Very solid 3.5 - 4 star read. I was given an advance copy of this book by #NetGalley and the publisher in return for my honest feedback. Opinions are mine.

First of all, I am not a big reader in the YA genre, but I do love thrillers. It was nice to get back into the YA space while being entertained by a good murder mystery.

The book takes a look at the prototypical "mean girl" scene in a high school in a small, coastal, California town. Everything about the town is idyllic, until the pretty, popular, "mean girl" crowd starts being murdered.

I thought that the author did a good job of keeping the story moving along. I was never bored, and it never felt like it had stalled out, or I was reading words for the sake of word counts. I was also pleased to see that the twists and turns throughout the story kept me wondering the classic question "who done it?". I had thoughts along the way based on biases formed during the story as characters were introduced and more was learned about them. It was an excellent job of leading the reader down a path just to later remind us of the power of our own real biases when it is revealed that we are wrong. I liked the ending. I thought the big reveal was good. I had some thoughts as to a generalization of who the guilty party was, but not down to a specific character.

As I mentioned, a story like this can be a good tool to remind us of our own personal biases. We all have them in some form or fashion based on our own experiences in life. The story also is a gentle reminder of the importance of not only our actions, but the reminder that how our actions are perceived becomes the reality of someone else. All of this was underlying the story, but Monica Murphy did a great job including this without being preachy on the topics.

I am going to encourage my teens to read this because I think they will like the story, and it is always nice to have certain messages reinforced.

My only issue with the story is the manner of the murders. The girls were killed by having their throats cut from "ear to ear". The neck is full of sinews which make this a rather tough feat to accomplish. Having said that, I thought this once or twice during the book, but didn't find it to be a distraction.

All in all, this was an entertaining read, and a good way to start of 2018. 3.5 - 4 stars.

A mash up of Pretty Little Liars and Mean Girls, this book keeps you on the edge of your seat as you follow the twists and the reveals. It's predictable in a sense of how any murder mystery is predictable and being teenagers, predictably they respond the way you think.

I held a knot in my stomach while reading because I couldn't figure out who it was, and every single time our girl Penelope was near anyone else I had fear she was next. I held a few theories and honestly, I would have preferred to see one of those play out opposed to what actually unfolded. -this is the reason for docking stars- that ending was ... a let down. The reasoning behind who it was ... I was disappointed.

My attention was held throughout the book as we learned more about each character, but I fear there were too many side characters meant to have some spot light like the Larks, because half of them held no depth. At one point a girl is mentioned and Penelope, our main gal, thinks "Bet you didn't know she's a Lark, well she is." I'm paraphrasing here because I can't recall exact words but it was slightly annoying to have characters that were so surface it hurt to try and remember who they were. Yet, the Larks were being 'targeted' by the killer.

All in all, I enjoyed reading it. It wasn't a long read, took me just a few hours to finish it. I enjoy thrillers and did enjoy the ride of this one, only wish it was executed slightly different. This is my first novel by this author and I will look at her other works soon.

*Review copy provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Storyline: 5
Angst: 3
Tissue: 0
Value: 5
Panty Scorching: 0
Over All Rating: 4.25 Stars
Kindle eArc provided by Netgalley

In the upscale town of Cape Bonita, the pretty popular girls are ending up dead. What nasty secrets lurk within the exclusive Lark club that has girls being targeted for murder? As the story unfolds, we discover these cheerleaders and team captains are bullies, boyfriend stealers and competitively cutthroat. Will Penelope Malone figure out who is after the Larks before she becomes the next victim?

“I wish I knew what was going on. How did it happen? Was it an accident? Or do they suspect Gretchen was murdered by someone she knew? Could the killer be someone we know? The thought is terrifying. It’s much easier to put this on a complete stranger who wandered into town and killed her without thought. Cape Bonita is a small, wealthy town along the northern California coast. We don’t do murder.”

Pretty Little Liars and Scream Queens move over because this little mystery is going to give you a run for your money. Penelope tries to run the Larks club as efficiently as possible but even she sees the girls she spends the most time with have transformed into the mean girls of Cape Bonita High School. When her frenemies start turning up dead, Penelope becomes concerned that more of the Larks are being targeted. This was an addictive little mystery with Penelope having no idea who she could really trust. I couldn’t put it down with every new secret that was revealed and led us closer to finding the killer. I couldn’t quite pinpoint who was after these girls until the last minute. It was so fun to just keep guessing!

If you love movies like Scream, you’ll find this a nice quick young adult book that gives you some light-hearted murder. Ok…murder shouldn’t be light-hearted but I found it disturbingly enjoyable.

3.5 Stars for Pretty Dead (Mean Larks) Girls!

The whole time I was reading Pretty Dead Girls, I was thinking Larks = Mean Girls, and someone is offing the Mean Girls. If you know me at all, you know I have a pretty (LOL) odd sense of humor so I found this rather ironic and laughed quite a few times.

Penelope (aka Pen) is the character that we follow the most. She's the one that I found the least mean and the most endearing. Her friends, not so much. When Gretchen (anyone else see the parallels here) is murdered the town of Cape Bonita, mostly the school goes into chaos. What follows is just craziness.

The authors writing is flawless and the characters are extremely developed. However, I had a really hard time connecting to them and staying engaged. Maybe it was me. Maybe it was the whole mean girl - who is killing the Larks theme? Mostly, I think it was me.

So, if you're a huge fan of Mean Girls, Cruel Intentions, secret societies and murder - this book is just right for you! Step into the world of Cape Bonita and try to figure out who is killing the Larks!

The Larks, a group whose purpose is supposedly to conduct volunteer and charity work but in reality is just one more steppingstone to the best colleges, pretty much run their expensive prep school. Its members are all very rich, pretty, smart, popular… and mean. They are, in other words, the elites of the elites. When one of their members is murdered, the whole town is shocked – this kind of thing just doesn’t happen in the wealthy enclave of Cape Bonita. But when another member is murdered…and another, it is clear that the murderer isn’t just targeting random pretty girls, he or she has decided that the world would be a better place without the Larks. As president, Penelope obviously has good reason to worry. When Cass, the dark brooding boy in her Physics class that she has always ignored because Larks only date jocks, suggests they work together to uncover the murderer, she goes along not only because she is most likely a target but because she finds herself inexplicably drawn to him. But it turns out Cass has a secret - he is linked to all those pretty dead girls and Penelope may lose a lot more than her heart to him.

Pretty Dead Girls is a YA thriller by author Monica Murphy. It is told in the first person by Penelope occasionally replaced by the killer who also speaks in the first person – a tad confusing at first. For the most part I enjoyed the book but, at times, I found the seemingly constant emotional flip flops by the main characters a bit tiresome made worse by Penelope’s constant critiquing of her own choices. Nor did I particularly like any of the characters including Penelope who seemed, even in her mental critiques, completely self-involved. Cass was probably the most likeable character with hints at an interesting past unfortunately never developed. Fortunately, the book moves at a fast enough pace that I was able to overlook these, for me, flaws at least for the most part. If I’m honest, I suspect that, had I read this book just for entertainment rather than to review so I wouldn't have had to think too much about it, I would have enjoyed it a great deal more than I did. In the end, though, I would have to say, this novel probably works better for teens than adults which is fair since teens are its intended audience.

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and Entangled: Teen for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review</i>

Pretty Dead Girls was very different from anything I’d read in a long time. When I was a little younger (ok, a lot younger) I read murder mysteries with young people (teenagers) in them. This was a little like that and I liked it! Pretty Dead Girls is about a group of popular upper class men. There’s a special group of girls called the Larks. Penelope is their current president and the book is told mainly from her POV (we get a few chapters told from the murderers POV). The Lark girls start getting murdered one right after another. Penelope developes a friendship with an outsider named Cass. All she knows about Cass is that his mom murdered his dad and she’s in prison. So, she’s skeptical of him initially, but he eventually gets her to trust him. Together they decide to try to find out who is killing the Lark seniors. I really enjoyed this book from the beginning. I honestly was surprised at who the murderer was. I usually have a good guess on who done it’s, but not this time! I enjoyed the relationship that formed between Penelope and Cass. It was probably the only ‘real’ relationship/friendship she had outside of her family. I definitely will recommend this book to everyone who enjoys a good suspense book.

I am the type of reader that loves a good mystery whodunit. This pitched to me as a thriller that was along the lines of With Malice, which I absolutely adored. While this was a super fast read, it just didn't have the absolute hold on me that With Malice did. I'll get into the details of why.

Short recap: Penelope is having the best Senior year she could possibly have. She is the President of the Larks, a very exclusive and prestigious all girls group within her school, she is very popular and has an incredibly bright future ahead of her. Everything changes when her close friends and fellow Larks members (fellow Seniors!) are mysteriously murdered. Is there a serial killer on the loose targeting members of this group? It certainly seems that way....

This story had a lot of promise. Murphy is a heck of a writer but I felt this story could have used a little more work. The characters were hard to connect with as they modeled Mean Girls in every way possible: selfish, vapid, shallow, and only had boys on their minds. Penelope (or Pen or Penny) was the protagonist of this story and everything told from her POV, except for the few chapters that are from the killer's POV. Those chapters I found interesting. Penelope was very hard to connect with as she felt wishy-washy with her thoughts and feelings. That girl had the worst inner monologue that went on forever. She had full on debates with herself. (I later found myself skimming or just skipping those parts.) In short periods of time, she would be deeply concerned with her safety as it is clear the Senior members of the Larks were being murdered, but in the very next breath she would wonder if Cass, the boy she liked, had feelings for her. Sorry, what? The girl was instalovesick like I haven't seen in a while. She spent a majority of her waking time thinking more about Cass, the new mysterious boy at school. Girls liked him because he was quiet and mysterious, while the other guys hated him because he was quiet and nerdy. Cass did have his secrets, but when they were revealed they were nothing to write home about. I guessed them long before he said them outloud. How they linked back to the murdered girls was just too convenient and unbelievable. Penelope and Cass together was just... odd. I didn't feel that the reason they got together was truly organic. I don't feel they were good together at all, I felt no chemistry between them.

The one thing that absolutely took away the suspense (in my mind) was just how obsessed and boy crazy Penelope was. All that girl did was think about Cass and his "dreamy full lips" and his "perfectly imperfect hair". Uh... Penelope... I'm going to need you to focus as there are girls being murdered all around you, m'kay? Make sure you are safe from harm, figure out who the killer is, and then go after the boy. Deal?

If you remove the budding romance (which really did not need to be in this story, in my opinion), the murder/mystery was really well done. I figured out pretty quickly who the killer was but that might have just been me. There were times when the plot slowed down, which were almost always due to the teenage hormones and inner monologue chats Penelope had with herself, but it the story was still a very quick read. There was just something that held my attention when it came to this story. I just had to finish no matter what. Hence the reason I skimmed or skipped parts. I do think many people will also find this story gripping, thrilling, and memorizing. It really was a well written story... if it had just been about whodunit and not so much about romance. Again, my lovely readers, that was just how it read for me.

Do I recommend this book? You bet! I do think I may be the lone wolf with my thoughts to this book and if so, great. I want everyone to give this a shot and let me know if you read it differently than me. This book deserves to be loved and given a chance. Please borrow it from your library or purchase a copy for yourself. Read it and then let me know what you think.

It’s been a while since I have read a good YA book. Monica Murphy sure did keep me on my toes and guessing what was going to happen next. She did a good job at surprising the reader. There were many times I thought I had things figured out only to realize I was wrong.

While reading this book it reminded me of Pretty Little Liars and Mean Girls. They are members of the “Larks”, an exclusive club that only accepts five juniors and seniors each. They are the pretty, popular girls who rule the school. Every girl wants to be a member of this club. That might chance as members of this group start showing up dead.

Penelope is a Lark member and trying to figure out who the killer is and stay alive. She isn’t sure who she can trust. A friendship is formed between Penelope and Cass and a boy they never paid attention to. They try and figure out together who the killer.

This was a fast paced book that kept me on my toes. I really enjoyed this book and recommend it.

This was a very fun teen slasher. The author does a good job with pacing and I read the book straight without stopping. I found myself caught up in the teen drama of the popular girls who are members of the "Larks" and trying to figure out who was killing them. I really enjoyed the interactions/relationship between Penelope and Cass, as it was sweet, but kept you on edge. The only thing I would have liked more was if we got to know a little more about the murder victims and their pasts, as they seem like they had a lot going on. I would definitely be interested in reading another story by this author.

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Maybe it’s just me, maybe I’m growing out of enjoying YA books, but this one was just so dumb.

I tend to enjoy YA thrillers because they lack the graphicness of their adult counterparts. I couldn't resist after seeing this synopsis on NetGalley. Despite the interesting premise, it was difficult for me to truly enjoy the storyline because of my dislike for the main character. I failed to appreciate the appeal of the "mean girl" Penelope, and my feelings never changed throughout the book. I found her shallow and immature, and she never seemed to develop despite trying to solve murders.

The suspense aspect is predictable, but I liked the overall story. The killer POV chapters are fascinating and well written; I wish there had been even more. This book wasn't a standout, but I wouldn't discourage any YA fan from reading it either.

Thank you to Entangled Teen and NetGalley for my advanced review copy.

I'm so happy I got the opportunity to read and review this early. This was a very entertaining read and I can't wait to read more by this author. This is one I can see myself reading again.

Note: I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Let’s talk about Pretty Dead Girls by Monica Murphy. I picked it up for two reasons. 1) I’ve loved EVERYTHING I’ve read by Monica Murphy thus far, and 2) I love YA mystery/thrillers.

Pretty Dead Girls started off strong for me. I loved Penelope and Cass, the main character and her love interest. I loved the catty-ness between the friends/frenemies in the Larks group, the most popular girls in this small affluent community. It was fast-paced, and quite the page-turner. It was a bit predictable but a solid YA mystery.

While it was a solid mystery with great characters, one thing really nagged me about this story: the lack of parentals. The parents were physically present, but they weren’t really parenting. Perhaps, that’s to be expected with this sort of story. However, I just couldn’t shake it off. Considering there were kids dying, felt like they should have at least made sure their kids had rides home from school if they’re without their car… Anyway, the lack of parental presence annoyed me during the last half of the story.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Pretty Dead Girls. I just didn’t love it as much as I hoped it would, and I’m positive it was mostly a “not quite for me” sort of book. I truly hope Monica Murphy writes more in this genre. I love her work and can’t wait to see what else she comes up with.

pretty dead girls is mean girls meets scream in the best way possible. somebody is targeting the members of the larks, an exclusive after school club at cape bonita prep. penelope is president of the club, and all the dead girls have some connection to her one way or another.

the story unfolds mainly through her point of view, though we do also get occasional glimpses of the killer's perspective. this is a true thriller and there are plenty of plot twists and red herrings that explaining more of the story would be a disservice.

mostly this is a fun, suspense-filled read. i had to struggle to not skip to the end to find out who the killer was, because i'm the kind of person who hates surprises and loves spoilers, even though i also like it when an author can surprise me. if you can hold out, it's worth waiting for the big reveal. i really, really enjoyed this novel.

**pretty dead girls will publish on january 2, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/entangled publishing (entangled teen) in exchange for my honest review.

Being a huge fan of teen slasher movies, this was definitely a fun read. I loved the progression in this book and how it got more interesting as it moved on. You see the influences from movies like Scream , and shows like Pretty Little Liars and Scream Queens. If you like those things, you will definitely enjoy this book.
Things I didn't really love were the overabundance of modern, social media references, and how quickly the ending came and went. Although I didn't guess who the killer was, the reveal and conclusion came so quickly that it kept me wanting more. I was expecting something else to happen and it didn't. I also wish the tone of the book would have been darker. It felt a little too bubbly and melodramatic at times.
Overall, this was an addicting read and I recommend it to fans of the teen slasher genre.

Someone is killing the mean girls of Cape Bonita Prep.
Gretchen Nelson is one of the most popular girls at school. She is also a member of the Larks, ten girls who are considered to be the 'best of the best' on campus. When Gretchen is found murdered, it sends shockwaves through the privileged community. But Gretchen was not so beloved as she appeared to be. It's not long before the police are scouring attendance records for potential suspects. Soon a second female student is found murdered, also a senior member of the Larks. Penelope Malone, president of the group, begins to fear for her life. Could she be next on the killer's list?

Penelope traverses a course through her friends, attempting to uncover their secrets and see through possible deceptions before she herself is targeted by the murderer. Along the way she teams up with the mysteriously intriguing Cass Vincenti, who may know more than he's telling her. Penelope and Cass have differing personalities, which heightens the chemistry between them.

There is a large cast of characters who are unpredictable and quite a few that are intentionally unlikable. They all seem capable of lying and I didn't know who to trust, which made for some great suspense. With all the possible suspects I had a fun time trying to guess who the killer was. Much of the story takes place on campus and there's a constant undercurrent of real danger nearby. In Pretty Dead Girls, Murphy creates a tension in the air reminiscent of a teen slasher film. It's a fast paced and entertaining YA murder mystery I thoroughly enjoyed.

Thank you to Entangled: Teen for the eBook copy to review.

Thanks to Entangled Teen and Netgalley for a copy of the eARC in exchange for a fair review.


Penelope is the President of the Larks and things are going pretty well for her until Gretchen turns up dead, and her whole world is shocked to the core. When another friend turns up dead, Penelope really begins to wonder who is killing her friends and if she will be next. When Cass the strange quiet guy at her school begins reaching out to her, Penelope finds herself unable to resist him.


But when Courtney melts down, and yet another friend turns up dead, Penelope knows that someone is killing the senior Larks. She joins forces with Cass to figure out who is killing all of her friends, but will Cass be the death of her? Or will he save her life?


This gave me total Scream Queen and Pretty little liar vibes, and I was pleased to see that the author said that Scream Queens inspired this! I loved every minute of it, even though a lot of the characters were not likable at all. Even Penelope had moments where I cringed.


Honestly, this one kept me guessing almost until the end, I did suspect but wasn't sure before the reveal so kudos for that! This was a quick fun read. I can't wait to see what she writes next, hopefully, another thriller!

I was looking for something different to read and this book was just the thing. The cover of this book is so beautiful but the title makes you feel there is more than meets the eye. I was hooked after only reading a few pages. The plot, writing, pace I loved it all. There is a darkness that settles in and you can’t help but question who the killer is and who will die next. This book is like pretty little liars and mean girls rolled into one. There are so many twists and turns I never figured out who the killer was until they stepped forward in the end. It’s the one you never saw coming and I love that about this book. When an author can completely surprise you in the end you know she has incredible talent. I look forward to reading Monica’s next book you never know what she will throw at us.
I was gifted a copy from NetGalley for an honest review.

Everyone has secrets right? Good secrets. Bad secrets. Secrets that will change your life and shall never be whispered even when your alone in the dark. Everyone she knows seems to be turning up dead! How can this be? Things like this only happens in the movies but Penelope feels like she is spinning in an endless circle looking for one person to help her. Will she be able to save them in time or will she lose another friend? The clock is ticking. Absolutely spellbinding action that will have you on the edge of your seat constantly guessing who it might be.

Okay, wow. When I first started reading this book, I had no idea the rollercoaster of a ride Monica Murphy was about to take me on. I’m pretty certain I felt every emotion possible while reading this book. Pretty Dead Girls is fresh, thrilling, witty, suspenseful and even filled with swoony moments. You’re never quite sure what is going to be on the next page, but you can’t wait to find out.

Disclaimer: There are a lot of twist and turns in this book, and also a lot of things that play into the plot. Therefore, to give you the best experience when you read it, I’m not going to go into too much detail.

The heroine in this book is Penelope. She has a pretty normal life, spending most of her time cheerleading and being involved in the Larks, a small, semi exclusive club at her school. Then, her life completely changes when one by one, members of the club start to be killed off. Dealing with the mourning of her friends, the fear of being a target, and the stress from police, Pen finds an unlikely friendship forming with a boy in her school named Cass.

Cass is the bad boy/loner type, who has a history of getting in trouble. He also seems to be linked to all the girls that are being killed. And while Pen is kind of hesitate of him at first, the two do become close, and there is major attraction/chemistry between the two of them. But there are things they don’t know about each other, that could change everything.

I have to say, Monica Murphy’s writing is AMAZING in this book. The story had me completed addicted, I couldn’t put it down. Honestly, I was up late reading it and at times it had me a little scared, complete with my heart racing.

The story is written from Pen’s POV, while also being from the POV of the killer every so often. It was interesting getting an inside look at their thoughts.

My only real complaint with this story is the romance aspect of it, which is why it’s not quite a 4 star. At times Penelope and Cass were too adorable for words, then at times I didn’t like the two of them together. I get they are teens and have all the angst, but it was a tad frustrating. They are a true tale of opposites attracting which I love, and they have plenty of banter between them as well.

So, if you are looking for a fresh, witty spin on “whodunit“, make sure you get this baby! I am planning a re-read of this one!