The Falling Girls is a solid, yet somewhat predictable YA drama/thriller. I enjoyed how the novel analyzes toxic female friendships and how it weighed upon the main characters. However, this is where the novel most shines and unfortunately the mystery at the heart of the story is neither all that compelling or thought provoking. ⁣
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Protagonist Shade is easy to relate to and sympathize with. In fact, if not for her, this may have been an even tougher read for me to get through. Although Falling Girls is a quick read, some of the pacing around the second half felt like quite the slog. My other major complaint is that most of the other characters felt underdeveloped and I would have especially liked to get to know the members of the Chloe clique better. ⁣
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I’d still recommend this to readers wanting an easy read to breeze through, who are fans of media like Mean Girls or Heathers, only with the caveat that there’s not much in The Falling Girls that feels very original or ground-breaking. ⁣
Thanks so much to Penguin Teen for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Falling Girls is released on October 5th.

Shade is in a codependent friendship with her bestie Jadis but decides to branch out and pursue her interest in cheerleading. When a cheerleader dies under mysterious circumstances, Shade is determined to get to the bottom of it.

This was an interesting story about cheerleading and the complex friendships among teenagers. It brings you back to high school as it explores toxic friendships who appear one way to the outside world but are frenemies behind closed doors. It also explores setting boundaries and pursuing your own interests.

I enjoyed the mystery aspect as they tried to figure out who was responsible for the death of the cheerleader. It was dark at times and brought out the worst in the girls.

Overall the book was fine - a bit predictable and a lot of unlikeable characters, but fans of Mean Girls-style YA and/or cheerleading should check it out.

I finished this book in just a few days, which was such a great feeling. It’s been before the pandemic that I’ve been able to really sit down and just absorb myself into reading. That tells you it was an enjoyable read for me.

This story brought me back to my high-school days, with all those feelings of fear of not fitting in, of first love, of craving independence, but secretly being afraid of it. The complicated, painful relationship with our parent(s) as we push them away, but secretly crave their attention and acceptance.

It was an enjoyable read, and I connected with the characters easily. The main character Shade was likable, even as I pitied her. Her and her best friend Jadis are close, maybe unhealthily close at times. The story shows that sometimes our friends can also be like our family, and that includes the ways that our family can hurt us, because they know us better than anyone.

Thank you for the read, NetGalley.

This book and its characters were so messed up, that I honestly had nobody to root for. And that's not a bad thing considering the subject that the book is about. The Falling Girls is about a teenager named Shade who decides to join the cheerleading team at her school and her life takes a different direction. This book deals with topics such as bullying, drug use in minors, I can see why it's technically considered a psychological thriller with all the toxicity all these girls have and take part in.

I enjoyed this but it didn't captivate my attention as much as I would've liked and I knew where the plot was headed. The writing and execution were done well in my opinion, and I give props to the author for writing a book that you can tell is very much close to reality with its topic.

The Falling Girls scrutinizes the powerful, all-consuming, ever-evolving relationship between teenage girls, aka best friends - how far they'll go for each other and how dark they'll go when they feel betrayed. While these relationships can be healthy, there's a fine line between close friendship and obsession. This is the story of what can happen when that line is crossed.

Shade and Jadis have been best friends forever - a pair of outsiders against the world. Their relationship is intricate as they feed off each other's energy - mimicking clothes, tats, moods, opinions, actions. When Shade admits to secretly trying out and becoming a member of the elite cheerleader team at school, a cult-like group led by three pompous girls all named Chloe, Jadis is stunned. Shade is forsaking her to be a silly cheerleader? Jadis perceives the betrayal as infidelity and vows that no one, not even the queen cheerleader, will come between them. Meantime, Shade is reveling with her new friends while attempting to maintain her friendship with a sullen Jadis. Intoxicated from becoming one of the cheer leader flyers and new intimate friend to captain cheerleader Chloe - much to the chagrin of Chloe's troubled best friend Chloe #2 - Shade hopes to have it all. Like Jadis, Chloe #2 is livid at Shade's position on the team and has no intention of relinquishing her spot as best friend to Chloe #1 without a fight. As the saying goes, "Don't get mad, get even". And so the treacherous games begin . . . and a cheerleader mysteriously dies. Was it a tragic accident . . . or murder?

The Falling Girls is the story of the dark, obsessive, often toxic, love/hate relationship that occurs between teenage girls when a line is crossed. A breakup between best friends is equivalent to a married couple divorcing with all the hurt, spitefulness and ugliness that follows. Krischer has brilliantly captured the raw, emotional turmoil suffered in these relationships while rendering a gutsy, disturbing tale of what happens when the balance of power between girls shifts and one is left grieving on the outside looking in while plotting her revenge. She explores the depth of teenage girls' possessiveness and beliefs that a person belongs with them with emphasis on how far they'll go to reclaim what they believe is rightfully theirs. Some may call it pettiness, but when it crosses the line from childish acts to obsessive, malicious endangerment, it's a disturbing, psychotic state of mind where anything is possible.

From the first few pages to The End, I devoured The Falling Girls. The dark undertone of malevolent intent emits creepy vibes and after the death of one of the girls, the mystery of who, why and how drives the story forward at a brisk pace as accusations are hurled and denied. The author nails the dark side of human nature along with the vicious attacks that occur between teenage girls when they feel betrayed and the resulting devastation occurring when they dole out retaliation. The Falling Girls is the dark, raw story of what happens when a friendship falls apart and love turns to hate. Of what happens when obsession is fueled by jealousy burning out of control until rage takes over body and mind. It's the story of one girl's journey from being a codependent in a toxic relationship to finding the strength and determination to stand on her own two feet and claim her own future. Highly recommended to fans of Young Adult Thrillers.

Thank you NetGalley & Penguin Group for an eARC copy of The Falling Girls, which pubs on October 5th!

I'm a sucker for YA books, and absolutely devoured this one. This one has a heavy focus on cheerleading, which took me back to when I was younger and definitely injured myself on more than one occasion! Social media is another big focus in this novel.

The book also deeply explores the sometimes-complex relationships of teenage girls while unraveling a mystery when one of the cheerleaders dies under mysterious circumstances. Very well written and kept me reading until the late hours of the night, I look forward to seeing what this author comes up with next!

A remarkable book that captures the intense and sometimes toxic world of high school friendships, cheerleading, and being a teenage girl. In a book that is both dreamy and brutal, Krischer paints a picture of codependent friendships, the need to be accepted by people, whether you even like them or not, and the violence that can burst out when backed into a corner. All this, without feeling like an "issues" book! Character-driven, moody, and with gorgeous writing, this is a winner through and through. Must purchase.

The Falling Girls, is clever and wonderfully chilling. It held me hostage late into the night until the early hours.

This is my first book by Hayley Krischer, but it will not be my last.

The Falling Girls, is equal parts captivating and also incredibly disturbing . I would consider this more of a YA book instead of thriller but as I said it definitely can be disturbing at times . The chapters are fluid and the plot is well thought out . I would highly recommend

Hayley Krischer, you absolutely killed it. This book follows Shade, Jadis and three Chloe's as they navigate changing friendships. I have never seen a more perfect picture of female friendship and the emotional and physical bonds created within them. Each emotion these girls felt felt real to the reader. Each betrayal hurt, kindness brought joy. It felt so incredibly real. This book brought to life how toxic some female friendships can be, as well as how they live within the societal expectations of best friends. Not to mention how it tackled how society views cheerleading and other "girl" sports as weak and skill-less, when in reality they are anything but. I simply fell in love with this book. It is a must read. I was enraptured with the characters and the storyline, plus, it even managed to surprise me. Definitely pick it up!