As always, thank you @netgalley and @randomhousekids for the opportunity to read When We Were Monsters!

When We Were Monsters is a dual POV novel alternating between ex-situationships Effy and Alro as they compete against each other and six others in Jan Term, an exclusive three week long writing retreat hosted by their elite boarding school and lead by the infamous Meredith Graffam. The winner gets everything they’ve ever wanted: book deals, film contracts, speaking tours. But something isn’t right with Graffam, and the students need to figure it out before she turns them into monsters, just like her.

So to start, this book did take me quite a bit longer to read than usual, but not in a bad way. More so, this book hit me in a lot of deeply personal areas, and I needed to take my time with it. The characters in this book all face significant trauma, but I believe that the trauma is handled well and gave characters that may have been a bit stereotypical to dark academia more nuance, and I believed each characters motivation for competing in Jan Term. And ultimately, the thing that made me love this book is that it felt like both a love letter and a burn book to the art of writing.

Honestly, as someone who’s only ever had one real dream in life (to be an author) the wild, dangerous, and absolutely unhinged things these characters agree to do for a shot at their goals was unsettling, but honest. And I GOT IT. Really, I think any young person who’s ever dealt with trauma or felt desperate for something—anything—to make them feel okay, will get it. So in that regard, this book really meant a lot to me.

If I were to criticize one thing, however, I do wish there had been less/no romance between the two MC’s and instead more focus on the relationship between Ness and Effy. I think that would have made the ending/Graffam’s actions hit so much harder, and I think that would have taken this from a 5 star read to a 6 star all time fav for me.

That being said, I think young adults will love this book and I can’t wait to read more by this author.

2.5⭐️ rounded up

Effy, Arlo, and 6 of their peers are selected to attend the illustrious Jan Term held annually in an old manor house in the woods by their prep school. They all aspire to be writers, directors, or actors, so they are awestruck to meet their teacher for the course, famous Meredith Graffam, and are willing to do just about anything to impress her and win Jan Term. But as the days go by and the challenges they’re given become increasingly questionable while some students begin departing.. Effy finds herself questioning her past, present, and future.

I love a good dark academia and this had the basis for a good one: a small group of students, a creepy isolated setting, and a life changing competition. I really wanted to love it a lot more than I did. It’s a choice to tell readers at the beginning a key item of how the story ends and sometimes that works but I didn’t feel that it did in this case. Everything else in the story was far too predictable. There were some moments that did come off the page and I could feel the discomfort and tension, but for the most part, I found the story to drag a bit and while the characters had good development, I just didn’t care all that much about them. It was entertaining enough to keep me going and finish the story but not something I’d come back to or strongly recommend.

Thank you Random House Children's and Knopf Books for Young Readers for an opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was initially really excited about When We Were Monsters. I’m a big fan of Dark Academia, and paired with such an eye-catching cover, this book had a lot of promise. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite hit the mark for me.
Part of that may be due to its YA classification. While that’s not inherently a downside, I found that it lacked some of the atmospheric depth and thematic complexity I’ve come to expect from other Dark Academia stories. Additionally, I’m not usually a fan of dual narrators, so that element didn’t work particularly well for me either—though that’s more a matter of personal taste than a fault of the writing.
That said, the plot moves at a brisk pace, and there are definitely some twists that will catch readers off guard. If you’re looking for a psychological thriller geared toward a teen audience, this could be a great fit.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s Books | Knopf Books for Young Readers for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Man, I love a dark academia way more than someone who works at a school should. Murder at a boarding school? Hold my calls. I loved the “Prime of Miss Jean Brodie but if she was even more awful” vibes. I truly never knew what was going to happen next and was legitimately shocked at several of the reveals. A great addition to a YA mystery section or a high school library!

As a thriller, I think this book was… fine. There weren’t any “twists” I didn’t see coming, but they were entertaining enough to read play out that I stuck with it until the end. For a YA book, I didn't find the voices too childish or annoying. I wasn't bothered by the limited sexual content either, because it's not explicit or too out-of-place for how old the characters are in the novel.

That being said, I don’t believe this book should be categorized as dark academia, and that’s where it really fell off for me. All the plot points/set up for a dark academia novel were there: a setting that breeds isolation, group of students with varying levels of tragic backstory, a professor/mentor with enough power in the isolated setting to play God, an unhealthy amount of competition between the students to prove themselves. But it just didn’t feel like dark academia. It felt like Niven looked at other works in the genre, pulled out the common plot points, and slapped them onto her thriller to call it dark academia.

One of my favorite things about the genre is how in love with its chosen craft it is – If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio taught me the word “bardolatry,” The Secret History by Donna Tartt edged (or went cliff-diving over) into narcissism in the belief that classicists were the most superior form of a scholar. Yes, Graffam proselytized about the process of writing and how to be the perfect writer, but there was none of that from either MC. To me, the entire work must be saturated with devotion, obsession for its chosen craft. The academia in question is the root of the darkness, pushing the characters to do things most normal people wouldn’t consider doing. Graffam wasn’t convincing them to put themselves in those situations for their own craft, but for her own personal gain and because of her own twisted vision. That’s a thriller motivation, not a dark academia motivation.

I really wanted to love this...the setting is amazing, the history is great, and the absolute bat crap self-obsessed nature of the antagonist is spot-on...but I was more invested in the love story than the mystery or the resolution because being told the ending in the beginning takes all of the wind out of the sails. It means I was ready for the villain to be villainous.

A great story that spoils itself, and that was disappointing. There are interesting characters and the leads and their closer friends are well created with depth, so would still be worth reading if this is your vibe.

When We Were Monsters had a great premise—dark academia with Teaching Mrs. Tingle vibes—but it didn’t land for me. The teen drama, especially around characters who had sex at 15 and scarred each other, felt like something I’d aged out of. The atmosphere was solid, but the story leaned melodramatic instead of sharp or chilling.

Love a spooky dark academia novel with stakes, and compelling characters who are just as twisted as the villain.

While I did enjoy many elements of this book, I think it dragged in some parts and then sped up too quickly in the end. While I guessed the major twist in the book pretty early on, it was still fun to see how it played out.

When We Were Monsters completely pulled me in with its dark, twisted take on love and obsession. I loved how unpredictable the story was, keeping me guessing and on edge throughout. The characters were fascinatingly flawed, which made their choices both heartbreaking and compelling. While a few moments felt slightly rushed, the intensity and emotional depth more than made up for it, making it a gripping and memorable read.

Effy and 7 of her lucky classmates are exclusively
Picked for Jan Term, a unique opportunity to study under a famous author who just so happens to be a Prep School alumni. But when the rules of Jan Term are laid out and strange things start to happen, Effy begins to question everything she’s been told. As the weeks progress and the challenges become more and more wild, what secrets will be revealed to those that are left? A twisty YA novel that is fast paced and engaging.

I knew I wanted to read this as soon as I saw it. I'm a SUCKER for a book about a boarding school. This one was good! It alternates dual POV between the two main characters who each have their own stuff they're trying to figure out. In fact, it's pretty clear everyone has their own hidden traumas. Everyone is desperate to prove themselves. Meredith seems like she's on a spiral, but the truth is, she's been spiraling her whole life. The biggest story of her life is a mystery and a lie and everyone knows it, but what no one knows is the truth. Meredith is determined to help the students tell their own stories, but what story will they end up telling? What do a bunch of teenagers do when they can't even trust the adults around them? Apparently, they turn into monsters.

At an elite boarding school 8 students compete for one prized spot, a literal dream come true for any one of them, but at what cost?

Meredith Graffam is their mentor this year and they feel like they have hit the jackpot. She is a celebrated writer, actress, and director, and under her tutelage they will learn so much. She is charismatic, drawing them all into her orbit, but her methods begin to seem questionable and ultimately, dangerous! Through a series of competitions, each more severe and perilous than the last, Graffam forces them to explore their pain, their secrets, and their biggest fears. I HATED her!

I was very invested in the story, from the start. We follow the dual narration of two of the students, Effy who is grappling with the horrors of her mother's death, and Arlo who is reeling from a more recent loss of his own. The two of them share a tumultuous past, creating its own kind of tension within the story. Ultimately, the villain in the story is what took me out of the story the most. Her manipulation wasn't entertaining, and felt super gross.

Teens trapped at an isolated mansion in the woods with a manipulative author who is supposed to be teaching them how to write, to create, but instead focused on breaking them down, breaking them apart, and cracking them open while inspiring a sycophantic need for her approval. Graffam, the writer, was a great character, and students Effy and Arlo were interesting but similar narrators. I often forgot who was narrating. Strangely, the other two students left, Ness and Isaac, had no chapters dedicated to them and therefore felt indistinct and throwaway.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s Books for this DRC.
#WhenWeWereMonsters #NetGalley

This book has several things I love in a thriller.

1) Academia setting
2) Isolated location
3) whodunnit?

I admit, this was a little darker than I thought it wouold be. But the pace (very, very important to me) is excellent and I found myself deeply into the story. I kept asking myself what dark secrets would this environment pull out of me?

This, to me, was the most central character - the inner demons we ALL have, that we can probably keep away in normal ituations but when confroted with secrets and fears how would it be^

Any book that can pull that out of their readers is a good one.

I ❤️ THE ODDS. Always a sucker for a group of teens who all have their own problems and traumas—especially when it’s in a dark academia setting. If you’ve read The Writing Retreat, this has similar vibes but in a YA way. Perfect pre-fall read.

DEETS FOR YA:
🪾 eerie big house surrounded by sea & woods
📚 writer teens & an elite prep school
👀 mysteries around every corner
🌚 lots of good poetry + literary references

thank you to NetGalley & Random House for the ARC !

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

This book is told in multiple POVs. Eight students from an elite boarding school are chosen for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study under a controversial author with ties to the school. It's dark academia meets locked door thriller. It's not a whodunnit as much as a why did they do it. I quite enjoyed the journey!

This book was just too long and boring. Maybe don’t make a book 400 pages when nothing really happens through out the whole book. Also this is a YA book don’t have open door romance stuff in it. That’s not appropriate.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s Books for a complimentary early release copy of When We Were Monsters by Jennifer Niven.

When We Were Monsters is a decent read, I liked Meredith, I thought her eccentric/chaotic teaching methods added a nice element of surprise as I never knew what she was going to be doing next. When Meredith is introduced or just shows up in scenes she really grabbed my attention, her character is intriguing from the get go. I thought the mystery of the book was a bit average but I still found myself to be curious as to what’s happening. At about the fifty percent mark though I started to lose some interest in the book. It feels like the mystery elements come and go a lot, around that time it really focuses on the friendships and relationship between the two main characters. While I didn’t mind the friendships in this book I couldn’t get into this romance. It felt off to me, I thought both characters needed to resolve some issues before something bloomed between them.

When the mystery of the book picks up again my interest was caught though when things are revealed I feel a bit mixed on things. The way the book starts about Meredith dying made me think it’s leading up to this huge conflict with a theatrical but satisfying death however what actual happens to her feels disappointing. I’m aiming around a three star rating, I particularly enjoyed Meredith’s character in this book and some of the friendships. The main characters are fine on their own but nothing particularly stands out about them. I also agree with some of the others that the romance is a bit too opened door for the young adult genre.

I received a copy from NetGalley & Penguin Teen Canada in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately this was nothing like the premise makes it seem. This is largely a (pushing-it) YA romance, with some “mystery/thriller” elements that come and go from the 60% mark on wards.

I think this would have been stronger with only 1 POV instead of 2 alternating, because of FMC and MMC chapters are very hard to tell apart in narration style.

The book starts with the first sentence saying they killed their teacher. I expected some build up, but the house/“dark academic” setting lacked any atmosphere, and we don’t return to this plot until the last 95% of the book. I think the reason why books like “if we were villains” work is because the deaths in question don’t occur at the very end but instead are an obstacle in the mid point forward.

Overall, didn’t deliver on what it promises and the writing wasn’t very engaging.

[Disclosure: Thank you to Knopf Books for Young Readers (and Penguin Random House Children's Books) for making this book available for early review consideration!]. In this propulsive novel, teen fiction melds with dark academia to create a vibrantly unique flair to the genres. Set at an elite boarding school, a group of students are selected to attend the highly coveted "Jan Term," a weeks-long writing/arts course instructed by celebrity writer, producer, and actress Meredith Graffam . . . only the students soon discover there's more to Graffam than outside appearances suggest. Emotionally compelling and immensely suspenseful, Niven's novel is a much-needed addition to the dark academia genre. The book delves deep into grief, familial expectations, lost friendship, the need for perfection, and desires often left in the dark. Through courses and activities led by Graffam, the characters enrolled in Jan Term face their fears, confront places physical and metaphorical, and ultimately learn the liberating power of storytelling. Each has something to gain and everything to lose, and in this way, the book truly holds nothing back. Fans of Niven (and dark academia) are sure to find something to like in this novel. At once a thriller and a treatise on storytelling and the bonds between humans, this novel offers a fresh perspective in a genre wildly popular among literary fiction fans. Dark academia is infinitely better because of this book. There is truly no genre or era too difficult for Niven to tackle!