Thank you Atria Books, Lacey N. Dunham and NetGalley for the ARC!

This book was giving mean girls for sure and was a perfect read going into the fall season! While there were a few different POVs, the story mainly followed Deena through her first year at an all-girls college as part of the elite group known as the Belles. The group dares to break the strict rules at the college while also collecting secrets about each other. It was a quick read that sucked me in! Would definitely recommend!

Loved the story, HATED The Belles 🎀!

There’s racism, violence on women by women, murder, only the animals were spared!

Story: the prose is clear. Ms. Dunham painted a vivid picture for me. I was hooked beginning to end. I felt like I was in Bellerton with these horrible women. I found its history fascinating, and disgusting because it reeks of White privilege, and the Grey-Dickeys are super predators.

The Belles: they are products of their time and families. They’re not sorry for anything they’ve done, in fact some of them are proud of it. I understood Deena, I probably would’ve done the same thing she did; I also didn’t feel sorry for her because her own experience would tell her nothing good would come out of it.

this fell flat for me, it felt a bit repetitive of the genre and it just wasn’t for me

thank you to netgalley for an arc of this title in exchange for my honest feedback!

I enjoyed reading this book, but I did have some issues with it. My main one was that the dual timeline seemed to be a little confusing and didn't always connect with the other POVs. It sometimes felt unnecessary, but the first chapter did grab my attention. I do love the setting and dark, mysterious atmosphere. The characters are all very unique, and I liked getting to know them more throughout the book. The tension kept me reading, but I wish there were more "academia" plot points than just "dark." Overall, a good read, but just not my favorite due to the confusing time changes and lack of any academic scenes.

Sadly, I did not have time to give this a read before it hit shelves, but I can't wait to dive in when I can!

Dark academia debut novel? Say less. There are certain words that are thrown into descriptions, that will pull me into the novel: dark academia, southern gothic… but does that make this gimmicky? Just a marketing tactic?

Set mostly in the 1950s, there is some “historical” dialogue I hope is edited out in the beginning. It’s disappointing how the help is written regarding the main point of view with Deena and her white privilege. I was leaning toward dnf-ing it. As the story progresses, so did the strength in the story telling, as the cult like strange behavior and feminine rage of the girls of the 1950s gave Yellowjackets vibes in a PG, PG-13 way.

I enjoy dark academia, which this exudes, but the idea of southern gothic not so much. I missed the setting details in that. I’m really glad it changed up the point of view as all in Deanna’s would have made it too dull and Deanna overall wasn’t an easy character to read. Some of her actions didn't make sense and her background left me wanting more. But a story that was of class and privilege. Anytime the plot strayed from the cruelty of teenage girls and elitism, the additions to plot felt lacking execution and left me uninterested. But it was okay.

THE BELLES is a window into the mindset of an elite group of rich white girls entering their freshman year of college in the 1950s South. To the surprise of absolutely no one, they are horrid. It’s tropey, it’s toxic, it’s completely addictive. And if you don’t take it too seriously, you will have a great time.

I’m rounding my rating for THE BELLES up from 3.5 stars because this is a debut author who is clearly talented and whose books I will absolutely be checking out in the future. A sense of rot and dread runs through the entire book. The execution is unique, primarily centering one character, but sprinkling in other characters’ perspectives every few chapters. These alternate POVs build suspense and keep the reading experience exciting. It is a truly impressive debut, and it got under my skin.

However, there’s something about this book that doesn’t quite sit right. I can’t provide much detail about this without spoilers, but, to keep it very vague: this book really wants us to sympathize with a morally repugnant character. As readers, we are of course welcome to feel however we want, and I’m not even 100% sure this was the author’s intent. I think she was probably going for a morally gray, unreliable narrator kind of thing. But THE BELLES draws such a clear distinction between “good” and “evil” that “morally gray” isn’t really on the table - and the character I’m thinking of has no business being aligned with the “good” side in the final act.

It’s the narrative that creates this issue, not the character. In other words, even if the author didn’t intend to exonerate this character, the book itself does. Honestly, I hope people read this just for a lesson in craft - a text is a living, breathing thing, and sometimes something that’s not on the page will tell a story of its own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing a review copy. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Lacey Dunham, and Atria Books for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

This was fine? I love dark academia books, and I was instantly drawn in to the world of Bellerton. There is an unsettling vibe in the setting from the very beginning of the book that is heightened even more by the setting of the 1950s. However, multiple aspects of The Belles didn't quite work for me. There were some unexplained events that happened throughout, such as the Belles behavior when sneaking out. They were "violent" and "exhilarated", but was this the work of some force on the campus, or just supposed to be girls feeling...violent? I thought the situation with the poetry professor was a little bizarre too, as was the flashbacks with Mary and her ghost. There were elements here that could have worked, but there was too much going on for Dunham to fully flesh out and address everything to the point where it felt lackluster. I didn't think the chapters in 2002 added much to the store, and for this book being just 300 pages, it certainly dragged on and felt longer than that. It could be worth a read if you do enjoy dark academia, but it was a bit more confusing and slower than I personally prefer.

3.5 STARS

Good debut. I could definitely see this adapted to a tv show. Fun, dark academia novel with great characters. You know the type when each character is introduced. Would definitely recommend this as a fall read.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for my arc in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

It’s 1951. Deena Williams is attending Bellerton College. If you know anything about Bellerton, you are very aware that it is rather prestigious, and that the people who attend could fit into that category as well (wealthy, well-groomed, understand how the rich live, etc.). Deena however, is not one of those students. She is much more of an outsider and she would give anything to fit in.

Luckily, she is able to get in with the other 5 freshmen that live on her floor, and things start to really look up. The girls become such a strong sisterhood that they even get a nickname: The Belles.
They do things like wear matching ribbons in their hair and walk together in a group (and everyone sees them coming). They also push the limits of the school rules as much as they can.

As time goes on, Deena starts to put together things about Bellerton that could cause her own history to screw everything up for her … and she is forced to make a choice that is rather dangerous.

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Definitely worth the read if you enjoy coming-of-age stories or Dark Academia!

Belles never tell…

Thank you for the e-arc. This is a strong dark academia debut and I am sure it will find its readership upon publication.

The Belles by Lacey N. Dunham is an atmospheric Southern gothic novel that shines a light on the dark side of tradition, privilege, and the desire to belong.

The Belles are six first-year students in 1951 at the fictional Bellerton College located in the southwest Virginia mountains, and they all have a perfect facade - but what is hiding underneath?

We are first introduced to Deena, who did not come from a wealthy family like her classmates or have the same prep school opportunities, etc. so found herself without the right clothes, supplies, or even common references and language - and she is constantly deeply aware of it.

The rest of the Belles are made up of the legacy of Bellerton, de facto leader Ada May, Nell, whose parents recently divorced, Prissy, who may know Deena’s secret about her past, Fred, who is lesbian - which is definitely not allowed at Bellerton - or in 1951, and Sheba - who takes an immediate dislike to Deena because Deena (at Ada May’s urging) took the room initially assigned to her. She is also kinda Fred’s girlfriend.

As the group embraces the identity of the Belles bestowed upon them by the school president’s wife, promising to be perfect models of young ladies, representing all that it means to be a Bellerton student and, probably most importantly- keep each other’s secrets, it becomes quickly apparent that anything that sets a girl apart - Deena’s old shoes, Nell’s St. Christopher’s medal, Prissy’s innocent comment about having milk with the cookie they’ve been served - could be dangerous - even deadly.

Dunham weaves in points of view from the different belles as well as other key characters, including their house mother, the president’s wife, the handsome new young poet/English teacher, and Mary, another student, as well as different times, as we catch up with some of the belles in 2002. So many voices in a fairly short novel could get messy, but Dunham successfully gives each a distinct voice and uses them to reveal just enough to keep us guessing and reading to uncover the truth of what’s happening to the young women who don’t belong at Bellerton.

Stray thoughts:

I grew up poor in Southwest Virginia and went to William and Mary (in Virginia) thanks to scholarships and grants - and even though it was a few decades after The Belles - it was not that different in some ways and is probably why I connected to Deena’s and even Nell’s, characters - even though they made some decisions I would not make.

My high school principal was a state senator, and I thought it was funny that a character referred to her husband as “a senator for the commonwealth.” Some people really get hung up on that difference (state v. commonwealth).

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advance copy for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC.

The Belles was a story that I feel like had the same bones as many others that I have read. I struggled to get interested in the story in the beginning but it did improve and it did get faster paced. I liked it, but didn't love it.

Please dont let how long this sat on my tbr fool you- i just didnt want to read with my eyeballs nearly at all this summer. But i started strong and read the last 50% in one sitting, which i think says something. It might also be that deep summer was not the time start a deeply fall coded dark academia/dangerous forest story.

In the misty mountains sits bellerton- a private girls college steeped in tradition and secrecy. Deena arrives at the college with her own secrets- her entire history discarded for the oppurtunities she believes Bellerton will afford her. She is swept into a chaotic friendship with Ada May, a legacy student who embodies the perfect bellerton girl, and her magnetism gathers close of group of girls who become inseperable during their freshman year. Although their bonding is...unconventional, their loyalty to each other is great, but their loyalty to Ada May is unshakeable....until deena steps out of line and has to face her consequences.

This book was a solid, solid suspense/horror debut. Dunham really sets an atmosphere that makes everything straight lace in the sunlight and sinsiter after dark, and the cult like behavior of the girls is super unsettling. Some of it dragged but when it goes, it really goes. Just because of some of that pacing its like....a 3.74 but thats basically a four, RIGHT!?

I think you should give it a read. Thanks, netgalley and atria for this eArc!

The Belles is an impressive debut. It's a slow burn coming of age story. I loved the time period which made the story even more intriguing and appealing.

I do think it was a little too slow in periods but the author shows tremendous promise

THE BELLES is a strong debut that weaves a suspenseful, atmospheric story of belonging. Early on, there is a scene with milk that makes clear whatever you think is happening at this college, it is something very differently entirely, which kept the story moving swiftly -- I never knew what was going to happen next. I would have loved to see how the other first-year students and professors reacted to this insular group, but that didn't detract from my experience, and the author does an excellent job setting up the insularity and groupthink that made the Belles so dangerous. This is a great example of characters not having to be likeable to be interesting and compelling. Definitely recommend to readers who enjoy a spooky campus novel!

As someone who loves dark academia, this book was perfection. It has everything, and as the story progresses, you discover the dark history of Bellerton College—maybe these traditions are still ongoing? This book is set in two timelines: one in the 1950s and another 50 years later, which I thought was a great choice.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of dark academia and loves a story where there is a dark undertone

Sisterhood comes with a price tag

Deena Wilson arrives at prestigious all-women's Bellerton College hoping to conceal her past (working class background, orphan) and blend in with her fellow (wealthy and confident) students, sure that this will be the first step to a much better and more secure future. She becomes friendly with a group of other freshman girls in her dorm and like them is thrilled when they are dubbed "The Belles", the most promising students, by the president's wife. But that status and the bond with the other Belles leads to some nasty behavior and ever-increasing rule-breaking. There is more to Bellerton than Deena ever expected, some of it downright sinister. What is she willing to do or overlook in order to safeguard her own secrets and keep her place as a Belle?
The Belles is a thriller which uses the dark side of academia and somewhat Gothic vibes to create a haunting coming-of-age tale. With chapters that alternate between 1951, when Deena arrives at Bellerton, at 2002, with its inference of a gruesome discovery, author Lacey N. Durham explores themes of belonging, growing up and the dark side of privilege as she unfurls this tale of female friendship and power imbalance. Those who enjoy a dark, spooky thriller may well find this to their liking. I enjoyed the read, although it reminded me of several books I've read over the last year that would also fall into this "campus noir" category and as such didn't strike me as terribly original. I found some of the characters pretty difficult to like, but overall would rate it a solid 3.5 ⭐️ rounded up to 4, and think readers of Lauren Ling Brown, Stacy Willingham and Lauren Wilson should give it a try. My thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me access to a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

This book was an interesting dark academia read. However, it was slow at times, and the paranormal aspects occasionally felt out of place with the remainder of the story, and seemed disjointed at times without further explanation of the limits of the paranormal here (why, how etc.). what I did enjoy was the very clear description of hierarchy, tradition and the toxicity of following along without question.

This was an enjoyable read overall, even if it left a few things to be desired.

3.5*

This is a hard one for me to review. On the one hand, this is incredibly well written. The prose is insightful and I loved the exploration of the complicated dynamics of female friendships.

On the other, the story as a whole didn’t really leave an impact on me. I felt that the time jump plot device didn’t quite work because there was no concrete resolution or consequences in the future timeline. Additionally the ghost characters added great atmosphere but ultimately didn’t contribute enough to the plot to make me understand why they were there. As a whole, I had high hopes for where this story was going to go but felt that it all just kind of fizzled out.

TL;DR: vibes were immaculate but it ultimately lacked substance

Thank you to Atria and Netgalley for this ARC. The Belles is out 9/9