Quick Synopsis – An exciting multi-POV novel that explore the disapperence of a teenage girl. The Glennmare Girls takes place at a secluded exlusive boarding school and features a cast of rich wayward girls, their teacher, local detectives, and their teacher’s estranged friends.

Song This Reminds Me Of – Teenagers by My Chemical Romance

Publication Date – Dec. 18, 2023

Rating – ⭐⭐/out of 5

Review – This book does include descriptions of self-harm, suicide, mild gore, bestiality, inappropriate familial relations, and inappropriate student/teacher relations. Just a head’s up for other readers.

Alright, let’s start with what I liked about this novel. I actually really enjoyed the core mystery and the multiple POV storyline. It felt like a fast-paced investigation. The author did a very good job of making the stakes feel very real, and I was invested in what happened. It was a very quick read, and honestly, I didn’t expect the ending, which was nice.

Now for the bad. The worst thing about this book is it felt like the author used an AI generator or picked out plot points from a hat. Every other page, a character was making a startling revelation about their lives FOR NO REASON. I get that maybe it was to build motive or place red herrings, but it honestly just seemed bonkers. All the characters that are directly involved with the school (the headmaster, Johanna the cook, the girls, Wells, Tippy, and Freddy) are incredibly unlikeable. I was kind of hoping they would all kill each other or the school would explode. The plot had so many weird character revelations that this honestly could have happened. At one point, I genuinely thought that Johanna might blow the school up because of how unappreciated she felt.

This book also has some irresponsible descriptions of mental health. One of the characters is diagnosed bipolar and stops taking their medication. The description of the manic episode that follows is what I would consider to be a Hollywood description of a manic episode and villainizes the very real risks of suddenly stopping medication. Not to mention that the character that stops taking the medication is depicted as being manipulative, controlling, obsessive, and delusional. It wasn’t necessary to add a mental illness to the mix and is actually (in my opinion) a very harmful depiction of a mental illness.

I haven’t even touched on the semi-incestuous relationship. Freddy and Tippy are step-siblings that have slept together multiple times. Sure, their parents didn’t get married until they were teenagers. And Freddy had a crush on Tippy before she was his stepsister. But it’s still icky that after being related by marriage for over a decade they start sleeping together. It also didn’t add to the plot. They didn’t need to be related at all. The only thing it added to the story was it was gross.

While the main plot was interesting, there was way too much going on for me to like this book. It’s a no for me, dog.

Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for the ARC.