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.

When Frances Bean finds an invitation to a Femme party in her locker, she's torn - it's not her scene at all, but it means she can spend time with her crush, who invited her. She doesn't know why Julia invited her, but she's willing to find out. What follows is your pretty standard YA cult around beauty and wellness and influencers plot, with a subplot of Bean and Julia's romance. Romance is a bit of a strong word, as it's pretty insta-love, and what they initially state what drew them to the other gets discarded very quickly when the cult claws start to come out.

However, I found this as one of the better YA/teen-oriented depictions of cults and how their manipulation and love-bombing tactics can take on an upstanding veneer. How Bean's insecurities are played upon and how the girls are so quick to defend when things go wrong.

Where it really fell apart was the characters - for all that Bean's friends were there for her when things fell apart and knew the right things to say and do then, they weren't doing much of that before, so where did they learn that? It also felt like a very quick timeline, that all of this happened in a month.

Thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Book tagline: The Substance meets Girl in Pieces in this new YA psychological thriller exploring the dark secrets of the wellness and beauty world, brimming with sapphic romance, class exploration, and friendship clashes.

Admittedly, it took a few chapters before I was able to settle in and get comfortable with the characters. I wasn't sold on the romance as there were so many other heavy issues being tackled in this book. I have to say that it reminded me of other books, television shows, and movies that have tackled cult followings in the young adult genre. Because of this, I had a very good inkling of how many of the events were going to unfold. Therefore, I have to put it in the 3-star category since it wasn't a surprise to me. Future readers, fair warning, some of the content may be triggering for some readers.

I read it, but I am not sure that I would recommend this one. However, the author has captured my attention and I would be interested in reading more of their work.


#YouBelongtoMe #NetGalley
Expected Publication 15/04/25
Goodreads Review 07/04/25

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. I hate to say it, but this book was terrible. A plot that has been done to death, poorly developed characters, and a completely predictable conclusion.

This one didn’t really strike me as a romance but I enjoyed it overall, it was an interesting take on the cult like atmosphere of wellness gurus

Needed to put this down for now due to very specific unexpected triggers not seen in blurb.

Cover looks really cool, and the story seems neat.

Because I didn’t get the chance to read this, I am leaving 5 stars. Thank you for the opportunity to sample this eARC and provide honest feedback.

3.75 rounded up to 4 stars! 🌟

This was giving me heavy “The Midnight Feast” vibes but make it YA! A big thank you to G.P. Putnam’s and Netgalley for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fast, intriguing, and terrifying read that explores the ideas of beauty, belief, belonging, and power/manipulation.

In “You Belong to Me” we follow the POV of our teenage female main character Frances Bean. She has a father who passed away from his alcoholism, a caring mother, a tight group of friends, and an admiration for her crush Julia. Julia is the daughter of a very well-known and respected business owner of a wellness company Deena Patterson. At Deena’s company “Deep” she promotes skincare, fragrances, clothes, and eccentric luxurious items that promote “spiritual well-being” and a positive image. The company also has a program for young females called “Femme” where teen girls are offered companionship and the chance to become their “best-selves.” As Bean and Julia become closer in their relationship, Bean dives further into the life of “Deep” and becomes intertwined with the exclusive group and their gatherings. Everything seems to be the best it’s ever been for Bean, so why does it feel as if something so sinister is taking place? Is her newfound community everything it seems?

Let me be the first to say that some of this dialogue was beyond cringey but, being a YA book this was such an easy read. What you see is what you get, and the author does a wonderful job at spelling out exactly what is taking place in the plot. This is an important book with an important lesson for young men and women about people in positions of power and trusting your gut.

The best way I can describe how I felt reading this was going to an organic day spa and then taken deep into the depths of a secretive cult. YIKES. Things went from bad to worse very quickly.

I feel as if many young readers will be able to relate to the feeling of yearning for authentic friendships and self-exploration, and social issues relevant to today’s society.

Definitely give this a read! 📖

Thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group.

I don't know what to think about this. It was marketed YA, so of course I knew it was YA, but some parts of it felt too YA or too above YA. I don't know how to fully describe it. The characters were bonkers and I struggled with the back and forth between most of them. I would not say I disliked this book, but I didn't love it either.

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Even though I enjoyed the storyline, it was slow to me. I did get bored in parts. I am not sure that I would recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc and to PRH Audio for the alc.

This was quite an enjoyable YA thriller. I have noticed that since I am in my twenties, YA books can either be hit or miss for me. Well, let's just say this one was a hit!!This is the second book I have read by Hayley Krischer and I don't think it will be the last!
I also really enjoyed the audiobook and I thought that Gail Shalan did a great job bringing this story to life!
Overall, a really fun book!

DNF @26%

I hated the dialogue. It was annoying and felt ridiculous and unrealistic. None of the characters had any real personality, especially Frances.

60/100 or 3.0 stars

This is a solid teen/YA thriller. I think it did a decent job at what it was trying to do, becuase I found myself frustrated half of the time with what was going on with how our main character, Bean, and how she was reacting to certain situations. The writing itself was also good, so I would be interested in reading another release from Krischer! The cover is stunning.

This book is very dark and in some parts disturbing. The characters are not very likeable for me so I had hard time connecting to them. I feel like the book would have been better with more redemption.

I really enjoyed this one! It had me hooked from the beginning and I was very intrigued by the cultish vibe. The ending did feel a bit rushed, but overall I found it to be a very enjoyable YA mystery.

This was my first book by this author and I enjoyed the writing style. I will be reading more by her in the future!

4.5/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book