There was a lot of working up to what happened that one night during Heather's childhood. At times it seemed to "drag" a little, like there was a lot of detail that could have been left out and it wouldn't have changed the book. There were times towards the end that I really thought maybe this was all in Heather's mind, that none of this really happened. So obviously, the ending wasn't one I saw coming! The end had a good twist and it's a book worth reading!

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to review this book!

GoodReads Synopsis:

Red Lady, Red Lady, show us your face...

In 1991, Heather Cole and her friends were members of the Dead Girls Club. Obsessed with the macabre, the girls exchanged stories about serial killers and imaginary monsters, like the Red Lady, the spirit of a vengeful witch killed centuries before. Heather knew the stories were just that, until her best friend Becca began insisting the Red Lady was real--and she could prove it.

That belief got Becca killed.

It's been nearly thirty years, but Heather has never told anyone what really happened that night--that Becca was right and the Red Lady was real. She's done her best to put that fateful summer, Becca, and the Red Lady, behind her. Until a familiar necklace arrives in the mail, a necklace Heather hasn't seen since the night Becca died.

The night Heather killed her.

Now, someone else knows what she did...and they're determined to make Heather pay.


Review:

Where to even start! Honestly I was worried I would not be a fan of this book,solely because of the chapter length, but this book was written so well that it didn't even bother me! Chapters were all written from the point of view of Heather and jumped between present day and the past. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time battling with myself over what was really going on and trying to figure out where the truth lies. It was compelling following Heather and seeing how the past was slowly taking control of her. She became fixated to the point of ruining current day relationships and putting her job in jeapordy. I highly recommend this to all those who love thrillers, suspense, and even supernatural stories. I can't to get my hands on a physical copy because to cover is just as beautiful as the story itself!

I enjoyed this book, which is my first by Damien Angelica Walters.

The book tells the story of Heather, a children's psychologist, who may have been part of a crime in her youth. When reminders of that time begin to come through the mail, Heather thinks she may have remembered details falsely or someone else may know the secrets of Heather, her best friend Becca, and the mysterious Red Lady.

The book hinges on the story of the Red Lady, who Becca may or may not have made up, and is part urban legend and part savior of injustice. From this story, the girls bond and become even closer friends while embracing the other members of the club: Gia and Rachel.

The book has a lot of interesting twists, but the ending was a bit of a letdown. I found the dialogue a little stilted at times, and I had some issues with the flashbacks. I felt that was both unrealistic and I only knew the girls were best friends because I was told often.

Overall, this was an enjoyable mystery and a fun way to pass the time.

Thanks to NetGalley.com, the publisher, and author for my advanced copy.

These 4 little girls make a Dead Girls Club. They are fascinated by serial kills and when together they tell stores about famous and not so famous killers. Until one of the stores is a bit too real and Becca is dead.

This book is very intriguing, you want to keep reading because your sure that the "Red Lady" has put a curse on Becca because there is no one of the other girls could have done something so terrible. This is has a horror feel as well as a thriller all in one. If you like a bit of the supernatural then you will like this book.

I was excited about this novel, and it was a strong read. Always a fan of mystery thrillers, I was intrigued by a story about young girls conjuring the spirit of The Red Lady with their Dead Girls Club. It ends with one girl dead. Yet thirty years later, her murder and/or disappearance is still unsolved. When Heather gets a necklace in the mail, she realized their secret might be out.
I was a teen with a flair for the macabre, so I could definitely relate. Walters' pacing and storytelling were even, and pulled me in. I consistently wanted to find out what was going to happen next to Heather, while still questioning all that had happened those many years earlier. I was guessing all over the place about the outcome, but ironically never guessed it. Glad her outcome cleanly tied up loose ends. Damien Angelica Walters is a writer I will look out for in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the digital ARC.
thelithaven.com

The Dead Girls Club is a wonderful, dark and incredibly rich mystery/thriller novel, so well built and fast paced that I wasn't able to put it down till I reached the end. I was absolutely captivated by the atmosphere, and the characters.

This novel submerges the reader in a landscape so detailed that the plot never feels forced, and is never difficult to understand or picture in one's mind. All in all, a fantastic and well-rounded novel!

I thought this was a very good horror novel. It reminded me a bit of S.P Miskowski's Knock Knock and the more recent The Rust Maidens by Gwendolyn Kiste. I read it quickly and found it tense. I enjoyed the writing style, characters, and attention to setting.

Where to begin..... I finished this last night and actually had to allow myself time to process before I could review it. It’s THAT good!! Let me start off by saying, this book is gut wrenching at times, and you feel for the characters so completely, as if you were a part of their world. I wanted to know the ending SO badly, but I also didn’t, because I knew the conclusion would be heartbreaking. I wasn’t wrong!

The book takes place in 2 time periods: when the narrator is 12, as well as present day. The story is told through a series of Heather’s flashbacks to growing up in a small town, in a small neighborhood, with 3 best friends. The girls are fascinated by death, serial killer stories and scaring each other. They form a bond called, “The Dead Girl’s Club”, a silly endeavor meant to entertain them during a long hot summer. Their goal is to frighten and a tale of the “Red Lady” does just that.

Strange things begin to happen to the girls. Things that cannot be explained. A tragedy strikes. Is the “Red Lady” real or is this a case of mass hysteria? So many years later, Heather tries to piece together the puzzle of that horrible summer while getting threats and clues that someone knows what happened. But who?! And why are they coming forth now?

We feel Heather’s despair and her panic. Her world begins to crash down around her and she needs to find out what really happened all those years ago??

5 HUGE stars!!!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you, #Netgalley!!
#TheDeadGirlsClub

This book had all the right things - a great, thriller storyline, well developed characters, and unforeseen twists and turns. I kept guessing what was going to happen next and I was often wrong, which is a great feeling as an avid reader of thrillers. I really enjoyed this novel and I would definitely recommend it to friends.

The Dead Girls Club has everything I love in a good solid mystery. From heart pounding scenes to a protagonist that isn't quite trustworthy, it truly was a wonderful story that will keep you turning the pages and wanting to know more about what happened and who the Red Lady is.

Never knowing who could be trusted, what memories and scenes really happened and if things were all that they appeared to be, Dead Girls Club was an interesting story where twists and turns and darkness always liked to lurk around every corner and you never knew quite what to expect next.

What an amazing thriller! Absolutely loved the storyline and the heroes. The writer spins a beautiful tale abd draws you in slowly but surely.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book!

Heather is haunted by her past. As a young girl, she and three of her friends were members of a little club, The Dead Girls Club, where they discussed serial killers and their victims. Somewhere in their morbid fascination of violent death, Heather's best friend introduces them to the Red Lady, the one story that will alter their lives.

Now, Heather is still haunted by the Red Lady. As pieces of her past keep popping up, sent to her anonymously, and threatening the careful life she's built, she will have to find out who is behind the packages, and worse, if the Red Lady is real. The truth might just be more than she can bear.

There is a building sense of desperation and need for the truth in this novel. It toes the line of of real and paranoia, but does so in a way that is believable. I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen, and was pleasantly surprised by the twists at the end.

The Dead Girls Club is a clever and scary novel that had me gripping the pages until the very end! Books like this are the ones that I am always on the hunt for, so I am thrilled I took a chance on a new to me author and read this one! It's got enough suspense to leave you feeling needy for answers and enough supernatural aspects to leave chills on your skin! I really enjoyed this one.

Red Lady, Red Lady show us your face..... The Dead Girls Club has the perfect amount of suspense and horror to keep one up at night with the lights on. I finished this novel within 2 days, because I really want to find out how it will end and it did not disappoint. Even though Heather's attempt to find out who sent her Becca's charm necklace are at times contradicting and irrational, the story line has enough twists and turns to keep you intrigued until the very end.

Many thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

The Dead Girls Club is a fabulous thriller that I could not put down. I loved the storyline and characters. Well written and well developed characters.

It’s kind of scary how much this book appealed to me. Title...check. Cover...check. Synopsis...check. It didn’t disappoint. Having never read anything else by Walters, I’m excited to go down a rabbit hole and discover her past titles. Heather, the protagonist, is reliable, if shifty and while I found myself growing increasingly frustrated with her choices...when I sat back and really put myself in her shoes, I’m not sure I would have done things differently myself. I also loved how childhood friendships were discussed. When you’re that age, losing friends feels like the end of the world and it all felt so relatable. I’m excited to see what Walters writes next. It seems like this is her first mystery/thriller without a horror bent...and I’m really happy that it didn’t disappoint.

I have not read a scary book, thriller, suspense since I was in the 7th & 8th grade, when I asked for the arc of this book, I wasn’t even thinking how I should probably not read it at night. Heather is a woman who is trying hard not to feel guilty over what happened with Becca, she has a lot of baggage and it starts affecting her real life when she receives a necklace only Becca wore along with her as a child. She begins to stalk people, and feels herself going crazy, she doesn’t want to believe the Red Lady is real yet she does believe she is.What made The Dead Girl’s Club interesting was how Heather kept going back to THEN and NOW, so she is reliving the story in the past and in the present, which is helpful to find out what really happened with Becca. I thought it was a perfect thriller, I could not read it at night because I would literally be scared to have nightmares, but this book could easily be turned into a movie and a great one at that. I would recommend this book for those who like mystery, thriller, suspense , scary, etc. With this book you find yourself questioning what is real and what isn’t. I would recommend this book to those who like a chilling experience, I can’t say that I found anything I hated, everything in the book seemed calculated until the end. I really enjoyed this read.

Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle ARC of The Dead Girls Club.

Heather Cole has a secret. When she was a tween, she killed her BFF, Becca, as part of a ritual for an urban legend called The Red Lady.

Now, years later, Heather is a respected child psychologist who receives something unsettling in the mail.

Is Becca still alive? Does she want revenge?

The narrative takes place between the past and present, and the author does a good job of recapturing what it was like to be a tween, the angst, the adolescences, the ability to switch friendships and alliances in the blink of an eye. It reminded me of my own youthful digressions.

I especially liked the inclusion of The Red Lady story, a horror tale the four friends are fascinated by, not unlike the urban legends like Slenderman that captivate today's youth and contributed to shocking violence.

Readers are drawn into Becca's obsession with The Red Lady, and you don't have to be a psychologist to understand the reason for it, an escape from the horrors of living with an abusive and alcoholic parent.

When Becca's obsession turns deadly, Heather is drawn into her BFF''s macabre devotion, and there will be no turning back.

In the present, Heather begins to unravel when she believes Becca may still be alive. Strange things begin to occur, causing a rift in her marriage and colleagues, causing her professionalism to suffer in the workplace.

Her investigation forces her to reconnect with her former friends, one friendly, the other not so much so.

Heather is a decent character. I liked her though at times I found her frustrating. Some of the things she does weren't sane, but as humans, we make mistakes, more so when we are stressed and living on the brink of sanity.

I figured out the twists long before the ending, but only because I read so many books of this type.

This was a decent read, and I would recommend it to readers who want a little scare but not too much.

This book flips back and forth between the present and the past. From the first page you are left wondering what the main characters have had happen in their lives and question whether they are reliable. Very suspenseful!

I loved this book so much that I read it all in one night, which I was not planning to do! I have to say, I'm a little biased as I live right in the area the book was set and I couldn't get over that. Maybe that's why I was so drawn into the story, but boy, was I unable to let go! We're informed early on in the story that the Becca, the best friend of the narrator, Heather, was killed as a child. And surprisingly Heather herself states that she killed her. What you need to determine as the reader is how literal Heather is actual being...

The book begins in the present day and transitions between now and the months leading up to Becca's death.
I think this author does a brilliant job of capturing the essence of young teenage girls and the drama and angst that they experience on a daily basis. I found the conversations and behavior between Heather & Becca and their other friends Gia & Rachel believable and quite reminiscent of my own teenage years. Even their interest in horror stories and serial killers isn't hard to imagine as there's nothing spookier than sitting around telling scary stories. Becca's favorite are her tales of The Red Lady, a scorned witch from the distant past who takes revenge on the evil townspeople that bury her alive. As Becca becomes more and more obsessed with The Red Lady, her friendship with Heather begins to suffer.

The current events of the story revolve around the mementos of Becca being sent to Heather now, almost thirty years later. Who is sending them? How do they even have them? Heather's sanity slowly begins to unravel as she desperately tries to figure out what is happening. The one thing I was worried about was that the supernatural aspect would leave the conclusion somewhat vague or mysterious, but that was not the case. The reader is not left with any questions and I think it was the best way to end the story. It was such an engrossing read and has introduced this reviewer to a new author to enjoy!