I really wanted to like this book but it was disjointed and under developed. I was uncomfortable from the romantic scenes between teenagers, the characters could have easily been aged up into a college setting without too much impact on the plot and could still have qualified as YA. Not my favorite Niven.

When We Were Monsters is the first book that I’ve read by Jennifer Niven and it definitely exceeded my expectations. There was no shortage of moments in the story that were unexpected, to say the least. I’d say that out of all the characters, I related to Effy the most. Not all aspects of her as a character but just one aspect in particular. And the villain definitely made me see how people like her successfully gaslight others into believing what they want others to believe.

This reads almost as a locked door thriller, very little setting change. I enjoyed the premise and appreciate that this was a thriller for teens; however it did move very slow for me. I would recommend this to students who are just trying to break into the genre.

Thank you Random House Children's Books, Jennifer Niven and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

DNF'd at 35%

I really, really wanted to like this novel. Dark Academia, check. A supposed murder, check. Dual POV, check. Plot, however.......

This book is marketed as Dark Academia and a murder of a teacher. I was really struggling with this one. Would read a chapter or two, put it down, come back to it later, etc. I couldn't figure out why the book just wasn't really grabbing me until I looked at how much was read/left at the bottom of the app. 35%. I had made through a third of the book and nothing had happened.

There wasn't a conflict. There wasn't anything about the characters that made me want to root for them. I was told about their tragic backstories...a lot actually...but nothing in their actions or narrative that was actually interesting. Most of the book thus far with what Graffam offers just reminds me of some of the elitist "writers" I knew back in college who think they are really profound.

Hoping it gets better, but I don't think I can make it through this one. Sorry.

"A simmering psychological thriller about a dead teacher at an elite boarding school, the students who had every reason to want her gone, and the tangled web of rivalry and romance concealing the truth - from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places.

At an elite New England boarding school, eight students are selected for an exclusive storytelling workshop with the one and only Meredith Graffam - an enigmatic writer, director, and actress. For sixteen days, they will live in the isolated estate of the school's founder, surrounded by snowy woods and a storm-tossed seas. Only one of the chosen will walk away with a lifechanging opportunity to realize their creative dreams.

Everyone, including Graffam, has a compelling reason to be there - Effy, the orphan, Isaac, the legacy, Ness, the wallflower, Ramon, the outsider, and Arlo, whose unexpected arrival leaves Effy spiraling - but only the most ambitious will last the term. Graffam's unorthodox methods push the students past the breaking point, revealing their darkest secrets, taking unthinkable risks, and slowly starting to turn on one another. But Graffam never expected they would turn on her...

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places comes a psychological thriller about the monsters who walk among us - even in the glittering upper echelons of society - and the ways in which we seek redemption for the wrongs we've done."

This has everything, dark academia, recluse surroundings, and a murder!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Jennifer Niven your books will always hold a special place in my heart. The way this story is told is absolutely magnetic, with characters who feel so real you could hear them through their stories.

The pacing is the only reason I haven’t given this five stars. What I believed to be the climax based on the introduction of the book was the ending, and it felt both unfinished as for what the book was marketed to be but beautifully ended for how it was.

When We Were Monsters tells the story of an elite and talented group of students studying under the tutelage of the brilliant and enigmatic Meredith Graffam. I love a dark academia story and this was no exception. Jennifer Niven's writing draws you into the world of Brighton and Hove, its cold cliffs and old house with twisting corridors, hidden rooms, and secrets.
Just as important as the setting of the story are the characters at the heart of it. Effy and Arlo are young and hungry and broken and healing and I enjoyed learning more about them as the story went on. I do wish we got to know more about the other characters around them, especially Ness and her relationship with Effy. I also feel like Drea's late addition into the story didn't really seem to fit. I wish she had been included earlier or not at all. Drea and Wesley's presence took stakes away from the story somehow as outsiders.
I also wish there was more build up and tearing apart of the group before the eventual banding together. The early days of the Jan Term were fascinating, the complex ways Graffman tried to get into the students' heads and under their skin, to push them past their comfort zones. I wanted more of that, more of the psychological before the confrontation. I also wish the ending was a little less tidy.
But overall I really did enjoy When We Were Monsters. It's an engaging YA dark academia story, one that's compelling and full of interesting ideas and characters. I'll be thinking about the void for a long time.

very well done thriller with an assortment of interesting characters, although some feel quite undeveloped. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

When We Were Monsters is haunting, raw, and beautifully written. Jennifer Niven explores grief, guilt, memory, and girlhood in a way that’s both unsettling and deeply emotional.

The story follows a girl who returns to the place where something terrible happened when she was younger, and as the layers start to peel back, you realize it’s not a simple story of right or wrong. It’s messy, emotional, and so well told.

Niven captures that blurred line between childhood and adulthood, innocence and responsibility, in a way that really sticks with you.

It's not a light read by any means, but its a good one.

So this wasn’t a bad book it just didn’t have any of the twists that I assumed would be hidden. I guess it was just a bit too straight forward with two MC characters that were meh and a romance that was lukewarm at best. Not for me but I still suggest others check it out.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc

When Effy is selected for the elite Jan term session under the tutelage of renowned author and screenwriter, Meredith Graffam, she's sure it will be a life changing experience. But adventure and danger abound with each of Graffam's challenges getting more and more eccentric. Can Effy survive and be the last one standing? And will the secrets tear her relationships apart?

When We Were Monsters is a dark mystery about manipulation and secrets. The whole vibe felt New Adult, even though the characters were in their senior year. I have mixed feelings about the messaging that comes across to teens in this one, and not one I plan on purchasing.

I’ve read and loved several of this author previous books and with this being pitched as Dark Academia, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. Unfortunately, I thought it was just fine.

It wasn’t a bad book by any means but I struggled with some of the aspects. I wasn’t a fan of the romance and the POVs made it drag a little.

However, I loved the atmosphere. The creepy gothic manor and the vibes were on point.

I have enjoyed Jennifer Nivens other books. All the Bright Places is one of my most recommended reads.

I loved the idea of this book. The special session for gifted teens, the old mansion that meanders in all directions, the wild coast, the cliffs, the winter setting and a sprinkle of what came before. YES!

The story, however, didn’t hold together for me. The pacing of this novel was very slow, with shifting POVs, although slow burn doesn’t seem quite the right name for it. I also, unfortunately, did not enjoy the romance, it didn’t feel necessary to the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this eArc in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of When We Were Monsters by Jennifer Niven!

A girl is trying her best to get into thrillers, and there’s just something about YA thrillers that keeps calling to me, so of course I had to pick this one up.

Now… When We Were Monsters. I have some conflicted feelings about this book. There were moments when I genuinely wasn’t sure what was going on and while I think that might’ve been kind of the point (the vibes are definitely mysterious and disorienting), it left me feeling a bit lost at times. That said, one thing I was sure about? Something was seriously off with Meredith Graffam. That lady? Unhinged. In a she’s bat shit crazy type of way.

As a YA thriller, I’d say this was good, not groundbreaking, but definitely entertaining. Where it did win me over was the romance. Effy and Arlo?? I loved their dynamic. Their history, the second-chance tension, the soft moments, I was rooting for them the whole time. Yall know I’m a sucker for a good old second chance and an MMC that’s down bad and these two, definitely fell into that category.

I want to say the overall theme here is how ambition, fear, and competition can twist people into something unrecognizable. It’s eerie, especially when you realize how relatable that pressure can be…

Final thoughts: I’m left with a lot of questions and maybe a slight headache (could be the dehydration, though). But it was enjoyable overall. Messy, intense, and just the right amount of unsettling.

the premise honestly had me hooked (I love a dark academia setting) and the beginning was even giving Traitors vibes, but about halfway through this book completely derailed and spiraled way off course. the story was disjointed and unorganized and confusing, and frankly so far-fetched beyond my ability to suspend disbelief.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. out 9/2/25!

**When We Were Monsters** is the highly anticipated young adult psychological thriller by Jennifer Niven that kept me hooked from beginning to end. I literally devoured this book. Even when I thought I knew where the story was going, the way it’s written is so engaging that you simply can’t stop.

Set to be released in September, we follow eight young people who enter a writing immersion competition. Their mentor ends up being murdered.

The story dives into the question of free will and the light and dark sides that exist within each of us. The atmosphere won me over with its gothic, dark academy tone and a setting (an isolated boarding school) surrounded by forests, lots of snow, and stormy seas—creating a constant suspenseful environment.

The narrative is filled with literary references, mainly *Frankenstein*, *The Picture of Dorian Gray*, among others, with this idea that some people have a beautiful façade that slowly rots away, revealing the true decay beneath the surface. That’s exactly what we feel as we follow these complex characters, who as the tension rises, show how easily they can turn on one another.

I also loved the dual POV of the main couple, which makes everything even more intense—especially because Effy and Arlo share a past that adds emotional weight to the story. This connection is one of the strongest and most human threads amid all the chaos.

And yes, this is a very different Jennifer Niven than many know! Darker, sharper, and yet totally addictive and impossible to put down. A fun, unsettling, and surprisingly deep read.

Thanks Random House Children's Books for the ARC

"When We Were Monsters" is a dark and twisty story with multiple points of view, mystery, and some coming-of-age elements. I think Jennifer Niven did an excellent job with the characters- each one had a distinct voice, trials, and evolution. The teens were likable and relatable, even though they each carried a heavy burden from their past. She also nailed the dark academia- creepy house, dark atmosphere, secret society. I loved "All the Bright Places", and I loved this book. Jennifer Niven is a true artist!

God, I LOVED this book. I'd read Niven's work before but her ability to write an original take on dark academia is stunning.

Thanks to NetGalley for an eARC of this novel.

A group of high schoolers are taken on a writing retreat and are excited to learn from a well known author/screenwriter (who previously also was invited to Jan Term when she was in school). The story is written in dual POVs (Effy and Arlo). Each kid invited to the retreat has secrets and past traumas that slowly are revealed. The atmosphere is creepy. The teacher has secrets and is acting strange.
I gave this a 3 star because the story felt like it dragged on, I wasn't shocked or surprised, and I was expecting the kids to eventually turn on each other and the teacher and they really never did. The teacher got what she got because she was kind of crazy. The romance was just ok and the story could have gone on without it. I feel like I was waiting for anything to happen that I wasn't expecting and it just didn't happen. This book I feel just wasn't for me.

The title, the cover and the setting immediately made me want to read this book. Unfortunately- the pacing dragged so much, I found myself bored through much of the book. I was not able to lose myself in this story and as a result, every instance where Graffam does something and asks things of the teenagers in her care that are dangerous and irresponsible, I found it unbelievable and distracting. This did not feel like a thriller, and I also couldn’t identify where the stakes were in order to care at all for any of the characters. Also, what is it with the school and hiring people associated with Jan term in years people turned up murdered?

The love story was also distracting. Wasn’t this a YA? I did not expect full on open door sex scenes in this book.

I would like to thank Random House Children’s Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.