This was a chilling and macabre story that reminded me of Mr. Tender's Girl. Heather, Becca, and two other friends are members of the "Dead Girls Club" when they relay stories of true crime and serial killers. But when Becca tells the tale of The Red Lady who can apparently breathe life into you after you have done what she's asked, Heather becomes scared and begs Becca to explain that it's not real. But Becca is insistent and because she's been abused at home, continues to pressure the girls into believing the story. What follows is a sometimes gruesome tale of friendships gone wrong, secrets and lies, and jealousy and revenge that follows Heather into her adult life. This is a roller-coaster ride of a book and I suggest not reading it late at night!

A fascination with the macabre doesn't seem too out of place as a topic to occupy adolescent minds, but in The Dead Girls Club by Damien Angelica Walters, stories of killers and witches take on a new reality. 

At twelve years old Heather and Becca were best friends captivated by stories of serial killers, witches, and ghosts to the extent that they formed a club with their two other friends and called it the Dead Girls Club. Breaking into a home Becca's mother was selling, the girls gathered to hear Becca's narration of the Red Lady's story and her vengeful, witchy acts. Becca was adamant that the Red Lady was real, a conviction that lead to her being killed. Thirty years later, Heather hasn't told anyone what happened the night Becca was killed, or her role in it. With the surprise arrival of Becca's half of their best friends forever necklace, Heather's memories of that fateful summer are dredged up, wreaking havoc on her personal and professional life, as well as sanity, as she tries to uncover who else might know what she did that night and what they want.

A mostly enjoyable and rather quick read, I was intrigued to find out what happened in Heather's past and who might be taunting her in the present. As with many novels of this ilk, the unreliability of the narrator is key to building suspense and perpetuating the believability of the supernatural component of the tale and the presentation of Heather's unraveling mental state easily aids in this. The relationship dynamics between the four young girls was well-written and easily evoked the roles and positions of relative power present in groups of friends, allowing readers to reminisce about their own childhoods. The narrative felt disjointed at times but had decent pacing, leaving the the novel as a whole a touch off-kilter as the story develops while alternating between the fateful then summer and now. Combating childhood terrors and traumas as an adult can be difficult to present well; with references to Stephen King throughout the text, it's easy to try to compare this with his works of a similar nature and come away less fulfilled.

Overall, I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Admittedly, I found the start hard to get into and put it down a couple of times. I was going to write it off and DNF it but push through and I am glad I did. Great story, great writing, and overall very thrilling.

In 1991, Heather, Becca, and two other friends were members of their own group, The Dead Girls Club. This story easily goes back and forth between Then and Now. From the very beginning, the reader is left wondering what happened. This is a good, if creepy, story, and the characters are interesting and likable.

Truly an ending I didn’t see coming, and I usually have at least an idea. The Dead Girls Club is an excellent story that reminds us of our childhood friendships, and how we choose to remember them.
Becca and Heather are best friends forever, until they aren’t. When Becca ends up dead, we are led to wonder if it was due to her best friend? Or something more sinister.
Years later, Heather finds out what really happened and who really is responsible.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Crooked Lane Books for allowing me to read an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.  This book should be available around December 10th, 2019.

This book is a supernatural thriller that follows the story of four young girls and spooky events that took place in their made-up club, The Dead Girls Club.  Gia, Becca, Heather, and Rachel liked to meet up and tell scary stories about witches and ghosts, and share what they had learned about gruesome murders and serial killers.  Fixated on the macabre, Becca learns of the story of The Red Lady and decides to share the story with her friends.  As the book continues, we know that Becca ends up dead and that Heather committed the crime.  Fast forward to current day, Heather is receiving creepy messages and mementos from the crime scene that relate to Becca's death and The Red Lady.  Before things get too out of hand both with The Red Lady and Heather's life, she seeks to figure out who or what is behind the disturbing mementos.  

At first, I had a hard time getting into this book and letting it keep my attention.  The story is fun and there is a great atmosphere/creepy feeling to it all but it is just lacking that extra thing that makes me want to keep reading until late at night.  For me, it wasn't too scary perse.  I have read plenty of other books that had me too scared to turn the light off.  This book absolutely had the potential, especially with all the plot points and The Red Lady character.  

As far as writing, I liked the style the author used for this one.  It is told with chapters that alternate between the past and the present.  I enjoy books that don't just spill their guts in a few chapters, but that make you read for it.  This writing style also lends to the unreliable character of Heather.  We know that she killed her best friend, and as things continue it may be that The Red Lady is real because of how Heather feels and what she perceives, or it could just be a part of her psyche.   While these things are never made clear, they do help create her character and work to confuse the reader.  I will admit that as I read, I had plenty of working hypotheses about who did what, if The Red Lady was real, who The Red Lady was, and who was responsible for the mementos and messages.  This book did keep my on my toes and I didn't see coming what did and learning who did what.  Even up until the very very end, I was still getting thrown for a loop!

This was definitely a fun read to get ready for the spooky season and my autumn/fall TBR.  While at points it was slow, there were plenty of spots where I did want to keep reading just to see what happened next.  Personally, I gave this book four stars because of the missing element for me that hooks me, but otherwise, this was a good book and I recommend it once it hits the shelves!

A thrill from beginning to end, The Dead Girls Club follows Heather Cole - a woman who killed her best friend in their childhood and is now being tortured by a mysterious entity who is sending her the dead girl's mementos. Vacillating between present day and 30 years ago, the author does an amazing job with capturing the angst and ennui that teenage girls experience, as well as the pressure of peer and friend groups on susceptible minds.

The introduction of the Red Lady (a myth that the girl's are obsessed with) might make this novel seem like a supernatural thriller, but it's much more of a character driven introspection on childhood and how our actions can still effect us decades later. I could predict the "surprise" ending fairly early in the book but I was still interested in reading how the girl's stories unfurled and quite enjoyed it!

A special thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

A ghost story come to life. Creepy, thrilling and beautifully written. Makes you question what is real and what isn’t. An exploration of youth, fear and trauma. I cannot wait for the author to release more novels!

The cover of this book is perfection! The writing is good, flow is smooth and it’s a easy read. Heather is the main character her story is told in a “then” “now” format. The then parts are sooo good. I’m sucked right in. The now parts are a little to whiny and dramatic for me. The main character is hard to like, it’s hard to feel sorry for her when I can’t stand her.

Would read another book by this author, this one just wasn’t a hit for me.

I was given this book for free in exchange for me honest review.

While reading this book, you can't help but think of modern day viral horror myths like "Slenderman". Reading about how 3 young girls were entranced by the story of the "Red Lady" in a sort of mutual hallucination, you can almost believe what happens later in the book. But switch back to modern day, and mementos from the past keep turning up for Heather, one of the 3 girls, now married, with a great career as a psychologist. What is the secret she's keeping and why does it appear someone is stalking her? Or is she being gaslighted by her husband? There were some loose ends, and one major discrepancy toward the end, but I found the story fast paced and couldn't wait to finish. The constant use of "me and Becca" instead of "Becca and I" as the subject of many sentences throughout was very jarring. Am I the only grammar police on here or did other readers catch that as well?

I enjoyed this book. The friendship between the girls was fleshed out through flashbacks and the premise of their club, while dark, makes since since people today are so obsessed with murder and crime podcasts---this story felt very relevant. The scene at the end that explains what happened was heartbreaking and the twist reveal at the end was shocking. I would recommend this book to friends as a suspenseful read.

This was a solid paranormal thriller that moves back and forth in time between present day and when the protagonist was a tween in the early 90’s. I loved the whole concept of the Dead Girls Club, and I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. The characters were a bit frustrating at times, but I think that worked with the story - they aren't necessarily supposed to be likable. My only small complaint is that the final action happened so close to the end. I wanted to read more! I was initially drawn to this novel because my friends and I had a similar interest in the macabre as kids, and it did not disappoint. I plan to seek out more titles from this author.

The minute I read the blurb about this book I knew I had to read it. Jumping back and forth between the past and the present, an unreliable narrator, rituals for conjuring a witch, a murder club made up of young girls... heck yes! I was here for it. I wanted it to be amazing, with a crazy twist that would leave my jaw on the floor.

And there were some great things about this book. Although it started off slowly for me, more slowly than I would have anticipated, the pick up towards the end was worth it. There were little mysteries throughout the book besides the main one, causing me to wonder exactly who wanted to make Heather pay. Heather's downward spiral as the book goes on was great as well, which I think really amped up the tension.

Unfortunately, things fell flat at the end, which is why this book only gets a C grade from me. The little mysteries ended up having really silly explanations. I wanted more from them than what they were. And the end of the big mystery disappointed me as well. I think the author tried to throw in a twist that just didn't work for  me. And I found Heather to be unlikeable in a way that made me not really care about her. And I needed to care about her, at least a little.

I don't know. I just wanted MORE. And I simply didn't get it.

Book told in dual timeline, Then and Now. The plot keeps you guessing but the ending is completely unexpected, and not in a good way. The author should have left more clues along the way. The ending just felt like the author was more focused on shock value rather than respecting her readers. Shame though, it could have been a solid book.

Review by 2shay……….

Brilliant and creepy!

Within the first few pages, I was hooked! The author’s use of phrasing had me intrigued with Heather immediately. Heather is a smart, well-educated child psychologist with a wonderful, loving husband and a peaceful, satisfying life. I needed to know how she arrived there. I knew from the beginning that she had done something dreadful as a child. She killed her best friend.

Ms. Walters uses flashbacks beautifully to unravel the events of Heather’s childhood. Childhood friends, four girls, with a similar obsession with the macabre that so many children, myself included, shared. Heather and Becca were the best of friends. ”Friends Forever” read the necklace the two girls wore in solidarity. If you’re old enough, you may remember those, they were hearts cut in half in a jigsaw pattern, and each friend wore one half. I had one until it turned my neck green and my mother made me take it off. They were cheap trinkets.

Heather and Becca, along with their other friends, Rachel and Gia, formed The Dead Girls Club, discussing everything from scary books to serial killers they heard about on the news. It was just a harmless club until Becca became obsessed with a made up story about The Red Lady. Becca was a smart and talented kid, a story teller and artist. She was the natural leader of the group, and the other girls complied when she wanted to contact The Red Lady with a ritual. It brought back memories of being scared silly when fooling around with a ouija board! There’s nothing quit like the shivers kids can give each other when they’re 12, is there? But a case of the shivers doesn’t usually result in death. Heather and Becca’s ritual ended with Becca’s death, while wearing her half of the friendship necklace.

When, almost 30 years later, Heather opens an envelope and Becca’s necklace falls out, the real story begins. The real mystery begins. More things from Heather’s time with Becca show up, and Heather starts believing someone is watching her. Stalking her. Do they want revenge? Justice? What? Heather’s life begins to unravel, and I began to wonder if Heather is truly losing her mind from remembering painful things…from the guilt.

I loved every page of this book. The ending was great, scary and enlightening. I could visualize this story as a movie, and I knew every place where a much younger me would have shrieked in terror. Ms. Walters, you entertained the hell out of me! Thank you!


ARC graciously provided by Crooked Lane Books and NetGaLey

Normally I do not read paranormal novels. This was different enough to make the reading palatable. Heather is a child psychologist with a secret. When she was a child, she, her best friend Becca and two other girlfriends formed the dead girls club. They would normally read paranormal and crime novels featuring female victims and discuss them. Then Becca began telling her stories of The Red Lady, a witchlike creature who would do ‘favors’ for people for a price, who was allegedly killed by the townsfolk by burying her alive. Later all the people who participated were found, one by one, dead with dirt in their mouths and ears, and The Red Lady’s grave was found open and empty. The stories were obviously disturbing and caused a breach between Heather and Becca. The novel was written as a chapter for Heather today followed by a chapter from her childhood. I will not go further into the plot because of spoilers but promise that anyone interested in the paranormal genre will be fascinated. Thanks to Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books for an ARC for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this twisted, psychological thriller. The setting jumped back and forth between the main character's present and her childhood, but this only added to the story.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
As young girls on the brink of adolescence, Heather and her friends bond over their mutual obsession with serial killers and the urban legend known as “The Red Lady”. The four girls, who now call themselves “The Dead Girls Club”, share stories and try and summon “The Red Lady”, a vengeful spirit who was, supposedly, brutally murdered centuries before. Heather knows that these are just stories, but her best friend Becca soon becomes obsessed, convinced the stories are real and that The Red Lady has made contact with her. Becca sets out to prove that the Red Lady is real- and ends up dead.
Years later, Heather is a child psychologist, helping troubled children overcome their demons. When she starts to receive cryptic messages in the mail she initially brushes it off. But when the messages become more macabre, and she starts being followed, Heather begins to wonder if somehow, somewhere, there is someone who knows Heather’s secret- that Becca is dead because of her.
Damien Angelica Walters has several award-winning short stories under her belt, stories acclaimed for being “weird” and “gothic”. “The Dead Girls Club” is set to be released in December 2019.
“The Dead Girls Club” is formed as a result of four close friends who share an obsession and meet to perform séances and tell stories. As a pre-adolescent girl, I was always forming “clubs” and “secret groups” with my friends, desperate to have something we could share with just us, away from the outside world (too bad I didn’t have friends obsessed with serial killers. I would’ve been ALL OVER a “Dead Girls Club” of my own). That part of the novel is relatable and charming, as the friendships are challenged by angst-ridden problems and hormones, typical of any female group of outsiders.
The story alternates between THEN and NOW, each chapter narrated by Heather as a young girl and as an adult. The secrets of the novel are slowly revealed, with just enough suspense in each chapter to keep you hooked.
When the ending is revealed, and the truth comes out, I was slightly disappointed. The twist has been done before, in movies and books both, and it was almost unbelievable and far-fetched. That being said, there was a definitive ending which provided answers to questions that form throughout the novel. I questioned the behaviours and actions of “Adult Heather” a few times, as she seemed to sabotage her adult life and relationships more than she needed to, all to hide a childhood secret.
“The Dead Girls Club” is definitely unique and creative, with relatable characters. Walters definitely has a thing for the macabre (which I appreciate, of course) and this novel is well written, compete with a spooky abandoned house and a mysterious could-be-true urban legend. Definitely worth checking out for those who are looking for a nostalgic, gothic read.

Wow! Every year, I look for that one ultimate horror summer read and I don't find it very often. This book is exactly what I was looking for.

A nice mix of mystery and suspense mixed in with the supernatural. The story had me hooked from the start. This is the kind of book you'll think about while you're at work - you'll count the minutes until you can get back home to pick it up and read some more. At night, you'll scan ahead to see if you can read a little bit more before going to bed, and once you read to the next stop, you'll scan again to see if you can read just a little bit more.

The ending made for a very satisfying read. I wish there were more books like this.

Who remembers playing with the ouija board as a child, telling ghost stories at sleepovers or camping, saying bloody mary in the mirror three times while waiting for a ghost to appear? Becca, Heather, Gia and Rachel have made up their own club called The Dead Girls Club when they were 12 and 13. They meet in the basement of an empty house and tell ghost stories, mainly about The Red Lady, who Becca seems overly obsessed with. The girls convince themselves that the Red Lady is real and is visiting them in their dreams and will help them. Becca and Heather are best friends and have the matching necklaces to prove it. But, something goes wrong and Heather kills Becca unintentionally and Becca’s mom Lauren is charged with the murder. The rest of the girls go their separate ways and are no longer friends.
Heather is a child psychologist trying to make amends for what she did as a child but someone won’t let her forget. Heather receives a charm necklace in the mail. the same one that was on Becca’s neck the night she died. Heather is now convinced that she wasn’t alone that night and someone is stalking her. She hunts down Gia and Rachel, her former friends and Lauren, who was recently released from prison as she believes that one of them must
be the one that sent her the necklace.
What really happened that night and who knows the truth?