On the surface this book seems like a great time: unreliable narrator shaped by messed up boarding school experience. Cool. Sign me up. But not only is the narrator unreliable, I also hate her. I found myself having to listen to parts of this over again to figure out what was actually going on since so much happens in her head. I also had a really hard time keeping track of the timelines, which is not usually something I usually struggle with--but something about her just slipping into memory with hardly any notice really kept throwing me out of the story.

At first I wasn’t too sure what i was getting into as it begins slowly. We first meet Jo on her honeymoon with her new husband and an unplanned stop at her old boarding school. Shocked at what had became of the school seems to open a flood gate of her memories from her days at The Divines.

This is a story of regret and self discovery. Definitely a slow burner but after a bit you become very connected to Jo and want to find out what happened at The Divine and how it shaped the person that Jo became.

I really enjoyed the story and would recommend it to other readers that enjoy character driven novels.

I was able to receive the audiobook via #netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

There’s something irresistible about a wicked boarding school story, and "The Divines," is no exception with characters that alternate between posh and utterly feral. Joe and her fellow Divines are ruthless and it’s no wonder the ‘townies’ dislike the school, but the same obsessive nature that drives their cruelty also fuels a fierce loyalty to one another. The author does a good job of showing how time and obsession can twist memories and creates an unreliable main character who is slowly coming unhinged as she rediscovers past memories she tried to forget.

The plot felt a little unfocused at points, which may have been a deliberate choice, but it seemed to distract from the build up to both the reveal of the incident with Gerry Lake and the book’s conclusion. With all the anticipation built throughout the book, the final scenes felt very rushed, only to be cut off with an abrupt conclusion that lost some of its punch by how quickly it finishes.

In terms of narration, Imogen Church did a brilliant job and made for a really engaging listen with unique and easily identifiable cues for each character.

In spite of the abrupt ending, it was still an engaging read worth checking out!

Thank you to HarperAudio and Netgalley for an advance copy of this audiobook.

This book was a big miss for me. The opening scenes are intriguing but I just couldn't stomach how unlikeable the characters were. I get that's the point, but it was over the top with fatphobia, homophobia, bullying, eating disorders, etc. I kept hoping the main character would grow or learn, but it seems her years as a Divine were something she never grew out of. At one point she watches her husband using the bathroom and cringes at the way he sits down to pee, calling it "effeminate." I just couldn't connect or care what happened to such a shallow, ignorant, hateful character telling us the story of her adolescence that to be honest, didn't seem to have a point.

I was intrigued but the cover and the blurb. It was such an excellent story and I was totally not expecting the ending. The author writes an intriguing view about what happens when you place all your self-worth on what happens while you are attending high school (let alone a swanky private school). I found it so fascinating that though Jo had a life filled with wonderful prior and things, she still held firmly onto her guilt and feelings of unworthiness and self-loathing due to her childhood mistakes. Also compelling that she was the only one of the Divines who let it affect her life post prep school. Imogen Church is hand down my favorite female narrator. She really bright this story to life for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperAudio for this audiobook arc in exchange for an honest review.

It's about a boarding school of girls, known as Divines, and the main characters experiences there. It is also duo perspective which I really enjoyed but overall I thought it was just okay.

The narrator is the audiobook was great but after 20% into it I found myself being little bored. It was as if a lot happened but not at once. I do love a flawed character so I didn't mind Josephine but she was exhausting.

As a whole, the book was decent but the ending was unfulfilling for me.

3/5

Divine. That's the best word to describe this novel. I did not attend a posh, private all girls school, but this was exactly as I imagined it. Girls can be mean. And I cannot fathom being surrounded in groups of girls that are of the hive mind concept. Boarding school. Where you can never get away from them.

I fell in love with the audio of this. It was so well and thoroughly acted through. Memorable characters. A surprising twist. (It really did shock me). And an honest coming of age that shows while some of us are far removed from the person we were in the our school days - there are still many that are exactly the same.

I for one don't miss it one bit. (School days that is)

Very interesting. Was not expecting the ending. A great lesson in what happens when you place all your self worth on what happens in high school. I found it fascinating that though Joe had all these wonderful things in her life, she still held onto guilt and feelings of unworthiness due to her past mistakes. It was interesting to see that she was the only one who let it ruin her life.

Completely chilling and keeps you needing more right to the end. I always adore Church as a narrator I'm definitely looking to purchase when available

Josephine is living in the past. Always reliving the moments she spent at The Divines boarding school, the times she tried to prevent her best friend from doing bad things, the time she lost trying to impress her best friend's brother, but more than anything, the moment she turned Gerry Lake's life upside down... Will she be able to put the past behind in order to live the present with her newly wed husband?

I loved to hate The Divines by Ellie Eaton. I really did.
First off, Imogen Church has a beautiful somber velvety voice than fitted perfectly the ambiance of the book. I highly enjoyed her narration and I thoroughly believe she made the book a whole lot better to me. Her acting was on point, her voice clear and distinct when switching back and forth between characters, the pacing wasn't too fast of to slow and it was easy to know when you finished or started a new chapter. If you had to choose between the book or the audiobook, I would personally recommend you pick up the audio version of the story.

As for the plot itself... as I said, I loved to hate it. The Divines is not a book you sit down, smile through, close the cover and go happily about your day. It's a book about difficulties, past gnawing away as us, dwelling on it, decomposing with it, trauma, teenage crisis, flaws. Lots of flawed, but human and relatable characters. The Divines is about the bad and the sad. The Divines is about the ugliness. The Divines is how ones appearances are always much lying to our face. Dealing with these types of topics are rough, because it is not in any way an enjoyable journey to witness. Although, through the eyes of younger and older Josephine (one nicknamed Joe and the other nicknames Sephine), you can almost like the evolution of it. You understand it and reflect on your own past while doing so. The Divines was really powerful in that way.

On the other hand, I personally didn't wholly appreciate the ending. It felt rushed and didn't bring with it all the power it detained. I wished it would've ended on a lighter note, a nostalgic note, reflective of the ambiance of the book.

Overall, I enjoyed listening to the identity crisis of a grown newly wed woman dwelling on her past and how much that affected her. I would highly recommend that book, more especially the audiobook. If you are a deep core fan of women literary fiction and if you are looking for a nice different twist of the genre, absolutely look for it. I am excited to see what Ellie Eaton would be coming out with in the future: getting my eyes peeled for that!

This book is coming out in March of 2021. Definitely set on your phone an alarm to remember to download the audio when the time comes.

#NetGalley #HaperAudio #TheDivines #EllieEaton

A HUGE thank you to Netgalley for approving me for this arc. I was so excited upon early announcements, and it did NOT disappoint! I listened to this via audiobook, which was narrated by Imogen Church, arguably the BEST audiobook narrator of all time. Her vocals lend a very haunted atmosphere that suits the book so SO well.

This writing is so good. I mean, really first rate. It’s captivating, dark and draws you straight in. Even the atmosphere around the first time the phrase “I am divine” gave me chills. It has, at first glimpse all the intrigue of dark academia classic in the making with it’s girls-only boarding school, social class prejudices, set in the UK in the 90’s. We follow Josephine at two stages of her life, in high school where she goes by Jo and in her thirties where she goes by Sephine. There is a scandal involving one of the girls that was bullied by Jo and her friends which affects Sephine in her current life, significantly. We unpack the mystery along with her.

As you might imagine it explores volatile friendships, specifically between teenage girls, but Ellie Eaton doesn’t just show us these mean girls in action, we see the repercussions of these actions, the way they manifest into adulthood, the way they isolate each of the girls. Insecurity, peer pressure, privilege all come together in the perfect storm, shaping these 16 year girls into the “divine”. This kind of overwhelming influence creeps into Sephine’s life, 14 years later.

But Ellie Eaton doesn’t stop there. You MIGHT consider this SPOILERS so stay away if you aren’t interested, otherwise - THIS - is where the book became 5 stars and a new favorite for me;

The novel takes us through the muck of something very real. Society pushes and pins girls to be a certain way. We create a shame based system so that they have no choice but to have secrets. Secrets from their parents and teachers but also from each other. This creates an environment of isolation and in that isolation girls are vulnerable and exposed to unspeakable things. As children what even the girls believe to be power is revealed as a tool of manipulation, and their own undoing. The isolation is a dangerous and desperate reality.

So often a novel will give us sensational topics to make us feel disgusting and evoke a reaction, but this gives a raw but tender look into the real darkness, holding accountable more than just the “divine”. It just gave me absolute chills! I’m blown away and am hoping to snag a copy when it becomes available! I cannot wait to see what Ellie Eaton does next!

I tried, I really really tried but between the back and forth of the story line and not a good definition of which time (present or past) we are in made it hard to engage. I gave it to 25% of the book completed but could not finish it. The narration was just also something that wasn’t captivating this time and I am a VERY avid audiobook listener so I’ve heard a lot of them!

Have you ever romanticized attending boarding school? This novel left me grateful for every night I was able to go home and leave the school day behind me. "The Divines" is a coming of age novel that leaves you questioning whether you ever really grow up and leave your past behind you. The protagonist, Josephine, struggles with this. Allow she has shed her "Divine" identity that label has, in many ways, shaped her adult self.

I can't say that I "enjoyed." this book. It was a little gritty and at some points it was a bit ugly, but it is very readable. The book was billed as similar to "The Girls" and "Normal People," and I think those are fair comparisons. I would throw out "Prep" as another similar story. I didn't particularly care for any of those books. So take my review with a grain of salt!

Thank you Netgalley for this audiobook of The Divines by Ellie Eaton.

They are called The Divines. The girls who go to St. John the Divine boarding schools. They smoke, drink, have no regard for rules or others, and their parents are rich. Needless to say, the "townies" as they refer to the common townsperson, don't have a high opinion of them.

Jo, or Josephine, has worked hard to escape the memories of being a Divine. She doesn't go to reunions, she doesn't talk about it with her new husband. But now inexplicably, she finds herself drawn back to the old school grounds. Through old memories, and Jo's new life as a mother, we slowly come to discover what about being a Divine has Jo so haunted, and the part she played in all of it.

I really enjoyed this book. It was very rich in plot and character development. I really felt like I understood the characters, and I could feel the tension between school and town. What baffled me the most was the abrupt ending and untied loose ends. But perhaps it was deliberate in order to strongly convey the unrest of the protagonist.

Trigger warning: weight and food disorders, bullying, and childhood trauma.

I wouldn't be surprised if this book is one of the most talked about books of 2021. It is complicated, dark, and intense. Not to mention, incredibly addictive.

The Divines are the elite young women who inhabit St John the Divine. They are entitled but fierce, sneaking cigarettes and boys into their dorms in the middle of the night and driving the staff mad. From the iconic hair flip to their exaggerated pronunciations, these girls are sharp witted and darkly hilarious.

Decades have passed and now Josephine, one of the Divines cannot stop reminiscing obsessing over her time at St Johns. Jo takes us back to her time at the all girls school with blatant honesty about the female sexuality and identity, bringing a raw sense of emotion and matter of fact attitude to this coming of age novel.

What happens when we attempt to relive our childhood memories? How different is our perception of events that occurred in adolescence from those who were also present? Can the past truly haunt us?

The writing you find in The Divines is absolutely masterful. The audio addition I read was addicting to listen to and performed like a true stage performance. I found myself losing track of time thinking back to my old high school memories. It made me wonder if I was as nerdy as I perceived myself to be and how did my class mates view me all those years ago?

I loved every minute of this book. It is sharp in every sense of the word. I cannot wait to see what Ellie Eaton brings us next.

Thank you to #Netgalley and #Harperaudio for the advanced reader copy of #TheDivines for an honest review.

A well-written, scathing story about the traumas teenage girls inflict upon each other at boarding school. Though I was interested in the plot, I had trouble connecting with the main character and any of the others in the book.

In the Divines Josephine grows up in a boarding school for all girls. Every time there is a huge group of girls there is bound to be drama. Even though the school was a religious school the girls were rebellious. They were constantly chain smoking and chasing after boys. They had a reputation around town. In this school the girls struggled with their identities and were constantly bullying each other. When Josephine looked back on her years at the school she was disgusted by herself and her schoolmates. Josephine starts to blur reality when she thinks back on the scandals that took place at this school. This book wasn't horrible but it's not really one I recommend. It kept my interest but a lot of it was super frustrating.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for my gifted copy. I also one a physical copy on goodreads so thank you goodreads as well.

The Divines by Ellie Eaton
✨ Book Review ✨

This debut is a pseudo coming-of-age meets mystery about teenage girls in a boarding school dubbed, “the divines.” Thank you @netgalley for this audiobook version!

What I liked:
🤩 Imogen Church’s narration was ev👏ery👏thing👏 I will definitely be looking for more books narrated by her in the future

🤩 heavily flawed characters— I love a good character driven novel where the characters are equal parts good and evil— so reflective of who we really are.

What I didn’t like:
🙈I hated what Eaton did with one character in a post sex-experiment scene (Lauren)

🙈So. Many. Loose. Ends. in both the individual characters’ stories and the book over all. Maybe that was the intention, but it was ineffective for me.

Word is this one will appeal to you if you like the style of Sally’s Rooney or The Virgin Suicides, neither of which I’m really familiar with. I think it was an interesting debut and I’d definitely be interested to see what this author does next. 👀 The Divines hits bookshelves on January 19, 2021!

#netgalley #thedivines #ellieeaton #netgalleyreview #netgalleyreads #comingofage #kindlephoto #audiobook #audiobooks #audiobookstagram #audiobooknarrator #audiobooklove #bookreview #bookreviews #bookreviewer #bookreviewers #bookblog #bookblogger #advancedreaderscopy #arc #arcreader #bookatagram #bookstagrammer #inatanooks #instareads #booksofinstagram #books #newbooks #bookish #booklover

Hasn’t everyone questioned there life? How you think your life was and knew only turns out not to be exactly the same.
Looking forward to more from author.

This was such a lovely book! It included some of my favorite elements: a coming of age story, a setting at a prestigious boarding school, an easily relatable main character, and a little bit of mystery. The Divines flips back and forth between narrator Josephine's present day, and her time at St. John the Divine's boarding school in England. Jo recalls her time as "a Divine" with equal parts nostalgia and horror. She tells of fun filled teenage hijinks, the tenderness of first love, nicknames and sisterhood. But these fond memories are shrouded in the darkness of girlhood drama, bullying, and the bitter pain of not fitting in. This book made me so glad to no longer be a teenage girl! The story is tender, nostalgic, and made me laugh out loud often. One of the better coming-of-age tales I have read recently.

Many thanks to Ellie Eaton, NetGalley, and Harper Audio for an ARC.