Overall this was an enjoyable read. I felt there were some aspects that were a bit unbelievable, and not sure I totally bought who the bad guy ended up being, but the book and plot kept me engaged

A fun addition to the YA murder mystery genre. Lots of twists, but still grounded enough to be somewhat believable.

I can see this book being a movie being played by beautiful actors. This story was very intriguing and felt a bit new. Which is a hard accomplishment given the genre.

The MC Rachel was very goth and angst teen very understandable given her previous awful experience. Like any trauma person she seems to ignore red flags and run straight into the hands of danger.

Now the killer is very predictable but not all of the plot can be guessed which is a great thing.

All and all a worthwhile time reading this book.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this gem.

I received a free e-ARC of The Mary Shelley Club thanks to Fierce Reads in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

When I got the email that I’d won an arc of this book, y’all, I was so excited. The synopsis for this sounded so good and I’m always down for a good thriller-mystery.

In this book we follow Rachel, new to Manchester Prep after an attack at her home leaves her needing a new start. Struggling to fit in, she finds herself drawn to the mysterious and secretive Mary Shelley Club, where members find pleasure in scaring others. But as these members soon find out when they become the target of the pranks, alls fair in pranks and fear.

I really enjoyed this book. The plot was interesting and I enjoyed the journey we took throughout the book. I would have liked to get more character background on a few of the characters in the story, but overall what we were given was sufficient.

Moldavsky did an excellent job showcasing the dynamics of the different members of the group, as well as the different members of the school. We can see how socioeconomic status impacted various interactions and consequently the group and group members’s agenda.

The ending was not quite what I was expecting. I didn’t see part of it coming–which isn’t a bad thing, it just surprised me a little. It was sort of open-ended, which left room for a possible sequel. I think a sequel to this book would be interesting.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mysteries, horror movies (or not—I don’t and still enjoyed this book!), and books where you don’t know who you can trust.

The Mary Shelley Club is available for purchase, so hurry to get your copy today!

Creepy and twisty, The Mary Shelley Club when I was looking for a thriller to curl up with as winter came to an end. The horror scenarios the Club came up with were appropriately horrifying and became more so once they seemed to be getting out of control. Rachel was a great heroine to follow and I was rooting for her the whole way. Thrillers and mysteries are really popular with teens at my library, so this will be right up their alley.

Wow! What a great book from Goldy Moldavsky! I am a sucker for prep school teenage drama and this book did not disappoint. The drama, the romance, the twists and turns.... everything was perfect. I pride myself on figuring out the twists before they occur, but I couldn't with this one. I had my hunches, but never got to the complete answer. I love how she pieced everything together so seamlessly. I highly recommend this book and look forward to more books by Moldavsky!

I was disappointed with Kill the Boy Band, but decided to pick up this one because of the title and the premise. I was hooked almost from the get go. I wanted to know what drove these girls to play there horrific pranks on their peers, but somewhere along the way the book lost its steam and I realized that I expected something deeper than what the author delviered.

I received an ARC from the publisher to review. My opinions of my own. Let's just start with the fact that I am in NO way good at Clue. At one point I really thought I had the book figured out but Goldy put in twists that I just did not expect. I was extremely impressed. Let's just say I was so creeped out I slept with the light on after finishing this book. Goldy made sure every thread was tied. As the book was coming to an end I began remembering little things that had happened and it actually all had an answer and made sense. This book is a huge mind fuck if we're being honest. I loved the whole idea of this story, it was unique and well thought out. Equal parts scary, creepy and just generally a good story. I've attempted to read other books by Goldy but this book is the one. Highly recommend to anyone looking for a thrill and some chills! This will be the next Tik Tok read guaranteed (I'm really old and don't actually know what that means but I know it means it'll be popular for a hot minute)

I requested this hoping it was something that could be added to my popular Dark Academia YA and adult book list.

Upon reading it, I don't think it fits the bill as Dark Academia. But it was a fun and fast-paced story, more like Gossip Girl with horror elements. A girl who was traumatized during a home invasion moves with her mom from the suburbs to New York City and enrolls at a private school near the Met steps. She lives in Brooklyn (hello Dan) and feels a bit out of place.

When she hears about a mysterious prank club, she talks her way in but is soon feeling like things are getting way out of control.

This had a cool (though not entirely unexpected) twist and was a quick and enjoyable read that was touch darker than the typical YA thriller.

Okay so first off, I read this in one sitting!

I really liked all the characters. for the most part they were done well. they were mostly lively and likable even the ones that really weren't, I enjoyed them still. They all had their secrets and unreliability. Unreliable people are my fav haha.

There are so many references to horror.. lots of movie names are dropped down and they have discussions and I really like that aspect. There were some great one-liners too.

Sadly there was a lot of just drama and angst mixed in to the cool horror element aspect that I've never have read before. But you have to keep in mind it is YA novel so that's to be expected. It did start to fall a little down for me in the middle but not by a lot. And I wasn't a big fan of the ending but again considering it's a young adult book and I am no longer a young adult, I really really enjoyed this one. I kept turning the page, I even laughed a little bit at parts.

I don't know this was just the book I needed at the moment. it was such a fun and different horror book and very different for a YA horror book. I was engaged throughout the whole thing even when it went a bit slow in the middle. So yeah this was just so good to me. fun and easy to get sucked into and devour. I'd highly recommend it, though I can see why some people may not like it as much as I did. It was by no means perfect especially with that ending but considering it was a young adult novel it did really well and I can't wait to read more from this author if her books continue to be so cool with these awesome horror elements.

The Mary Shelley Club gives a fantastic blend of a high-school prank storyline with cheesy slasher vibes. Both of which I am almost always bound to quickly devour and enjoy. This was no exception.

The story follows new girl Rachel, who has moved to a new school to escape a terrible past. Her goal is to drown herself in horror movies and graduate quickly. But it doesn't take long before she is swept up in an underground club that pairs her love of horror with real life application.

Of course, this is bound to go wrong.

The story itself is a ride. While incredibly tropey in the ways you expect, it also has an underlying mystery element that will keep the reader guessing. There is a heavy lean into classic horror movies and scenes, which will great for any hard-core fans. But it isn't so reliant on these references to feel tacky or leave unknowing readers confused or left behind.

Overall, The Mary Shelley Club is a quick and engaging fiction, perfect for a one-sitting binge.

I loved this book so much! Rachel experienced a traumatic experience in her past and has moved to a new school to make a fresh start. She doesn’t really fit in at her new, super preppy, fancy school so Rachel is really surprised when she stumbles upon a secret society called the Mary Shelley Club, a group of like minded individuals who love horror movies. Will this be the best thing that’s ever happened to her? Or the worst?

This was the YA thriller I was looking for. Just spooky enough to make your skin crawl a little as you read.



Goldy Moldavsky was born in Lima, Peru, and grew up in Brooklyn, where she still lives. Her novels include the New York Times bestseller, KILL THE BOY BAND, NO GOOD DEED, and the upcoming THE MARY SHELLEY CLUB (Henry Holt Books, 2021); her love of 80s movies, 90s boy bands, and horror flicks hugely influences her work. She can be found on Twitter and Instagram @goldywrites.

The Mary Shelley Club is a young adult thriller that has a lot of pop culture references to the horror genre. It's fun. It's nostalgic at times. And it's also a really intriguing idea that plays out in a way that will leave you anxious for more.
I personally loved all of the mentions of different horror movies. As someone who grew up obsessing over everything scary and spooky, this book was perfect for me. I was especially thrilled to see a nod to Funny Games (and that infamous remote scene). Ugh. Such a good movie.
Anyway...
The story follows Rachel Chavez, a teenage girl who survived a home invasion and is now attending a fancy-pants prep school for rich, elite, snobby kids. Her mom works there, so she has an in, even though she's nowhere near the stratosphere the other students live in. Her only friend is a girl named Saundra. Saundra is a bit of a gossip, and kinda one-note (in her obsession with Bram) at times, but she's loyal and an overall good person.
Rachel feels like an outsider not only because she's not rich, but also because she loves horror movies and no one else seems to. She's an outcast and a loner...until she discovers a secret club at the school.
Finding her way into the Mary Shelley Club, Rachel joins with Bram, Freddie, Felicity, and Thayer as they nerd out over horror movies and plan some silly pranks to play on unsuspecting members of the school.
At least that's how it starts. But Rachel's desire to fit in with the group starts to crumble as the pranks escalate, and things slowly start to spiral out of control. And when one prank goes too far, Rachel's past comes back to haunt her.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was the perfect blend of suspense with a bit of mystery and romance thrown in. And as I mentioned before, all of the references to the horror genre made my morbid little heart go pitter-patter in my chest.
I found myself drawn to Rachel. She was like my spirit animal throughout the whole book. The obsession with horror, the desire to fit in with people, the not being a rich elitist like everyone else... it reminded me of myself when I was that age.
I also really liked Saundra, and, strangely enough, Thayer and Bram too.
The plot is easy enough to get sucked into, and it flows along at a nice pace. I didn't want to put it down, although real life got in the way quite a bit while I was reading. It's definitely an exciting read.
If you're a fan of YA horror/thrillers reminiscent of Scream or I Know What You Did Last Summer, give The Mary Shelley Club a whirl.
5 stars!

When I saw Goldy Moldavsky’s The Mary Shelley Club, I knew I had to read it. I have seen Scream many, many times. I am a huge fan of horror. I introduced my oldest daughter to it and we would bond through watching horror movies, so I loved that Rachel and her mother would watch the films together. The Mary Shelley Club is a love letter to horror movies. I was pleasantly surprised that I had seen nearly all the movies mentioned. I loved Rachel. Even in her fear, she was very brave. I liked the idea of the club, but it blows my mind that all these juniors are able to sneak out so easily at night. The teenagers, overall, are very believable. This is an author who got the dialogue right. You could tell these characters were teens and not 30 year olds trying to be teens. I am hoping with the way this book ends that this will be a series. This is now a must read author for me. Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan Children’s Publishing Group for the copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Rachel hopes that her new school will help her escape the trauma from a home invasion, and finds her place in the Mary Shelly Club. This club plays an insidious game where they prank and scare their classmates. Of course things with the club aren’t all that they seem. It’s a tense YA thriller and reasonably well crafted. Chock full of horror movie references, which is my particular guilty pleasure, but unfortunately the ending isn’t satisfying. It’s a set up for a sequel, which some may enjoy, but I always find disappointing.

What a trip! This book was all horror, all the time. The movie horror references were great, I even found a few that I haven seen. The writing was well done and kept me immersed in the book so much that I didn't want to put it down. It did give me a kind of 'Breakfast Club' vibe in that the club consisted of those cliques that wouldn't get along in the real world. This could be an urban legend in the making. I also thought the author was spot on with the ending, wrapped it up nice but left a slight opening for more books (I hope). Recommend for horror lovers of all shapes and sizes.

"So what does a person do when they're fairly convinced there is a masked killer out to get them? They go back to high school Monday morning."
Kudos to Goldy Moldavsky! As a huge fan of horror movies this is the first time I have read one so spot on. If this is not made into a teen slasher there is no justice in the movie making industry. The cast of Scream was constantly in my mind as I read this. In a good way as I love that movie for all of it's originality and humor. I'm not a huge fan of YA but chose to read anyway due to the synopsis. It really couldn't have been written any other way. Twists, turns, backflips and masks... those lovely masks were everywhere. Peg your jeans and wear a side ponytail and enjoy this ride. Such a fun read!! Thank you to Henry Holt & Company as well as Netgalley for the ARC of this title.

Wow! Goldy Moldavsky has done it again. I was a huge fan of her book “Kill the Boy Band” because of its unique styling and voice. “The Mary Shelley Club” is another fresh voice in YA horror and suspense.

Rachel has just moved to the new school of Manchester prep after a very traumatic even that ended in the death of one of her peers. She is trying to get used to this new place and finds herself a part of The Mary Club. This is a secret club for fans of horror. Each member of the club conducts a fear test with the goal of having their target scream. Test after test happens but each one ending up more serious then the last. Something more sinister is happening...

I enjoyed the fast pace and getting to know more about the MSC. About halfway through I did start to feel uncomfortable with the events that were happening, but I think that was the point. After the death of one of Rachel’s friends I was wondering where the story was going. But then chapter 51 HIT ME SO HARD. When it all came together I was left with more questions, so I hope this means there will be a sequel. I would love to see more about Rachel and the MSC. I would recommend this book to anyone that loves horror, thriller, or suspense novels.

This was SO GOOD! I'm usually very picky about thrillers - especially YA thrillers - but I had a good feeling about this one and it did not disappoint on any level! If you're fan of 90's horror, this book is for you. Not only does this have amazing classic horror/suspense vibes, but it also has an amazing teenage cast and plenty of twists and turn to keep you on the edge of your seat.

This book does not shy away from anything - so content warnings for bullying (excessive and detailed), death/murder, drugs, and assault

I really loved this cast of characters. Literally everyone in here is unlikeable and unreliable - because they're teenagers. But it was so fascinating being in their heads and lives and following them through this terrifying pranks.

This club was such a fantastic and unique twist to modern horror. I loved how Goldy Moldavsky used classic elements to create something that felt wholly new and fresh. This has so many nods to classic horror without falling into stale or overused tropes. Every time I thought I knew where this was going something would take me by surprise.

It's been a long time since a book has made me vocally gasp, but this book made it happen TWICE. I loved the ride this book took me on and I really (really) hope that the author is able to write more in this world! I want so many more books with the Mary Shelley Club!

This review is live on Goodreads and will be posted to my blog on 4/21 @ 9am

I really enjoyed this book and it left you guessing all the way up until the very end. I love when books make you think you have it all figured out way too easily, to the point where it seems obvious and almost gets annoying, then it surprises you at the very end and is nothing what you thought it would end up being. Great YA read with a lot of awesome horror references.