This was one of the most interesting and unique books I've read in a long time, and that was mostly a good thing. I am so impressed with the author's ability to essentially tell three stories at once, and weave them together in a way that felt clear and compelling. As a queer woman, I was drawn to the story for the queer stories, but I also appreciated the more thriller and historical fiction aspects of the story. That being said, I did think some of the devices the author used were a little too much. The copious footnotes were a lot to handle, and the frequent "Dear Readers" were not my favorite elements, but they didn't detract me to the point where I couldn't thoroughly enjoy the book.

This is such an oddball book. I think enjoyment wise I’m around a 3.50 star rating, but the imagination Danforth has to even come up with this story is so impressive that I have to give it the full 4 stars. This book is weird but it is also completely different and unlike anything else I have read before which I always appreciate it. The book is also super gay which really helps.

First of all, I was surprised that this book was not what I thought it would be about. I thought this was going to be YA gothic horror that takes place at an all-girls boarding school. Nope, I was wrong about that. This is Danforth’s first adult novel and it is actually a celebrity triangle romance, mixed with horror. Yes there are scenes that go to the early 1900’s about adults working at the school, but these adults hardly even enter said school.

I need to talk about the writing style first since it is different. It is written with an omniscient narrator. I can’t remember the last time I read a book like that, it has been a while. Danforth is descriptive and honestly a bit wordy at times. This book is big at 650 pages supposedly, although my Kindle was acting like its closer to 800. Surprisingly, there were actual footnotes that made the book even longer. Some notes seemed really unnecessary and a waste of time -especially since my Kindle kept trying to turn the page instead of opening the note- but others were pretty interesting so in the end I kind of liked them. What I will say is that all of these stylistic choices combined, made it so that it took me a while to get into this book. I did not like the beginning of the book and I was worried for a while. It took until about the 25% mark that I really found myself comfortable and connected to the story. But, I do have to say that the book did feel too long and dragged a bit at times. I would have chopped some parts for sure and funny enough I would have actually extended a few scenes like the ending.

I mentioned already that this book was wonderfully gay and it really was. There are two bisexual and one lesbian main character. Then there is a lesbian and bisexual(?) main-secondary characters, and plenty of other lesbian and gay secondary characters. However, I was very surprised to find that I didn’t care for a lot of the characters. I didn’t dislike or hate them but I was having trouble finding characters that I really liked and cared about. In fact the two women who lived in the early 1900’s, I never really connected too. When it comes to the three modern mains, one comes off very plastic, one sweet, and the other just mean. The mean one actually won me over which I think was a testament to Danforth’s writing.

Celebrity romances are a trope favorite of mine so I loved the potential here. There ended up being a bit of an f-f-f triangle and while I won’t tell you how the romance ends, it ended up being one of my favorite story choices Danforth made. But you do need to remember that this horror so there is not a ton of time for romance, but what is there I enjoyed.

Speaking of horror, I do have to admit that I was disappointed that I didn’t get as scared as I was hoping for. There are plenty of creepy and gross scenes, and even depressing horror scenes -I mean like bad things happening to people- but I don’t think I was ever “oh crap” kind of scared.

This is a book that I would recommend to some people. You have to be open to a different writing style and okay with a big book that takes time to get into. If you like celebrity romances that will help, but you also have to be prepared for a horror book were messed up things happen and happen pretty often. Like I mentioned before, I appreciate this book a bit more than my overall enjoyment, but there were parts I really enjoyed and this is a book I won’t soon forget.

This book was fun and different and I look forward to purchasing a copy on publishing day!! I became completely immersed in the story from page one and the creepiness of it just built up.

This is a book within a book. In 2015 a group of young women head to the fictional Brookhants School for Girls to create a film about its gruesome demise. While the story is fiction, its based on the real memoir “The Story of Mary MacLane” published in 1902. Mary is bored with being a female and her attraction to females is documented. Well, of course, this book was considered to outrageous to be anything but fiction. This lesbian “ghost story” combines gothic horror and Hollywood irony. After finishing the 600+ page book, I’m still not sure what I think about it. It covers a lot of territory and it just seems to go on and on with so many backstories. I gave up trying to write a synopsis of the book.

Thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this to review! Honestly, I thought that this was YA until I started reading it. Not in a bad way. But the characters, for the most part, aren’t teenagers. This is still a great read for October, with lots of spooky vibes and gothic feels.

I’d really emphasize the gothic feel because the overall tone of this book felt like Jane Eyre to me. Which is fantastic! Jane Eyre is one of my favorite classics. Plain Bad Heroines is completely different from Danforth’s first novel, both in genre and in form. You’re sucked in with the story of Flo and Clara at the beginning, and the rest of the stories always connect back. The weaving of the narratives is masterful; combining each level of story in such a way that you need to know what happens next.

The narration is almost a character on its own and adds a lot to the story as well. It’s never clear who is narrating the novel, and none of the characters ever know the full story. This adds to the mystery element of the story, and definitely what adds to its gothic appeal. And the characters! Though some of them weren’t as fully fleshed out as I would have liked, they really add to the whole atmosphere of the book. A full cast affected by the curse at Brookhants.

While I enjoyed each story in here, this book could have been trimmed down a bit. There were parts that felt a little dragged out. But the characters and the atmosphere by the end definitely make up for it.

Looking for a great sapphic horror to read just in time for Halloween? Definitely pick this one up!

This is the queer gothic we have been wanting all our lives. I loved this so much, i pre-ordered a hardcover to keep on my shelves. Equal parts delightful and equal parts horror, a delightful 600 pages begininng to end.

There’s a lot going on here, plotwise, so bear with me as I attempt a summary:

In 1902, Flo and Clara, two students at The Brookhants School for Girls, become obsessed with a scandalous lesbian memoir by Mary MacLane. In celebration of the book, they start a private club called The Plain Bad Heroine Society that secretly meets in a nearby apple orchard. Not long after, they’re later found stung to death by hoards of angry yellow jackets, a copy of the book splayed out beside them. After several more deaths on the property, the school closes for good.

A hundred and something years later, a young writer named Merritt Emmons publishes a bestselling book on the cursed, queer history of Brookhants. When the book gets picked up for a film adaptation starring celesbian Harper Harper and former child star Audrey Wells, Brookhants opens its gates for the first time in a century.

The book switches between these two timelines, so we get to see the story of Flo and Clara unfold right as we’re seeing the present-day gals experience the creepiness surrounding everything Brookhants for the first time.

And I truly cannot overstate how queer the entire thing is. A queer principal! A creepy old gay benefactor! Multiple sapphic romances!

It’s also a delightful work of metafiction, where the narrator, though never identified, is one of the strongest characters. They address the Reader directly with sly asides and winks, and never hold their own opinions on the other characters back:

Later, horrible Charles would say that he’d found great purpose and meaning in the fact of his life being spared that day. By all accounts he used that purpose to idle away his remaining days, spending his inheritance while failing at several half-hearted business ventures and in general behaving like the brutish, moneyed, bowl of rancid bowels that he was.

The book also uses a copious amount of footnotes, which give room for both more asides from our narrator and bits and pieces of queer history. The stylistic choice is a nod to the fact that LGBTQ+ stories are often relegated to footnotes—which emily m. danforth explains in an introduction to the book, writing that she only learned of Mary MacLane in the first place because of one.

But in this book, queerness isn’t only in the footnotes. It’s splashed across every single page and central to every storyline, past and present—and that’s what makes it such a joy to read.

In the same introduction, emily writes about her Great Aunt Maude. After her death, the relatives who cleaned out her home discarded a stack of letters from women with whom she’d once had romances, eliminating any evidence of her queerness.

After reading this anecdote, my girlfriend said she was reminded of her own queer aunt. In her words: “I didn’t know my aunt was queer until recently, and after she passed away. I don’t think this part of her was kept away from me in an act of intentional erasure, but I do think it was done because of societal views about being queer—that it’s private thing and should stay that way. But there’s so much I wish I knew about her, and so much I imagine her life was.”


A pre-teen version of my girlfriend with her aforementioned aunt

The reality is that despite enormous efforts to bury queerness, it’s been here all along. And though the women in Plain Bad Heroines are fictional (and cursed), their stories are a wildly enjoyable way to bring that fact to light.

Queer points:
+3 for ample usage of the word “celesbian”
+8 for multiple lesbian poltergiest jokes
+14 for the fact that all of the main characters and most of the side characters are queer. And there are many! It is tough for me to recall a single straight, male character, and personally, I think that’s beautiful.

Pre-order it from Bank Square Books

P.S. In case you’re interested, lesbian-owned bookstore Charis Books & More is hosting a virtual event with emily m. danforth and Andrea Lawlor next Friday, October 23. Register at https://www.charisbooksandmore.com/event/plain-bad-heroines-emily-m-danforth-conversation-andrea-lawlor

Emily M. Danforth’s adult debut Plain Bad Heroines is an intricate, capital-G Gothic tome of sapphic love, tragedy, and so many yellow jacket wasps. Seriously, just an exorbitant amount of wasps.

This novel is truly many-layered. Danforth balances several characters, storylines, subplots, and intertextual sources. It’s told by an unidentified narrator to you, the Reader and narratee, whose footnotes and conversational style of narration lighten the mood and create that playful kind of dark humor promised in the synopsis. The mood is also definitely there. Plain Bad Heroines certainly delivers on the cursed boarding school slash behind-the-scenes Hollywood production telling the story of said cursed boarding school front. A certain eeriness lurks beneath the story, sometimes veering into shocking or tragic territory. The setting is also established well, immersing the reader especially in the spooky New England coastal town experience.

It’s undeniable that some serious craft is at work here. Unfortunately, the structure wasn’t always totally effective, sometimes harming the reader’s experience in its complexity by getting in its own way of the actual story and overall mood. I often found myself distracted by all that was going on in the book, rather than focusing on what was happening on the page. I also found that the pacing was affected by the structure; the two timelines were rarely telling parallel stories, and so jumping between the two created a kind of intuitive imbalance. I did appreciate how the recurring symbols threading both timelines together, such as the wasps, created a sense of cohesion. I’m also torn about how to feel about all of the sapphic death in the twentieth century timeline; it just didn’t always come across as meaningful, and one character in particular deserved better.

Overall, I had a lot of fun reading this book, but I’m definitely questioning some of the decisions that were made. If you’re looking for Gothic metafiction with a whole lot of queer characters and a curse, this is for you. I think a lot of readers will find value in Plain Bad Heroines.

I could see this working brilliantly for another reader, but for me I'm just going to have to set it aside.

Well-written and intricately plotted, this book, through no fault of it's own, buzzes a few of my pet peeves right off the bat - multiple POVs and long-(long, long)-game plots. I really only feel invested in the three present-day girls, and the overarching sense of dread on their behalf makes it really hard to pick up the book.

I'm also not really finding that there's a good balance between the horror and the comedy. That could totally be the state of my mental health right now, but I'm just not finding that the levity of the meta-narrator is making up for the horrific, doom-and-gloom of the rest of the story.

If you're a horror fan and you like massive, complicated plots, and maybe you're less squeamish than me, check it out!

First off, I want to thank William Morrow for gifting me with this book in exchange for an honest review.

The second I heard about Plain Bad Heroines I had to immediately read it. Sapphic horror is an especially loved genre of mine and there's so little of it out in the market. On top of that, I love celebrity novels. Coming from the author of The Miseducation of Cameron Post, I absolutely knew that I needed my hands on a copy as soon as possible.

I definitely wasn't expecting the length! This is a chunky book, but even with that length it's never boring or slow. The descriptions of the school, atmosphere, and characters that Danforth gives is lyrical and atmospheric. That was one of my favorite parts of the book! It's also engaging, and my only critique is that a few of the chapters could have been a bit shorter or wrapped up faster, but other than that it held my undivided attention.

I felt on the edge of my seat the entire time. The seamless switching between past and present helped keep my interest, bouncing from storyline to storyline without confusing the reader. Not only that, each character is well fleshed out with their own arcs and subplots that never got tangled up. It was so beautifully done.

Even non-readers of horror will find a slice of something in here for them. With Danforth's atmospheric writing, beautifully flushed out characters, and well thought out plot lines, there's something for everyone here.

Readers, this book will pull you in, drag you down, and keep you reading until the mysteries of Brookhants decide to let you go - just be wary of any yellow jackets you run into along the way.

Seamlessly weaving two timelines (that of 1902 and of modern 20--) together, author Emily M. Danforth takes her readers on a journey of young love and dark curses that pulls you in further the farther you read. Brookhants School has been cursed: by death, hallucinations, lost love, and now filming issues. Readers move from the tragic history of Brookhants founding and the love shared between Libbie Brookhants and Alexandra Trills, to the modern social media frenzy of the Brookhants movie, its haunted film set, and the weird things our three modern heroines - Harper, Audrey, and Merritt - keep experiencing while on set.

Danforth created a great story in Plain Bad Heroines. The chapters flow between the tragic past and the uncertain present, and details from both timelines clarify and answer the questions from the other. The writing was easy to get lost in, and there were so many little details that the reader could easily glance over but added so much more to the story if caught. The plot was obviously meticulously planned out, and Plain Bad Heroines will surely reveal more upon a 2nd or 3rd reading. The world building was exceptional, and the details were phenomenal in both the 1900s and 2000s. The characters all came off the page, each with distinct personalities and their own follies which only contributed to the plot. Each player had their own purpose in the game, and they all played their parts so well. While lesbian romance was at the center of both timelines, Danforth did a fabulous job at contrasting how such a relationship would be handled in 1902 versus how it could play out now. Overall, this was such a great read; it pulls you in with its mystery and intrigue and keeps you hanging on until the last chapter.

*Advance copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Plain Bad Heroines follows Libbie Brookhants and her ill-fated girls school in the early 1900s and the parallel tale of making the story of Brookhants into a 2019 horror film. The three very different modern young women brought to Brookhants eerie location - Merritt, the author of the book the film is based on; Harper, a rising star that seems effortlessly cool; and Audrey, scream queen royalty - discover that there is much more than the contrived scares at work as they find out who they truly are.

The narrator is extremely engaging and I loved the juxtaposition of the old-school Jane Eyre approach of direct address of the reader with the 2019 jargon that flowed equally as naturally. I wasn't a huge fan of the alternating plot lines, which made the book difficult to start. It felt like some areas in the beginning lacked development - just as they were getting going, the chapter would end and the plotline would switch. This was a slow-go for me until about two-thirds of the way through. As all the pieces began to fall into place there were moments where I doubted whether or not I was under Brookhants' spell and seeing things that weren't really there. I loved this feeling and thought it played perfectly with Audrey's own unraveling when she also begins to question what's real and what's not.

Overall, this was a spooky fall read that I would recommend given the unique approach and experience that it elicits.

Literal fucking goosebumps. Jesus H Christ, I will never again be able to look at a yellow jacket without a queer feeling of fear creeping up my spine. See what I did there?

This was amazing. So amazing that I’m sad that it’s over. But also relieved? Not all the way relieved because true horror like this leaves you with that feeling at the end, like there is just enough truth in it to be plausible. Like maybe it really did happen.

Three women. And again. And again. And again? Witchy without being specifically and directly witchy. Horror without gruesomeness is a kind of art. And the narrator playing directly into the story like this, do we know who she is by the end? Maybe? But not in an unsatisfactory way like a loose end untied, but like a seed of possibility that was left for the reader to interpret as they will. To make the story seem even more real.

If your are queer and you like horror, you must read this. If you’re not queer and you like horror, you must read this.

This is the best book I’ve read this year. I will be avidly picking up anything Emily Danforth going forward, with both excitement and fear. 5 stars. 6 stars. 5 stars...and a yellow jacket?

This is one book that I was super excited about and I was not disappointed! First of all, a queer love story that takes place at a haunted school? It just called my name. I loved the Gothic horror feel to the book, which I know will be off putting to people, like Mexican Gothic was for many readers. I personally like drawn out stories like this, so A+. I loved the interlinking, multi-timeline plot which was written in a way to sprinkle clues as to what was going on and to all come together at the end. I will leave you with bees are horrible!

I picked this book out to read because the description sounded very interesting and I have previously read The Miseducation of Cameron Post and loved it. I could not have predicted what this book would hold and how events would unfold.

This novel is very much unlike any other novel that I have read before. The jump from past to present is handled excellently and the information that each time period reveals plays into one another, telling a story without directly saying the words. The suspense and curiosity of the novel was infectious and I looked forward to the next time I was able to pick it up. Even after finishing it, I feel like I still have unanswered questions, though not in a way that I feel incomplete from the story. The story from start to end was beautifully mapped out and the lingering curiosities just adds to my love of this book. Danforth puts a lot of trust in her readers to make of the story and happenings what they may. Though there are clear answers to some questions, there is much left to interpretation.

Instead of the usual aggravated feeling I get from this, I am planning on preordering the book so I can read it again and see what I make of it this time around. Depending on who the reader is and what they believe, the events in the book can be seen through many different lenses.

The theme of queerness in this novel made me so happy to see, especially since this book focused on queer women from the late 1800s to present day. As a queer woman, there are other books that contain and evoke the same topic. But in this book, I felt as if the pride and love of queer women was pouring out of these pages and I could not get enough of it. I felt so invested in the characters and their relationships, I would love to read more by Danforth about these women.

I have not felt so complete and satisfied by a book in this way for such a long time. It felt similar to being a young teen and discovering my love for reading. This is definitely a book that I am going to buy and reread again very soon. To anyone who enjoys novels about strong queer women, haunted stories, and unconventional relationships, then this is the book for you!!

As a side note: I get scared quite easily and don't usually find joy in horror, but I very much enjoyed and appreciated the suspense and fright of this novel.

4 Haunted School Stars

I hardly know where to start with this one! You should first know that it is long, 608 pages! Once I got into the story, it did read quickly, but I was daunted by the size at first. There are some interesting black and white illustrations sprinkled throughout too.

There is a haunted school and grounds at the center of this one, set in Rhode Island – The Brookhants School for Girls – and this part of the story starts in 1902. We get to know Clara and Flo and their obsession with a certain book by Mary MacLane and their club, appropriately called The Plain Bad Heroine Society. The school and grounds seem to be haunted (or cursed?) as bad things start happening to the students. Look out for the yellow jackets! A teacher and the principal play key roles in this part of the story too.

Another storyline features the movie world, and we meet two young actors who are making a movie about the Brookhants School and playing Clara and Flo. There’s a third woman in the mix, Merritt, an author who has written a story about the school that is the basis for the movie.

This one has a lot going on and quite a few characters, but it wrapped up in an interesting and satisfying way. I think I liked the earlier storyline more and I wish more had centered around the haunted school! Overall, this would be a good one to read for Halloween!

The narrative tone of the book is great. The use of the phrase "dear reader" asides to the reader of the book make it seem as if the reader is involved in the story and not just a passive observer. The action unfolds slowly which increases the suspense. The characters are also very relatable. Recommended.

Wow. Fully enjoyed this intense, exciting, sexy, unnerving tale. I was glued to this book and it was perfect for an October read.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book.

Rating: 3 stars
Rep: sapphic MCs.


First up, I just want to mention that I ended up listening to the audiobook for this one, courtesy of Libro, without that I 100% would’ve DNF’d, but I pushed through for the sapphics (which get a 5 star from me, everything else, not my thing).

I'm genuinely so sad that I didn’t end up loving this, it seemed to have everything I look for in a book, but the execution didn’t work for me.

I would recommend this to people that adore chunky, slow-paced books, dual timelines, mostly contemporary with a dash of the paranormal.

I thought this would be a horror/mystery type novel but that’s not really what it is. As it is, I was extremely bored throughout, especially the modern-day chapters and as this is a 600+ page book, it ended up being a bit of a slog to get through.

Overall, while “Plain Bad Heroines” wasn’t my cup of tea, I definitely understand why people love this one and I can’t wait to read more by this author in the future!

4.5 stars.
I was provided with an ARC in exchanged for an honest view.
Truly enjoyed this book- it was filled with humor and horror and queerness.
If you think you’d enjoy a book with funny footnotes and funny/ horror surrounding a haunted boarding school for girls, it’s the book for you!
It’s been some time since Danforth release Miseducation and I feel like her writing grew so much during that time. While this book is very long it’s also very worth it. Perfect October book!