✨Book Review✨
Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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This book took me sooooo long to get into (like 40 percent), but once I was in, I was HOOKED and it was so good. I read the rest of the book in two days and it read like a movie. Super atmospheric and original. Boarding school vibes. I would definitely recommend this one if you’re ok with a slow burn and then a wild ride.
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I listened to the audio and enjoyed the narrator even though they were British. That may have also been part of why I struggled to get into the book. I have a hard time with British narrators.

Great mystery, loved the representation (on all fronts), and another great book overall. I can't wait to see more from this author!

I adored Ace of Spades so much, and when I received an ARC of Where Sleeping Girls Lie, I'd hoped I would love it just as much. Unfortunately, Where Sleeping Girls Lie fell flat for me. A lot of the dialogue felt cheesy and forced, and there were too many characters who were unmemorable or unlikable. Sade was a compelling main character, although she wasn't a great main character for a thriller, as she didn't seem to know much about anything, and it was frustrating waiting for her to catch up with me on clues. Overall, the book was too predictable for my taste.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I quickly realized this was not the type of book I envisioned. I think this is definitely one that others can love and appreciate but it didn't work well for me.

I’ve been eagerly awaiting Faridah’s next book since I read Ace of Spades, and this didn’t disappoint! I was glued to the book the whole way through (which was not good when I had work to do)—a truly gripping story, and like Ace of Spades, it was a fresh take on a thriller that I really loved.

4.5 stars. This book from the author of Ace of Spades definitely lived up to the bar that she set with the first one.

Atmospheric and engaging, very much the dark academia vibe that is popular now, but a much more diverse cast and unexpected storyline. I'll read whatever the author comes up with next!

This was a suspenseful and deals with some important topics. I really enjoyed this engaging story and unexpected ending.

This book was SO GOOD until the very last 10%. The pacing, the plot, everything was great and I was following along with just the right amount of confusion, but I felt like the end really sped up to the point where I felt like I was sprinting trying to catch up, which was incredibly frustrating when the rest of the book had been so spot on.

This was good at first and the the middle seemed to drag on forever. It was a bit repetitive but that could work for younger readers. Overall, It was fun read if not a but too long.

I wasn't sure about this book throughout the first...hmm....60% of it maybe. It wasn't that I didn't like it. I just didn't understand where it was going. It felt slow, painfully slow. It wasn't until I hit 80% that I realized why and what was happening. And DAMN...did it ever hit hard. I do not want to say too much about the premise because I really can't without spoiling it. I'll do my best-

Sade Hussein has been through some shit. Seriously, it's been rough for this girl. Now orphaned and previously only homeschooled, she enters a private high school as a third year student and meets an interesting cast of characters. Soon after her arrival, her new friend and roommate goes missing, and she teams up with a few of her schoolmates to figure out what happened to her. Things just get weirder from there.

There's some heavy themes in this book- ones that left me in tatters and tears. I just finished the book, and I'm typing this while wiping snot from my nose...

"...that was sometimes what trauma did. It stuck and replayed memories on a loop sometimes in our minds and other times in our bodies. And it didn't mean she was broken or weak, it just meant that she carried an experience that shaped who she was now and would learn how to live, in spite of it."

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Where Sleeping Girls Lie.

Uuuuugh, I hate doing reviews like this because I never know how to be fair.

Did I enjoy the book? I liked it well enough. Did I finish it? No! It went on FoReVeR. Just too long. Listen, I will read a behemoth, I've done it, multiple times, but the length has to be necessary. This just kept going on and on adding more detail to the point of just defeated apathy. Even a delicious meal eventually has to end once you're satiated, otherwise you just get sick.

Sade Hussein wants answers to her sister's death and she can only find those at Alfred Nobel Academy boarding school. Right from the start, the reader will feel as if they have been dropped off in a story half-told. This is disorientating and can take from the overall flow of the plot. It takes a little time to sort through all the elements and characters of the story. While the pace was steady and the plot intriguing the resolve leaves a sense of anticlimactic ness.

Where Sleeping Girls Lie is a dark academic mystery centering on Sade Hussein as she starts her third year of high school at Alfred Nobel Academy boarding school. Darkness seems follow Sade so when her roommate, Elisabeth, goes missing after her first night, she becomes invested in getting to the bottom of the disappearance that the school seems to want to sweep under the rug. While investigating Elizbeth’s disappearance, Sade and her new friends Baz and Persephone uncover a deeper issue that the school has been keeping secret. It seems that Alfred Nobel Academy has a underground history of favoring the futures of the wealthy than those who cross their paths. A brilliant well written story that tackles the tough topics of sexual assault, rape, suicide, revenge, racial discrimination, and unchecked privilege.

Thank you Netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. I already have it up on display at the library!

I don’t know what I was expecting with this book. It wasn’t the amazing journey that this story took me on. The secrets and twist kept the story alive. What a great telling of a dark theme.

Sade has not had an easy life. After the latest tragedy of loosing her father she has found herself at a boarding school for the first time after being homeschooled her whole life. She has no idea what to expect but her bad luck continues when her new roommate goes missing her first night there.
She is led down a dark path that shows just how twisted her new school is.

Another gripping read by Àbíké-Íyímídé! Her writing has such an established mood and I love it! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a masterpiece! From start to finish, it captivated my attention with its compelling narrative and richly developed characters. The plot twists were perfectly timed and kept me on the edge of my seat. The author's writing style is both eloquent and accessible, making it a joy to read. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a thoroughly engaging and thought-provoking read. Five stars!

Really took off in the second half and couldn’t put it down. Love the depth and layers to the story and “thriller” plot. So much deeper than you’d expect!

The story and characters were phenomenal. It's a great addition to the dark academia genre. It will have you cheering for the swift downfall of the patriarchy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children"s Publishing Group for an advanced ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Where Sleeping Girls Lie began strongly with elements that I love in a story:

dark academia
a disappearance
secrets
a main character with a tortured past
a boarding school
quirky friends (Elizabeth and Baz)

However, it quickly got mired down by flat, one-dimensional characters, a plot that went a direction I wasn't expecting, nor did I enjoy. The social commentary was a bit too much, the way that the boarding school responded to tragic events, and the consequences for students was unrealistic and not believable. In the end, what I felt was compelling about the story got lost in the meanderings of uninteresting characters. Unforutnately, this book was not for me.

I think younger audiences who enjoy social commentary and can handle darker, more mature themes would enjoy this story, but please be aware of content warnings.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read. The atmosphere was perfectly set. I was completely blown away by the ending but thinking back on the story, i can see the little nuggets that the author laid out here and there. The characters were all very well thought out, and intriguing. The author really did a great job of pulling you in and making you feel everything that Sade was feeling. I loved how the story wrapped up and was happy that the author was able to bring everything to light and answer all the questions that the story posed in its early stages.