If you love dark academia, you’ll love this book! I loved the descriptions and telling of the culture at the school. Dark and twisty!

“They were expected to live within degrees of weakness, obedient to the extreme. But together they had discovered ways to hold power, to exist briefly outside of the expectations pressed upon them, so that they might experience meaning beyond the lives they were being trained to inhabit.“

I wanted to read this as soon as I saw it being marketed as a blend of Dark Academia and Southern Gothic, as well as a cross between The Secret History and Mean Girls. While I haven’t read The Secret History yet (I know!), I think that I can comfortably state that this book absolutely met those expectations. Lacey Dunham’s debut novel, “The Belles,” is completely unnerving in the best of ways.

The premise is deceptively simple: it’s 1951 and Deena Williams has just started attending the extremely prestigious and exclusive Bellerton College, where she quickly falls in with a group of five other rising stars on campus. As they get closer, they begin to keep secrets and push boundaries, starting with the tame rebellions of average youth but rapidly devolving into choices with far more sinister implications.

The aesthetics are impeccable. Everything drives a hard balance between eerily chilling and utterly feminine, from the cover art to the typography choices to the way the sections are laid out like a private school Code of Conduct, adorned by ribbons. The plot is deliciously creepy and unexpectedly twisted. The setting manages to be both glamorous and haunting. The characters are completely unhinged, wildly deviating between being elegant young ladies and girls giving into absolutely feral instincts.

My one primary critique is that the plot summary makes this sound like a strictly ordinary world. Therefore, I was thrown a bit by the incorporation of certain supernatural elements. I actually really enjoyed the more otherworldly aspects of the narrative, but because I wasn’t expecting them at all, they felt a little jarring. Additionally, I do think some of the characters could have used some additional backstory or rounding out. The chapter from Saul’s perspective felt very out of place because of a lack of context, and some of the girls felt more like archetypes than actual people to me.

Overall, “The Belles” digs deep into the dark underbelly of girlhood and the overwhelming need to feel empowered in the face of oppressive systems. It considers the seductive and dangerous world of privilege and wealth, and the extraordinary measures people will take to belong. This story is a wild ride full of spine-tingling suspense, suffocating anxiety, a lot of mayhem, and a touch of madness.

This book isn’t for everyone. It’s for the people who love telling ghost stories around a campfire. It’s for the folks who create murder boards for fun, full of red string and conspiracies. This book is for the weird girls who love reading about the unraveling of unhinged women, and for those who have seriously wondered what it would be like to join a cult. I happen to be one of those people. This book was weird and thrilling and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

A huge thank you to Atria Books via NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, The Belles by Lacey N. Dunham. I don't typically read much Dark Academia so I can't really say how well it lives up to that genres expectations, but I do know i enjoyed it! It had thriller elements and suspense, which i love. It was dark, creepy, and the setting was amazing. I didn't love the supernatural element, but overall, it was very enjoyable!

Thank you Netgalley and Atria for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Lacey N. Dunham’s The Belles plunges you into the shadowy halls of Bellerton College, a 1950s Southern all-girls’ school where privilege comes wrapped in silk gloves and secrets. Deena Williams, haunted by her past, arrives desperate to belong among her wealthy classmates. When she’s handpicked to join the Belles—a select clique notorious for their power and penchant for rule-breaking—she’s swept into a world where belonging demands more than just conformity. Pranks turn cruel. Loyalty is tested. And the cost of acceptance grows more dangerous with each midnight dare.

Dunham’s characters crackle with complexity. Deena’s vulnerability and outsider edge make her impossible to pin down, while the other Belles—Ada May, Prissy, Fred, Sheba, and Nell—each bring their own blend of ambition and menace. The tension between them is electric, veering from sisterly warmth to ruthless betrayal, all against the backdrop of southern gothic grandeur.

Themes of privilege, conformity, and the violence of girlhood pulse through every page. Dunham’s writing is lush and immersive, her atmosphere thick with claustrophobia and dread. She doesn’t flinch from the ugliness beneath the surface, making The Belles as much a dark social critique as it is a psychological thriller.

Strengths? The setting oozes atmosphere, the characters feel sharp and real, and the story doesn’t shy away from the dark side of adolescence. Some readers may find the pacing a little slow, as mood often takes precedence over action, but the psychological depth more than compensates.

Rating: 3 out of 5

For anyone drawn to dark academia, Southern gothic, or stories about young women navigating perilous social terrain, The Belles is a deliciously unsettling ride you won’t soon forget.

"In this richly atmospheric, dark academia debut novel, a young woman with a secretive past will risk everything - including her life - to fit in.

Belles never tell...

It's 1951 at the secluded Bellerton College, and Deena Williams is an outsider doing her best to blend in with her wealthy and perfectly groomed peers. Infamous for its strict rules as much as its prestige, attending Bellerton could give Deena the comfortable life she's always dreamed of.

She quickly forms an alliance with the five other freshmen on her floor, and soon they are singled out by the president's wife as the most promising girls of their class, who anoints them: The Belles. They walk the college's halls in menacing unison, matching velvet ribbons in their hair. But no sisterhood comes without secrets, and the Belles are no exception. Playing cruel pranks on their dormitory housemother and embarking on boundary-shattering night games, the Belles test the limits of the campus rules.

But as Deena begins to piece together the sinister history of Bellerton, her own past threatens to come to light, forcing her to make a dangerous choice. A chilling and seductive coming-of-age story, The Belles is an excavation of the dark side of girlhood, the intricacies of privilege, and the unbridled desire to belong at any cost."

No one is as dark or dangerous as young girls.

The Belles is at its strongest when it's establishing and exploring Bellerton. The southern gothic, mist-filled campus feels true-to-form and carries the oppressive weight of legacy that permeates these institutions, particularly around what happens in the shadows. The dynamic between the Belles, their house mother, and the president's domineering wife was addicting to watch unravel.. The shifts back and forth in time was paced perfectly and kept the story moving through both providing answers and opening the doors to more questions. The relationship between the Belles in the first two-thirds of the book was suffocating and toxic in all the best ways--evocative of Mona Awad's "bunnies" mixed with something by Ottessa Moshfegh. But the final third of the book fell flat, with a predictable ending twist and not enough fall out to justify how seamlessly the Belles web unravelled.

2.5 Stars

In 1951, Deena attends Bellerton College, a prestigious school for the wealthy. She quickly becomes friends with a group of freshman girls that eventually earns the name, “The Belles”. But, things begin to turn incredibly dark as Deena must hide her past from the others and the skeletons in the closet of Bellerton make themselves known.

This is a book I would’ve loved in middle school, I’m not saying adults won’t enjoy this book, I just mean my tastes have shifted a bit so I didn’t enjoy this as much as I would’ve when I was younger. The dark academia aesthetics served as an amazing backdrop to the sinister clique that forms. It was fascinating to see the clique evolve in the cautionary way that they always seem to do. What starts off as a seemingly harmless vow to always be there for one another gets more intense, as the girls punish one another for various “betrayals”. Seeing the damage that was done due to the echo chamber these girls created was super intriguing. It was toxic sisterhood at its most extreme.

I felt “The Belles” hit a lot of clichés, I usually don’t mind clichés as they are inevitable in various stories, but it led to a lot of predictability and I eventually got to the point where I didn’t want to pick up the book. For example, while it is the entire story, I eventually got bored of the social elitism that is the backbone of the book. I know that is the whole point, but eventually it got exhausting hearing all the stuff the bratty rich kids were saying and doing. I mean these kids were BRATTY. But, I also know that is a reason a lot of people will love this book.

Also, as a quick side tangent, the amount of times this book does a direct callout to its exposition was baffling to me. For example, there is one point where a Belle gets injured and one of the more “top of the pyramid” girls says something along the lines of, “now seems like a good time to tell you more about Bellerton’s history”. LIKE?! Who talks like that, but also just… If you are going to do the perspective (POV) switches for each chapter, just tell us in a perspective switch? It feels way more organic that way.

This could’ve just been a wrong place, wrong time read for me. I could see a lot of potential in what I wanted from it, but it was missing the mark in a few ways. But, if you are into dark academia, exploring ideas of cliques and social elitism, and unsettling toxic sisterhood, this might be a good read for you. I think it just didn’t have as much of the depth as I wanted and a lot of brushed off explanations as to why things happen the way they do.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me this free ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Full review is currently posted on Goodreads, I will post a short review to my Instagram at the end of July and a full review in August (one month prior to publication).

Thank you to NetGalley for an early e-copy of this book.

Deena Williams is a newly minted freshman in 1951 at a secluded women's college called Bellerton. Deena has secrets. Bellerton has secrets. Deena wants to keep her secrets, but she is anxious to discover the answer to Bellerton's secrets. Luckily, Deena falls-in with a group of girls who are christened "The Belles." They are the popular girls who, even as freshmen, hold power on campus. Being a part of that group allows Deena to better fit-in with all of the rich and privileged girls on campus. Soon upon arrival, Deena begins to hear stories about students who have gone missing over the course of the college's history, as well as stories of ghosts in and around the campus. Deena and the other Belle's have important personal belongings that go missing. Deena gets sucked-into the stories and history of the school. Is Bellerton haunted, and what happened to those missing girls?

This book contained a lot of my catnip: dark academia, mystery, even a little supernatural. The problem was that I just had a hard time liking any of the characters. All of the Belles, Deena included, were just awful to each other as well as other people on campus (students, faculty, and staff alike). I could not empathize with any of them. They were spoiled and snotty. I would have been happy for any or all of them to get some kind of comeuppance.

Although I was very drawn to the premise and the atmospheric elements of this book, it ended up as pretty middle of the road for me. I enjoyed the setting and the character development, but there were elements that didn't really fit the plot well (supernatural specifically).

I found myself getting bored and impatient at parts, and could've used some of the reveals earlier in the book. However, that is a preference thing.

Altogether I would recommend this to those who enjoy dark academia books with elements of magical realism. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I read this in two sittings, so it definitely kept my attention, and I mostly enjoyed it. I don't think the supernatural elements really added anything to the story, and it could have been stronger without them. They had the side effect of broadcasting the ending far too soon. I did love the school aspects and toxic girlhood friendships, the relationships were well drawn and (for the most part) believable. Overall, I'm not unhappy I spent the time reading this that I did, and will be keeping an eye out for more of Dunham's work.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for an ARC of this book!

I wish I could say I enjoyed this book, but I really did not. There are very few times I leave a book and wonder what was the point of it, and sadly this book left me with that feeling.

“The Belles” follows a group of young women attending the fictional Bellerton College. These young women go on to form a group called the Belles, which is essentially a prank/ boundary pushing club.

The plot of this book is quite predictable, from that synopsis it is quite easy to guess that something will go wrong with these pranks and change the group for good. This book is clearly trying to jump on the “dark academia” genre trend, and I would argue it’s not successful in this. Sure there is a school setting, but there is very little critique on the institutions that the pranks are rebelling against.

Ultimately, I would maybe pass on this title. But if that synopsis does sound interesting, maybe give it a go!

2.5 Stars.

It wasn't BAD but it also didn't work for me (personally). I don't know if this was a case of right book wrong time or if i'd feel the same no matter what.

It was very slow at the start and i'm going to be honest - a tad bit boring. None of the characters are likable, which wouldn't normally be a problem but we have a book set in the 1950's lmao sooooo

Thank you netgalley and publisher for the arc!

This started out pretty strong but got sooo repetitive and overdone that I was quite frustrated. Some interesting twists, and interesting characterization, but just a bit same-y overall.

I had trouble getting into this book. It had a gothic feel at times. Envy and competitive urges fuel the young women in this book. I had trouble connecting with the characters and the story didn’t grip me. I am giving this book a very generous 3* review. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Grateful to Atria for the ARC!

In 1951, Deena Williams enrolls at the exclusive Bellerton College. To fit in and to hide her past, Deena ends up befriending her dorm-mates, who are dubbed "The Belles" by the head of the college. While the Belles appear to exemplary students who are the very ideal of Bellerton ladies, the girls find themselves playing increasingly violent games with each other.

The premise hooked me right away, but I found myself a little bit confused by the multiple conspiracies that the girls in the college were taking part in. While I'm not opposed to ghosts or magical realism in stories, it felt like it was only utilized here to info-dump some of the previous history that was ultimately unnecessary. This novel was very entertaining and will be sure to appeal to fans of other dark academia novels, like The Secret History. While not all aspects of the novel worked for me, I could still see this being a very fun book club pick for spooky season.

3.25/5 stars

3.5 stars! ⭐️ Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for access to this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a solid dark academia debut! Atmospheric, disturbing, and mysterious. The enigmatic Bellerton school is filled with secrets and toxic female friendships. I enjoyed the fast-paced nature of the story and the unraveling of the true identity of one of the main characters. The story is woven with themes of competitiveness and envy, which are so often threaded in the friendships of teenage girls. The classism and exclusivity of the school is disturbing and those in charge make it clear that the reputation of this elite institution must be protected at all costs. This will be a fun read for anyone looking for an eerie, shocking, and quick read this fall!

Give me a boarding school setting and I’m all in. Make it an all girls school where the girls slowly descend into feral wild hood? Even better.

With elements of paranormal, seamlessly woven with even deeper horrors of girlhood, The Belles was an atmospheric page turner that hit the mark.

I love a dark book set in academia! I could not put this book down and will definitely reccomend it to my friends. The novels tells the story of Deena, a student who falls into a group of girls who are known as the Belles at Bellerton, a private school for the wealthy. What the girls do not know is that Deena is hiding a secret, as are the other girls. I was intrigued by Deena's secret, and I loved reading as the story unfolded and the reader got even more information about Bellerton

There were some aspects and parts of this book I truly loved. The time period with the girls in school was well done and very reminiscent of life in the Greek world space - and although I didn’t grow up in the south, it seems very telling for that time period.

I’m not one to split hairs on the historical accuracy of books like this - all I can say is that it was enjoyable, compelling and I had a good time reading it.

Okay, hello?? Why in the world was this book so good. I would usually prefer a book like this on audio but this REALLY worked for me as an ebook. The story set up was interesting and twisty in a lit fic kind of way which I absolutely crave. I don't usually connect with dark academia but if all dark academia books were like this one I certainly would.

The setting of an all girls school with a twisted history made this so richly atmospheric and it plops you right into the world along side the very elite clique.

5 stars. Screaming from the top of my lungs, read this book!!!!