This was very good. Love the aspect of some dark academia. This was such an intricately wound story that reminded me of Karen M. McManus combined with Courtney Summers. It had me questioning who was the villain and who I should trust.

I found this book slow and really couldn’t keep reading because it didn’t keep my interest .

I know some will love it but it just not for me.

I actually really liked this book. The main characters were very well written and the plot was tasteful with a hint of thrilling adventures. I definitely will be recommending this book to all my YA friends.

4/5⭐ to Very Bad People by Kit Frick. Thank you very much to NetGalley and Simon Teen for an early egalley to review! I'm fairly new to the world of thrillers, but I was quite entertained by this YA thriller with Dark Academia vibes! I think the strongest elements of this book were the characters, the writing - particularly in terms of voice with our MC, and the social commentary I thought was important and woven well into the story. I also thought that the author skillfully wove together the mystery surrounding Calliope's mother's death and the secrets in their family with tension and mystery surrounding this secret society that Callie joins at her school. Also, the way the past was woven together with the present...really made the story come alive! As I met Calliope and got to know her school alongside her as well as this secret society, it really drew me into the book! In particular, how the society uses pranks (I think they were called larks in the book but I can't remember now) in order to further social justice causes in and around their school. The call to action vs simply just talking about situations to champion social justice is evident, and to some extent, readers can definitely learn from it. But, as in Dark Academia, things turn to the dark side, and as with teenagers, there are severe lapses in judgment with severe consequences. I am unsure how I feel about how dramatic and how quickly the "big reveal" happened which is why I'm not giving full stars, but overall it builds up the tension well as a good thriller should. As for the ending, I was quite satisfied with how things wrapped up but also left some details to readers' guesses. If you're looking for a new YA thriller to read this summer or fall, I would recommend giving this one a try!

This was such an intriguing book! I love dark academia and this gave me the feels I crave in that genre.

The twists were a little underwhelming to me, if I am being honest (hence why 4 instead of 5 stars) but I was hooked from the start!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved Kit Frick's book I Killed Zoe Spanos and had high expectations for this one. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I got wrapped into it and just enjoyed the experience

Actiones secundum fidei...

Six years ago, Calliope and her sisters survived a tragic accident that claimed the life of their mother and left them with many unanswered questions. No one knows how or why their van ended up in the lake. Now, Calliope has decided to transfer to the elite boarding school her mother attended as a teen. She is invited to Haunt and Rail, a mysterious secret society dedicated to social justice on campus and accepts, not sure what to expect. She is quickly pulled into the life of a "Ghost," sneaking around at night and executing elaborate schemes to fight for change. When Haunt and Rail decides to expose an offender on campus, Calliope finds that some of the Ghosts have a more extreme idea of what justice is than she does. When some more digging reveals that her mother's death may be linked to the society, Calliope begins to fear that she has gotten caught up in something much bigger than she thought.
I was intrigued by the nature of this story, as I find secret societies absolutely fascinating and thrilling. Haunt and Rail was no disappointment! I constantly found myself questioning what I believed and what would come to light as the story developed. There were many characters to keep track of but it became easy to remember them as the story went on. I read the eARC and the audiobook and I liked how the narrator performed the book. She even made it easy to tell when someone was just quickly reading something in their head. I loved the twists and turns throughout the novel and I would recommend this book to anyone who loves YA thrillers!

This book was underwhelming to say the least. The ending was the worst type of ending for me - open-ended, no closure. As anyone who knows me, I am very picky about my endings and *hate* open-ended ones with very few exceptions.

3.5/5 stars

This book is a YA dark academia thriller.

The narrator is 16 year old Calliope (1st person POV).

The book features boarding schools, a mystery, a secret society, sister drama and romance.

Something happened to Calliope's mother 6 years earlier. Part of the story has to do with Calliope trying to solve the mystery.

There were a lot of things that I liked about this book. I really liked the boarding school setting. I liked the mystery. I liked most of the stuff about the secret society. However the last part of the book unfortunately wasn't for me. The middle was absolutely riveting. But the last section was too over the top. And I wanted more from the actual ending.

Thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada as well as the author, Kit Frick. This was a pretty good read. I like books that involve schools and this one was one that I have to say that was well written as a YA book. I say that because some YA books at my age, just seem very silly and this did not. The book had a good storyline and it was executed well.

I really enjoyed this book! It had the perfect amount of mystery and plot twist, but heartache all the same. I liked how short and digestible the chapters were. It almost felt like each chapter was another day of the trimester! The writing style of this book was addictive, but not too overwhelming; very easy to read with sustained interest.
Caliope was a relatable character but I wished she stood up for her own beliefs and her friends more as it would have made her more well rounded. I felt that the ending was a little bit rushed, unless the author was considering writing a sequel. The ending left too many questions and situations unresolved for this to be a standalone!
I look forward to seeing what comes next from author Kit Frick!

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for providing me with an early copy for review!

For starters, I see Dark Academia and I’m always game. Always. So when I was given a chance to read this book and saw that it was a dark academia, I was so SO excited.

The book follows our protagonist, Calliope, as she unravels the mysteries of her mothers life and events leading up to a tragic car accident that claimed her mother and nearly claimed her and her two sisters. The book was twisty and turny and featured everything you’d expect in a dark academia, secret society, boarding school, etc. In a lot of ways it has all the potential to be perfect and I feel like if you’re a huge lover of Karen M McManus’s work, you’ll adore this book. I did like it, to be clear, but I found it a little slow to start and it took a lot of time to get into the meat and potatoes of the story which left me feeling bored for a good chunk of the book. I can’t complain about that too much because it is honestly a trait of Dark Academia but i felt like it was especially prominent in this book.

Overall though, I liked Calliope. I felt she was a strong female lead and made conclusions and did actions that actually made sense in the mystery. The setting was good and I feel like it definitely fits if you’re looking for a teen dark academia.

Very Bad People is a YA, dark academia, thriller. This was a twisty ride of a read featuring a couple of mysteries that we are trying to figure out. I loved the secret society in the book and how Calliope was personally connected to the secret society. The family dynamic in this book was also interesting, especially Calliope's relationship with her sister, Lorelai.

The book had some good twists, and more that one, which is always fun for a read. There are lots of serious subjects talked about, so be sure to check for trigger warnings if you need them.

There were lots of morally grey things that happened in this book and I found lacking believability. I also felt that Calliope spent a lot of time rationalizing why the secret society was doing the things that they did, and putting aside her own values and morals, usually not questioning it.

I really didn't like the ending. I think some will love it, and some will hate it. I was in the later camp. To me the book just felt unfinished, and lacking a conclusion. I really love Kit Frick's first book, but I felt this one just did not hit the same mark. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an open and honest review. All opinions are 100% mine.

*thank you NetGalley for my eARC of this book*

Boarding school mysteries have such a soft spot in my heart and I absolutely love the preppy, autumnal, cloak and dagger aesthetic of it all. I though this book was a really interesting and well-executed take on it, and the ending will leave you reeling for more. I'm super excited for this book to go out into wide release because I can see it fitting in really well with other titles that are popular in the YA contemporary-mystery genre.

Very Bad People by Kit Frick follows boarding school student Calliope. Six years ago, Calliope’s mother drove the family’s van into a lake with her three daughters inside. Their mother drowned, but the sisters escaped. Now sixteen, Calliope is determined to solve the mystery behind her mother’s accident and death. She has transferred to Tipton Academy, the same elite boarding school her mother attended. Calliope hopes to learn more about her mother there. There is a secret society at Tipton called Haunt and Rail, which is a group of revolutionaries fighting for social justice. When Calliope accepts the invitation to join, the group plans on exposing someone dangerous on campus. But things soon escalate. Calliope discovers what she believes is a link between Haunt and Rail and what happened to her mother.

This is a very twisty and atmospheric dark academia story. I liked how personal the mystery was for Calliope. It was cool to read how she went about solving it.

Six years ago, Calliope Bolan and her two sisters Lorelei and Serafina survived an accident claiming the life of their mother Kathy when the family van drove into a lake. The truth remains a mystery. As a way to escape their small town of Plover Lake, Calliope transfers to George M. Tipton Academy, the same elite boarding school her mother once attended. Tipton promises a peek into the past and offers new opportunities—including a coveted invitation to join Haunt and Rail, an exclusive secret society that looms over campus like a legend.

"Very Bad People" was compelling from the beginning, quickly roping me back into one of my favourite aesthetics, dark academia. I mean, what's not to love about a young adult thriller where a teen girl’s search for answers about her mother’s death leads to joining a powerful secret society at her new boarding school??? Count me in every time. That said, there is a lot of morally grey things that happen within the story I'm on the fence about, but mostly, it felt unfinished. I really wish there was more of a conclusion rather than being open ended.

I enjoyed this much more than I did "I Killed Zoe Spanos" also written by Kit Frick.

Wow, this was good. We love some dark academia!! This was such an intricately wound story that reminded me of Karen M. McManus combined with Sadie by Courtney Summers. It had me questioning who was the villain and who I should trust. I adored the secret society aspect and got wrapped up in their “larks” just like Calliope did. Calliope’s voice was perfect for this story. I loved her backstory and was fascinated by her present choices, especially by what happened in the final pages. Very interesting way to end Very Bad People, but I’m not mad about it.