I really loved Girls With Sharp Sticks , and was super excited to dive into the sequel. And while it did feel like a sequel in some ways, it was still definitely good, and provided a very clear and firm message. It is extremely feminist, and absolutely calls out the patriarchy over and over again. The thing is, it didn't paint all men with the same brush, which I was glad about. It wasn't man-bashing, it was bad-man-bashing. Which I am 100% here for.

In this book, the girls had to flee town and Mena ends up at a crappy private school with a bunch of privileged asshats. And I am certain that these places exist. Athletes get privileges that no one else gets, jerks with rich dads get to basically run amok. And the author addresses how as bad as it is for women in general, women of color deal with even more awfulness.

While the good portion of this book is devoted to stopping some awful men (both those who created them and those in charge at the school), there is still time for a lot of great interaction among the girls. And yes, Jackson is a thing, but I won't tell you in what capacity.

There are some good twists and plot movement, but it did seem a bit less intense than the first. It's not an altogether bad thing, just a thing worth mentioning. Still, a solid book, and I absolutely can't wait to find out what's next for Mena and the rest of the girls!

Bottom Line: A solid sequel that will infuriate you with its authentic take on the excessive privilege of rich white men.

Unfortunately this sequel did not work for me. I really enjoyed the mystery and intrigue of book 1 but I felt like that magic was lacking in this sequel. The story felt too contrived and over the top for my taste. The characters were so extreme the boarded on caricatures.
While I appreciate the author trying to tackle important topics life feminism, I felt this book could have used a little more subtlety and direction. There were just too many topics - sexism, racism, classism, wealth discrepancy, global warming, etc - that were touched on and none of them felt thoughtful or complete.
I really loved book 1, so I'm really sad this one was a miss. I think this story hits on some very important and timely things, it just unfortunately didn't work for me.

The sequel to Girls with Sharp Sticks, Girls with Razor Hearts picks up right where GWSS leaves off. I enjoy this in sequels because you don't miss some possibly pertinent information that authors have to catch you up on later. GWRH continues the dark exaggeration of our current society (and it's really not THAT much of an exaggeration) in regards to women's rights. The content can be disturbing and triggering, but so powerful and well written.

Suzanne Young has fantastic flow with her writing and continuing to keep the story on track. Attention is given to the right parts and I didn't feel like there were parts that deserved to be expanded on further. There were some plot twists, but seeing as it's a middle book in a trilogy, there weren't as many as the first and what I imagine the third will have in store. There was some info dumping and predictable parts, but I mostly still feel like I have no idea who the "bad guys" are or what the endgame is - which makes it worth reading the third book and will keep me invested in the story.

I have to say that I hope those who pick up this series are ready for the disturbing and violent writing and events in these books. I can't give the book more stars because the topic does have a negative effect on me. I think it's so important, but hard to read at times due to the content. So please know your triggers before diving into this series.

I don't think this really needs to be a thing? I feel the last book was enough, I was hoping it wouldn't become a series, I just hope it doesn't drag on like other series she has written before.

Posted to Goodreads: Shortly after Mena and her classmates escaped Innovations Academy they are still trying to learn about the school's investors. Mena and the other students about Stoneridge Prep, a school that has a connection to one of the academy's chief investors. Mena and Sydney enroll in the school and find themselves surrounded by toxic masculinity and sexism. Can Mena and her classmates find Innovations Academy's investors and find a way to change the culture at Stoneridge Prep?

This book is difficult for me to discuss. This book doesn't quite feel like it's in the same tone as the first book. Young moved the story away from the science-fiction mystery and into an investigation of toxic masculinity. By changing the focus of the book Young was able to develop the characters farther and made the book more relevant. The behavior Mena and Sydney experience at Stoneridge Prep are behavior many readers may have experienced. The story is relevant but it doesn't quite feel like it is the same part of the series as "Girls with Sharp Sticks". "Girls with Razor Hearts" is a well-written book with good characters however it feels like it suffers from classic middle book syndrome. Yet, even with that issue, I will happily read book three in the series.

When I read Girls with Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young earlier this year, I was blown away by how much I actually enjoyed it. As much as I love speculative fiction and Sci Fi, I find few YA titles in the genre to be compelling or successfully-crafted. That is not the case with Suzanne Young’s Girls with Sharp Sticks and, its sequel, Girls with Razor Hearts.

Girls with Sharp Sticks follows Mena and her friends, all of which are students at the exclusive and secretive girls-only boarding school, Innovations Academy. When some girls at the school start acting differently and disappearing, Mena begins questioning everything. Such as, why does she never see her family outside of school? Or, what goes on in all those therapy and “impulse control” sessions? And, what exactly happens to the girls after graduation?

Girls with Razor Hearts continues to follow Mena and her friends, along with some unexpected additions to their party, immediately following the end of the first book. The group starts working together to further undermine Innovations Academy and uncover its illusive investors. Only, they soon find out that their world isn’t nice to girls, and that surviving is going to be a whole lot harder than they were taught to believe.

A few things you can expect from this series:

*Female friendships that are actually realistic,
*Super intriguing mysteries in a near-future world,
*Lots of girls working together and fighting against misogyny and the patriarchy,
*Really sweet, slow-burn romances,
*Fascinatingly creepy Sci Fi elements, and, best of all,
*Diverse friendship groups that fiercely love and take care of each other.

I tend to find that YA Sci Fi is missing the important themes and context I love in Adult Sci Fi. Even when a YA book does feature important or interesting themes, it seems that the stories are mostly plot driven and action heavy, and I love good character-driven science fiction. The Girls with Sharp Sticks series, though, manages to capture everything I love about smart Adult speculative fiction, while still being solidly within the Young Adult age range.

This series tackles many important issues very relevant to girls and women in today’s society. Namely, the books ask readers to question why society has certain expectations for its girls, and then asks the question of how those expectations came to be. Even though I really wish I had read these themes and this series when I was in high school, I’m still really happy to have these books around as an adult. Honestly, I’m just so excited these books are out in the world now.

Each book is 4/5 stars for me, but the reading experience of the series as a whole is more like a 4.5/5.

Girls with Sharp Sticks is out in bookstores (and libraries!) now. Girls with Razor Hearts comes out on March 17, 2020. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an eArc of Girls with Razor Hearts in exchange for an honest review.

CW: misogyny, sexual assault and harassment, and just generally creepy men doing creepy things to teenage girls

This review has been posted on my blog, Back Shelf Books, today. A version of this review has also been posted on goodreads. (Links below)

**Review will be posted on my blog on 3/9/2020**

Thank you to Simon Pulse and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

This book is the sequel to Girls with Sharp Sticks and right away it picks off after the end of the first book. Mena and the girls have left Innovations Academy and are on a mission to take down the investors who made them.

What I Liked:
*I felt this second book was faster paced, at least, the latter half is and I enjoyed it very much.

*This whole series has been about the harassment and abuse that women are subjected to because they are female but this time, Mena and her girls are doing what they can to find their power and make their own choices. It is inspiring!

*We learn more about the history of women, yet at times this book felt very current because of the issues and situations that Mena and the girls at Stoneridge Prep experience. So I’m not really sure what time this series is set in – but it’s definitely a time when women have been reduced to being very insignificant. And now they are trying to replace women altogether with these perfect AI girls.

*We find out more about the players behind Innovations Academy and as more secrets are revealed, I did find myself surprised. We meet some new people in this sequel, a lot of them are just more people who want to control the girls but Mena and her friends are fighting back, thank goodness.

*Mena and her girls have an amazing bond and can love – even though they are considered machines. I love that about them.

Things That Made Me Go Hmm:

*Lots of times in this book it made me wonder where the story was going, but mostly in a good way. We meet new characters like Garrett, Raven, Adrian and Rosemarie and it makes the story more intriguing!

*I think at times when Mena and Sydney was at the school investigating who the son of a investor could be, I wondered if there was a better to find out that information. 🤔 It definitely worked to show how awful the boys at this school was 😒 but Mena and Sydney were straight out of the academy and I felt like they were in danger so many times. But at times I felt not much was happening on their investigation part (going to Rugby games…) and I wanted a breakthrough to happen.

*There are a lot of bad men and boys in this series…not a lot of good ones. I wish there were more good ones! Jackson is a good one, and there are feelings involved with him and Mena but their relationship is not the focus of this series.

*Triggers: sexual harassment, assault, violence

Final Thoughts:
This is a series with a message, that girls have been mistreated for way too long and they are fighting back against men. It made me angry, it made me feel helpless for these girls and I’m very much looking forward to the next book in the series. Will they get their revenge on men and the investors? Will they become girls with razor hearts? 😟 We shall see.

Girls with Razor Hearts was everything one would expect from the talented Young. It was so realistic in it's simplicity, horrifying in the what ifs, thought provoking, unique, and so, so, addicting.

I even dare say I loved this more than the first, which, let's be honest is rare in most series, trilogies, and duologies.

The girls were more fierce while also still maintaining their love for each other and those they've come to trust. In fact, the girl power in this book is what really makes it stand out. Girls in this horrible dark world that Young has created, have very little power anymore yet theses extraordinary girls, are winning that power back and are refusing to back down. They are going to fight for what is right, fair, and deserving.

I love love the women these girls are becoming. How they are progressing and changing and adapting.

I can not wait to see what is in store for them next. This was every bit as dramatic, exciting, and enchanting as it's predecessor and I want more!

When I finished Girls with Sharp Sticks I was completely blown away by the journey Suzanne Young took her readers on. She took an idea she had and made it into something that is so hard to describe without spoiling the epic twists and turns in the book. So when I heard there was going to be more in this world I was so very excited. And when I finally got to read Girls with Razor Hearts I was even more thrilled because simply stated…it was amazing!

Girls with Razor Hearts picks up where Girls with Sharp Sticks leaves off. If you haven’t read Sharp Sticks then I recommend running out and picking it up, reading it, and then grabbing Razor Hearts. J The girls have left the academy and have one plan, to take down the whole institution. With only one lead the girls are enrolled in a snobby prep school and soon learn there is more evil in the world than just the men at Innovations Academy. With only each other to rely on, the must work together to take down these men at hurt women, but at what cost to them?

The thing I loved about Girls with Razor Hearts (and Sharp Sticks) is how it can easily cross the line into a ‘hate all men’ stereotypical book but Suzanne has worked hard to make that not the case. Through the eyes of Mena you learn that there are some really horrible, bad men out there, but there are also men that are good and kind and genuine. Mena sees that not everyone is the same and they should all be judged the same. She refuses to take a side unless it is the side to end the way people are treated because of who they are. That right there is the message I get from these books and what makes me love them.

There is not a lot of things you can count on in life, but I can always count on Suzanne Young to give me a 5 star read that will have me wanting more and that is exactly what she did here. Razor Hearts is more about girls being stronger together to take down people that are trying to hurt them and it left me dying for the next book. Definitely read this fantastically crafted story. You won’t be disappointed.

I enjoyed the first book in this series, and I was very curious about where the author could possibly go from the first book's ending. This was an interesting direction, but it didn't really work for me. This book, again, as the first, highlighted the horrible society the girls were living in. The social and political commentary the author has inserted is NOT subtle in any way. However, I don't have a problem with that in and of itself. My issue was that everything going forward from there got rather convoluted. I think that happened for two reasons, one, not all, but the majority of the girls seem to be fighting back by using the same tactics that have been used against them. Saying they want reform when they really just want revenge, and that never works for me. The second reason I felt the issues were getting confused was because ultimately these aren't actual girls. They are robots. Which fundamentally changes the situation. I know there is a lot of speculative fiction out there that wants us to ponder what it means to be human and if a machine self actualizes is it truly just an object anymore and blah blah blah, but that's not something I'm ever going to find intriguing. I think in this book it adds some sensationalism, a surprise twist, something to make the series stand out. But ultimately I think it undercuts what the author seems to be trying to say.

I was so excited when I received a copy of Girls with Razor Hearts, because I loved the first book so much! Girls with Razor Hearts was a really great sequel and I enjoyed it so much. Just like the first book, Girls with Sharp Sticks, it continued to deal with some really heavy issues and once again they had similarities to things that are happening in the world today. Mainly being how women are treated in the world by men and how it’s hard for women to stand up to these men, because it just causes further damage and hurt toward them.

The girls had to navigate a new life and essentially a new world while also dealing with their traumas that they experienced at Innovations Academy. It didn’t get easier for them when they left the academy. Men dominate the world and walk all over the women. The girls are trying to put an end to this and are faced with a lot of realizations and trouble along the way. They don’t know who to trust and neither did I as I was reading the book. I loved the continued bond between the girls and the love they have for each other. There’s so many untrustworthy people but at least they have each other to try to figure it all out!

I ended up giving Girls with Razor Hearts one star less than I did the first book though. It was a little hard for me to get into it at the start but once I did, I was fully invested in the story and the girls again. I don’t want to go into too many more details because I don’t want to risk any spoilers. I highly recommend checking this series out. It’s so relatable and so far it has been such a powerful story. A lot of what is happening in the story and was talked about needs to be heard. I am eagerly waiting for the third book!

In this sequel Philomena and her sisters have gotten away from Innovations Academy and their creators but now they have a new mission, to take down all the people involved. However the girls quickly learn that women on the outside aren’t treated very well either and that men, and women, often overlook people’s horrible treatment about women. Part feminist manifesto, part warning against playing god with technology and part story about the power of friendship this sequel packs a big bite and I can’t wait for part 3!

Genre:
Teens & YA


Synopsis:

It’s time to fight back in this second novel in a thrilling, subversive near future series from New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Young about a girls-only private high school that is far more...

It’s time to fight back in this second novel in a thrilling, subversive near future series from New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Young about a girls-only private high school that is far more than it appears to be.

Make me a girl with a razor heart…

It’s been weeks since Mena and the other girls of Innovations Academy escaped their elite boarding school. Although traumatized by the violence and experimentations that occurred there, Mena quickly discovers that the outside world can be just as unwelcoming and cruel. With no one else to turn to, the girls only have each other—and the revenge-fueled desire to shut down the corporation that imprisoned them.

The girls enroll in Ridgeview Prep, a private school with suspect connections to Innovations, to identify the son of an investor and take down the corporation from the inside. But with pressure from Leandra, who revealed herself to be a double-agent, and Winston Weeks, an academy investor gone rogue, Mena wonders if she and her friends are simply trading one form of control for another. Not to mention the woman who is quite literally invading Mena’s thoughts—a woman with extreme ideas that both frighten and intrigue Mena.

And as the girls fight for freedom from their past—and freedom for the girls still at Innovations—they must also face new questions about their existence…and what it means to be girls with razor hearts.

My Thoughts:

*Trigger Warning* sexual abuse, and physical abuse scenes

Mena and the girls are back!! Back for Vengeance against the men, the corporation that made them into obedient girls. Their perfect. But not anymore...
Mena and others got away from the academy but did they escape the abuse?!
At a new Mena realizes society isn't very different from things at the academy. But when she fights back, it's her that gets punished!!

Full of unbelievable plot twists, dark, and full of female empowerment!!
I love the girls!! Their character development is off the charts!! Each is very diverse, and unique.
The writing style is so unique in these books and I hope 3 will be out soon as well!! I can't wait to finish Menas story and where they go!
The world building was great, there was enough to follow but not be overwhelmed by.
The storyline is fast paced, but easy to follow. Narrated by Mena. I love this series and can't get enough of the girl power that they display!! Can't wait for the release!!

Absolutely love that this book picks up where Girls with Sharp Sticks left off. The plot is intriguing and I couldn't stop reading.
A rebel, a caretaker, an educator, a companion, a seductress and a doll... Six girls who are trying to shut down the corporation that created, programed and abused them.
Suzanne Young is a phenomenal author who has taken current events and mindsets of a few and masterfully created a world where most of society accepts these views as the norm.

With the first book in the series being a 5 star read for me last year, I was anxious to see where the second book took these girls.

I was glad to see Mena and the girls taking control of their own lives and getting out into the world.  Although they receive assistance from someone, believe me - they've got an uphill battle in trying to locate the investor.  Initially, I thought the actions of the men they encounter - especially at the private school - to be over the top and just too much, but the reasons for this soon became clear.  And it's infuriating.  Female readers will definitely feel a rise in their blood pressure.  Other than Jackson and Quentin, the nice guys in this story are few and far between.

Something I missed, and this is because I'm a sci-fi geek, is more about how the girls were created.  A little more background is revealed, but I'd love to delve more into that aspect.  Pacing was a bit off for me, with a big lull in the middle, but the last 20% really picks up.  By the end, Mena and the girls seems to be caught between one extreme and another.

As with the first book, this one also offers some exciting twists and unexpected turns, and I'll absolutely be reading the next book in the series.  

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Last year, Girls With Sharp Sticks became one of my unanticipated favorite reads! The mystery and dystopian aspects were enough to keep me constantly on the edge of my seat. I was so excited when I found out there would be a sequel that I couldn't wait to get my hands on it and I jumped right in!

Girls With Razor Hearts picks up immediately after the events of the first book. Mena and the other girls have escaped the school and have plans to bring down the corporation. This book was set entirely away from the school and, since the big mystery has already been found out, it had an entirely different feel.

Where Girls With Sharp Sticks kept me constantly engaged, this one was a bit less my speed. A big reason for this is the setting. Most of the book takes place in an average public school with two of the girls attending high school and navigating every day life. Mena doesn't understand why sexism is so prevalent in the school and immediately goes to work trying to change it.

On the one hand I really enjoyed this and probably would have even more as a teen. On the other, it was extremely on the nose. Nearly every man the characters come in contact with is essentially evil and it quickly became exhausting. As a woman who worked in a male dominated field for several years and, you know, exists in the world, I have encountered my fair share of misogyny and harassment. However, it was coming from literally every angle in Mena's world and it was a bit much.

While two of the girls are in school, the rest spend their time researching ways to bring down Innovations Academy. Although the huge reveal of the girls being AI has already come out, there are still a couple enjoyable twists and turns in this book. I do wish that a bit more was learned and more progress was made, but this was by no means a bad read.

If you enjoyed Girls With Sharp Sticks, you'll probably enjoy this one too. You'll enjoy it even more if contemporary YA is your genre! I'm excited to see what happens in the final book!

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc of this book I was given in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book. Ughhhh.

Lemme start this way: if it was possible to give half stars, I would really give it 3.5. The beginning is rough. The first book was so awesome, but I think maybe because it had what was basically one uniform setting, the moving around that was suddenly happening was awkward. Either way, the book was stiff for quite awhile and at times it felt too didactic.

For me, it was over half over before I got into it and if I wouldn’t have loved book one so much, I would have given up.

You know those books that make your blood boil? Those dystopias that get under your skin, your blood pressure soaring, and your stomach clenching? Meet Girls with Razor Hearts. While I knew that Girls with Sharp Sticks was a SF dystopia, Young brings us into the world. The world full of leering men, rampant sexism, and a culture of terrified girls. Away from Innovations Academy, the Mena and the girls' lives are even more complicated than they thought. My heart wept for these girls and this dystopian world.

Girls with Razor Hearts is a sequel that dives deeper into the secrets behind the girls, the rotten foundations of the world, and girls who are still reeling from the events of Girls with Sharp Sticks. Mena struggles with PTSD and we are able to witness the ways her memories, not only from Innovations Academy, but her past memories surface.Even more than that, Mena experiences first hand the sexism in her new school Stoneridge Prep. The ways that the boys are able to get away with harassment, sexual assault, and suffer no consequences. The ways women protect these actions, shaming girls, and harboring criminals. These were the sections of Girls with Razor Hearts that elicited my rage. But at these moments, I was reminded with the lack of distance between these events and our society. The men who walk free from trials, the women who aren't believed, the way society shames us.

Thank you NetGalley and Suzanna Young for the ARC.

I've been a huge HUGE fan of Suzanna Young. I mean I read the Treatment stories within a week and I loved Girls with Sharp Sticks. When I saw Girls with Razor Hearts up for review, I pounced on it!

As with most of her books, Razor Hearts picks up right when Sharp Sticks ends. It still leaves you with a sense of anger just as Sharp Sticks does which is something that Young does often. She generates extreme emotions when reading her books. You get more of a background story with this one which I liked.

Really enjoyed this one and I can't wait for Book 3!

I really enjoyed the first book, Girls with Sharp Sticks, and this continuation of the story did not disappoint. I like the science fiction aspect, but the novel asks some good questions and makes some good points about society's attempts to commodify women. I like the companionship and camaraderie that is developed between the girls, and how they band together to cooperate, not compete. A good story, and an even better message. Well done.