I need to say that Avery Bishop is a master at writing suspense...I was blown away how phenomenal this book was. The entire cast of characters in Girl Gone Mad are well developed and the story-line was thoroughly and intricately planned out. The twists and turns were shocking and unexpected—Loved that. The pacing is spot on...trust me when I say it’s unputdownable.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a well-written psychological thriller. Girl Gone Mad is as much about hard-earned redemption and self-awareness as it is about a mystery needing to be solved. And even if you guess the ending - and thus, by the nature of this story, the beginning - I think the plot’s arc of resilience and self-reconciliation still keep the story fresh and inspiring, and ward off any disappointment that would be felt with just a basic whodunit.

Therapist Emily has an interesting past. She once was in a group Harpies, popular girls who bullied the new girl to her breaking point. Years later it seems that karma strikes back.

When mean girls never grow up. Who is the real bully and what are the consequences?

Danger, murders, suspicions. I just flew through the pages.
Twisty tale of bullying, shocking thriller with surprising end.

As a victim of bullying, I can certainly empathize with Grace as to the psychological and emotional impact. I remember the popular group of girls like the Harpies and how badly I and all girls wanted to be part of them in elementary school. What was interesting about this book is how that group played out in their adulthood in terms of career choice and lack of emotional depth in relationships. Hard to read but well worth it.

<b>”Once a Harpy, always a Harpy”</b>

What a nice motto, isn’t it? With such a “pleasant” nickname who would have guessed these girls weren’t the sweetest and best behaved, right?

This story came to reinforce two personal views of mine:
1. I can’t stand teenagers and much less when they come in a group.
2. Karma’s a bitch (and yes, I’m not ashamed to say that I clapped my hands when some of these girls got their comeuppance) 😅

Seeing as “Mean Girls” was already taken, this book could have also been called “Meanest Girls”, as they are one of the pettiest and more vicious bunch of girls I’ve ever read about. It’s a pretty well depiction of how sometimes kids will do anything to fit in with the group, forming toxic and unequal friendships that will push them too far at times. We’ve all been to middle and high school, so it won’t come as a surprise to anyone how twisted kids can sometimes be, and I’m sure we can all recognize some of these characters.

To say I was completely glued to my kindle would be an understatement as I read this in just a couple of sittings despite its length. I flew through the pages and the last quarter had me literally biting my nails (well, the ones I had left).

I loved how we got little snippets from the past intertwined in the chapters, instead of the Now and Then chapters usual in this kind of stories.

Although I had some theories formed in my head, the ending caught me completely unaware and I thought it quite clever.

I was doubting between 4 or 5 stars so I guess I’ll settle at 4,5 ⭐️ and I will definetely keep an eye out for what this author has next in store.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was AMAZING!!!! So well written that I didn’t want it to end. But the ending??? Was perfect!! Loved every second of this one. I could not put it down!

Thank you for this advanced copy. This book started out really good. Taking Emily's current life and intertwining it with her past. i really enjoyed the beginning, however it did get a little long in the middle for me. I did skip ahead a couple of times. It had some good suspense though and kept you guessing as to who was behind everything. The author did a good job of pulling in mental health issues and showing how they can effect girls when they are younger and how it can follow them into adulthood.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. I was super excited to receive this copy because this book sounded so good. Sadly, it fell short for me. It was just too long and I found myself skipping ahead a few times to get through it. It had good suspense and a good ending, but i think it would have been a better read if it weren't as long.

I often thought through my teaching years that girls have a greater capacity for meanness but this book takes it to a whole new level. ‘Once a harpy always a harpy’ is the motto of a clique formed at Junior High, known as The Harpies. They are so well named. To say that they have delinquent tendencies, are competitive, can be bullies and downright saccharine nasty to their victims is perhaps an understatement. Emily, Olivia, Elise, Destiny, Courtney and leader MacKenzie target new girl Grace Farmer in a prolonged and shocking campaign. Many years later Emily learns that Olivia has committed suicide and shortly after this Destiny dies, also apparent suicide. Are the harpies being picked off one by one in a revenge spree???

This is a very well written novel which vividly depicts a Lord of the Flies tribe mentality of female vindictiveness and horrifying manipulation. As the song says ‘the female of the species is more deadly than the male’ which is completely accurate where this clique are concerned as they are vicious and twisted sisters. The story backtracks from present day to the past in order to fill gaps in our understanding and appreciation of the depths they sunk to in targeting Grace. The pace is good and slowly builds and builds extremely effectively and whilst you can’t be too surprised by the ending, it is satisfying. There are some very good moments of tension, you give a sharp intake of breathe at times at the inventiveness of the harpies twisted cruelty. How did they live with themselves???

Overall, this is a revealing insight into toxic friendships and the harm they can wreak. It’s a good psychological thriller with plenty of twists and turns, with interesting though not likeable characters.

With thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union

"Girl Gone Mad" was definitely a pleasant surprise. A mix between "Heathers", "Pretty Little Liars" and "Mean Girls" (without the dark comedy), it posits the question of what happens to the popular girls after high school is over, and how far the reach of their bullying can last.

As someone that was bullied in school, it was hard to get behind the protagonist at first. I know that peer pressure can be ugly and dealing with your friends can feel like survival of the fittest, but Emily can come across as unsympathetic at times, especially as she goes into why Grace was being bullied so relentlessly.

The mental health angle that was behind a lot of the reasoning, and addressing so many issues that many people have especially because of bullying gave it something fresh, while not being too boring about it. I loved the mentioning of equestrian therapy, and even the fact that Emily as a therapist sees one herself. I found it odd that so many characters gave her a hard time about it as I have found that a lot of therapists see one.

This book kept me intrigued and thrilled and even gave me chills as Emily and her childhood friend Courtney try to unravel why members of the "Harpies" (their school group) are seeming to be killed off one by one, chased by a ghost of their past.

As they reconnect and their worlds unravel the book reveals more twists and turns while slowly unraveling what had happened to Grace. It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time, and the ending left me shocked. Definitely would read again.

**Received as an ARC for honest review. Thanks to both Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity**