... kept me up all night – literally. I tore through the book in less than 24 hours, forcing my eyes to stay open as if the remaining pages wouldn't be there in the morning ... Finishing the novel, I lay in bed, unsettled by a plot that features women quite literally ripping each other apart over jealousy, pettiness and revenge. The girls are not so nice.
... a combustible, hair-raising thriller about not-so-nice girls ... I could not have prepared myself for how downright chilling this book is. Flynn is an expert in adolescent psychology and female friendships, and her descriptions of mean girls doing bad things are nearly unparalleled. The thriller genre has exploded with villainous female protagonists over the last few years, and though I’ve read similar premises, Flynn makes the college setting feel fresh and original. By using one of these mean girls as her main character, she ups the ante in shocking ways. What was so absolutely tantalizing about the book was how effectively it played upon the desires that every teen girl has: to be liked, to make friends, to matter.
Flynn brings us another Mean Girls look back at the reckless, risk filled college exploits of youth. But despite the sarcasm-tinged title this isn't only a book about college girls. It's also a book about sex ... There's little to like about most of the characters, but they will draw you in anyway. Readers with daughters will surely hope Flynn's description of college girls gone wild is greatly exaggerated ... a story of ambition, resentment, jealousy, and what passes for friendship. A dark and twisted but riveting story.
Finding a sympathetic character in this tangle of deceit is a mean feat, but the flashback-driven suspense and final twist hold appeal for thriller fans who respond to the 'I Know What You Did' theme.
Watching the deeply insecure Ambrosia morph into the toxic Sully’s broken acolyte is like paying witness to a slow-motion train wreck. It’s hard to sympathize with Amb, but her self-aware narration, which alternates between past and present, illustrates how a vulnerable psyche can be twisted into something exceedingly ugly. The ever rising tide of dread will keep readers hooked even when they realize that a happy ending may not be in the cards ... A sharp, pitch-black thriller that takes the mean-girls trope to another level.
... disappointing ... The plot fails to convince: among other implausibilities, Amb attends the reunion despite not liking most of her peers and suspecting that someone might take revenge there. Moreover, the preposterous climax is unsatisfying. Fans of psychological thrillers won’t find much to shout about.
