I hate to give this book a 2-star review, especially because I found parts of it to be written beautifully. Unfortunately, the story missed its mark on me and if it hadn't been an advanced copy of the audio book, I would not have finished it.

I think that this would make a good 'book club' read- there have been enough people that love the book and hate it to really start some great discussions about it. Themes of friendship, bullying, misconceptions of ourselves, rich vs. poor, sexual deviance, and even religion--- there's a bit of something for everyone to talk about.

And yet, there wasn't really much of an actual story. There was not one likeable character and the "big reveal" ended up being less of a big reveal, and more of just another 'meh' thing that happens to the characters. The main character doesn't improve as a person, and there was too much to dislike about her.

There are many sexual references/adult themes and bad language--- not a book to read with family members on a drive. I tried to listen to it with my husband, who had me stop the audio after a few minutes because he was sick of hearing the constant repeating of the word "divine."

I don't think that every book HAS to have likeable characters or plot-driven stories... but I do think that it has to have something that will help its readers connect with what they read. For me, I didn't feel a connection with this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Audio for the free audio advance copy of "The Divines' in exchange for an honest review. This book was read about Imogen Church, who did a wonderful job of acting out this story.

Josephine is married and on her honeymoon when she starts remembering her teenage years, where she attended St. John the Divine, an elite, British boarding school where the students were referred to as "The Divines". She has not kept in touch with any of the girls since the boarding school shuttered its doors in disgrace. She realizes that her recollection of events has been conveniently altered to suit her narrative, and that the truth in some cases was much different.

The writing was beautiful, this is a debut novel, and I listened to it in an audiobook form with Imogen Church, who did an amazing job. The high level theme was how we reconcile ourselves with our past selves and can sometimes slightly modify what we remember to better suit who we are today. I did find it a bit hard to listen to how awful the Divines were - mean girls but to a whole other level. We follow them on the journey as they go through their years of self discovery.

CW: fat shaming, bullying

3.5/5, rounded up to 4.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the eGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wish there was more I could say about this title aside from "I listened to this." The narrator is excellent at her job, don't get me wrong--she is an Actress with the capital "A." But to be honest, her inflection and overly dramatic reading made me flinch and genuinely took me away from the book. I appreciate the work she put into acting and differentiating in tone the insecure teenager of Josephine vs the obsessive adult version of Josephine, but it was over done. I may be the only one who thinks this, as most every other review on the audiobook is praising--I'm the odd ball. The mystery is left in the wings while the set up takes (what feels like, due to the pace of the narrating) ages to get interesting. One of my favorite novels is Emma Cline's "The Girls" and to see this novel compared to it, I thought I was in for a well-developed, thoughtful coming-of-age story which would reveal truths about about growing up that I could never put into words myself, but none of that is here. At least, not for me.

The narrator for the audiobook was brilliant, but even she couldn’t save the story.

The market is saturated with books about toxic female friendships, and I always love reading them. Unfortunately The Divines, which was a much anticipated read for me, did not do it for me. If I’m going to read about oversexed teens who love “behaving badly” it better be for a purpose. There wasn’t one. Instead it felt like the author was trying way too hard to be “cool” and “edgy”. It didn’t feel effortless, and instead, felt forced. I kept thinking, when is this going to be over? I can’t listen about their sexcapades anymore!

Thank you to William Morrow and Harper Audio for the advanced copy. The four stars are for the boarding school setting, which I usually enjoy. However, in this novel I actually liked and enjoyed more the portions of Josephine's life after the boarding school. I felt that they were more interesting. This is also a story about the pull of the past and its impact on life. We cannot ever really escape our past!

This book was definitely not meant for me, which is so disappointing because I was so excited for it! I couldn’t handle the incredibly physically/sexually descriptive aspects, and the jumpy nature of the narration was more than difficult to follow. I truly truly wanted to love this one, but it just wasn’t the book for me.

I listened to the audiobook of The Divines, and before I get into the review of the novel itself, let me tell you how amazing Imogen Church is as a narrator. She performs a myriad of accents and voices, and she utterly captivated me. I will listen to any book she narrates because I know she will keep me engaged.

And now, onto The Divines.

I loved this book, even as Ellie Eaton continually broke my heart. She did not try to redeem Josephine, and she never tried to make Josephine greater than she was. Eaton understands Josephine's sense of feeling less than, of otherness. Yes, she's wealthy. Yes, she's privileged and entitled and economically very much an Other. But at St. John the Divine, she is a lowercase other, not quite fitting in here or there. She no longer clicks with her former best friend, and she refuses to try to click with her roommate Gerry because the rest of the school hates that girl. Josephine is a pleaser. She is the girl with her nose pressed against the window, desperate for someone to open it and let her in.

Eaton moves between Josephine's time as a Divine and her time in the present as a married woman, struggling to come to terms with what being a Divine meant to her and how it continues to influence her life. I didn't always like Josephine, but I suspect Josephine understands that. As much as she wants to be liked, no one finds her more unworthy than she does.

You may not like many of the characters in this book, which surely is intentional. In a story that is all about the power of memory, Josephine refuses to cast a glowing patina on herself and her fellow Divines. She knows who she was and who they were. What she wants to understand is how to make peace with that.

I think Eaton's story demands discussion, particularly in a book club. Please hit up the comments and let me know what you think of Josephine and the Divines, as well as her husband Jürgen.

The Divines by Ellie Eaton is a coming of age story that is shocking and seductive. The book has a dual timeline and a flawed, dislikable main character that is revisiting her teen years at an elite boarding school for girls. While this debut is beautifully written, the audio version will definitely draw you in and captivate you.

It has been a while since I have read a true bildungsroman and The Divines is one book that explores all of the psychological and moral growth that occurs as a character becomes an adult. Josephine (or Jo as a teen) is a very dislikable main character. She is part of a school that has a long standing tradition of bullying and arrogance. Although she does see her flaws and spends the entire novel reflecting on her past, she doesn’t quite seem to have become any more likeable as an adult.

❀ DUAL TIMELINE

The book is historical and has a dual timeline that goes from present day to the 1990s. It starts off a bit slow, but does begin to pick up as it goes on. The entire story focuses on Josephine’s past actions and how they have affected her in the present.

❀ FANTASTIC NARRATION

Imogen Church does a fantastic job narrating the novel and I am not sure that I would have stuck with this one until the end if it had not been for the narration. I don’t usually enjoy characters like Jo, but the narrator really captures your attention and makes you want to know more.

❀ SIMILAR TO NORMAL PEOPLE

The Divines by Ellie Eaton has a similar feel to Normal People by Sally Rooney, so I would recommend it to those who enjoy a self-reflective novel with a difficult to love main character. That being said, there is a lot to appreciate in this debut novel and the audiobook is one that is well-narrated. I am looking forward to finding out what the author has in store for us next.

I received this audio book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Though I think this story is really good, I could not finish. I did not like the narrator and found myself getting very annoyed. I was only able to listen to the first couple sections. I do look forward to purchasing this one and reading it on my own. I appreciate the opportunity, I just could not get through the audio version.

The Divines is a story about Josephine, a affluent woman who spends much of her life reckoning with the decisions she's made while in a private boarding school for equally affluent, or "posh" girls.

Girls can be cruel, that much is clear in this story as these girls rally against one girl in particular, Geraldine. She's short tempered and talented, two things that make her a target for the other "Divines."

The story alternates between the past and present and the conclusion seemed a bit clipped, yet still breathtakingly shocking.

What blew me away was the underlying theme of memory. What we choose to remember and how we choose to remember some of the most impactful moments of our lives. Moments that seem major to us are inconsequential to others. Or, we may revise history to reflect the person we are today because we were ashamed of embarrassed of who were yesterday.

I hit a bit of a slump when it came to finding really good books this year but this book, the audio performance in particular, really did it for me. I would absolutely read an Ellie Eaton book again.

Lots of build up with nothing happening. I found this book uncomfortable but interesting up until the last chapter when it nose dived. The writing was good. The characters seemed well built albeit awful human beings. Imogen Church is a great narrator (I listen at 1.5x). I feel like the concept of boarding school mystery and dark academia is a good one. I don't feel like this one hit the mark.

The entire story is building up to what closed the boarding school. Unfortunately the story takes a sudden turn, brushes over the events that have been built up to and parks itself far from the remainder of the book. A bad ending is my biggest pet peeve. This book has a bad ending.

TW: violence, bullying, adults having sex with minors, graphic sexual descriptions.

Thank you to #netgalley for #thedivines in exchange for an honest review.

I found this to be a good read about high school and how it is for many going though the social sense. I thought it was well written and I want to read more in the future by this author. It jumped time a bit which I liked, but I can see others not liking that as much. Overall, I would recommend this book!

Hmm mixed feelings on this one to be perfectly honest. I just feel there’s nothing super special about this. The story alternates between Josephine’s days at an elite boarding school and present day. I generally enjoy this approach to storytelling but only if both perspectives are compelling, and I just found myself bored and somewhat annoyed with the present day inner monologues.

I also generally love dark academia/boarding school settings so I had high hopes, and I found those bits compelling, but ultimately felt a bit underwhelmed by the end.

This was dark (although could have gone darker in my opinion) with unlikeable and unreliable characters which were actually my favorite part of this book.

Overall, I liked parts, I was bored by others, so 3 stars from me.

What an interesting read! The Divines follows Josephine through a year in high school and several years of her adult life in alternating storylines. As a teen, she navigates the social politics of an elite boarding school, trying to manage other's opinions with her own wants. As an adult, she adjusts to marriage and motherhood, all whole trying to heal from the traumas of her youth.

Josephine as a character was somehow loveable and repugnant at the same time. She was terrible to many people in her life, but at the same time, she was mistreated. It reinforces the cyclical nature of bullying.

I found her husband annoying. He was unable to empathize and often pushed Josephine into things she didn't necessarily want.

The plot was a little bit slow moving during the boarding school portions, while the adult sections moved quickly. I wish it was a bit more balanced. I felt like I really knew teenage Josephine, but adult Josephine was still a mystery.

I review books strictly on how enjoyable they are to read. I found this book very enjoyable, but I don't think it's for everyone.

The narration of the audiobook was incredible, but extremely slow. I know audiobooks are often slowed down to make them more comprehendable, but I found myself listening at 2.5x or 3x, which is out of the norm for my listening habits. Imogen Church's character voices were excellent and gave each character their own personality.

I’m not gonna lie...I requested this book solely on the cover! Isn’t it beautiful? After swooning over the gorgeous pale pink color, I took a peek at the synopsis. An elite British boarding school in the 1990s? Destructive relationships between teenage girls? Sign me up, please. I knew this was going to be a juicy read. The author most certainly delivers with tons of typical teenage drama, mean girl antics, and even a little bit of mystery. As I predicted, the majority of the characters were extremely unlikable, and even quite evil. The novel is centered around Josephine, and her experience at St John the Divine. I loved how Josephine went back and forth, telling the story through her teenage eyes, and then sharing recollections, now as a grown woman in her thirties. The pacing of the novel seemed a bit off to me, and the storyline was a tad difficult to follow at times. Even though it was beautifully written, there seemed to be some holes in the story. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I kept expecting something more, and hoping for a lot more action. I had a similar vibe with the book, White Ivy. I just craved more excitement, and was left underwhelmed in the end, unfortunately. I really adored the author’s writing style, and look forward to reading more from her. She’s very talented. Overall, this was a good debut. It was quite entertaining, scandalous, and even a little horrifying. The Divines is available now, and I give it 3/5 stars!

This story revolves around Josephine, who is now in her late thirties reminiscing on her boarding school days in the 1990s. She went to a pretentious, English boarding school where the students - who call themselves "divine" - bully their teachers, refuse to learn anything other than gossip, and smoke cigarettes all day.

Unfortunately, this story was not for me.

However, if you like unreliable, pretentious characters this book may be for you. It gave me snippets of "dark British boarding school" vibes, but was ultimately just gloomy, slow paced and sad. The main character was a terrible, passive, honestly pathetic person who had no integrity or agency.

3.5 *

This book seems to be a little hard to review and I can see I'm not the only one thinking this. It is a debut book that I think is beautifully written and pretty smart. I listened to the audiobook. The narrator is exceptional.

The story alternates from past to present time. In the past, Josephine attended a boarding school in England during her teenage years. The school was St. John The Divine and the girls called themselves, "Divines." It is a boarding school for the privileged that many of the girls Mothers and Grandmothers also attended. The girls all go by "boys" names. So Josephine was always known as "Jo." There is conflict with the outside class known as the "townies." Also many teenage issues in this book from sexuality, bullying, and weight-issues.

In the present day Jo is now married and has a child. She is struggling with things that happened while she was in school. She later attends a reunion at the school and comes face-to-face with some classmates. It seems she recalls things differently than her other classmates did.

The opening scene of the book is dramatic and leaves you wondering. There is a bit of a mystery to this story but it takes a bit for it to develop and before you know it you are immersed! I think Ellie Eaton's writing is very promising. The ending was not what I would have expected but it leaves you really thinking about the whole story.

I'd like to kindly thank NetGalley and Harper Audio for providing me access of this Advanced recording.

I had high expectations for this boarding school drama but it fell kinda flat for me. way too much graphic descriptions of the female anatomy and straight people sex for my taste

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the audio ARC of The Divines.

First, Imogen Church is an awesome narrator. I've listened to her before when I read The Woman in Cabin 10. Second, The Divines reminded me a bit like Normal People by Sally Rooney in that The Divines is a bit weird and cringy at times but the characters also feel extremely real like you are reading their journal instead of a book. If you liked Normal People then you may like The Divines as well.

As you read or listen you are uncovering more and more about Jo and about her past experiences in her boarding school education along with her current life. It was hard for me to pause the audiobook, I wanted to keep listening to find out what was going to happen next and how all my questions were going to be answered. I can see why Jo is haunted about her past as a few of the plot points to the end are very saddening. Towards the end though, I am still left with a few new questions about Jo in her present life which I don't mind that the answers were not clear, but if that's something that bothers you, you might find the ending unsatisfying.

It definitely makes you think about your own high school experience and if those around you have good memories of their interactions with you or bad memories.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½⭐️ (4.5 stars)

“The divines” are the epitome of privilege, students at the elite boarding school, St John the Divine, these girls have it all. Equally feared by their teachers as they are hated by the townies where their school is situated, the divines believe themselves to be above all. Consequences can’t touch them.

That is, until Gerry Lake winds up sprawled out on the grass lawn, unresponsive, and rushed to Emergency.

Taking place across two timelines, The Divines tells the story of Josephine – or Jo as she’s referred to during her English boarding school days, and Sephine as she’s referred to forever after. Josephine is determined to separate these two parts of her life, considering herself a different person than who she was all those years ago. But no matter how much she tries to forget, memories of what went down that fateful junior year continue to bombard her, making her question whether people can really change.

Being a huge fan of literary fiction, women’s fiction and coming-of-age stories, throw in the fact I have a soft spot for boarding school stories and unreliable narrators, The Divines was pretty much my ideal book to read. So you can bet how thrilled I was when I was accepted to read and review an audiobook e-arc of this novel on Netgalley!

Maybe it’s just because I’m biased, but I thought The Divines was a fabulous read! Very much in the ‘dark academia’ genre, The Divines includes all the typical tropes one would expect; clique loyalty, peer pressure, classism, and a mysterious death the plot centres around. But where The Divines really thrives is in the way Eaton deconstructs these tropes and critiques them through the lens of her protagonist, Josephine.

Josephine is a deeply unreliable narrator, though it takes time for the reader to realize as much. Watching her lives unravel, simultaneously in both present and past time lines, the reader sees how her teenage insecurity, the pressure she feels to fit in, and her dislike, almost hate, towards those who choose not to, turns to unchecked cruelty, with deadly consequences. I loved how Eaton plays with the character’s different perspectives of the same events, making the reader, and Josephine herself, not able to trust what she remembers.

The only thing stopping me from giving this book a full 5 star review is the fact that I felt like something was missing. In the part of the novel where characters begin to reunite in the present timeline, it seemed like there was a key character reunion missing – one that was even hinted at in the book, but never came to pass. I felt a little cheated of that interaction when I finished the novel; hoping until the very end that it would somehow get included.

And, with two very important characters in this novel turning out to be gay, it just felt like a missed opportunity to not explore that more directly.

Nevertheless, I’m being so picky with my critiques of this novel just because I enjoyed it so much. Eaton shows she has a lot of potential as a debut author, and I am very much looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next.

Thank you to the publisher, HarperAudio, and NetGalley for providing me an e-ARC of this audiobook. All thoughts are my own.