4⭐️

At first, the story didn’t immediately catch my interest as I wasn’t giving it the attention it needed. But once I gave the story the attention it deserved, it captivated me and led me down a wild ride of a story.

The Belles is a dark academia, supernatural, and gothic tale about beautiful rich young women at an all-women’s college set in the South. The main character Deena is an outsider who manages to make her way into this glitzy world where young women are educated but are molded to be dutiful wives to their future husbands. Deena knows she is the outlier amongst her new housemates in the South Hall, where they are given the name The Belles by the school president’s wife, as she is hiding a secret about who she really is. They are led by Ada May Delacourt, a Bellerton legacy, who expects others to obey her every word. Deena becomes obsessed with living this life at Bellerton as a Belle and obtaining Ada May’s approval, but she knows her secret that could unravel everything she and her grandmother have worked for. So Deena has to be careful about what she shares of her life with the others. But while Deena is trying to keep her secret safe from Ada May and the others, she’s finding out about the secrets of Bellerton and what would be at stake if her secret is revealed. Women who are considered unworthy of the Bellerton name, are viciously thrown out or worse, and many young girls have gone missing or died on school grounds.

With every new chapter, I was kept on my toes wondering what was going to happen next. The story’s timeline stays mainly in 1951-1952 but it does periodically jump 50 years into the future where you can see what happened to some of the girls of South Hall. Deena is both likable and unlikable, as she can be just as unkind and cruel as the other girls in her circle, but you can understand her circumstances for why she’s so eager to fit in. However, no one in this story is a great person, even Deena. Upon the final chapter, I was kind of hoping that all the girls would get their karma but the main one that deserved it got it in the end. And I guess since some of the girls felt guilty after the incident occurred and told on themselves, they were spared in the end. Reading this story was truly a delight, and as a fan of The Secret History, this book was right up my alley.

Thank you Atria Books and Net Galley for this ARC of The Belles, I enjoyed every minute of reading this beautiful debut novel from Lacey N Dunham. I look forward to her future work.

Thank you to Atria Books for my copy of THE BELLES.

I had such a hard time with this book. I hated everyone in it and that puts me in the biggest reading slump. Sorry, I don’t recommend.

𝒜𝑅𝒞 𝐵𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌!

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙨 by Lacey N. Dunham
coming September 9, 2025. @atriabooks

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.
💕
My Thoughts
A deliciously dark Southern gothic novel successfully used the mean girls trope, and added in a paranormal element to tell the notorious history of Bellerton. I loved the multiple POVs relating Deena’s experience during the 1950s, the girls who preceded her and then fast forwarding to a reunion of the characters recalling what really happened to the Belles.

I knew the characters well enough to predict their behavior and sinister motivations, as did the MC Deena.

The author successfully and fluidly connected the characters and timelines together.

This was an atmospheric story with a paranormal layer - warnings to stay out of the forest and to ignore the bumps in the dark- perfect for a Fall read.

Thank you to the author and tagged publisher for my #gifted copy in exchange for my honest review. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

QOTD: What’s one thing you look forward to in the Fall?

#books #booksta #bookreviews

Let start by saying that I love dark academia and THE BELLES by Lacey N. Dunham was right up my alley. This novel grabbed me by the throat immediately and did not let up until well after the final page!

When Deena Williams shows up on her first day at elite Bellerton College in the mountains of Virginia, she is already harbouring a secret. When she is tapped by another freshman to be in her inner circle, the six girls in their hall become inseparable and are dubbed ‘The Belles’ by the president’s wife as the most promising of the incoming class. Deena will do anything to fit in with these wealthy, cliquish girls. She figures that as long as she can maintain her secret, the other girls will accept her as one of their own. There is nervous Nell(ie) who’s name is true in this case who likes to slip things in her pocket at any given moment, Ada May, the stuck up IT girl who’s daddy is a trustee, Mary, who basically likes to blend into the woodwork, loud, boisterous Sheba and Fred who hails from Baltimore and is a confident outsider and finally, Prissy, who is a spoiled rich girl and seems to know all the secrets and rumours on campus.Including, maybe Deena’s.

When harmless pranks take a more sinister turn, the girls will do and say what they have to to keep their noses clean. Is the library really haunted by a student who ended her life there? Are there really supernatural forces at work on campus? And will the girls stay mum about their activities or turn on each other?

As I said, I love dark academia. This gives you a southern Gothic vibe and is a coming of age story with a twist in the 1950s. It had me enthralled from the first page. The writing was clear and concise and I was shocked to learn that this is a debut. THIS IS WHY I LOVE DEBUT AUTHORS!! I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would become of the girls next. I would love to see a book 2 to see where the girls ended up as they grew into adulthood and beyond. Ms Dunham will certainly be an author I look forward to hearing from again! I can’t wait to see where she goes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

“We are always watching”
“Belles Never Tell!”

This was an interesting read that I mostly enjoyed. It’s a character-driven story set in the 1950’s about five young girls desperate to fit in at a privileged private college, hidden away from the rest of the world, while dying to become Bellerton’s most prim and popular.

For its time, it’s more than a girls college, it’s also a finishing school where girls are groomed into women, hoping to become trad wives to the country’s most elite men. The rule book is more than strict, thanks to Mrs Tibbert, whose sordid past turns her into a cruel headmaster. In this story, she is the epitome of the devil, doing whatever needs to be done to protect Bellerton’s reputation; including “erasing” girls that she considers uncouth. She always says, “Bellerton takes care of itself.”

The lush setting is beautiful yet eerie as the school is high in the mountains, covered in fog, and completely surrounded by haunted forests. The author’s writing style is deliciously descriptive, making me feel the tension, fear, pressure, terror, and emotions of the story and each characters.

Deena, the main character, is harboring a deep, dirty secret. She is not like the other girls, and she will die before anyone finds out. All of “The Belles” are suspicious and hiding something. This was the catalyst that made me keep reading. Deena’s story is one of survival and horror as she tries everything to fit in and appease the seemingly demure copper haired leader of the group, Ada May, who is Bellerton Royalty.

The dynamic of this group of young female “friends” is not very friendly. At first they seemed supportive and helpful with each other as they all adjusted to life at Bellerton. Silly little games here and there, late nights in South Hall bonding them together.

This eventually turns into Mean Girls but with more twisted games, violence, deception, and physical abuse amongst them. Ada May is cruel and manipulative but maintains an outward appearance of being the perfect good girl. As the story goes on, secrets are revealed and mysterious events happen, the girls become more and more obsessed with punishing each other for breaking their own rules. Bruises and blood become a sense of pride and belonging, so does donning a stupid little ribbon. “Who cares, it’s just a yearbook,” is the wrong thing to say to Ada May.

This book gets much darker and spookier than I expected, as the actual ghosts of the past return, horrifying things start to happen, and all truths are set free. We finally understand the real meaning of “Bellerton takes care of itself.” In general there is a lot going on here.

Deena is warned time and time again to leave! But she has no where to go. Even when she thinks she is finally safe from her past, she isn’t. She’s asked to prove herself constantly, taking what she thinks is hers, making her grandmother proud.

A second timeline tells us where each girl ends up, but doesn’t reveal enough leaving too many loose ends after all we went through with them. Deena’s secret is left unexplained properly and I want to know more about Ada May.

I wanted more from the ending like a conclusion wrapped up in a tidy package, but the book just ends. I even checked to make sure I didn’t miss anything! I still have so many questions. Maybe others won’t find the ending so abrupt. Overall I did like the book enough to give it 4 stars. I love character sketches, the TV show Gossip Girl, and a good psychological thriller.

I didn’t really understand this book.
A bunch of entitled rich girls become a cliche and do horrible things to each other until the ultimate revenge is exacted on the one who is faking who she really is.
The doll desecration was very disturbing as was most of the book.
Most of the characters were vile.

Thank you to much to Lacey N. Dunham, Atria Books, and NetGalley for offering me this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Belles is a semi historical dark academia novel with a touch of thrills and a dash of the paranormal all wrapped in one. At its heart, this story follows a new student that goes by the name of Deena Williams as she enters her first year at Bellerton College. The year is 1951 and wealth and prestige make the world go round--especially for the elite group of women at this college. Deena on the other hand? She may or may not be what she seems, and with that comes keeping secrets that can make or break her college life.

The writing of this novel is unique in that there are two time periods in which it is set. This story kept me on the edge of my seat as the chapters switched from past POV to present POV. This was an excellent stylistic choice by Dunham, as it helped to keep that sense of suspense and intrigue going throughout. In both eras, it was interesting to see how each of the Belles interacted in the past, and how things might have changed in the future. All we know if that something sinister is at play, and Dunham takes her time stretching out the ups and downs. The ending took my by surprise, which was a pleasant change in novels of this genre.

Overall, this story begs the question: How far would you go to fit in? But a Belle never tells...which is why you will have to read this novel yourself to uncover its mysteries.

This dark academia novel takes place in Bellerton College, a women only boarding school, mostly during the 1950s. Deena Williams gets to attend this prestigious school, which is an opportunity she never even dreamed of. There, she gets close to a group of girls with very prestigious backgrounds, including Ada May, Bellerton's founder's great-granddaughter. The group is designated as The Belles, who are believed to best embody the ideal Bellerton women both morally and in appearence. As the Belles grow closer together with Ada May as their leader, they start playing games that start to get dangerous and breaking the school's rules, like sneaking out in the middle of the night to play in the woods. This rule exists because of Bellerton's history of girls going missing in the past, which some are believed to still haunt the campus. With Deena struggling with a very deep secret on her own, she struggles to keep up with the group's rule breaking and reckless spending, which she can't afford if she plans to stay away from her old life. With twisted scenes and a dark ending, this novel has an intoxicating pace that wants you to keep reading. I only found the different character's POV a little hard to keep up and I would have liked to read more about the Belles in the present timeline, but it was a great read anyway.

Reading this book, I can tell that the author has personal experience with women's colleges. As a women's college alum myself, I found constant little reminders of my own college and what it must have been like back in the fifties. I didn't really like any of the characters, but I was invested in them anyway. I think that's the point. All of them have secrets they don't want the others to know. The dynamic of cruel friendship between women who all want to get ahead is unfortunately familiar to anyone who attended a women's college. That said, there were also moments of tenderness that represent healthier female friendship. The choice to set up the story in two different points on a timeline was excellent. Every little hint from the "present day" chapters came closer to putting together the pieces of what happened to the Belles. I absolutely detested Mrs. Tibbert. Again, I think that was the point. She represents some of the worst characteristics of "womanhood". A woman in that position could have been nurturing, but she fanned the flames of discord and led the girls towards nasty treatment of others.
Dunham tackles race and class in very straightforward way, which I appreciated. There is no thinly veiled allegory hiding what's going on at Bellerton. It's blatantly clear that "certain people" don't belong in the enclave of the upper class. As a modern reader, I was angry reading the constant belittling of "lesser" people. Once again, the point was clear. The reader is supposed to feel anger at the treatment of these characters. Unfortunately, the attitude of superiority is still very prevalent today in some spheres, especially small, private, women's colleges. I hope it will not always be that way.

This book takes place along two timelines: primarily during the 1951-1952 school year; and then during the present day.

Bellerton, an all-girls school in Virginia, isn’t quite like other colleges. It admits only “finely bred” young women, who are at Bellerton not only to get an education, but to learn how to behave in the upper echelons of society. And they are watched over closely by each other and told how to behave according to a scarcity list of rules. In 1951, a group of six young women, including Deena Williams, arrive on campus, each with a secret, and each looking for a way to fit into the Bellerton mold, led by the manipulative ADA May, great-granddaughter of the college’s founder. One of them won’t survive the year, much like dozens of “bad girls” before her, but who - and for what reason?

I was absolutely enthralled by this book from the first pages. I love dark academia when it’s done right - and this was done exactly right: the tension was thick right from the beginning, and the girls at the center of the story were all mysterious and endearing at the same time. It was hard to tell if I liked them or if I hated them, which is the mark of some great character development!

And the mystery at the center of it all, what is really happening at Bellerton?, was such a great story with some supernatural elements that just put the exclamation point on a creepy story. I really adored the way it all turned out, especially down to the final moments of the story. It really was the perfect way for it to end, a full circle moment.

If you like thrills, mystery and drama, I highly recommend this book. It’s the type that I finished and wanted to read another just like it, I enjoyed it so much.

It’s the perfect read for this spooky season!

I would guess that there aren’t many books out there that could be described as Southern gothic-dark academia-paranormal mystery-psychological thriller, so it’s impressive that Lacey N. Dunham works across all these genres in her debut novel. The Belles is set in 1951-52, with occasional flash-forwards to 2002, and tells the story of six girls during their freshman year at Virginia’s exclusive and tradition-bound Bellerton College. Most of the time we see events through the eyes of Deena Williams, a student who has grown up impoverished and gained access to Bellerton through mysterious means.

Dunham does a skillful job of setting the Bellerton scene, a school founded in the 1850s and deeply wedded to its history. Deena slowly comes to realize that that history is not as shining as Bellerton’s leaders and alumnae would like to believe, and as readers we learn about the institution’s dark past alongside her. Deena, too, has a murky history, and the revelations about her background come more slowly, if predictably.

The Belles kept me engaged as I raced to the end, eager to find out how history and the present collided in the spring of 1952 at Bellerton, and how long-buried events will finally surface.

Know that I’ll eat up any books about girls trying to find their place, trying to fit in with their peers, feeling isolated and misunderstood, and doing morally questionable things just to avoid being set apart, and this one is no exception. Especially if you add a dark academia setting where they’re in a boarding school, trapped by the bond that ties them to each other. The mystery of the setting creeps up on you, with its eeriness clinging to every shadows, making the story hauntingly beautiful from beginning to end.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of the e-ARC 🎀<3🎀

I love a book written from multiple perspectives. The mystery surrounding Bellerton and the Belles moved at a great pace (pacing is very important to me, especially in a thriller), and I was deeply invested in how the book ended.

This was a solid debut! I love anything dark academia so I was immediately drawn to The Belles. I had high expectations that it didn't quite meet— I thought the pacing lagged in parts, was confused by some of the time jumps, and I thought that the characters weren't as distinctive as they could have been—but overall I enjoyed it.

Don't let the blurb fool you with the "dark side of girlhood" - this is a story about when women betray each other, and the price we pay for not conforming to what is demanded of us.

Deena arrives at Bellerton in 1952, and we immediately know that she's taken on someone else's identity and comes from a poor background. Deena is desperate to fit in, even though the truth of herself keeps breaking through the more she tries to keep it down. Deena and the other first year women in her building are "chosen" by the President's wife as special, as the Belles, and it's their job to be the epitome of everything Bellerton is trying to turn a woman into.

But the girls see each other as competition, establish a hierarchy, play games with each other that border on cruel, and exact punishments if someone goes out of line.

If anything, this book is a reminder of why we needed feminism. Why women need to stand with other women against both the patriarchy and the systems that want to keep them down.

Bellerton exists to mold or to punish; it's a dark, sharp story that hints at a dark and terrible end. I read it in one sitting.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 out of 5 stars)

The Belles by Lacey N. Dunham had a lot of potential, dark academia, a 1950s girls’ college, secret societies, and a hazy thread of the supernatural, but the execution didn’t always land for me.

I loved the atmosphere of Bellerton College: all-girls, all-rules, and steeped in whispers of tradition and trauma. The premise of Deena, a scholarship student thrown into a world of wealth, power, and secrets, definitely drew me in. The idea of the Belles, a curated group of ribbon-wearing girls anointed by the college president’s wife, was deliciously eerie.

But as the story unfolded, I found the tension uneven. The pacing lagged in spots, and the supernatural bits felt more like an afterthought than an integral part of the story. There were definitely moments of beautifully written drama and creepiness (the final scenes were particularly strong), but some of the plot threads, especially the alumnae side story and a few character motivations, felt a little undercooked.

Overall, it was an interesting, stylish debut with a strong setting and a cool concept, but I just wanted a bit more clarity and cohesion. If you’re into gothic coming-of-age stories with culty vibes and moral grayness, this might still be worth a read, just go in knowing it’s more vibes than twisty reveals.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately not a winner for me. I loved the premise, title, and cover, and had high hopes going in, but those hopes were not met. It started off well - a protagonist with a Secret, supporting characters giving off ominous vibes, a claustrophobically isolated collegiate setting. But the stilted, clumsy writing, in service of a messy plot that was neither one thing nor the other, ultimately left me cold.

Thank you to Atria Books for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

My husband grew up on the east coast about a mile from one of the most prestigious all girls boarding school in the country where the elite of the elite attend. Every time we drive by, I've always been curious on what it is really like to go there and what these girls are really like behind closed doors. I had this setting in mind while reading it. It was moody, dark and gothic.

The golden standard for this genre is The Secret History, it's almost impossible to hit that bar and this one fell a bit short. The girls started blending together after a while, even though they all had stereotypical traits. I was hoping it would pull me in, but I found myself having to push through it a bit. The writing was beautiful and that alone kept me in it.

Dark academia and Southern gothic vibes make this debut novel an absorbing, immersive read. The campus setting is so atmospheric that Bellerton almost feels alive. The 1950s setting gives a hist fic twist to this cliquey Mean Girls-esque story. Ada May is totally Regina George coded, her words honey sweet with a knife edge of cruelty, and Deena as much a fish out of water as Cady Heron. I really enjoyed how the story unfurled over two timelines and through multiple POVs.

The Belles was dark, moody, and steeped in gothic suspense. This story set a tone that was both unsettling and alluring. The narrative followed Deena Williams, a working-class freshman at an elite women’s college in the 1950s, who was chosen for a prestigious group called “The Belles.” At first it felt like her chance to belong, but the role came with strict rules, dark secrets, and a past the school wanted to keep buried. As Deena struggled to fit in, she learned that the price of acceptance was far more dangerous than she imagined.

I was drawn in by the eerie gothic atmosphere and the way Dunham blended dark academia with themes of privilege, belonging, and hidden history. The dual timelines added depth, and how Deena struggled to balance her identity with her desire for acceptance felt authentic and compelling. On the contrary, some of the pacing dragged in places, and a few of the side characters could have been more fully developed. Still, the unsettling mood and layered premise made this a memorable and thought-provoking read.

Overall, The Belles delivered a haunting mix of suspense, atmosphere, and social commentary. Although this wasn’t ultimately the right fit for me, it was still an entertaining read, with a gothic edge and an exploration of the hidden costs of belonging.

Thanks to Net Galley and Atria Books for a complimentary copy in exchange for my feedback.