In the town of Sorrow, Isabeau & her five best friends were inseparable for years, until one day something happened and the group fractured.....then it was just Isabeau & Reuel. What was even weirder was the fact that all six of the girls had the exact same birthdate. The night of their sixteenth birthday, Isabeau & Reuel go to the cemetery to spend time together and celebrate their shared birthdays. Afterwards, Isabeau leaves Reuel sitting on her front porch and goes home, only to find out the next morning that Reuel has gone missing. Reuel stays gone for two days, and when she reappears, there’s something really wrong with her. She’s very sick and she doesn’t remember anything that happened while she was gone. The only bright side to Reuel's disappearance is that it reunites the six girls. When another one of them disappears, they all agree that they must have more in common than simply their birthday. They all feel like something's watching them & waiting for them, and that something has come to claim them one by one.

This book was so good. It was creepy - in a good way - and definitely suspenseful. It had a bit of a "Yellowjackets" vibe to it only darker. I loved the entire cast of characters and thought the premise was fresh and & original. I think I would characterize this best as light horror, so if you enjoy this genre, then you will definitely want to check this out. Even though it was technically a YA book, adults will enjoy this one as well.

I received a free copy of this book from @delacortepress through @netgalley I am leaving this review voluntarily. 

📚Six of Sorrows by Amanda Linsmeier Six girls from Sorrow Island born on the same day. All of them were best friends until a few years ago.  Now on their 16th birthday one goes missing only to return sick, then another goes missing and the other girls start having strange visions and dreams. As the other girls try to figure out what is happening their parents seem to be trying to hide something. 

This is a spooky, atmostpheric YA book filled with magic, mystery and lgbtq representation. I loved the strong female protagonist whose character grows as the book proceeds. The group of friends are all diverse and have their own personalities and aren't just robotic copies of each other. The power of friendship and self discovery are key in this witchy tale. I loved the historical information the girls delve into as they try to solve the mystery of what is happening to their friends and may happen to them. 

I really loved this twisty turny female centered mystery.  Its got great creepy elements and didn't fly off into something too improbable, which it totally could have done. If you like YA and magic you may enjoy this one.

Thank you NetGalley and Delacorte for an early copy. The whole premise of this story sounded very intriguing to me but unfortunately overall, it fell flat for me. I did like the mystery, and it was a quick and easy read. I really liked the girl’s friendship when they rekindled. This book really shows you how strong love can be. As good of a message that there was, I honestly don’t have many thoughts towards the story. I liked parts of it and I had issues with other parts but I don’t really have too many positive or negative things to say.

If you are into witchcraft and mystery, this book is right up your alley, and it comes out in less than a week! If this sounds like something you will enjoy, make sure to mark your calendars for June 25th.

Twisty, atmospheric, spooky, gripping, and witchy... Six of Sorrow had me clutching the sheets to my chest (in the best way)! This story had me flipping page after page from chapter one, staying up far too late at night to finish because I couldn't get enough. This book was amazing, and I highly recommend it others!

Six of Sorrow has a good premise that pulled me in. I wish we would have gotten more lean into the history of the town and Sorrow herself. For being in the title, Sorrow honestly doesn't seem to matter that much.

We could have spent a lot more time on spooky history than we did on teenage drama. The climax felt rushed and the ending seemed like it was just tacked on because the book had to have one. There were a lot of continuity errors throughout, specifically in regards to the number of girls.

Overall Six of Sorrow was a just okay read for me.

I was only approved for this book 5 days before the publish and archive date so I wasn’t given enough time to read it but I hope it’s good.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this remarkable story!
Six girls born on the same day. Best friends. Family. Only now they don’t speak. One of them goes missing and they all find their way back to each other. Only to discover danger is lurking in the shadows. Hunting them. This story was magical. I got sucked in. It was so hard to put this book down. Every turn of a page a new element to the story appeared. The writing captured the town perfectly. I could see if vividly in my mind. Each girls personality was written so beautifully. I found myself connecting my own friends and family to each girl. This story took me on a wild ride. So many twists and turns. It had me crying, laughing, scared. For anyone wanting a creepy story with witchy elements, magic, found family/best friends and complicated family history, this one is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. This is a great gateway into spookiness for younger readers while also incorporating more inclusivity than books of the past. The writing was extremely juvenile but it did feel like it was coming from a sixteen-year-old girl and felt true to the story. I wish the story dug a bit deeper into the lore of the small town but I loved the progression of the plot as the teenagers attempt to figure out what is going on and how to stop it. Something that definitely felt unrealistic and the reason I can't give this book five stars is just how useless the families (especially the group of mothers) were. These teenage girls managed to figure out what was going on with less information than the grown adults did and that was too farfetched for me but a younger reader will probably overlook this.

This is going to sound extremely judgey but did negatively impact my reading experience for whatever reason so I do feel the need to mention it. Isabeau might be the worst main character name I have ever come across. Everyone else has quirky or different names but no one else's bothered me. Isabeau however threw me every time I saw it on the page.

Definitely recommend this one for a witchy vibe and to readers in their early teen years.

I found this story creepy and fast-paced. I enjoyed the friendships, and seeing the girls delve into the mystery of Ruel's disappearance, reappearance, and subsequent sickness. This is followed by one of the other girls going missing and returning without any idea what happened while they were gone.

As Isabeau and her friends look into what is happening they not only discover some town folklore might be true, but also some secrets about their mothers and the friendships they didn't know existed between them.

I think the only thing I would have liked more would be to dive deeper into the magic and how it related to the girls going missing, then being returned basically at death's door, and fading fast. I enjoyed the amount of creepiness, I liked the characters, and the plot and how it all played out was intriguing and kept me flipping the pages to find out what would happen next.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I will read more,

I received a free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I feel like I requested this one based on the cover, and as I’ve never actually watched Yellowjackets, I cannot attest to how similar it is to the show (although every blurb I’ve read certainly wants me to think that!).

Our protagonist is Isabeau (Iz for short). She used to have a group of five other best friends - they were drawn together because all six of them share the same birthday (even though only two of the six were actually born in Sorrow). But when they were 13, they had some kind of falling out (we do eventually get an explanation for it - basically boils down to teenaged poor communication skills) and now it’s just Iz and her best friend Reuel. The town of Sorrow is this little island off the coast of Louisiana - I have no idea if it’s a real place, or just based on a real place, but the scene setting is really effective. There’s a legend of a witch, named Sorrow, who once lived on the island, and every year on a certain day (which happens to be the girls’ birthday), people burn bonfires and wishes (like, literal wishes on a piece of paper) in her “honor.” There’s definitely some magical realism at play here - at first everything seems like it’s grounded in reality, but it eventually becomes clear that there are supernatural forces at work.

Iz and Reuel skip the beach parties and have their own party…in the cemetery. But after they part ways for the night, Reuel goes missing. It’s awful, obviously, but it has the unintended side effect of reuniting the other girls. And then Reuel returns, but something isn’t quite right. She’s clearly really sick - starving but can’t eat, her skin has a weird pallor, etc. And then one of the *other* girls also goes missing, so it’s clear there’s something really wrong here.

I was ready to call vampire, given the “I’m starving but I can’t eat” angle, but without spoiling anything I’ll say it does NOT go that route, which is a relief. It’s been years since vampire mania, but I confess to still feeling vampire fatigue. It reminded me a lot of both The Grace Year and Wilder Girls - those intense friendships, a world that isn’t *quite* right. Without giving too much away, we do eventually learn that the girls’ mothers, who they’d always thought didn’t get along as a group, were closer than they realized, and they’re involved with all the weirdness currently going on.

As has been the case with so much of the YA I’ve read lately, I eventually found myself more interested in the mothers than the daughters. To be clear, I was all in on Iz and Reuel and the rest of the crew. But once it became clear that their mothers actually were involved, I wished we’d had more perspective from them instead. But again, that’s not the story we’re here for. I kind of wish they’d left the mothers out of it entirely, especially because the romance element at the end feels a little rushed, and for perhaps the first time ever, I wish we’d had a little more focus on that instead!

This has its flaws, but I did really enjoy it! It’s creepy but not super scary, and it’s kind of walking that line between outright fantasy and magical realism (I’ll be interested to see what sticker ends up on its spine once we catalog it!). It also helps that it’s a stand alone rather than a series starter - I think we’re starting to see more stand alone YA books again, and I for one am thrilled about it. It’s also NOT 500 pages long, which is sadly a trend that persists in YA (my teen librarian and I were literally just talking about this earlier today, although it seems like it strikes more established authors - like no one wants to tell them to cut anything!). So bonus stars for both of those things!

My thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press/Random House Children's Books for the ARC of 'Six Of Sorrow' in exchange for an honest review.
Definitely one of those books where you want to put off doing other stuff so you can keep reading to see what happens next. It's a nicely witch-crafted (so to speak) chill-you-to-the-bone brew of bubbling toil, trouble, and growing dread.
I loved the setting of Sorrow, a little island-town parked off the Louisiana coast across from New Orleans. Supposedly named after a legendary witch, the town's supernatural elements rise up to bedevil six teen girls, all born on the same day. Why them? And why now? And what or who is the source of all this scary torment afflicting these girls? Now you know why this book's guaranteed to keep you glued to it till you find out.
Through childhood Isabeau and her five friends, Reuel, Georgia, August, Cori and Sloane were inseparable. But starting after their tweens, something split them apart, with only Isabeau and Reuel remaining BFFs. But then Reuel's mysterious three day disappearance rocks the community and serves to re-bond the girls' sisterhood. Though she's found safe and sound, Reuel's health and physical appearance alarmingly deteriorate - as if her life force is being drained out of her to make something (or someone else) stronger.
And it's clear to the girls that one by one, they're in the cross hairs of some terrible vengeful entity......and it's up to them to find out what's after them and save their own lives. Are they cursed? And what's the how, why and who of it?
Those questions and their answers kept me pinned to the pages all the way through. Filled with moments of unease, suspense and nightmarish dreams, I can't think of a better way to add real chills to your summer reading. I can also imagine 'Six of Sorrow' as a top Halloween season read and would make a surefire mini-series to rival 'Pretty Little Liars'. .....

"Sixteen years ago, six girls were born on the same day..."

Creepy, witchy, atmospheric, and unique! Six of Sorrow is about six teenage girls living in Sorrow, Louisiana who share the same birthday and become friends until a rift occurs. Isabeau and Reuel remain friends while the other girls go their own ways. Reuel goes missing only to return days later sick with no memory of where she was or what happened to her. The former friends all gather once again. Questions swirl in their minds when another in their group goes missing. What is happening? Why are members of their group being taken? Is there a connection? Is it their shared birthdays or could it be something else entirely???

I enjoyed this creepy, small town supernatural mystery thriller. It was unique, imaginative, well thought out, and enjoyable. This book played out like a movie in my mind. I enjoyed the secrets, the descriptions, the witch aspect, the spells, the danger, the hint of romance, the creepy vibe and the writing. I look forward to reading more books by this author in the future.

Atmospheric, creepy, well thought out, unique, and supernatural. Plus, that cover!

“It is night and they are running. Tearing across the grass, frightened. But it is far too late for regret. ”
Here are reasons to read the YA Horror book:

6 Girls - in the small town of Sorrow live 6 girls all with the same birthday. And they are friends - for awhile
Missing - One of the girls goes missing and when she returns, something is not right
Sickness - She is very sick. So when another girl in the group goes missing, these girls work to see how they can reverse the damage.

This book really intrigued me because of the whole missing girl trope, which I seem to be into right now. Six of Sorrow is the perfect book to read in the fall because it really has that Practical Magic/Hocus Pocus feeling. It’s a fast read and my one critique is that I wanted more about the lore surrounding why the girls go missing. While it is explained, I think the history was fascinating and should have been expanded upon a little more.

This was such an amazing book! I was completely hooked from the start and couldn't put it down. I just had to keep reading to find out what would happen next.

I was immediately drawn in by the spooky, Gothic atmosphere. The spooky town was a lot of fun, and I love a good magical tale. There are magic spells, witches and demons, but there are also friendships and a hint of romance. And I especially liked the Sapphic representation.

The idea of main characters sharing a birthday and this town under a witch's curse was really intriguing. I was completely captivated by the story's fast-paced plot, which revolved around disappearances and friends coming together to break a curse.

This book addresses a number of serious topics, including broken friendships, sorrow, family concerns, and difficult parent-child relationships. I appreciate how characters were handling their issue. This book is really short, and I believe it would have seemed more finished—especially if it include more of the parents' story.

If you're looking for a quick read that is both sweet and eerie, I highly recommend this!

I almost put this down like 2-3 chapters in. This started off as very "Here's a bunch of girls and they all fit a specific stereotype and they all used to be best friends until a MYSTERIOUS EVENT happened." Cue the dramatic music.

Anyway, then some really wild stuff happens and I was like "Well dang, now I NEED to know what actually happened!"

This was good. I could have done with a few more spooky moments and some better atmosphere, but it ended up being a fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!
3.5 stars rounded to 4.
The cover for this was amazing. I really got sucked in by it. The story was very interesting and I love a good witchy read. Y only real problem was how fast everything went. Because of this, it seemed so stereotypical. I liked the girls as friends but it seemed like they fell out and got together so quickly. There wasn’t a lot of backstory to where I believed that the falling out was so tragic. The romance I saw coming a mile away but again seemed to happen so fast. The magic part of this also seemed like it was missing something. The villain and motivation just didn’t seem all there. What was the point of making them sick first? Why not just take them the first time? It seemed unnecessary. All in all this was enjoyable and I liked the directions it went.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book!

2.5 stars, rounded up.

The premise of this book sounded very cool--6 girls all born on the same day who start disappearing and something supernatural is going on. Unfortunately, had I not been determined to finish and write a review here, I would have quit this one after the first few chapters. I struggled to connect to any of the characters, care about them, and for most of the book, keep them straight. I did enjoy elements of the story like the importance of female friendship and strength, but overall I didn't find the supernatural/horror elements to be very engaging or interesting and while the action does pick up toward the end, I was bored for most of the book.

That said, I am sure this book will be a hit with many readers, it just wasn't quite for me.

3.5 stars

The small town of Sorrow, Louisiana is steeped in the lore of witchcraft that surrounds its founder and namesake. It's also home to six sixteen-year-old girls who were all born on the same day. Previously best friends, until adolescence tore them apart, they're reunited by tragedy when one of them disappears. Strange things keep happening: plants are dying, dead birds are piling up in the yard, and the girls are hearing a voice and feeling someone watching them. Plus, their mothers are clearly keeping secrets.

I enjoyed this author's first book, "Starlings", which had creepy small-town family secret vibes and dark fairytale elements. It was right on the edge of like and love for me, and so I was hoping her next book would be even better. Once again I really liked the tone and setting of the story, but there were some bits that I really wish had been more fleshed out. I'd have liked to get to know the girls and their history a bit more, as well as their mothers, and felt the book ended quickly once the big bad was revealed. I'd have enjoyed reading more about the history and logistics behind their motivation. Overall I had a good time and liked the atmosphere and the main character, Isabeau, but didn't get to know anyone else enough for it to stick in my mind for long. Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This dynamic supernatural young adult thriller is ideal for fans of “Pretty Little Liars.” Seeing it recommended for enthusiasts of “Yellowjackets” caught my attention right away—particularly since I loved the author’s debut novel “Starlings.” Although I find the “Yellowjackets” comparison somewhat exaggerated, this contemporary tale possesses a unique allure that will captivate readers as they try to unravel its mysteries.

Sixteen years ago, six girls were born on the same day—and now, on their birthday, one of them is missing. From the author of Starlings comes a story about small-towns, friendships, and the terrifying things your parents don't tell you, that's perfect for fans of Yellowjackets.

I really enjoyed this. Great horror with great characters and a really compelling plot.