A good mystery with a good ol’ unreliable narrator. It received a good amount of hype that wasn’t necessarily justified in my opinion. .

Damien Angelica Walters' The Dead Girls Club, Heather Cole went through a traumatic and scary event as a budding pre-teen. She's spent her life hiding from it, trying to pretend it never happened, trying to do better in the world. Now as an adult, working as a child psychiatrist to try and make the world a better place, someone's coming back to let her know they know what happened. I received an e-arc from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book is oddly compelling. I say oddly, because I spent the whole time terrified AND excited to read what happened next. I'm not usually a horror fan. For me horror is just too overwhelming, I spend too much empathy on my books, but Walters dragged me in so deep, I just had to care, just had to know what was happening next.

The story flips back and forth between what's happening now and what happened then, and we find out pretty early on what happened then, even if we haven't quite gotten to the scene of it. Walters' so perfectly captures the feeling of being a pre-teen and trying to have friends, trying to be cool, that fear and need that your best friend is YOUR best friend not everyone else's. There's a sweetness to it, despite the underlying terror. I almost wish she'd written out all of the young moments together and then written the adult moments from there.

Heather Cole as an adult is someone who I rooted for, and cared for, all the more so because of reading the young moments of her. Without the young moments I might not have found her so compelling. However, her decisions are surprisingly understandable. As she's facebook and internet stalking everyone trying to see what's up, I definitely felt that "oh no don't do it" feeling, while knowing in my gut, I totally would've done it too. There was almost some humor in the fear feeling over her.

I look forward to seeing what Walters' comes up with next.

This review is scheduled to be published on April 20th. GoodReads and links will be updated at that time.

Overall I enjoyed this book. The storyline and the alternating timelines really kept me intrigued. I appreciated the "murderino" knowledge that was dispersed throughout the book. The characters were likeable, except for Heather. I just did not like her. I really did not like the way the book ended either. I would have liked to see Heather get what was coming for her. I was surprised by the ending however and did not see the story ending that way. Overall I think this was a decent thriller and would recommend it to my friends to read.

I just could not get into this book. I was really excited to get it, but it ended up not holding my interest, and I unfortunately chose not to finish it.

Wow i absolutely loved this book!

A psychologically disturbing addictive read. The tension Walter's wrote through the alternating chapters of past and present really gripped me to the story and had me anticipating what to expect next. I will definitely be on the lookout of more from this author

What. The. Actual...?

This story was probably one of the most twisted and creepy tales I've read in a long time...like, The Body Finder creepy.

Supernatural and full of unexpected turns, I was riveted and scared at the same time; turning pages held the element of mystery I've only experienced a handful of times. Switching between past and present threw me at first, but at about 50% in, things started to click and I was no longer pulled from the story...instead, I was sucked so far in I had no chance of escape until the last words were read.

Following Heather from childhood to adulthood and back again, her behavior was erratic and strange at first. Being a child psychologist, she made a series of mistakes in her practice, a woman clearly not acting in her right mind and in no shape to treat children in a therapeutic manner.

Her own demons got the best of her, and someone was capitalizing on her secrets...or what they thought her secrets were. Scare tactics, stalking, complete dismissal of her hysteria. So much to take in and such complexity to the trauma she faced as a child...

In short, I didn't love it. I didn't hate it. I'm not quite sure how I feel, to be honest. The writing is good, the storyline (as twisted as it is) is fantastic, and the ending...well, let's just say I didn't see that one coming.

I suppose with all those things, my rating makes sense. I will absolutely pick up another book by this author, in the very distant future...because this one did give me some unsettling thoughts. I'm not prepared to jump into another thriller just yet...but I will be back. I always come back.

**3.5 Scary Stories and Sad Children, Stars**

I really can't fathom why this book has such an overall low rating, as it's a perfectly serviceable thriller with the added bonus of a creepy urban legend. It's a compulsive page turner, it's creepy, it gets you thinking, it features an unlikable but sympathetic main character going off the rails...what more do you need in a thriller, really?

The narrative is split between past and present. In the present day, Heather Cole is a child psychologist haunted by her murder of her childhood best Becca. When she begins receiving mysterious packages of items belonging to Becca, she believes someone is blackmailing her, and she becomes desperate to discover what is happening. In the past, Heather is twelve years old and best friends with Becca, Gia, and Rachel, who altogether are informally part of The Dead Girls Club, where they gather in an abandoned house and tell each other terrible, scary, and gory stories.

I loved the alternating timelines, especially because I think the author did a superb job distinguishing between adult Heather and tween Heather. I really felt like I was reading about tweens, with all their odd insecurities and dramas, while adult Heather felt very much like a haunted adult stuck in the past. The timelines eventually converge in a way that had me up until 3AM desperate to find out the truth of it all.

There are two big twists/reveals, and of course it's difficult to discuss how satisfying they were without spoiling things. I thought the first reveal came way out of left field, but once I sat with it a bit, I think I liked it. I just wish it had been hinted at a bit more beforehand. The second reveal made way more sense. Upon reflection, this book is less a supernatural thriller than a tragic tale about a young girl in a terrible - and very realistic - situation desperate for escape. It's also about the effects of mass hysteria, which I also wish had been explored a bit more, as it's a fascinating phenomenon.

Overall a very fun, engaging, and entertaining read, with some truly creepy bits!

I enjoyed this book from Walters. I wasn’t sure that I was going to at the beginning. It started out a bit slow and I was afraid I may dnf, but it picked up. I enjoyed the alternating timelines and the characters were well developed. It did start to drag in some places, but I was invested enough to push through. Overall, well done!

The description had me at, "The night Heather killed her."
I can't pass up a story where the main character is the killer, and this one didn't disappoint.
While it did start a bit slow, I found that by around 20% in, I couldn't put it down. The ending was really well done as well (no spoilers but... wow).

I'd definitely recommend this book to any thirller/horror fan.

Peop[e follow one of two camps, believers in the supernatural/ghosts and non-believers. Sure when your little everyone minus the Sheldon Coopers of the world get scared at night thinking there was a monster under the bed or someone lurking in the closet. Most of us watched a scary horror flick when we were told not too because we were too young and had nightmares many nights afterwards. Thats part of life and as we get older, monsters don't sleep under our bed or lurk in closets at night. But believers of the supernatural like Becca in Damien Angelica Walters book, The Dead Girls Club, believe in ghosts, serial killers and monsters that have super powers.
She and her three friends form The Dead Girls Club to tell "real" stories of ghosts like the Red Lady, a vengeful witch whose spirit is alive and exacting her revenge centuries later.
Becca tells her friends, including best friend, Heather, the story of the Red Lady over the summer and by the end of summer, Becca is dead.
Years later, Heather now married and a child psychologist, receives a package in the mail containing a necklace worn by Becca. Not possible since Becca had the necklace on when she died.
Time to decide, are you a believer or a skeptic? Believers will be riveted by this grownup "Ghost" story with bumps in the night and things that will reinforce your beliefs in the supernatural.
Skeptics will have a harder time with this book and too many things don't add up
This was a slow read for me due to the writing style. Walters tells the story in the Then/Now narrative. Unfortunately, Walters was too wordy at times and the book did not flow.
I wanted to believe in this creepy supernatural thriller but the skeptic in me found it unbelievable. I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. #NetGalley #TheDeadGirlsClub

I enjoyed this novel. The storyline (though dark) was engaging and creative, and I liked the way the story was told through the alternating between "then" and "now". I needed to find out more about the characters: who was sending Heather tidbits from her past, why did the four girls separate so quickly, and why did Rachel remain distant and aloof when reunited with Heather.
There was a lot of dark in the story. It started with the scary stories written by children and references to their love of horror novels, but then the darkness started to pop out in the lives they lived, making the reading difficult at times.

First book I've read by this author and I'm a new fan!!! This was a good "old-fashion" horror/ghost story that reminded me of the early books of Stephen King. Not a lot of twists and turns, but keeps the reader riveted until the astonishing end.

From the publisher: A supernatural thriller about two young girls, a scary story that becomes far too real, and the tragic--and terrifying--consequences that follow one of them into adulthood" Doesn't that sound amazing? I thought so too and couldn't wait to read it.

We start with our main character Heather, a therapist. as she receives something disturbing in the mail. A best friend charm necklace that belonged to her long-dead best friend, Becca. She knows that Becca was wearing the necklace when she died BECAUSE SHE ADMITS TO KILLING HER. Um, what? What a way to grab your reader!

Alternating between 'Then' and 'Now' perspectives, the reader slowly learns Becca's fate and why Heather killed her. We learn that Becca had become obsessed with the urban legend of the Red Lady. At least Heather thinks it is just an urban legend. But as we alternate between then and now, the reader and Heather start to doubt if it is just a story. Who is tormenting Heather? Is it just in her head? Is she paranoid or is the Red Lady back to get her?

I loved everything about the premise of this story and especially liked Becca and Heather's story as teenagers but Heather as an adult was unlikeable and hard to root for. Because I didn't love the Now sections, the book felt a little uneven for me and hard to get through. This was a great and unique premise for a book but the overall story didn't live up to my expectations. I liked this book and think the author has a lot of promise and will look for more by them.

It’s been a couple of weeks since I finished this book. I wish I could say that the story stuck with me but as more time passes the less I remember. That’s not to say I didn’t like it while I was reading it. There were some section that I did like. The book as a whole was just not very memorable. I had to skim a few other reviews to refresh my thoughts. I will say what I liked about this book is that we get a dual timeline. We follow the main character as an adult as well as when she is 12. I thought the book started off strong but quickly fizzled our for me. This was due to main character. She started to grate on my nerves with her repetitive whining and dumb decisions. I really liked the perspective from her and her group of friends at 12. I felt this timeline was more believable. So this didn’t totally work for me but it was entertaining at the time.

While the characters were really well developed, this one just didn't scream "thriller" to me. I enjoyed it overall, though.

I really enjoyed this book, the characters were well developed. It had an interesting plot. I would be interested in reading more

This book had just about enough thriller in it. At times it was slow, but it was entertaining. I would recommend it a fun read.

What a fun read! Which is kind of an interesting take for a horror novel, all things considered. People have described it as Goosebumps for Grownups and meant it in a condescending manner. However, I thought that that was to the merit of the author and the story. It was engaging and I felt as excited while reading it as I did while reading Goosebumps growing up. Additionally, the characters were really well written! I will forgive most things in a book for good characters, and there wasn't must to forgive to begin with. Overall, I enjoyed it greatly!

The Dead Girls Club by Damien Angelica Walters

This book for me started off as a slow burn and basically stayed that way throughout the story. It was not a bad story, actually really liked the premise of The Red Lady but it just plodded and did not really grab me. Thank you Netgalley and the Publishers Crooked Lane for this book and allowing me to leave my honest opinion.

DO NOT read this book in the dark. This is a fabulous suspense novel. The Red Lady fable is enough to give you chills. I loved this book and hope another one will come out soon. If you like scary, this novel will chill you to the bone.