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Doll Parts: A Novel
The Virgin Suicides meets I Have Some Questions For You with a dash of the horrors of Nightbitch in this debut suspense following one woman as she begins to uncover the truth of the death of her estranged best friend and the Sylvia Plath adoring girls they attended college with decades ago.
For Nikki and Sadie, life at Loch Raven College was supposed to be filled with poetry and days spent trying on thrifted clothes. But there's a dark story that plagues the school halls—that of the Sylvia Club, a campus legend surrounding the death of multiple Sylvia Plath-adoring girls, all written off as suicides. Aspiring writer Nikki finds herself drawn to the stories, so much so that dead girls begin to haunt her dark imagination. To satiate her obsession, Nikki begins to dig into the deaths, and she soon suspects there's more to the story than just a tragic group of sad girls—a suspicion that will lead to a tragedy of its own, one that will tear her and Sadie apart.
It’s been twenty years since Sadie saw her estranged friend. Now, Nikki is dead. And when Sadie ends up pregnant with Nikki’s grieving husband, she finds herself stepping into her seemingly perfect life. But Nikki’s eerily preserved home seems to hold clues for Sadie from beyond the grave, and soon, she’s spiraling into a deep obsession that will make her question her own reality. Because it seems Nikki never stopped looking for answers about what happened to the girls of the Sylvia Club, and she may have been its latest victim.
For Nikki and Sadie, life at Loch Raven College was supposed to be filled with poetry and days spent trying on thrifted clothes. But there's a dark story that plagues the school halls—that of the Sylvia Club, a campus legend surrounding the death of multiple Sylvia Plath-adoring girls, all written off as suicides. Aspiring writer Nikki finds herself drawn to the stories, so much so that dead girls begin to haunt her dark imagination. To satiate her obsession, Nikki begins to dig into the deaths, and she soon suspects there's more to the story than just a tragic group of sad girls—a suspicion that will lead to a tragedy of its own, one that will tear her and Sadie apart.
It’s been twenty years since Sadie saw her estranged friend. Now, Nikki is dead. And when Sadie ends up pregnant with Nikki’s grieving husband, she finds herself stepping into her seemingly perfect life. But Nikki’s eerily preserved home seems to hold clues for Sadie from beyond the grave, and soon, she’s spiraling into a deep obsession that will make her question her own reality. Because it seems Nikki never stopped looking for answers about what happened to the girls of the Sylvia Club, and she may have been its latest victim.
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First published August 26, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 594 reviews
March 10, 2025
Like a faded polaroid with something sinister lurking at the edges, Doll Parts by Penny Zang is both nostalgic and chilling. This suspenseful debut unspools a tale of girlhood, loss, and the ghosts we carry, leaving an eerie imprint long after the final page.
Told in a dual timeline, the novel follows Sadie and Nikki, former best friends whose college years were shadowed by the eerie Sylvia Club, a campus legend surrounding the suspicious deaths of Sylvia Plath-obsessed students. While Nikki was once drawn to the club’s mysteries, her own fate is now the latest tragedy. In the present, Sadie steps into Nikki’s life, her house, her relationship, even her ghostly presence, only to find herself unraveling the dark truth that Nikki was chasing up until her death.
I loved the book, it was beautifully written, dripping with melancholy and suspense. Zang’s prose is hypnotic, and she captures the sharp edges of female friendship with a precision that cuts deep. The push and pull between Nikki and Sadie is gripping, and the book perfectly encapsulates the nostalgia and pain of looking back at the past through a cracked mirror.
That said, while the story had me hooked, the final reveal didn’t quite stick the landing. The mystery unraveled with more of a fizzle than a bang, and the subplot involving the dead girls and a sinister professor didn’t fully intertwine in a satisfying way. I was left wanting just a little more meat on the bones of the mystery. The pacing also dragged at times, there were moments where the slow-burn turned into a bit of a slog.
Still, Doll Parts is an intoxicating read, a gothic love letter to the friendships that shape us and the ghosts of the past that refuse to stay buried. It’s to die for, just not quite a five-star read for me.
🔪🔪🔪🔪-4 out of 5 knives for the sharp betrayals, unraveling mystery, and the sinister undercurrent running through the dual timelines.
Told in a dual timeline, the novel follows Sadie and Nikki, former best friends whose college years were shadowed by the eerie Sylvia Club, a campus legend surrounding the suspicious deaths of Sylvia Plath-obsessed students. While Nikki was once drawn to the club’s mysteries, her own fate is now the latest tragedy. In the present, Sadie steps into Nikki’s life, her house, her relationship, even her ghostly presence, only to find herself unraveling the dark truth that Nikki was chasing up until her death.
I loved the book, it was beautifully written, dripping with melancholy and suspense. Zang’s prose is hypnotic, and she captures the sharp edges of female friendship with a precision that cuts deep. The push and pull between Nikki and Sadie is gripping, and the book perfectly encapsulates the nostalgia and pain of looking back at the past through a cracked mirror.
That said, while the story had me hooked, the final reveal didn’t quite stick the landing. The mystery unraveled with more of a fizzle than a bang, and the subplot involving the dead girls and a sinister professor didn’t fully intertwine in a satisfying way. I was left wanting just a little more meat on the bones of the mystery. The pacing also dragged at times, there were moments where the slow-burn turned into a bit of a slog.
Still, Doll Parts is an intoxicating read, a gothic love letter to the friendships that shape us and the ghosts of the past that refuse to stay buried. It’s to die for, just not quite a five-star read for me.
🔪🔪🔪🔪-4 out of 5 knives for the sharp betrayals, unraveling mystery, and the sinister undercurrent running through the dual timelines.
September 20, 2025
This had so much potential to be a really good novel but ultimately fell flat for me. The best way I can describe it is having a perfect outline of a novel, but then once the details are filled in, it just becomes jumbled.
In the past timeline, Sadie and Nikki are students at a women’s only liberal arts college in Baltimore. There have been several suicides at the college that Nikki takes interest in. The dead girls have been given a name called the Sylvia Club after Sylvia Plath. While Plath is mentioned briefly, there isn’t much more detail around the correlation between her and the deaths. It felt like maybe Plath’s name was thrown in to try and work with the dark academia setting, but any further relevance was nonexistent. Nikki is convinced that these girls did not commit suicide and there’s more to their deaths than the college is letting on.
In the current timeline, we follow Sadie’s point of view after Nikki‘s death. She realizes Nikki was still researching the Sylvia Club girls and set out to find what she discovered.
The high-level mystery of Sadie trying to figure out what Nikki was researching was the only component that struck my interest . Everything else in between just felt like filler and lacked any cohesion. The dark academia aspect was there, the time period of the 90s and grunge style was there, but nothing in the past timeline except for a few plot points really served a purpose for the current timeline. I’m still scratching my head Sadie and Harrison’s relationship in the present timeline. It just lacked believability. Of course these are all just my opinions! While the bones were there for this novel the details just didn’t work for me.
In the past timeline, Sadie and Nikki are students at a women’s only liberal arts college in Baltimore. There have been several suicides at the college that Nikki takes interest in. The dead girls have been given a name called the Sylvia Club after Sylvia Plath. While Plath is mentioned briefly, there isn’t much more detail around the correlation between her and the deaths. It felt like maybe Plath’s name was thrown in to try and work with the dark academia setting, but any further relevance was nonexistent. Nikki is convinced that these girls did not commit suicide and there’s more to their deaths than the college is letting on.
In the current timeline, we follow Sadie’s point of view after Nikki‘s death. She realizes Nikki was still researching the Sylvia Club girls and set out to find what she discovered.
The high-level mystery of Sadie trying to figure out what Nikki was researching was the only component that struck my interest . Everything else in between just felt like filler and lacked any cohesion. The dark academia aspect was there, the time period of the 90s and grunge style was there, but nothing in the past timeline except for a few plot points really served a purpose for the current timeline. I’m still scratching my head Sadie and Harrison’s relationship in the present timeline. It just lacked believability. Of course these are all just my opinions! While the bones were there for this novel the details just didn’t work for me.
August 8, 2025
An astonishing debut novel that perfectly captures the razor edge feeling of girlhood - how all encompassing it is to be so young, so completely yourself, so unwaveringly sure of everything...and yet, once you leave (and you always must), you can never return.
I was blown away by the writing in here. The melancholy tone, which never felt overblown or dramatic. The finely tuned mysteries, which absorbed me to the end. All of it was perfect.
I was equal parts unable to stop reading and devastated that I had finished. Thank god I can just start it all over again.
(Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an early copy, in exchange for my honest thoughts)
I was blown away by the writing in here. The melancholy tone, which never felt overblown or dramatic. The finely tuned mysteries, which absorbed me to the end. All of it was perfect.
I was equal parts unable to stop reading and devastated that I had finished. Thank god I can just start it all over again.
(Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an early copy, in exchange for my honest thoughts)
August 26, 2025
From what I understand about dark academia I would say this book is a great example of the sub genre as it contains the following:
● Dark gothic college campus
● Depressed students that worship Sylvia Plath
● Images/ghosts of students who have passed
● A professor who behaves poorly
● Professors that students worship
● Students who conduct seances
● Messages sent from beyond the grave
As far as a thriller/murder mystery this novel contains:
● Hidden messages
● Hidden documents
● Locked rooms with hidden keys
● Dead students whose demise is unknown
● Characters whose parents passed in a heartwrenching way
● Dual timeline where characters are trying to discover secrets from the past
This woman's college campus is full of extremely interesting characters. It is populated with wealthy students as well as struggling scholarship girls who are unjustly held to a much more rigid standards than the others. The school also has mysterious professors who are not held up to high standards. The characters are well written and well developed. They were truly individuals whose stories I wanted to follow.
There was an especially odd campus counseling center which was either closed or staffed with a counselor who only wanted to hand out pamphlets instead of talk to the girls needing help. It was frustrating to see this at a campus which had a history of student suicides.
The ride or die friendship of the two main characters Nikki and Sadie was so very intriguing. They were two darker “outsiders” on campus.
If you enjoy novels which include the components I have listed above definitely pick up a copy of Doll Parts. Pub day is August 26!
Thank you to Jill Zhang as well as her publisher Sourcebooks Landmark for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this intriguing novel. Thanks as well to NetGalley for facilitating the reading of Doll Parts.
● Dark gothic college campus
● Depressed students that worship Sylvia Plath
● Images/ghosts of students who have passed
● A professor who behaves poorly
● Professors that students worship
● Students who conduct seances
● Messages sent from beyond the grave
As far as a thriller/murder mystery this novel contains:
● Hidden messages
● Hidden documents
● Locked rooms with hidden keys
● Dead students whose demise is unknown
● Characters whose parents passed in a heartwrenching way
● Dual timeline where characters are trying to discover secrets from the past
This woman's college campus is full of extremely interesting characters. It is populated with wealthy students as well as struggling scholarship girls who are unjustly held to a much more rigid standards than the others. The school also has mysterious professors who are not held up to high standards. The characters are well written and well developed. They were truly individuals whose stories I wanted to follow.
There was an especially odd campus counseling center which was either closed or staffed with a counselor who only wanted to hand out pamphlets instead of talk to the girls needing help. It was frustrating to see this at a campus which had a history of student suicides.
The ride or die friendship of the two main characters Nikki and Sadie was so very intriguing. They were two darker “outsiders” on campus.
If you enjoy novels which include the components I have listed above definitely pick up a copy of Doll Parts. Pub day is August 26!
Thank you to Jill Zhang as well as her publisher Sourcebooks Landmark for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this intriguing novel. Thanks as well to NetGalley for facilitating the reading of Doll Parts.
July 22, 2025
An intriguing and creative debut novel with dueling timelines of "sad girls on campus" twenty years ago and another timeline of today.
Sadie has a baby and lives with her child's father, Harrison. Harrison is recently widowed by Sadie's former childhood friend, Nikki. So, Sadie and Nikki were estranged and never spoke for 20 years. Nikki dies, seemingly of suicide, and Sadie sits in the back at her funeral. 9 months later we skip and Sadie is living with her widow and has a baby with him.
If this seems weird and a bit unbelievable, you aren't alone in that thought!
We side with Sadie and see things from her perspective. We don't love Harrison, we aren't sure about Caroline, who is Nikki and Harrison's teen daughter.
Both mysteries are good, the past one is better, it is clever to be following two mysteries in different timelines because it gets away from the typical criticism of slow burn mysteries as that it can drag in the middle.
Why is it called Doll Parts? No idea! I do love the cover, though.
My favorite character was Nikki, the past segments are in her view point.
Lots of open ended things with no conclusion, but it works. I liked this and found i very readable, some of the minor characters didn't have enough characterization so I didn't know them as well. I did love the setting and the writing style.
A fresh new voice in women centered mystery/thrillers!
Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks/Landmark for the ARC. Book to be published August 26, 2025.
Sadie has a baby and lives with her child's father, Harrison. Harrison is recently widowed by Sadie's former childhood friend, Nikki. So, Sadie and Nikki were estranged and never spoke for 20 years. Nikki dies, seemingly of suicide, and Sadie sits in the back at her funeral. 9 months later we skip and Sadie is living with her widow and has a baby with him.
If this seems weird and a bit unbelievable, you aren't alone in that thought!
We side with Sadie and see things from her perspective. We don't love Harrison, we aren't sure about Caroline, who is Nikki and Harrison's teen daughter.
Both mysteries are good, the past one is better, it is clever to be following two mysteries in different timelines because it gets away from the typical criticism of slow burn mysteries as that it can drag in the middle.
Why is it called Doll Parts? No idea! I do love the cover, though.
My favorite character was Nikki, the past segments are in her view point.
Lots of open ended things with no conclusion, but it works. I liked this and found i very readable, some of the minor characters didn't have enough characterization so I didn't know them as well. I did love the setting and the writing style.
A fresh new voice in women centered mystery/thrillers!
Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks/Landmark for the ARC. Book to be published August 26, 2025.
October 9, 2025
For a book about friendship, there was very little of it in here.
And that’s the biggest disappointment of all.
I'll start by saying that the narration and its clear intent of being “edgy” and kinda poetic didn't do for me.
The biggest problem of all: the dual POV, of which dual has very little. Sadie and Nikki are supposed to feel like the same person to underline how much alike they are, but since they are also supposed to draw a line between the before and after, in more points than I could count it felt more like a long, single narration.
Purposely or not, that's also upheld by how little we see of Nikki and Sadie’s friendship, which should be the core of the whole story but wasn't.
There’s a plot twist now and before — both of which aren't really twists — and the most prominent character, aka Nikki, is always one step behind (of the reader, too).
As a mystery, being so obvious and lacking any aspect I could have expected, turned out flat.
As a whatever-the-author-wanted-to-tell, I'm disappointed in saying that the only part the two were really friends was when they down-talked one another and explained how well they knew their best friend’s worst traits — I knew I wasn't reading a comedy, but what a friendship.
↠ 2.8 stars
Thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.
And that’s the biggest disappointment of all.
I'll start by saying that the narration and its clear intent of being “edgy” and kinda poetic didn't do for me.
The biggest problem of all: the dual POV, of which dual has very little. Sadie and Nikki are supposed to feel like the same person to underline how much alike they are, but since they are also supposed to draw a line between the before and after, in more points than I could count it felt more like a long, single narration.
Purposely or not, that's also upheld by how little we see of Nikki and Sadie’s friendship, which should be the core of the whole story but wasn't.
There’s a plot twist now and before — both of which aren't really twists — and the most prominent character, aka Nikki, is always one step behind (of the reader, too).
As a mystery, being so obvious and lacking any aspect I could have expected, turned out flat.
As a whatever-the-author-wanted-to-tell, I'm disappointed in saying that the only part the two were really friends was when they down-talked one another and explained how well they knew their best friend’s worst traits — I knew I wasn't reading a comedy, but what a friendship.
↠ 2.8 stars
Thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.
August 31, 2025
I wanted to like this so badly, and I really gave it the old college try. But there was so much that frustrated me about this book, let me count the ways...
The "back then" plot was incredibly convoluted and implausible. There's a freshman writing professor at an all-girls college who loves Sylvia Plath, and his sycophants run a death-obsessed group called the Sylvia Club - but when six of the girls (seemingly) die by suicide and are all on the same scholarship program the school is just trying to cover it up? And threaten a student who tries to look into it? All of the "dark academia" portions just felt very juvenile and YA - not great if that's not what the author is trying to go for.
The "now" plot is similarly strange: that same girl who got in trouble for investigating the deaths is now dead herself (maybe 18 years later?) and her former best friend is dating and has a baby with her husband (???). There are many other strange details that I could go into here, but you get the point. I was scratching my head trying to wrap my head around the basic bones of the narrative here, let alone trying to follow the drama and reveals.
You know a thriller is not it when you find yourself completely uninvested in the process and uninvested in the characters - which is exactly what happened to me here.
The "back then" plot was incredibly convoluted and implausible. There's a freshman writing professor at an all-girls college who loves Sylvia Plath, and his sycophants run a death-obsessed group called the Sylvia Club - but when six of the girls (seemingly) die by suicide and are all on the same scholarship program the school is just trying to cover it up? And threaten a student who tries to look into it? All of the "dark academia" portions just felt very juvenile and YA - not great if that's not what the author is trying to go for.
The "now" plot is similarly strange: that same girl who got in trouble for investigating the deaths is now dead herself (maybe 18 years later?) and her former best friend is dating and has a baby with her husband (???). There are many other strange details that I could go into here, but you get the point. I was scratching my head trying to wrap my head around the basic bones of the narrative here, let alone trying to follow the drama and reveals.
You know a thriller is not it when you find yourself completely uninvested in the process and uninvested in the characters - which is exactly what happened to me here.
August 27, 2025
"I fake it so real, I am beyond fake / And someday you will ache like I ache." - Hole, "Doll Parts"
4.5 stars rounded up.
Happy publication day to this astonishing debut novel! I am not usually drawn to ghost stories, but "Doll Parts" hooked me from the very first page. It's a haunting, atmospheric ode to girlhood and friendship, layered with nostalgia, grief, and a touch of mystery. Told in dual timelines, the novel seamlessly blends dark academia with domestic suspense, all told in beautifully eloquent prose.
At their women’s college outside Baltimore in the early 2000s, best friends Nikki and Sadie hoped for fresh beginnings, blasting Courtney Love and dreaming of the future. But shadows hung over campus - among them "the Sylvia Club", a grim legend tied to the deaths of multiple Plath-obsessed students. Nikki, an aspiring writer, found herself captivated by their stories, diving deep into research about the “sad girls” who came before.
Decades later, Nikki is dead, and Sadie - estranged from her best friend for years - finds herself entangled in Nikki’s life in an unsettling way. Living in her late friend’s preserved home, married to her grieving widower, and mother to his child, Sadie begins to sense Nikki’s presence everywhere. Is it grief, guilt, or something more? As past and present intertwine, Sadie uncovers the threads of Nikki’s unfinished search for the truth about the Sylvia Club - and realizes that some stories refuse to stay buried.
"Doll Parts" shines most in its atmosphere. The fall campus setting is drenched in melancholy, the Sylvia Club legend like a campus ghost story you can’t quite shake. Nikki’s voice in the past timeline is particularly vivid, lyrical, and poetic - at times the prose felt like reading a beautifully melancholic poem. Penny Zang never wastes a word, and as a result, each page is saturated with mood. Just as powerful is the depiction of Nikki and Sadie’s friendship. It is deep, messy, complicated, and utterly real; when it fractures, the loss feels like a physical blow. This is as much a novel about grief and the painful evolution of female friendship as it is about mystery and hauntings.
The resolution of the Sylvia Club mystery itself was a bit underwhelming, and there are a few loose threads. Personally, I found that fitting. In a story about grief, obsession, and the ache of unfinished lives, not every answer needs to be neatly packaged. The ambiguity feels true to life, where some mysteries will always remain unresolved.
"Doll Parts" is an evocative, gorgeously written debut that will especially resonate with fans of dark academia and literary suspense. You don’t need to be a Sylvia Plath devotee to appreciate it, though readers who know her work will find an added depth.
Haunting, lyrical, and both touching and thought-provoking, this novel lingers long after its final page.
Many thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
"Doll Parts"'s publication day is today, August 26, 2025.
4.5 stars rounded up.
Happy publication day to this astonishing debut novel! I am not usually drawn to ghost stories, but "Doll Parts" hooked me from the very first page. It's a haunting, atmospheric ode to girlhood and friendship, layered with nostalgia, grief, and a touch of mystery. Told in dual timelines, the novel seamlessly blends dark academia with domestic suspense, all told in beautifully eloquent prose.
At their women’s college outside Baltimore in the early 2000s, best friends Nikki and Sadie hoped for fresh beginnings, blasting Courtney Love and dreaming of the future. But shadows hung over campus - among them "the Sylvia Club", a grim legend tied to the deaths of multiple Plath-obsessed students. Nikki, an aspiring writer, found herself captivated by their stories, diving deep into research about the “sad girls” who came before.
Decades later, Nikki is dead, and Sadie - estranged from her best friend for years - finds herself entangled in Nikki’s life in an unsettling way. Living in her late friend’s preserved home, married to her grieving widower, and mother to his child, Sadie begins to sense Nikki’s presence everywhere. Is it grief, guilt, or something more? As past and present intertwine, Sadie uncovers the threads of Nikki’s unfinished search for the truth about the Sylvia Club - and realizes that some stories refuse to stay buried.
"Doll Parts" shines most in its atmosphere. The fall campus setting is drenched in melancholy, the Sylvia Club legend like a campus ghost story you can’t quite shake. Nikki’s voice in the past timeline is particularly vivid, lyrical, and poetic - at times the prose felt like reading a beautifully melancholic poem. Penny Zang never wastes a word, and as a result, each page is saturated with mood. Just as powerful is the depiction of Nikki and Sadie’s friendship. It is deep, messy, complicated, and utterly real; when it fractures, the loss feels like a physical blow. This is as much a novel about grief and the painful evolution of female friendship as it is about mystery and hauntings.
The resolution of the Sylvia Club mystery itself was a bit underwhelming, and there are a few loose threads. Personally, I found that fitting. In a story about grief, obsession, and the ache of unfinished lives, not every answer needs to be neatly packaged. The ambiguity feels true to life, where some mysteries will always remain unresolved.
"Doll Parts" is an evocative, gorgeously written debut that will especially resonate with fans of dark academia and literary suspense. You don’t need to be a Sylvia Plath devotee to appreciate it, though readers who know her work will find an added depth.
Haunting, lyrical, and both touching and thought-provoking, this novel lingers long after its final page.
Many thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
"Doll Parts"'s publication day is today, August 26, 2025.
February 13, 2025
After getting an advanced copy to review - I cannot wait for this debut novel to hit the shelves! Sadie moves into a house with her baby-daddy. Nevermind the fact that Harrison is a widower of about one week before she becomes pregnant and that the neighbors are less than welcoming, Harrison won’t let her move his deceased wife’s clothes, decorations, or ever enter her office.
Nevermind the fact that Sadie was best friends with his deceased wife, Nikki, for a lifetime until they lost contact a decade ago. The tale of their friendship unravels to reveal what Sadie doesn’t want to ever come to light - but as she starts to peel back the layers she finally realizes why some secrets can’t keep and that some ghosts refuse the dark.
You had me at Thriller and Suspense but Zang has added in some twisty paranormal and created a can’t-put-it-down book that refuses to let you close the cover until the final page.
Above all else - this is a love story of the most important kind. Zang has created a masterpiece.
Nevermind the fact that Sadie was best friends with his deceased wife, Nikki, for a lifetime until they lost contact a decade ago. The tale of their friendship unravels to reveal what Sadie doesn’t want to ever come to light - but as she starts to peel back the layers she finally realizes why some secrets can’t keep and that some ghosts refuse the dark.
You had me at Thriller and Suspense but Zang has added in some twisty paranormal and created a can’t-put-it-down book that refuses to let you close the cover until the final page.
Above all else - this is a love story of the most important kind. Zang has created a masterpiece.
April 13, 2025
I am such a glutton for books about teenage girl friendships. And so while DOLL PARTS is a sort of dark academia mystery/thriller about a rash of college girls’ suicides, it’s the friendship between the two narrators that kept me riveted. A must-read for fans of Megan Abbott (and Sylvia Plath, who haunts these pages).
October 30, 2025
just repackaged I Have Some Questions for You i fear...
- i guessed the plot twist but the ending wasn't satisfying
- writing was passable, sometimes went in an interesting direction and then ended up veering away from it
- sisterhood/college/academia/fetishization of dead women commentary but relatively surface-level
- mystery element = lowkey underwhelming
- pace = decent
- i guessed the plot twist but the ending wasn't satisfying
- writing was passable, sometimes went in an interesting direction and then ended up veering away from it
- sisterhood/college/academia/fetishization of dead women commentary but relatively surface-level
- mystery element = lowkey underwhelming
- pace = decent
November 25, 2025
One of my favorite books this year!! Review to come 🩷
March 3, 2025
The description of this book caught my attention: Childhood best friends go to college together and experience something that tears their friendship apart. 20 years later, one of them is dead and the other somehow ends up pregnant by the dead friend's husband and living in her home.
Curious as to how and why this could/would come to be, I took the clickbait and started reading it.
The story is told from two points of view, that of Sadie in the present day and Nikki in the past. Sadie's story takes place about a year after Nikki's death. She is living in Nikki's home, in a relationship with Nikki's husband and struggling with being a new mother, while also trying to adjust to the suburban housewife lifestyle Nikki was living, something which is not at all Sadie's thing. Nikki's story takes us back to her and Sadie's freshman year of college, the year that their friendship ended. As Sadie navigates the present day and starts to think that there is more to Nikki's death than meets the eye, she is guided by the ghost of Nikki, both in her imagination and in literal clues Nikki has seemingly left specifically for Sadie to find. All the while, as the reader, I was questioning why and how Nikki felt such a strong connection to Sadie that she had left these clues for her to find, somehow knowing Sadie would end up living in her home after her death, even though they hadn't spoken in 20 years. It was very difficult for me to believe in this very deep connection that still wasn't strong enough to survive or overcome whatever had happened to the two in college.
The story from the past unravels very slowly for me and I really struggled to get through it. While the present day story also moved along pretty slowly for me, I found the chapters told from the present day to be a much easier read and more relatable.
As is clear in this book's bio, there is an obsessive focus on Sylvia Plath and her death. And like Sylvia Plath, Penny Zang's writing is poetic and artistic and figurative. In addition to Sylvia Plath's strong presence in this book, Loch Raven College, where Nikki and Sadie attend is a character all on its own. Penny's description of the college campus buildings and the general vibe of the school transports you to what feels like a whole different world. Depending on the reader, you may like or dislike the all girls boarding school vibe, where students clad in all black dresses hold seances and are obsessed with death. Unfortunately, this didn't work for me and contributed greatly to my struggle to get through this book.
I wish that I could say that the answers in the end made the journey worth it, but for me that just wasn't the case. The answers to all the questions I had throughout the book just felt incomplete, like I was told the reasons for everything, but I was unsatisfied with them.
Overall, I think that this book just wasn't right for me. It's simply not a style I enjoyed and I'm not necessarily the right target audience for it, but for the right reader, this might be exactly the kind of thing you'd love. My rating is based solely on my own reading interests and unfortunately, I think I just selected the wrong type of book for me.
With thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this ARC before its August 26th, 2025 release.
Curious as to how and why this could/would come to be, I took the clickbait and started reading it.
The story is told from two points of view, that of Sadie in the present day and Nikki in the past. Sadie's story takes place about a year after Nikki's death. She is living in Nikki's home, in a relationship with Nikki's husband and struggling with being a new mother, while also trying to adjust to the suburban housewife lifestyle Nikki was living, something which is not at all Sadie's thing. Nikki's story takes us back to her and Sadie's freshman year of college, the year that their friendship ended. As Sadie navigates the present day and starts to think that there is more to Nikki's death than meets the eye, she is guided by the ghost of Nikki, both in her imagination and in literal clues Nikki has seemingly left specifically for Sadie to find. All the while, as the reader, I was questioning why and how Nikki felt such a strong connection to Sadie that she had left these clues for her to find, somehow knowing Sadie would end up living in her home after her death, even though they hadn't spoken in 20 years. It was very difficult for me to believe in this very deep connection that still wasn't strong enough to survive or overcome whatever had happened to the two in college.
The story from the past unravels very slowly for me and I really struggled to get through it. While the present day story also moved along pretty slowly for me, I found the chapters told from the present day to be a much easier read and more relatable.
As is clear in this book's bio, there is an obsessive focus on Sylvia Plath and her death. And like Sylvia Plath, Penny Zang's writing is poetic and artistic and figurative. In addition to Sylvia Plath's strong presence in this book, Loch Raven College, where Nikki and Sadie attend is a character all on its own. Penny's description of the college campus buildings and the general vibe of the school transports you to what feels like a whole different world. Depending on the reader, you may like or dislike the all girls boarding school vibe, where students clad in all black dresses hold seances and are obsessed with death. Unfortunately, this didn't work for me and contributed greatly to my struggle to get through this book.
I wish that I could say that the answers in the end made the journey worth it, but for me that just wasn't the case. The answers to all the questions I had throughout the book just felt incomplete, like I was told the reasons for everything, but I was unsatisfied with them.
Overall, I think that this book just wasn't right for me. It's simply not a style I enjoyed and I'm not necessarily the right target audience for it, but for the right reader, this might be exactly the kind of thing you'd love. My rating is based solely on my own reading interests and unfortunately, I think I just selected the wrong type of book for me.
With thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this ARC before its August 26th, 2025 release.
September 1, 2025
I love everything about this book. It was not a perfect novel but it was messy, chaotic and slightly unhinged. It made me want to be a sad, weird girl. It made me want to listen to 90s grunge and journal in a cemetery. It made me want to read Sylvia Plath while smoking a cigarette.
Nikki and Sadie have always been each other’s whole world. Childhood best friends. Sisters in the absence of family. Co-conspirators in grief.
The novel drips in dark academia: loch raven is a gothic all girls college, haunted by the many suicides that occurred there over the decades. The ghosts of dead girls haunt the grounds. The students call them the sylvia plath girls. Nikki becomes obsessed with them. She relentlessly researches their stories. She starts seeing them everywhere. She starts to believe something isn’t quite right.
The story unfolds in two timelines.
The past belongs to Nikki, who tells the story of a wild friendship and the dead girls.
The present belongs to Sadie, older now, dulled by time and tragedy. Nikki is dead. She committed suicide. Sadie is left to piece together the mystery that Nikki spent her whole life trying to solve.
The writing was beautiful and raw. I felt this whole story in my bones. I loved it.
Were some parts of it weird? YES. Like I said, it’s not a perfect book. But that’s why I love it so much.
5 stars, no notes
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️
Nikki and Sadie have always been each other’s whole world. Childhood best friends. Sisters in the absence of family. Co-conspirators in grief.
The novel drips in dark academia: loch raven is a gothic all girls college, haunted by the many suicides that occurred there over the decades. The ghosts of dead girls haunt the grounds. The students call them the sylvia plath girls. Nikki becomes obsessed with them. She relentlessly researches their stories. She starts seeing them everywhere. She starts to believe something isn’t quite right.
The story unfolds in two timelines.
The past belongs to Nikki, who tells the story of a wild friendship and the dead girls.
The present belongs to Sadie, older now, dulled by time and tragedy. Nikki is dead. She committed suicide. Sadie is left to piece together the mystery that Nikki spent her whole life trying to solve.
The writing was beautiful and raw. I felt this whole story in my bones. I loved it.
Were some parts of it weird? YES. Like I said, it’s not a perfect book. But that’s why I love it so much.
5 stars, no notes
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️
September 22, 2025
I was initially drawn to this title for the Sylvia Plath club sad girls theme and the comparisons to The Virgin Suicides along with the general grunge girl/dark academia theme. While I’d say I definitely see all of the comparisons and I did enjoy Doll Parts, there were a few things that really didn’t work so well for me. What worked, worked, but I was left with so many Why’s?!
I loved the costume references, the music references, the Sylvia club and the general dark air that lingers throughout the then chapters, I was expecting so much more from the now chapters I needed the math to math though and it just didn’t quite add up.
I’d give it a 3.75 🌟 as I still managed to enjoy it and I enjoyed the narration.
I loved the costume references, the music references, the Sylvia club and the general dark air that lingers throughout the then chapters, I was expecting so much more from the now chapters I needed the math to math though and it just didn’t quite add up.
I’d give it a 3.75 🌟 as I still managed to enjoy it and I enjoyed the narration.
August 28, 2025
File this under: a book i wish i liked more. You would think this is my perfect book: dark academia, 90’s grunge, Sylvia Plath, giving Lana Del Rey literature? Yeah, unfortunately, it’s never a phase.
Yet, this missed the mark. I wish it didn’t, but it did :(
Yet, this missed the mark. I wish it didn’t, but it did :(
Read
September 16, 2025DNF, page 125. Not for me, although I enjoyed the Hole reference. Wasn’t too surprising given the book title. 🩷
May 19, 2025
Where do I even start with this deliciously melancholic, Sylvia Plath-obsessed fever dream of a novel? It’s like someone took The Virgin Suicides, sprinkled in a dash of mI Have Some Questions for You, and then doused it in 90s riot grrrl vibes with a side of paranormal chills. I’m still clutching my imaginary fishnets and swooning over the prose, but let’s unpack this gem, because this book deserves it, even if it made me work for it at times.
First off, the dual timeline structure—past Nikki and present Sadie—had me stumbling like a newborn fawn in chunky Doc Martens. The jumps between Nikki’s college days, where she’s chasing the dark allure of the Sylvia Club (a campus legend about Sylvia Plath-adoring girls meeting tragic ends), and Sadie’s present, where she’s navigating motherhood and living in Nikki’s creepily preserved home, took a hot minute to settle into. I’d be vibing with Nikki’s angsty, Courtney Love-blaring youth, only to be yanked into Sadie’s suburban unease, wondering if Nikki’s ghost was about to pop up like a jump scare in a 90s slasher flick. The transitions lulled me a bit, like when you’re at a concert and the band takes too long to tune their guitars between songs. But once I locked into the rhythm, I was hooked, flipping pages past midnight under the comfort of my covers.
The story follows Nikki and Sadie, former besties whose friendship frayed like a thrifted sweater. In the past, Nikki’s obsessed with the Sylvia Club, digging into the supposed suicides of Plath-loving students at their all-women’s college. Her curiosity feels like a moth fluttering too close to a flame, and it’s no spoiler to say it burns her—and her bond with Sadie. Fast-forward twenty years, Nikki’s dead, and Sadie’s got a newborn with Nikki’s grieving husband, Harrison, living in a house where Nikki’s presence lingers like a stubborn perfume. Sadie’s convinced Nikki’s sending clues from beyond, and the unraveling of the Sylvia Club’s secrets becomes a haunting puzzle. It’s a story of fractured friendships, the ache of girlhood, and grief that clings like damp Baltimore fog.
Zang’s prose is where I lost my mind—in the best way. It’s hypnotic, dripping with melancholy, like a sad girl playlist you can’t stop humming. She captures the sharp edges of female friendship with such precision, it’s like she’s holding a scalpel to your heart. One scene where Nikki and Sadie try on thrifted clothes, laughing and dreaming, had me nostalgic for my own college days, blasting Senses Fail and pretending I was cooler than I was. I could smell the musty thrift store and feel the weight of their unspoken tensions. But then Zang flips the mood, and you’re in Sadie’s present, where she’s dodging nosy neighbors and Harrison’s refusal to move Nikki’s stuff, like he’s curating a shrine.
The Sylvia Club mystery is a slow burn, but it’s worth the wait. I won’t spoil the twists, but let’s just say Zang knows how to make you gasp and then cackle at your own gullibility. The paranormal vibes add a delicious creep factor, though I occasionally rolled my eyes when Sadie’s ghost-hunting felt a tad too Scooby-Doo. Still, the way Zang ties the past and present together is fantastic, even if some lulls had me skimming like I was cramming for a final.
I read some of this while sipping a Frappuccino in a coffee shop, and I swear, every time Sadie saw Nikki’s ghost, I’d glance over my shoulder, half-expecting a spectral Plath fan to be lurking by the espresso machine. That’s the kind of immersive vibe Zang creates. Sometimes the pacing dragged like a dial-up modem, and I wanted more of Nikki’s fiery spark in the present timeline. But when it hits, it hits. It’s a love letter to the messy, beautiful chaos of being a young woman, to the friends who break your heart, and to the ghosts we carry.
Doll Parts is a must-read for anyone who’s ever been a sad girl, loved a sad girl, or just wants a thriller that feels like a riot grrrl anthem with a side of goosebumps.
First off, the dual timeline structure—past Nikki and present Sadie—had me stumbling like a newborn fawn in chunky Doc Martens. The jumps between Nikki’s college days, where she’s chasing the dark allure of the Sylvia Club (a campus legend about Sylvia Plath-adoring girls meeting tragic ends), and Sadie’s present, where she’s navigating motherhood and living in Nikki’s creepily preserved home, took a hot minute to settle into. I’d be vibing with Nikki’s angsty, Courtney Love-blaring youth, only to be yanked into Sadie’s suburban unease, wondering if Nikki’s ghost was about to pop up like a jump scare in a 90s slasher flick. The transitions lulled me a bit, like when you’re at a concert and the band takes too long to tune their guitars between songs. But once I locked into the rhythm, I was hooked, flipping pages past midnight under the comfort of my covers.
The story follows Nikki and Sadie, former besties whose friendship frayed like a thrifted sweater. In the past, Nikki’s obsessed with the Sylvia Club, digging into the supposed suicides of Plath-loving students at their all-women’s college. Her curiosity feels like a moth fluttering too close to a flame, and it’s no spoiler to say it burns her—and her bond with Sadie. Fast-forward twenty years, Nikki’s dead, and Sadie’s got a newborn with Nikki’s grieving husband, Harrison, living in a house where Nikki’s presence lingers like a stubborn perfume. Sadie’s convinced Nikki’s sending clues from beyond, and the unraveling of the Sylvia Club’s secrets becomes a haunting puzzle. It’s a story of fractured friendships, the ache of girlhood, and grief that clings like damp Baltimore fog.
Zang’s prose is where I lost my mind—in the best way. It’s hypnotic, dripping with melancholy, like a sad girl playlist you can’t stop humming. She captures the sharp edges of female friendship with such precision, it’s like she’s holding a scalpel to your heart. One scene where Nikki and Sadie try on thrifted clothes, laughing and dreaming, had me nostalgic for my own college days, blasting Senses Fail and pretending I was cooler than I was. I could smell the musty thrift store and feel the weight of their unspoken tensions. But then Zang flips the mood, and you’re in Sadie’s present, where she’s dodging nosy neighbors and Harrison’s refusal to move Nikki’s stuff, like he’s curating a shrine.
The Sylvia Club mystery is a slow burn, but it’s worth the wait. I won’t spoil the twists, but let’s just say Zang knows how to make you gasp and then cackle at your own gullibility. The paranormal vibes add a delicious creep factor, though I occasionally rolled my eyes when Sadie’s ghost-hunting felt a tad too Scooby-Doo. Still, the way Zang ties the past and present together is fantastic, even if some lulls had me skimming like I was cramming for a final.
I read some of this while sipping a Frappuccino in a coffee shop, and I swear, every time Sadie saw Nikki’s ghost, I’d glance over my shoulder, half-expecting a spectral Plath fan to be lurking by the espresso machine. That’s the kind of immersive vibe Zang creates. Sometimes the pacing dragged like a dial-up modem, and I wanted more of Nikki’s fiery spark in the present timeline. But when it hits, it hits. It’s a love letter to the messy, beautiful chaos of being a young woman, to the friends who break your heart, and to the ghosts we carry.
Doll Parts is a must-read for anyone who’s ever been a sad girl, loved a sad girl, or just wants a thriller that feels like a riot grrrl anthem with a side of goosebumps.
Want to read
May 18, 2025"My Dark Vanessa meets I Have Some Questions For You with a dash of the horrors of Nightbitch"
sign me up
sign me up
September 1, 2025
4 stars. 📖🎧
October 6, 2025
I had not heard of Doll Parts prior to picking it up at Bouchercon, so I went in blind, and oh my, this one was GOOD! Right from the start, it grabbed me, and I could not put it down. Told in both dual POVs and timelines, we learn about several girls who died that all had a commonality of adoration for Sylvia Plath, all deemed suicides, and we learn about the long-term friendship of Nikki and Sadie, which began in their childhood. Current day, Nikki has died, and Sadie is pregnant by Nikki’s grieving husband (oofta), so to say they are estranged is an understatement, but back then, the two BFFs were inseparable. So what happened to these two friends, and what happened to the girls in the Sylvia Club? I listened via audio, and let me tell you, Leah Horowitz and Helen Laser knocked it out of the park with this story. I also thought the slow burn really worked, and the sad girl vibe combined with dark academia was a blend I did not know I needed, making this debut one that I loved and would absolutely recommend.
Thank you to Sourcebooks #partner for the gifted copy to review.
Thank you to Sourcebooks #partner for the gifted copy to review.
October 7, 2025
3.75 ostatecznie rozwiązanie zagadki było satysfakcjonujące, ale trzeba dać tej książce jakieś 100 stron, żeby się rozkręciła which is a bummer ngl
mimo to uważam, że jest pięknym obrazem dziewczęcej przyjaźni, mocno czuć tutaj poezję sylvii plath i rebekę daphne du maurier, jest też trochę o niezdrowej fascynacji martwymi kobietami
fajne takie jesienne 👍🏻
mimo to uważam, że jest pięknym obrazem dziewczęcej przyjaźni, mocno czuć tutaj poezję sylvii plath i rebekę daphne du maurier, jest też trochę o niezdrowej fascynacji martwymi kobietami
fajne takie jesienne 👍🏻
August 26, 2025
2.5
I wanted so badly for this book to work for me but sadly it did not.🙁 The way Doll parts described I was predicting a 5 star read. Dark Acadmia? 90s grunge? Best friends dynamic? Ghost? Sylvia Plath? "Sad girl lit" SIGN ME UP!
Unfortunatly, this book fell very flat for me. For a book that was heavily revolved around Sylvia Plath I was expecting a lot from the writing but in all honestly it was easily forgettable and underwhelming. I just wanted more.You can't just tell us the girls are sad and call it sad girl lit. You actually have to explain and give us something to work with for us to also feel that sadness. TW but this books theme is heavily based on sadness and suicide and for the life of me I can not give you own reason why these girls committed other than they were "sad girls".
And as for the "best friends" Sadie and Nikkie , and the story line itself, I think that's was a complete mess. Our 2 main girls (best friends) had no connection whatsoever. In our flashback scenes they were almost never even together. And later Sadie they haven't seen eachother or spoken for 20 years, and now with one of gone, we're suppose to believe their connection is so strong that Sadie was able to figure out the big mystery? 😭 i just couldn't fully believe it lol
and lastly, the ending/motive was underwhelming, predictable and cheesy. :(
I feel like I'm being too mean so I'm just going to stop here.
However, what I did like was all the 90s music references and all the Sylvia Plath fun facts!
Thankyou sourcebooks for the arc copy in exchange for my honest review!
I wanted so badly for this book to work for me but sadly it did not.🙁 The way Doll parts described I was predicting a 5 star read. Dark Acadmia? 90s grunge? Best friends dynamic? Ghost? Sylvia Plath? "Sad girl lit" SIGN ME UP!
Unfortunatly, this book fell very flat for me. For a book that was heavily revolved around Sylvia Plath I was expecting a lot from the writing but in all honestly it was easily forgettable and underwhelming. I just wanted more.You can't just tell us the girls are sad and call it sad girl lit. You actually have to explain and give us something to work with for us to also feel that sadness. TW but this books theme is heavily based on sadness and suicide and for the life of me I can not give you own reason why these girls committed other than they were "sad girls".
And as for the "best friends" Sadie and Nikkie , and the story line itself, I think that's was a complete mess. Our 2 main girls (best friends) had no connection whatsoever. In our flashback scenes they were almost never even together. And later Sadie they haven't seen eachother or spoken for 20 years, and now with one of gone, we're suppose to believe their connection is so strong that Sadie was able to figure out the big mystery? 😭 i just couldn't fully believe it lol
and lastly, the ending/motive was underwhelming, predictable and cheesy. :(
I feel like I'm being too mean so I'm just going to stop here.
However, what I did like was all the 90s music references and all the Sylvia Plath fun facts!
Thankyou sourcebooks for the arc copy in exchange for my honest review!
September 1, 2025
This was such an immersive read—one of those books whose world I feel like I’m still moving through when driving to work and running errands. Weird and unsettling in the best way. A tribute to the messy beauty of friends made when we’re still learning who we are. What a fabulous debut. I didn’t want it to end.
April 22, 2025
‘Told in a dual timeline, Doll Parts is an evocative and irresistible debut, at once an exploration of the dark chasms that break apart friendships, an ode to the aching beauty of girlhood, and a sharp portrayal of grief that can physically haunt you. ‘
Doll Parts was such an unpredicted, impressive and formidable debut.
There’s so many moving parts here. What with the alternating timelines and POV’s, the details, the intricacies, oddities and happenstances. It could have so easily played out in a stretchy, convoluted and implausible sort of way. But it didn’t.
Zang connected and delineated this very complex story that feels seasoned and almost harmonic for the reader, even with the troubling subject matter, which there was plenty of.
Haunting, puzzling and clenching, the pages don’t stand a chance to be left in peace while being held in any pair of hands.
I genuinely can’t wait to see what she’ll do next.
Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for review.
Pub: 8.26.2025.
Doll Parts was such an unpredicted, impressive and formidable debut.
There’s so many moving parts here. What with the alternating timelines and POV’s, the details, the intricacies, oddities and happenstances. It could have so easily played out in a stretchy, convoluted and implausible sort of way. But it didn’t.
Zang connected and delineated this very complex story that feels seasoned and almost harmonic for the reader, even with the troubling subject matter, which there was plenty of.
Haunting, puzzling and clenching, the pages don’t stand a chance to be left in peace while being held in any pair of hands.
I genuinely can’t wait to see what she’ll do next.
Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for review.
Pub: 8.26.2025.
September 17, 2025
Okay so I liked this, but there were quite a few things I found odd.
1) The MC lives with and has a baby with her best friend's husband after her best friend dies... girl what. (not a spoiler)
2) bunions are mentioned multiple times, and the surgery is referred to as a 'little outpatient surgery'. It's definitely not a 'little' surgery, I can tell you that much, and I'm unsure how the character who has it would be able to do much.
3) the writing style was soooo confusing. Just very weird and hard to follow.
I liked getting to know both characters but I felt the way that the way they are portrayed by each other's POVs didn't match up. But maybe that was on purpose. I would have liked more focus on the Sylvia Plath club. The bits we did get, I enjoyed. There wasn't really anything new here but I liked it well enough.
1) The MC lives with and has a baby with her best friend's husband after her best friend dies... girl what. (not a spoiler)
2) bunions are mentioned multiple times, and the surgery is referred to as a 'little outpatient surgery'. It's definitely not a 'little' surgery, I can tell you that much, and I'm unsure how the character who has it would be able to do much.
3) the writing style was soooo confusing. Just very weird and hard to follow.
I liked getting to know both characters but I felt the way that the way they are portrayed by each other's POVs didn't match up. But maybe that was on purpose. I would have liked more focus on the Sylvia Plath club. The bits we did get, I enjoyed. There wasn't really anything new here but I liked it well enough.
May 28, 2025
I received an Advanced Reader Copy of Doll Parts from Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA and am sharing my honest review! It’s been a while since I’ve finished a book in one sitting but Penny Zang knocked this one out of the park. I’m typically quick to figure out plots in advance but this book threw me for a loop towards the end. Highly recommend adding to your shelf when it releases this August!
August 25, 2025
Yesss this one hit the spot. Dark academia, best friends, suicides on a campus across decades, ghosts - I read this book exactly when I needed to.
Such a creepy, captivating debut - truly can’t wait to read what Penny Zang writes next.
There were some parts that felt silly and far fetched, one specific plot point that just didn’t make sense with the character at all that was bothering me, a bit slow to get going into the story - but those are minor critiques for a book I enjoyed so much.
If you’d love a Gothic dark academia book centered around some Sylvia Plath obsessed students, you’ll love this one.
4.5 ✨
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!
Such a creepy, captivating debut - truly can’t wait to read what Penny Zang writes next.
There were some parts that felt silly and far fetched, one specific plot point that just didn’t make sense with the character at all that was bothering me, a bit slow to get going into the story - but those are minor critiques for a book I enjoyed so much.
If you’d love a Gothic dark academia book centered around some Sylvia Plath obsessed students, you’ll love this one.
4.5 ✨
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!
August 29, 2025
Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advanced copy of this book.
Rating: 5/5
I'm not gonna lie.. this was a harder one for me to hype myself up to read once I got a couple chapters in. Knowing the premise of the book and my aversion to subjects that have affected my personal life, I was nervous about this. (Losing friendships, growing pains, etc). I am so glad I pushed through it, though.
At the heart of this book is friendship, and the things we do for the people we love. I love how Penny really made Sadie and Nikki's voices differ, and having the two timelines: the current one where Nikki is gone, and the year before Sadie and Nikki are no longer friends. It's haunting, moving, and it made me frustrated in the best ways, because I would think I was on the right path only for Penny to blow that one out of the water. I'm grateful for Bad Bitch Book Club having this as one of our monthly reads, because this is a phenomenal book. I cannot wait to talk about it with others and see their perspectives on it!
Rating: 5/5
I'm not gonna lie.. this was a harder one for me to hype myself up to read once I got a couple chapters in. Knowing the premise of the book and my aversion to subjects that have affected my personal life, I was nervous about this. (Losing friendships, growing pains, etc). I am so glad I pushed through it, though.
At the heart of this book is friendship, and the things we do for the people we love. I love how Penny really made Sadie and Nikki's voices differ, and having the two timelines: the current one where Nikki is gone, and the year before Sadie and Nikki are no longer friends. It's haunting, moving, and it made me frustrated in the best ways, because I would think I was on the right path only for Penny to blow that one out of the water. I'm grateful for Bad Bitch Book Club having this as one of our monthly reads, because this is a phenomenal book. I cannot wait to talk about it with others and see their perspectives on it!
August 26, 2025
Doll Parts is an atmospheric, haunting, and emotionally rich debut that absolutely consumed me. Told in a dual timeline, this novel follows Sadie, who finds herself drawn back into the life of her estranged best friend Nikki after Nikki’s sudden and mysterious death. When Sadie moves into Nikki’s eerily perfect suburban home—while pregnant by Nikki’s grieving husband—she starts to suspect that something about Nikki’s death isn’t right.
Back in college, Nikki and Sadie were part of a sad girl sisterhood orbiting the Sylvia Club—a campus legend centered around the suicides of Sylvia Plath-adoring students. Nikki became obsessed with uncovering the truth, and that obsession never left her. As Sadie digs deeper, she begins to wonder if Nikki's death was just the latest chapter in a much darker story.
This book absolutely nails the blend of literary suspense and psychological horror. The writing is sharp and evocative, and the tension simmers in both timelines. The portrayal of complicated female friendship is raw and unflinching—intimate, toxic, and unforgettable. I especially appreciated how it tackled themes of grief, guilt, and the romanticization of female suffering without ever feeling cliché or shallow.
It reminded me of The Virgin Suicides in tone, but with a much darker bite. The mystery kept me hooked, but it was the emotional undercurrent that truly broke me. This is a story about how the past never really stays buried, and how some friendships leave marks you can’t scrub clean.
Doll Parts is haunting in every sense of the word—and I’ll be thinking about it for a long time.
Huge thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early in exchange for an honest review.
update: I think this book was meh after thinking about it after a few weeks 😂
Back in college, Nikki and Sadie were part of a sad girl sisterhood orbiting the Sylvia Club—a campus legend centered around the suicides of Sylvia Plath-adoring students. Nikki became obsessed with uncovering the truth, and that obsession never left her. As Sadie digs deeper, she begins to wonder if Nikki's death was just the latest chapter in a much darker story.
This book absolutely nails the blend of literary suspense and psychological horror. The writing is sharp and evocative, and the tension simmers in both timelines. The portrayal of complicated female friendship is raw and unflinching—intimate, toxic, and unforgettable. I especially appreciated how it tackled themes of grief, guilt, and the romanticization of female suffering without ever feeling cliché or shallow.
It reminded me of The Virgin Suicides in tone, but with a much darker bite. The mystery kept me hooked, but it was the emotional undercurrent that truly broke me. This is a story about how the past never really stays buried, and how some friendships leave marks you can’t scrub clean.
Doll Parts is haunting in every sense of the word—and I’ll be thinking about it for a long time.
Huge thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early in exchange for an honest review.
update: I think this book was meh after thinking about it after a few weeks 😂
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