"You never have friends like you do when you're a kid."

Child psychologist Heather Cole hasn't thought about her childhood friends in years until one day when she gets a necklace in the mail. It's one of those "BFF" necklace sets you can buy at Claire's, with each half coming together to form a heart. Nothing strange about it...except for the fact that she hasn't seen that necklace since her best friend Becca Thomas died while wearing it. As she keeps receiving mementos reminding her of Becca, Heather is forced to revisit what happened that summer when she was twelve: the story of the Red Lady, the Dead Girls Club, and, most importantly, what really happened to Becca.

We've all had a friend like Becca. Of course, I'm not talking about her eventual fate. You could never quite tell when she was telling the truth, she always pushed the fun a bit too far, and the pain and jealously that accompanied her decision that you were no longer her best friend were almost too much. Setting aside the creepy premise of this book, I thought that Damien Angelica Walters wrote about the melodrama being twelve and the complexities that accompany preteen friendships with startling accuracy. The emotions that twelve-year-old Heather felt towards Becca and the other members of the Dead Girls Club were very realistic. I seriously started thinking about my own middle school friends, even ones I hadn't thought about in ages! On a more serious note, though, this book is an interesting take on what we, especially as children, are willing to believe when we're desperate. I wondered if Becca had intentionally made up the story of the Red Lady to scare her friends or if she was simply so eager to escape a hopeless situation that she convinced even herself that it was all real.

I also thought the format of this book worked really well. The narration switched between "then"--the summer that Heather was twelve and Becca told the story of the Red Lady--and "now," which follows adult Heather's investigation into who keeps sending her Becca's belongings. I admit that I was a bit more interested in the "then" sections. I was intrigued by the story of the Red Lady, and I was anxious to learn more about Becca's death. In that respect, I thought the two timelines worked really well together. From the beginning of the book (and even from the book description, for that matter), it's no secret that Heather killed Becca. But the events of the "then" sections really start to call into question if that's actually what happened, I wasn't necessary expecting a huge twist from this book--to me, it got more of its suspense value in the fact that we knew what was going to happen, so the tension kept building every time the perspective shifted--but I was pretty surprised by the ending, especially the epilogue.

Overall, I HIGHLY recommend this book. It was a fun, creepy read that made me introspective too!

3.5 stars rounded up.

The past does not always stay in the past, especially when you get away with murder. The main character, Heather, learns this the hard way, as her past comes back to haunt her in this suspenseful mystery novel.

As a child, Heather did something horrible in the hopes of helping her best friend, Becca, and no one ever found out. She grew up and life moved on, until she received an anonymous package with a half of her "best friends forever" necklace, that should never have been seen again. Heather spins from there, trying to find out who knows and in the process antagonizing everyone important to her, but she needs to find out who is tormenting her.

A wonderfully suspenseful novel, The Dead Girls Club, keeps you on the edge of your seat for much of the novel and looking twice at the shadow in the corner of your room. If you can get passed Heather's irritating personality and actions, this is a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this novel.

<i>Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free e-ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review</i>

<blockquote><b>"Hey, kid, childhood is a bitch and she leaves marks."</b></blockquote>

2.5/5 stars.

Heather murdered her best friend when she was only 12 years old. She told no one. Yet, someone is sending her things from the crime scene. Someone knows, and Heather is scared of the consequences.

This novel alternates between Then and Now. Young Heather is much more compelling and sympathetic than Old (Current) Heather.

This story is fun, but there were some things I couldn't let go of while reading.

<b>Things I Liked:</b>

- I was genuinely freaked out a few times while reading. Nothing was ever too scary to handle. Something everyone can enjoy, and just a perfect amount of it to keep you turning the page without having to put the book away in the freezer until you aren't scared anymore.

- The young friendships between the four girls was so cute and fun. I loved the Dead Girls Club, definitely something I would have enjoyed as a child.

<b>Things I Did NOT Like:</b>

- There are way too many references to the same outside sources. Macbeth, Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, and Stephen King are mentioned entirely too many times. One mention of each of them would have been enough. Honestly, it would have been nice to draw similarities between King and this novel naturally and without it being forced upon me so many times. That totally ruined it for me, and made me think too much about the author trying to mimic a King-style novel.

- Old Heather is ridiculous! She makes <i>so many</i> bad decisions! Usually, I can excuse this away with the fact that it makes it more realistic but that just doesn't work here. The issues she creates with her husband, the insanely careless mistakes she makes while stalking her ex-friends. So stupid. Just seemed like a way to create more drama.

- The ending is not satisfying to me. I just feel as though this is an over-used plot device, and I don't need to see it ever again. It's supposed to be this crazy-didn't-see-it-coming twist, but I yawned.

- The ending also leaves a lot of things unresolved. She <i>kind of</i> wrapped things up with the husband, but it was NOT satisfying. Seemed like a lot of unnecessary drama to create without ever really giving the readers a solid ending. A wasted effort on both the writer's and reader's part. And what about Gia and Rachel??

And last but not least, the thing that absolutely <i>KILLED</i> me about this novel:

- <b>HOLY METAPHOR.</b> There are WAY too many metaphors in this novel, and I am shocked no one told the author to cut most of them out.

If there were less of them and more spread out throughout the story, they would have been way easier to read over or ignore without thinking too much about it but LORD. I don't see how anyone could make it through this writing without laughing at some of these.

There were so many, that eventually I started writing them down because they became so ridiculous I couldn't stop laughing. Here are some of my favorite examples:

"The lie is battery acid and sandpaper." -This is where I decided to start writing them down.

"The sky is gunmetal, air thick with the scent of the impending squall." - There were SO MANY different, yet very similar descriptions of the sky like this. This one was the most dramatic. I laughed a lot.

"Her face went blank, like someone took a squeegee and wiped it away." - Squeegee is such a ugly word, and it really felt awkward in this scene.

"My spine turns arctic, my mouth Saharan." - !!

"My heart is a tattoo gun." - This one was <b>SO BAD</b>, by far my absolute favorite one, though. I highly recommend this novel just so you can read the paragraph that this metaphor appears in. It makes <i>NO SENSE.</i>

"My heels tattooing panic on the vinyl tile." - Tattoo is not a word you should use more than once in a novel, especially so close together, unless the novel actually involves tattoos (this one does not).

If anything, you could read this novel just to see how many ridiculous similes and metaphors you can find. It's a fun enough read, just not winning any awards from me.

Heather is receiving strange gifts in the mail. But they are not unfamiliar and a memory of a childhood horror. The half heart necklace and drawings are a reminder of a time of deep friendship and devastation. And the bloody stumps of the urban myth of the Red Lady.

The Dead Girl's Club begins strong, sets the stage of childhood past and the present. The story comes together late and the ending that unfortunately was not memorable. The main character is well developed, showing a fractured relationship with her husband which lays the foundation for her breakdown. The husband is also very unforgiving which made him unlikable. What kept me reading the narrative was the development of the story of the Red Lady, an interesting urban legend that comes to life as the story was being told by bestie Becca. This story was creepy, disturbing and reminded me of "The Ring".

Overall, a 3-star reading. Thank you Netgalley, the author and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the writing style as well as the perspective from adulthood to childhood. The author was able to capture childhood so well I could visually see how terrible girls can be to each other.

The pace of the book went fast and I was drawn into the story questioning if The Red Lady was real or just a story.

I dropped a star off for the ending. The ending was odd and that's where I felt it was meh. Such a big build up for that.

I'll definitely read more books from this author.

Thanks to Netgalley and the author for providing a copy of this book to me.

The Dead Girls Club was one of the most fantastic books I've ever read. It was unlike most of what I've read before and it was amazing. Well written, unique, and gripping, you won't want to put this down.

Heather is a psychologist whose life is turned upside down when she receives a package that reveals something shocking from her past. Her childhood friend, Becca's necklace sits accusingly in Heather's hand, yet the last time she saw it was almost thirty years ago.....and it was around Becca's neck....when she killed her. Heather becomes more and more upset as she tries to find a logical explanation. Is Becca alive? Is the Red Lady real? Or does someone want Heather to pay for Becca's death?
The Dead Girls Club is full of twists, turns and makes you question Heather's version of events. Sections told in the past reveal what happened to Becca and in the present, we watch Heather unravel. This was a beach read for me and one that kept me turning pages until the end. A decent mystery, well-written characters, and I especially liked the creepy vibe of the Red Lady. I am looking forward to reading more by the author. If you like a little hint of the supernatural with your murder mystery, I would recommend this book.
I received a DRC from Crooked Lane Books through NetGalley.


My Review System:
5 stars – Absolutely loved everything about the book! It was unique or presented something differently, and I couldn't put it down. Highly recommended.
4 stars – A really solid read that made me glad I read the book. Didn't keep me up all night or make me abandon my plans, but I would recommend it without hesitation.
3 stars – An ok read and I might try another book by the same author to see if their writing style is a good fit for me.
2 stars – The book just didn't work for me.
1 star – I have never read a 1-star book( yet, fingers crossed), but I would have to hate it to give it this rating.

<i>The Dead Girls Club</i> had me at the description. Four teenage girls, obsessed with the occult, serial killers and all the urban legends we can relate to from our childhoods. Becca, one of the 4, ends up dead, while trying to prove to the others that she had been contacted by a spirit.

Years later, Heather, Becca’s best friend is forced to confront her past, as little mementos begin to show up - in places where they shouldn’t. <i>The Dead Girls Club</i> Was interesting and told through the perspective of Heather’s present life and Heather’s past. The characters are well developed, but the plot twists are fairly benign and expected.

The Dead Girls Club is comprised of four twelve year-old girls obsessed by true crime and horror stories. Protagonist Heather is a big fan of the former, while her best friend Becca prefers gory horror. At one of their get-togethers, Becca tells the other three girls the story of The Red Lady, with whom she is obsessed. The other three are freaked out by Becca's tales, but soon it's the only topic that Becca wants to talk about when they're together. I found it easy to get into this book. Even many, many, many years later, I can still remember the days of sleepovers and Ouija Boards and ghost stories like it was yesterday.

In the present day, Heather, now a child psychologist, is still tormented by the death of her BFF Becca because, as we learn early on, she killed Becca! And now, someone is sending Heather messages about that long-ago murder, but who and why? I recommend reading The Dead Girls Club to find out for yourself.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed The Dead Girls Club.

Overall this was a pretty decent thriller read. Maybe more suspense than thrill. The ending felt almost as if it was an afterthought or forced into working to fit this book, but it was a quick and fun read.

First off, let's be real: I AM HERE FOR THIS COVER AND TITLE. Actually, I'm here for the story, too, but man, the cover and title are what sucked me in and the rest held me hostage. I normally don't like books that jump between past and present. If done wrong, it can be so much work and so confusing. However, it worked beautifully in the book.

The Dead Girls Club is a heart-pounding thriller kept me on the edge of my seat. It's about Heather, one of four girls who used to be part of a small club that was obsessed with serial killings. One night, Heather's bestie talks about Lady Red -- and their whole lives derail at that point. Flash forward years later, and Heather is being sent little bits of the Red Lady (trinkets, hints, etc) anonymously and she's determined to uncover the truth before it destroys her carefully crafted existed.

I really liked this book because the tension -- the desperation, the suspense, the fear -- is palpable. It reminds me of Pretty Little Liars or Final Girls, and I love that sense that the source of all the anonymous grief being given could be around any corner....or right in front of Heather.

A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay is one of my absolute favorite books and when I read the blurb for The Dead Girls Club and saw the comparison to Tremblay’s book, I quickly moved DGC to the top of my TBR list! The story focuses on Heather, a psychologist working with troubled children who believes someone or something from her past is stalking her when she begins receiving threatening gifts. Her paranoia escalates as she attempts to figure out who is behind her trouble and soon everyone is a potential threat. Why can’t she go to the police? Because Heather believes the stalking is related to a tragically horrific act from her past. Alternate chapters focus on the past, when Heather and her three best friends were young teens interested in the gothic and macabre. These chapters are where the book truly shines, easily capturing the ups and downs in the friendships between the girls. It’s also when the book is at it’s creepiest, with the introduction of the supernatural “Red Lady,” a tale told by young Heather’s best friend, Becca. Admittedly, the twist at the end felt a bit forced but overall I found it to be an exciting thriller that kept me guessing to the end.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I flew through this book and I really enjoyed it. This story is divided into two timelines “then” and “now”, and I loved that about it. The relationship between the young girls was well written and dynamic. The story of The Red Lady was incredibly well done with an intricate backstory that constantly keeps the reader on edge. The writing was great and I would definitely read more from this author.

This book was a page-turner with heart pounding scenes and I couldn’t put the book down. Why I thought reading this book at night was a good idea, I have no clue. I constantly wanted to know who was after Heather! I enjoyed Heather as a character and I felt like the chapters that flashed back to her childhood really helped me to understand her and her choices. The angst and the drama of being a tween is captured so well in this novel.

This would have been a five star read for me if it hadn’t been for the ending, which knocked it down a star. That being said this ended up being a 4 star read for me, maybe 4.5 star read, I need to let it sit a little more. Mild spoilers ahead…

I was really disappointed with the twist. One part I felt was just not quite believable, I needed more information, more build up, more… something. The other part of it I had guessed from the very beginning and I actually would have been okay with it if it had been explained more. The ending felt really rushed and I ended the book with a few unanswered questions.

Overall, though, I did enjoy this book and would recommend it to someone who enjoys a good mystery that will keep you turning the page. I look forward to more books from Damien Angelica Walters.

***ARC received from Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley in exchange for honest review, opinions are all my own. Thank you!***

I'm conflicted about this book, the majority of it I really enjoyed yet I still felt unsatisfied at the end. Perhaps because you go in knowing way to much about the story. You know Becca is dead and Heather, our main character, killed her. I just feel like the suspense would have been a little deeper if I hadn't known that going it. Doesn't meant that I didn't enjoy the book, it was still a good book.

The book itself is broken into two sections, now and then. We follow Heather through her adult years and as a twelve year old. At first, I wasn't as big a fan of the past section at the beginning, as it is written in first person it felt juvenile being first person as a twelve year old but at the book kept going as we got to learn about Becca and the Red Lady I really liked these sections. But what I mostly liked about this was the relationship between the four girls, it felt real and natural. Becca and Heather are best friends but they are also twelve with secrets and moody behaviors. Heather's interactions with her mother was just what you would expect from a preteen.

The present follows Heather in her thirties is where the book started strong for me but didn't fully deliver in the end. Pretty much the opposite of the past sections. Heather is presented to almost be having some type of breakdown, when you try to figure out whether everything she is experiencing is real or all in her head. It at times felt like it could be in her head which creates a very interesting thriller dynamic. Its such a shame that the reveal of the ending fell flat to me. A good build up to an ending that just didn't fully deliver, even if the rest of the book, particularly the past sections were so good.

This has several tropes that I love...a group of kids who love various aspects of creepy things, who follow a spooky urban legend and are in an abandoned house. Sounds amazing. But, there was something lacking for me. It was good, and I wouldn't discourage anyone from this if those are your thing. I read the Tremblay "The Cabin at the End of the World" and there were aspects of this that resonant with that. The same sort of drift into supernatural, magical realism. In some books it works for me, but here it did not. But that may have just been me.
Not my thing.
#TheDeadGirlsClub #NetGalley #CrookedLaneBooks

Two sets of best friends are obsessed with all things horror and serial killer, so they regularly meet up in an abandoned house to trade stories. When one of them starts telling the story of the Red Lady, things start to get dangerously real.

What I liked was mostly centered on the supernatural elements. I do wish there was more of a conclusion to this story line, however the execution throughout was excellent.

I enjoyed the flashbacks but found both young and old Heather to be increasingly annoying. The ending was really out of left field and something no one could’ve predicted. For that reason, I strongly disliked it. It was like the author tried to come up with the least predictable conclusion after she’d already written the rest of the book, so there were no clues leading up to it.

Overall I enjoyed it, 3.5 stars rounding down though for the ending.

I’ll be honest, when I read the first chapter, I wasn’t too intrigued although it opened with a very disturbing admission, that the protagonist Heather had killed her best friend when she was a tween. It wasn’t until the following chapter reverted to the THEN portion of the story that I was hooked. The novel is sectioned in alternating chapters with a chapter in the present and the following chapter in the past. By far, the THEN chapters are way more interesting because it shows Heather as a twelve-year-old, and being best friends with Becca, and also with Rachel and Gia, whom like her and Becca also enjoy a fascination for the macabre. The girls are intrigued by deaths and serial killers so much that they decide to create the Dead Girls Club. A club made to share scary stories or true crime stories. The girls usually got together for these meetings at the basement of an abandoned house.

That summer though, Becca becomes obsessed with telling the story of the Red Lady, a witch who was killed in an atrocious manner. At first, the girls are intrigued by the stories, especially Heather, but she begins to resent the stories when she notices how it has begun to affect Becca. Because Becca is convinced that the Red Lady is real and the only one who can save her from her alcoholic, abusive mother.

In the present time, Heather receives a pendant that Becca was wearing the night of her death in the mail, which causes her to spiral in paranoia. Did somebody see her kill Becca? Is the Red Lady after her?

This book is so deliciously twisty that you find yourself questioning what’s real and what isn’t. I wouldn’t necessarily call Heather an unreliable narrator but more it’s an exploration of devout friendship and how often stories in our youth can begin to feel real if we allow ourselves to believe in them.

I honestly wish that we had gotten more chapters from the past or that we could’ve gotten a whole book about the Red Lady (the story was simply very fascinating as it was horrific). I suggest this novel to anyone who loves thrillers with a dash of supernatural spookiness into the mix.

This was good for what it was - a mystery that was actually something else. I liked it, but I didn't LOVE it - it was fine.

I was so excited to read this book. It follows a group of four girls that are obsessed with serial killers, urban legends, ghosts, and the macabre. One of the girls tells the story of The Red Lady, which in turn takes on a life of its own and rips the girls apart, ending in the one of their deaths. The story floats back and forth from the past to the present, slowly unveiling the truth of what happened on that dreadful day and the repercussions that followed in its wake.
I have to say I struggled a bit in the middle as it seemed to lose steam for me but then it began to pick up pace. The ending was not something I saw coming and I enjoyed the twists at the end. The author tied up all the loose ends and answered all the questions but still left you with a shred of wonder on if the Red Lady was real or not.
This one called to my inner child as I and some friends were also obsessed with ghosts and the macabre at that age. It brought back fond memories.

This book had so many twists and turns, I was in utter shock when I was reading the ending! This is a thriller that is part supernatural and part frightening/scary. It begins with four young girls who are in a club of their making, The Dead Girls Club. They are very interested in killers and urban legends. Becca and Heather are the main characters in this story. Becca becomes obsessed with one urban legends to the point that it has deadly consequences. I was hooked on this book from beginning to the very end.
If you like thrillers that will have you guessing to the end, pick this book up! I would highly recommend.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.