For those who described this book as a much darker and twisted Mean Girls, I’d have to agree. I found the pacing excellent, the settings (from tiny NYC apartments to bars in Brooklyn to the storied campus of Wesleyan) extremely evocative, and I enjoyed the shocking ending. I also appreciated the small clues Flynn dropped throughout and found myself flipping back to find telling details I had missed the first read through.

Ultimately, some of the character development fell a bit flat for me, particularly that of Sully, as she felt like a stereotypical manipulative bully I’ve read so many other times. However, I’d still highly recommend this read for lovers of dark campus thrillers.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I got this book via Netgalley in exchange for a review
3.5 stars but I'm rounding up because I think a lot of the things I disliked about this were personal preference things and not necessarily the books fault.

To start with what I liked, the setting of this book is really strong. It has two timelines and the one in the past is set at Wesleyan and that part was very well written. It really sucked me and really made reading the more gruesome parts of this book difficult. I could vividly picture everything and while this story was incredibly dissimilar to my own freshman year experience, it all felt very grounded. Like every character in this book was such a stereotypical WASPy person at small college in Connecticut, with names like Ambrosia, Flora, Sloane, and others. This could have made the world seem flat but I think it really added to the setting by really driving home what kind of world these characters are in.

I also thought the character building was excellent. These main characters are not people I think you're supposed to like and I did not. I think this book does a good job presenting the reader with scenarios and having the reader figure out what they think about some action while still presenting the events of the book as horrifying overall. The think I would have liked to see a bit more of was some other sides to some characters but especially Sully and Amb. Though there was a couple of times I felt some sympathy for Amb, such as the different feeling she had with her husband when it came to children, most of the time, I just didn't like her. I don't think there's anything wrong with having purely unlikable characters and that can be really interesting. I think it was interesting to read in this book and this seemed more like a fall from grace story where the characters get less and less sympathetic but I think if I had liked Amb more when she started college, that decline would have been more impactful.

There were a few things I didn't like. I just generally do not enjoy mysteries with a dual timeline. This one had both a present and a past timeline. The big event happened in the past and the characters in the future reflect on it and the past chapters slowly lead up to what happens. This isn't a bad format, I just don't like it. My other problem with that timeline is this book is written in the first person so it always breaks immersion for me because it's hard for me to really feel like I'm in that characters head when they're actively not thinking about the big thing that happened. I saw a different reviewer once say that you can't keep secrets in first person and I think that's true. I also wasn't completely satisfied with the ending.

This is this authors debut book and I think she did a really good time the first time out. This book is genuinely upsetting at parts and I think the author finds the balance of tension and release pretty well in this story. I look forward to seeing what this author does next.

The girls here are NOT so nice! I knew girls could be cruel to one another but I had no idea how far some of them can take it. I hope that because this is fiction that nothing like this really happens. Maybe I’m being naive though. Anyway, I really enjoyed this book. There were dual timelines about a woman in present day NYC that is invited to her college reunion. We then have flashbacks to when she was a student at the college and find out what transpired. This one is juicy. Thank you netgalley for an ecopy.

Ambrosia Wellington graduated from Wesleyan College 10 years ago, and is dreading going to the reunion, not only because she just plain doesn't want to go, but she receives an anonymous note from someone who wants revenge for something she and her college bff did all those years ago. Fast-paced and intriguing, this thriller is not to be missed!

There's something to be said about a book when you dislike literally ALL the characters but still fly thew the pages and like it!! This book is part thriller/mystery and part message of how not to act....Amb (Ambrosia) basically gets lured by an anonymous note to a college reunion she originally was not planning on attending. The book flips from present day @ the reunion to Amb's Freshman year of college helping explain why someone wanted Amb at the reunion and why. This book is NOT the same old "person from high school/college holds a grudge, gets people to the reunion and starts slaying people one by one until they get to the final girl and it's realized the resentment was misplaced, killer gets caught and everyone lives happily ever after".... It's gritty & realistic, while showing the consequences of being a "mean girl". The book twists and turns while speeding along lightening fast. I would pick it up soon as possible if you like thrillers /mysteries wrapped in a plausible cautionary tale current to our times of extreme bullying,

Thanks to Netgalley & publisher for ARC in exchange for honest review of this book!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster & NetGalley for an advance copy of this book to read and review!

CW/TW: rape, suicide, drug use, drinking

Ultimately, this is a chilling tale of the lengths some people will go to to get what they want without regard for others and how they can be hurt in the process and also how your actions can have a ripple effect on so many unwilling participants.

A lot of this book frustrated me because I consistently wanted Amb to make better choices but I think that's the whole point of the book. It physically hurt me to find out how "that night" unraveled and I do wish Amb had been able to come to terms with her actions and take responsibility for how they caused suffering to others. Again, I think that's the whole point of the book.

I enjoyed this a lot, it is a cautionary tale of how deeply you can fall if you aren't careful about who you surround yourself with. This was a quick read for me, finishing in 3 days. Enjoyed the pacing.


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3718113767

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for an pre-publication e-galley in exchange for my honest review.

Before I start my review, I need to mention that this book contains graphic depictions of rape and suicide.

The Girls Are All So Nice Here is the story of a group of girls that are very much not nice. It is more of a cautionary tale about how cruel young women can be rather than a coherent thriller. I admit that I enjoyed reading it in the moment; however, upon finishing the book I do not feel satisfied.

The author clearly wants you to hate all characters but one. There is not a single redeeming quality to any of them, so there's nothing to connect the reader to the narrator. No one around her is any better, with one exception. The characters behave in ways that don't make much sense. both in the past and present. I am not one that can see a twists, but I predicted all the major ones here.

Overall, The Girls Are All So Nice Here was a quick, engaging read that left me wishing it had more to say.

When Ambrosia Wellington receives the invitation to her college reunion at Wesleyan, she puts it aside, vowing that she will not attend. Then... she receives a note that says, "We need to talk about what we did that night." Amb is sure the note must be from Sloane "Sully" Sullivan, her ex-best friend from college, with whom she hasn't spoken in years - since that fateful night freshman year. Amb decides that she must attend the reunion, if only to speak with Sully and to try to put her guilt to rest over what they did to one of their fellow classmates. Told in alternating timelines, we slowly find out what Amb and Sully did, while also realizing that someone hasn't forgiven them for their behavior that night. Someone wants to make them pay.

Wow! This book sucked me in and I couldn't put it down. Initially, I saw a lot of my own college self in Amb - struggling to fit in and find herself, trying on different personas to impress and make friends. But Amb and Sully quickly reveal themselves to be very different than I was back then! The drama, the intrigue, the backstabbing, the unlikable characters... this book has it all. I literally stayed up reading until 3am one night because I just HAD to know how it ended! I love a good college/boarding school drama and this book did not disappoint.

3 stars. This had clever moments, but I felt I've heard a story just like this several times before. The character of Sloane/Sully (even down to the "hot girl" name/fun nickname) was especially overdone: manipulative charismatic college girl who preys on wallflowers and makes men her pets. The ending was predictable and lackluster. I'd read more from this author as I believe this had potential (I love a college reunion story) but I hope to see a bit more originality in storylines and character development.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Girls Are All So Nice Here is a well-written, twisty thriller that takes place at a small liberal arts college. It bounces between the past and the present day, focusing on Ambrosia's college reunion and her ability to face her misdeeds in college now that she's face to face with her past. What I liked the most about it is that you aren't even really sure of the mystery until about halfway through the book, and it's not what it seems. The last chapter was especially twisty! I loved the novel, and would recommend it to anyone who loves a thriller, especially one that takes place at places of education.

This book was omg, twisted and very suspenseful. Ambrosia and Sully make the events and people in the Mean Girls movie look tame. I loved the then and now time frame, it made the story more interesting to piece together and how events that happened then with the consequences of now. I knew everything was going to come to a head but I did not know how and was I ever surprised with the last few chapters. IT IS NOT PREDICTABLE!!! Just when you think the actions of these girls, one more remorseful than the other cannot get any worst, something else happens.

I cannot recommend this book enough as a must read for 2021, and I am purchasing it when it becomes available. PLEASE READ THIS!! I am looking forward to reading more by this author in the future if it is as good as this book.

Thanks to Netgalley, Laurie Elizabeth Flynn and Simon & Schuster for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 3/9/2021

When Ambrosia arrives at her freshman year of college, she has a chip on her shoulder. Like the size of Antarctica. It’s obvious she’s a certain type of girl, but she isn’t confident and instead of appreciating the fact that she’s smart and pretty, she is immediately on guard against her sweet roommate Flora. She thinks Flora is mocking her and trying to prove something over her.

When she meets sully down the hall, she’s in awe. Sully is the cool girl. She does crazy things and is at every party on and off campus. And she takes an interest in Amb. And Amb, being completely insecure takes the bait. She thinks that she’s cooler being friends with Sully and can’t see that people like Sully eat everyone up and spit them out. Even friends. Especially friends.

In The Girls are So Nice Here, Laurie Elizabeth Flynn switches back and forth between college and present day. Amb has reformed herself. She is married to nice guy, has a decent career, and has left her college days behind. Until she decides to attend her college reunion.

One thing that doesn’t make sense to me is why Amb would walk into that reunion. After all, she knows at the beginning of the book what we all know at the end. Still, she seems to have lasted four years there (which I also really don’t understand.)

It took me a little bit to get into and I didn’t feel like the twists and turns were all that thrilling. Instead, the book seems like a cautionary tale of how to not be in college (or really ever) and the dangers of messing with people’s heads. Special thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for an advanced e-galley in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be published on my blog, Women in Trouble Book Blog on February 10, 2021.

*Triggers: substance and alcohol abuse, rape, suicide, murder, bullying

This book was like Mean Girls times 10. If you like to read about an unlikable characters that have the worst intentions, you will eat this book up!

Ambrosia and Sully are a dramatic filled duo who are the mean girls of their dorm. They are in constant competition, but claim to be best friends. They know they are bad, and don't show remorse for what they do to the other girls that live in their building. They abuse drugs, alcohol and use sex as a weapon to get what they want.

Ambrosia wants to prove that she can "hang" with Sully and goes along with things that people with conscious wouldn't usually do.

This book is not going to be for everyone, but those who like to read about unlikable characters who do bad things for the thrill and don't care who they hurt along the way will enjoy this book.

There were always these girls at parties in college, I'm sure every college had their version. In my version, they had chunky highlights, tons of glittery makeup and coats with furry collars. In "The Girls Are All So Nice Here", they are Sully and Amb. Party girls with zero regard for "relationships" and a sense of sexual freedom that few people have.

Sully and Amb are also the meanest girls you can dream of. Manipulation, backstabbing and just down right hatefulness.

Now, Ambrosia Wellington (yes, that's her name) is 10 years older and happily married. She gets invited to her 10 year college reunion, and she must face the consequences of her Mean Girl days. Someone is sending handwritten notes, with threats of exposing the truth of Dorm Doom and that semester.

WHEW. THIS BOOK. I could not put this down because each time I thought I had it figured out.....someone was still alive! Excellent storytelling and writing from Laurie Elizabeth Flynn.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I have read this author's YA books and was thrilled when I saw she had an adult novel. However, I was somewhat disappointed in this book. I enjoyed the back and forth from the present and past but I felt like there were some things missing. The main character, Amb, could have used some further character development. She was just mean, along with all the other people in the book and I really could care less about all of them. I've read many books that centered on means girls and the ones I like the most are when one redeems themselves at least a little and you can actually care about them. But with Amb I just couldn't connect with her, I kept waiting for more depth to her and it just wasn't there. I also hated the ending. Seems I am in the minority with this one! Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Wow. Yowza. It's hard to say much without giving anything away.

Ambrosia Wellington was a freshman at Wesleyan when she befriended a popular, trouble maker girl Sloane Sullivan, known as Sully by her friends. Something happened for her dorm to get nicknamed Dorm Doom. 10 years later, she's invited to the 10 year college reunion she's reluctant to attend. She brings her husband, a younger guy who is a bartender while she works in PR. We find out in alternating chapters what happens. The person who Amb is with Sully isn't her best version. She's trying to impress her to fit in, and sleeping with a bunch of dudes then lusting after her roommate Flora's boyfriend Kevin things come to a very tragic end. With the reunion, Ambrosia is trying to find out who is leaving her notes. Who knows something about her involvement in a death? The ending of the book had my jaw scraping the floor.

I think there was some frustration in the time it took for Ambrosia to figure out what happened in the past and who was threatening her future. Maybe if she figured out the pieces sooner, things might have been different.

It is a darker read, utterly fascinating. I could not stop reading. But it is hard to root for anyone in the story. Give this one to patrons who are open to intriguing but not necessarily likeable characters and edgier endings with their thrillers.

“We need to talk about what we did that night.”

So, the only time I have to read anymore is in the middle of the night. It's unfortunate, but at least it's nice and quiet (with the exception of the snoring coming from my two hundred pound St. Bernard and three Pugs), and I can really focus.

Normally, I divide a book into thirds, and try to read around 33% for three consecutive nights. With The Girls Are All So Nice Here, I read 34% the first night, and the rest last night...because I could not put this book down. It's not unusual for me to stay up until 3 AM...but last night, it was 5. I'm exhausted, but satisfied.

Told from dual narratives, one thread occurring during Ambrosia's freshman year at Wesleyan, and one ten years later at her class reunion, I was engrossed. These girls were AWFUL. This story felt like a car wreck I couldn't look away from.

I will say I found the freshman year chapters more interesting than the those occurring at the reunion. I didn't feel thirty-year old Ambrosia was nearly as fleshed out as her younger self. I honestly would have liked to know more about her life and motivations. What we got instead was a character who showed next-to no growth or maturity.

The conclusion was satisfying, but not unexpected.

Bottom line: I highly recommend this book, especially if you enjoy a good 'mean girls' story. (Although I think these girls went far beyond mean and well into vile territory.)

Available March 9, 2021

My sincere appreciation to Edelweiss, NetGalley, and Simon & Schuster for my review copy.

I did not enjoy this book at all however, I did not enjoy Gone Girl either and everyone loved that. I just don't enjoy, appreciate, or understand characters that are just mean. I like suspenseful books which this was but I couldn't connect with any of the characters so it made it hard for me to finish this book.

Wow. Mean girls in college. This novel captures college environments and some of the cruel moments that can take place. Ambrosia is having to deal with something that happened in her college days and it is now 10 years later. Someone wants to make her pay for it.
Many thanks to Simon & Schuster and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.