Thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for the chance to read this book!

Pretty quick little read, pretty obvious it was YA from the beginning but not in a horrible way, Seemed pretty obvious what was happening from the beginning but I've been reading thrillers a long long time, So I've pretty read this plot before. Still didn't get boring the characters are intriguing enough to keep you interested.

I just finished *You Belong to Me* by Hayley Krischer, and wow—this one really stuck with me. It’s the kind of book that leaves a little knot in your stomach, but in a good way, because it makes you *feel* things and think harder about the world we live in.

The story dives deep into friendship, obsession, and the murky line between love and control. At first, I thought it was going to be a typical YA drama, but it ended up being way darker and more layered than I expected. The characters are flawed and real, especially Casey, who’s trying to piece together what happened to her friend and getting pulled into something way more complicated than she imagined.

Krischer doesn’t sugarcoat anything—there’s a rawness to her writing that hits hard. Some parts were tough to read, especially when it deals with trauma and manipulation, but it felt honest. I appreciated how the book explored power dynamics and how easy it is to lose yourself in someone else’s shadow when you’re not careful.

If you like stories that are a little unsettling but make you think, this one's worth picking up. It’s not a feel-good read, but it’s one that lingers after you close the last page.

Thank you to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP, Penguin Young Readers Group and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for the digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Hayley Krischer's You Belong to Me is a dreamy and thought-provoking dive into the glossy underworld of beauty, wellness, cults, and identity. As someone who works in the beauty industry and overconsumes on a daily basis, I found the premise both eye-opening and deeply intriguing. Even though I don’t often read YA, the concept alone was enough to pull me in. The DEEP store and its community were vividly imagined—so much so that I could genuinely see myself getting swept up in that world. It had a Brandy Melville-esque allure: aspirational, curated, and just slightly out of reach in the most intoxicating way.

While the pacing of the book was engaging, I found myself wishing for more depth in the characters, especially early on. I didn’t truly connect with Bean until about 60% of the way through, and I wanted more buildup and believability in the romantic plot. Some scenes felt a bit underexplained, which left me occasionally unsure of the emotional stakes. That said, Krischer's writing is sharp, and her take on consumer culture is both timely and haunting. I’d love to see her include her own skincare routine in a future podcast or book signing—it would be such a fun tie-in to this story’s world. Overall, a solid and imaginative read that left me thinking about the lines between self-care and self-erasure.

I want to like YA still but I'm having a hard time. I don't know what it is but the trend seems to be sensational and unrealistic.

A fun cult story set in the beauty world, this was a fun ride. I kept waiting for the FMC to realize she was in a cult. The drama that led to the big climax was well done and engaging.

This was a jaw-dropping read!

I am leaving my honest opinion voluntarily.

OMG, Bean is a character to whom I honestly felt an emotional attachment. Her story plays out among high school children on a daily basis: the need to be accepted, getting mixed up with the wrong crowd, and becoming more confused than they were starting out.

This book was dark and disturbing. Trigger warning, psychological abuse, and reference to sexual abuse by way of a physical relationship between a minor and an adult being mentioned on the page.

With that, the book was really good. There is a sapphic romance that takes place, and the chemistry is good, but toxic.

The writing was solid, as was the world and character building. The conflict buildup was amazing! By the time we reached the end, I was out of breath, but I was pleased with the way Hayley resolved the end of this story.

Really gave the " make sure that we are checking in with our children" vibe.

This book had short chapters, the story moved along at a good pace, and the dark, creepy feeling was maintained throughout. I had a good time reading it, and when I put it down, I was satisfied!

Thank you so much to Netgalley, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, and Haley Krischer for this extremely creepy but well-written ARC of You Belong To Me.

This book is a deep dive into high school politics, romance, class exploration and friendships. It has cultish vibes and looks at the effects of beauty standards on women and young girls. I would say it’s a little bit of a slower start, but then I flew through it. It is dark and disturbing and includes a trigger warning of substance abuse and should be read with caution. Overall, it is a bit predictable, but I enjoyed it.

I was hooked from the beginning!!
It was amazing and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

You Belong To Me takes us down into the self-esteem of a teenager. The insecurity and loneliness that most kids feel. How social media projects beautiful and polished images that teens think they need to become to be beautiful and meaningful. Hayley Krischer gives a harsh look at grooming and cult thinking.

Frances Bean was an individual thinker at one time. Then slowly, without even her realizing it, she started craving the ideal. Now a lot of it could be her crush on Julia, the beauty mogul’s daughter, or it could be the constant barragement of hate directed to her. Sometimes you just get tired of not fitting in and wonder wouldn’t it just be easier to blend.

It doesn’t matter what came first, because Bean gets sucked into a world that dazzles her. Then when events start to happen that remove the rose-colored glasses, does she want them to if it costs Julia's love.

Krischer gives us a realistic story that could easily happen to any young girl. There are no easy ways out of decisions and the author doesn’t give anyone an easy out. It’s uncomfortable at times, but an easy read.

I obviously love Bean’s friends. They are diverse and have friend code down cold. Bean’s Mom is a conundrum for me because she is a therapist. I think it’s hard to draw the line at psychoanalyzing your child and giving them space to grow and make mistakes. For me, Bean’s Mom could have done better - especially with all of the changes that Bean goes through.

You Belong to Me can be dark at times, but really it’s an exploration of identity. Sometimes it’s hard to look in the mirror and this book displays every pore on the pages.

Frances becomes entangled in the infamous wellness company DEEP after being paired up with the founder's daughter on an English assignment. She will soon learn all about the secrets hidden beneath DEEP’s innocent facade.

You Belong to Me was an interesting story. The characters were somewhat flat, in my opinion. The plot, however, was quite enjoyable. It was filled with twists and turns.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Penguin Teen for the ability to read this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was unfortunately a DNF for me. It was very cliché with the overall dynamic of the characters. Got 2% into this and opted to discontinue reading. Many well wishes to the author in their endeavors.

You Belong to Me is a look into self worth and exploration through the lens of a young woman. Beans is someone who hadn't felt like she had a purpose until her long time crush invited her to an exclusive party for her mother's company. Little did she know this was just the tip of the iceberg.
You Belong to Me was so frustrating in the best way.
You could feel Beans being pulled into DEEP and before long it felt like it was too late. So many times I found myself having to put the book down because Beans couldn't see what was right in front of her. I loved seeing the different aspects of her life that began to be affected by DEEP and Femme like her wardrobe, friendships and even her relationship with her mom.
I did feel that some of the surprise and shock were taken away by over simplification or being too explicit but I think for the intended age group it will be much more engaging. Overall I enjoyed this and I think that people who are interested in the dark side of beauty and wellness brands, cults, the Manson murders and the substance will enjoy this read too!

This was an average YA mystery thriller. The story had some interesting moments, but I wasn’t that invested in it and I found it a bit boring. The story involves a cult, and there have been a lot of cult themed books lately. I think I’m becoming tired of books that feature cults.

The characters, especially Kai, were pretty annoying. Kai definitely gave off creepy, cult-leader vibes, like a wannabe Manson. The romance between Frances and Julia felt like instalove to me. Their relationship felt rushed and underdeveloped.

I liked the writing style and it was a fast read, but I thought the ending was predictable.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Hayley Krischer, and Penguin Young Reader’s Group: GP Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

This was not for me! Although I love any books about cults, there were multiple aspects that didn’t quite work for me in this read. Starting with what did work, I did enjoy the “wellness industry as a cult” commentary, and I liked seeing that play out not only through the group of Femme but also through Deep’s store and products. It felt very similar to other brands out there today, and it was interesting to see how the cult vibes in the book ran throughout all the different layers. I also really enjoyed Bean’s friend group of Ivy, Nico, and Brooks! I would have loved to see more from them and their dynamic. Other than these aspects, the book felt a little one note. As a reader, I was immediately dropped into the action without any background for characters/setting/events ever happening. What little background did happen (such as Bean’s dad being an alcoholic) felt kind of thrown in rather than explored fully. I also thought the sapphic instant love felt a little rushed, and I didn’t really feel their connection. More than anything else, I felt the book was just telling me things that were happening rather than showing them, which is not my preferred story method. I also didn’t like what the “dark side” of the cult ended up being, especially in a young adult novel. I think the book could have showed other dark things in the cult without having to have sexual assault of minors. Overall, it was a quick read that had its interesting moments but also had multiple things that made it forgettable for me.

Beauty, belonging, power,
Manipulation and Murder. The Cult-like atmoshphere will have you second guessing your own wellness influencer favorites 

The characters were interesting separately , but I felt like the relationships were a bit unrealistic and slightly clunky. Maybe that’s just me. I found Bean to be a complex character, for sure. I couldn’t believe she would accept the invitation,  but maybe if we had a little more about her crush at the beginning, it would have seemed a little more believable.

The plot was great! This story was so interesting. I thought the ending was very well done and fairly unexpected! I wanted more from the last chapter, but sometimes that’s what makes a great book. It leaves you wanting just a bit and imagining more.

I enjoyed this look into the fictional Frances Bean's life.
Her family, her friends, her crush and the impact of a beauty cult on someone who desperately wants to belong to something and wants to know who they truly are in this world.

Also there's a murder so there's that too.

I enjoyed stepping into the MCs life and really feeling the thoughts and emotions of her Deep Beauty experiences.
4⭐️

As always, I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to have an advanced ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What defines a cult? Can a cult be a wellness group that focuses on spirituality or are cults only focused in religion?

Bean is just any other teenage girl trying to be who she is with her friends but when she crushes hard on the owner of DEEP’s daughter and gets an elusive invite to one of their private parties she finds herself in a whirlwind of a group that’s so much different from her current friend group.
Can she be like these femme girls and wear white and feel what the group feels or will she figure it out and make her way back to her original friend group?

This was such a great book that truly captures how many different ways one can be manipulated and abused and yes find themselves in a cult.

*I received a free ARC from NetGalley*

I was really excited to read this book. I love a good cult book. This did not disappoint. You follow Frances Bean a teenage goth outcast who get partnered with Julia, a rich and popular girl. Bean has been crushing on her for years and finally is getting to spend time with Julia.

Julia's mom is a famous wellness guru, Deena Patterson. Deena Patterson's company, Deep, has magic skincare and extravagant parties. Deep has a program geared towards teens called Femme. Bean receives an invite to a Femme party and soon becomes blinded by the beauty and the focus of empowering girls.

At one of Deep parties something horrible happens and Bean is discovering that Deep is not as empowering as she once thought.

I wish there were more commentary with Beans friends. Also there was not a lot of character development so I felt myself not really caring about what happened and was just reading it to find out how it ended.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

When the wellness community hits the younger generation with Femme, an invitation finally lands for our mc Bean, is she interested in this journey? Mmmm, no, but the young daughter protege and founding member Julia- well, duh.

Even with an elite background, Bean is the outcast, the goth girl; so you’re not feeling like another story trying to get empathy for the rich kids. The crush aspect is awkward, mostly cause Bean is and she is just a tad too obvious and cheesy for me- but hey, that’s high school. So a lot of teenage cliches that make sense- the eagerness to fit in, dismissing common sense and intelligent choices because of your crush and it all does work for the story to work. The relationship was very rushed, which I would have liked more development, but it can work for the teenage setting.

I think I would have enjoyed this more if the obvious “it’s a cult” subtext had been more subtle or slow burned. Even though this is young adult, writing wise is on the younger side of it. But the description of comparison to a Jessica Goodman novels feels pretty spot on.

You Belong to Me is a YA thriller that follows Frances “Bean” Ellis, an outcast who ends up partnered with Julia Patterson, the golden girl at their elite school. Their unlikely connection pulls Bean into the shiny, seductive world of DEEP—Julia’s mom’s luxury wellness brand that promises empowerment. As Bean becomes more involved, she starts to question the true intentions behind DEEP's glamorous facade.

This book digs into the vulnerabilities of impressionable teens and explores just how dangerous cult like thinking can be. It tackles manipulation, gaslighting, and the way people will twist hope into control. It’s a sharp look at loyalty, friendship, and how far people will go just to feel like they belong. Solid concept, just didn’t blow me away.