The Belles is a haunting, slow burning exploration of girlhood, power, and the quiet terror of becoming the version of yourself that others expect.

Set in a 1950’s women’s college steeped in tradition, this book follows Deena, a girl who arrived with secrets and a desperate need to fit in. She finds herself drawn into an elite circle of girls, the Belles, who live by their own rules. What begins as female friendship and belonging slowly twists into something darker, more ritualistic, and dangerous.

Lacey N. Dunham masterfully builds a tense, claustrophobic atmosphere dripping with dread. There’s something rotting under the surface of this pristine campus, and Dunham peels it back layer by layer. The setting is focal, repressive, and just eerie enough to keep you on edge.

📖 What I loved:
* Sharp commentary on conformity, race, and class.
* The seductive danger of wanting to belong.
* That creeping sense that something bad is coming and not being able to look away.
* Slow-build psychological tension with strong female friendships turned feral.

It’s a subtle horror. It’s dark academia with bite. And it doesn’t give easy answers. Perfect for fans of literary suspense with a feminist edge.

Belles never Tell.

Thank you to Lacy N. Dunham, Atria Books, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mean, rich girls at an all girls college in the 50’s. They are called the Belles and are expected to be the best of the best of the new freshman. One girl doesn’t belong and will do anything to fit in. When the girls starts to gain more power anything is possible.

50 years later something is unearthed at the college that could change their lives.

I had a good sense to the twist but was trying to place the why. I wouldn’t have figured the ending to be that way but it was still good closure.

Super quick read being around 300 pages. You get an old school with a mysterious history and ghosts. Just my kind of book.

The Belles by Lacey N. Dunham opens with orphaned Deena Williams moving into elite Bellerton Colege in 1951. We quickly learn that Deena has been raised by her grandmother who worked as a housecleaner until succumbing to cancer. Before she died, she instilled in Deena life lessons that Deena frequently reflects upon as she desperately attempts to fit in with the wealthy young women at Bellerton, especially the five freshmen girls who’ve also been assigned to South Hall.

Deena along with the other five girls soon call themselves The Belles. They move around campus with a fierce sense of belonging. They break curfew. They enter the forbidden woods (oh, the things that live (and die) in the woods). They torment.

Despite the fact that Deena believes she’s being accepted and fitting in, her attempts aren’t successful. Instead of admitting her background, she stands firm and increases her lies. Although Deena has seen what happens to other Belles who threaten the group with misconduct unbecoming a Belle, she never seems to understand that it could also happen to her. And, perhaps, that is one of the more mystifying elements of The Belles–Deena’s naive stupidity when she’s supposed to be intelligent. I suppose one could point to being socially inept, but Deena has been depicted as an observer. Observers typically survive by knowing how to blend in.

The Belles thrives as an atmospheric novel with dark stories of Bellerton’s beginnings, murder for monetary gains and upward mobility, and the ghosts who roam the school and the woods. While Deena sees and communicates with one of the ghosts, she doesn’t heed advice, doesn’t understand escalating danger thus, perhaps, sealing her own destiny.

Despite the fact that The Belles is extremely well written with intriguing world-building, I did not care as much as I would have if there had been one character who drew our compassion and allegiance. Deena is certainly not that character although she could and perhaps should have been. We all want to support the underdog but not if they break our moral code. She makes unfathomable (and uncomfortable) choices that ultimately make her more despicable than some of the other Belles, although not quite as bad as entitled Ada May.

In all other ways, The Belles is an engrossing novel, intriguing and full of southern gothic and dark academic vibes. Well worth reading.

Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy.

In 1951 at the elusive, elite women's college in secluded West Virginia known as Bellerton College, Deena Williams is part of the incoming freshman class. But she is not who she says she is and she definitely does not fit in with the wealthy well bred women she is surrounded by, but this opportunity may help her finally live the life she has been wishing to live.

Her floor has her in a dorm with 5 other girls, and she quickly does what she can to fit in with the girls and get into the good graces of the clear leader Ada May, who is a legacy and will do anything to keep her and the reputation of the institution unblemished. They are dubbed the Belles and are known as the most promising girls of the freshman class. The college has a dark history they have been covering up and the 6 Belles find themselves following in the footsteps are many of those who came before them and secrets will catch up to each and every single one

I love a good Dark Academia novel, especially one with messy young ladies. The jealousy, backstabbing, and arrogance of these girls had me so entertained. I don't think this book had anything that blew me away or shocked me so although I did enjoy it, it wasn't a wow book for me

As far as classification goes, this leans more into thriller territory as opposed to dark academia. Does the story take place at a spooky school? Yes. But there's virtually no educational conversation or intellectual depth.

PROS: Atmospheric setting and mystery. Easy to read. Okay pacing.
CONS: Predictable. The dual timelines were more confusing than effective, and they never came together in a satisfying way.

Would recommend to: Readers looking for a quick thriller with some horror elements. If you’re searching for genuine dark academia, this isn't it.

Thanks to Netgalley, Atria Books, and the author for this eARC!

Wow I loved this fabulous debut! I will be reading everything she writes from now on. Very much reminded me of the secret history!

While not perfect, The Belles by Lacey N. Dunham is a solid addition to the YA dark academia genre.

Dunham captures teenage girls with sometimes painful accuracy. She doesn’t shy away from the insular, toxic, and often cruel dynamics that can play out in those intense friendships. It makes the book feel both authentic and uncomfortable.

The book alternates between multiple points of view and timelines. I really enjoyed the shifting perspective, as they added depth and kept me engaged, but at times the balance between the timelines felt a little uneven.

The plot was fairly predictable, but never in a way that made me want to stop reading. I only wish we’d gotten more of Deena’s backstory. While glimpses are there, her arc never felt fully fleshed out.

Many thanks to Atria Books for the opportunity to read and review this arc.

The Belles by Lacey N. Dunham is a richly atmospheric, dark academia debut novel.
I really enjoyed the mystery it is so intriguing and compelling.
Dunham does a wonderful job with the settings, plot and characterizations.
The characters draw you in and keeps you flipping the pages.

A main character that will do anything, I mean anything, to belong to a popular group, a skull unveiled after 50 years on the bottom of a lake, and a beloved doll ripped to shreds during a most unusual ritual. This was my first experience with a dark academia novel, and I loved it!
Deena Williams, a girl born on the wrong side of the railroad tracks, has the opportunity to attend the prestigious Bellerton College. It is 1951, and she has an opportunity that most women would die for. Unfortunately, murder may actually be on the schedule at this so called “prestigious” college.

Deena bans together with five other students and form the popular crowd. But as she digs deeper and deeper into the history of the school, she learns that fitting in isn’t what it is cracked up to be. How high is the cost of fitting in? It is worth your soul?

I have a hard time with dark academia books but wow did this one blow me out of the water! I was sucked in immediately when the book started and you realize main character Deena is hiding a lot of secrets. As you got to see the viewpoints of the other girls, and they started forming their little society, I got even more hooked. The background history of the school was just as good as the present day chapters too. Would highly recommend to fans of the Private series, Pretty Little Liars series, etc.

I enjoyed the dual timelines as it helped to fill some information in. However, there was no connection to characters and plot was predictable.

My review is voluntary and all comments and opinions are my own.

This book is arriving at the perfect time of year for us readers who are craving moody, atmospheric dark academia!

Told in dual timelines, I found myself most drawn to the sections set in the 1950s - I just found these parts to be the most interesting! There's something especially compelling about the rigid rules of that era and the desire for these young women to carve out their own identity. That said, there were a couple moments that pulled me out of the story, as I occasionally questioned whether certain details were truly reflective of the 50's. but if you're not a stickler about historical accuracy, this probably won't bother you and you'll sink right into the atmosphere!

I did find the plot itself fairly predictable, but I still enjoyed the story! Overall, The Belles is a solid read and I recommend people pick it up this fall!

3.5 stars, rounded up.
This is some dark historical fiction. Deena is off to a small women's college in in Virginia in 1951, only her name isn't really Deena. She has assumed the name of her half-sister in order to move ahead in the world with the help of her grandmother. She has to keep her identity hidden and try to fit in with wealthy young women who wouldn't accept her if they knew she was really the daughter of a housekeeper.

There are five other girls on her floor in the dorm and they become "The Belles", the ringleader being a descendent of the school's founder. They break the rules at night and sneak out, slowly becoming more and more brazen in their actions. Along the way, Deena is able to see a ghost, the ghost of Mary and young woman who warns Deena to leave. The dark history of the school along with the current escapades leave no doubt with the reader that tragedy will prevail.

Told in dual timelines, a 150 year celebration in 2002 being the second when history is brought to the forefront. If you like dark academia novels with the worst of young women, this is for you.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

The Belles is an absolute perfect example of dark academia done perfectly! I honestly can't believe that this is a debut novel because it was just that good, and the author did an amazing job bringing this dark tale to life.

This book was deliciously dark and full of the most unlikable cast of characters, girls that are far too privileged and definitely evil. The book takes place at Bellerton College, a college just for women. Deena Williams is an outsider and desperately just wants to fit in with all the beautiful, wealthy girls that she's at the school with. She finds herself accepted with an elite group of girls, The Belles, and works hard to keep their favor. But, Bellerton isn't the charming, perfect school that it appears to be, and its history is deeply disturbing and very dark.

The book is told two alternating timelines, the 1950s and the present, 50 years later. I really enjoyed the dual timelines, but it was definitely more drawn to the story told in the 1950s. The book also has a touch of the paranormal, and I felt that it definitely added to the story.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and think that any reader who enjoys dark academia will love this one!

Expected Publication Date: September 9th, 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and the author for the opportunity to read this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

“Always remember that these grounds are haunted by girls who were exactly like you.”

The Belles is a dark academia novel set in 1951 at a wealthy all-girls college. I really enjoyed reading a historical dark academia novel, as all of the ones I’ve read before have been set in the modern day. I don’t always love historical fiction, but I liked the historical elements that were included in The Belles because they added depth and atmosphere to the story.

I found the story to be a bit predictable but overall I had a good time reading it. The main characters all felt unique and fleshed out – their motivations and interactions with one another were so realistic I felt like I was reading about real people.

The mystery kept me on the edge of my toes for the entire book. Dunham’s prose embedded each page with spookiness and tension. I was very satisfied by how the book wrapped things up at the end.

The Belles is a fresh and chilling addition to the beloved dark academia genre. It’s a solid debut and I am looking forward to what this author writes next.

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review posted to Goodreads 9/3/25

DNF -- this was just boring. I got through like half and just couldn't get myself to pick it back up because I just didn't care.

I thought this would be right up my alley; secret society, dark academia, mildly haunted boarding school.

Unfortunately it was all a little too high school antics and had no real driving force. There’s not a lot of connection with the characters and I found myself constantly getting bored and putting the book down.

Lacey Dunham's The Belles will be a pleaser for those who enjoy mean girls as characters as well as those who enjoy ghost stories. The book's dual timelines (early 1950s and early 2000s) helped build suspense. However, for those readers who pay attention to details that can make or break a setting in time, I did see a few glaring issues. In the 1951 timeline, a character imagines that another character will arrive at school in a big, white, air-conditioned Ford. Well, no she won't-Fords weren't air-conditioned in 1951. The book also introduces the value of Bellerton as one that will produce wives who would know how "to arrange excellent charcuterie." Folks weren't much using that term in the US at that time, so not quite in keeping with the setting in time. The other failing of the book is that it tried to address too much in too small a space and it felt a bit preachy at times. Good suspense, characters a reader might love to hate.

I made the mistake of finishing the Belles alone at night while everyone else was asleep and let me tell you, that is not something you should do. What a deliciously unsettling novel, filled with lots of chills! It was absolutely the perfect start to my spooky season reads.
What Dunham created was magnificent. There wasn't a single likable character amongst the Belles (which is the point) and yet just like their fellow classmates you're drawn in by their charisma and confidence, even though you know there's something not quite right. While some of the ending wasn't surprising, for me what set it apart was that I couldn't figure out how it would happen and even better the last few sentences of the book had me gasp.
You can absolutely visualize the setting of Bellerton and as so much of the novel takes place during the colder months, a real chill rises from the pages as you go deeper and darker into the school and the connection between the girls. If you're looking for a dark academia with just the right amount of gothic vibes, this is the book for you.

I was bored most of the time, which is not a good sign for a Dark Academia book, since I tend to love them. I felt like the action was too slow, and the supernatural elements were too nebulous. It just felt like this was trying a little too hard to be "The Secret History" but without any of the compelling plot points that drove that one along. This one pulled elements of that one that did not work or translate into a good story here. It felt incomplete. Like, there was so much that COULD have been great, but the threads were left hanging, and the ideas were underdeveloped. Maybe Dunham was trying to do too much within this book because it just felt cluttered. There were ghosts, xenophobia, family secrets, a cult of personality, and all of that could have added up to something great, but it just felt incomplete. This one was a let down for me.