I love this author. I am a huge fan.
I was just not fully into this book. It is probably better for a younger person. I am an old school marm.

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.

3.75 stars

Bethany Sloane is a very young teen, stranded by her English mother several years earlier at a remote boarding school in South Africa. Her only lifeline seems to be her best friend Stacey, a girl a year older than her and to Bethany, Stacey is the air that she breathes, she is life itself. However, Stacey demands total obedience and complete love from her "friends", requiring tests and rituals to prove their worth, and Beth is all too eager to provide it. One time, Stacey is sick in the hospital wing and so Beth has to determine what she's going to do all by herself. Several bad choices later, she is damaged, both emotionally and physically, but can't let Stacey know that anything is wrong or that she now has feelings for anyone but her. Total subservience, remember? The story tracks back and forth between "Then" and "Now", into an amorphous future where Beth is now a famous writer, critically successful but wracked with debilitations both physical and mental. When Stacey enters her life again at a crucial crossroads in her career, can Beth preserve her sanity long enough to stand up to her former antagonist?

The level of pure obsession in this story was so overwhelming. I can't say I overly enjoyed reading this because honestly some parts were really difficult to process as a reader. Beth made some seriously egregious choices as a young teen and never learned how to manage the fallout. She spiraled deeper and deeper, whilst still trying to win the unwavering love and friendship of Stacey. But the book itself is well written and even though it was difficult, I had to know how the story ended. As it wound its way to a rather unexpected (and frankly jaw-dropping) conclusion, there were a couple of big reveals that threw wrenches into everything I thought I'd figured out. So, if you can make it all the way to the end of the book you will be rewarded.

Thanks to NetGalley, author Dawn Kurtagich, and Thomas & Mercer for giving me access to a free digital ARC of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own and are provided here voluntarily.

Dawn Kurtsgich includes a note that the plot was based on many of her own experiences at boarding school and includes trigger warnings. The Thorns is full of potential triggers: abandonment, gaslighting, bullying, self-harm, toxic relationships, sexual violence, underage alcohol/drug abuse, animal harm & mental health crises.

The Thorns was very disturbing and often times confusing. I guessed most of the twists. The book is told in duel timelines - then & now.

Thank you to NetGalley & Thomas & Mercer for letting me read this ARC.

ABOUT
This book is from the point of view of Bethany, a London based, successful author. She is struggling through writer’s block while under pressure to deliver the concluding novel to her major hit series when all of a sudden she starts to rekindle a childhood best friendship when that friend is suddenly back in her life.

The timeline jumps back and forth between the present day Bethany and 13 year old Bethany. Young Bethany’s setting is the boarding school that her mother and new step father abandoned her to in the desert of South Africa.

There are some major trigger warnings on this one so please do check

REVIEW
The Thorns is an intriguing, haunting story that kept me coming back. There were absolutely brutal scenes that were important to the story, but I had to step away and take breaks.

I had some moments of feeling like the writing style was taking me out of the story, particularly the use of “you” when the main character was thinking about or interacting with her childhood friend. But this is just personal preference!

**3.5-stars**

The Thorns follows our MC, Bethany, through both Past and Present perspectives. Present Bethany is a successful author, wife, and a bit of a recluse. Bethany is the author of a popular series, who is now struggling to write the final book, in which her beloved protagonist, Sally, is slated to be killed. She just can't seem to get it right, causing her a lot of inner turmoil.

Past Bethany has been shipped off to a remote boarding school by her mother. Feeling abandoned and alone, Bethany befriends a fellow classmate, Stacey, who she comes to idolize, shall we say, to an unhealthy degree.

In the Present, Bethany is thrown for a loop when she receives an email from Stacey out of the blue. You can tell they haven't been a part of each other's lives for quite some time, but why? What happened?

The Past clues us in to their complicated friendship, taking us through the various uncomfortable circumstances they got themselves into while at school together. Eventually, Past and Present merge revealing the truth behind Bethany and Stacey's relationship.

This is a tough on for me, because I Love Dawn Kurtagich's writing and daring imagination. The Thorns has a solid ominous feel to it, which I thoroughly enjoyed, but it also had its issues that sadly brought down my rating. For me, it's one of those stories where a lot is happening, but simultaneously, it feels like nothing is happening. I was constantly waiting for something big to be revealed, and then when it was, I had predicted it from very early on and it didn't end up being as satisfying as I would've hoped.

It also felt too drawn out and I didn't enjoy the 2nd-person narration style of the Present perspective. Nevertheless, Kurtagich gets full marks for her creativity and follow-through on ideas, and this is still a good book, which just happened to fall a little flat for me. I was hoping for a deeper connection and to be more compelled by the narrative than I was. The middle portions felt quite General Fiction as opposed to the dark-intrigue that I was expecting.

With all this being said, I know so many Readers are going to love this. The back-and-forth does build up some anticipation, and I feel like the topics explored are strong and well-executed. Thank you to the publisher, Thomas & Mercer, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I'm looking forward to more from Kurtagich!

This book is not going to be for everyone. It is super dark and incredibly heavy. The story is full of toxic relationships, unthinkable traumatic events, teenage angst, and the results of trauma. In my opinion, it’s the fact that the traumatic events could realistically occur that makes this book horrifying and scary. The twist at the end completely blew my mind and I did not see it coming.

Please make sure to read the trigger warnings before picking up this book. If you love dark books with dual timelines and shocking endings, then check this one out.

I loved this author’s previous book, but I was not a fan of this one. This story deals with heavy topics that I was not prepared for. The author lists some trigger warnings at the beginning of the book, but I was still not prepared for the CSA in the book. It made me uncomfortable. I would recommend checking all the trigger warnings before reading this one.

The story was very different than I thought it was going to be. The premise made this sound like a thriller/horror story, but this was more of a.coming of age drama, with some mystery elements. The horror in the story is more about what the main character went through at a young age.

I will continue to read books by this author since I loved her previous book so much, but this book was not for me.

I had high hopes for this, but it just fell flat for me. First of all, if you have any trauma in your childhood, maybe check yourself before reading this book. Granted, there are trigger warnings available, I felt that the story moved more away from horror, and I ended up struggling to get through the entire book.

I was expecting a supernatural horror, instead I got a disturbing story about abuse and neglect.

My main problem with this book is the way it's being marketed. In my opinion the blurb is misleading, since the horror/supernatural plot we're promised is actually barely there. We don’t read almost anything about it until halfway through the story.
Instead, the plot focuses mainly on the abuse that the main character suffered when she was young and attended a remote boarding school.
Everything that happens during Bethany’s flashbacks is terrible and horrifying, and even if there were trigger warnings I didn’t expect that to be the main focus of the story.

In addition to that, I suspected early on what the revelation at the end would be, and while I appreciated the progressive "descent into madness" style of chapters as we approached the revelation, it felt a bit tedious since it was a bit obvious where the hints were leading.

Having read a couple of works from this author, I have to conclude that her books are sadly not for me.

“Memories injure as much as the source, only they’re worse because they linger longer.”
This was such a heavy read, I feel like the heat and the wind, and the sand, and devil thorn’s left a mark on me. Such a beautiful and vulnerable writing. There are a lot of triggers, so please read the trigger warning at the beginning, it is so important; it doesn’t spoil anything, just lets you know how heavy the themes of this book are. There is a sinister presence throughout the narrative of the story that makes us question the state of mind of our main character. There are chapters for NOW and THEN that blends good together, they are absolutely needed. That makes the end so much powerful, that’s an ending that breaks you to shreds. This is and it isn’t a ghost story –it is more of psychological descent to the hell we all have inside of us that only specific circumstances will let lose. This book is very reminiscent of Jawbone by Monica Ojeda. I haven’t read from this author before, but I will absolutely check out her works. 4.5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with the ARC.

The synopsis presents this novel as a promising thriller, offering readers a gripping narrative filled with suspense, meaningful friendship, and adolescent abuse delicately woven into the plot. The reality, however, is quite different.

Psychological thrillers have always intrigued me for their ability to build a lingering sense of unease that intensifies as the story unfolds. I don’t mind particularly dark scenes, as long as they are well-integrated into the narrative and serve the plot. In this case, though, the genre is handled in a very superficial way, with little alignment to what one would expect from a psychological thriller.

The entire novel revolves around women who seem to hate each other, with toxic friendships and detailed depictions of abuse toward minors that feel repetitive and uncomfortable. Bullying is also present, alongside a threat so vaguely defined it fails to leave any real impact on the story’s progression.

What we have here is a tale of emotional and mental instability, of women tearing each other down, with an attempt at a psychological thriller ending that ultimately falls flat. So, what’s worth salvaging in these pages? The premise remains intriguing, and some of the descriptions do offer momentum at key points in the narrative. There's also a glimpse into the toxic dynamics that can develop in certain friendships, which could have been explored with more depth.

However, none of this is enough to elevate the story or engage the reader in a thriller that, in execution, proves to be disappointingly mismanaged.

I picked up the book because the synopsis sounded intriguing: a remote boarding school, toxic friendships, and obsession. Sounded good.

In the present, Bethany Sloane is a 32-year-old bestselling and award-winning author struggling to write the last book of her popular series. She is married, disabled, and seemingly medicated for anxiety. One day, she receives an email from Stacy, who wants to reconnect.

In the past timeline, Bethany Sloane is a thirteen-year-old girl who was pretty much abandoned by her mother at a remote boarding school in South Africa. She quickly gets very attached to Stacey, another student at the school, who seems to know all the rules and haunting stories. The friendship is super toxic.

The book also deals with CSA, and while my arc doesn't have the specific trigger warning, I am glad to report that it is included in the final version. This aspect of the book made me, as expected, very uncomfortable. Since it's a very prominent part of the story, I ended up putting down the book every time it dealt with that abuse.

I think I will settle on a 3-star rating, because while I didn't love it, I ended up being pretty much immersed in the story, which I consider a plus.

Unfortunately, this book didn’t capture my attention and I wound up DNF’ing it around the 10% mark. It wasn’t anything in particular, but neither did the current day nor the past settings entice me, and I simply wasn’t invested in the relationship between the main character and the “top” mean girl, and found them both to be unrealistic and annoying - both as children and adults.

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for providing me a copy for review.

I had high hopes for this novel, but as I was reading it, I felt myself quickly losing interest. Although there were aspects of it I enjoyed, there was a lot of the story that just didn’t hold my attention. The plot was promising and maybe it would’ve been different had I not listened to the audio book on Kindle Unlimited but it unfortunately wasn’t for me. I’ll give it another try in a few months because the premise is up my alley and should be something I enjoy.

This is a heavy, complex novel whose characters are teenage girls at boarding school, which deals with some very adult issues. Many readers will know Dawn Kurtagich from her previous books (And the Trees Crept In, Teeth in the Mist, The Dead House, The Madness), which are primarily in the young adult category, so I expect many admirers of her writing will seek this book out but should be aware of the content. Kurtagich includes a detailed trigger warning at the start of the book, explaining she was inspired to write it from personal experience. In that context, this isn’t traditional horror compared to her prior novels; instead, it depicts personal horrors that I’m shocked she has been able to write about in a way that is with her usual literary eloquence. I applaud her ability to do so.

Some readers will find the novel very triggering; it includes themes of emotional and physical abuse, self-harm, mental illness, molestation, and underage sex.

The Thorns is the harrowing story of Bethany, who once attended boarding school in remote, desert South Africa, but begins in present-day London with an email from her long-lost school friend Stacey. Friendship is a confusing word in The Thorns, especially for thirteen-year-old Bethany, who is elated when Stacey first says she's her best friend, and hears "aren't you two the pair of twins?" But dominant, fearless Stacey dictates everything about their relationship, and Bethany constantly seeks her approval, forcing herself to be braver, bolder, talking her into doing things--playing Stacey's dangerous physical and psychological games--that she wouldn't otherwise, sometimes to the point of physical torture and degradation. The email from Stacey jumpstarts a reckoning for thirty-two-year-old Bethany--now disabled but married with a successful career as an author--with her traumatic and abusive past. It's clear that Stacey stirs up old emotions and memories, and she reverts to feeling like a child, which causes her to stop writing, feel differently about her husband, and evaluate her entire life.

Bethany's childlike desire for attention and love, spurred on by feelings of abandonment (from being left at boarding school at an early age), leads her to seek out negative connections, and she has a constant need for approval. Her lack of self-esteem allows Stacey to take advantage of her, and her naivety and innocence lead her into some of the more alarming situations in the novel. Bethany has no understanding of how morally wrong and abusive the behavior that is being committed upon her, due to her confused feelings and immaturity (and it's unclear whether Stacey does or if she is mentally unstable). Bethany's need to connect with her closest friend is pathological; she constantly wrestles with the obsessive nature of her friendship, and her story reflects how this adolescent desire to fit in can have such terrifying consequences.

In <i>The Thorns</i> there is little recognition from authority or parental figures of the harm done (barely any acknowledgement of what’s happening at all), so this adds to the feelings of uneasiness and discomfort, certainly frustration. Although the two timelines are intertwined, the chapters set at the boarding school need so much psychological energy and attention that they are the overwhelming focus of the book. There's no break from the heaviness and darkness of the material, despite the sun-drenched desert setting.

This is an emotional read about a toxic friendship enveloped in indescribable trauma in a unique setting. I think it will be hard for any reader to come away from such an intense story without some visceral reaction.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer for my digital review copy.

This was a miss for me, I wanted to love it but did not (unfortunately). The synopsis was very misleading, and the synopsis is what drew me to the book.

3.5 stars

The Thorns by Dawn Kurtagich  is a horror novel about a girl sent to a boarding school.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Harlequin Trade Publishing | Graydon House, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

 

My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Three girls met at boarding school in South Africa.  They called themselves The Thorns, after the devil's thorn plants known to the area.  Stacey Preston was their leader, and both Bethany and Bernadette hang on her every word, vie for her attention.   The games they play get twisted, and consequences are harsh.

Years later,  Bethany is now disabled,  living in London with her husband Bruce, but has some mental blocks as to what happened back in school. She is a best-selling author, trying to finish her novel, but can't seem to kill off her main character.

Then Stacey reappears in her life.




My Opinions:
Okay.  I'm not sure how to proceed with this review.  I think I hated it 50% of the time, but was just compelled to keep going.  The writing is good, even when the topics were so dark.


It is told through Bethany's eyes, in the Then (school) and Now (a disabled author).  This worked really well.  I wish there had been something likeable about Stacey, or Bethany, or even Bernie.  I liked Rowan and Gert, but other than that....where were the adults in this book?

The book looked at childhood friendship and naivety.  But it also looked at dependency, bullying, and abusive, controlling relationships during childhood, as well as sexual abuse.  Ultimately, it looked at mental illness.

Bottom line, this was an uncomfortable read.  It is dark, disturbing, and somewhat depressing  psychological horror.  If you are looking for light-heartedness and a happy ending, look elsewhere.  The book was really sad.  It is hard to rate a book that didn't sit well with me.  I love horror, but this was horrific.  However,  the suspense kept me turning those pages, waiting for Bethany to stand up for herself, waiting for her to let Stacey go.  In the end, the book kept me interested, kept me there.  Even though I couldn't really connect with the characters, I really wanted to know what finally happened to Bethany, but was afraid to ask.  I still am.

WOW. This is coming of age horror up there with Stephen King and Ronald Malfi. It deals with heavy issues (all kinds of abuse, check triggers), but Dawn Kurtagich is a brilliant writer and I always felt like I was in good hands, even when it got dark. This isn't a mystery or thriller, so don't go in expecting wild twists, but if you want an exploration of feral girlhood and toxic relationships/friendships, pick this up

I absolutely loved The Madness by Dawn Kurtagich which is a great gothic horror thriller. The Thorns is a twisted tale involving the friendships of boarding school students, obsession and abuse/trauma. I was pulled into this story because of an unreliable narrator along with shifting timelines. Refer to the trigger warnings because this book does deal with some heavy topics including toxic relationships, mental health, sexual abuse and rape. I had an inkling about the ending about 60% in, probably a breadcrumb left by the author because I’m no sleuth. I enjoyed this dark and disturbing tale and will continue to read the author’s future books. ARC was provided by Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley. I received an advance reading copy free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.