Not for me. I like the elements and the synopsis intrigued me but it read too young adult for my liking.

DNF at 23%

The book was soooooo slooooooooooow. I could not get invested in the story or the characters. Sarah's inner dialogue is confusing and dragged on and on and on... There wasn't much interaction between her and the other characters and the interaction that she did have was continually dissected and inspected from 45 different angles. The descriptions of every single thing took too long (my opinion). A trip to CVS pharmacy took almost a whole chapter to describe. I could not force myself to continue reading, and that's when I made the decision to DNF.

I love J.R. Ward and this won't deter me from reading her books in the future. This one just wasn't for me and it is not a read I would recommend.

Sarah doesn’t really fit in with the carefully cultivated girls of private school St. Ambrose. On the surface, Sarah wears black, isn’t wealthy, and is socially awkward. Her mother—always looking for an angle to advance her own status in life—submitted an essay Sarah wrote and now Sarah is a St. Ambrose girl. But while Sarah is smart enough to do the work, she is different from all the others. Now Sarah has drawn the attention of popular girl Greta—placing her right in the ringleader’s sites. It isn’t just the mean girl making Sarah’s time at St. Ambrose difficult though, Sarah is bipolar and hasn’t consistently been taking her medication since arriving at the exclusive private school.

Sarah develops a friendship with her roommate, and crushes on the handsome RA in her building. But as her mental health begins to falter a series of events stretch the bounds of her well-being. In the midst of a potentially scandalous relationship and a death at the school, Sarah struggles to differentiate what is really happening from her perception.

The St. Ambrose School for Girls is a dark, windy trail about fitting in, standing out, truth, perception, and being true to yourself. Author Jessica Ward did a solid job of conveying the thought patterns of a character in the midst of an acute mental health crisis and making the reader empathize with her. There are some slow parts in this book, and it’s definitely a slow build, but an interesting read nonetheless.

The St. Ambrose School for Girls will be available July 11, 2023.

*I received a copy of The St. Ambrose School for Girls from Gallery Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

I received an ARC of this book and it was quite the wild ride. The depiction of Sarah and her mental state, the struggles she goes through at a new school, as an outsider, as someone being bullied, and someone who often confuses reality and what’s in her head was very compelling. Her interactions with her peers and her superiors were across the gamut, and at times both difficult and heartwarming. This story had many twists and turns, culminating in a who done it you don’t really see coming!

I couldn't get through this book so it's a DNF. It's entirely overwritten and the MC is horrible. I can usually enjoy a horrible MC but the "not like other girls" energy was off the charts.

Honestly this book was pretty disappointing. It wasn't a bad book or even poorly written but it was exhausting to get through. I really questioned whether the book should even be published or if it should be kept in a drawer as some vanity project.

The book is told in the first person from bipolar student Sarah Taylor. Sarah is a scholarship student at the prestigious St. Ambrose school and is navigating her new environment with her mental health challenges. Adding to those challenges is queen bee Greta who bullies Sarah mercilessly. However, things all come to a head when Sarah discovers dark secrets and a student is murdered.

The main and biggest issue with this book is Sarah's narration. I found Sarah to be a fascinating and likable character and her struggles with her bipolar disorder added a new element to the dark academia vibe. However there was too much description. For example there's a scene early on where Sarah and her classmates are playing a game of touch football. Sarah is going to catch the ball but at the last moment decides to drop it. I read this book on a Kindle so it's hard to determine actual pages but this scene took about three to four kindle pages for her to catch and drop the ball. Everything is over written and over described. Occasionally there is a glimmer of plot but it's hard to catch. By the end I was honestly just skimming the book and that didn't take away from the actual story.

This is why I question whether the book should even be published because sometimes to move the plot forward, to make the book entertaining you need to sacrifice your beautiful, overwrought metaphors. I really think the editor needs to go through this and eliminate parts because as it is now is not good. As a writing excercise sure it's great but as a novel that's supposed to be entertaining no.

One last thing billing this as "Heathers meets the Secret History" is ridiculous. Despite being set at a boarding school there is almost no mention of classes or academia. Also Sarah is so caught up in her own head and her own problems she doesn't have the mental capacity to plan out elaborate murders of her awful classmates.

I gave it two stars because I enjoyed the ending but overall this was not good. Dark Academia is having a moment right now and the genre is pretty oversaturated. I would recommend any other dark academia book over this one.

I was provided a free copy of this book through NetGalley.

I was sadly disappointed by this novel, which fell prey to stale YA tropes and insensitive depictions of mental health and suicide. The protagonist was steeped heavily in the early 2000s "not like other girls" mentality, from her goth clothing to her negative attitude towards femininity, to her disparagement of the other women in the story. None of the characters were particularly likable, and the stereotypes about mental illness were outdated and harmful. It also makes NO sense as a comparison to the Secret History, the latter being a complex adult novel that is ultimately a grim parody of the romanticization of academia and elitism that this novel embraces.

⭐️: 3.5/5

When Sarah arrives at The St. Ambrose School for Girls, the queen bee, Greta, sets her sights on the lonely misfit. What follows is a battle of wills between the two, as Sarah, with the help of her roommate Strots, puts up with more and more malicious pranks. Sarah only wants to make it through the semester, but soon, scandal unfolds and someone ends up dead.

The little synopsis of this compares it to “Heathers meets The Secret History”, which is partially accurate. It seems that literally any book set in a boarding school or university setting anymore is compared to The Secret History, even if it’s not actually a book that I’d classify as “dark academia” or really bears any resemblance to The Secret History. I’d say it’s more like Heathers meets Mean Girls. Even this comparison isn’t clear until the back half of the book when the action starts to pick up. I really didn’t connect to the book, the characters, or the plot until about 60%, and I was honestly considering DNFing, because the first half seems so preoccupied with communicating the way that Sarah thinks and the exact symptoms of her mental illness. This makes a lot of the character introduction repetitive and exhausting to read, and also throws off the pacing of the whole book. Towards the end, I’m not sure if it’s just that I got more used to the tone, but it got a lot better for me, and I ended up liking it a lot more than I thought I would. I wouldn’t call it particularly profound, but it also had a lot more heart than I initially gave it credit for.

Thank you to @netgalley and @gallerybooks for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!!

The story is a study of mental illness, it seems. The author created a character who is severely bipolar and crafted a story around her illness; trying to live her life, and navigating through good days and bad.

Manic episodes are all-consuming. Blanking out. Losing track of time, obsessive thoughts, suicidal tendencies and actions, and so much more consumed our main character.

She’s brilliant, however, and finds herself at a new school trying to survive. The author creates a story that has you feeling deeply connected to Sarah through her depression, fears, and hatred by others.

She’s different and stands out. She has no people skills, and that blatantly shows as she attracts attention in different ways in the story. Negatively and positively.

It’s really hard to describe the feeling you are going to go through with the plot. There’s bullying to extreme degrees. Death and destruction of people. You’re not sure where the story is going and the author does keep you compelled to keep turning those pages.

Shocking turns of events left me speechless and saddened that the author chose to go this route. Especially with the ending. That’s where my conflict comes in.

On one hand, the author is brilliant and clearly crafts an interesting intricate depiction of a person with a mental imbalance. We feel her pain, her shame, and her introverted actions, yet is desperate to have even one friend.

But on the other hand, the story is heavy and can be depressing which could be a lot to take emotionally for some readers. So just be aware of that.

I’m vacillating on the rating because of the authors writing skills and Ward’s extraordinary storytelling ability. The St. Ambrose School for Girls is an intense psychologically complex story that leaves you feeling conflicted at the end.

I would definitely be interested in reading this author again. She’s wicked talented but this one just didn’t cut it for me as I need heavy, emotionally tolling, crime-filled stories to end with some sort of uplifting lightness as a balance.

At chapter 9 I decided to DNF this book. Nothing of substance has happened, more time was spend reading descriptions of inconsequential things (how to dye clothes) or spiraling thoughts; neither of which moved the plot forward. Based on other reviews, it isn’t until you’re about 80% of the way through the book that the murder happens and I can’t muddle through that much more nor do I have a big desire to skip ahead and finish based on what I’ve read so far. In the past, I have enjoyed YA books and those based in boarding schools, unfortunately this one isn’t one of them for me.

Cliche dark academia that is the slowest of slow burns. Something happens at some point, but I don't know what it is because I got bored and fell asleep... multiple times reading this.

At 20%, the author is still just describing things. It's so boring. There's the barest hint of a plot forming. I jumped ahead to the last three chapters to see who died and who killed. It could have been an interesting story if all that had happened sooner instead of nonstop explanations of what the walls and objects looked like.

Wow... this novel did exactly what I was hoping it would do, extreme thrill and suspense! Excellent writing and the characters really came alive on the pages. Definitely a must read!

With this novel, Ward creates a nuanced and atmospheric setting and three-dimensional characters who are believable to the last page. The care with which she writes about mental illness is apparent, and she never uses it as a cheap plot device. I fell in love with the main character and her roommate, and I was captivated by every plot thread in this story. The tension is immaculate and the resolution satisfying. Pick up this book for the scandal, the conflict, the loveable characters, and the dark academia. Keep it glued to your face for the poignant discussion of how people with mental illness are treated by society...and by their own minds.

This first person POV style from the teenage student Sarah is perfect for this slice of life story at a Massachusetts private school. It pulls you in from the very beginning and masterfully winds you through the journey that’s told thru the lens of the main character. The author’s writing style is still the same awesome prose as her paranormal books written under J.R. Ward.

This is an intriguing but heartbreaking mystery story that will appeal to the YA readers due to the ongoing drama in a private school setting. But it also will reach out and give support to those young and adult readers that may be struggling from mental issues. This is one of those books that starts slow to setup all the drama, but builds to a “can’t put it down” read.

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for the advance copy to review.

I was so intrigued by the description of this book, Heathers and The Secret History... But sadly, I couldn't get into the story. The characters did not interest me and the relationship between the mother and daughter just bothered me. I really wanted to like this one.

I'm usually a sucker for a YA boarding school mystery, especially one set in the 90s, but this one just didn't really work for me. The characters seemed a lot older than 15, the murder that's teased at the beginning doesn't actually happen until almost 80% of the way through, and I just found the main character kind of challenging to identify with. I'm sure this would be a great book for someone, but it wasn't a fave for me. Content warnings for suicidal ideation/attempts, bullying, teacher/student relationship, and murder.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the digital advanced reader's copy.

***Trigger warning: suicide and mental illness***

This story was as upsetting as it was engrossing, but per the trigger warning above, it is not for everyone. It contains what I thought was a very grounded portrayal of suicidal ideation. It's not messing about, so be careful with yourself if you choose to pick it up. This is not a run-of-the-mill beach thriller.

So, first of all I think all the marketing comparisons are doing this book a huge disservice. One described it as "Heathers meets The Secret History" and another described it as "Mean Girls meets We Were Liars." Of those references, the only one I haven't watched or read is We Were Liars, but, I can speak to the other three, and this one is nothing like those, mostly because it faces a teenager's mental illness head-on and doesn't make light of it, resolve it, or use it only as a plot twist for an unreliable narrator. Also, this book isn't satirical at all, and, while it has moments of humor, it's not a comedy. So, if you picked this book up like I did thinking you were getting a straight-forward cliquey boarding school thriller, you're not. This is ten times better, but also ten times more of a gut punch.

Sarah is a brand-new sophomore at St. Ambrose. She's an outsider. She's struggling every day to just survive with the mind she's been given. And now she's being thrown into what is a lion's den for her - irregular sleep, socializing pressures, bullying, independence, and more.

When things go from bad to worse and people are hurt and everything is spiraling out of control, Sarah has no idea who to trust because she can't even trust her own mind.

Gah. This description sounds so banal, but Ward (better known as J. R. Ward, bestselling author of urban romantic fantasies, which I've never read, so don't let that stop you. This book is completely different from what she normally writes, which is why she chose a different pen name) does such an amazing job of letting us into Sarah's mind - showing us the leaps and bounds of depressive and manic phases, the intuitiveness that allows for great connections but also possible delusions, and the deep frustration with a mental illness diagnosis and the limited options for coping.

Sarah is a memorable character whom I felt in my bones. She's not easy in any way, but she is deeply human and worth knowing.

Ward does such a great job with all of her characters: Ms. Crenshaw, Nick, Strots, Keisha, Greta (and even Francesca), and "Tera Taylor," Sarah's mom (oh my goodness, there are really only two scenes with Sarah's mom and both are amazing - such a great building of both characters).

The ending will definitely leave you with thoughts about right and wrong, guilt and innocence, friendship and trust, and more. It's not so much a twist ending as a thought-provoking, empathy-provoking one.

Definitely many more layers to this than I expected.

Pick it up, if you are able to without hurting yourself. I recommend highly but also with high caution.

*language, violence, sexual references

I barely made it to 25% in this book. I kept waiting for it to get better but it was not. I cannot invest time in a book that does not draw me in within the first quarter of the book.
The main character is dull and obsessed with another girl but there is really no character building present.
I cannot say if this book finally gets better since I could not finish, but it might.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The pacing of this book was so slow. I also thought this book was going to be a thriller. It was mostly a story about a girl getting bullied. I did not like this one.

Unfortunately I ended up DNFing this book at about 25%.

It was marketed as The Secret History meets The Heathers and I just didn't get that with this book.

It was slow and rambly and by 25% not much had happened, and I wasn't invested in the characters.

If it'd had more action or plot I think I would have enjoyed it, but as it stands it just ended up not being for me.