Absolutely fantastic read! I was captivated since the beginning and couldn’t stop reading it. Had vibes of My Darling Dreadful mixed with When Stars Come Out. The narrator was also *perfect* for this book.

Boys with Sharp Teeth written by Jenni Howell and narrated by Jennifer Pickens is a YA tale about secrets and revenge at an elite boarding school. Boys with Sharp Teeth did not live up to the hype. I understand the vision. It felt like a tv series that went on two seasons too long. Some editing to cut down unnecessary chapters would have helped me get through the book with a higher rating. Narration was fine. It was difficult to distinguish between the two males, Adrian and Henry.

I really wanted to like this because the blurb/description sounded so good but it just felt flat for me. The characters were bland and the plot was stale and did not suck me in. The writing style also seemed to jump all over the place when it came to the character thoughts.

Thanks, Macmillan Audio, for the ALC!⁣
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Happy Pub Day, BOYS WITH SHARP TEETH by Jenni Howell! I had quite the reading experience with this audiobook, narrated by Jennifer Pickens. It was fantastic, even overwhelming and intense at times, but that is expected with dark academia.⁣
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I enjoyed listening to this book because the narration enhanced the story. I could close my eyes, hear the voices, and fall into Howell’s descriptions.⁣
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This book made me discover a sub-genre in YA of “Why Choose” that I didn’t realize we had, but I greatly enjoyed it.⁣
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The four MCs intrigued me. When you are in Marin’s head, the main FMC, she guides you to see what she’s seeing and what she isn’t so you can make some guesses before her. It’s a fun challenge to see if you can figure out the mystery or if you were completely led astray.⁣
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BOYS WITH SHARP TEETH has so many unexpected twists. Some are little ones, but some you are like, “Wait; pause; rewind; I need to hear that again.” Howell is creative, and with this being her debut, I can’t wait to see what comes next! I’ll be in line for it!⁣
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Also, friends, while it is a YA novel, it’s VERY heavy at times. Check your content warnings - (in the comments)⁣
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Have you looked at the gorgeous cover by @francesthewren? I think it is S.T.U.N.N.I.N.G.⁣


Content Warnings: (per the author on her website) This book explores justice and revenge as well as love and loss. Death in all its pain and all its forms, including death by suicide, is often discussed–as well as the ways, some beautiful and some heinous, that we try to avoid it. Please read with care.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC and ALC I received in exchange for an honest review.

There were things that I truly loved from this book especially the dark academia atmospheric vibes. I am always a sucker for that kind of vibe in books.

I kind of wish that the characters were college students and not high schoolers because some of their decisions were more mature than you would expect from high schoolers. The mystery was interesting and kept me engaged.

Overall, it was a good read. I don't think I would recommend the audiobook version though. The narration did not work for me and I had to speed it up sooo much in order to be okay with it.

I want to start of by saying the narrator for this audiobook was perfectly chosen and their voice fits the tone of the book so well! This book reminded me so much of Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo in both the overall tone as well as some parts of the plot itself. I definitely enjoyed this book and while I was able to predict at some points where the plot was going, it didn't much effect my overall enjoyment. I do wish there was some more going on with the school and classes, I also had some difficultly believing the things that the faculty of this school was letting a new student get away with. In the end, I will say that i really enjoyed listening to the audiobook and I found the characters and story quite interesting and I will definitely look out for more releases from this author in the future.

Fast paced! This young adult novel really hits the ground running, I feel like as the story progresses more and more comes to light and we start to understand the ominous theme surrounding the MC’s cousins death. There a lot to gather and we are given just as little information as the MC as the book starts. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for access to this audiobook! I found it captivating and interesting. Suitable for 14+ in my opinion.

This book was frustrating. The description made me instantly want to read it, but the book I read didn't completely match the description. The story felt disjointed, unsure if it was supernatural or a mystery. The characters were never truly developed. I didn't get to know any of the "possible suspects" beyond their most basic traits. For the first half of the book, I kept getting Graves and Henry confused. Also, Marin was one of my biggest pet peeves, a female character the reader is told is smart, but she keeps doing dumb things. The resolution of the mystery was rushed while also being unresolved. The truly frustrating thing about this book is some pages made me want to keep reading. At times, Howell's writing, the actual language of the prose, was beautiful and haunting. Yet, those moments were overridden by the characters and lack of plot.

I wanted to love this. The concept is interesting, but I had to DNF at 70%. I am typically a character-driven reader, but I felt like nothing was happening, not even a little bit. I also did not care about any of the characters. I saw this marketed as a cross with Raven Boys, and I would disagree. It has Southern Gothic vibes, but that is the only similarity.

I have seen a lot of people enjoying this, especially readers who love books like The Secret History or philosophical books. That is not me.

I will say that the audio production was fantastic. The narrator really fits the character.

Thank you to Roaring Brook Press and MacMillan Audio for advanced copies in exchange for an honest review.

Listened to the audiobook and I wasn’t huge fan. I gave it multiple chances and re-listened to it several times, but the voice actor and style was not my cup of tea. It made the main character unlikable and hard to invest myself into the story and her vengeance. May come back to the book to reread on paperback when it’s released and hopefully get a better experience with the story.

Jenni Howell's *Boys with Sharp Teeth* is a dark, atmospheric debut that blends elements of dark academia, psychological thriller, and supernatural intrigue. The story follows Marin James, who, under the alias Jamie Vane, infiltrates the elite Huntsworth Academy to uncover the truth behind her cousin's mysterious death. Howell's prose is evocative and poetic, drawing readers into a world where grief, obsession, and identity intertwine.

While the novel's rich language and complex characters have been praised, some readers have noted issues with pacing and clarity, particularly regarding the supernatural elements that emerge later in the narrative. Despite these critiques, *Boys with Sharp Teeth* offers a haunting exploration of the lengths one will go for justice and the blurred lines between reality and illusion.

Recommended for readers who appreciate morally complex characters and a moody, introspective tone.

I really enjoyed Boys with Sharp Teeth by Jenni Howell. The narrator did an awesome job bringing the characters to life with the various emotional scenes and the dramatic conclusion. I was riveted until the very last word!

I didn't love this one. I was intrigued by the start, but then it feels like it gets slower and I felt like I was being drained as I continued. I also cringed a few times but I don't think it's the narrator it's more just how the author writes.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Young Listeners for this Audio ARC Copy! 3.5 rounded up.

I saw this cover and became instantly obsessed with this book and could not wait to read it. I will say that I was deceived by the cover in a big way, but not necessary in a bad way. This story was in absolutely nothing like what I expected going into it, and I would definitely not classify as dark academia. Very little of the story is based around academia and really is just about a pretentious boarding school.

I am still not really sure how the whole story played out, there was a lot going on and a lot of crazy situations, and long monologs about anger and revenge, as well as obsession, and attachment to each other. I think the purple prose was absolutely haunting at times and this book definitely scratched that southern gothic itch, but it is also more of a thriller than anything.

The cover had me really interested but unfortunately this one wasn't for me.

This had elements of a love triangle that didn't get a chance to entirely develop before it was over.

I feel like this could have been a lot better if it was 100 pages shorter because it felt like it dragged. The last hour was the most interesting, but the epilogue left me confused and felt like it tried to force the supernatural element in the eleventh hour.

Based off of the hype, cover and synopsis, the words and story did not really meet those expectations. You expect dark academia? You'll get the run of the mill of entitled private school students who grow bored and are seeking to feel "alive" by manipulating anyone weaker than them. Were you looking for some queer romance story line? Not there. Not even explored very well at all. Vampires, magical realism and fantasy? Did I miss something that there were vampires, and actually being with sharp teeth?

It is unfortunate that Boys with Sharp Teeth did not deliver. It simply fell flat on its own cover. I think the only redeeming quality was the narrator. Boys with Sharp Teeth tries to be a YA version of If We Were Villains. If you want to read this because mysteries and thrillers with a revenge seeking FMC is your thing, then go for it. 2 out of 5.

Thank you Netgalley, Macmillan Audio | Macmillan Young Listeners for the opportunity in exchange for an honest review.

I will be posting to socials.

April 7 posted to TikTok. A disadvantaged teen enters an exclusive boarding school using a new name and persona. Getting close to the privileged boys she suspects of killing her cousin is her best bet of learning the truth about the neglected murder.

Seductively written, Boys With Sharp Teeth performs a striptease, revealing glimpses of the suspects, the school’s mysteries, and the MC’s past. Vivid, disturbing scenes flash through the mundane academic surface. The gothic vibes and creepy horror imagery worked well.

As an introvert and outsider, I could relate to the push-pull of wanting acceptance and not trusting people. I liked that Marin isn’t fluffy, ‘nice,’ and likable in the ways girls and women are often expected/pressured to be. Her alter ego gives her freedom to be bold, tough, and biting toward the kinds of people who look down on her.

The flirting banter and teasing are handled well, complete with all the gestures, feelings, uncertainties, glances, and skin contact that's so fraught in undefined passion. Nearly everyone is keeping secrets and playing games. These are largely selfish people, and at times Marin is naive about herself and her motivations.

There are toxic dynamics and high-risk, dangerous behaviour and drug use for kicks. I have mixed feelings about some of it.

The novel wasn't as compelling as I’d hoped. It's likely Marin's prolonged musings about the two main guys and vacillating about her feelings is of greater interest to the YA audience, but the plot was thin. The MC going into rhapsodies over each of the guys and then trying to focus on solving the murder becomes repetitive.

The thing that kept me listening–in addition to the wonderful, emotionally rich vocal performance–were the glimmers of a dark undertow driving the events. Fortunately, the novel pays off in the final third. It's a promising debut.

I gave the book 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars for the strong narrator and stellar production values of the audio edition. I’d read more books from Jenni Howell, and I’ll be watching for more audiobooks narrated by Jennifer Pickens. Recommended for mature, emotionally stable YA readers–and adults patient with slow-burn books–who are comfortable with multiple kinds of detailed disturbing material.

After the death of Marin's cousin and best friend is written off as another tragic drug death and left at that, she comes up with a plan to seek justice. She knows exactly who killed him: Adrian Hargraves and Henry Wu, two rich pretentious partiers from the local elite boarding school who Sam was "friends" with. So she infiltrates the boarding school and their circle of friends, trying to get close enough to get what she needs to trap them for what they did, but finding so many more dark things, such as that these terrible boys might just be the people who've understood her the best in her life.
One thing I didn't like is that the timeline, which was initially so pressing, kept getting adjusted. First she just needed a weekend, then she had a week, then I think she stayed for almost a month. It took away a lot of the pressure and tension that otherwise would have propelled the book. That and some of the other unrealistic elements--sneaking into this elite boarding school so easily? avoiding recognition from someone she had met?--took away from the story and made it challenging to stay immersed. I also hate how the cover and blurb did Baz so dirty; she's one of the most important characters and we get no mention of her in the marketing? Unfair. (This is not the author's fault, I'm just sad for Baz.) So I will use her to sell the book here: Baz adds a fantastic element for suspense because part of Marin's mission becomes trying to save Baz from the boys. She's also genuinely such a sweet character in the midst of all this darkness. The vibes and atmosphere of this book were really good and saved most of the worse aspects. Also, Marin is such a compellingly dark character. The tagline "They're wicked. She's worse" is a fantastic tagline, and even better, it fits. Her character arc (descent into absolute villainy) is pretty epic.
The narrator had a really fantastic, almost hypnotic voice. It added so much to the audiobook. Loved that.

While I loved the dark academia setting, Boys with Sharp Teeth fell short for me. The prose is overwrought, and even for a genre that thrives on melodrama, this was a bit too much for me. The audiobook only exaggerated this. Still, I appreciated the premise, and will keep an eye out for Howell's future work.

This oozes with dark academia vibes from the details of their uniforms, the descriptions of their school and living quarters, and they way they're draped over each other with conflicting feelings of comfort and possession (the cover art perfectly captures the mood of this trio). Jennifer Pickens doesn't give the characters their own unique voices but her narration as Marin, I'm sorry, Jamie, is pitch perfect. Pickens nails the emotion, the deception, the toxic love, our three characters share for each other.