This is an incredible book with so many good points to make about just how much feminism is needed and the extent to which men in positions of power don’t view women as human beings. I do feel, however, that the twist revealing where the girls came from just diluted the message, and it would have been more effective if that had not been the case.

I love Suzanne and her work and couldn't wait to dive into this book.

However, I'm not sure I loved it, but I didn't hate it. It seems like its going to be about an all girls school right? Oh no no no, it's WAY more than that. It starts off kind of simple, all the girls are on a field trip and then going back to the school, but the adult on this trip needs a "talking" to.

You don't handle girls with force if they don't listen, they don't have to submit to men, always have nails, hair and make-up done perfectly. Like this is way over the top control and run by all men!

Now I'm used to this style from Suzanne Program series, but I will warn you, some things can be triggering in this book.

Now there are parts where I though the story was too slow for me, but stick with it. The ending is explosive! We finally see the girls stand up for themselves and break free from this school. There are major shock points at the end, but I was so excited to see the girls finally know their worth and are about to hopefully expose this school for everything they are. Least I hope so with the way this book ended.

A creepy, unsettling, thrilling read. And a truly unique and fresh addition to a genre that's seen many publications. Young really knows how to write women and girls, and how to tap in our fears as women and girls.

I'm so mad at myself for not reading Girls with Sharp Sticks sooner! It was amazing and I can't wait to read the next one.

Girls with Sharp Sticks focuses on Mena and the other girls at Innovations Academy. These girls are all "perfect" and if they turn out not to be then they are "fixed". Everything at Innovations Academy was so well done, including how everything unraveled. It was impossible to put down.

Mena is strong and feisty and is tired of the status quo. The other girls start to "awaken" to what is going on as well, which is exactly what is needed. These girls are treated like objects and possessions, here simply to please some man, in whatever way they desire. There were times that what was happening in Girls with Sharp Sticks was downright horrifying.

I am happy to say I didn't see a certain something coming, however if I had read some of the reviews I feel like I probably would have figured it out, so that is my silver lining for waiting so long to read it!

Things are not what they seem at the Innovations Academy, where girls are trained behind locked doors to be beautiful, well behaved and above all else, to listen to and obey their betters: men. An extremely upsetting and timely story, <i> Girls with Sharp Sticks </i> is a fast-paced feminist tale that's perfect for the current political climate. While the prose is incredibly clunky at times, this book is ultimately a fun, wild ride.

This wasn't the book I thought I was going to get, and it was mildly disappointing. Most of the book was buildup to a reveal readers could spot from a mile away, and it was quite rambling in nature. I'm interested to find out what happens in the next book, but I don't think I'll actually pick it up.

Oh my gosh I loved this crazy spin on dystopian contemporary. I want to live inside the mind of Suzanne Young and see all the other poems and bits she uses for her books.

This book isn't big on scope but what it lacks in world building, it makes up for in human connection. It asks what makes us human, and what are humans even, anyway...

Plus there's lots of thrilling whodunnit.

Dystopian story where you know something is wrong, but uncover exactly what it is as the story builds. Looking forward to the sequel.

Riveting read!
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon Pulse for the opportunity to read and review Girls with Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young!
It took me a minute to get into the book because I was annoyed at the submissive behavior of the main character, Mena. As I read on, I realized that submissiveness is the reason behind the story. The teen girls are taught to listen without question and do everything in their power to please and appease others. Disturbing but so on point with gender discrimination. The poem entitled Girls with Sharp sticks encompasses everything about this story, including the book’s namesake. As I read and reread the poem, found on pages 154-156, I feel disgusted, hopeful, saddened, angered, afraid and then a little cautiously hopeful at the end. It sums up the story concisely. POWERFUL. A thought-provoking read, 5 stars!

This was an amazing and suspenseful book. Kept me guessing. Loved it. Can’t wait till the next one is out in March 2020.

It is not secret that I am a huge Suzanne Young fan. She won me over with her The Program series and she has be a to-go to author ever since. When I first heard of Girls with Sharp Sticks I was immediately intrigued. I've seen Girls with Sharp Sticks compared to The Handmaid's Tale which is another amazing feminist and dystopian book that I loved. Girls with Sharp Sticks has an important message for those who are reading: girls are not going to be controlled by our male counterparts. We aren't pretty objects to be ogled and most importantly, we have our own voices. We can and we will fight back.

The book opens with Innovations Academy, a finishing school for young ladies. The girls who attend the academy are perfect and one day they are going to make perfect wives, caregivers and anything else that Innovations Academy deems them fit to be. It is quick to see that the girls are obedient, respect the men who care for them and when they do disrespect them they have to have their values "adjusted." The seemingly perfect Innovations Academy starts to become darker as you turn the pages as the seemingly perfect girls begin to act out, dark secrets come to the surface and you learn what Innovations Academy really is.

I've never read a book where I burned with some much anger then I have with Girls with Sharp Sticks. Mena and the other girls are taught that they should have no opinions, that men are always right and if that they should always be obedient. It makes me want to scream seeing how all the professors, doctors and other adult males in this novel treated these girls like they were nothing. How they took advantage and taught these girls that there were only objects to be admired. But then I got angrier, because it isn't just the girls in this book. It's happening to woman everyday in real life. Guardian Bose grabbed Mena roughly cause she wasn't fast enough at the gas station, it was Mena's fault not Bose for handling her roughly. No man is going to want a girl who is opinionated. When the girls values are skewed they are sent to Anton to be "readjusted." Girls with Sharp Sticks drives home the feminist movement and how important it is.

Though I knew Girls with Sharp Sticks was going to get darker as I read on, I wasn't expecting as dark and terrifying as it got. The last one hundred fifty pages were nonstop developments in the story. Girls with Sharp Sticks took on a dystopian twist that I did not see coming, and quite honestly shocked me. But at the same time was perfectly Suzanne's style and is one of the biggest reasons I love her science fiction novels. Not only did this book make me think about what it is to be a woman but also what is is to be human.

My only confusion is the time period that Girls with Sharp Sticks takes place, I want to say near future considering the science fiction aspects. Jackson also mentions the push in women rights and the attempted censorship of the internet that had failed. But there is nothing concrete about a set year or time frame.

Girls with Sharp Sticks had my attention from page one and didn't let it go until the last page. I am really excited to see where Suzanne is going to take Mena and the rest of her characters in the next book. Girls with Sharp Sticks is a must read for 2019 and shouldn't be missed. If you are looking for a fast paced, feminist thriller that is going to knock you off of your seat then Girls with Sharp Sticks is for you!

This was really well done! I felt very creeped out at first, and was getting a bit of a "Handmaid's Tale" vibe, thinking they were drugging these girls to control them. Then the ending was such a twist!

The girls at this boarding school are trained to obey men and be ever so polite. Things go awry when Mena Rhodes meets gas station boyfriend on a field trip. It turns out all is not as nice as it seems at their school and it takes all of them to figure it out and help each other negotiate the quagmire they are sinking in. What is really going on at this school will shock you. The ending will get you thinking about what will happen next! 4.0/5.0

A bit long by the end but I was still turning pages like mad. The lessons at this academy were maddening and the men were deliciously patronizing so I was itching for some rebellion. Although he ended up being helpful at the end of the book, I could've done without the romantic interest and just had the girls becoming woke all on their own. I felt that there were too many twists and ideas being included as we got to the climax of the story because it would've been enough to just have these young women fighting back without all the rest of it - [ robots, evil corporations, complicit women, boyfriend - so that ended up bringing my overall score down to three stars rather than the enthusiastically huge thumbs up I had in mind during all the rest of the book.

Girls with Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young is the first book of a new young adult science fiction fantasy series by the same name. Really this first book of the series is a bit o of genre stew as it has a bit of dystopian vibe, a bit of romance and can also be quite thrilling as the story unfolded.

Philomena “Mena” is one of the girls attending Innovations Academy, an elite and somewhat secretive boarding school where girls are graded more on looks and manners than academics. When out on a field trip Mena meets a teenage boy that captures her attention which leads to the beginning of Mena and her friends catching onto things at the school that are not quite what they seem.

Definitely a creepy and foreboding vibe from the very first few pages with this one. Things just become more and more tense and thrilling as the story continues too keeping the pages turning. As much fun as it was watching this one unfold I did however guess at the big reveals early on leaving me to rate this one at 3 1/2 stars but regardless I’m more than curious as to what will happen in another book in the series.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I received this e-book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I have been wanting to read a book by Suzanne Young for awhile now. Her other series has been on my TBR for atleast 5 years now. When I saw the synopsis of this one I wanted to get my hands on it, so I was super happy when I was given this ARC to review. I also had no idea that Suzanna lives in AZ, so I thought that was pretty awesome to read another local author! Yay for local authors!!!

So we follow our main character Mena who attends the Girls of Innovations Academy. At Innovations there are only very beautiful and very well-behaved girls, they guarantee it. If for some reason one of the girls step out of line they have ways to correct them. The teachers are all men who make sure that the girls are submissive and know their place in the world. The girls also have a guardian "watching out" for them at all times and he makes sure they are doing what they are supposed to.

Mena has been attending the all-girls school for the last 8 months and tries to follow all the rules. She wants to make sure to make her parents proud and her teachers proud as well. Mena is on the right track for success per her teachers and counselor. She loves the girls that she is with and has a very strong attachment with them all. Mena is very happy until she starts noticing little things that bother her about the school. This opens her eyes to the bigger things that don't make sense to her. Once they at uncovered it just gets crazier and crazier! This academy is not what it seems like at all!

I really enjoyed this book! Some parts made me so angry that I had to put it down for a minute or two, and there were times when I cried my heart out for Mena. I loved these characters. They were all very diverse in personality and well-developed. There was enough plot twist that made you not sure what was really going on or what was going to happen. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is because of a few things in the book that I just don't always love in books. Sorry for the vagueness but I don't want to give any spoilers. It's always hit or miss with me when it comes to these situations, so it's totally me and not the author! I do recommend this book to everyone!

Innovations Academy breeds obedient, beautiful girls. They are taught to set a table in Modern Manners, how to speak and act formally in Social Graces Etiquette, to keep their figures in Running Course, and to never accuse a man of inappropriate behavior in Modesty and Decorum – for that would be worse than any crime! As graduation nears for the girls at Innovations Academy, they are primped and put on display for their parents and sponsors in order to find the “perfect opportunity through success”. The girls need only listen to the men and Professors at the academy, for they have their best interests at heart, and they know best. When one of the girls suddenly leaves, It raises questions that the girls aren't willing to let go unanswered.

I thought the author did a great job appealing to numerous different age groups with this book. While it's geared towards YA, It's a very heavy book that has a message every girl can take away from it about women's rights. I also thought she set the book up well for future books & I'm already anxious to get my hands on them!

I tried getting into this book, but unfortunately, it didn't hook me in like I was hoping. I'm in a period where I need books to grab my attention right from the start and this isn't that kind of book. It's a slow read and even though I was still mildly intrigued by the premise of it all, I couldn't stick around long enough to see it through. It used to be I'd give a book about 100 pages to reel me in, but nowadays it's less than that. I might be tempted to give this another shot down the line, but certainly not any time soon.

Quote: "You'll find that out there ... people won't appreciate your opinions. Hold your tongue and listen. It's a good lesson for all young women." End quote.

I haven't had a book make me angry in a long time but by God this book made me absolutely furious more often than not. This is a compliment to the writing skills of the author to make me feel so strongly that more than once I found myself putting the book down to message a friend with a quote while screaming "CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS!?" at them. The characters felt REAL to me; I cared about these girls and wanted to help them but all you can do as a reader is sit back and let the story unfold.

This book is not kind - and neither are the men in it. It brings on the same feelings of anger that the Handmaid's Tale brings; the same feelings of wanting to take the girls far away from the oppressive people holding them down. Between the anger, I absolutely adored Mena and the growth she gains throughout the book. She doesn't start out bold, in your face, ready to take on the cruelty in the world - she simply cares about the girls she's lived with and she's just so sweet.

Frankly, I don't want to say much in detail on the plot because I think this is a story that you want to try to go into blindly. You don't want the twists in this story spoiled - it would truly ruin the whole book I think. Honestly, while I have been looking for a good standalone novel, I'm so happy this is going to be a series because I want more.

What made me pick this book up:
I think it was mostly the title on this one. Girls With Sharp Sticks just sounds enticing to me. It sounds mysterious.

What did I like about the cover:
It fits the book so well. First of all the girl on the cover is gorgeous. In the book they keep talking about how beautiful she is. Innovations academy is only supposed to have the most beautiful girls.
I love how she looks so perfect almost fake in the over skin, but where it cracked is still beautiful, but real and full of life almost.

What made me read this book:
I really like books that are set at boarding schools. They're either super creepy or kinda bad ass or what not. Usually super creepy.

What did I like the most:
Let me start with the story. Like I said, I love books set at boarding schools. This one was no exception.
Of course you know from the synopsis/cover that this book is about perfect girls at a perfect finishing school.
That alone is interesting to me. Why are they perfect? What makes them so perfect? Are they really perfect?
(You'll have to read the book to find all the answers to this one)

This was written really well, it wasn't over descriptive but it kept me being able to visualize it and I just HAD to read more. I needed to know what was going on.

The "thing" that happens I really didn't see coming at all. I was like wait... what? It's kinda a weird thing, but it strangely makes sense.

I kept getting some of the characters mixed up, but that might be because I was listening to it on audio and sometimes if there is quite a few names, I don't remember who is who. But they were all great and even for being... "perfect" they had their own personalities and I actually grew to care for them all.

What didn't I like:
That I have to wait an entire year for the next book. *Crying internally*

No but really, the only thing I had a problem with was the pace. It felt like it took half the book before anything really started happening. Things were happening to build up, but it was just small things. I guess now that I've read the whole book I can kinda see how important those little things were, but still. It just had a slow pace to it.
Even once things started happening it felt kind of slow.

Also the whole book is kinda f'ed up. I hated the guardian. HATED HIM. I WANTED TO CUT HIM.

*Ahem*

Sorry about that. You'll understand if you read it.

I don't know what I expected with this book, but it wasn't at all what I was expecting. It was good but not WHAM BAM GREAT like I was hoping.

“Shame is the best teacher.” ― Suzanne Young, Girls with Sharp Sticks