After being the victim of a home invasion, Rachel Chavez turns to horror movies for comfort and as a way to manage her fear. Starting in a new school, Rachel is an outcast and quickly gets on the bad side of the popular kids once she gets accused of pulling a horror film inspired prank on the school's Queen Bee. Rachel figures out those responsible for the prank and is recruited into the Mary Shelley Club, a group of horror cinephiles who organize elaborate horror trope inspired pranks known as Fear Tests. Thinking she has found her "people," Rachel ends up fearing for her life as the Fear Tests escalate to deadly proportions and dredge up the very fears she was trying to suppress.

I would give this book a 4.5 stars if this rating system allowed me to! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have already recommended it to several friends in the time between finishing this book and writing this review.

It seems oxymoronic to say that a novel is cinematic, but "The Mary Shelley Club" is just that! It flows so well and is structured in such a way that you can easily see all the action play out in your head, as if you were watching a movie on screen. Author Goldy Moldavsky is an excellent writer! Her characters are well fleshed out, three dimensional and all have distinct voices and personalities. She expertly weaves in horror and urban legend references that elevate the storyline making it feel authentic and fresh. The story itself is very original, and what could've just been a story about a bunch of kids pulling pranks, ends up being a YA thriller that could rival any classic horror movie.

I was especially a big fan of the diversity and representation of the characters. The MC is a POC as are several of the lead characters. It felt like natural inclusion, and I was grateful for it. As a film nerd, I also really enjoyed all the film references. Like I mentioned earlier, Moldavsky effortlessly weaves them in but I don't think the reader has to know the reference in order to get it's significance. I am usually pretty good at solving the mysteries in books quite early, and this one kept throwing in so many twists and turns, that I was surprised at the end. I also loved how this was a story about horror film tropes, and this story was a horror film trope itself (I won't say which one, no spoilers!)

I don't really think there was anything about this book I didn't like. But, I will say that the final fear test did seem like we jumped right into it without any exposition. I would've liked to have the action breathe a little bit more instead of just being thrown a bunch of information super quickly. But honestly, that is such a minor issue in what was otherwise a excellently executed (no pun intended) book!

Thank you to Net Galley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for an advanced copy!

I really liked the beginning and middle of this book, I WANTED to love this book but the ending felt really rushed. I would definitely read a prequel though to better understand why and how everything happened. It’s a really interesting idea.

After a traumatic experience Rachel turns to horror movies for comfort, and as she's thrust into a new school, she becomes involved in a secret horror movie and prank group called the Mary Shelly Club and things start to get out of hand. I liked the commentary of turning to the genre as a trauma response and as something therapeutic. I wanted to like this a bit more than I did. For starters, I didn't quite get along with the writing style. Its a good intro for non-horror fans to some great hidden gems and cult classics (except I will not stand for that Sleepaway Camp and Jason Takes Manhattan slander, but that's another story). I don't know that I was the right reader for this. I saw most of the twists and reveals coming a mile away (except for one big one.) It felt a bit stilted for me, unfortunately.

Ok..... seriously I have been dreaming about a YA thriller like this!!

Goldy... you're my new favorite author and I absolutely LOVED this YA thriller.

BUCKLE up ladies and gentleman. OH my guacamole you're in for a serious wild ride with this one. I am SOO lucky to have gotten an early copy of this masterpiece.

Let's meet Rachel... she has been attacked early on by two masked men when she is home alone. She is terrifed and is trying to recover from this horrible event. She transfers to a new school and is trying to build a new life in high school. Rachel soon learns about a mysterious "Mary Shelley Club" and is very intrigued since she loves horror movies.

Luckily, Rachel finds herself as a new member of this Mary Shelley Club and finds out that the number one goal is to scare people. Simple right?

Each member has what's called a "fear test." They each have to identify a target and the rest of the group plays along with the scene that is played out for that target.

This is all about you're going to get from me. This was pure GENIUS. I loved this book. Goldy does an amazing job in this unique and addicting YA thriller. It reads more of an adult thriller but does have aspects of a YA thriller.

Oh my... and Goldy you pulled it off. You got me at the end there with that twist. Will we be lucky enough to get a sequel!? Squeals with anticipation.

4.5/5 stars

Thank you so much to Macmillian/Henry Holt and netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 4/13/21
Published to GR: 2/16/21

This is a mostly very fun YA thriller/slasher horror novel, though I thought the way the characters name-dropped horror novels and films wasn't integrated as naturalistically as it could've been (also, I felt like some of their references made more sense for my generation, and I'm 35...). I appreciated the opening 'teaser' attack that we don't fully get the backstory for until 25% of the way through, and I appreciated the way many of the characters were fairly well-developed (though still relied on archetypes that made it easy to distinguish between the wide cast very quickly). However, at times I felt like the main character's less-than-smart decisions defied belief, particularly for a horror-head like her. (I suppose that her PTSD and resultant self-sabotage could explain some of this, but it still felt jarring from time to time). The final twists of the novel were fun enough, and one [very minor spoiler] leaves open the possibility for a sequel (or so it seems to me).

This book was good! It kept me guessing what was going to happen. I liked the premise or “horror clubs” around the nation and it’s reveal at the end makes me want to read more!

When I first saw The Mary Shelley Club, I was intrigued. As a horror fan and a huge fan of Scream, I was interested in what the book could do. It is a lot to live up to when you say you are similar to Scream, so I wanted to read and see what the hype was about essentially. The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky is a fantastic read. It has fantastic character development, intriguing suspense, and superb pacing. From the start, you begin to wonder who and what are doing these pranks, and the answer is beyond who you could imagine. I think the mystery is the best part of The Mary Shelley Club; there is this concept that every character introduced could be the prankster, or someone out to get/murder another. The main character and you, as a reader, don't know who to trust, and even when you do, they could be the ones to turn on any character in the novel. That is the fun about it. It is the right amount of spooky, keeps you guessing, and is entertaining the entire way through.

I haven’t read a thriller that maintains its strength through the end in some time. There are some slow spots. Being a horror fan movie buff helps, but The Mary Shelley Club is an enjoyable read! So often we are reading from the perspective of the victim, not the ones committing (and planning) the pranks. Overall, this is not a super scary read. You probably could guess the ending. But I think teens will enjoy the characters, pranks, and intensity.

When I saw Mary Shelley in the title, I knew I had to read it. I find Mary Shelley to be one of the most fascinating authors of the 19th century. I think Goldy Moldavsky did Mary Shelley proud with this YA thriller. Rachel Chavez was the victim of an attack when two masked men broke into her home. Since the attack, she has found solace in watching horror movies. In order for Rachel to get a fresh start, she and her mother move from Long Island and Rachel starts attending the elite prep school where her mother is a teacher. She feels out of place in this new elite world, but she makes one good friend, Saundra, who tries hard to get Rachel out and socializing. At one party, a rather strange prank occurs and this one prank leads Rachel into a whole new layer of the elitism at her school. She becomes involved with The Mary Shelley Club. She finds comfort in a small group of people who also enjoy horror movies, but the one thing she doesn't expect is that this club is also responsible for some pranks that have been happening to students at the school. When the pranks start to go wrong and it seems as if someone is trying to prank the club using their own plans against them, can Rachel find a way to leave the club behind her? Such a well-crafted thriller for young adults. One of the best YA thrillers I have ever read. I can't wait to read more books by Moldavsky.

Great realistic characters, almost like a horror version of "The Breakfast Club" it was spooky and creepy. Kept me guessing and couldn't put it down. Figured out a part of it but not all and it didn't spoil anything. Great read!

As soon as I saw the title, I smashed the request button. In college, our English Club held an annual literary conference, and one of the last panels I participated in was about Mary Shelley and "chick lit" and the progression of women writers--so Mary Shelley holds a special place in my heart. Give me Scream meets Karen McManus for comp titles, and I'm 100 percent in.

One year after being attacked in her Long Island home, Rachel is trying to forge a new life at a swanky private school when a random party sends her tumbling into The Mary Shelley Club--a group of mismatched high schoolers with a love of horror movies and mayhem. Harmless mayhem--until things start to escalate and Rachel is forced to confront her past or die trying.

This book was super fun.

As someone who was raised on 90s slashers that have become cult classics, Moldavsky nailed the nostalgia aspect. With easter eggs for some die-hard horror aficionados and plenty of hit-you-in-the-head references to movies or books we all know and love, it's impossible to read this and not have a good time. Some of the dialogue was borderline cringe, but mostly because it felt meta: a horror book dissecting the genre and paying homage to the greats. Scream did that, too, and I remember the reactions being similar when it was first released--and look where that is in cinematic history. Part campy, part clever, I think many readers will be won over here.

I also appreciated the more philosophical discussions about fear. Even though we're not supposed to take the characters too seriously, there are some insightful discussions happening about the purpose of horror and its place in a world gone mad. I love seeing multifaceted interpretations. Horror as a teacher, a remedy, a comfort. The genre is not just one thing, and I was glad to see so many different iterations of fear included in the prose.

There is a certain amount of risk that comes when you reference the classics, though. People have expectations, ideas in their heads of what a narrative is supposed to look like. For me, I almost wish I hadn't read the summary beforehand because I had a *solid* grip on where the story was going after the first chapter. Did that make it less fun? Absolutely not, but I think part of the arc lost its mystery.

Overall, The Mary Shelley Club is a fun, smart, psychological horror that builds on the classics and promises a wild good time. For fans of horror, Ryan Murphy high-school shenanigans, add this one to your TBR for April.

Thank you to Henry Holt and Co and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.

Thank you to NetGalley, Colored Pages Tour, and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book so that I could participate in this book tour.

Thoughts and Themes: The minute that I started reading this book it was one that I could not put down. Lately, I’ve really been into the Young Adult Horror genre and I don’t know if it’s because of the weather or just because I hadn’t read much before so I didn’t know how much I would love it. This book stole my heart right from the start and then it broke it into a million pieces by the end which is why it got 5 stars.

First, it is taking all of me to just not keyboard smash for this review because I am still in all my feelings because of this book. I do not remember the last time that I stayed up just to finish a book because I wanted to and not because I waited until the last minute to read it. I really just want to ramble on about this book but what I want to ramble on about is the twists that occur at the end of the book and for that I will wait.

I saw so many reviews stating that they saw the twist coming and either I saw it but didn’t want to believe it like our main character or I was that oblivious to it. That really was part of why I loved the book, I enjoyed that I was being strung along just like the main character was. I liked the aspect that as a reader I was just as fooled as she was and that was why the ending hurt as much as it did. I felt just as heartbroken as she did when everything was revealed.

The way that this story ends really makes you think about the rest of the story and made me want to go back and re-read to see if I could make more connections now that I know everything. The ending also left me wanting more because I need to know what happens now or is it just up to our interpretation.

Characters: This is honestly my favorite part of the book and also the saddest. These characters are the reason I wish I had a physical copy so I could throw the book across the room but throwing myself had to do because I couldn’t harm my kindle. These characters are just lovable right from the start and I am so disappointed in them by the end of the story but I can’t tell you why without ruining this book.

There are several characters that you get introduced to right from the start. Rachel, Bram, Freddie, Thayer, and Felicity who make up the members of the Mary Shelley Club. Then you meet the side characters who play a role in this story, Lux who is Bram’s girlfriend and Saundra, Rachel’s best friend.

I really liked that we got a Latinx main character and liked reading the difference between her and the others at the school. I liked that we got to see how she felt that she was living in a different world because of her social economic status and we see her connect with Freddie because of this.

I liked the way that Rachel develops a relationship with each member of the Mary Shelley Club and how though they have one goal in mind they all have distinct personalities. I thought that it was great to learn more about each character as time went on and what I really wanted to know is their motives behind being in this club. I wanted to know what was keeping them there and what they were so scared of because we only got to see Rachel’s initiation into the club.

I want to discuss my favorite character with you all and I will but I just can’t tell you who it is without ruining the ending. I enjoyed the development of this character and their relationship with others and seeing the manipulation throughout this whole story. I found the character lovable right from when you meet them so I was really heartbroken by how things had to end up. I was rooting for them the whole time and was hoping for a different ending while knowing it had to end this way.

Writing Style: This story is told in the first person through the perspective of Rachel, our main character. There are moments that the story switches to third-person during a fear test so that we are able to see what that character sees at that time. I really enjoyed the fear tests and how they were included in the story. I liked that they made you feel like you were that character going through the fear tests. Each of those fear tests was moments in the story that scared me even if I knew it was all a game.

“If I was a monster, then so was everyone else in this club. And for once I didn’t feel like such a freak. We could be monsters together.”

Scream meets Gossip Girl. The story follows new girl Rachel as she has moved to a new school after a horrific incident. Rachel was attacked in a home invasion and is now coping by obsessing over horror movies. When she arrives at a party and sees a fear prank occurring, she decides she has to get in on this club, regardless of if they want her or not. The club is the Mary Shelley Club, in which each member loves horror movies and participates in pranks that are to scare their potential victims into screaming. The club consists of moody jerk Bram, Stephen King obsessed Felicity, friendly jokester Thayer , and film nerd Freddie. Rachel becomes obsessed with getting into the club and essentially strong arms her way in, but even in this club she is an outsider. Things start to take a turn for the worst when the pranks begin to get out of hand and a “masked” figure is taking things to the extreme.

This book is filled with horror movie references and notes, and as a horror movie lover myself I really thought it was such a nice touch! Rachel was an okay character to me, I just could not fathom her blind-sidedness to all the RED FLAGS going around her. For someone who loves and obsesses over horror movies she sure missed ALL OF THE FLAGS. She stalked the club members and essentially said “ the more they reject me the more I want in” and when she gets in and is still not welcomed, she’s hurt. Ma’am. She continues to ignore all the flags and signs that she should immediately leave this club and, oh I don’t know, join a knitting club you’d be better off. None of the characters exactly hooked me and I could definitely see how this is similar to Scream Queens or Scream. The ending is abrupt, and oh boy did it just go from about a 50 to 100% real fast with who the villain was. Overall, this was an okay read and I did love the horror movie references, I just didn’t enjoy any of the characters all that much.

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

HOLD ONTO YOUR HATS FOLKS! Let me tell you about the best book you’ve never heard of. Thank you so much to Macmillian/Henry Holt and Goldy Moldavsky for the pleasure of reading this book that comes out on April 13. The Mary Shelley Club is a HIT! You will be hearing about this book in the future.

There are three things everyone knows about a good horror movie.

Avoid abandoned buildings at all times
Don’t split up - stay together, even if someone wants to “check something out”
If there is a murderer on the loose, don’t waste time making out

But what about real life?

The Mary Shelley Club begins Rachel being attacked by two masked men in her home. A year later her world is completely different. After transferring schools and starting to rebuild, Rachel copes by watching horror movies. She wants to master her fear, even if that means forgoing friendship. But sometimes friendship comes to you. For Rachel, it is in the form of The Mary Shelley Club, a secret and exclusive club on her new prep school’s campus. After stumbling into a prank they were pulling, Rachel finds herself being initiated into a club that has one goal - to truly scare people.

Each member of The Mary Shelley Club has a “fear test” where they plan the ultimate scary scenario and act it out. Each member has a role, and the group has a target that they want to get to scream. The four other members of the group have their own reasons for choosing their targets, and Rachel has a target of her own.

At one point in the book Rachel states, “you could say that slashers actually give the Final Girl the kind of agency that women in other film genres never experience”. This book is about female empowerment and the strength it takes to be a Final Girl. It is about overcoming fear in the world around you as well as the fear of yourself. The many references to the horror movie genre are entertaining and capture the reader’s attention in the way other plots can’t.

While some YA books learn towards fledgling romance and unnecessary drama, The Mary Shelley Club reads like an adult thriller. It does have many of the themes of a YA book, but is well done and enthralling. It was if Scream and A Good Girls Guide to Murder had a book baby, and would be a great choice for fans of thrillers, mysteries, YA, or any combination of the three. While some may not enjoy the open ending, I liked that it left room for a sequel. Things are explained just enough that you know why certain things happened, but there is room for more explanation in a future book. One thing is for sure- Goldy Moldavsky is one to watch. 5-stars!

I was so excited to read this book after seeing the description Gossip Girl meets Scream. And it did not disappoint. Rachel, after having survived a traumatic experience, starts at a fancy new school where mysterious pranks have always happened and no one knows who is behind them. She finds herself in the ranks of a "horror aficionado" club and the pranks take on a life of their own and take tragic turns. This book was so fun. It had so many nods to classic horror and discussion of tropes in the genre. It also ended with a could be continued vibe and I feel like it could make a great series. As fun as it is there are darker elements that might not be for everyone as well as some predictable twists (the classic tropes exist for a reason). Overall, I think it could be enjoyed by anyone but especially fans of anything horror.

After surviving a home invasion, Rachel Chavez turns to horror movies to cope. She becomes utterly obsessed with horror, so when she switches schools, she seeks out a mysterious club suspected of orchestrating elaborate scare pranks on its students.

They call themselves the Mary Shelley Club. However, once she’s finally initiated into their ranks, she discovers that the games they play are more dangerous than she anticipated.

The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky is a wonderful, entertaining ode to slasher horror, chock full of horror movies references. However, I think the story is so preoccupied with its own premise and horror tropes that it leaves little room for character development. Most of the characters--asides from Rachel and Bram--are unfortunately one-dimensional caricatures, so ultimately, I found myself more caught in the pranks and less emotionally invested in the characters themselves.

This is a fun, well-paced horror-lite book that’s perfect for those of us who love scary stuff but can’t handle anything too gratuitous or grotesque.

Rachel survived a home invasion and is attempting to put her past behind her at a new school in the city. In the aftermath of her trauma, she’s become a huge fan of horror, using scary movies to try to numb out the fear that follows her after what happened to her at her old home.

Enter The Mary Shelley Club, a sorta secret society of fellow horror enthusiasts whose activities include living out revenge-based horror movie scenarios in real life.

The game, predictably, starts getting a little too real, and Rachel is forced to confront her past and come to terms that her new friends may have something dangerous to hide.

Moldavsky nailed the tone for this book perfectly. It’s creepy when it should be but holds back from being outright horrifying, and it has an excellent subtle sense of humor. Rachel is easy to root for, and the story is a propulsive page turner.

The solve is a touch convoluted and it’s easy to guess the killer very early on in the book, but there are some neat details that spill out in the concluding chapters, as well as a good foundation for a sequel.

The Mary Shelley Club is actually a really good time, complete with a light meta quality and cultural references that won't really age. My only complaint is a slight lack of authenticity in the conversational skills of some of the ancillary characters.

Interesting premise. Likable/hated characters. Cool plot. I would recommend this story to others. Some spots I found that didn't hold my attention, but overall, I still liked it.

Saying that I loved this book would be an understatement! As someone who is a massive fan of horror movies and novels, this one didn’t let me down. ‘The Mary Shelley Club’ is one I would have loved in high school (minus the prank wars.) I can’t wait for this novel to publish so everyone can add a copy to their shelves!