Good Girls Lie

Good Girls Lie

by: J.T. Ellison
⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book disappointed me.

It started off so strong - an all girls boarding school with secret societies and a tainted past set in the mountains... what else could I want? But once the new girl gained popularity (a montage I could totally see playing out in my head like a movie scene) it slowed way down and got kind of boring.

The writing style was beautiful, though, with a lot of incredibly detailed scenes that sucked me right into the energy of the Goode School, but I felt like the twists were predictable, pretty anti-climactic, and overall unbelievable. The book just seemed to drag on once the murder/suicide/accident finally happened. And I didn’t really care for any of the characters - spoiled rich girls, creepy handymen, and overindulgent adults... hard to sympathize with.

I also felt like it flipped between narrators far too often and I found myself confused as to who was talking and what they were talking about with all the overly-vague suspense.

As far as thrillers go, it’s got the right setting and the right feel to be an enjoyable read, but it just didn’t do it for me.

Also: major trigger warnings for teen suicide.

Followers

Followers

by: Megan Angelo

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“People spoke of the way things were when the old phones were still around: whole waiting rooms, whole planes, whole parties full of people with their heads bent chin to chest staring at oblongs of blue light, as still and as oblivious to their surroundings as of a gas leak had put them to sleep.”

Oh my goodness! This book was amazing! A creepy look at the potential future of our social media obsessed world where people will do just about anything for instant fame and a “following.”

Not only does this book feel uncomfortably accurate, it’s also beautifully written. Example: on ballet classes “Marlow never really like the dancing but loved posing information with the others she love the tiny hair of the shared breath they took just before they started moving the synchronize bunk of their point shoes as they finished a combination.”

The characters weren’t necessarily likable, but held true to our current era of worshiping people who truly don’t deserve our attention. As much as I shook my head at all the characters poor choices, I also nodded and felt myself drawn to & interested in their fame a whole lot more than one should.

The dual time was really interesting. As I watched Marlow discover her past, I watched that past unfold in real time through Orla and Floss. Such a uniquely presented story/prediction of the path our society is stumbling down.

I personally predict: this is THE BOOK for 2020. It’s an entirely distinctive novel with an alluring aesthetic that will creep right under your skin like the “devices” of the future.

I’d recommend this to any social media addicts or those trying to be instafamous or twitterfamous or a youtube sensation. I’d recommend this to anyone struggling with anger issues, body image issues, or who they’re going to be when they “grow up.” I’d recommend this to all the pop culture lovers or reality tv junkies and fans of syfy (strangely enough). Just pick it up. Read it. And thank me later.