Do you enjoy ghost stories, mysteries and suspense? If so, The Dead Girls Club may be a good book for you. Heather Cole is a happily married psychologist, living a good life in Annapolis, Maryland. That is, until her past comes back to haunt her. When she was 12, her best friend died, and the stories this friend, Becca told, when "The Dead Girls Club" met in an empty house that her Mom was the realtor for, stayed alive, even though she did not. Are ghost stories real? Three of the four girls from the Dead Girls Club thought so. Will you? Read this twisting, windy tale and and let us know what you think!

I cannot say much more about the plot of the story, as it would be way to easy to give spoilers! The story grabs the readers attention, and while there are lots of questions along the way, most of them are answered before the tale is done. This may not have been my favorite book of 2019, but I certainly was interested, and found it a quick read as I needed to see what happened. So much so, that I found myself reading it from my kindle on my phone when walking to the bathroom during my workday, as I could not leave it until my day came to an end. It was a creative original story, and well worth the time spent reading it. So, when you are looking to feel like you did when you were a kid in front of a campfire, during elementary, pick this book up and give it a spin!

The premise of this is great. 4 preteen girls form a creepy little club they call the Dead Girls Club. They meet in an empty house and talk about the usual suspects: murderers, death, ghost stories. I totally would have been in this club! The ringleader is Becca, who becomes obsessed with the tale of the Red Lady: a witch who met a horrible death hundreds of years ago and exacted her revenge on everyone who wronged her. Becca starts summoning her and things get weird.
The story is told in alternating past and present chapters, from the perspective of Heather, Becca’s best friend.

The book was good, but not great. I really liked the writing, and the story was fleshed out with well developed characters, but for some reason I found the ending unsatisfying. I can’t quite put my finger on why. I give this 3 stars, and I will definitely check out whatever Walters writes next.

A well paced hybrid between a ghost story and a mystery centered around a woman who killed her best friend as a child. The story line shifts between the present, where Heather, who now works as a therapist has received a memento from the past which drives her to dig into the events of the past, and the past, when the crime occurred. The past story line held my attention a bit more than the current one, since the girls sort of reminded me of myself and my childhood friends. The present story line would have been a little more engaging if Older Heather was more likeable. Some of the stuff she does is just silly (i.e. thinking her husband wont find out about the attorney visit…come on!). Another comment: I feel like twisty endings are completely played out in 2017. Can we please stop trying to capitalize off of Gone Girl and try something new already?

ARC provided from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Dead Girls Club, is a mystery entwined with an urban legend. It has gasping, hair raising goosebump moments that leave you wanting more.
It's a little slow to star but once it gets going you won't be able to put it down.

Interesting story about friendships of 12 year old girls After one disappears everyone’s life changes. I was surprised by the ending, so it definitely had me captivated.

This book tells a story from present to the past, where we get the glimpses here and there about what transpired between two friends.

Heather Cole, a child psychologist, received an envelope at work only to discover it is a necklace belonging back in another place in time. Half a heart with letters, and Heather knows it's the type of necklace the one wears half and the other half is worn by a friend...best friend to be exact. This necklace shakes Heather because it looks like the same one that belonged to her best friend, Becca, who is dead.

Becca, Heather, Gia, and Rachel all hung out together. While Heather and Becca were best friends, often doing things without the other two. Becca's mother was in real estate, and Becca takes a key to a listing that is empty. It is there that the four friends, develop a secret group called The Dead Girls Club.

Becca enjoys telling tales and feeds her friends a horror story about The Red Lady. Over time, the story seems to take on a life of its own. Becca becomes obsessed with it, making claims the Red Lady is real. When Heather doesn't agree wholeheartedly, it causes a rift in her and Becca's friendship.

Now, thirty years later, someone is sending Heather mementos from the past that appear to be Becca's. Someone is stirring up the past. Heather starts to look into Gia and Rachel, because it was just the four of them that knew of The Red Lady, and they were the ones that belonged to The Dead Girls Club. Heather has a secret of her own, and in trying to uncover who is stalking her, it'll take a toll on her marriage and friendships.

After all, The Red Lady is just a made up story, right?

This book kept me glued to the pages. We know up front, something happened, but it's through the unveiling of the story that adds a shocking unexpected twist. It centers around that one special friendship that means so much, and what one will do for their BFF.

I received an ARC from NetGalley via Crooked Lane Books and I voluntarily reviewed this book.

Parts of this story I really liked, such as the opening story that started it all off when the girls were just kids and the whole Red Lady thing got started; and parts of this story I didn't care for, and that was basically when the story switched to when Heather was an adult psychologist. I felt like she acted way out of proportion to what was happening. She could have made a number of more realistic choices for the situation she was in, instead she acted like a complete nut job going off the deep end.

I was also expecting more of a paranormal element to the story then what actually played out and there were some questions left unanswered which is huge pet-peeve of mine.

Heather is a child psychologist, who from the outside appears to have her life together, but on the inside, is haunted by her own childhood. When Heather receives a package from an anonymous sender, her past and her present collide and her life becomes unhinged. She starts to become suspicious of those around her, she starts to make foolish decisions, and she ultimately puts herself in danger, all while trying to overcome the trauma of her past.
This story is intriguing and suspenseful. It leaves you guessing with its twists and turns . Damien Angelica Walters writes in a way that pulls you into the story, so you are feeling the horror that is The Red Lady, while comparing it to the abuse inflicted on Becca. I enjoyed the whodunnit aspect of the story, as I had many theories and was ultimately surprised.
Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the advanced copy of the book. The opinions are my own.

Heather is an interesting character. She’s a married, child psychologist who refuses, based on her traumatic childhood, to have children herself. She seems to have a supportive husband and good marriage, when things start to happen. And she starts to lose her mind.
I got the feeling that even though she seemed balanced and fine as an adult, that it was all being held together by paperclips and rubberbands. We know at the beginning of the book that she legit killed her best friend. And that she didn’t get caught. And that she has kept this secret her whole life. We don’t know how she did it or why, but seriously, no matter what, that is going to mess someone up for life. Unless they are a complete psycho.
So is she a psycho or a complete mental case? Walters does a great job switching between Heather’s childhood and the present day, slowing revealing the story that led to the even that changed Heather’s life forever. As the reader I found myself questioning what was real and what was mental illness.
I really don’t want to reveal too much of the plot here. But if you liked Stand By Me, or IT, or just plain have nostalgia for the days when we would tell scary stories around a campfire–or a well in the backyard, check this one out.
Special thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for an advanced e-galley in exchange for my honest review. This one releases on December 10.This review will be published on my blog, Women in Trouble Book Blog on November 12, 2019.

This was a chilling and macabre story that reminded me of Mr. Tender's Girl. Heather, Becca, and two other friends are members of the "Dead Girls Club" when they relay stories of true crime and serial killers. But when Becca tells the tale of The Red Lady who can apparently breathe life into you after you have done what she's asked, Heather becomes scared and begs Becca to explain that it's not real. But Becca is insistent and because she's been abused at home, continues to pressure the girls into believing the story. What follows is a sometimes gruesome tale of friendships gone wrong, secrets and lies, and jealousy and revenge that follows Heather into her adult life. This is a roller-coaster ride of a book and I suggest not reading it late at night!

A fascination with the macabre doesn't seem too out of place as a topic to occupy adolescent minds, but in The Dead Girls Club by Damien Angelica Walters, stories of killers and witches take on a new reality. 

At twelve years old Heather and Becca were best friends captivated by stories of serial killers, witches, and ghosts to the extent that they formed a club with their two other friends and called it the Dead Girls Club. Breaking into a home Becca's mother was selling, the girls gathered to hear Becca's narration of the Red Lady's story and her vengeful, witchy acts. Becca was adamant that the Red Lady was real, a conviction that lead to her being killed. Thirty years later, Heather hasn't told anyone what happened the night Becca was killed, or her role in it. With the surprise arrival of Becca's half of their best friends forever necklace, Heather's memories of that fateful summer are dredged up, wreaking havoc on her personal and professional life, as well as sanity, as she tries to uncover who else might know what she did that night and what they want.

A mostly enjoyable and rather quick read, I was intrigued to find out what happened in Heather's past and who might be taunting her in the present. As with many novels of this ilk, the unreliability of the narrator is key to building suspense and perpetuating the believability of the supernatural component of the tale and the presentation of Heather's unraveling mental state easily aids in this. The relationship dynamics between the four young girls was well-written and easily evoked the roles and positions of relative power present in groups of friends, allowing readers to reminisce about their own childhoods. The narrative felt disjointed at times but had decent pacing, leaving the the novel as a whole a touch off-kilter as the story develops while alternating between the fateful then summer and now. Combating childhood terrors and traumas as an adult can be difficult to present well; with references to Stephen King throughout the text, it's easy to try to compare this with his works of a similar nature and come away less fulfilled.

Overall, I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Admittedly, I found the start hard to get into and put it down a couple of times. I was going to write it off and DNF it but push through and I am glad I did. Great story, great writing, and overall very thrilling.

In 1991, Heather, Becca, and two other friends were members of their own group, The Dead Girls Club. This story easily goes back and forth between Then and Now. From the very beginning, the reader is left wondering what happened. This is a good, if creepy, story, and the characters are interesting and likable.

Truly an ending I didn’t see coming, and I usually have at least an idea. The Dead Girls Club is an excellent story that reminds us of our childhood friendships, and how we choose to remember them.
Becca and Heather are best friends forever, until they aren’t. When Becca ends up dead, we are led to wonder if it was due to her best friend? Or something more sinister.
Years later, Heather finds out what really happened and who really is responsible.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Crooked Lane Books for allowing me to read an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.  This book should be available around December 10th, 2019.

This book is a supernatural thriller that follows the story of four young girls and spooky events that took place in their made-up club, The Dead Girls Club.  Gia, Becca, Heather, and Rachel liked to meet up and tell scary stories about witches and ghosts, and share what they had learned about gruesome murders and serial killers.  Fixated on the macabre, Becca learns of the story of The Red Lady and decides to share the story with her friends.  As the book continues, we know that Becca ends up dead and that Heather committed the crime.  Fast forward to current day, Heather is receiving creepy messages and mementos from the crime scene that relate to Becca's death and The Red Lady.  Before things get too out of hand both with The Red Lady and Heather's life, she seeks to figure out who or what is behind the disturbing mementos.  

At first, I had a hard time getting into this book and letting it keep my attention.  The story is fun and there is a great atmosphere/creepy feeling to it all but it is just lacking that extra thing that makes me want to keep reading until late at night.  For me, it wasn't too scary perse.  I have read plenty of other books that had me too scared to turn the light off.  This book absolutely had the potential, especially with all the plot points and The Red Lady character.  

As far as writing, I liked the style the author used for this one.  It is told with chapters that alternate between the past and the present.  I enjoy books that don't just spill their guts in a few chapters, but that make you read for it.  This writing style also lends to the unreliable character of Heather.  We know that she killed her best friend, and as things continue it may be that The Red Lady is real because of how Heather feels and what she perceives, or it could just be a part of her psyche.   While these things are never made clear, they do help create her character and work to confuse the reader.  I will admit that as I read, I had plenty of working hypotheses about who did what, if The Red Lady was real, who The Red Lady was, and who was responsible for the mementos and messages.  This book did keep my on my toes and I didn't see coming what did and learning who did what.  Even up until the very very end, I was still getting thrown for a loop!

This was definitely a fun read to get ready for the spooky season and my autumn/fall TBR.  While at points it was slow, there were plenty of spots where I did want to keep reading just to see what happened next.  Personally, I gave this book four stars because of the missing element for me that hooks me, but otherwise, this was a good book and I recommend it once it hits the shelves!

A thrill from beginning to end, The Dead Girls Club follows Heather Cole - a woman who killed her best friend in their childhood and is now being tortured by a mysterious entity who is sending her the dead girl's mementos. Vacillating between present day and 30 years ago, the author does an amazing job with capturing the angst and ennui that teenage girls experience, as well as the pressure of peer and friend groups on susceptible minds.

The introduction of the Red Lady (a myth that the girl's are obsessed with) might make this novel seem like a supernatural thriller, but it's much more of a character driven introspection on childhood and how our actions can still effect us decades later. I could predict the "surprise" ending fairly early in the book but I was still interested in reading how the girl's stories unfurled and quite enjoyed it!

A special thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

A ghost story come to life. Creepy, thrilling and beautifully written. Makes you question what is real and what isn’t. An exploration of youth, fear and trauma. I cannot wait for the author to release more novels!

The cover of this book is perfection! The writing is good, flow is smooth and it’s a easy read. Heather is the main character her story is told in a “then” “now” format. The then parts are sooo good. I’m sucked right in. The now parts are a little to whiny and dramatic for me. The main character is hard to like, it’s hard to feel sorry for her when I can’t stand her.

Would read another book by this author, this one just wasn’t a hit for me.

I was given this book for free in exchange for me honest review.

While reading this book, you can't help but think of modern day viral horror myths like "Slenderman". Reading about how 3 young girls were entranced by the story of the "Red Lady" in a sort of mutual hallucination, you can almost believe what happens later in the book. But switch back to modern day, and mementos from the past keep turning up for Heather, one of the 3 girls, now married, with a great career as a psychologist. What is the secret she's keeping and why does it appear someone is stalking her? Or is she being gaslighted by her husband? There were some loose ends, and one major discrepancy toward the end, but I found the story fast paced and couldn't wait to finish. The constant use of "me and Becca" instead of "Becca and I" as the subject of many sentences throughout was very jarring. Am I the only grammar police on here or did other readers catch that as well?

I enjoyed this book. The friendship between the girls was fleshed out through flashbacks and the premise of their club, while dark, makes since since people today are so obsessed with murder and crime podcasts---this story felt very relevant. The scene at the end that explains what happened was heartbreaking and the twist reveal at the end was shocking. I would recommend this book to friends as a suspenseful read.