Rachel Chavez is the new girl at Manchester Prep, but the reason she left her previous home and moved to New York City is something that changed her completely, turning her whole world upside down. She keeps her secrets close, even when she makes a new friend, Saundra. And, it is with this new friend, Saundra - at a party - that her time at Manchester Prep changes, too...

At a party at an abandoned building, Rachel becomes involved with a group of kids performing a mock seance of sorts, but it goes wrong and one girl gets horribly scared. In the moment, everyone assumes that Rachel is to blame... but this ultimately propels her into the secret group called The Mary Shelley Club, consisting of four other Manchester students, all of whom are completely different from one another. The point of the group is to come together and play elaborate pranks on a specific target with the one major goal of absolutely terrifying them.

It finally feels like Rachel belongs. She has found people who she can relate to and where she feels like she can finally be herself. She feels safe enough to come clean to the others in the group about what she did in her past and why she feels like she is scared of what she is capable of sometimes. But, when the pranks get more and more dangerous and ultimately get people hurt and worse, Rachel realizes she isn't having fun anymore, especially when someone begins to target the group, making things even scarier.

This was AMAZING! Sometimes you find a book that you just connect with on a strange level and everything about the book falls into place for you. That was The Mary Shelley Club for me. The individual characters are all so unique. They are each so different from one another. They come from different social classes and all have different interests. Just because they are all part of the club doesn't mean they would ever be seen together in their everyday lives. And, seeing Rachel join their group, we get the first hand account of what being a new initiate is all about and what it entails.

When things start to go really bad, Rachel has no idea who to trust. All she knows is that it seems like her past is coming back to haunt her. And they want blood! Not only did Moldavsky do a phenomenal job referencing some great scary movies, but also at crafting a twisty plot that will leave you guessing until the very end. This was superb and I will absolutely be checking out all the books written by Goldy Moldavsky!

This one sounded so good that I was excited when I saw there was going to be a blog tour for it. And in the end, it did not disappoint even a little bit! The Scream movies came out when I was first out of college and I loved them. I’ve always loved horror movies, I think I get it from both my mom and dad loving them. From when I was about 9 or 10 and my dad took me to the drive-in movies to see Friday the 13th, The Car and Blood Beach, then when he brought me back to my mom’s that night, I had nightmares all night. My mom was so mad at my dad. But I’d told him I could handle it. My mom was the one who read Stephen King books and forbid me from reading them until I remember the summer before I started high school and she just happened to leave one of her books laying around when she went to work and I picked it up and started reading it, and I was hooked!

However, I love scary books and movies. But I do not like Haunted Houses really. Not sure why, but that’s me. So I don’t know that I’d enjoy any part of the club in this book, other than the movie watching and discussions. My love of these types of stories though made this book a total winner for me! It was the perfect scary story, and would make a perfect horror movie along the same lines as the Scream series.

There was a lot of suspense and definitely tension for Rachel both with being the new girl, as well as what had happened to her at the beginning. The little bit at the beginning was even just like the beginnings of the Scream movies in its own way. And while I wanted so bad for Rachel to finally be fitting in and things to be on the upswing for her, I knew with this type of story, things weren’t going to be all roses and candy, things were going to go badly. And then did. I had a teensy inkling back of my mind though that something like what happened at the end was going on all along, but all the things I thought would prove it kept being swept away as not really happening. So the author did a great job with this!

And, the way it ended, exactly like a horror movie would end, just perfection from the beginning to the end!

First of all, thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for the advance copy of The Mary Shelley Club. I'm always on the lookout for something that might keep my horror fans engaged, and I was hoping this one would fit the bill. Though it runs a little more in the vein of suspense than horror for me, I did appreciate all of the allusions to classic horror films and the twists the story took. However, I, an admitted scared-y cat, never felt truly scared, which was great for me, but might not be as great for my die-hard horror fans. Regardless, the story of Rachel and the rest of the Mary Shelley Club is one that was interesting and fresh, so I will purchase and recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan for sending me an early copy of this to review! I’m always a fan of twisty YA thrillers, and this book definitely fit the bill. A lot of horror movie tropes come into play, making you second guess what’s coming around the corner.

Even though I kind of predicted the way the plot was going, I will admit there were some red herrings along the way. I enjoyed the journey Moldavsky brought us on, weaving in details that all come together in the very end. The characters were also very fleshed out, easily pulling us into the book and adding to the fast pacing of the overall story.

However, all the characters are definitely not likeable, especially in the little club that Rachel joins. Even if they’re a bit off-putting, they do make the story interesting and engaging. Whenever the club was pulling a prank, we got to see it from the target’s point of view, which I think helping in obscuring what was really going on. All the elements of the story worked well together to create a mystery that keeps you second guessing the entire way through.

All in all, if you like books like One of Us Is Lying, this is definitely the book for you. And with that ending, we can secretly hope that maybe a second book will come, someday!

3.5 stars
When I read horror (not often) I fully expect a creepy feeling. I had the creepy feeling very few times throughout this book. It was more of a book about high school and friendships with horror movies and cruel pranks thrown in.

The reasons behind Rachel being targeting are not defined enough for me. I needed a definite smack of “Oh. OH!” And I never got it. I’m still trying to make the pieces fit so it makes more sense.

From what I’ve learned about thriller/horror books, the best are the ones where I did not see the twist coming, where I’m slammed with the realization that I missed so much along the way. This killer was too obvious. I wanted it to be a side character that flew under the radar or someone I doubted. So while I was entertained, I wasn’t scared and I wasn’t wowed.

The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky was a very fast read for me, and it’s hard to believe it’s close to 500 pages. The way Moldavsky combined Rachel’s past trauma, the Fear Tests, the club getting together outside of school, and the usual teenage drama was a perfect mix. As a fellow horror lover, I thoroughly enjoyed all the horror references and I so wish I had a group of friends like that in high school…. At least the horror movie watching part, not so much the part where people start getting physically hurt!

Horror movies are full of tropes and the main characters fit nicely into those tropes (mean girl, broody guy, nerdy guy, final girl). Even though you knew where these characters fit, I would have liked to have seen more development with Felicity and Thayer. And while I knew who the bad person was early on (watching all those horror movies may have helped), I did enjoy their reason being basically that they are a sociopath… I love when a horror book ends, but still leaves you with questions or the possibility of a sequel. And Moldavsky executed that nicely.

For those who don’t read/watch a lot of horror, I can see this YA novel giving them some chills. And for those of us who do enjoy horror, I think you’ll like all the references and it’ll remind you a bit of a few different horror movies mashed together… which to me, was very enjoyable.

I really wish I could say more about this book - but I CAN'T.

Seriously - if you end up reading it (and you should if you love horror)you will understand my predicament. LOL

First - although labeled as YA, I think it will appeal to and is perfect for adult readers that love horror (references abound in the book).

Also Rachel. I LOVED her- she's flawed and a mystery herself...the story is mostly told from her 1st person POV; the 'Fear Tests' are 3rd and it serves the pacing well.

Overall although mostly predictable, I wasn't a huge fan of the twisty open ended ending. But the best horror often leaves us wanting a sequel, doesn't it? LOL

Rating: 3/5 horror movies you know by heart

Format: ebook. I’d like to thank the author and FierceReads for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review!

To sum up:
Rachel Chavez has been through something terrible, but she is starting fresh at Manchester Prep. As she struggles to fit in to a new school, she stumbles upon a secret club called The Mary Shelley Club. The group is devoted to horror both on screen and off. But the more she hangs out with TMSC the more her nightmares start to come to life.

What I enjoyed:
I really enjoyed the character’s love of horror movies and their dynamic was interesting! I love me some dark academia, and this definitely has a bit of that, but since the Mary Shelley Club has a rule of no fraternizing at school, the actual academic part isn’t as emphasized. I also found Rachel’s thoughts on how horror films effect her as a trauma survivor really interesting and believable.

What was meh:
I was a little disappointed with the climatic twist tbh. I won’t go into detail obviously but I wanted a something a little different than we got, and what we got I had a hard time believing. I had big looming questions about the club at the end of the book that made me feel a little annoyed and unsatisfied. I also wanted to get more depth from some of the more minor characters in the club, rather than the awkward love triangle dudes.

Overall, I thought this was a quick and fairly entertaining read. I was disappointed by the end, but if you want a pretty fun dark academia mystery, you might give this a try!

The horror references. Love of Mary Shelley. Fear tests. Swoon.
After a deadly home invasion, Rachel begins to attend Manhattan's Manchester Academy - a very elite prep school. Her friend, Saundra, convinces her to attend a school party at an abandoned old house.
Someone starts to tell the story of why the previous owners died. Then a seance. And of course load noises and wavering walls.
Rachel becomes obsessed with figuring out how it was done. And stumbles onto the Mary Shelley Club.
Yet the home invasion continues to follow her.
Suspense. Horror movie references. Friendship. Shared obsessions.
Excellent read.

YA thrillers are definitely not a genre I usually go for. I can't remember the last in the genre I've read or even if I've read one at all so signing up for this blog tour was kind of a spur of the moment decision for me. The title as well as the cover initially caught my eye and the synopsis made me sign up immediately. And guess what? I loved loved loved looooved this book. It was such a good read and I need to get my hands on more books that are similar to The Mary Shelley Club as soon as possible because WOW!

This book is about Rachel Chavez who after a horrifying ordeal becomes a horror movie enthusiast to deal with her trauma. After moving with her mom and starting as the new girl in Manhatthan Prep she gets initiated into The Mary Shelley Club where a group of her fellow students hold Fear Tests that are based on horror tropes. Each member holds a Fear Test, picking a target and trying to make them scream. The longer Rachel participates in The Mary Shelley Club the more daring and riskier it all gets.

Right from the start I was right into this book. The story made my heart pound a lot, especially because of some of the twists that I hadn't at all seen coming. None of them! There were also lots of references to horror movies and I just loved that. Rachel was honestly a great main character to read about. As soon as it started I wanted to know what exactly had happened to her in the previous year. Luckily I didn't have to wait that long to find out and get the story about what she went through.

Her fellow members of group were Freddie, Bram, Felicity and Thayer. They were all a bunch of intriguing and contrasting characters. All of them were pretty different from one another but their love for all things horror connected them. I also really liked Rachel's friend Saundra. I loved how Saundra took Rachel under her wing when she didn't know anyone in school. Such a sweet character!

Another thing I loved about this book was that it was written in Rachel's point of view except for the Fear Tests. Those chapters were in the POV of whoever was the target. I really enjoyed this particulary because it gives us a little break from Rachel's POV (not that this was needed for me) and it was also really intense and thrilling.

The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky was in one word: exhilarating. My heart was pounding a lot through the story and especially towards the end. The suspense was actually killing me. So yes I might have to read more YA thrillers!

Scream meets Gossip Girl with a dash of One of Us Is Lying.
🔪
Rachel Chavez is ready for a new start at Manchester Prep after a tragedy occurred in her past, but she’s struggling to fit in. When a prank happens at a party Rachel attends she finds out it was masterminded by a mysterious and secretive club: The Mary Shelley Club. Once Rachel gets in, it’s difficult to get out…especially when the pranks escalate. Now someone is after the club and it’s up to Rachel to find the killer by confronting her past.
🔪
So often lately I see #YA #thrillers listed “for fans of Karen McManus” because One of Us Is Lying was a #mystery masterpiece. However the comparison hasn’t rung true for every novel with this moniker on the cover…until now. When @areadingnest recommended this #book to me I figured it would be like so many others I read, but I was wrong. #themaryshelleyclub is literary, intentional, suspenseful, full of horror movie trivia and knowledge that also had me turning all the lights on in my house as I finished it tonight. This is a MUST HAVE for any secondary #library or classroom. The ending left me wanting more so I hope @goldywrites returns to this world. Thank you @netgalley for this #ARC Everyone grab your copy on Tuesday!

I’m not much of a thriller/mystery type of reader. But I have to say how amazing and how much I enjoyed reading The Mary Shelley Club. I literally read it in a day. I love watching horror films and I enjoyed all the horror references mentioned through out the books. I enjoyed the setting the mystery but especially all of the characters. Wow!! This book was just amazing. I will definitely be purchasing this book. I can’t wait to own my personal physical copy.

The Mary Shelley Club certainty has all of the aspects that I look for in a novel of this genre: endless horror movie references, a secret club, and a masked villain on the loose. The story started out quite strong but fizzled out about half way through. The characters were likeable enough and the mystery kept me guessing but the plot became too unbelievable for my liking. Additionally, the ending was much too abrupt and I was left feeling unsatisfied.

Thank you to Netgalley and Henry Holt & Company for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

📚 Friends, every single YA thriller I've ever read, I hated. I also hate horror movies, I do not like to be purposely scared. Enter THE MARY SHELLEY CLUB. Whew, I could not put this down! I had to know! I guessed wrong! I kept guessing! I trusted everyone, I trusted no one. I loved it.
📚 This book is not only a look at the weird things rich people do to keep busy, but also their classism and racism, plus an exploration of PTSD and the varying ways people cope with it.
📚 I will say, if you like your thrillers to have action on every page, this might not be it for you. But I wanted to see each club member's Fear Test, so I didn't mind a little repetitiveness because it still moved quickly.

(4.5/5)
I loved this mystery so much. The vibes that this book emanated were immaculate. I loved where the plot was taken, and that twist completely caught me off guard. The only thing I wish I could have gotten from this book was that I wish I would have gotten more attached to the characters.

This book was fantastic! If you are a horror-film lover, this book is for you. There were many references and tropes pulled from all over the field of horror films. Slashers, monsters, classics, flops, all were included, loved, and mocked (in a purely lovingly way). The story was a blend of secret societies, typical high school bullying tropes, classic horror movie scenes, revenge plots, and a murder mystery to boot. Moldavsky did a fantastic job writing creepy moments that made me have to stop and look around to make sure I was really alone, even in the daylight. The characters were an interesting mix of weird-but-not, fitting for this group. Bonus: I loved the brief mention that linked to her other book, Kill the Boy Band. It made me have a gleeful, Captain America-esque "OOH! I know that reference!" moment. Will there be more? I hope there will be. That ending could be a classic horror film spooky ending, or a lead in to a sequel, and I am hoping for the latter!

When it comes to horror movies, the rules are clear:

1. Avoid abandoned buildings, warehouses, and cabins at all times. 2. Stay together: don't split up, not even just to "check something out." 3. If there's a murderer on the loose, do not make out with anyone.

But what about real life?

Goldy Moldavsky's Mary Shelley Club begins with 16-year-old Rachel Chavez being attacked by two masked men in her home. After escaping with a move that will haunt her forever, Rachel begins her own sort of therapy by watching every horror movie that you could imagine. One year later, Rachel and her mother have moved to NYC where she is attending Manchester Prep where her mother is a teacher. She feels out of place in this new elite world, but she makes one good friend, Saundra, who tries hard to get Rachel out and socializing.

After Rachel is blamed for a prank gone wrong, she learns about a mysterious "Mary Shelley Club" and is very intrigued since she loves horror movies. Kids in the school are often overheard saying that dirt rat got me! It is apparent that this super secret club is on the same level as urban legends. Soon thereafter, Rachel finds herself as a new member of this Mary Shelley Club and finds out that the number one goal is to scare people. Each member, Freddie Martinez, Thayer Turner, Felicity Chu, and Bram Wilding, has what's called a "fear test."

The club even has its own set of rules which each member is bound to adhere to. They each have to identify a target and the rest of the group plays along with the scene that is played out for that target. The goal is to make their targets scream. The game isn't over until everyone has their turn. When the pranks start to go wrong, and it seems as if someone is trying to prank the club using their own plans against them, can Rachel find a way to leave the club behind her? For this book, each character's Fear Test gets their own chapter which is something different than other stories.


Although Rachel does some pretty twisted, horror-inspired things throughout the novel, the reader knows that most of it is fueled by her need for catharsis, and she still displays enough empathy and self-doubt to be likable. The fast-moving plot keeps you on the edge of your seat from the opening scene to the very last page. I had a bit of difficulty with the ending and here's why. Rachel learns a bunch of new things thanks to Bram. Instead of wondering if Rachel will ever be able to walk away from her past, the story just ends. I loathe open ended books but the overall story wasn't that bad. Just call Rachel the Last Girl.

You had me at Scream meets Gossip Girl.

But honestly this was so much better than those combined. The horror tropes, the empowered final girl moments that we don’t always get to see, the pranks gone wrong, the twists and the turns. Just ugh. So good. A better review to come.

But as one of my most anticipated 2021 reads — couldn’t get much better.

This is one of those books that you can't say too much due to the fear of giving something away. As a huge fan of horror and thriller movies, I was sold on this premise right away. A club formed around the idea of coming up with the scariest prank they can muster to scare their classmates? Sign me up. I mean, not literally. I don't want to scare people like that, but I'll sure read about it! :D

The book opens with a scene right out of a slasher flick before going to a time jump. Rachel Chavez, our main character, is traumatized - with good reason! - after her ordeal and just trying to keep her head down to finish school and get on with her life. Of course, that's not how things pan out and she's soon on the radar of the Mary Shelley Club. We meet Bram, Thayer, and Felicity, all of whom are your standard rich kid fare at the school (Manchester Prep), but there's also Freddie. Neither Rachel or Freddie are rich, which gives them something to bond over, and it's not long before Freddie seems like her only ally. But at some point in the book, it becomes risky to trust anyone, and I found myself thinking every single one of them was guilty at some point. I could say it's best to just try not to figure out whodunit or why, but if you're a fan of these types of books then odds are you can't stop your brain from trying to put the puzzle together.

I had mixed feelings when I first finished the book. But the more I think about it, the more I'm impressed with the story that Moldavsky weaves. Do we get to know the other characters really well? No, I can't say that we do. Is that detrimental to the story? Not at all - at one point, Rachel even acknowledges how she doesn't really know those around her and it's a moment that resonates long after the book is done. I originally gave it a 4* rating, but I couldn't get the book out of my head and actively want to read it again, so I upped my rating to 5*.

There are some good homages to classic horror flicks in my opinion, but you aren't missing out if you haven't seen them. I also thought this was going to be a standalone novel, and it definitely could be - but Moldavsky also leaves it open for sequel territory at the end, which I find very exciting.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

This book has an appeal to young audiences who like commercial horror/suspense that is light on the scare and thrill but skilled with the wondering of the narrator's perspective. For those seeking something more atmospheric and bloodcurdling, this might be a little too "light".