This book felt like a love letter to the horror genre in both its numerous references but also its execution in its own thrilling mystery. I absolutely loved this book with all of its twists and turns. The Mary Shelley Club was the perfect balance of teenage hijinks and sinister events. I loved getting to know the characters and their motives, however I warn, that like all horror movies, don’t grow too attached to any characters in this book. Rachel, is a Latina lead that’s recovering from her past trauma and finds solace in a new club and friends, however things take a turn to the worse when their pranks get out of hand. My favorite part of the book is where each target gets their own pov centric chapter when experiencing the prank as it heightened the suspense.

The Mary Shelley Club revolves around a teenage girl named Rachel and the members of a secret horror/prank club, the members of which are students at her new high school. Rachel has transferred to said elite high school with rich kids after going through a traumatic experience and has found comfort in watching horror movies. She struggles to fit in or find things in common with these kids and has gotten on the wrong side of the school's mean girl, Lux. Rachel eventually finds a boy named Freddie who is also interested in horror movies and the friendship seems to blossom. She finds out he is in a secret club revolved around these horror movies, or so she thinks, but there is more than meets the eye to this club. She soon discovers she isn't sure who she can really trust and what is actually going on within this club and what the real motives of the club are.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It has really good character development and can make you go from hating a character to liking a character and vice versa the more you learn about them. The club was full of fun twists and had a unique theme with the horror movie aspect.

A thrill ride of a book for the fans of horror. This book is about a club created basically to celebrate horror that runs amuck. It was fascinating, thrilling and I couldn’t wait to find out what happen next. I highly recommend this one

OH MY GOD
...
I have no words.
...
Just...please. Read THE MARY SHELLEY CLUB. You will not regret it.

I love a story with angsty teens in it and this one was quite clever -- a group of teens who love horror movies get together and prank scare others in their trendy Manhattan high school. Of course things start to go horribly wrong as it looks like the main characters past has followed her to her new life.
I have to say, I did not love the ending. However, this was a fun YA read that I'll be buying for my 17 year old's birthday this summer!

A delicious throw back to some of my all time favorite horror films with so many twists, the pages flew by. I LOVED this book!

Rachel is a horror movie buff. Alone at a new school, she finds solace in these films, their rules, their worlds. Then she becomes part of The Mary Shelley Club, where each member must complete a fear test and face what scares them the most. The book is a good introduction to the thriller genre for new fans, and the character of Rachel gives great commentary on the role of the final girl in the genre. Overall I would give it a 4/5.

Okay, NetGalley apparently knows what I want to read better than I know what I want to read because I wasn't sure about this one. It suggested to me, and I thought "that sounds interesting, but I don't know if I want to read it." But I requested it anyway because I wanted to read more galleys this month than I have been. When it came in, it took me a few weeks to get into it (I had other books to read), but once I started it, I just couldn't stop. I read it during my break at lunch. The only reason I didn't read it on the way home from work is because I had to drive. The plot is just non-stop. And the ending? Oh my god. I should have seen it coming because, looking back, the pieces were there. But I didn't, and I'm so glad I didn't because then it was like a sucker-punch. I was left reeling. (Okay, but also, what's up with NetGalley giving me books with sucker-punch endings that are also frustratingly ambiguous? I want sequels, people!) And the characters -- oh my god. I loved them; I hated them; I wanted to stab them with scissors in the art supply closet. And the horror movie references! I wish I watched more horror movies so that I could appreciate more of them at a higher-level, and maybe pick up on some I missed. (I now have another like 30 horror movies on my Letterboxd watchlist. Some because they were mentioned in the book, and some because I stumbled across them while looking up the others and went "hm. I'll watch that.") Just, if you like horror movies, or horror books, or horror in general, you're gonna love this book. When it hits shelves in April, make sure it also hits your hands.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book! It had some of my favorite things: boarding school, secret girls' club, mystery. I enjoyed watching as everything unraveled and solved itself. I would definitely suggest this title to my students.

A year ago Rachel was attacked in her home, and now her whole life is turned upside down. She is attending a new school, where she knows no one and is a total outcast. Until one night Rachel attends a party and once again, her whole life is turned upside down. Only this time, she thinks it's for the better. You see, a prank was pulled at this party and only one person laughed, Rachel. No one else laughed because it was pulled on the most popular girl at school. So although she is now an even bigger outsider with her peers, she has officially gotten the attention of The Mary Shelley Club...
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Holy macaroni and cheese. I've never wanted to be apart of a club more, than when I heard about this one. This is one book you aren't going to want to put down until you're finished. I'm not even going to lie, I had a nightmare about this and it creeped me right out. I absolutely love how much horror movies were referenced in this. It was just a well rounded amazing read. It was creepy, yet sooo much fun. Each member of the group has to do a "fear test" and all members must participate in these tests. Damn guys, these tests were HARSH but also, sounded like fun. Things definitely went too far in the end, but I'm still waiting for my invitation.

After being the victim of a home invasion, Rachel Chavez turns to horror movies for comfort and as a way to manage her fear. Starting in a new school, Rachel is an outcast and quickly gets on the bad side of the popular kids once she gets accused of pulling a horror film inspired prank on the school's Queen Bee. Rachel figures out those responsible for the prank and is recruited into the Mary Shelley Club, a group of horror cinephiles who organize elaborate horror trope inspired pranks known as Fear Tests. Thinking she has found her "people," Rachel ends up fearing for her life as the Fear Tests escalate to deadly proportions and dredge up the very fears she was trying to suppress.

I would give this book a 4.5 stars if this rating system allowed me to! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have already recommended it to several friends in the time between finishing this book and writing this review.

It seems oxymoronic to say that a novel is cinematic, but "The Mary Shelley Club" is just that! It flows so well and is structured in such a way that you can easily see all the action play out in your head, as if you were watching a movie on screen. Author Goldy Moldavsky is an excellent writer! Her characters are well fleshed out, three dimensional and all have distinct voices and personalities. She expertly weaves in horror and urban legend references that elevate the storyline making it feel authentic and fresh. The story itself is very original, and what could've just been a story about a bunch of kids pulling pranks, ends up being a YA thriller that could rival any classic horror movie.

I was especially a big fan of the diversity and representation of the characters. The MC is a POC as are several of the lead characters. It felt like natural inclusion, and I was grateful for it. As a film nerd, I also really enjoyed all the film references. Like I mentioned earlier, Moldavsky effortlessly weaves them in but I don't think the reader has to know the reference in order to get it's significance. I am usually pretty good at solving the mysteries in books quite early, and this one kept throwing in so many twists and turns, that I was surprised at the end. I also loved how this was a story about horror film tropes, and this story was a horror film trope itself (I won't say which one, no spoilers!)

I don't really think there was anything about this book I didn't like. But, I will say that the final fear test did seem like we jumped right into it without any exposition. I would've liked to have the action breathe a little bit more instead of just being thrown a bunch of information super quickly. But honestly, that is such a minor issue in what was otherwise a excellently executed (no pun intended) book!

Thank you to Net Galley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for an advanced copy!

I really liked the beginning and middle of this book, I WANTED to love this book but the ending felt really rushed. I would definitely read a prequel though to better understand why and how everything happened. It’s a really interesting idea.

After a traumatic experience Rachel turns to horror movies for comfort, and as she's thrust into a new school, she becomes involved in a secret horror movie and prank group called the Mary Shelly Club and things start to get out of hand. I liked the commentary of turning to the genre as a trauma response and as something therapeutic. I wanted to like this a bit more than I did. For starters, I didn't quite get along with the writing style. Its a good intro for non-horror fans to some great hidden gems and cult classics (except I will not stand for that Sleepaway Camp and Jason Takes Manhattan slander, but that's another story). I don't know that I was the right reader for this. I saw most of the twists and reveals coming a mile away (except for one big one.) It felt a bit stilted for me, unfortunately.

Ok..... seriously I have been dreaming about a YA thriller like this!!

Goldy... you're my new favorite author and I absolutely LOVED this YA thriller.

BUCKLE up ladies and gentleman. OH my guacamole you're in for a serious wild ride with this one. I am SOO lucky to have gotten an early copy of this masterpiece.

Let's meet Rachel... she has been attacked early on by two masked men when she is home alone. She is terrifed and is trying to recover from this horrible event. She transfers to a new school and is trying to build a new life in high school. Rachel soon learns about a mysterious "Mary Shelley Club" and is very intrigued since she loves horror movies.

Luckily, Rachel finds herself as a new member of this Mary Shelley Club and finds out that the number one goal is to scare people. Simple right?

Each member has what's called a "fear test." 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.

This is all about you're going to get from me. This was pure GENIUS. I loved this book. Goldy does an amazing job in this unique and addicting YA thriller. It reads more of an adult thriller but does have aspects of a YA thriller.

Oh my... and Goldy you pulled it off. You got me at the end there with that twist. Will we be lucky enough to get a sequel!? Squeals with anticipation.

4.5/5 stars

Thank you so much to Macmillian/Henry Holt and netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 4/13/21
Published to GR: 2/16/21

This is a mostly very fun YA thriller/slasher horror novel, though I thought the way the characters name-dropped horror novels and films wasn't integrated as naturalistically as it could've been (also, I felt like some of their references made more sense for my generation, and I'm 35...). I appreciated the opening 'teaser' attack that we don't fully get the backstory for until 25% of the way through, and I appreciated the way many of the characters were fairly well-developed (though still relied on archetypes that made it easy to distinguish between the wide cast very quickly). However, at times I felt like the main character's less-than-smart decisions defied belief, particularly for a horror-head like her. (I suppose that her PTSD and resultant self-sabotage could explain some of this, but it still felt jarring from time to time). The final twists of the novel were fun enough, and one [very minor spoiler] leaves open the possibility for a sequel (or so it seems to me).

This book was good! It kept me guessing what was going to happen. I liked the premise or “horror clubs” around the nation and it’s reveal at the end makes me want to read more!

When I first saw The Mary Shelley Club, I was intrigued. As a horror fan and a huge fan of Scream, I was interested in what the book could do. It is a lot to live up to when you say you are similar to Scream, so I wanted to read and see what the hype was about essentially. The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky is a fantastic read. It has fantastic character development, intriguing suspense, and superb pacing. From the start, you begin to wonder who and what are doing these pranks, and the answer is beyond who you could imagine. I think the mystery is the best part of The Mary Shelley Club; there is this concept that every character introduced could be the prankster, or someone out to get/murder another. The main character and you, as a reader, don't know who to trust, and even when you do, they could be the ones to turn on any character in the novel. That is the fun about it. It is the right amount of spooky, keeps you guessing, and is entertaining the entire way through.

I haven’t read a thriller that maintains its strength through the end in some time. There are some slow spots. Being a horror fan movie buff helps, but The Mary Shelley Club is an enjoyable read! So often we are reading from the perspective of the victim, not the ones committing (and planning) the pranks. Overall, this is not a super scary read. You probably could guess the ending. But I think teens will enjoy the characters, pranks, and intensity.

When I saw Mary Shelley in the title, I knew I had to read it. I find Mary Shelley to be one of the most fascinating authors of the 19th century. I think Goldy Moldavsky did Mary Shelley proud with this YA thriller. Rachel Chavez was the victim of an attack when two masked men broke into her home. Since the attack, she has found solace in watching horror movies. In order for Rachel to get a fresh start, she and her mother move from Long Island and Rachel starts attending the elite prep school 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. At one party, a rather strange prank occurs and this one prank leads Rachel into a whole new layer of the elitism at her school. She becomes involved with The Mary Shelley Club. She finds comfort in a small group of people who also enjoy horror movies, but the one thing she doesn't expect is that this club is also responsible for some pranks that have been happening to students at the school. 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? Such a well-crafted thriller for young adults. One of the best YA thrillers I have ever read. I can't wait to read more books by Moldavsky.

Great realistic characters, almost like a horror version of "The Breakfast Club" it was spooky and creepy. Kept me guessing and couldn't put it down. Figured out a part of it but not all and it didn't spoil anything. Great read!