I love the cover and the synopsis of The St. Ambrose School for Girls. Sadly thats where the positives end for me. This felt so long and nothing happened until the last 20%.

When Sarah Taylor arrives at St. Ambrose school, she is immediately placed in Greta Stanhopes crosshairs.
When a body turns up on school grounds, the school is rocked by a scandal Sarah never saw coming.

This is a slow (slow) burn dark academia mystery.
While there was a mystery to this book, I can see why mystery fans may not enjoy it as it does not have your typical mystery layout.
The mystery seems to be slammed into the end of the book, with most of the story being Sarah, her mental illness and dealing with bullies.
However I still thought the book was great.
It had excellent character development and the dynamic between the characters kept me hooked to the story.

3.25stars--THE ST. AMBROSE SCHOOL FOR GIRLS by Jessica Ward is a young-adult, coming of age, suspense thriller set in 1991, focusing on fifteen year old Sarah Taylor and her first few months at the prestigious St. Ambrose School for Girls.

WARNING: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers. Although most of the characters are underaged teens, the subject of the story line is adult and dark.

Told from first person perspective (Sarah) THE ST. AMBROSE SCHOOL FOR GIRLS follows fifteen year old Sarah Taylor’s arrival at St. Ambrose School For Girls in the wake of winning an essay contest. Sarah does not come from money; she has won a scholarship to the all girl school but it is her need for Lithium that will set her apart. Sarah struggles with bi-polar disorder, and in this, she is about to meet her match in the school bully Greta Stanhope but all is not well at the illustrious school when secrets reveal a twisted scandal that results in a murder-suicide.

The world building follows the struggles of fifteen year old Sarah Taylor, a young woman who is battling a debilitating mental disorder where she will often disassociate, and in this Sarah doesn’t often know reality from imagination. There are plenty of issues behind the scenes at the St. Ambrose School for Girls, and these issues are about to spiral out of control. As the new girl at school, Sarah will become the target of Greta Stanhope, a target that will become aware of the secrets hiding behind the closed doors.

The secondary and supporting characters included Sarah’s roommate Ellen ‘Strots’ Strotsberry who has a past with Greta Stanhope, a past that is about to push Ellen in more ways than one. Greta ‘s own secrets become fodder for those in the know but money is power, and power is control.

THE ST. AMBROSE SCHOOL FOR GIRLS is a slow building story line in which we only see one side of the story. Most of the conflict takes place off page wherein the reader is only witness to the fall-out and spiral. Most of the characters are not likeable including Sarah Taylor, although the reader may have sympathy for her struggles and her plight.

Throughout the story we are witness to Sarah’s endeavor to fit in but Sarah is so far outside of the box she becomes a target of those taking control. Befriended by her roommate, a sympathetic teacher and pharmacist, as well as the RA who is aware of Sarah’s emotional turmoil, Sarah hopes to move forward but secrets and lies begin to overwhelm a young woman who is unable to navigate the world as it is. The premise is intriguing and fascinating but felt stilted in its’ presentation; the characters are desperate and broken. As per the usual YA requisite trope parameters, the author included the mean girls, and the questionable and oblivious adults.



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Unfortunately I didn't find myself connecting to the story enough to want to finish this one. Maybe it was a case of not being in the mood for this genre but it was ultimately a DNF for now.

Sarah is a young fifteen year old new to St. Ambrose boarding school on a scholarship. From her arrival it is clear that she is different from the other girls, the odd one out.. Sarah dresses all in black where the other girls wear preppy pastels and khakis. And she suffers with bipolar disorder and has a difficult time making friends as her mind is always running a million miles an hour, spiralling into places it shouldn't be. The only other student that talks to her is her roommate, and probably only because they share a room.

This story follows Sarah's struggle through her first few months at boarding school, being bullied relentlessly by the classic mean girl across the hall. I found myself rooting for Sarah and her naivety. The book touches on LGBTQ issues, suicide and the struggle to become one's own person in their teens. You couldn't pay me enough money to go back in time & go through high school all over again!

I found this book gripping and liked getting into Sarah's head, her bipolar made her an interesting and unreliable narrator, which I always love. There were some great twists in the plot, but I won't spoil it for you here.

I'm sorry but this one was not for me. I had a really hard time getting in to it, and I know after reading some reviews it was mentioned that the book picks up, but it just wasn't captivating me for some reason. The title and cover intrigued me, which is why I was drawn to it, but it just felt very long.

Hope everyone else enjoys it however!

Thank you for the ARC.

The cover and description of this book was intriguing and I was so excited to read it… and then I was disappointed.

The book is slow paced and goes into extremely detailed descriptions of the characters surroundings, possibly to illustrate the characters mental health and how she fixates on things, but it was incredibly boring and I struggled to stay interested in the story.

I was expecting more thriller, more mystery, and less what the floor tiles looked like.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy of this book.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Publication date: July 11, 2023

This book was promoted as a coming of age teenage girl with mental illness struggles in the 90’s. There was also quotes about it being reminiscent of “Mean Girls” with a sprinkle of mystery.

Sarah Taylor is bipolar and takes daily medication to keep her psychotic episodes to a minimum. Shipped off to the very elite St. Ambrose School for Girls on a scholarship, Sarah knows she isn’t like most of the other girls there.

Sarah ends up rooming with Ellen “Strots” who attended the school last year and has some history with the girl rooming across the hall. Greta Stanhope is the picture perfect rich girl. She is beautiful, blonde and extremely mean to everyone outside of her “group”.

Greta narrows in on Sarah, pulling pranks and making her life miserable. As the bullying escalated, so does Sarah’s control on her illness and she begins to struggle with what is reality and what maybe hallucinations. When a dead body shows up, Sarah desperately needs to figure out how she may be involved.

I thought this story had a ton of potential but ultimately fell short of the mark for me. While I appreciated the author’s representation of mental illness in teens, there were pages and pages of descriptive episodes that weren’t necessary to the reader (and I skipped over for the most part). The plot also went so far one way or the other it was hard to tell what the story was truly about. It was a super slow burn with most of the action happing in the last 20% or so of the book. This was a 2.5 star read for me.

#NetGalley #thestambroseschoolforgirls #jessicaward

This book had me intrigued. It was giving me Mean Girls at an all-girls school, but full of dangerous secrets and someone dies. But it sadly didn’t hit the mark for me.

The story is told from the perspective of Sarah Taylor, who is diagnosed with bipolar disorder and seems to be struggling with it. Her mother got her a place at St. Ambrose School for Girls, where we know she will feel out of place among the wealthy population of the school.

When I started reading this book, it started off fine, but the first half absolutely dragged on. You are stuck reading all of Sarah’s introspections throughout a very slow build of characters. I almost gave up on the book multiple times.

As the plot started to pick up around the 60% mark, I became more invested in what was happening. But the true thriller feeling didn’t come until the final 20% of the book. It just didn’t seem like a valuable investment of time to me.

The ending was also kind of a let down. So maybe if it was told as a dual timeline or just within the second half of the book, I think it would be a lot more enjoyable.

Unfortunately this one did not work for me. I found there to be too many metaphors, and the writing to be a bit to much.

I also didn’t enjoy how the murder took place so late in the story and really struggled to continue.

The St Ambrose School for Girls a novel by a Jessica Ward

This ya thriller follows Sarah from her arrival at the exclusive school through to the murder of a fellow student. Sarah is smart and found her way to the school by way of high performance on test scores. Aside from her roommate Strots, she doesn’t quite fit in. She’s not athletic, she’s not wealthy and unfortunately she becomes the target of mean girl Greta.

Sarah also experiences bipolar, a new diagnosis for her and one that she wants to keep to herself. At points she is frightened by some of the expression of her diagnosis.

I, Kirsten, was expecting more of a mean girls book and was surprised by the focus on mental illness. By not knowing much about bipolar I was continually questioning how accurate Sarah’s portrayal was.

Historically, there has been so much stigma behind mental health and it is critical to provide safe spaces to learn, discuss, and support. It is tough to do this in a novel that is tackling everything from bullying to murder.

I wouldn’t recommend this book due to potential triggers and trauma.

Personally I liked some of the darkness, the detail, and characters that formed this gothic tale.

Thank you @netgalley and @simonschusterca and the Author Jessica Ward for this ARC

This is a dark YA read set at a private school in 1991. There’s a lot going on in this book and it definitely gives off Heathers and Mean Girls vibes. It has everything from popular kids to outcasts, bullying, queer rep, inappropriate teacher/student relationships, to suicide attempts and mental health struggles.
Sarah, a gothish 15 year old, is accepted based her intellect, not her financial status. She is also bipolar. Greta, rich, beautiful and leader of her mean girl clique, starts harassing Sarah almost immediately.
“One of us is going to be dead by the end of the semester”
With Sarah herself often wondering what’s real and what isn’t, it’s often difficult for the reader to know also.
We do get all of the answer eventually and I found the ending satisfying. This was an interesting story but watch for the trigger warnings. Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Shuster for this absorbing eArc.

Very intriguing read. The St. Ambrose School for Girls being a passion project of JR Ward under the name of Jessica Ward made me want to read this book. It has her intense writing style, detailed character development, witty dialogue and vivid scenes. Having a main character who is diagnosed with bipolar, Ward knew that she had to do her research, talk to people with bipolar and check with those who have personal experience to make sure that the book gives a true portrayal. She hopes it does.
This dark academe book is filled with details that gradually reveal the truth. What clue is foreshadowing and what is a red herring? The suspense kept me guessing throughout the book. Set in a web of relationships within a private high school, there is a very diverse cast of characters with secrets, flaws, hopes, strengths and weaknesses.
The synopsis tells you that there will be a death at St. Ambrose School for Girls, but every chapter has you wondering who is going to be the victim and who could be the villain?
As the reader learns the inner thoughts of Sarah who struggles to hide her bipolar symptoms from the other residents of the school, the reader witnesses her shame, her depression and her long moments of vulnerability of not knowing what is real and what is unreal.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I was initially drawn to this book due to the academic setting with a murder mystery plot.

I have mixed feelings about this one though.

I feel like the author really did a great job giving the reader an immersive experience into what it is to experience bipolar disorder. I felt that the main character, Sarah was so well fleshed out that I actually feel like I know her in real life.

However, the plot itself really dragged for me and it was hard to get through this book.

I would say 5/5 for character development and depth, but 2/5 for plot. I would recommend this book to someone who is interested in understanding what it is to be bipolar, but not someone who wants a page turning private school thriller-mystery.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for providing me with an ARC of this book to read and review.

3.5/5 stars

This is dark academia/ mature dark YA told in an adult tone dealing with serious subjects.

This is a coming of age story. The narrator is 15 year old Sarah. The book is set in 1991 in a Massachusetts boarding school.

The writing is beautiful. However the book does start off slowly. Some of the story is hard to read as an adult. This book is definitely not for young teens. The story deals with extreme bullying, mentions of suicide, depression, and the heroine deals with severe mental illness.

This is a heavy story that has a 15 year old unreliable narrator, but doesn't read like YA.

The author's note was fascinating as I was intrigued to find out her writing process with this book. I

This book is an interesting character study of a brilliant girl dealing with mental illness. But the story was darker and more disturbing than I was expecting.

I really enjoyed Sarah's friendship with her roommate. And I appreciate the care that the author took to make the mental health aspect accurate. This is a hard book to rate. But it is definitely a book that I will think about for a while.

3 Stars
This book was neither good nor bad. There were things that I liked about it, such as the representation of mental illness and homosexuality in a time where it was not as normalized as it is today. But I felt like this type of book has been done several times before, with this one bringing nothing new to the table.

An excellent thriller a highly sympathetic main character. Sarah's mind is delightfully complex. The isolation of St. Ambrose heightens the suspense. I loved Sarah's friendship with Strots! Expect the unexpected.

Not sure what it was but I gave it to 25% and decided to DNF this one. I just couldn't get into it at all and there really didn't feel like much was going on. Maybe it was just a super slow paced thriller but I was bored and life is too short. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you so much to Simon & Schuster Canada for my copy via NetGalley!

I tried. I could not finish it. It was just too dull, too cringey. Sarah/Sally is giving too much "I'm not like other girls" vibe that it was starting to become annoying. The inner monologue was cringe. Greta is just a no no for me. I reach 100 pages before I finally said no. It bored me to the point I was not even curious anymore on who died.

Sorry, but this is just a no for me.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.