I loved the premise of this novel! Dystopian novels are some of my favorites, especially when a female protagonist grows into her own over the course of the plot. I really liked the dynamics between most characters and would love a sequel. The only reason I took away an star is because it felt like it escalated too quickly and that the protagonist's development was rushed at times.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of The Chaperone. At first, I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into, but the deeper I went into what I thought was a dystopia, the more intrigued I became. There were a few threads I felt were just abandoned midway through their development. There's some room for a sequel, but if there is one, I wish that this one had been developed a bit differently to give more room to a couple of those threads. I liked this one a lot, but there are some sticking points keeping me from giving it the highest marks.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC!

I love me a teen dystopia so I immediately knew I’d enjoy The Chaperone. While it does feel a little borrowed from Handmaid’s Tale season 3, it was genuinely a good read and I ripped through it in a day. The book absolutely set itself up for a sequel so I am absolutely gunning for this!

This was better than I thought it would be when I initially started it. I made several assumptions that proved to be false, and it got quite a bit grittier than I was expecting.

It does feel a little bit at times like it's beating you over the head with the fascist, dystopian-isms. For example, naming the district that the main character lives in the "Gaslight District" is not exactly subtle. I realize that back in ye olden days living in the gaslight district was a sign of wealth, because the expensive parts of town were afforded the luxury of literally having gas lamps lit in the evenings to provide light. And sure, Stella lives in a ritzy neighborhood and we could draw that connection, but we all know that's not what the author is implying here...

Anyway, this really picks up about 3/4 through and you'll want to finish the whole thing at once when it does. I'm interested to see if we do get a sequel, because there are several loose ends. But this could easily stand on its own.

In the first quarter of The Chaperone, I was struck by how similar it is to The Handmaid’s Tale. Women and girls have limited opportunities, may not be alone, are controlled by the males of their family, and live in what used to be the United States. Unfortunately when a book is so much like a classic, it will pale in comparison. The Handmaid’s Tale had such wonderful world building and the jumps in time between sections helped to see the backstory without clunkily inserting it into the narrative. However, I do feel as though it’s a wonderful novel about a dystopian America in which women have no power for teens or people who have not read The Handmaid’s Tale. Once I was able to refocus my brain and say “they may be similar, but you have to read this on its own merit,” I enjoyed The Chaperone much more. I would rate it a 4/5, if we are pretending that other book does not exist.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

WOW! Wow, wow, wow!! Okay it took me a bit...about 100 pages to find the rhythm but once I did, EXPLOSIONS! Imagine if The Handmaids Tale had a baby with Divergent....yupp this book is better! I had no idea it was the authors debut novel but I am anxiously awaiting another book. It had some scenes of eerie similarity to our world. Goosebumps and feelings abound. Great job! Someone give this author a standing ovation and do yourself a favor, BUY THIS BOOK.

Dystopian perfection! I absolutely loved this book and could not put it down. Fabulous feminist undertones and serious issues addressed.

M Hendrix has a really interesting concept with this book, it does a great job in telling the story and creating a interesting world that makes you think about it. I was invested in what was going on and thought it was well done. It does a great job in executing it well. M Hendrix has a great writing style and I enjoyed reading the world and the characters. I'm excited to see where this series will go.

" No one says a word. The room is so quiet I can hear myself breathing. We never review our homework in Family Development. Never. Mr. Russell gave us a syllabus at the beginning of the year and sticks to it. He obviously doesn’t have any problem lying. As long as it means I don’t speak.“I’m so sorry, Stella.” Behind his eyes I see a spark of some kind. He’s angry but there’s something else there too. It takes me a minute to identify it. Joy. He’s enjoying this. And he’s never going to let me speak."

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Absolutely five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel. I encourage you to check this one out! Really solid read.

I wanted to love this one as the pitch seemed amazing and I am always on the hunt for more dystopian (the kids are asking for it!!). However I just couldn't connect to Stella and her world. Stella and her friends, despite growing up in New America, talked almost like they were from our time. I wanted more concrete world building in the beginning; sometimes being thrown into a dystopian world works, and here it just didn't quite click. Love the cover though!!