Much like the girls Isla first encounters at the infamous Alarie House, I found this novel to be lush and stylish but lacking substance. The story follows the two Soler sisters, Isla and Renata, who are accepted into a prestigious finishing school. However, upon arrival, Isla discovers the older girls of the house are not what they seem, and she is terrified when her older sister appears to fall under their sway. Anna-Marie McLemore is a talented wordsmith: her prose is indulgent and evocative, lingering on the whisper of dewy fabric and the refraction of light from the glittering gems embedded in the stucco walls of the house. However, this beauty observes a confusing plot that lacks organization to such a degree that I found myself rereading the same pages multiple times just to understand what had happened. Poetic prose can be effective when wielded intentionally - however, McLemore's writing is so often so abstract as to confuse rather than clarify.

My favorite part of the novel was McLemore's depiction of Isla's intersex identity and how it impacts her navigation of her social world, particularly her socialization into womanhood. There is deep, secondhand pain in Isla's ruthless companions of herself to other girls and particularly her golden sister Renata, and I loved getting to see her relationship with Pax evolve as she begins to accept her body and herself. Unfortunately, this meaningful representation didn't do enough to counteract the heavy-handed gemstone metaphors and over-abstracted prose, culminating in a novel that was beautiful but unsatisfying.

This was difficult to continue. I gave up around a third of the way through. Too much going on and trying to follow along was difficult.

Vibes: The Virgin Suicides, Killing of a Sacred Deer, and Where the Wild Things Are

I devoured this book; I was unable to put it down. It's what I consider a sophisticated horror. Very ominous, twists, and unsettling moments. It's weird and the "theme" can be interpreted a few different ways. It's unnerving and psychological.

We have sisters Renata and Isla who come from "new" money. They are raised by their self-made grandmother who always encouraged them to be independent, expressive, and strong. However, now that the sisters are 17 and 20 the grandmother decides to send them to the most elite finishing school in the area. Not because she wants them to be ladylike and conform to society standards but because she wants people to respect them, and she knows graduating from said school is an ivy league badge that demands respect.

Right from the jump Isla is like fuck this shit, these bitches are Stefford wife crazy I'm outie. Reneta refuses to leave so she gets left behind. Isla is our FMC and after her big sister returns brainwashed, she decides to return to the school to get answers and find out how to help her sister.

These sisters are NOT Anna & Elsa and they don't have a heartwarming ending. Instead, Isla finds herself drawn in by the madness.

This was a satisfying and fast paced read for me. It was trippy, the ending doesn't wrap everything up with a bow, but I liked it. It explores sexuality, society standards, femininity, suppressing desires, embracing your dark side, self-love, and acceptance.

A captivating and thrilling young adult book, This novel, written by Anna Marie McLemore, centers on the sisters Soler, Isla and Renata, who are reared by their eccentric grandmother and sent into the aristocratic Alarie House, a finishing school that turns out the social elite. I was captivated by Anna Marie McLemore's indicative and tense story as she transported me to the luxurious yet eerie Alarie House. It opens up a terrifying and exciting investigation of deceit, control, and power. I was surprised by this book since I had no idea it was that exciting and suspenseful.

Thank you netgalley and MacMillan children's publishing group for the ebook ARC

Thank you Netgalley and Feiwel & Friends for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"Flawless Girls" by Anna-Marie McLemore presents an intriguing premise wrapped in an engaging story that immediately draws readers in. I would also like to point out just how beautiful the cover is; it’s definitely one that will prompt readers to pick up the book just because of how beautiful it is, and then the story will keep readers engaged throughout. The novel explores themes of identity, societal expectations, and the quest for perfection through the lens of intersex representation, a facet of the story that is handled with care and sensitivity. Intersex representation is not really seen that often in YA books, especially in a more historical kind of setting, so I really enjoyed that aspect of the book, even though it wasn’t mentioned in the book’s description. The representation took me by surprise a little as I had absolutely no prior knowledge of this representation being present in the book before I started reading, but I think McLemore did an excellent job in portraying this representation in an informative and positive way.

McLemore's writing style takes a little while to get used to, not only due to the richness of the prose, which was a bit overwhelming at first, but also because of the excessive metaphors and symbolic imagery. The narrative oscillates between realistic scenes and dreamlike sequences, leaving me puzzled about the author's intentions and the overarching message of the story. I sometimes had to stop and process the book at times because I was confused on what was actually happening, if everything was a dream, things like that. I found this to be a bit more manageable about halfway through the book, but this is definitely a book you can’t finish in one setting.

As stated earlier, I really loved the inclusion of intersex representation, a rarity in both historical fiction and fantasy genres. Also, the exploration of identity and acceptance was well-developed and engaging throughout the book. Those who appreciate diverse and inclusive storytelling will definitely enjoy this book, especially as it challenges gender and societal norms. McLemore's careful portrayal of intersex representation adds depth and authenticity to the narrative, making it a noteworthy addition to any reader’s TBR pile.

gorgeously tense horrormance which, however, does require a decent chunk of suspension of disbelief. tysm for the ARC!

I really liked the writing, and I thought that it was really entertaining to read, but if I tried to think about anything beyond the events of the book, including the time period in which the book took place, a lot of the book tended to fall apart. It’s also pretty hard to tell whether the events are meant to be metaphorical or real, as there are an excess of gem metaphors, but a lot of real gems in the book as well.
The intersex representation was really great though, it’s very rare to see that in historical fiction or fantasy.

Not sure how I feel about the book. I did enjoy the Hispanic representation. It was an okay read. I tried my best to not DNF & j did not, ending kinda redeemed itself.

I loved the Hispanic representation in this book as well as the concept of how women are supposed to act in civilized society and what sisterhood means. A thriller right to the very end.

Isla and Renata Soler need curing of their rebellious ways so their grandmother sends them to the prestigious Alarie House where the finest girls in society have been “finished” for years. Isla comes home after the first night. Renata stays.

After Renata completes the course she returns home, a shadow of her former self. Then she disappears. Isla returns to Alarie House to try to determine what happened to Renata.

“Whenever you shape something, whenever you polish something, you lose part of it.” This was a lovely, eerie little tale. Alarie House is deliciously dark and I loved the images of all the gems. I can see this being very popular. Recommended.

This one was...interesting to me. I almost had to DNF it, because it definitely frustrated me at times, I finished the book and essentially thought, what the heck did I just read. When I read the summary provided, I assumed it was going to be a thriller-type book, but what I got was not super realistic. I genuinely thought half of this book was a fever dream and we were going to get a cliche "and then she woke up" scene at the end. I see where the author was trying to go with this, but I do not think it was executed very well. Honestly, my favorite part may have been the book's cover, because WOW, that illustrator needs a raise.

This book had really great ideas and solid prose but the overall plot was a little confusing. I feel like it could've used another pass or two by an editor. I really liked the themes and ideas, though.

this cover is stunning! in regards to the actual story, the beginning seemed really promising and i was interested in learning about the school and renata's disappearance. unfortunately, the plot was lacking, and i found it hard to follow. i saw another review say the majority of this book was just metaphors, and i agree. this wasn't execute well :/

Thank you to netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends for allowing me to read this book. The first thing that grabbed my attention was obviously the cover, so damn beautiful. However the story was meh it wasn't something that really held my attention or pulled me in.

This cover was stunning! Talk about Flawless! However the actual story was lacking a bit for me. The story itself and the characters fell flat for me. But you can tell the author built this story with a lot of care and research so that part is not lacking.

While the concept of "Flawless Girls" by Anne-Marie McLemore held promise with its intriguing ideas, the execution left much to be desired. The symbolic elements within the plot felt forced, hindering the overall storytelling experience. The narrative, unfortunately, was convoluted and confusing, making it a challenging task to navigate through the pages. Ultimately, the difficulty in comprehending the story made it hard to muster the motivation to finish the book. this one.

This book was written in such a way that it was confusing as to what was real & what wasn’t. The last 3/4 of the book were all metaphors….little plot. Did not want to finish it, but muddled through.

The cover of Flawless Girls is simply FLAWLESS - Here, I have no notes. Immediately at first glance you’re drawn in - and after reading the book, I find it to be just another cherry on top with its irony of outside VS inside.

First, I loved the intersex representation in our main character and the author’s note at the end. You can tell how much care was put into that aspect of the book and that earned another star from me. Unfortunately, the rest of the book fell flat for me but I will definitely be looking at this author’s other works.

I guess I thought this was be more of a traditional mystery, but it seemed to lean more towards literary fiction with a foreboding mystical element - there were a plethora of metaphors and similes about gems or diamonds or other shiny things that just got old after a while. I also didn’t like how I had to sit through the entire book of metaphors for the author to flat out plainly explain the entire point of the metaphors at the end. Like..? But the chapters were short so I feel like I could get through the book really fast, and I was interested in the dynamic between the two sisters and the dynamic between Isla and a few girls she met at Alaric House. I feel like there was a lot going on in this book but it got lost in the delivery.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillans for the e-arc in exchange for my hones opinion!

I hate to say it but this book was a disappointment. It did not live up to the (admittedly high) expectations I have for a book by Anna-Marie McLemore. It certainly had the hallmarks of their writing, with beautiful, atmospheric prose, a dash of magic, and fantastically queer characters. But it felt more like a draft than a completed book. Also, this book was labeled as horror and while it has some creepy elements, I feel that calling it horror is a bit of a stretch. However, even if this book was not everything I wanted it to be, it was still an enjoyable read. I truly loved how heavily visual the writing was, with the vibrant descriptions of the Alarie House and its girls. I also loved the main character Isla, though I wish I could have seen more of her relationship with Renata before they went to the Alarie House. And while I found the plot a bit lacking, I did really like the ending of the book. It was an excellent resolution and tied things up between Isla and Renata very well. Overall, this book did not meet my expectations but was still enjoyable.

The cover the book has now is amazing, and the writing style is good too. It wasn't grabbing my attention though, so I am going to have to pass on this one. I will try to get a physical copy when the book comes out to add to my library, as I think the YA /Teen readers will love this.