I am buying my niece a copy as soon as its released. Linsmeier successfully creates a spectacularly chilly atomspehere filled with secrets and spooky encounters. Perfect introduction to Horror with LGBTQIAP+ rep for the Teens & YA in your life.

Thank you to Random House Children's | Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

Six of Sorrow by Amanda Linsmeier was a quick read. I loved the friendships between the main characters, but alas something about this book was lacking. The finale was very underwhelming, but I am still happy to add this book to my shelf of books about LGBTQ+ witches.

Six girls born on the same day.... friends...all of their mothers have moved back to town.
If that doesn't give you chills and scary fable vibes I don't know what will!

Isabeau and her five friends turn 16 at the start of the story and slowly but surely bad things begin to happen. When Isabeau finds a spell book in her attic, she begins to suspect that their mothers know more about what is happened then they let on. The girls need to work together fast - it's a matter of life and death.

Some of the twists were a bit too much, but this spooky book was incredibly entertaining and I would recommend to any YA lover. Linsmeierc creates a whole atmospheric world where magical happenings seem normalized along with your every day pep rallies and school drama!
#randomhouse #randomhousechildrens #sixofsorrow #amandalinsmeier

This was a super atmospheric and well-written sophomore novel that had all the best elements of horror and small-town creepiness and teenage friendship. I absolutely flew through it and will be recommending it to anyone who enjoys this genre!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s.
Six girls born on the same exact day find themselves trying to survive the normal high school trials…and a potentially supernatural entity who has taken an interest in them, as one of them goes missing. Picture an eerie, magic infused Pretty Little Liars. I really enjoyed this one!

This story threw me back to my teenage years. If you’re a fan of Pretty Little Liars and The Secret Circle you will love SIX OF SORROW. It gave me all the nostalgic feelings I adore. Paired with Amanda’s beautiful writing and vivid world building this story played out like a movie in my head while reading. A perfectly creepy story about friendship & family—messy and all—, dangeorus magic, and the strength to hold onto those we love. Also the cover is absolutely GORGEOUS!!!

So so good. I'm a sucker for girls who were friends and life separated them only for them to come back together under odd circumstances. This has that and includes the girls' moms secretly being friends in the past. (Hello PLL: Original Sin). Perfect for the girls that like creepy small towns and even weirder supernatural occurrences. Also had no idea that this who be any way queer, and so the reveal had me giggling like a little schoolgirl.

**3.5 STARS**

Content Warning: body horror, illness, blood, parental death, underage drinking

This book was giving me The Craft vibes throughout and I love that movie. Obviously, it wasn’t The Craft, because but it had all the vibes – group of high school girls, vows of being best friends, blood vows, things happening to the girls.

Sorrow is a small town, but one with a backstory. There are six girls with the same birthday, if that’s not suspicious, I don’t know what is. Isabeau is one of these girls and there is a feeling these girls once upon a time were close best friends but not anymore, at least not with Isabeau. But something happens on their sixteenth birthday and it’s a race to figure out what is going on with the girls.

There are some heavy issues that are brought up in this book such as lost friendship, family problems, grief, and problematic parent/child bonds. I like how they face their problems eventually though and there is actually a happy ending even though this was a horror story.

Speaking of horror, this is set in a small town with a backstory about a witch named Sorrow. The horror is happening to the girls, where they are disappearing, or going through some illness and bleeding out of their eyes and such.


Final Thoughts:

I thought this was pretty entertaining especially with premise of a small creepy town called Sorrow and six girls having the same birthday. What these girls uncover is something dark but the darkness makes way for the light and love of their friendship as they are reunited again. I think that was my favorite part of the book – the friendship. It would have been nice if there was more witchcraft in this book but that’s just for my personal preference!

I am not a huge horror fan, but this book was great. I wanted to know what was going to happen throughout the story, keeping me turning the page. It wasn’t super intense, so if you are looking for something really spooky I wouldn’t say this fit the bill. But it does have intrigue and powerful moments. I love the story of friendship helping the girls overcome their problems. The book doesn’t paint the friendship as being without faults, which made it feel more realistic. And Isabeau’s moment of self-realization was well done.

Thos one kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I loved all six of the main characters and found them each to be strong in their own ways.

Sadly this book was not for me. I just wasn't vibing with it. The writing was not fun and the cover is uncomfortable.

Six of Sorrow is captivating from the very beginning, full of twists and turns that keep you flipping the pages. The story of Sorrow and how these girls are tethered together is woven together so perfectly in the most haunting and beautiful way. From the very beginning I was lured in by the relatable characters and enjoyed the atmospheric prose that brings them and the setting to life. I loved the friendship between Isabeau and Reuel, and how determined Iz was to protect her as they worked through understanding the mysterious illness that's taken over her.
Of course I also enjoyed all the witchy vibes and Yellowjackets comp! This was such a s good read!

Practical Magic" collides with the intrigue of "Pretty Little Liars" and the supernatural allure of "AHS: Coven," providing the barest framework for the plot, yet delivering an experience more eerie, tempting, and creepy than the sum of these concepts.
The story unfolds in Sorrow, Louisiana, a town steeped in the tales of a presumed witch. It's the birthplace of six close young girlfriends, all born on May 3rd, yet estranged as their lives take diverse paths. Three become the privileged cheerleading elite, Isabeau clings to her friendship with Reuel, and Sloane, the bookish nerd, forges her own connections with a different group.
Isabeau harbors resentment towards Georgia, the snarky queen bee, which alienates her from August and Cori. A pivotal event during their thirteenth birthday celebration severs their bonds, leaving Isabeau clueless about why she lost her friends.

This riveting, fast-paced supernatural thriller compelled me to read with bated breath, eager to unravel the mystery. From the talented writer of "Starlings," the narrative delivers a heart-throbbing, fun ride. Highly recommended for genre enthusiasts and anyone seeking a fast-paced, thrilling, witchy, paranormal experience.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. I think Amanda has stepped right up into my circle of favorite authors. I loved Starlings, and I LOVED this. It was nostalgic feeling, atmospheric, and beautifully written. I loved the dynamic of the girls, and thought it was an interesting story addition for them all to share the same birthday, I really loved how unique that tie between them all was. Ms. Linsmeier is holding steady on my list as an auto-buy author!

Six of Sorrow is what would result if The Craft had the best friends come together to fight an evil magic force coming to get them. Small town vibes, large group friendship, and the best romance (if you're into subtle hints until all at once you realize you've been in love the whole time - this is my favorite thing, I even cried). The book delivers on the creepy /horror vibes it promises, and for a large group of friends and only one POV there was a perfect page balance and the characters felt distinct. I LOVED IT, thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

Also, thanks NetGalley for allowing me to read this book before Pub Date in exchange for an honest review. Catch me at the bookstore during release day.

Amanda did it again. I really enjoy and love her writing style. I would recommend this book to anyone who has a passion for reading.
10/10

I loved this so much !!!! it was referred to as a cross between “pretty little liars” and “practical magic “ and that’s exactly the vibe that I got the whole time reading this book it’s everything you want in a witchy girl group mystery ! Was an easy 4 star read for me an would absolutely read it again

I was hooked from the cover and so glad I got a chance to read this, it had that horror elements that I was looking for in this type of story. I thought the missing child element was a scary concept and worked with what I was hoping for in this type of book. I enjoyed the way Amanda Linsmeier wrote this and left me wanting to read more. It had that suspenseful atmosphere that I was looking for and enjoyed that tension, the characters felt like they were real people and thought they worked with the universe.

Beautiful lyrical book! If you love magical realism, this one is perfect for you. It revolves around sisters who are bonded by birth, not blood. The novel explores the concept of family, which is more than just blood relations. The story also delves into how the past can create unintended consequences. I am trying to be cryptic and avoid giving away spoilers. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

In the small town of Sorrow, named for its most famous witch, six girls share a birthday. For much of their lives, they were the best of friends, but now they’re barely speaking. All Isabeau has left is Reuel. On their sixteenth birthday, the two girls decide to celebrate with a nighttime picnic in the cemetery, and then they walk home, parting ways at Reuel’s front porch.

But in the morning, Reuel is gone.

As the town gathers a search party, Isabeau and the other four girls are drawn back together in their grief. Weirdly, their mothers are drawn together as well, even though they’ve never been close. When Reuel shows up a few days later, something is very wrong with her. Her symptoms get worse and worse despite the doctors’ best efforts, and then . . . another one of the girls goes missing.

It’s not long before Isabeau and her friends realize that the six of them are being targeted in some way, and their mothers have a secret connection from the past that seems related. Will the girls be able to figure out what’s happening to them before it’s too late?

We were definitely intrigued by the mystery of this one and rooting for the girls to figure it out. While there’s definitely something not human going on, it’s also got enough mystery/suspense vibes to draw in those (like us) who are new to the horror genre. We think many students will enjoy the story, but it’s definitely for older teens, especially since it includes a fair amount of profanity and casual teen drinking and smoking.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Children’s, and Delacorte Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are our own.

(3.5 stars rounded down: it was an engaging read but didn't particularly stand out, perhaps because the characters seem pretty flat)

Review (minus the stars) will be posted on https://threeheads.works/category/blog/ya-books/ on April 8.