A college reunion brings back shocking memories that have troubled Ambrosia since she left decades ago. This is a dark twisty psychological drama about supposedly best friends - indeed an obsession that reveals startling details and a suicide or murder. What does Ambrosia's husband think about why his wife doesn't want to go to her reunion ? Who is Sully and what is her need for revenge? You won't be able to put this book down till you find out, as the pages turn faster to the stunning conclusion.

The girls are all so nice here...what a nice and warm tone that title has. Well, think again. This is the tale of deep, terrible secrets and the lengths people will go to keep their secrets in the dark. This was a gripping, page turner of a slow burn into the middle of evil. The story is a mean college girls, gone evil kind of story.

Ambrosia aka Amb, is married to Adrian and they are going about their lives like everyone else. Amb receives an invitation to her 10 year college reunion and is definitely not going. That is, until Adrian finds out and wants to go. Much to her dismay, she agrees to go. The story is told in alternating timeframes of back in the college days and the present while attending the reunion. Her dark past comes colliding with her future that she’s been so careful to keep out of her past life. She’s in a race against time to ensure Adrian doesn’t find out her dirty little secrets and who she really is. There are twists, there are turns, that will rock you. The characters were well developed, so much so that it was hard not to hate some of them. I don’t want to reveal any spoilers, but I definitely recommend this read to anyone who likes the thriller genre. You won’t be sorry.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC. I am so glad I got a chance to read this one!

Laurie Elizabeth Flynn nailed it on the psychological thriller genre. This is unlike any of the others I’ve read. Mean girls at college frat parties meet fatal attraction with a scandalous twisted partner all spiraling out of control. This book will leave your mouth gapping with all the shocking lies, deadly desires and a game played which leads to a horrible crime of deceit and death.
The twist comes with every chapter wondering if you should like, hate, or feel sorry for the main character and narrator, Ambrosia Wellington. Portrayed as a girl who gets what she wants and it happens to be a boy that belongs to someone else .... her roommate, Flora. Flora, unknowingly, becomes her victim. Instantly, you become aware of Flora’s beauty, blond hair and innocence with a very handsome boyfriend, Kevin. Ambrosia digs in with her frenemy, Sully, a very toxic relationship, to get Kevin. Evil to the core and casting in everyone’s business, Sully can make anyone do anything, so follow the leader right down to destruction.
10 years later, Ambrosia is married and living the perfect life with her husband, Adrian, until an invitation to their college reunion and a chance to stay in the old dorms. Then an anonymous message comes “We need to talk about what we did that night”.
The mystery quickly unravels leading to an epic ending I’m still trying to process. What didn’t happen did, what couldn’t happen could and lies become the truth. Maybe I’ll reread the last chapter and see if I missed something. I’m reveling in the twist of this crime. It will leave you baffled with each page turned until you realize that was the last one. 😳 Shocked by the extent of brutality these very manipulative girls will go to get what they want. Flynn has set a new standard for psychological thrillers.
Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Shuster for my advanced copy. Readers do not miss this one March 2021!
#NetGalley #thegirlsareallsonicehere

I hate to say that I DNF'd this book. While I like parts of it, the story for me was dragging and just not holding my attention.

Thank you though for the opportunity to #netgalley and the publisher

I really enjoyed the beginning of the book but my the middle I just didn't find the book very believable.. I did enjoy the college feel and how the chapter changed from the present to the past. I am a huge fan of thrillers but this book was just not for me. Thank you Net Galley for the ARC and best of luck to the author and this book.

THE GIRLS ARE ALL SO NICE HERE is n excellent, juicy, and dramatic thriller! I love books that revolve around a past crime/bad deed, and years later SOMEONE is seeking revenge! This is THAT and so much more! To say I devoured this novel would be an understatement as I was riveted and addicted from page one all the way through to the end! I highly recommend it and look forward to reading MANY more of the authors novels.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Girls Are All So Nice Here.

The premise isn't original as it features mean girls who did a terrible act in their youth and years later, at a college reunion, they realize someone knows the truth and is about to deliver a comeuppance.

It was hard to be drawn into the narrative; it became tedious very quickly; girls sowing their oats on campus, being wild and free, being their vicious, insidious selves, mostly enacted by the main characters, Amb and Sully.

I don't mind unlikable characters, but even I would like an unlikable character to have an interesting quality; smart, diabolical, clever, but Ambrosia and Sully are none of these.

As one reviewer noted, there are no explanations as to why the girls act the way they do: I understand Amb suffers from low self-esteem and is attracted to a free spirit like Sully, like how girls are attracted to bad boys.

But, why does Sloan act the way she does? Did she come from an abusive, negligent childhood? Why does Amb suffer from poor self esteem? Because her high school boyfriend cheated on her? Because she's embarrassed by her modest upbringing and wants to belong?

I understand and relate to all those reasons but the context was never fleshed out.

Ambrosia was a poorly developed caricature of a character, easily influenced by a more dominant personality, not very bright, not street smart or kind or understanding.

Her marriage to her husband, Adrian, was also unbelievable. Naturally, he's hot (because in books everyone is super gorgeous) but I didn't feel the rapport or chemistry.

I believe his character was added just so he could leave her in the end, adding to the ongoing Lifetime-y drama.

I knew whodunnit way before the meat of the story was revealed.

The writing was good, but the narrative became tedious with the constant bed hopping, party hopping, and mean girl drama and despicable behavior. The pacing of the story was sluggish and there was not much suspense/excitement overall.

If you love mean girls and their backstabbing antics, you will enjoy this. This wasn't for me.

Love love loved this book. Reminds me of college days and all the drama that comes with it, not the murdering part though lol. Anyways this was right up my alley, and it built so much suspense I had to know how it was going to turn out. Loved the mean girls take and where your morals go. Loved the twist at the end. Thanks for my copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book will haunt me forever ! Trigger warnings abound, this is an amazing look at toxic relationships, how we value “niceness” especially in women. The author takes the idea of “reinventing yourself for college “ comes to a head in this psychological thriller.

What college girl hasn't felt a bit uncertain about where she fits in or yearns for more attention? I went back 30 years and found a little bit of each of these characters in my college self. The main difference was... I was never involved in a crime, and I never knew a villain as bad as some of these girls! This was a book that kept me turning pages all night until I found out who was leaving mystery notes for Amb and Sully. Wow, what a twist!

I saw The Girls Are All So Nice Here on @netgalley and had to have it. The description sounded right up my alley. Mean girls in a college setting. A suspicious death. A love triangle. Sign me up!

Ambrosia has done everything in her power to forget her Freshman year of college. The year she roomed with Flora, who was so sweet and annoyingly innocent. Also the year she became friends with Sully, the popular, manipulative girl who Amb would do anything to impress. That year she also experienced the most traumatic event of her life and has been running from the guilt since. Amb and Sully go to their 10 year reunion and while there, they receive menacing emails from an unknown source alluding that they know what they did that year.

This is the first book I've read by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn and I am so impressed. I legit hated most of the characters (which was supposed to happen, I think 🤣) but was so caught up in the drama and wanted to know the ending. This one is jam packed with girls making terrible choices and basically sacrificing their morals for the approval of others. There is an underlying message in this book about the dangers that come with losing yourself and I appreciated it. College is hard. Girls can be brutally evil. This story is raw and at times hard to read, but so good. I can't wait to read more from Laurie!
🌟🌟🌟🌟

Thanks to #netgalley and @simonandschuster for the early copy! It is out 3/9/21! Keep your eyes out for it. 👀

I did not know what to expect with this thriller, but it was so suspenseful and twisty. It was so well written and I never knew what was coming. I was very shocked at this ending.

The story goes back and forth between present day and the past. It follows Ambrosia going back to her college for her ten-year reunion. She gets a strange note saying that she needs to come back so she can discuss what happened “that night” with someone. Something big and traumatic happened her freshman year of college and she is about to walk right back into the past she thought she’d left behind long ago.

I thought that the way the story unfolded was really well done. Between what is uncovered in the past and what is shown of the present, we are able to slowly piece together what happened and why Ambrosia is so scared to go back.

For me, I had a hard time figuring out who to root for in this story. The main characters seemed manipulative and at times diabolical. I thought it was crazy that Ambrosia would always try to push the blame off of herself. I don’t want to spoil anything but she was very tangled in the web of all of the drama, but never wanted to own up to her part in it.

The suspense was very intense, especially towards the end. However, as the story went along, the more disturbed I was by it. The characters are awful and don’t have many redeeming qualities or any ownership for what they’ve done. It was hard to read in many places. Overall, I liked the writing style and the mystery around the story.

What do east coast college reunions, mean girls, and secrets have in common? Lots of things apparently but they currently set the stage for this psychological thriller that had me on the edge of my seat from the first chapter!

A ten year reunion brings Ambrosia Wellington and Sloane Sullivan back to their old stomping grounds. College best friends with a reputation for partying and breaking hearts, the past has a way of always catching up.
Ambrosia’s roommate, Flora, tragically kills herself during their freshman year but the events surrounding her death had people questioning if it was really a suicide. Ten years have passed and someone wants to finally uncover the truth- once and for all.

I could not read this book fast enough. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, the last two chapters completely spin in a new direction that truly blew my mind. I loved the characters in this book and the retelling using past and present alternating timelines. While the book centers around hard subjects, I felt that Laurie Elizabeth Flynn does an amazing job tackling them. Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC- it truly was one of my favorite fall reads so far. Add this one to the top of you TBR list- available March 9th, 2021!

Wow! Excellent, dark psychological novel about bullying and the horrific effects it can have. Ambrosia and Sully are both returning to college for their 10 year reunion and have some answering to do. Namely about a horrible event that occurred due to their toxic bullying of another student. What the girls don’t realize is that someone is at the reunion ready to seek revenge for what they caused. Impossible to put down, well written thriller that will stay with you. Highly recommended.

Wow. That is my review. Just wow.

Ambrosia Wellington, theatre student at Weslyan in one time line, wife & returning alumni in the other. The story weaving its way back and forth throughout to uncover what happened on a terrible night in Ambrosia's (Amb to her friends) freshman year. While in college, Amb is caught in her desire to be someone she is not. She is also caught between her roommate Flora, a sweet girl who see's Amb as her best, and Sully, a girl whose roommate believes she is crazy, and who does not like Flora one bit. Sully is pretty wild and Flora is tame. Sully parties and Flora stays home. Sully sleeps with every guy she sees and Flora only sleeps with her boyfriend. Amb wants to be adored by Sully and will do just about anything to remain in her good graces, even turning on the people Sully sees as beneath her. Before the year is over, terrible things happen, which haunt Amb until she eventually returns to Weslyan for her 10th reunion at the behest of someone who sends her a note stating that she needs to come to the reunion, as they needs to talk. She goes, even though she is fearful of what the talk will be about. She goes, even though she does not know who sent her the message. She goes, even though her husband knows nothing about what happened that year of college. She goes, even though she knows it might not be in her best interest. Truly... it might not be in her best interest at all.

This is one of the best thrillers I have read in a long time. It is truly one of those books that you cannot put down. I read it in two days. I was gripped by the college antics and the mystery of "who did it?" The character of Amb is both frustrating the read and also easy to understand - who did not want to be adored by the girl or girls they thought were cool in college. Hard not to feel for her, and understand some of the decisions that she made. Her roommate Flora is an extremely likable character, as well. She is the cheerleader of the floor, the psych student that everyone wants to talk to. Sully is the character you love to hate... you know she is up to no good, but you cannot help but want to see what she gets up to next. The story is one that you will not quickly forget, and one I highly recommend you pick up!

*Spoilers ahead* - This book started off promising - dark secrets emerging at a college reunion, the juxtaposition of chapters between past and present, a forbidden love.

But in the end it tried too hard - tried too hard to make certain characters all good and others all bad, practically screaming at the reader - hey, the main characters are mean girls! It lost some of it's luster along the way and I did not believe the obsession our main character, Amb, had with either the boy she was supposed to love - Kevin - or the girl she was supposed to emulate - Sully.

Also - are we really supposed to believe there are 2 serial killers at the same reunion for a smallish liberal arts college?

With some editing and less telling, more showing, this could be a more intriguing tale but as it stands - it was tough to get the motivation to finish.

Special thanks to @netgalley and @simonbooks for an advanced copy of this intense book!
The girls are not nice so don’t believe the title. I read this book so fast just so I could find out what happened. I’d love to say how likable and relatable the characters are but they just aren’t...but it made the book so much more interesting. This one played with my emotions.

I really enjoyed this book. The characterization was very detailed, and because of that I kept wondering why Ambrosia was so drawn to Sully. I was also surprised at the ending!

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Ambrosia Wellington received an invite to her college 10 year reunion with a note indicating that someone wants to talk about a college roommates death ten years ago. Ambrosia put her college years behind her and is trying to move on. This book was well written and kept me interested from the very start.