Girl at the Grave is a decent enough historical mystery that spends too much time on its romantic subplot. When I first started it, I did not even know that it was historical fiction (there is no such indication in the blurb) and the setting was also a little confusing. Small town in 19th century US with a co-ed high school (even if the classes were separate, they do share a campus) was weird enough, but a lot of the times, it doesn't even become apparent that it is set in that time.

The story is simple but makes an effort to be layered and complicated - Valentine's mother was hanged for a murder, and now that new murders have happened again, she (as the daughter of a murderer) is being seen as the prime suspect. But the son of her mother's victim, Rowan Blackshaw, doesn't believe in the rumors, and they start to grow close. But, to add a wrench in their romance, there is Valentine's childhood friend/crush Sam, who is jealous most of the time, and partly resents her education. While the plot begins with a murder and the mystery about it, by the time we reach the midpoint of the book, all that is forgotten to develop this unnecessary love triangle, as Valentine keeps going back and forth deciding which boy to pick.

When the mystery picks up again, it is still Valentine pointing fingers at whoever would have motive, not how they would do it. She suspects everyone from her father, to Rowan, to his grandmother, the judge presiding over her mother's case; it is smart to not trust anyone, it is paranoid to doubt everyone. Needless to say, there are a lot of red herrings, and a whole lot of deliberate effort to make red herrings. At one point, Birdy, who was a witness to the first murder, unnecessarily uses 'they' pronouns, even though it would be weird for her to do so. (Keep in mind she was speaking of only one person, and this wasn't a time where non-binary individuals were a part of the plot) When finally the murderer was revealed, the only satisfaction was in this convoluted mystery to end, to be honest.

The one good thing about this book is that Valentine, for all her indecisiveness when it comes to the boys, is still thinking of her future when she tries to decide what to do after graduation. She has dreams of going to New York and joining another woman rights' activist and she also recognizes the need for Rowan to fulfill his dreams. This part actually felt anachronistic, to be honest - her thinking about what they personally want out of life, (even if Rowan's dream to go hobo-backpacking about Europe is as modern as it gets) but it was a good addition anyway to a book that did not feel entirely rooted in its time.

A good read that gets bogged down in the middle (for me) with romance triangle drama, then picks back up again for a suspenseful climax.

Colour me disappointed. I just did not get excited about this book. It was good, don't get me wrong, but not what I wanted to read.

With a title like that, I for some reason was expecting a story involving ghosts. No ghosts, but murder! Cool! Awesome! A Victorian era YA thriller!

Lies.

10% of the book was focused on murder, and the rest was school drama and some unexpected love triangle that I didn't really care for. I'm just kind of left with the feeling that this was a book I read, and that was all. I finished it eight hours ago and I've already forgotten how it ends. All I remember is everything was wrapped up nice and neat and conveniently, and whatever stakes there were were downplayed too fast to be of any concern. It may be generous, but 2.5/5

Here I am again, another YA read. There was so many things I didn't like, and then there were actual things I liked about this one.
Mainly the number one thing I will not budge on is the Love Triangle!
Two, there is so much drama, and all of it is pointless and annoying.
Three, I liked the writing, but I didn't like this story at all.
Four, It was slow. and for me I liked things fast and simple and engaging.
Five, by the time I finished reading Grave, I was thanking my lucky stars, I skimmed some and still when I had done that I thought maybe it was getting some where, but as soon as you are looing at how much you have left, or skimming the show is over.
Sometimes we win some and sometimes we lose some, in this case I didn't gain anything from this story apart from losing time where I could have read something better. Arc was given for an honest review, please give this a go, you might even come to love it!

Small towns seem to contain the most secrets, and this one had more than most. Layers upon layers. And that's what prevented me from putting down this book.

This novel kept me guessing. At certain points, I rolled my eyes, certain I knew which direction the plot was headed, and how similar this book was to so many others I'd read. And I was very pleasantly proven wrong. Twists and surprises are sprinkled throughout, with strong characterization of both the MC and supporting cast, and an enjoyable the Victorian era setting. The ending is something rarely seen in YA books with romantic angles - and it's perfect for these characters.

One trope this novel did contain was a love triangle, something I've never been a fan of. This triangle and the drama that accompanied it slowed the plot about half-way through, and bogged down what is otherwise a captivating, fast-paced read.

I'd recommend this book to fans of mystery, suspense, and romance who enjoy unexpected twists and surprises.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

I was hooked on this book the minute I picked it up. I’ll admit I was already intrigued by the premise of the book and was looking forward to reading it.

This book had so many twists and turns, I was always left guessing trying to figure out who the bad guy was. Valentine is a very strong female MC. She doesn’t need to rely on a guy and knows what she wants. She’s a deep thinker and is always trying to do the right thing and prove herself.

There is a love triangle in this book, but it wasn’t an annoying or obnoxious love triangle. I felt like I understood Valentine’s conflicting emotions. I wasn’t yelling at the book, telling her to choose one of them.

As soon as I saw this book was available, I put everything else down and picked this up. I would’ve read it in one day if I could’ve, but 2 days will do! 😊

This book is a historical mystery which was so much fun. I need to read more of these. The mystery is multigenerational and keeps you guessing. There are some dreamlike (flashback) sequences which are clearly marked as flashbacks which I appreciated. One of my favorite things was the main character wants to advocate for women's rights and continue her education. There is a love triangle which was kind of annoying, but I understand why the author chose to do it (framing one boy as her past and one as her future). Overall, I enjoyed this read and will definitely be picking up more of this genre.

There are few things as disappointing as disliking a book that you’ve been anticipating. Especially one with murder! Girl at the Grave, I feel, had a lot of potential, and yet…

Here I am. Here we are. I am sad.

There are a few good things about Grave. The main character, Valentine, was well written. I liked her most times. The love interest—the main one—(take that how you will)—Rowan, was super sweet and I enjoyed the scenes he and Valentine shared. There was a convoluted history in their town that was messy and confusing and totally appropriate for a small town, and it really worked for the setting.

There are more bad things about Grave, which is unfortunate.

First being the romance. There is a love triangle, so I’m just getting that out of the way. There is boy one, Rowan, whose name—his full name—was said approximately four or five times in the first two pages of the kindle file. (So. You kind of knew who the love interest would be right away, if you didn’t read the synopsis.) There is boy two, Sam, who is Valentine’s best friend and in love with Valentine.

I’ll be honest, I don’t really mind love triangles. Shocker, since I complain about them all the time. What bothered me about this one was that, a lot of the romance, between… uh both? guys? happens during the middle of the book, at which just completely drags the novel. Hardly anything happens with the case or the murder midway. Instead, Valentine and Rowan spend time together. They get involved in romantic drama. Sam and Valentine get together. There’s that drama. It was a lot of back and forth and second guessing. I’m just—

It’s a lot of fucking drama and all of it is so annoying and so pointless. To add insult to injury: it’s quite obvious Rowan was going to be the guy, anyway. But then Sam was added to the pot, and instead of making him a kind guy who would stick with Valentine despite everything going on, he was a jealous asshole who never had Valentine’s best interests at heart. He said cruel things because she wouldn’t be with him when their drama was going down, so forgive me for not being really forthcoming.

The first murder created some action in the beginning, but it was slow going. I let that slide, because as I said in the beginning: there’s a complicated, messy history surrounding Valentine and some of that needed to be introduced. With what happened in the middle, the entire book suddenly felt less murder mystery and more modern contemporary with the relationship drama. When the other murders were discovered, there was just… no suspense. There was no danger or anything that really kept me hooked. By the end, the reveal was so lukewarm that I didn’t really care.

Overall, this was just a miss for me. I had high hopes for Girl at the Grave but alas. 2.5 stars.

I received this ARC from the publisher for an honest and voluntary review. I was in no way compensated for this review.





Teri Bailey Black's debut Girl at the Grave was a most surprising read! I don't think the description found on Goodreads gives the right idea, I mean it does but it forgets to mention that it takes place long ago in the 1849. Unless a year is mentioned on a book I always assume it's the current year. Unless it's an obvious dystopian and then you know it's some years into the future. Well, this description doesn't give any hint to its time period, not that it mattered, but I will say that it kind of threw me off when Chapter 1 is said to be in 1849! Lol.



Valentine has lived a rough life that past ten years, after her mother was hanged for a murder that she witnessed. Since then, she's pretty much been shunned, her father is always away at work, she's feel the pressures that society dictates her marrying after she finishes school. She's in her last year of schooling and is trying to figure out what to do with her life--like many a senior in high school--when the Rector in town, Mr. Oliver comes to tell her that her mother may have been innocent all along. And when she goes to talk to him the next day, she finds him dying! His last words...Poison! And so begins the chilling mystery that will soon take over Valentine's life.



Valentine is eager to know more about what Mr. Oliver was trying to tell her, but there's little to go on than what he said to her earlier. And to make matters more interesting, the ever popular Rowan Blackshaw has suddenly turned his attention towards her. And it must be said that Rowan's father is the man that Valentine's mother supposedly murdered. If that doesn't make for an interesting storyline I don't know what else could make this more intriguing! Yet, Teri proves to be up to the challenge!


Through all of this ordeal, there's still Valentine's friend Sam to consider. He's been her best friend for years and it's always been assumed that they will eventually marry. But when you add Rowan to the picture, it does present the ever so complicated love triangle. Though to be fair, I felt like it wasn't one where Valentine is pining for them both. She is truly trying to figure out which one she loves most (in that ever so special romantic way).


I was rather surprised to learn that there was more to the first murder, the one her mother supposedly killed a man. A great deal more in fact. One that will surely surprise readers to their very cores! And then, something even more shocking occurs! The death of Mr. Oliver though is only the beginning of the story. As time moves on, two more bodies are found, right on Valentine's property. It's very clear that someone might be trying to frame her for murder.


Needless to say that Girl at the Grave was not without it's surprises! It was a book that twists and turns and has you trying to figure out who the murderer is and who else might be involved in the greater conspiracy taking over the town!


I feel like my only issue--and it was a rather big issue--was the pacing. Sure things were exciting when the murders were happening and we had the whole air of mystery going on. But then things settled down and life returned to normal. And it was this long length of normalcy that really had me dragging. I kept expecting something MORE to happen. Some hint to who the killer might be, just something to throw me another line and hook me into the story.


I think that's where the romance came in as, naturally, Valentine and Rowan start a somewhat forbidden love affair. It wasn't a sordid one, as Valentine's father is still away for work, traveling as he always does. Which I thought was odd to be leaving your child home alone for this. True, she's close to marrying age, but you'd think he'd worry about suitors calling who don't know the meaning behind the word "no". But alas, that never seemed to be an issue, as Valentine had her neighbor to periodically ask after her.


Girl at the Grave wasn't the story I was expecting to be, but I have to say that it was still a rather decent and intriguing read despite the pacing issue. Perhaps others might be used to this, but I'm not a reader that can handle too much downtime in the story without much happening in between other than the casual everyday tropes of life. The ending was highly satisfactory though! The mystery is solved naturally, and I feel like the majority of loose-ends were wrapped up. Though I wouldn't have minded seeing one more character again, but I liked how Teri ended this in a more nontraditional way, but yet still maintains the knowledge that all will be well!



Overall Rating 3.5/5 stars



Girl at the Grave releases August 7, 2018

I don’t usually gravitate towards stories with a lot of mystery ekements, but after reading the synopsis I couldn’t help but see for myself. Thanks to an arc courtesy of NetGalley, I was able to enjoy this story that had me at the edge of my seat. It starts off mild, as the plot progressively becomes more multilayered, and the conflict more complex. However, I felt that things resolved at their own paces, without rushing towards an all-encompassing resolution as other books may attempt. Valentine was a fierce character that you can’t help but cheer for, even when odds are stacked against her - and the romance is a great facet of the book as well. Definitely recommend that you check this one out.

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me an e-galley through netgalley!

Holy crap. This book was so freaking good. Part romance, part cautionary tale. All mystery. One little thing spurred so much in this story. Just when I thought it all figured out I'd be thrown through a loop again. This was probably one of the best books I've read this year. I set all my other books aside to read this one. I stayed up until 1 am knowing I had to be at work at 8 am. Why? Because I could not stop! Seriously add this to your TBR.

This had a great start and well drawn compelling characters but the pace was skewed, with little happening after the inciting incident until after halfway through the book. Also there was a love triangle. I'm neither for nor against love triangles but I feel they should earn their place by being about character development and this just wasn't. The book had a great premise but didn't really deliver on it for me. I did love the MC.

REVIEW WILL GO LIVE ON 7/30/18

Girl at the Grave had a lot going on, from the plot to the characters' lives to the underlying themes of the story, this book had a lot to unpack. I could not put this book down. The characters were strong and well developed, the plot was intriguing and complex, the romance was equal parts frustrating and sweet, and the feminist critique of 1850s US society was really thought-provoking. Through these characters and their messed up lives, Black showed what it was really like to be a woman in the 1850s, and it wasn't pretty. This is a novel that should be added to every US history course and US literature course because it allows the reader to feel what women went through in the 1850s. Feeling what life was like for women will teach students more than a memorized timeline and some names and dates ever could.



Valentine is an extremely resilient leading lady. She is especially strong for the time period in which she lives. She doesn't completely ignore social conventions, and she's aware of what is "proper," but she stays true to herself. I really love how she puts her own dreams first and does what she thinks is right, regardless of the consequences. Rowan is also a fantastic love interest. I really liked him a lot, and he was a great match for Valentine. Sam was a jerk, and I really didn't like him at all. Something tells me the apple didn't fall far from the tree with him. I'm pretty sure he would have turned into his dad if given the chance. The secondary characters were also extremely interesting and complex. They each had their own set of motivations and values, so they felt real. This made the story that much more interesting.



The plot was extremely layered, and there was a lot going on. First of all, I thought every single person in town guilty of the murders at least once before I figured out who the culprit was. There was so much going on, that I felt like I was in a constant state of "wtf" the entire time I read the novel, and I couldn't put the book down because I had to figure out what was actually going on. Additionally, this book addresses some important aspects of how limited women's roles were in society in the 1850s and provides a feminist critique of how harsh the world was for women back then. I really appreciated that. The only aspect of the book that I didn't like was the love triangle. I absolutely loved the ending and the decisions made by Valentine.



Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a really good and thought-provoking YA historical fiction novel. I promise you'll fly through the pages and be left with tons to think about once the book is complete.

#NetGalley #GirlattheGrave
Wow. I am so pleasantly surprise about this book. It is well written full of mystery, suspense, and great plot twists. The author keeps you guess through out the novel. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves mysteries and thrillers.

Girl at the Grave started off strong with suspense, mystery, and action, and then fell flat with little happening until well after the 50% mark. The middle was filled with Valentine getting to know her love interest Rowan as four months passed. Their time together was a plus since the instant love factor was nonexistent, but on the other hand, Valentine spent the majority of the novel in love with two guys and went back and forth between them. Her best friend Sam was extremely possessive and jealous when it came to her and he lacked respect for what Valentine really wanted.

The story kept me intrigued, but the reveals weren't satisfying since there was a lack of suspense and mystery. The title has nothing to do with the story and it should have been renamed to something like "Girl in the middle of Blackmail" since it seemed like everyone in this tiny New England town had blackmail on multiple people while dealing with blackmail against themselves. The whole mystery aspect was figuring out who was blackmailing who and why and by the end the whole blackmail factor was a tangled web that made my head hurt. It was still a good read, just not as wonderful as I had hoped for it to be.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC.

I feel like I have read this story before; it was ok. The writing was good and the plot was fine. I just feel like it's been done before over and over. The girl meets boy, falls in love, other boy is jealous. It was a fine read. I normally like YA but this one fell flat.

Girl at the Grave is a slow read. It starts out extremely slow and involves a lot of information-flooding before the plot actually picks up.

Valentine is a girl whose mother was hanged for murder. When someone tells the rector that Valentine’s mother was actually innocent of the crime, people start disappearing and deaths start strangely occuring. At the heart of this book is a love story. There are two love interests: Sam, the boy next door and best friend, and Rowan, the rich boy whose father was seemingly murdered by Valentine’s mother.

While a lot was (seemingly) happening to Valentine and the people in the town, I found myself not caring about all of the secrets and mysteries surrounding them. The romances seemed immature, and I didn’t find myself rooting for either Sam or Rowan.

The pacing of this book caused me to not enjoy it.

I’m a sucker for a good witch story, mix in Victorian era and to me it’s the perfect book. I loved it. It reeled me in... I have so many books on my TBR but this one kept me going. Suspenseful and full of questions that didn’t go unanswered.

Well this book was a lovely breath of fresh Victorian-era-suspense air! Extremely well-written and believable, this novel tells the story of a young girl named Valentine whose mother was hanged for murder...but years later, it is revealed that her mother may have actually been innocent. Slowly, Valentine learns the true story of what happened on that fatefu night that changed her life. I devoured this novel within two sessions of late night reading and enjoyed every bit of it. The story, the characters- all of it added up to a suspenseful whodunit with an ending that surprised me. Well worth reading this young adult gothic mystery!

In the mid-nineteenth century, Valentine attends a private school where she is ridiculed and scorned by her schoolmates. They say her mother was a witch, they say her mother killed the father of one of her schoolmates. It’s true she was hung for the crime, but as Valentine reaches maturity, she’s told her mother was not guilty, that she killed no one. But if that’s the case, why does Valentine remember seeing her mother pull the trigger? A lively Gothic with a refreshingly intelligent teen heroine