I’m generation X, so this book was a thrilling and poignant trip through time. A beautifully written story with so many different elements. This book does dual POV and dual timelines with each POV providing insight into the complexities and bonds of female friends and the mysteries between them. I loved the unique storyline. Friend has a baby with dead friend’s grieving husband. The ghosts, the poetic writing and the tributes to Sylvia Plath. This book has so many amazing elements for a great read, 5 stars and highly recommend!

Oh. My. God.

I knew at about 40% of this book that it was likely to be an all-time favorite of mine. I consider this a once in a lifetime read. Every once in a while you read a book that wildly changes you, the way you view the world and how you approach different topics whether it be friendship, politics, or maybe romance. These particular themes, those of girlhood, it's darkness, the bonds of friendship, shared grief and generational ties in every direction, cut to the absolute core.

I was hooked on the very first page. I did not expect the mystery, almost thriller style of story that kept me feverishly turning pages (metaphorically, of course). It had an ending I absolutely never saw coming, which almost never happens, so kudos. The imagery of the school, the friendship, even the two perspectives across the years, ties everything together in such a fascinating way, I just couldn't get enough. The symbolism of the black dresses, the Sylvia Club that's a not so natural phenomenon on campus shows so much of the ways in which women and girls interact with each other. We can be each others best allies or worst enemies. You see this even among characters that aren't depicted as obvious antagonists, which I think is very representative of life.

This is also a tale of female friendship. In this case a deep, almost lifelong, friendship that you spend so much of the story wondering about - what could have possibly gone wrong here? The way these girls are bonded and know each other in such an undeniable way, it exposed memories I never thought I'd revisit as an adult. These are the kinds of stories you love and that stay with you forever, stories that expose parts of yourself you had forgotten or chose to forget. Even the muddy footprints tracked in and the photos left behind - they feel like artifacts of a past only you remember that when put together are just.... gut wrenching. Haunting, even. Which I suppose is exactly the point. Even the distance and betrayal was so grounded in reality it almost broke my heart.

I will recommend this book to anyone who will listen. This book sits up there with The Moonflowers by Abigail Rose-Marie and The Last Tale of The Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi as deeply profound stories of female friendship that changed my life. I think it would make an incredible limited series television show. I think women everywhere should read this book, especially ones who consider themselves "different" or who felt "different" growing up. Doll Parts perfectly captures the broken feelings of developing womanhood and the deep sadness that so often permeates growing through those phases of your life. Not to mention the twisted ways in which men and sometimes other women can take advantage of that, judge that, and use it to their own benefit.

11/10
6/5 Stars

From the opening sentences, author Penny Zang lured me into her world.
“How to write about a dead woman:
First, confirm she is dead. Dead enough not to mind…”

Her brilliant novel, Doll Parts, haunted me as I immersed myself into the world of dark academia. Ride-or-die friendships, Sylvia Plath-obsessed “sad girls,” disturbingly ghostly characters, rituals to appease specters, creepy professors and complicit college administrators…Zang’s story clawed its way under my skin, sinking into my subconscious. My shoulders knotted from the tension, the characters creeping into my dreams.

Maybe it was her impeccable attention to friendship details, from magic marker nail polish to switching outfits mid-outings to darker moments I won’t reveal. But the characters of Sadie and Nikki embedded themselves in my brain, so fully fleshed out that I didn’t need my imagination to fill in any gaps.

But Zang is equally gifted in creating atmosphere. You’ll wonder at the bonds of this friendship throughout the years, told in a dual timeline. You’ll hold your breath, hoping the Sylvia Club won’t claim another member. You’ll absorb the grittiness of the bar—and want to wash your hands after. You’ll shiver at the museum-like quality of the house—and want to leave dirty dishes in the sink.

Zang not only creates a mesmerizing world with rich characters, but she also addresses difficult topics—topics many of us knew too well during our college years in the 80s and 90s.

If you’re missing your childhood best friend, if you listened to Courtney Love on repeat, if you’ve ever feared your teenage secrets might follow you to adulthood…you need to read Doll Parts, debuting in August 2025.

Doll Parts is a slow burn, intoxicating read with an intriguing dual timeline, two compelling characters and a gothic, edgy feel that invites you into the story.

It is one of those mesmerising narratives, a literary delight, Sylvia Plath inspired and utilised, haunting in its own way and a delight to read.

I love this kind of novel. It speaks to me. Recommended.

I’ve had the honor of reading Penny Zang’s debut, DOLL PARTS. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect going into it, but WOW, it’s a dark, suspenseful book with mesmerizing characters. Told in dual-POV and dual-timeline, it follows the story of two friends, one unraveling the death of the other, set in both suburbia and a dark academia-style Ivy League. I’d call this mystery and thriller with a twisted touch of horror—this sort of book you start and can’t set down until you’ve gotten to the end. One of my favorite books this year!

An intriguing and creative debut novel with dueling timelines of "sad girls on campus" twenty years ago and another timeline of today.

Sadie has a baby and lives with her child's father, Harrison. Harrison is recently widowed by Sadie's former childhood friend, Nikki. So, Sadie and Nikki were estranged and never spoke for 20 years. Nikki dies, seemingly of suicide, and Sadie sits in the back at her funeral. 9 months later we skip and Sadie is living with her widow and has a baby with him.

If this seems weird and a bit unbelievable, you aren't alone in that thought!

We side with Sadie and see things from her perspective. We don't love Harrison, we aren't sure about Caroline, who is Nikki and Harrison's teen daughter.

Both mysteries are good, the past one is better, it is clever to be following two mysteries in different timelines because it gets away from the typical criticism of slow burn mysteries as that it can drag in the middle.

Why is it called Doll Parts? No idea! I do love the cover, though.

My favorite character was Nikki, the past segments are in her view point.

Lots of open ended things with no conclusion, but it works. I liked this and found i very readable, some of the minor characters didn't have enough characterization so I didn't know them as well. I did love the setting and the writing style.

A fresh new voice in women centered mystery/thrillers!

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks/Landmark for the ARC. Book to be published August 26, 2025.

“What if you conjured a woman out of death and couldn’t put her back?”

Told in alternating timelines and voices, the story follows Sadie and Nikki, best friends until a life-changing event during their college years that left them estranged. In their freshman year, they were haunted by the deaths of several college women, dubbed "The Sylvia Plath Club," and by a professor whose obsession with them bordered on the inappropriate.

Fast forward to the present: Sadie is now married to Nikki’s widower, whom she met at Nikki’s funeral. However, the circumstances surrounding Nikki’s death don’t align with the girl Sadie once knew. Suspicion grows as Sadie begins to see Nikki around the house, with a chilling clue—Nikki’s dedication that reads, “To my bestie, I would never leave without you. I pinkie swear.”

What caused the rift between the friends? And what really happened to Nikki? As Sadie uncovers cryptic messages and clues Nikki left for her, she must unravel the truth before it’s too late.

This slow-burn mystery blends elements of The Virgin Suicides with a gripping whodunit.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

4 stars ⭐️ Dark, creepy and haunting! This book took me by surprise. I don’t usually pick up this kind of book but the description was too intriguing! I loved it!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This story has a lot of really great ideas that pulled me in from the first few chapters - I really enjoyed the dual timeline POV and Nikki and Sadie's characters! The ending was heartbreaking and stuck with me for a while, but I was left feeling like something was missing.

While I liked the ideas, I felt there were a lot of gaps that caused them to feel separate more than intertwined together; I struggled with the pacing of the storylines, and I found myself paging back to double check and make sure I wasn't missing anything. Like what happened between the girls? Why aren't they friends anymore? Was I missing something?? I also wasn't a huge fan of the whole ghost Nikki thing - while I enjoy a good paranormal thriller, this one just felt odd and a bit of a stretch.

While this one wasn't for me, thank you for the ARC!

The thing I loved the most about this story was how each and every female character was a fully developed human you could imagine encountering in the world. Even the minor characters had ups and downs, grew and changed, held onto certain things and let go of others. You could fully imagine their interactions with one another because they felt like the argument you'd have with a friend or the snappy first judgement you'd make of a neighbor only to learn more about them later.

There was so much to like about this story, but the characters sealed the deal for me.

A debut novel that everyone should add to their list for this year immediately! This is suspenseful, haunting, and had me hooked from the very beginning!

I was curious about this one! Very vibey and atmospheric- loved the gen x music references! A quick read, but nicely done. Perfect for vacation / summer.

“Doll Parts” masterfully examined once-in-a-lifetime, all-consuming friendships and the vulnerability of college-age girls at the same time. I found the mention of limited access to counseling services to be very poignant, as this can be a contributing factor to issues with mental health on college campuses across the world and is a pressing issue. I felt that these real-world topics were handled within the story very well and provided a critique of the system as a whole while moving the narrative. The characters were nuanced and often relatable. I felt as though I were a part of Nikki and Sadie’s friendship and definitely understood the bond they had with one another. It really called to mind similar friendships I’ve had and was nostalgic for me. I finished this novel in a day and it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time.

One for the weird girl fiction fans, poetic and haunting this was a great thought provoking read, incredibly creepy in parts!

This was a 4.5 rounded down for me. I loved the relationship building between Nikki and Sadie, and the end was very touching and heartbreaking. I am also a huge fan of horror, so the hauntings were right up my alley. (And hey, I was a huge fan of both Plath and Hole in high school, so this definitely resonated).

The answers to the mystery fell a bit flat for me though and the dead girls/creepy professor storylines didn't feel like they quite intertwined enough, hence the 4 stars. Overall, I did really enjoy this book though!

A haunting and well-written debut. Really poetic writing and so much heart. This is a story about the friendship between women, especially lost friendship, and the culture's obsession with dead women.Just the right amount of weird to balance the dark and tragic parts. I was disappointed when it ended and will probably read it again.

Doll Parts by Penny Zang is a brutal and unsettling collection that dives deep into body horror and psychological torment. The stories are raw, visceral, and often grotesque, pushing boundaries with vivid, nightmarish imagery. While not for the faint of heart, it’s a must-read for fans of extreme horror looking for something truly disturbing and memorable. Love the cover and title!

I initially liked the description of this so I dived right in. It was compared to The Virgin Suicides but the further I got into this the less I thought this was so. I found it to be more of a murder mystery/psychological thriller. The suicides that happened were all very suspect and I felt that there was more to the story very early on.

This did keep my attention however I didn't find the twists to be completly surprising. I felt like there were gaps in the story- yes Nikki and Sadie stopped being friends freshman year but why? There was never any falling out. Sadie's life inbetween that year of college and the present is pretty much a mystery. And what ever happened to Bernie?

There were also ghosts of the deceased which I also did not care for. I just don't think it added much to the story line.

This book has an intriguing premise, but it didn’t work for me. The whole ghost Nikki thing was just too weird. Unfortunately, this was a DNF.

After reading the description, I was almost immediately sold. I'd just gotten done reading The Virgin Suicides, a book that completely enamored and horrified me with its sheer absurdity, so I felt as though I was ready for something to follow it up and ease me back into the realms of the real world.

This book was... just okay in my opinion. It was incredibly well written, but at times very, very slow moving. Maybe it's because I am not a mother myself, but Sadie's timeline of NOW bored me. I'm not someone who needs to connect with characters to read them, but I was simply just bored by what she had going on. It became increasingly difficult for me to really care about what was happening in the present day, and most of that timeline felt as though I was learning backstory, while there never really was a story to build up to. Same with Nikki's THEN timeline. It was all giving me information and information about who they were, but never exactly showed me who they were, if that makes sense?

I have read a few books with a similar voice. It's definitely an acquired taste in narration for sure. This book absolutely was for Sad Girls and I truly could see it becoming something great, but it wasn't exactly for ME.