hard part about reading YA books as an adult because I have to remind myself, they are kids. I enjoyed reading about it, and it was a lot of fun.
Mental health was the main focus of this book, and despite the unhinged behavior present, I felt that the author did a good job of showing the different ways mental health can affect us. It’s not always a pretty journey, and we can often lash out. I don’t think that this book was perfect, but I think that it did a good job.
This book also dealt with teen bullying and suicide attempts, so please read with care.
Thank you to:
Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Fire @Sourcebooksfire and Netgalley @Netgalley for this e-arc. All thoughts are my own.
December 15, 2024
Kocham psycholi
May 22, 2025
Holds your attention!
Perfect Little Monsters
By Cindy R.X. He
I normally don't read YA or teen books, but I heard good things about this book. I usually read Sci-fi or fantasy.
This has a group of teens that bully others, with students thinking of or attempting suicide. I think this theme was addressed well in this thriller/mystery/horror (?).
Perfect Little Monsters
By Cindy R.X. He
I normally don't read YA or teen books, but I heard good things about this book. I usually read Sci-fi or fantasy.
This has a group of teens that bully others, with students thinking of or attempting suicide. I think this theme was addressed well in this thriller/mystery/horror (?).
November 15, 2023
You had me at Red Solo Cup…
I spent many college evenings holding my fair of red shiners and many mornings regretting my previous nights endeavors.
The kids at Sierton High School are full of regrets too, but why?
My heart is still pounding
What just happened ? I’m an adult, how did a YA book shake me to my core ? Well, when you are He, you know how to skillfully craft a book that will consume and frighten even the coldest of folks.
I know I know. This is crazy . I can read Stephen King and not even bat an eye but I tell ya, this one is good, real good .
Check out this teaser from debut author, Cindy R.X He:
Someone has murdered the queen bee of Sierton High School…and all the dead girl’s friends are suspects. A twisty thriller from a talented debut author perfect for fans of They Wish They Were Us and One of Us is Lying.
Ella Moore was the most popular girl in school…and also the most hated. When she’s murdered at her own party, there are too many suspects to count. And too many people who think she deserved it.
The police’s prime suspect is the new girl, Dawn Foster. Dawn was the last to hand Ella a drink on the night she died. Plus, all of Ella’s friends with a motive for wanting Ella dead are more than willing to throw Dawn under the bus, if it means keeping the heat off themselves.
But Dawn refuses to go down without a fight. She’s determined to clear her name. As she delves deeper into the past, she discovers that Ella and her friends had major enemies, and someone is out for revenge. Dawn must uncover the truth before the police arrest the wrong suspect… and before the next person dies.
#perfectlittlemonsters #sourcebooksfire
I spent many college evenings holding my fair of red shiners and many mornings regretting my previous nights endeavors.
The kids at Sierton High School are full of regrets too, but why?
My heart is still pounding
What just happened ? I’m an adult, how did a YA book shake me to my core ? Well, when you are He, you know how to skillfully craft a book that will consume and frighten even the coldest of folks.
I know I know. This is crazy . I can read Stephen King and not even bat an eye but I tell ya, this one is good, real good .
Check out this teaser from debut author, Cindy R.X He:
Someone has murdered the queen bee of Sierton High School…and all the dead girl’s friends are suspects. A twisty thriller from a talented debut author perfect for fans of They Wish They Were Us and One of Us is Lying.
Ella Moore was the most popular girl in school…and also the most hated. When she’s murdered at her own party, there are too many suspects to count. And too many people who think she deserved it.
The police’s prime suspect is the new girl, Dawn Foster. Dawn was the last to hand Ella a drink on the night she died. Plus, all of Ella’s friends with a motive for wanting Ella dead are more than willing to throw Dawn under the bus, if it means keeping the heat off themselves.
But Dawn refuses to go down without a fight. She’s determined to clear her name. As she delves deeper into the past, she discovers that Ella and her friends had major enemies, and someone is out for revenge. Dawn must uncover the truth before the police arrest the wrong suspect… and before the next person dies.
#perfectlittlemonsters #sourcebooksfire
August 9, 2024
Either the author does not understand teens at all, or she understands them perfectly and thinks they're all stupid.
Honestly, she's right
Honestly, she's right
December 7, 2023
Perfect Little Monsters is a thrilling and riveting blend of manipulative mean girls, zealous cheerleaders, and unexpected twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat. These are all the essential ingredients that make up an engaging, captivating, and enthralling story.
Despite the surprising and shocking intensity of the mean girls' behavior, the narrative remains captivating. It's a well-structured and cleverly designed narrative that keeps you hooked from the first page to the last. The suspense, tension, and mystery are maintained and built up until the final reveal, keeping the readers engrossed and invested in the story.
Perfect Little Monsters is a book to pay attention to and appreciate. It's an impressive debut that showcases the author's storytelling prowess. The book is a solid 4.5 stars, which I'm rounding up to a perfect five because it's just that good. It's a book that will keep you guessing, reading, and wanting more. So, take advantage of this one. It's a must-read!
Thank you to SourcebooksFire and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.
Despite the surprising and shocking intensity of the mean girls' behavior, the narrative remains captivating. It's a well-structured and cleverly designed narrative that keeps you hooked from the first page to the last. The suspense, tension, and mystery are maintained and built up until the final reveal, keeping the readers engrossed and invested in the story.
Perfect Little Monsters is a book to pay attention to and appreciate. It's an impressive debut that showcases the author's storytelling prowess. The book is a solid 4.5 stars, which I'm rounding up to a perfect five because it's just that good. It's a book that will keep you guessing, reading, and wanting more. So, take advantage of this one. It's a must-read!
Thank you to SourcebooksFire and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.
October 4, 2024
**ARC of this book provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review**
I was feeling kind of slumpish lately. It's autumn, I have a steaming cup of tea ready but the desire to read is just not there. Are there better circumstances to make amends with YA even existing? Doesn't matter how many times I am complaining that I am too old to read YA - it never fails me when it comes to dragging me out of the reading slump.
I usually don't gravitate toward mystery thrillers so I am still kind of baffled that I enjoyed this book as much as I did. It's by no means perfect - I feel like there were couple moments that were a bit too convenient - but it kept me reading and I couldn't wait to pick up this book again.
I've been thinking about how to properly summarize this book and the comparison to the movie Mean Girls (from 2004) would not leave my brain so I guess I will have to roll with it. Take Mean Girls, add slightly sinister atmosphere, throw a pinch of violence and murder, shake it really well and you get Perfect Little Monsters. High school vibes are strong, you understand why bullies are behaving this way but you are still able to hate them, some plot twists are unexpected and well thought out. Perfect read when you feel kind of slumpish.
It's a standalone story but the ending leaves an opening and I am kind of curious how this story could unfold if author would ever decided to write a second installment.
I was feeling kind of slumpish lately. It's autumn, I have a steaming cup of tea ready but the desire to read is just not there. Are there better circumstances to make amends with YA even existing? Doesn't matter how many times I am complaining that I am too old to read YA - it never fails me when it comes to dragging me out of the reading slump.
I usually don't gravitate toward mystery thrillers so I am still kind of baffled that I enjoyed this book as much as I did. It's by no means perfect - I feel like there were couple moments that were a bit too convenient - but it kept me reading and I couldn't wait to pick up this book again.
I've been thinking about how to properly summarize this book and the comparison to the movie Mean Girls (from 2004) would not leave my brain so I guess I will have to roll with it. Take Mean Girls, add slightly sinister atmosphere, throw a pinch of violence and murder, shake it really well and you get Perfect Little Monsters. High school vibes are strong, you understand why bullies are behaving this way but you are still able to hate them, some plot twists are unexpected and well thought out. Perfect read when you feel kind of slumpish.
It's a standalone story but the ending leaves an opening and I am kind of curious how this story could unfold if author would ever decided to write a second installment.
May 9, 2024
Now available!!
This book is phenomenal. I binged it in a few hours. I was intrigued from the start and totally invested in Dawn's story. The twists just kept coming! It's hard to keep me in the dark in a mystery book, but Cindy R.X. He totally fooled me, and I so loved being fooled. I will automatically read anything else she writes. I love books that essentially read themselves, and it was so fun to immerse myself fully in Dawn Foster's world for a little while...even if it was a tad disturbing. *shudder* :-)
Pick up a copy of this on May 7th, 2024. You'll devour it, too.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for gifting me an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Trigger warnings: frightening situations, profanity, trauma, death, fatphobia, bullying
#cindyrxhe #sourcebooksfire #yathriller #yamystery #mystery #thriller #whodunit #bullying #trauma #meangirls #highschool #cheerleading #perfectlittlemonsters
This book is phenomenal. I binged it in a few hours. I was intrigued from the start and totally invested in Dawn's story. The twists just kept coming! It's hard to keep me in the dark in a mystery book, but Cindy R.X. He totally fooled me, and I so loved being fooled. I will automatically read anything else she writes. I love books that essentially read themselves, and it was so fun to immerse myself fully in Dawn Foster's world for a little while...even if it was a tad disturbing. *shudder* :-)
Pick up a copy of this on May 7th, 2024. You'll devour it, too.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for gifting me an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Trigger warnings: frightening situations, profanity, trauma, death, fatphobia, bullying
#cindyrxhe #sourcebooksfire #yathriller #yamystery #mystery #thriller #whodunit #bullying #trauma #meangirls #highschool #cheerleading #perfectlittlemonsters
July 11, 2024
Idk, I guess I think is maybe a bad message to send. And then Are we demonizing mental illnesses? Calling for vigilante justice? What happened here? Because the author seems to genuinely and personally care about calling attention to the problem of bullying and suicide per her author's note, so I don't understand the choice to go with a story that reinforces stigmas related to mental illness and violence.
April 1, 2024
This was a fast-paced, heart-pounding YA thriller that had me furiously flipping the page. Reminded me of pretty little liars or You with the school setting. Great work Cindy!
May 17, 2024
Not how the legal system works. Not how the medical system works. Not how the school system works. Not how unreliable narrators work. Just not how anything works, I don’t think. A genuinely dangerous portrayal of trauma and mental illness.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 9, 2024
This is what I want in a YA thriller. The intrigue, the suspense, the excellent writing. I ate this book up in three days. So so good. When the queen bee of the high school is killed at a party, the MC, Dawn, (who was also at the party and is under suspicion by the police) tries to figure out who did it amidst a group of extremely dislikeable characters in order to clear her name and those she’s beginning to care about. Not only was this book entertaining but it highlights the effects of bullying and suicide in high school. A great and entertaining debut with extra depth to it. I cannot wait to read more of Cindy R.X He's books. She is an author to watch.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
May 12, 2024
Although I suspected who did it, I didn’t connect the dots on why until very late in the book.
The thing is, the twist didn’t make a lot of sense, so I would have changed a bit of the inner monologue of the main character to accommodate the choice of twist.
Still, it was an engaging read and I had fun reading this book.
The thing is, the twist didn’t make a lot of sense, so I would have changed a bit of the inner monologue of the main character to accommodate the choice of twist.
Still, it was an engaging read and I had fun reading this book.
November 14, 2023
Perfect Little Monsters is a fast-paced, easy read but don't let that fool you. . .because it has the wildest twists and turns! With an intriguing plot, deeply developed characters and relationship dynamics, this book is perfect for fans of YA thrillers as well as anyone who is new to the genre!
[check trigger warnings before reading this book]
This book is EASILY a five stars (six if I could)! I was sucked in right from the get-go. I literally read it all in one-sitting.
The writing style is very simple, but in a way that pays attention to the details and moments that actually matter. No fluff. And still, Cindy does not sacrifice those important moments that draw you deep into the story and its characters.
I am a sucker for high school settings and all of the things that come with that. We follow Dawn Foster, a beautiful girl who is still recovering from a traumatic car accident. She is automatically welcomed into the popular clique. However, unlike them she has such a huge heart and doesn't believe in labels and being cruel to others due to some "social status". But when a girl from the group is murdered, everyone begins turning on each other and Dawn finds herself caught in the middle. So she takes it upon herself to find out who truly did it.
At first, I thought the whole "mean girl" trope was really cliche but I stuck through, in hopes that it was being used for a good reason and...boy....am I glad I stuck through. The underlying themes and messages portrayed in this book are SO WELL DONE. Not to mention, extremely powerful! I am so happy that Cindy wrote this book, that she said what she said. These things need to be discussed.
My heart was racing the entire time but especially towards the end and GUYS, Cindy did not come to play. The plot twists were absolutely mind-shattering (at least to me). I literally did not get off the couch until the book was done, I was HOOKED.
---Overall---
My heart is aching from this book but it's a new favorite of mine and I am so eager to read all of Cindy's future works! Thank you SO MUCH to Sourcebooks Fire for my e-ARC!
[check trigger warnings before reading this book]
This book is EASILY a five stars (six if I could)! I was sucked in right from the get-go. I literally read it all in one-sitting.
The writing style is very simple, but in a way that pays attention to the details and moments that actually matter. No fluff. And still, Cindy does not sacrifice those important moments that draw you deep into the story and its characters.
I am a sucker for high school settings and all of the things that come with that. We follow Dawn Foster, a beautiful girl who is still recovering from a traumatic car accident. She is automatically welcomed into the popular clique. However, unlike them she has such a huge heart and doesn't believe in labels and being cruel to others due to some "social status". But when a girl from the group is murdered, everyone begins turning on each other and Dawn finds herself caught in the middle. So she takes it upon herself to find out who truly did it.
At first, I thought the whole "mean girl" trope was really cliche but I stuck through, in hopes that it was being used for a good reason and...boy....am I glad I stuck through. The underlying themes and messages portrayed in this book are SO WELL DONE. Not to mention, extremely powerful! I am so happy that Cindy wrote this book, that she said what she said. These things need to be discussed.
My heart was racing the entire time but especially towards the end and GUYS, Cindy did not come to play. The plot twists were absolutely mind-shattering (at least to me). I literally did not get off the couch until the book was done, I was HOOKED.
---Overall---
My heart is aching from this book but it's a new favorite of mine and I am so eager to read all of Cindy's future works! Thank you SO MUCH to Sourcebooks Fire for my e-ARC!
May 12, 2024
im gonna need a long break from ya thrillers after this one
January 18, 2025
this book gave me trust issues fr
May 16, 2024
high school is a scary place ..
March 15, 2024
4.5/5 ⭐️
In the aftermath of the murder of Sierton High School's queen bee, Ella Moore, suspicion falls on her friends, each with a motive for her demise. The police focus on the new girl Dawn Foster, who was the last to give Ella a drink. Despite the damning accusations from Ella's friends, Dawn is determined to prove her innocence. As she investigates, she uncovers a web of enemies and a quest for revenge, racing against time to find the real culprit before more lives are lost and the wrong person is arrested.
Let me start by saying that Ella's character gave me Regina George vibes from Mean Girls. She was the villain of the story not the killer.
Hannah has truly captured my heart and I wanted to give her a hug (until you found out the truth). As for the friendship dynamic between Raquel and Dawn, their bond exudes warmth and sincerity throughout the story and even till the end. Also, I found myself wanting the emergence of the romance between Isaac and Dawn. Their interactions sparked a sense of anticipation, leaving me eagerly hoping for their relationship to evolve into something more but it never happened sadly.
As the story unfolded, I held onto the hope of a happy ending, only to be blindsided by the unexpected twist that shattered my expectations, leaving me reeling in disbelief.
Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for sending me an arc!
In the aftermath of the murder of Sierton High School's queen bee, Ella Moore, suspicion falls on her friends, each with a motive for her demise. The police focus on the new girl Dawn Foster, who was the last to give Ella a drink. Despite the damning accusations from Ella's friends, Dawn is determined to prove her innocence. As she investigates, she uncovers a web of enemies and a quest for revenge, racing against time to find the real culprit before more lives are lost and the wrong person is arrested.
Let me start by saying that Ella's character gave me Regina George vibes from Mean Girls. She was the villain of the story not the killer.
Hannah has truly captured my heart and I wanted to give her a hug (until you found out the truth). As for the friendship dynamic between Raquel and Dawn, their bond exudes warmth and sincerity throughout the story and even till the end. Also, I found myself wanting the emergence of the romance between Isaac and Dawn. Their interactions sparked a sense of anticipation, leaving me eagerly hoping for their relationship to evolve into something more but it never happened sadly.
As the story unfolded, I held onto the hope of a happy ending, only to be blindsided by the unexpected twist that shattered my expectations, leaving me reeling in disbelief.
Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for sending me an arc!
May 25, 2024
If I read another book of this calibre, I’m extremely certain I will give up on reading for the rest of my life.
I have lost quite a huge number of brain cells from reading this peice of shit book and I am very close to losing it.
In all honesty, I have never read a book that contains as many cliches as this one does.
Think of all the cliches of a YA novel and you will discover that, in actual fact, this novel contains whatever it is you can muster.
I’m not kidding.
- dark haired love interest with a troubled past and symbolic tattoos. CHECK
- bitchy mean girls with a blonde haired leader and problematic social prejudice. CHECK
- sudden and unnecessary instances of drunken teen parties where there’s sex and drugs. CHECK.
I could go on and on and on but, like I said, I’m running out of brain cells and I have no interest in wasting them further.
Fuck this book.
Seriously.
You can predict how it will end, and the execution was pathetic, the characters were flat, I felt nothing towards any of them, they could all die for all I care. I literally do not care.
After this, I will not be reading any other YA novels because clearly this genre is deteriorating and the shit is just sad to witness.
Or maybe my ass is just too grown for this shit.
I have lost quite a huge number of brain cells from reading this peice of shit book and I am very close to losing it.
In all honesty, I have never read a book that contains as many cliches as this one does.
Think of all the cliches of a YA novel and you will discover that, in actual fact, this novel contains whatever it is you can muster.
I’m not kidding.
- dark haired love interest with a troubled past and symbolic tattoos. CHECK
- bitchy mean girls with a blonde haired leader and problematic social prejudice. CHECK
- sudden and unnecessary instances of drunken teen parties where there’s sex and drugs. CHECK.
I could go on and on and on but, like I said, I’m running out of brain cells and I have no interest in wasting them further.
Fuck this book.
Seriously.
You can predict how it will end, and the execution was pathetic, the characters were flat, I felt nothing towards any of them, they could all die for all I care. I literally do not care.
After this, I will not be reading any other YA novels because clearly this genre is deteriorating and the shit is just sad to witness.
Or maybe my ass is just too grown for this shit.
February 29, 2024
This book was SUCH a page turner. I finished it in a little over 24 hours. I was hooked from the beginning. It was a roller coaster ride, and the ending had me SHOOK. I need more books like this. It was so sad in parts, but the author is such a great story teller.
May 25, 2024
What a train wreck that adresses teenagers and young adults right out of a 2000s movie.
The writing was so Juvenile.
The writing was so Juvenile.
April 10, 2024
I received a copy of this book through Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.
Dawn has to transfer schools for her senior year of high school where she makes the cheerleading team and is invited to a party by the head cheerleader Ella. The morning after the party, Ella is found dead, and Dawn is a suspect.
This book has a dual timeline and also follows Hannah, a student at the same school, only in the past.
It’s a fast, easy read. I was in a bit of a reading slump, as in not being able to read for very long at one time, but when I started it before bed last night, I ended up reading just under the first half of it and finished it today. It’s full of high school mean girls and drama, so there are characters who are easy to dislike or even hate. It gave me flashbacks to when I was in school. There’s a little romance. I was definitely surprised by how the book wrapped up.
I do suggest reading the note at the beginning of the book if you have any triggers. There are a lot of them, especially for young adults with mental health issues.
Dawn has to transfer schools for her senior year of high school where she makes the cheerleading team and is invited to a party by the head cheerleader Ella. The morning after the party, Ella is found dead, and Dawn is a suspect.
This book has a dual timeline and also follows Hannah, a student at the same school, only in the past.
It’s a fast, easy read. I was in a bit of a reading slump, as in not being able to read for very long at one time, but when I started it before bed last night, I ended up reading just under the first half of it and finished it today. It’s full of high school mean girls and drama, so there are characters who are easy to dislike or even hate. It gave me flashbacks to when I was in school. There’s a little romance. I was definitely surprised by how the book wrapped up.
I do suggest reading the note at the beginning of the book if you have any triggers. There are a lot of them, especially for young adults with mental health issues.
October 22, 2025
Finally a thriller that tackled high school bullying! The three girls in this book were so mean and rude and honestly just made me really annoyed and pissed off. Really great twist too! Super surprising!
December 10, 2023
ARC for review. To be published May 7, 2024.
In this great throat-punch YA there are alternating chapters between Dawn in present day and Hannah three years ago, and all the action takes place at Sierton High School in Wisconsin. Dawn Foster is a new student from California; she and her parents have moved to live with Dawn’s aunt after a terrible accident. Dawn makes the cheerleading team which puts her in the realm of mean girls Ella Moore, Naomi Chen and Luciana Aguilar, as well as Ella’s boyfriend Scott. Dawn also has a thing for misfit Isaac. After a drunken party at Ella’s Ella turns up dead.
Cut to, three years earlier, Hannah Smith, Ella, Naomi and Luciana all try out for cheerleading. All make the squad, but….mean girls. Then, what you think is happening isn’t what is happening.
I love it when books are surprising, so this one was nice, and a cut above for YA. Definitely recommended.
In this great throat-punch YA there are alternating chapters between Dawn in present day and Hannah three years ago, and all the action takes place at Sierton High School in Wisconsin. Dawn Foster is a new student from California; she and her parents have moved to live with Dawn’s aunt after a terrible accident. Dawn makes the cheerleading team which puts her in the realm of mean girls Ella Moore, Naomi Chen and Luciana Aguilar, as well as Ella’s boyfriend Scott. Dawn also has a thing for misfit Isaac. After a drunken party at Ella’s Ella turns up dead.
Cut to, three years earlier, Hannah Smith, Ella, Naomi and Luciana all try out for cheerleading. All make the squad, but….mean girls. Then, what you think is happening isn’t what is happening.
I love it when books are surprising, so this one was nice, and a cut above for YA. Definitely recommended.
May 7, 2024
Wow, just wow. I have not felt this way about a book in months. I was so drawn into this book and felt so many different emotions throughout it. I had no idea where this book was going and all of my guesses were wrong! That’s how you know a book is good! If you can’t figure out the twist, then it’s perfect.
This is by far one of my favorite reads this year. Thank you so much Sourcebooks Fire and Cindy R.X. He for an ARC copy of this book. This book was wonderful.
I especially appreciate the Author’s Note that Cindy added in there. I, too, still feel ashamed. So, please never feel alone!! Remember to reach out to someone!
This was a lovely book, but please keep in mind that mentions of bullying, depression, body image, eating disorders, suicide, mental illness, murder, and death.
This is by far one of my favorite reads this year. Thank you so much Sourcebooks Fire and Cindy R.X. He for an ARC copy of this book. This book was wonderful.
I especially appreciate the Author’s Note that Cindy added in there. I, too, still feel ashamed. So, please never feel alone!! Remember to reach out to someone!
This was a lovely book, but please keep in mind that mentions of bullying, depression, body image, eating disorders, suicide, mental illness, murder, and death.
December 18, 2024
WOW. 5 freaking stars!!!!! THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD. insane. kept me on the edge of my seat. i was properly shocked and truly did not see this one coming. amazed.
pls check tws!!
Thank you Sourcebooks Fire for the gift! All thoughts are my own.
pls check tws!!
Thank you Sourcebooks Fire for the gift! All thoughts are my own.
July 17, 2025
This book is supposed to be a thriller, and I was continuously shocked at how bad it was, so in that way I suppose it was a success?
I don’t want to be too harsh on the author, because ultimately I think this is a failure by the publisher; something this unpolished should never have been released as it is without significantly more editing. The idea that someone read this and believed that it was ready for publication is laughable.
This book feels like watching a Disney Channel show version of high school; when you’re 10, the dialogue and the characters might be fun and even aspirational because you’ve never actually set foot in a high school, but as soon as you become a teenager yourself, you start to see the cringey, unrealistic-ness of it all. YA as a genre deserves better than that, and it’s unfair to blame the stereotypical characters and stilted dialogue on the fact that this book is for young adults. As it is, this book feels like it’s written for 10 years olds, except I still think 10 years olds deserve to read better writing.
This book is about Dawn, a teenage girl who is just starting out at a new high school. Upon arriving, she immediately meets the three most popular girls in school (Ella, Lucy, and Naomi), becomes sort-of friends with them, and then ooooooo, Ella is murdered at a party. The rest of the book is Dawn half-heartedly trying to figure out who did it. Interspersed with this, we get chapters from another character, Hannah, as she is bullied by Ella, Lucy, and Naomi in the past.
These characters are so flat that calling them cardboard would be overstating it. The dialogue is so unrealistic and awkward that I’m convinced no-one involved in this book has ever met a teenager, let alone been one (e.g. “I don’t know why they’re trying to pin it on you, but I’ve found out many things. Things important to the case.” And then a page later, “When you said you found out many things, things that might be important to the case…you’re taking about —— being blackmailed by ——?”). There are spelling mistakes, incorrect sentence construction, metaphors that don’t make sense, and soooo much repetition; there is no chance an editor has seen this book. The main character’s hands or head is always shaking; ice, or fear, or sweat is always trickling down her back; champagne bottles are popping in her stomach every time she sees the boy she likes (one of these lines is “Hope surges up in me like a champagne cork being opened”-I’m guessing this should be either be “champagne BOTTLE being opened” or “champagne cork POPPING”-again, where is the editor?). The twist manages to be both predictable in execution and shocking in both how offensive and unfun it feels, a rare combo!
This is a thriller, but there is no tension, partially because everything is foreshadowed within an inch of basically just spelling it out for us, and
partially because there is never any real sense of urgency or stakes to figuring it out. You, as the reader, are also never involved in the mystery and putting clues together yourself; Dawn writes convenient lists every few chapters of all the “information” she’s collected, just in case you forgot, and the “reveals” of this information are all so stereotypical and obvious that I found myself thinking, “Didn’t we already know that?” more than once.
As the main character, Dawn is insufferable, and not in a fun, bitchy way. She’s not like other girls, and she tells you about it all the time. Yeah, okay, she cheerleads, but she also eats pizza!
She doesn’t care what people think of her.
She’s judgmental of another girl when she describes being in love with someone after just two months, because she would never be that stupid (and yet, Dawn is head over heels for a boy she’s had two conversations with). She’s normal and not rich, unlike the other girls who have (checks notes) quilted benches? Dawn doesn’t believe that such a thing even exists outside of fancy hotel rooms! She likes cool, edgy boys with tattoos who listen to obscure rock music, such as (checks notes again) AC/DC? None of this feels purposeful, like it’s supposed to make me dislike her, or distrust her. Exploring the idea of a character who thinks she’s so much better than the mean cheerleaders, but is actually mean in a different, NLOG way is an interesting idea, but I don’t think that’s what this book is going for, and if it is, it certainly doesn’t achieve it.
Speaking of mean girls, this book is ostensibly about the negative effects of bullying, but it’s also weirdly cruel and unsympathetic in its portrayal of its characters, particularly the teenage girls. Lucy has developed an eating disorder due to Ella’s bullying, but she is also described (judgementally) in the narrative as “gorging” herself on French fries and eating too many slices of “greasy pizza”, to name a few examples. All of the main cheerleader girls are constantly looking in mirrors and checking themselves out, how silly and vain! One girl (a high school student and minor) is found to be in a “relationship” with an adult teacher at the school, and while there is some cursory dialogue about the teacher being in the wrong for this, Dawn’s primary thought about the situation is “oh, so that’s how she gets such good grades”, and a different character suggests shaming the girl for it whenever she’s being mean. These are odd choices for a book about the negative effects of bullying, especially as it relates to teenage girls.
At the same time though, it’s difficult to be truly offended by these portrayals because of how flat all of the characters are; the bullying is so stereotypical-mean-girl-in-a-2000s-teen-movie that it feels toothless somehow. Also, the character motivations are all so nonexistent that there’s nothing to explore there about why the bullying behaviour might be happening, which makes it feel like the characters are bullies because the script says they have to say mean things, and nothing more.
Is there an argument that this is all purposeful, since we’re seeing it all through the main character’s head, and she’s supposed to be a “perfect little monster” too? That she already hates the other girls so she’s seeing them through a biased lens? No, there isn’t, because this twist doesn’t work. You can’t just throw an unreliable narrator in at the end and say that it’s been there the whole time, there has to be clues in the text that reality is somehow different to what the narrator is telling us it is. Until the end, we are never given any indication that Dawn is wrong, or that she is unjustified in her feelings about Ella, Lucy, and Naomi; instead, we are told how awful they are from multiple other characters, which just serves to reinforce Dawn’s narrative. There are certainly inconsistencies in this book, but that’s down to the poor writing and overall poor execution rather than anything that feels like it’s supposed to be purposefully misleading us about Dawn’s perspective on things. The twist that Dawn is actually cruel and a killer ends up being such an unsympathetic view of what the prolonged effects of bullying might be that’s it really hard to see why it was included.
Anyways, this is far too long of a rant for what is ultimately just not a very good book. If you think this sounds fun in a bad way, I promise you it’s not. Let’s all just hope that Sourcebooks Fire hires an editor soon.
I don’t want to be too harsh on the author, because ultimately I think this is a failure by the publisher; something this unpolished should never have been released as it is without significantly more editing. The idea that someone read this and believed that it was ready for publication is laughable.
This book feels like watching a Disney Channel show version of high school; when you’re 10, the dialogue and the characters might be fun and even aspirational because you’ve never actually set foot in a high school, but as soon as you become a teenager yourself, you start to see the cringey, unrealistic-ness of it all. YA as a genre deserves better than that, and it’s unfair to blame the stereotypical characters and stilted dialogue on the fact that this book is for young adults. As it is, this book feels like it’s written for 10 years olds, except I still think 10 years olds deserve to read better writing.
This book is about Dawn, a teenage girl who is just starting out at a new high school. Upon arriving, she immediately meets the three most popular girls in school (Ella, Lucy, and Naomi), becomes sort-of friends with them, and then ooooooo, Ella is murdered at a party. The rest of the book is Dawn half-heartedly trying to figure out who did it. Interspersed with this, we get chapters from another character, Hannah, as she is bullied by Ella, Lucy, and Naomi in the past.
These characters are so flat that calling them cardboard would be overstating it. The dialogue is so unrealistic and awkward that I’m convinced no-one involved in this book has ever met a teenager, let alone been one (e.g. “I don’t know why they’re trying to pin it on you, but I’ve found out many things. Things important to the case.” And then a page later, “When you said you found out many things, things that might be important to the case…you’re taking about —— being blackmailed by ——?”). There are spelling mistakes, incorrect sentence construction, metaphors that don’t make sense, and soooo much repetition; there is no chance an editor has seen this book. The main character’s hands or head is always shaking; ice, or fear, or sweat is always trickling down her back; champagne bottles are popping in her stomach every time she sees the boy she likes (one of these lines is “Hope surges up in me like a champagne cork being opened”-I’m guessing this should be either be “champagne BOTTLE being opened” or “champagne cork POPPING”-again, where is the editor?). The twist manages to be both predictable in execution and shocking in both how offensive and unfun it feels, a rare combo!
This is a thriller, but there is no tension, partially because everything is foreshadowed within an inch of basically just spelling it out for us, and
partially because there is never any real sense of urgency or stakes to figuring it out. You, as the reader, are also never involved in the mystery and putting clues together yourself; Dawn writes convenient lists every few chapters of all the “information” she’s collected, just in case you forgot, and the “reveals” of this information are all so stereotypical and obvious that I found myself thinking, “Didn’t we already know that?” more than once.
As the main character, Dawn is insufferable, and not in a fun, bitchy way. She’s not like other girls, and she tells you about it all the time. Yeah, okay, she cheerleads, but she also eats pizza!
She doesn’t care what people think of her.
She’s judgmental of another girl when she describes being in love with someone after just two months, because she would never be that stupid (and yet, Dawn is head over heels for a boy she’s had two conversations with). She’s normal and not rich, unlike the other girls who have (checks notes) quilted benches? Dawn doesn’t believe that such a thing even exists outside of fancy hotel rooms! She likes cool, edgy boys with tattoos who listen to obscure rock music, such as (checks notes again) AC/DC? None of this feels purposeful, like it’s supposed to make me dislike her, or distrust her. Exploring the idea of a character who thinks she’s so much better than the mean cheerleaders, but is actually mean in a different, NLOG way is an interesting idea, but I don’t think that’s what this book is going for, and if it is, it certainly doesn’t achieve it.
Speaking of mean girls, this book is ostensibly about the negative effects of bullying, but it’s also weirdly cruel and unsympathetic in its portrayal of its characters, particularly the teenage girls. Lucy has developed an eating disorder due to Ella’s bullying, but she is also described (judgementally) in the narrative as “gorging” herself on French fries and eating too many slices of “greasy pizza”, to name a few examples. All of the main cheerleader girls are constantly looking in mirrors and checking themselves out, how silly and vain! One girl (a high school student and minor) is found to be in a “relationship” with an adult teacher at the school, and while there is some cursory dialogue about the teacher being in the wrong for this, Dawn’s primary thought about the situation is “oh, so that’s how she gets such good grades”, and a different character suggests shaming the girl for it whenever she’s being mean. These are odd choices for a book about the negative effects of bullying, especially as it relates to teenage girls.
At the same time though, it’s difficult to be truly offended by these portrayals because of how flat all of the characters are; the bullying is so stereotypical-mean-girl-in-a-2000s-teen-movie that it feels toothless somehow. Also, the character motivations are all so nonexistent that there’s nothing to explore there about why the bullying behaviour might be happening, which makes it feel like the characters are bullies because the script says they have to say mean things, and nothing more.
Is there an argument that this is all purposeful, since we’re seeing it all through the main character’s head, and she’s supposed to be a “perfect little monster” too? That she already hates the other girls so she’s seeing them through a biased lens? No, there isn’t, because this twist doesn’t work. You can’t just throw an unreliable narrator in at the end and say that it’s been there the whole time, there has to be clues in the text that reality is somehow different to what the narrator is telling us it is. Until the end, we are never given any indication that Dawn is wrong, or that she is unjustified in her feelings about Ella, Lucy, and Naomi; instead, we are told how awful they are from multiple other characters, which just serves to reinforce Dawn’s narrative. There are certainly inconsistencies in this book, but that’s down to the poor writing and overall poor execution rather than anything that feels like it’s supposed to be purposefully misleading us about Dawn’s perspective on things. The twist that Dawn is actually cruel and a killer ends up being such an unsympathetic view of what the prolonged effects of bullying might be that’s it really hard to see why it was included.
Anyways, this is far too long of a rant for what is ultimately just not a very good book. If you think this sounds fun in a bad way, I promise you it’s not. Let’s all just hope that Sourcebooks Fire hires an editor soon.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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