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.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Jenni Howell for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Boys with Sharp Teeth coming out April 8, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve listened to by this author. I really love PLL, so I was excited for that comparison. I really love supernatural and horror stories. Unfortunately this book didn’t work for me. I wasn’t a fan of the characters. No one was really likable to me. I thought it would be spookier. I think it was on the long side. I would check out other books by this author, but this wasn’t for me.

In exchange for an honest review, this ALC was provided to me by NetGalley.

The writing did a very good job of setting the dark atmosphere of the book. Not sure I would say dark academia versus just dark and angsty, though. The narrator was quite good, although I wouldn't put her accent as close to that of the area (Tennessee I think?). The whodunnit (paranormal and mortal) were pretty easy to guess, I had it called in 4 hours. It seemed like the characters were being more meta than they actually were, so it made it hard to connect with any of them, although perhaps that was the point.

3/5

Boys with Sharp Teeth is a captivating debut that blends dark academia, mystery, and a touch of the supernatural. Maren, disguised as "Jamie," enrolls in an elite boarding school to uncover the truth behind her cousin’s death, suspecting foul play. Her investigation leads her to three enigmatic students—Adrian, Henry, and Baz—who may hold the key to the truth.

The writing is hauntingly beautiful, with prose that not only drives the plot but also delves deep into the characters’ emotions and struggles. Though the premise of Maren forging documents to gain access to the school feels implausible, the gripping mystery and complex characters make it easy to overlook.

Jennifer Pickens’ narration brings the story to life, with a perfect balance of pacing, tone, and emotional depth that pulls you deeper into the suspense. The story’s pacing, however, can be slow at times, with the real action unfolding in the final 15% of the book. It might have been more effective with tighter pacing throughout.

Despite this, Boys with Sharp Teeth is a gripping, atmospheric read that will stick with you. Jenni Howell’s debut is one to watch, and I’m excited to see where she goes next. Highly recommended for fans of twisted mysteries and complex characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for the audiobook ARC!

Unfortunately, I couldn't get into this book. I'm not a huge YA thriller fan so that contributed to it. I ended up DNFing this at 44%, but I'm giving it two stars because the narrator was great and I can see the potential even though it didn't work for me.

This book is like stepping into a different kind of nightmare nightmare… but in the best way. I picked this up thinking it would be a twisty revenge story with a touch of the supernatural, kind of like The Afterdark by E. Latimer. But what I got was way more poetic and layered.

The writing feels literary, almost like If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio—moody, dreamy, and full of rich language. It’s not told in a typical story format with multiple POVs, major flashbacks, or big action scenes. Instead, it’s more like living inside Marin’s head as she tries to survive grief, revenge, and the strange boys who seem to see right through her.

At first, I struggled a little with the pacing. It’s not a quick read, and the audiobook forces you to slow down, which ended up being a blessing. The way the author strings sentences together—long and dripping with emotion that cuts you before you've realized it—makes you pause and think. It’s like stretching a piece of taffy: slow, sticky, and somehow satisfying.

There’s a deep sadness running through the book, a reminder that some pain doesn’t go away—and that sometimes, the changes we go through are permanent. That’s what really stuck with me. I appreciated that the ending didn’t try to fix everything. It stayed just as sharp and wicked as the rest of the book, and I think that made it more honest.

If you like dark, slow-burn stories that focus on emotion, grief, and transformation, this one’s worth a listen. But go in ready to sit with it. Let it soak in.

As soon as I heard sinister secrets in a boarding school, I knew I needed this Macmillan Audio pick! There’s something about this niche genre that appeals to me, and this one in particular was so good because the supernatural comes to play!

I loved that the students study Descartes’ Meditations and discuss his idea that because the senses sometimes deceive, we have reason not to trust them, and how that paralleled Marin’s own experience of feeling her senses have lied to her. It sets Marin up as an unreliable narrator; we’re not sure whether to believe that she’s correct and she sees and feels things that aren’t real, or if her mind is actually wrong and her senses are correct. On the other hand, Marin feels like an unreliable narrator because of her assumptions on who to trust and what they’ve done to her cousin and why. From the start of the book, she assumes the rich students at Huntsworth have no empathy or compassion because of their positions in life, but she is proved wrong in her assumptions at nearly every turn. Normally, a narrator like this would annoy me, but in this case, her character flaws serve the higher purpose of reflecting the plot and the mystique. Although, I feel like it was a tad too pointed for Marin not to trust Adrian and to fall under Henry’s spell instead. But, this is also a YA, so it did feel authentic to the character’s age and intellect.

In the end, the otherworldly secrets and the no–holds–barred conclusion to this book are downright tragic. I give this 5 stars and would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys gothic stories along the lines of Ava Reid, Kelly Andrew, or T. Kingfisher. Jennifer Pickens is the perfect narrator for this story type as well!

it’s a dark academia murder mystery I was left at the beginning of the book. I really liked the writing style and I love the philosophical part of the book I also love the plot of the book however, I did find a very predictable, and I also found the narrator of the book to be really slow and hard to continue at points

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley for a review. This in no way affects my opinion of the book.

After the mysterious death of her cousin Sam, Marin takes on the persona of Jamie - a wealthy transfer student with some grit. As Jamie, she enrolls in the private school where Sam worked and the last people to see him alive attend. Enter Graves, Henry and Baz. The suspects instantly become friends with Jaimie but discovering the truth while keeping Marin a secret proves to be more than she expected. Lines blur between truth and fiction, reality and the unknown. What is the secret behind Sam’s death and will Marin evade the same ending?

First, this was a well delivered audiobook. The mystery and suspense was subtle but the narrator took that and built it up amazingly. Definitely enjoyed the cadence and rhythm of the storytelling. Very easy to listen to at 1.5x speed.

This was also a well done novel. The twists and turns and questioning of the characters’ intent and desires really made the story. It definitely has some quality horror vibes that leave chills. 4 stars.

Based on an Advanced Audiobook provided by Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners and NetGalley for an honest review. Thank you!