I went into this expecting a thriller, but I’d say this is more of a mystery with a focus on character development rather than plot. I still enjoyed it, but I’d recommend tempering expectations before you start.

I absolutely loved the gothic school setting atmosphere. It’s very dark and heavy, which I loved! It’s hard to say much without spoiling, but I highly recommend this if you’re into gothic books.

Where Sleeping Girls Lie is an ambitious, dark YA mystery set within a boarding school. It covers the story at an engaging pace and kept my attention throughout. Overall, I thought that this was an interesting take on the boarding school story, with a diverse cast of characters who pushed the story along.

However, the story does deal with a number of difficult topics which readers may find distressing - these are mentioned in the author’s note at the beginning - and should therefore be kept in mind when choosing whether to read this book or not. I would say that it is better suited to older readers than books like A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (despite their otherwise similar placements), and would hesitate to recommend it to my students without being sure how they would respond to the relevant trigger warnings. My rating is reflective of this uncertainty.

3.5*

I thoroughly enjoyed this YA mystery set in a boarding school - the author did a great job weaving all the threads together to make a not too predictable story. This would be a perfect autumny read. There are some dark themes in this book so please check triggers before reading!

This was a highly anticipated read for me, I’m so glad it lived up to my expectations!

It had a real gothic feel with its secrets, dark characters who really led me in all kinds of directions. I truly did not know how this would end and I was shocked by the outcome. The ending did feel very bitter sweet as not all justice was fair, but that gave a sense of realism.

I liked the diversity and this reminded me of a good girls guide to murder with its diverse characters, style of pacing with its clues and outcomes. This was fantastic!

When she starts at her new school, Sade Hussein is not entirely sure what to expect. The Alfred Nobel Academy (ANA) is after all a very prestigious institution. And it is certainly not the kind of place where you expect students to go missing!

As if that were not bad enough, Sade is horrified to discover that not only is it her roommate Elizabeth who has gone missing, but that she herself is now viewed with suspicion in some quarters.

This is all very far from what Sade had anticipated, but she's in it now. And navigating an environment where friends are in short supply, she might just have to find her own way out...

This is an absorbing story about secrets, elitism, rivalries and a culture of entitlement. Readers who enjoy dark academia stories will enjoy this one. It gets 3.5 stars.

I have just finished ‘Where Sleeping Girls Lie’ by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and have decided to give it 5 stars.

‘Where Sleeping Girls Lie’ is a novel that takes place at the prestigious Alfred Nobel Academy or ANA. Where we begin in the story we follow out protagonist, Sade, arriving late at the esteemed school. When a student goes missing she and other students find themselves tangled up in the mystery of it.

First, I loved Sade and how thoughtful she was. She was not one to do or say anything on impulse (like a lot of characters have a frustrating habit of doing in this particular genre) and that allowed for me as the reader to really get an insight of her thoughts. As for the other characters (like The Unholy Girls, teachers, swim team members etc.) - they were properly fleshed out which was great given that there are many characters we’re introduced to quite early on and throughout the story. I thought the way her and Baz leaned on each other was sweet and the understanding that she shared with Persephone. There are many characters that are unsavory and I was kicking myself for being fooled by the charisma of a particular one.

As for the plot, I was kept on the edge of my seat and there was little I correctly predicted. I think half way I even stopped trying to guess and let myself go slack-jawed at certain points. There are some heavy themes and so you’ll need to check the trigger warnings but I do believe that such topics and other themes like gender and privileged were handled appropriately given the nature and genre of the book so that’s always a good sign. There’s a great level of mystery and many high tension moments. The length of this book initially made me nervous but once I got into it I really powered through and didn’t even noticed I had read so much in my first sitting.

I’ve not read from this author before but based on my reading experience I sure will be.

Thank you to NetGalley and Usborne for this ARC.