Pretty Dead Girls is a book exactly what its title says. There are a group of girls in HS called the Larks. It’s the most coveted group to be in. Basically this group opens doors for you if you’re a lark and not just anyone gets in. You either have to be a legacy and that still doesn’t guarantee you or you have to be someone who exceeds in school. So it’s a privilege to be accepted. That is until the senior Larks start getting killed one at a time.

From the first page until the last I could not stop reading it. It was just that addicting. I had to know who was going to be the killers next victim and find out who the killer was. I kept going back and forth between who I thought it was then Boom! Monica proved me wrong. It was a fun guessing game though.

The characters are likable some even lovable. I really loved Cass, Penelope and Dani. The others I wanted to strangle well except for some very minor characters. Pen did aggravate me at times and I had to remind myself that she was a high school girl who was being stupid and stubborn. Only thinking with her heart instead of her head. But that’s almost all hs girls, right?

Overall this book is fantastic! Pretty Dead Girls is a suspenful, thrilling read that will keep you on pins and needles until the last page and even then you’ll still be sitting there wandering what you just read. It’s a wild ride packed full of action so hang on tight it’s going to be a long night!

Lovely new mystery book! This is the story of the town of Cape Bonita and the way the deaths of popular senior girls rocks the community. Told in alternating viewpoints from Penelope, senior and leader of the Lark's (a community service group) and the killer who is causing chaos, the story grabs the reader from the start and it kept me till the end! As members of the Lark's are dying, Penelope finds herself reevaluating what she knows about her "friends" and those in her town. She is drawn to Cass, the mysterious boy in her physics class who seems to have connections to all of the victims. The story is focused on the mystery of who is killing these girls and what their motivation is, but it is also plays with the romance that seems to build between Pen and Cass. I loved the way their relationship grew and developed over the course of the story. It was interesting to watch them grow closer, even with the threat of a killer on the loose and an unsteady level of trust between them. I really enjoyed this story and I know my students will as well! Thank you to netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. I look forward to reading more from Murphy!

This was a quick, easy read but not necessarily enjoyable.

The biggest thing that bothered me was the relationship between the characters. Penelope and Dani are best friends but had little interactions throughout the story. If it wasn't stated several times that "shes my best friend" you wouldn't have known. The other girls were the same, "shes was my friend" but the conversations they had said otherwise. I don't remember talking to my friends like that in high school. There just wasn't enough character back story to connect me to them or feel any sympathy when something happened.

As far as the mystery side of things, I think I was too busy getting frustrated with the characters and their actions to really care who the killer was. I will say, I guessed several times and was wrong, so, there's that.

The younger readers may find this more enjoyable.

As a senior at her high school in the seaside town of Cape Bonita Penelope Malone has worked her way up to becoming the leader of the Larks, an exclusive school club that only accepts five senior and five junior girls each year. The Larks consist of the popular girls at the school, the cheerleaders and team captains, and focus upon volunteering and giving back to their community which looks great on college applications.

One morning after school begins there’s an emergency meeting where it’s announced that one of the Larks own has been found murdered. Students are questioned and rumors begin to fly. Penelope and the other Larks don’t know how to feel, is it merely coincidence or are the Larks being specifically targeted?

Pretty Dead Girls by Monica Murphy is a young adult thriller read. This is one that while the characters are generally unlikable the writing and ease of flow of the story made it still an enjoyable read. Most of the story is told from Penelope’s point of view but there are random chapters from the voice of the killer to build the clues as to who is behind the murders.

I think the biggest downside to this book will come in the fact that it’s really nothing new to make it jump out on it’s own. The killer seemed a little on the obvious side to me but even if not guessing early I’m sure by the reveal most will be able to think of something this book will remind them of. I still found that while one could call it predictable it was interesting enough to keep my attention and an likable enough read overall so in the end I’d rate this one at 3.5 stars.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

As a retired high school teacher, I was completely drawn in from the first page of this novel because of the "mean girl" mentality of The Larks, an elite group of juniors and seniors who volunteer, do charity work, and attempt to get into the best colleges. On the surface they appear perfect and other girls are typically envious of this beautiful and seemingly flawless group. However, lurking underneath are jealousies of their own toward each other and these secret emotions are deadly as the first of the ten Larks is murdered in the first chapter. Who is behind this brutality and who is the next target? Secrets, lies, betrayals run rampant and friendships are tested--as well as a budding romance between Penelope and the shy "outcast" who has some secrets of his own. Riveting and realistic, this novel is a fast-paced thriller that will remind you of Pretty Little Liars!

Pretty Dead Girls is told mostly by one person, Penelope, but there are some small chapters in the killer's voice. I really enjoyed those little glimpses into the killer's mind. It helped me eliminate certain people in the book. I'll be honest and say that I thought I had the killer figured out within 20 minutes of reading. But that person ended up dead later in the book. I was very wrong. After that, I had a pretty good idea, but wasn't 100% sure I had the right one until close to the end.

There really weren't a lot of characters to really like in this book. The girls are all kind of mean, selfish, and conceided. They are the smartest, prettiest girls in school. The group they belong to, The Larks, has 10 girls. There are 5 seniors and 5 juniors. In the beginning of the book, a senior lark is murdered. Penelope really only confides in her best friend Dani. She is friends with the other girls, but they are more like frenemies. She does meet a dark, quiet boy, Cass. He lives with his grandma because his mom killed his dad when he was 10. Penelope is attracted to him even though she often times worries about him being the killer. Especially when she finds out that he was close to some of the girls. Their relationship wasn't very healthy. He becomes very overprotective to the point that he seems controlling at times. I loved his grandma though.

Most of the book is Penelope and Cass trying to figure out who the murderer is while he/she keeps killing. My favorite chapters were from the killer's point of view. I actually felt a bit bad for this person.

"People at school will put me on a pedestal for killing off the mean girls. My hard work deserves a reward. I'm like the female Dexter, I swear."

I enjoyed the mystery in this book, but I think it will end up with a lot of mixed reviews like One Of Us Is Lying. I think that fans of Sara Shepard will enjoy this one.

This truly was similar to Scream Queens. It was an easy read. Not really gory or big on suspense. You could figure out who was going to get killed and who the killer ended up being was no surprise. Cass and Penelope's relationship was very off/on. I think I was just in a mind set it was going to be deeper than it was hence the 3 star. I received an ebook in exchange for an honest review.

If I were to use one word to describe this book I would use predictable which is a pity because it started so well.
When it started I was excited because it sounded so good, but once the relationship was introduced the book took a sharp nosedive.

The relationship was sooooo unecessary, and took away from the book. It was so instalovey and it just popped up out of nowhere and went from zero to 100 real quick.

Not only that, but there were so many plotholes in the book and there were so many loose ends that I couldn’t find myself getting into it.

This book was the Walmart version of PLL and it was a big disappointment as I enjoyed the PLL series.

Wow is all I can say! Pretty Dead Girls just rocked my world. I was on the edge of my seat trying to guess and figure out who the killer was. I admit, the killer was no one I expected. I really thought someone else that was closer to the Heroine sister was. Anyways it was a great story in the end. I loved all the twist and turns and also the relationship that grew between Pen and Cass. I loved how Pen grew as a person and realized that high school drama was overrated. That you needed to not focus on big dog in high school because once you got out into the real world, you would be nothing. There is always someone else out there that is bigger and badder that you in the real world. Cass was just an amazing character. With all that he has been through, he cared but didn't cared about how people felt about him. He knew that he was talked about but he really only had eyes on Pen this whole time. That's all he cared about was her noticing him and being able to get to know her. I loved this book. I'm way older than these kids, but I enjoyed this book to the max! It brought me back to my high school days and just imagining if it were me and my friends in this situation! Thanks for the opportunity.

Wow. Pretty Dead Girls is one outstanding read. Be prepared to hold on to your seats for this one. I know I did. I loved trying to figure out the who did it. And boy was not expecting that one. I love Cass and Penelope. They are just strong relatable teens. You get the typical teen drama and mean girls. But that is what I loved about this one. I love the mean girl aspect. This is one brilliant YA that i couldn't put down and kept me on my toes. Monica Murphy did a fantastic job with building up the suspense. Amazing.

I loved Monica Murphy's New Adult series' so I thought I would try out her YA book (I usually don't read YA). I really enjoyed the book however.
The one thing that was hard for me while reading this book was the fact that the main characters were not very likable. I could not really relate to any of them and was borderline hating some of them. That is something I'm not used to doing while reading.
I've never watched or read Pretty Little Liars but I know the gist of it, which makes me think this is a book for people who loved that series. It was not necessarily my forte but I enjoyed it for what it was.

This is a great book for people who are a fan of mean girls.... a very dark version of mean girls

"Pretty Dead Girls" was an interesting YA thriller following Penelope (Pen/Penny) in the aftermath of a death of a frenemy, Gretchen. Soon, another frenemy, Alexis (Lex) turns up murdered also. The killer is targeting the Larks, a school organization composed of 5 seniors and 5 juniors- girls who seemingly organize social events for the school. The most popular girls are on the committee, and Penelope is president. Gretchen and Lex are both senior Larks- so which of the three remaining will be next? I won't say too much so as not to give it away.

All the main characters are typical mean girls, which sometimes makes it hard to like/empathize with them. They seem more consumed with their popularity than with the fact that people are dying, throwing an ill-advised party right after the second murder. Penelope, whose first person point-of-view we follow, is a little better, voting against the party and seemingly feeling a little bad about the murders, but she often felt self-absorbed. Soon, she is approached by Cass, an attractive but unpopular boy (his mother murdered his father which made him a social outcast), who has a theory about who is killing off the Larks.

Cass and Penelope team up to start investigating who is killing the Larks, though their investigation is extremely amateur and most of their time is spent on romance. That being said, the romance was done very well with some very steamy kisses. The investigation, not so much, as Penelope seems to fixate on one person as the culprit and Cass has a bunch of theories. This book ended up feeling more like a romance than a thriller, which can be good for some audiences, although it was not quite what I expected. There were some interspersed chapters from the point-of-view of the murderer, and these were really interesting- I would have liked to see even more of those, as those were the most thriller-feeling sections.

Overall, it was a solid YA romance with some light thriller elements. I found it to be a pretty fast read, as it does move very well/smoothly. Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I had read several romance books during the past week and felt it was time for something different and wanted a mystery novel and some murder. I picked up one before this and couldn't get into it and then I remembered that I had Monica Murphy's new one - Pretty Dead Girls. I had been looking forward to this book. Pretty Dead Girls starts off with one of the popular girls Gretchen meeting someone in secret and the encounter ends up with Gretchen dead. The next day, the school are alerted, and Penny who is the President of a society called The Larks made of the school's popular girls is questioned as Gretchen was one of the Larks. One down and four more to go as someone is killing off the Seniors in the group The Larks. At first, I thought that the killer was a guy and had one in mind, but then we have a chapter in the killer's perspective where she compared herself to Dexter by being a Female Dexter- bringing justice to all those who were ever bullied in school. Pretty Dead Girls is set in High School and is a YA novel. I have to admit when the killer was revealed, I had a little feeling of who it was, but Pretty Dead Girls is filled with twists and turns that keep you on your toes trying to decipher who is innocent and who is not. If you love mysteries and YA novels, then check out Pretty Dead Girls by Monica Murphy coming soon to a Kindle near you in January 2018.

I received this book from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book! I liked Penelope so much. She's really relatable! Cass is every girl's dream. I was really surprised with who the killer turned out to be! I really enjoyed reading this and would recommend this to anyone that enjoyed pretty little liars!

Penelope Malone and her friends are among the most beautiful and popular girls at Cape Bonita high school. Penelope is also the president of the Larks, a student-led charity organization. When someone starts killing the most popular girls in school, all members of the Larks, Penelope can't help but think the killer might be someone close to her.
Cass Vincenti is a strange, quiet boy from Penelope's physics class with a dark history. When he approaches her about the murders she agrees to discuss what she knows. Penelope quickly finds herself drawn to this mysterious boy she barely knows. As they search for clues his past begins to link him with the dead girls, Penelope thinks he might just be the killer...

I really enjoyed this novel with all of the high school drama and Mean Girls/Jawbreaker vibes. It was an easy fun read with a murderer who seeks out the bitchiest meanest girls and teaches them a lesson. This novel does have some violence and some sexual situations so it may not be suitable for the younger end of the YA spectrum but I didn't feel that it was overly graphic in nature. This was a very entertaining mystery/thriller that I think is going to be a top read for 2018.

This YA thriller from Monica Murphy is going to slay the shelves!
I finished around midnight and decided to sleep before writing my review- because y'all deserve a well written review- not incoherent excited babble. Right?

So let's just preface this with the knowledge that this book takes place in a snooty town, at a private, uniform wearing high school. It wouldn't be the normal setting I'd choose to read about, but it was perfect for this story.

Monica did a fabulous job of giving you enough clues to have viable suspects, but never enough to be certain. I was so excited throughout this whole book that I was hardly able to put it down!!

Coming to you, 12/26/17, I highly suggest you put it on your calendar and pre-order it now!!

**Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of PRETTY DEAD GIRLS by Monica Murphy in exchange for my honest review**

The murders of Penelope’s friends, the popular, stuck-up girls from her prep school, have her scared she’s next. She teams up with Cass, an outcast with a bad reputation, to find the killer.

Told mostly from Penelope’s POV, with several chapters by the killer, Monica Murphy kept me guessing and changing my theories throughout PRETTY DEAD GIRLS. Penelope and her friends, or frienemies, are competitive, backbiting and often nasty. Their classmates fear, rather than respect them. I never quite understood the girls’ social, volunteer group called The Larks. Why would a service group limit itself to only ten members? Wouldn’t the school want as many girls doing good works as possible?

Aside from Penelope and Cass, the other characters weren’t fully fleshed out. The senior Larks were cookie cutter versions of each other as were the juniors of each other. Cass was the most interesting character and I would have liked to know more about him.

PRETTY DEAD GIRLS is fast paced and held my interest. I warmed up to Penelope, even at the points where I suspected her as a possible killer. The story took place over the span of less than a week, so insta-love couldn’t be avoided. Cass and Penelope were an unlikely couple, but somehow they worked for me.

I always give high ratings to books that are fun to read and PRETTY DEAD GIRLS kept me thoroughly entertained.

This may be a me thing because I try to avoid reading thrillers as much as possible because I get let down. I started reading them way back in elementary school. When junior high came along, I was all about Joan Lowery Nixon (her mystery stuff) and Lois Duncan books, freaking I Know What You Did Last Summer was my jam! But Monica Murphy tends to write well, so I wanted to test the waters out here. Her writing was good here, but I just felt the characters were bland, and the story was nothing new. I was hoping for more of a fun scream vibe or like Jennifer Armentrout’s The Dead List. I will say that Monica is one of the best at writing swoony, steamy scenes and there were some great ones here. I think if I hadn’t seen and read so many thriller/horror stuff, this would have been more of a home run for me.