Where to begin with a book that is full of unpleasant characters? And one so specific to a geographical location that if I ever here "Butts C" or "Washop" again it will be too soon? I know that this will really be a home run for someone, maybe for people who like CW dramas or Pretty Little Liars? That seems to be the target audience and it's just not me.

First of all, the main character is Ambrosia (ew) whose nickname is Amb (??) which almost seems harder to say than her full name (why not just A or something?) She went to Wesleyan where she she became half of a pair of very mean girls. She and Sully were on a mission to make everyone's lives a little more unpleasant. They gossiped and acted spiteful towards everyone. But that was 14 years before.

Now it is their 10th reunion and Ambrosia hasn't changed a bit. She's still unpleasant, untruthful, and unhappy. Her husband convinces her that they should go even though she protests. That's because she pretty much fabricated her life before him and never told him about her roommate, Flora, which is really something she should have mentioned.

I couldn't give this book one star because it was better than that, it just wasn't my cup of tea. If gossipy, mean college women are your idea of a good time, this will be right down your alley.

My thanks to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

<b><I>Wait till we show up. All the mean girls are gonna be jealous.

Oh, sweetie. We were the mean girls.</i></b>

I feel like I'm channeling my inner Donna Summer singing all about "Bad Girls - Talking 'Bout Bad Girls" . . . .

Ambrosia has zero intentions of returning to Wesleyan for her 10-year reunion – until she receives an anonymous letter informing her that “it’s time to talk about what we did.” Now she must face not only her former best friend Sully and what they did back in the day, but risk her husband finding out she wasn’t always like the girl that he married.

Told in a wibbly wobbly timeline, the vibe was very I Know What You Did Last Summer (without all the stabby stabbing). This might not be for everybody, but oh how I love a good mean girl story and this one had me like #nomnomnom.

<i>ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!</i>

I had to keep coming back to this one. It felt very slow and I I couldn’t get invested in the storyline. I wish it had a little more power to it. Skimmed my way through

The Girls Are All So Nice Here is written in the very popular style of chapters jumping from the past to present as the reader slowly gets all the clues to put this mystery together. I personally love this style as it makes me feel like I am in a race against the book to put together the pieces.

Ambrosia is less than excited that her college reunion is coming up, especially when she starts receiving handwritten notes alluding to an incident she thought she had put to rest years ago. Amb soon learns that secrets don’t stay buried forever.

I liked that I did not figure this twist out at all, let alone predict the very ending of the book. I was thoroughly entertained throughout and will definitely read more that this author publishes!

Compulsively readable, from the first page I couldn’t put it down. The Girls Are All So Nice Here is a dark, disturbing mean girl thriller that will tie your stomach up in knots. A cautionary tale of how misconstrued perceptions about ourselves and those around us can go terribly awry. At times, I could see myself at that age in the main character of Amb, lonely and desperate to be noticed. And the rest of the time I was sick to my stomach that I could have anything at all in common with any of the mean girls mentioned. Very well written, deliciously dark, and fast paced it’s sure to be the thriller of the summer.

This book is gripping. I guessed one of the twists about half way through but not the final twist. I didn’t see it coming at all. If thrillers are your thing, you’ll definitely enjoy this one!

This is my first read by author Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, but I promise it will not be my last. I was lucky enough to get an arc of this and so happy about it. This was an edge-of-your-seat kind of page-turner. I liked this so much I bought the audiobook for my best friend because I knew this would be right up her alley. This book is so intense that it leaves you uneasy the entire time you read and you still cannot put it down.

Flynn is a wordsmith with the precise language it is crisp and clear that the words feel like a best friend that keeps you going until you get to the end. She lets you come to the party keeps you there with every page you turn and does it without missing a beat. It felt like the two main characters Ambrosia and Sully were caught in the writer’s web and you needed to know if they would come out alive or come out trapped for good. This book is recommended if you want a thrill ride with a group of women who know what they want and don’t want to be mixed with a bit of danger. This makes sexuality and independence and women empowerment a thing to behold. But what will keep you turning pages is to find out if the girls are nice or if some friendships are deadly. After reading this novel Ms. Flynn has made my instabuy list and for good reason. This is hands down a great dark thriller go get it! Thank you Netgalley for my arc and thank you to the author for writing a story that will stay with me.

The girls are all so nice here or so it seemed in the beginning! Mean Girls gone very dark!
The story goes thru 2 timelines. The first one follows Ambrosia 10 yrs later, happily married to a wonderful guy. Amb receives an invitation to her 10 yr college reunion which stirs up things from her past that she would rather keep buried. This is where the other timeline is weaved
in as Amb looks back on her past and shows good reason why she would much rather skip the reunion, but someone has other plans.
Amb and her former friend Sully did something terrible 10 yrs ago and someone doesn’t want them to forget or get away with it. Bullying on another level, my heart ached for the victims while hoping the instigators would be punished. Conflicting feelings as there seemed to be no real reason for the level of bullying and backstabbing. The typical showing off to make someone like you and stealing someone’s man just because you want him and think you are entitled to him.
Someone is determined to make the girls pay for their past transgressions. They find the truth and must face the consequences of their actions. So many lives will be changed after, some good some bad but forever changed!
Had trouble enjoying book as I just could not wrap my head around the gravity of what was done when the truth was finally revealed in the end! So sad for the choices that were made and kept hoping that they would grow a conscience!
Thank you netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I loved this book. Imagine if Saved by the Bell and Agatha Christie made a book. The Girls Are All So Nice Here is that book.

The girls are not so nice here. Not at all. I struggled to read this one, as the girls were just all so terrible. I just really felt sad for the girls in this story and the lack of self worth and the choices they made as a result. It was difficult to read and I didn't find it entertaining.

This story is about college friends- Ambrosia, Sully and Flora. A tragedy happened during their college years, and all the sordid details of their past are brought to the surface at their ten year college reunion.

The story alternates between the past college years and the present reunion, and the format works well to build suspense. I felt like it was well-written and smartly paced. But I just struggled to connect with the characters, and their toxic relationships were frustrating to me. I just wanted someone to be nice!!

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for sending me an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

The last time I remember encountering anything that would be considered "Mean Girls" was in middle school. Don't most people grow out of that? And, mind you, I did not have a sheltered upbringing. I changed schools 8 times in elementary and 5 in middle school. I went to a lot of schools. I made friends at all of them. I had people I didn't like at some of them. For a shy, brainy kid, you'd think I'd have seen more "mean". So, when I read about girls who spend their entire existence trying to make others miserable, I am perplexed. Especially in college. Who has the time? Who knows that many people? You see the people in your immediate classes, and later your major, and that's pretty much it.

That rant aside, apparently very expensive schools that your mommy and daddy pay for are ripe with people who don't need to study or work or take care of anyone. They party. They sleeps with everyone. They do crazy amounts of cocaine. Seriously. I was in college in the 90s so maybe cocaine was blasé by then. The 80s hit it pretty hard. No one ever even offered me cocaine. It was our parents' drug, I guess. Pot and alcohol were all anyone had. Probably all anyone could afford. But not here. Nope. They have time to torture eat other, sleep with every person they met, and do a lot of cocaine and drinking.

These boards ADULTS (college students are ADULTS) decide to target one girl because she is nice. And she loves her boyfriend. That seems to be about it. And that all ends in horrible, horrible things. I was interested in the outcome for the first 1/3 or so. Then I just hated everyone. I was hoping for an ending that would satisfy what the book would not, but it wasn't there. Just more bad people. And if you couldn't figure out who was the one sending the letters maybe you are one of those helping cocaine make its comeback because you are not thinking straight. Books like these make me nostalgic for actual college. A campus so big there is no way people had time for this petty BS. A place where I fell asleep studying in the library because I was working 2-3 jobs all of the time to finish. A place that helped me figure out who I was and what I wanted.

Maybe it would have been different if I lived in the dorms. That must be it. Stay away from dorms and you'll be fine.

This was a captivating, thrilling read from start finish. I had heard a lot of positive things from fellow early readers, and after reading this, I can see why.

I was immediately drawn into this story, and the drama just intensified and got more and more thrilling as the story progressed. The author does an excellent job of keeping the suspense coming. She weaves the back and forth format between past and present meticulously, building up the intensity and suspense to the point that you’re glued to the pages and biting your nails in anticipation.

This dark and twisted story was filled to the brim with delicious drama. The secrets. The unlikeable characters and their actions. The jealousy and betrayal. The tangled web of everything that is happening. The not so nice girls (because the girls are all not, in fact, so nice here okay) made for a truly shocking and disturbing read.

The suspense was there. The writing was excellent. The reveals and ending very satisfying.

I loved this one and highly recommend!

Quite a captivating read, though with some really unlikeable characters. Nonetheless I was drawn in by the secrets of the past and the dual timeline.

From the minute I started this book, I was glued to it. The author does a great job of keeping the suspense up while flipping from past to present seamlessly. There are some pretty unlikeable characters - but they're realistic.

Jealousy, wanting to fit in, uncertainty, and - for one character, a really warped personality - - all add up to a dark and twisted story. There are some shocking moments and an unexpected ending. I have to admit that though that I didn't especially like the ending. It rang true, but I didn't think all the characters deserved their fate . Still, for a mystery novel, it was a great ending to top off a really good thriller.

This shocking, twisty read proves that the girls are NOT all so nice here. And, after reading this novel, I'm so glad this was not my college experience however it makes for a thrilling book. Ambrosia, better known as Amb, is avoiding her college reunion at all costs-until it becomes unavoidable. Hoping she can forget the past for the weekend and distance herself from former best friend Sloane (aka Sully) she convinces herself, badly, that she can make it through unscathed. Arriving on campus with her unsuspecting husband, Amb is immediately inundated with memories-and physical reminders-of the past. Told in alternating timelines we are taken on Amb's freshman year journey and how each event leads to a showdown at the reunion. Amb's choices and decisions freshman year-some disturbing with dangerous consequences-have not been forgiven or forgotten. Readers should note there are some issues that may be uncomfortable. f you are looking for a psychological mystery (albeit it's less thriller than billed), pick up Laurie Elizabeth Flynn's latest release.

The characters are definitely not nice girls and in fact most are not very likeable at all; Amb is desperate for Sully's approval and attention and Sully, while her motives are unclear, seems bent on a path for destroying those in her wake. Sully views everyone as transactional-a means to an end. Everyone who crosses paths with them ends up in their web of destruction. Many will not find their college experience relatable but the Queen Bee/Mean Girls theme resonates.

Thank you to the writer, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

This one was nuts. Super, super mean girls - this one was dark y'all. It felt a little long in the middle but overall it was a quick, bingey read.

Uhhhh.. Regina George... this one’s for you!

Shortest Summary Ever: Ambrosia Wellington begrudgingly returns to Wesleyan for her ten year reunion thanks to her adorable hubby Adrian. See, she didn’t have the best college experience - she and her BFF Sully kinda helped kill someone. Allegedly. I mean that’s what everyone has murmured mouth to ear since that day. Now Amb returns where everyone is eyeballing them, whispers abound, and rumors are reborn while fake kisses and hugs prevail. Though Amb is married, she has kept this part of her past in the past and wants to keep it there. One problem - someone is sending “I-know-what-you-did” type letters to her and Sully. Who could know the truth? Can she keep this from her husband and can she come to terms with what happened ten years ago?

Thoughts: First time reader of this author and I’m in awe of the dark psychology of this one. It’s the mean girl POV and it’s sinister. It’s everything you hate about catty girls. Here’s how my reading of this went - annoyed... annoyed ...annoyed... (sigh) annoyed... hate you... holy biscuits.... OMG... best...ending...ever. There is nothing redeeming about the two main characters - they are Regina George twins on steroids with growth hormones and copious amounts of Miracle Gro. And FYI? Don’t sign me up to go to Wesleyan. Yikes.

What’s strangely enjoyable about this book is it’s a romp through the worst people you’ve ever met and you hate them. It’s that car accident. But it’s weirdly enjoyable because you hope and pray karma comes around.

Gripping my every page turn was the realization that evil teen girls are about as evil as it gets. Then it dipped into a pool of depravity 50 feet deeper. Then 100. Get ready for the muck of wicked people. Wade in it. But watch out for the sharks. They are circling.

All my reviews available at scrappymags.com around time of publication.

Genre: Psychological Mystery/Dark Mystery

Recommend to: You have to be able to put up with some eye rolling over these gorgeous young women going out and being vicious excuses for humans. But trust me - wait for it. It’s dark and dirty

Not recommended to: Those looking for light and fun mysteries

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for my advanced copy in exchange for my always-honest review and for making me happy to be NOT a mean girl.

Love all the mean college girl books doing the rounds. This one has a really meanie who did a bad thing, in school but thinks ten years has dulled the memories and she can reluctantly go to the college reunion. Wrong! Short fast chapters go back and forth and keep you glued to the pages as you love/hate these girls and their motives.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exhange for an honest review.
"The Girls Are All So Nice Here" by
Laurie Elizabeth Flynn was an addictive, twisty and dark thriller that kept me guessing till the very surprising end.
I can't wait to read what this author decided to write next.

You probably already guessed this, but the girls are really really not nice here. Like, at all. And vying for the title of Least Nice™ is our very own main character, Ambrosia. Now, this is a mystery/thriller situation, so I'll keep most of the plot pretty vague. But for those of you who've been to college, especially far away where you didn't know anyone, remember how that first semester is? That feeling of being so completely alone and out of your element? That's Ambrosia. I, personally, cried myself to sleep for four months, but Ambrosia decided instead to try to pack in as much awfulness as she could within her first five minutes of school.

And I get it, on some level! It's that pivotal moment that we've all experienced in life: When someone gives us a choice to do the wrong thing with a promised "reward" of fitting in, we have to decide who we want to be. And frankly, spineless Ambrosia didn't waffle that much. And you won't be surprised that she did either. Her life now is so perfectly constructed to look like what Ambrosia thinks she's supposed to want. A nice apartment with a cute husband, a well-paying job. But she's wholly unfulfilled, because as always, she's seeking what she assumes to be measures of success rather than looking inward at what she actually wants to do.

The reunion looms, and Ambrosia is afraid to take her husband to this past chapter of her life. And we start to see why as the reunion unfolds. But honestly, I don't even think she much likes the husband anyway, so maybe she ought not worry. I found myself totally immersed in what kind of debauchery Ambrosia took part in, and what she could have possibly done that was so wretched that she couldn't stomach the thought of facing it. So yeah, I hated her, but I was also completely compelled to find out what happened.

Bottom Line: Get ready to be appalled by a fascinating character who you hope never to cross paths with in this exciting thriller.