"Games for Dead Girls"

How badass is that title?

The book also also has a great cover with the title in all Red. So, a long time, in the seaside town of Hithechurch, ago young Charlie (eleven years old) meets up with another young girl named Emily who has a abusive father. So they do what needs to be done with all abusive fathers and attempt a secret ritual to summon "Stitch Face Sue" to take care of him. But unfortunately this one goes bad, as most evil rituals do, and another girl is killed.

FLASH FORWARD! Grownup Charlie returns to Hithechurch (Jeez if you move to a town with that name you should really expect evil shenanigan's) to research the folklore of the area. But she finds more local girls are missing and her ex-bestie has written a book about what happened to them and blames Charlie. Not on my watch! Charlie instantly puts on her detective badge and starts to get to the bottom of this.

The good: This book is messed up! I love dark and sinister books where the author "Goes there" And it had short chapters which are now a must with me. If you love evil books then you will love this one!

The bad: IT IS SO SLOW. This book has three timelines that move about the pace of me doing the household chores my wife loves to give me. Like I love the ominous tone of the book but I thought it could have picked up some.

But still a great read. Not really a beach read but maybe a three in the morning, can't sleep read?

I really appreciate Crooked Lane Books for giving me the chance to review this book and it has a publication date of April 18, 2023.

Advance Reader Copy given free for honest review.

The book was written from the view of two POV's in 3 different timelines.
Over the span of several years.
It was very confusing at first and it took me a little longer to get into the story.
Of course, this all made sense at some point, but until that happened, the book dragged on a bit too long.

One story starts just after WWII and the second in 1988 and both of them end today.

It's actually two different stories that overlap over time.
One about a creepy serial killer and the other about a murder that happened many years later.
The topics and plots were actually very interesting and the book had a lot of potential, but the performance wasn't there.
I can't write any details about the story, otherwise there's no point in reading this book.
If I write more than that, I will spoil the story and that would be unfair to anyone who wants to read the book.

Was the book interesting?
Yes, after the initial hesitations, definitely.
Was the book creepy?
A bit creepy, but not sleep-depriving at all.
Was this story suspenseful?
Yes, at the end, but not enough action for me.

I was expecting a bit of angst or creepy-crawly feelings, but the book wasn't written exciting enough for me to do that.
Maybe I've just picked a book that's too soft for me and given the circumstances that I read very little of thrillers and love watching true crime shows, I need something a little more creepy that this one ;-)

Many thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the eARC.

I really loved this book. The setting, the description was exactly what I love. It was a great read. Well worth the hype. I very much recommend this one

I loved the setting and the atmosphere of the story and the multiple timelines of the novel. It's not really a story with shocking twists, as the mystery gets slowly uncovered by the main character throughout the entire novel and is somewhat predictable. That never bothers me, but this might not be the right book for some readers, since the pacing is also very slow throughout the story.

Games For Dead Girls has such an interesting premise that I immediately requested it when it popped up. It is difficult to summarize, as there are multiple timelines and multiple storylines happening throughout the book. The main story focuses on Charlie, a young girl who spends a life changing summer in a caravan park with her family. Something very dark happens that affects her life going forward, and we eventually get to hear the entire story.

The concept here was great. The story is dark, the narrator is extremely unreliable, and the middle portion of the book had me reading quickly. However, the beginning was such a slow burn that it took me too long to get to the exciting parts, and the ending just became a bit too much for me. The main character was very unlikable, which doesn’t always turn me off from a book but did in this case. There were several shocking moments that I didn’t predict and several twists that I definitely saw coming.

There is a confrontation towards the end of the book that I would have liked more of. A character shows up and is only there for a page or two and it felt like a lot of build up with not much pay off, and I didn’t care as much for the other storyline that was given many more pages.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC m exchange for my honest opinion.

I don't like alternating timelines, but this was strangely addicting. The premise seemed perfect, but the great writing and scare factor really made this book for me. I'll be picking up more books from this author, I think I won't be disappointed in them either.

The description of the book sounded right up my alley: Creepy folklore. Mysterious disappearances. Eerie characters. However, the way these multiple timelines intermingle took way too long to come together. It took me much longer than I would have liked to finish this book bc I kept losing interest. The plot had potential, but in the end, the execution just wasn’t there. It was a slow build to a too quick ending unfortunately.

This was odd and captivating at the same time. Very different then most books I read. I would definately read another by Jen Williams. This book held my interest the whole way through! Bravo 4 stars

This was kind of creepy and I genuinely loved reading this! The story was great, entertaining, and worth all the eyes on it!

STUNNING!
I loved this twisty mystery featuring Charlie and her niece Katie! Charlie brings her niece to a small tiny seaside town of Hithechurch, England to research a book on the folklore. As she interviews locals, many of her memories of her past growing up in the area bubble up and begin to unnerve her. When another (!) local girl is reported missing, Charlie is sure she might have an idea of what happened. Told via multiple timelines, this is an enjoyable shocker of a novel that you will absolutely enjoy!
If you love unreliable narrators, mysteries from childhood or just a creepy murder story, Games For Dead Girls is for you! #GamesforDeadGirls #JenWilliams #CrookedLaneBooks

Do you like to be disturbed in a way that starts out nearly wholesome, or at least hopeful? If so- this book is for you.
This was so creepy and you do not even feel how much until you get closer to the end. Each layer reveals more and more creepiness.

I couldn't make it through this whole book, unfortunately. It moved so slow and the writing style just didn't work for me.

I appreciate the opportunity to read and review. It just doesn't seem to be the book for me.

I knew this was going to be an awesome read.

Games for Dead Girls by Jen Williams gripped me from the beginning and I flew through it in a day.
I literally could not put it down!
My first time reading this author and I thought the story was written very well.
This was one of those that kept me up all night turning the pages!
I will definitely pick up another book by Jen Williams in the future.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Crooked Lane Books,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this eARC!

Thank you to the publisher for my copy - all opinions are my own.

I REALLY enjoyed this book - this is one of those stories that has the many various plot devices that I just love in a book and then, puts them all together beautifully.

Give me a book with timeline shifts that are done well, and work to reveal the mystery with perfect pacing, little cliffhangers that keep you frantically flipping pages, and characters that you cannot quite put your finger on where their morality lands. This story has all those pieces and brings them together in a made-for-tv, disturbing reveal.

Everything about this book is just a little darker than you expect (in the best way) and a little surprising in it's twists. I devoured it, and it is a must for winter reading lists!

I found this book very enjoyable, reading into the wee hours of the night. The opposing timelines could be confusing at times, but they all came together in the end. I had started placing the pieces together, but did not have the ending figured at at all. If you enjoy a book with lots of twists, then this is for you. I enjoyed this authors writing and want to read more from this author in the future. Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy!

My thoughts: This book was very thought out and I really appreciate that in a book! I loved how it flipped between her childhood and her adult life and it made me fly through this book because I wanted to find out what happened! I was a little confused at the concept of Katie but once the book flowed on, I was able to grab her concept more clearly. This book essentially had 3 stories all in one that all connected back to each other in one way or another and it was amazing to see how the author was able to connect it all and make it make sense. A bunch of twists and turns I didn’t see coming which was a nice little surprise!

I've been wanting to read this book since I first heard about it, so a big thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Urban Legends are such an engrained part of our culture, from Bloody Mary to Slenderman. Those stories pique our curiosities about the darkness and help solidify our greatest fears.
Every small town has a story, and Hithechurch's is Stitch Faced Sue. Susan Cartwright was the daughter of a lighthouse keeper who helped her father intentionally wreck boats so they could loot them. When one band of pirates survives, Susan narrowly escapes slaughter by pretending to be a scarecrow.
Of course, that's not the way Charlie tells it. In her story, Stitch Faced Sue meets a gruesome, bloody end and haunts the shore to seek vengeance for all those who are wronged. Yes-Charlie definitely has a wild imagination and a bad habit of lying. When she meets Emily, a quiet girl with an angry father and bruises on her arms, Charlie's incredible fabrication of Stitch Faced Sue catches up with her and the story takes a dark and tragic turn. Because Emily, let's just say she has revenge on her mind and a mean streak that she hides well.

Thirty years later, what Charlie and Emily did can still be felt in Hithechurch. Especially when another girl goes missing.
With Emily writing a tell-all and putting much of the blame on Charlie, Charlies decides to go back to Hithechurch. There, she learns about the missing girl but also unearths information about many other girls who have gone missing in the area since the 60s. Are the disappearances linked to Stitch Faced Sue? Charlie is determined to find out and, in doing so, clear her name. But Stitch Faced Sue isn't the only dark presence in Hithechurch. Charlie has enemies on all sides and is putting herself in unspeakable danger.

This story has three timelines: Presents, 1988 and one starting in the 50s.
I was expecting to be fully creeped out by this book, and I was! But it was largely due of the 50s narrative because, strangely enough, Stitch Faced Sue wasn't the star of the show here. I'm not going into too much detail regarding the 50s narrative as to not spoil the story, but dang! That part of the story freaked me right on out and (I'm pretty sure) is going to give me nightmares. It intersected with the main storyline in a meaningful and sinister way that left me with chills.
As far the rest of the story...It was okay. Honestly, the present and 80s narratives were pretty drawn out and boring (which is why I gave this book 3 stars). The last half of the book could have been written a bit tighter, and I felt like the ending was too rushed. That being said, there's still a lot of gruesomeness in this book, and I do recommend giving it a read if you're into urban legends/folklore.

Charlie and her niece Katie are on Holiday in Hithechurch, England. The village is full of folklore and women going missing in the area. .
This was an eerie read that held my attention. Thanks NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC!

Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Just a little slow and unbelievable at some points. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book will keep you on your toes and second guessing yourself from start to finish. Jen Williams has a way of telling a creepy story that will keep you up at night.