The novel begins with Rachel being attacked in her home by two attackers. Then, fast forward a little to Manchester Prep, where Rachel and her mom moved to have a fresh start. Rachel is trying to deal with her anxiety and attempting to fit in, but since arriving at her new school she's been struggling. That is until she discovers the secret club, The Mary Shelley Club, that performs pranks trying to outprank the others within the club to win a competition. As time goes on, Rachel begins to realize not all is what it seems and their club is being targeted by someone causing their pranks to go horrendously wrong. Their game has now become a life or death competition with their lives along with their friends on the line if they can't discover who is behind it. This is a well-written YA thriller that was a little predictable but had the perfect amount of twists to keep you guessing. Heads-up: the ending seemed to be left open for a continuation so hopefully that means there will be a next book!

This is a Young Adult novel, written about teens, but aside from a bit of friendly stabbing has no overt sexuality or gratuitous gore that would keep it from the hands of a younger reader. I found the opening chapter awkwardly written, with lots of cool-speak, but that is quickly remedied and shakes out to become a fast-moving whodunit thriller in the vein of I Know What You Did Last Summer.

The ending is satisfying. It isn’t some random character out of nowhere. The narrative allows you to keep your suspicions till the end, throwing in a few extra possibilities that, while this game is wrapped up, allows Rachel’s story to have a sequel.

Full Review on AwakeatMidnight.com

THE MARY SHELLEY CLUB is a phenomenal YA thriller, perfect for fans of Karen M. McManus and Holly Jackson!

I absolutely loved Goldy's writing; the plot was extremely well executed, and the writing flowed very well. Goldy threw in so many amazing and horrifying plot twists, I had to do a double take to make sure those were the words on the page. Goldy did an excellent job incorporating scare factors into this story; it read like a horror movie, and I was hooked from the start.

Rachel Chavez is such a phenomenal main character; she was a force to be reckoned with, and I loved how Goldy wrote her. I really appreciated how the author wrote about Rachel's trauma, healing, and grief, and how she normalized the importance of therapy and coping skills with Rachel's character arc.

The second half of this book was a wild ride, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I did not expect any of the plot twists, and I wasn't able to figure out/solve the mystery, which I think is indicative of how amazing Goldy's writing is. The ending left me reeling, and I have been thinking about it ever since I finished reading.

All around, this is a FANTASTIC YA thriller that is perfect for fans of horror and horror movies - Mary Shelley would be proud of this.

The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky was a FANTASTIC read. I loved this YA thriller and couldn't put it down. This book was such a wild ride and it kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat until the final pages. I went into this book pretty blind to the plot, so I won't give away much! I recommend that you just take the plunge and pick this one up immediately!

A brief and minimal overview: Rachel is a new student at the prep school after suffering a trauma a year prior. Rachel copes with her trauma by taking pleasure in all things horror. At her new school, she encounters the super secret Mary Shelley Club, a society of students that play a game based on fear, pranks, and movie tropes. The stakes are high and the game becomes increasingly more intense.

I loved the horror movie references, the building tension, and the unique scenarios that were part of the game. The characters were unique and developed but maintained some mystery, which helped to keep me questioning everything as I read. This book was thrilling and engaging and I absolutely loved it. I will definitely be reading Moldavsky's back-list!

I was fortunate to receive an ARC of this title from the publisher via NetGalley which did not affect the contents of my voluntary review. All opinions are honest and my own.

“Fear strips that away. It’s the great equalizer. And when you’re truly scared, there’s nowhere to hide—no private school, no popularity, no trust fund. It’s just you and your most base emotion. Fear is where the truth lies.”

Despite the length of this book, I flew through it. The pacing kept me on my toes the entire time, and although some of the plot twists at the end became predictable, the novel was addicting.

From the start, the reader knows that the protagonist Rachel Chavez has experienced a traumatic event—which is why she transfers to Manchester Prep, a wealthy private school where her mother is a teacher—but the details of her trauma are only gradually revealed. At her new school, Rachel catches the attention of the Mary Shelley Club, a small, secret group of students who love horror and work to scare the student body through elaborate pranks known as Fear Tests.

Rachel was a decently compelling main character (though I questioned the rationale behind some of her impulsive choices), and I liked the scenes between Rachel and her mother and Rachel and her friend Saundra. Although these scenes were fleeting, their relationships felt loving and genuine—even if it physically hurt me for Rachel’s mother to be so oblivious. On the other hand, I wasn’t much of a fan of Rachel’s quasi-love triangle. I could see the chemistry between Rachel and the boys as friends, but her romantic feelings for them weren’t explored enough for me to really believe them.

“We were doing something bad and it felt so good.”

Something else that The Mary Shelley Club did well was the incorporation of socioeconomic status. Rachel’s classmates’ wealth played into her social isolation, and I loved how the author portrayed the clash between their rich world and the rest (for example, there was a scene where the students misbehaved at a party, and Rachel noted how a faceless someone else would be responsible for cleaning their mess). On the internal side, I also thought Rachel’s struggle between being “normal” and being a “monster” was well-executed. 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.

Lastly, I really liked how the events of the Fear Tests were told from the perspective of the targets. This allowed the reader to experience the fear firsthand rather than revealing all of the logistical secrets right away. However, my main issue with The Mary Shelley Club was that I felt like Rachel’s own Fear Test was glossed over. The plot seemed to jump from her discussing her idea to the characters executing the plan very fast when I think the psychological implications of Rachel designing a Test similar to her own trauma could have been explored further. Toward the end, I had a hard time believing the sudden twists concerning some of the side characters while other reveals felt predictable. I did love the first three-quarters of the book, but I think some of the expository and relationship-building scenes could’ve been sacrificed in order to maintain that level of detail in the last quarter.

That said, I was engaged the entire time, and the suspense and mystery just kept climbing right up until the climax. If you’re looking for a fast-paced, psychologically thrilling YA mystery, The Mary Shelley Club is for you.

I think The Mary Shelley Club might have the most horror movie references that I have ever read inside a book, seriously. If you're someone who loves or has a lot of knowledge about both old and modern horror movies, then this book is the perfect comfort read. While it may not deliver the best scares, the characters, setting, and instantly grabbing concept make a book that could easily be read overnight.

What I enjoyed the most is how The Mary Shelley Club had a very structural storyline. We have this secret club with a couple of members who have to scare their "target" victim with a carefully constructed setup. In between we learn more about Rachel as tensions and suspicions slowly begin to rise among the anonymous group.

Maybe a weird topic of conversation, but I haven't read that much of Young Adult Slashers, so I'm not really sure where they draw the line in terms of gore and such. While this book does prey on some pretty big fears like home invasion, the sequences or chapters where the club is encroaching on their target were hit or miss for me in terms of how creepy it was. Surprisingly, there was a lot more emphasis on the mystery or the whodunit factor of the book.

An easy-to-read slasher for those who might want to test their horror pop culture knowledge, this book should be on your radar!

Review to come in April (14th) during the blog tour.

I received this book from the publisher/tour host in exchange of an honest review.

This was one of my most OMG I NEED TO READ books of 2021 and I am so happy I got to read it earlier. I absolutely flew through the book, it was just what I needed. A book with a dash of romance, with horror movies, pranks, and tons of exciting moments. Oh, and a big twist! Throughout the book I will use spoiler tags. I really need to talk about those things, so don't click on things unless you want to know all or most as I will still be vague.

Meet Rachel, a year ago the girl went through something horrific and she has now moved to another part of New York to get away from it all. She gets a chance to start all over again, though I did agree that maybe a fancysmancy school is not the way to go. Haha. But she finds out something when during a party there is a prank. I loved how she found the Mary Shelley Club. More on that in a bit. I really loved Rachel. She was a fun and sweet girl, and my heart broke that she had to go through something horrific. I loved how she clicked with Saundra who was totally an opposite for this new Rachel. I did have to say that as the book went on I wanted to shake Rachel at times for the decisions she made [spoiler] for instance her Fear Test, in which she lets a girl who bullies her go through a similar kind of thing that Rachel went through a year ago, I found it very disgusting and a big WTF. I am glad that someone else of the club also mentioned it and I wished that Rachel had listened....[spoiler].

I loved the idea of a club about horror and pranks. The pranks I am maybe a bit on the fence on, I do like the idea of pranking people and I do love that they used horror tropes to make a prank work, but I am still unsure if it is so kind. I mean a prank should be fun for all parties, not just the one doing it. And in this one our club goes pretty far to get their revenge on people they aren't a fan of. But I do love the club and love that they love horror. While, I am not such a big horror buff as they are and I probably would have gotten the punishment for being scared all the time, I still would have loved to join and watch the movies and talk about horror movies. I also love that the club is called the Mary Shelley club and that we get tons of information about her and the whys of the club being named with her name. Haha, hope that makes sense, I am quite tired while writing this review.

The various characters: Saundra, she was just the best, and I really liked her. She is funny and while I am normally not a big fan of gossips, I still loved that she magically knew all the rumours, all the little tidbits on everyone. Felicity, who was pretty horrible throughout the book. I had kind of hoped that the girl would bond over their love for horror. For spooky things. Instead Felicity keeps being a bitch, later we understand her feeling a bit more... but still. Girl, please. Bram, I am still not sure on my feelings about him. On the one hand, cute guy and I recognise the doing various masks for various people, I do the same thing. I am only myself with myself. But on the other hand.. Bram was frustrating with how he acted. How cold he was. Thayer, I don't really have much to say about this guy. I don't know... I am neutral towards him. Freddie, OMG I just loved that guy, he was my favourite and [spoiler] I hate (but also love because it was so well-written) that he turned out to be a manipulative little rat.[/spoiler]. Despite, as you can see, not being a fan of most of the characters, for some reason it worked for me. It made me all the more curious about them and made me more invested in the story. Funny how that works!

The book begins with a scary scene and it ends with it as well. Throughout the book we get a great build-up to the finale and the author did a great job on it, though maybe it could have started a bit earlier than 60%. :P

Throughout the book I had 2 suspects. One quite soon, the other came in a bit later. Two suspects and one who could be the culprit. I had various theories on why someone would make the pranks go too far, and while in the end I was wrong on a few of my theories, I did manage to get some things right which had me squeeing in delight. YAS. Plus, I love love it when authors make it seem like it is totally x or y character but then BOOM no it was actually q! Haha!

The beginning of the book was super exciting, and while I was sad that we didn't find out what happened to Rachel immediately, we do get hints and quite soon she tells us (or well the club) what has happened. That poor thing! I just wanted to hug her during that moment, how horrific that she had to go through that. [spoiler] Now a spoiler, because I NEED to discuss this but I don't want to spoil it to all. We find out in the end that Matthew was part of a Mary Shelley Club chapter, namely the Long Island one. SHOCK! While I was thinking it may just be that, I quickly shook that thought away because who in the hell would go into a house of someone for a fear test? Break in? WTF? I was pretty pissed at Freddie, and I am pretty pissed thinking that there may be no rest for Rachel because as we learn, a Fear Test is never done alone... Really, wtf people? You break into a house, get a knife, and then you get pissed at someone when self-defence is used and someone dies? She didn't know it was a test. She thought she would die. She thought she would be broken and dead for her mom to find. Sorry, do you want her to just lie there and undergo that? Fuck that. Screw you couple of *insert some more words that are very angry*. This poor girl is broken. She has nightmares. She feels guilty and bad. She tries to douse herself in murder and horror just to get rid of the fear. She didn't murder your friend. He died because he made a horrible and terrible decision. [/spoiler]

All in all, I really really liked this one. I just flew through in one bit, it was that amazing, I couldn't stop. I had to know more. I could probably talk more and more about this book, but I think I have said the most important things. I would highly recommend this book to all.

"New York Times-bestselling author Goldy Moldavsky delivers a deliciously twisty YA thriller that's Scream meets Karen McManus about a mysterious club with an obsession for horror.

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

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

If only surviving in real life were this easy...

New girl Rachel Chavez turns to horror movies for comfort, preferring stabby serial killers and homicidal dolls to the bored rich kids of Manhattan Prep...and to certain memories she’d preferred to keep buried.

Then Rachel is recruited by the Mary Shelley Club, a mysterious society of students who orchestrate Fear Tests, elaborate pranks inspired by urban legends and movie tropes. At first, Rachel embraces the power that comes with reckless pranking. But as the Fear Tests escalate, the competition turns deadly, and it’s clear Rachel is playing a game she can’t afford to lose.

It's like an even more meta/slasher version of Scream!

I really enjoyed this YA. The way the author incorporated well known horror story names as the characters. I never knew it was a female who wrote Frankenstein.

I was thrown for a twist at the end. I was set on thinking Bram was the killer and the one behind everything.

Definitely recommend if you like all types of scary movies especially the movie Scream. This book reminded me of it. This club sounds like something I would of been apart of in highschool but of course it went way to far in the end.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this!

hings I liked
1. The characters – aka the Mary Shelley Club. I think the characters in here played very well in some well known horror movie tropes – the outsider (Rachel), the smart and cold one (Felicity), the jock (Bram) and his preppy girlfriend (Lux). Still, they had an interesting dynamic and it was very easy to connect with them, mostly because we also want Rachel to have a friend group and something she can be a part of.

2. The horror elements were on point. This book is SCARY, y’all. In the first chapter, we already have a scene that had me on the edge of my seat, where one of the character keeps telling “scary stories” to others at a party. I did not expect to feel super scared right away, but it happened, and the suspense got more intense as the book went on.

3. Discussions of economic disparity and trauma. Rachel went through something in her past that still affects her to this day, and I appreciate how the author talked about this as an on-going issue that shows up in the form of nightmares, sometimes visions and intrusive thoughts. Rachel is also not rich like her peers, which made the dynamic between her and Freddie – the only one in the group who’s also Latinx and poor – even more believable because of the way they related to one another and thought of themselves as a “team” amongst the group.

Things I disliked
I think my issue with the book turned out to be the pacing. I feel like the middle dragged and I wish the ending had been more fleshed out, but then again, it may be because there’s a sequel on the way. I wouldn’t be opposed to it, as I feel like there’s still a lot to explore within the Mary Shelley Club and what we grow to learn about it by the end of the book. I also think there was potential for the exploration of grief on top of Rachel’s trauma.

Overall...
I was surprised by how much I was able to take from the story. This reads sometimes as a love letter to horror movies, so if you’re a fan of those, you’ll probably enjoy this one even more than I did, as some references really went over my head, lol.

As far as the Latinx representation, I appreciate how the author touched on it (with the dynamic between Rachel and her mom, as well as Rachel and Freddie being the ‘outcasts’ of the group), but also didn’t make this the only trait of either one of the characters and they had much more to offer.

The Mary Shelley Club was a good YA horror novel. I say that lightly because it wasn’t ya know, realistic.. and it was rather predictable but I was still into it! It was like, Gossip Girl + Scream. And I am all about scared, rich NYC kids peeing their pants at parties.

So anyway:
Rachel has had a pretty rough time. After surviving a gruesome home invasion she is trying to live a normal teen life at a new prep school in NYC. She finds solace in a society that call themselves, the Mary Shelley Club. This mysterious club pull pranks on classmates that align with popular horror movie tropes. That is, until the game goes too far. DUN DUN DUUUN

This was a fun book. I don’t know why but it reminded me of Jumanji but the game involved horror pranks and not large rhinos. Although a stampede of rhinos would be rather horrific. That would be a painful way to go.

The characters in the book were ok but no one had a huge amount of depth. I suppose it wasn’t really about that though... I could see this book being a Freeform show like Pretty Little Liars.

If you like scary movies this book is for you! This novel by Goldy Moldvasky is out April 13, 2021. Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillianusa for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

The Mary Shelley Club is a fun YA thriller that follows a group of five very different teenagers in a secret club that celebrates and appreciates the horror genre and orchestrates fear tests for each member. The aim of the tests is to pick a target, and create a scenario that will scare the target into screaming. Each member must do one and a winner is picked for doing the best fear test.
When the fear tests take a dark turn though, new girl Rachel starts to wonder if there is a darker side to the club or if her own personal past is haunting her.
***
I grew up on R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike. Those books, where you’re wondering which character introduced is the person haunting your main character, the psychological thrill of trying to stay one step ahead of someone haunting your footsteps. Is it paranoia, or is someone really out to get you?
That’s what I really liked about this book.
The first bit of it was kind of a slog as we built up to Rachel finding out about the club and building a rapport with the other club members and witnessing the fear tests in action. But then Rachel starts to notice things are not right. Is it just her? Is she jumping at shadows?
Just last year, before Rachel moved to this new school, she was attacked in a home invasion and when the masked man chased her with a knife they wrestled over it and the man was killed in the incident. She turned to horror movies after the incident and tried to take comfort in dramatized horror, hoping it’d help steel her against the horror she herself had faced. It has only kind of helped.
***
I can’t say I really liked any of the characters to be honest, but the story was told really well and once things kick in, they really kick in. If you’re looking for a quick read thriller I’d definitely recommend this. Easy 3.5 stars, rounded up for goodreads rating.
***
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
***

Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein, is the inspiration for the title and genre of The Mary Shelley Club (TMSC). It is a YA Thriller that you won't want to miss, especially if you love horror movies. Five eclectic teenagers who don't belong together become and unlikely group. The characters: Rachel the new kid, Freddie the nerd, Bram the jock, Felicity the dark outcast, and Thayer whose family is on the fast track to be the next "Obamas." The group is a club, The Mary Shelley Club which meets in secret and focuses on playing pranks, that is, until a prank goes too far. Now, with Rachel staring at her troubled past in the face, she must face her fear and secret before it kills her...literally.

Admittedly, I am not a horror fan, at all. I don't like being scared, and I am incredibly jumpy. My husband constantly scares me by just entering a room. I don't do scary movies or books. I love suspense and thrillers but I'm usually not scared. I was hesitant to request this ARC for that reason. Oddly enough, I enjoyed reading this one. Luckily, TMSC left out the gore that most horror movies and books have. While the gore was left out, the book did not skimp on the suspense. I felt anxious, scared, and was on the edge of my seat for the entirety of the book.

The book is well written, the characters have depth, and while reading, I had no idea what was coming next. Not being able to predict the ending was a nice change of pace. I enjoyed the writing style, even though the writing included some fluff and irrelevant details. It was a quick read, and I never felt dread when I had to read it.

In other reviews it compares TMSC to Karen McManus, who I love. While McManus is great, this was different, and dare I say better? Romantically speaking, I was rooting for some characters, then other ones, and finally at the end solidified my choice. I am praying for a sequel that expands on these relationships.

This is a great read, especially during Halloween, or anytime you are looking for a fast, suspenseful, spooky read. I, however, do not recommend reading it alone or in the dark. I am excited for her to write another one... I'm thinking there could be a sequel. TMSC is set for publication on April 13, 2021.

Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan for the opportunity to read this book before its April on sale date. I don't typically gravitate towards suspense/psychological thrillers but the title Mary Shelley called out to this old Victorian Lit major so I thought I'd check this book out. This was a fun read with all of the pop culture references and tropes. The characters are so flawed that you like & dislike them at the same time. The author did a great job creating the atmosphere for the fear tests and pranks that it felt believable. A minor complaint would be the ending felt a bit rushed and I felt jinxed somehow but it didn't take away my enjoyment of the story.

This has been the first book I've read in a while that isn’t a romance to have me hooked to the pages by the end of the novel. I finished reading this earlier than I anticipated because I really wanted to know once and for all who the culprit behind everything that happened was. I may have rated this 3.5 stars but don’t let that make you think I didn’t enjoy this reading experience. I really had so much fun reading this book.

For the majority of the book, I was sincerely just Vibing. I found the book very easy to read and gripping. I found the writing style compelling. The pacing of the story wasn’t super fast, but it never felt like nothing was happening. There was a steady build-up to the conclusion of the book.

In addition, from early on I knew I would enjoy this book no matter what because the humor in it was definitely my jam. I highlighted so many passages in this book because so many of the things the characters said were genuinely funny to me.

Overall, I definitely recommend this book. I had a lot of fun reading it. I think that if you love horror and enjoy self-aware and meta media, you will enjoy this.

I loved this! This was a proper thrilling YA mystery that had me hooked and I flew through the story. I loved that it wasn't afraid to go where YA often doesn't go - killing characters, like a proper horror film. This was a great book and I hope there's a sequel!

Y’all!! This book is UNIQUE I tell y’all! It is somewhere between I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scream. I had zero idea what I was getting myself into with this one and that definitely worked in my favor!

A year after being attacked in her home Rachel has moved and is looking forward to a new start at her new school. Rachel has a very interesting way of handling her PTSD and trying to put her attack in the past, she binge watches murder movies. Though at first Rachel really only has one friend she soon starts getting attention from the members of the secret Mary Shelley Club. The clubs goal is a simple one, perform pranks that instill real fear in their victims. Each member is tasked with performing their own fear test on a person of their chose with help from the other members. The objective is simple, make the victim scream. As the tests go on, they escalate and the club is a target of something Rachel is determined to figure out.

Technically this is a YA and I found many parts of it leaning that way however there also times it felt like an adult thriller. I love all the movie references as they were totally the thrillers I remember watching in high school!

Thank you Netgalley and Henry Holt for my arc!

What a twisted, edge of your seat YA thriller fans of Maureen Johnson or Kara Thomas would LOVE!

Mary Shelley would be proud!

When Rachel Chavez transfers to Manchester Prep, she comes with a big secret hidden in her past. The novel builds slowly and bit by bit Rachel's secrets are revealed as she joins a group called the Mary Shelley Club who have the goal of pranking other students using their fears against them. But the pranks become deadly and Rachel is longer sure who she can trust. Hints of an unreliable narrator and red herrings make this a dark and compelling read.

Goldy wrote an amazing novel that left me heartbroken, happy, and scared! The references to some of my favorite scary movies was such a delight! As a new reader to the thriller/horror genre, this book definitely set my expectations high! 5/5 stars for me! Would absolutely recommend this book for any horror movie fan <3 PS: The ending left me on the edge of my seat!