After trying to read this book, buying the hardback, trying that, then trying to audiobook, I think it's finally time to say that this story just isn't for me. It sounds so dark and lovely but I just cannot get into the story, cant connect with the main character, cannot connect to any aspect of the book at all, aside from the cover.

DNF. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the digital ARC of this book. I am sorry I was unable to finish this book.

Couldn’t get into. I Sadly dnfed it because it just wasn’t for me. Maybe cause I’m older, it wasn’t terrible writing though! I couldn’t get into it

3.5⭐️

Thank you @clarionteen @netgalley for my review copy!

When their mistress is murdered, a group of Beasties, animals who have been turned into humans using magic, have to go into hiding. They have 48 hours to find another witch to redo the spell they are under, otherwise they’ll turn back into animals.

This one was a bit strange at first. It took a little bit to kind of become familiar with this world and know what was going on. I liked that there were different types of characters in the story, witches, goblins, and beasties. It made for an interesting story and I’m interested to see the direction the second book will take.

Anouk longs to be part of the human world where she would have the freedom to do as she pleases, meet other people, and maybe fall in love. But as a Beastie, an animal enchanted to become human to serve the witch who created them, Anouk is trapped. When the witch she serves, Mada Vittora, is found dead, Anouk becomes suspect #1. She flees to the outside world of Paris to find the real killer. She only has three days before the spell keeping her human wears off and she returns to being an animal.

While I didn't love GRIM LOVELIES, I did like it. The setting of a magical Paris and incorporation of the Beasties was really creative and interesting. The murder mystery had several cool plot twists that I didn't see coming. I didn't fall in love with any of the characters, but it was still easy to root for Anouk and hope for the best outcome. Her feelings of being trapped and her drive to have a better life were impactful. I also loved the nods to several fairy tales like Cinderella.

Megan Shepherd is an extremely underrated author and deserves much more recognition. All of her stories are so original and so fantastic. Well written, the plot draws you in and does not let go!

I was given access to an ARC of this book through my work as a #indigo employee in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun read. I really enjoyed the magic system and the playing with fairy tales. However, the third half of the book dragged a little. Maybe it was because there was a point where I fully anticipated the story to end and then it kept going? Not sure. But I did have a lot of fun reading it and I'm excited to see what Anouk will do next.

After a pretty slow start for me, I ended up really enjoying this book. I’ve read other books by Megan Shepherd and absolutely fell in love with her writing style. I found the story line quite unique and it pulled me in quite hard when you it finally did. Eventually the book actually had me on the edge of my seat.
The characters in this one really hit it out of the park for me. They were my main loves of the book, even though the plot was solid. The world building was great as well.
I’m glad I decided to stick it out even after the slower than usual start, because I did enjoy this book. I’m not sure if this is a series in going to continue, but I’m glad I started it.

I am going back to books I previously had received and not reviewed or submitted feedback for & came across this one - I did not finish this book when I received, I was NOT a fan, it was too out there for me & just not at all something I was interested in giving another chance to later.

I kept hearing great things about this book, but to be perfectly honest I had no idea what it was about. I went into the story completely blind, I didn't read the synopsis or any reviews, all I knew was the positive word of mouth. I found Grim Lovelies to be something completely unique, a completely new world full of magic and all kinds of creatures, running right along with our normal human (pretty) world. This was at times absurd and ridiculous, as well as wonderful and full of whimsy- with a whole lot of action and suspense as well. Nothing was as it seemed in any situation and the rag-tag cast of characters were super fun. This was really entertaining and different.

The ending was rough! Basically, everything blew up in the characters faces, everything they were hoping for vanished. I am so glad that the second book in this duology is already out so that I can jump right in and see what happens next. This is the perfect series for fans of an almost urban fantasy type world, magic and mayhem as well as found families (which I adore!)

I have read The Madmens Daughter trilogy by Megan Shepherd and I absolutely loved it so I was very excited to try some more of her writing. Also, this is one of the most stunning covers I've seen in awhile.

I ended up giving this one a 3.5 stars out of 5 and overall had a fairly enjoyable experience. However, going into this I expected it to be a lot darker and mature so I think my expectations blurred my judgement a bit. The beginning was set up very well and the plot moves very quickly but there were times in the middle I had some issues with the pacing and other things. I also found the romance very annoying but, I do want the characters to end up together.

Even though I don't really like cliffhangers, I did like how it ended and do want to continue to the next book. I hope that the events and world building from the first book will make the second book move faster.

& of course thank you to Netgalley and HMH Books for allowing to me to read and review this title!

I really wanted to love this book. It sounded so good, the title is so eye-catching and I've been looking forward to reading it for quite a while but the characters were just so utterly boring!
To begin with the concept sounded interesting but in the end I didn't really like reading about these 'Beasties' it was just a bit too strange at times.
Also the LGBTQ+ characters within this book also deserves better representation and a better story.
I personally wouldn't recommend this book to my friends, in particular to queer friends and it's such a shame.

This was a wonderful Cinderella-type story! I loved the descriptions of the location (Megan's writing is lovely), and the magic was, well, magical. The world itself is amazing, and so fun to read about. My only complaint is that I felt a disconnect from the characters, which made aspect of reading this a bit of a chore. All in all, though, it's worth a read and I think readers will enjoy this unique tale about humans that used to be animals.

Fairytale Twist!
Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the opportunity to read and review Grim Lovelies by Megan Shepherd!
Bringing a twist to the regular fairy tales, Grim Lovelies tells the story of the often forgotten side characters. Anouk is a servant of Mada Vittora’s household. Anouk is also an animal transformed into a human by the witch she serves. Mada Vittora keeps the pelts of all the animals she’s turned into humans, all to serve her. Anouk, Luc, Beau and Cricket are all trapped this way. Beau discovers the Mada’s body after she’s been killed, so he and Anouk flee to Cricket’s apartment and then the three of them are on the run. The three of them haven’t heard from Luc for quite some time. They run to another witch that’s the enemy of their Mada, hoping for help in staying human. Mada Zola helps them plot to steal a spell from the Royals and things just get more complicated from there. Loyalties are tested and stretched and a new beginning ends the book, 4 stars!

Honestly, the burn your gays trope just about killed this book to me. I love the authors other works immensely, but this one is pretty meh. The Cinderella story twist is cool. But the insta-love ruins it.

For the most part, I enjoyed this. The characters were enjoyable, the plot intriguing! But I had a hard time getting into it in the beginning, and for that reason I just feel like I didn’t fully connect, and it didn’t grip me as much as I wish it would! I still think the story and setting was so cool and I loved reading about it, and I’m definitely interested in seeing how the story ends so I’ll definitely pick up the sequel in the future, but overall it just wasn’t a favorite.

Okay, I wanted to like this book. It was one of my most anticipated last year but unfortunately, I just don't. I've been trying to read it for two months now and I'm only halfway through. The characters don't feel real to me and the magical elements of the world aren't really explained. I have been using every excuse imaginable to not read this book. I still want to try out some of Megan Shepherd's books but this one just isn't for me.

I haven't been a fan of Ms Shepard's stories but this one's cover got me to look deeper and I was very pleased.

Anouk is a strong-willed creation who has only 3 days to remain in human form before her enchantment fades and she returns to the animal form she was born as.

I can't wait for the next installment of this series.

I wasn’t interested in this story or the writing style and after 50 pages I gave up. It’s not something I’m willing to push through with. Sorry.

Grim Lovelies was a fun read! I loved the Parisian setting and I especially loved the fashion element of the story. I really wanted to buy a pair of Oxfords after Anouk's shopping spree. I also really loved the garden scene and how ruthless the witches are. I can't wait to find out what will happen next!

Full review in the link below from 21 minutes, 26 seconds through 23 minutes, 40 seconds