I think this author's books are way underrated, she needs to become mainstream for interesting mysteries. This is the second YA mystery I have read by her and I am sold on her ability to create a mystery that keeps me guessing ( I almost always know what is going on in a mystery before the big reveal and I like to be kept on my toes). The author blends suspense, a twisty mystery and a hint of paranormal into her books making for a super compelling read. I also enjoyed that this was not a romance, it was just a good mystery to solve, where as so many YA books force romance into the story that is unneeded.

When All the Girls Are Sleep by Emily Arsenault wasn't the book for me. I like reading YA books but I am particular about what kind of YA books I enjoy reading. I have to be in the mood to want to read creepy stories. The book overall was good, I just don't think this book was for me.

This is a great paranormal book! I loved the investigation into the Winter Girl. The twist at the end was great. I liked the characters, especially Haley and Star. How ever, I do feel like Alex got off a bit too lightly at the end. I also felt like the pacing was a bit slow in the beginning. Still, this is a wonderfully spooky book!

Who do I recommend this to? People who like ghost stories, dark academia, and tradition gone wrong.
Who should reconsider? People who dislike spooky books, and people who hate twist endings.
Will I read more by Emily Arsenault? Yes. I really liked how tense this book was. I read more when I in the mood for a thriller, or a spooky read

Atmospheric teen thriller for fans of gothic reads and dark academia. As a scholarship girl, Haley has never felt completely at home at Windham-Farnswood Academy. Now it's January of her senior year and she's living in the same dorm where her ex-best friend, Taylor, jumped from the window one year earlier. But when Taylor's brother sends Haley a phone video from Taylor's last moments, it becomes clear that she was not alone when she died. Could it be the dorm's famous ghost, the Winter Girl? As strange signs appear and her friends start to change their behavior, Haley desperately searches for answers and finds secrets hidden deep in the school's history and threats in the school's present. Recommended for ages 13 and up.

This YA thriller had a really interesting premise, and I really liked where the mystery was heading throughout the story. Unfortunately, the ending and big answer was a bit of a letdown for me. I have to admit my disappointment is more of a "me" thing, because it's a pet peeve of mine when something is teased as being paranormal for the entire book, and then nothing paranormal ends up happening. Overall, I enjoyed the writing and the majority of the story, I would still recommend this to YA thriller lovers!

I don't read a lot of YA, but when I do pick up the occasional book, I always have a good time! This book is set at a girls' boarding school at which a tragedy occurred: a young woman took her own life in the early months of the new year and it's believed among some students that a ghost who haunts the school during that time of year was responsible. The former best friend of this departed young woman looks into who this ghost may be, where she came from, and if current students are in danger.

I thought the way that Haley (our main character) investigated the background of the school and the ghost was very realistic - she used some very smart tactics to get phone numbers out of the right people, got herself into a closed Facebook group, and used the enthusiasm of an archival librarian to her advantage. It all felt very true-to-life and learning the background of the school and these hauntings was fascinating. I think it dragged on a bit too long and Haley's schoolwork was - at BEST - a sidenote. I kept wondering how she was going to graduate since she was always sleuthing and didn't seem like she had enough time to go to class. Besides those minor issues, this was a really enjoyable, creepy YA read that I had a great time speeding through.

The spookiness starts immediately with the opening of the book. The font in chapter one is perfectly ghostly! Haley’s best friend, Taylor, fell to her death last year. Haley receives an email with an attached video from Taylor’s oldest sibling. He asks Haley if she knows anything about the video and as she starts to watch it, she realizes she doesn’t know what’s happening in it and she’s never seen it before. It gives her the creeps. Haley wants to figure out the truth of what really happened to Taylor and she begins researching hauntings and school history to see if there’s anything that will help her. A paranormal investigator is mentioned in an alumni Facebook group and Haley finds his picture as a dorm supervisor from years earlier. Haley keeps reaching out to alumni and searching the school archives in hopes of digging up more information. She finds letters and interviews from decades ago describing the same thing Taylor experienced in the video. What Haley discovers is so unpredictable and complex that I would have never figured it out on my own and the answer is unexpected! A wonderfully spooky read, 5 stars!

What a gorgeous cover! A creepy ghost story set in a boarding school that will make a perfect Fall read! I was engrossed and this novel made it tough to sleep for days after finishing!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

After a seemingly rough period in her childhood, Haley gets accepted into a prestigious high school in hopes of starting over. Windham-Farnswood Academy is over a century old and swarming with legacy kids who families attendance dates back decades. The school was the perfect creepy setting for a ghost story but is it truly haunted? Coming up on the year anniversary of her former best friends fall from a window, Haley begins an investigation into what really happened that night. She soon discovers that the ghostly history of the Dearborn residents hall might not be telling its whole truth.

This book had a ton of spook factor. I often questioned why I read it before bed. It is perfect for the fall season. Some of the story elements did feel a little far fetched, such as no one resisting being asked to talk about the past. Everyone was willing to spill all their thoughts to someone they hardly knew or didn't know at all. There was also some telling about what happened and not enough showing and I wanted more from the ending. It is still a solid spooky read that I would put on a recommendations list.

Thank you Netgalley for an e-arc of this book.

Looking for a fast-paced YA psychological thriller with toxic female friendships, plenty of twists, and a solid mystery at the center of the plot? When All the Girls Are Sleeping is the one for you! Set at a prestigious boarding school, there is a legend everyone believes in. The Winter Girl comes every January and haunts the senior dorm. This year is particularly bad timing for Haley because it marks the one year anniversary of her ex-best friend Taylor's death. A video gets released showing that Taylor's apparent suicide might actually be murder. As Haley looks into Taylor's death, she keeps going back to the Winter Girl. Could ghosts be real? Could someone else be next? The story is perfect for fans of Nancy Drew. The characters are well-developed. The writing is atmospheric. The ending is unpredictable. Perfect for Halloween or any readers looking for a twisty read. Highly recommended!

Event with the author discussed on Episode 136 of the Book Cougars podcast.

www.bookcougars.com
https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2020/episode36

This book was intriguing from the beginning and I looked forward to reading more of it every day after work. The twists and turns were great, I did not see that ending coming! Emily Arensault has written another good one and I look forward to recommending it to my patrons. If you are looking for a ghost story with some reflection on human behavior and how it affects others, this is for you. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy.

Windham-Farnswood Academy is a prep school with a long and storied past. That past also contains a legend—the Winter Girl, a ghost who returns each year in January or February. Everyone knows the signs when the Winter Girl has returned to haunt the senior student dormitory, but no one knows the exact origins of the spirit.

As it approaches the one year anniversary of Haley’s ex-best friend’s death, the Winter Girl resurfaces and a video emerges that shows Taylor’s apparent suicide might’ve been murder. As Haley digs into the mystery, she uncovers more than she bargained for—like the fact that ghosts may be very real.

This book kept me hooked from the first page. It’s a sprawling mystery with a million moving parts, but it’s not difficult to keep hold of the plot as you move throughout the book. It’s sometimes creepy, sometimes heart-wrenching, but it’s also captivating as you race Haley to be the first to figure what exactly is happening at Windham-Farnswood Academy.

I definitely need to thank author Emily Arsenault for sending me this book. While it was on my TBR, it wasn't super high up. I ended up loving it. This is a ghost story that is so hard to put down. Sadly, it took me awhile to read it since I was busier than normal. But when I did pick it up, time flew by and I had to force myself to put the book down to get things done.

Haley is on scholarship at a boarding school. There are some parts of her past talked about in the book and it sounds like the school was an escape for her. She wanted to be popular and to fit in. She became friends with Taylor during her freshman year. Taylor was rich and everyone knew who she was. It took a little while for Haley to realize that Taylor wasn't a nice person. They had a falling out the previous year, right before Taylor died. There were mixed accounts since it happened late at night. Taylor was eating strong pot brownies, so maybe she jumped because of that. Or she jumped for other reasons. Either way, Taylor went out her fourth floor window.

The school has a very well known ghost story and there are small parts written by the ghost. Haley wants to know why Taylor died and starts digging into the past more. Her roommate studies the achieves and school history, so Haley gets some help there. She starts talking to past students to hear their accounts. Weird things start happening, including things in Taylor's old room. Haley is pretty sure that Taylor was haunted by the ghost and maybe that's what killed her. But she also has guilt for abandoning her and wonders if that could have led to Taylor's death, too.

The pacing was great and the book has some parts that creeped me out a bit. It was a fun one to read at night.

I gave this book 5 stars. Thank you to Emily Arsenault for sending me a copy of the book.

Warning for talk of suicide, mental abuse/parental issues, drugs, alcohol, bullying, hauntings, mental illness.

This is a great creepy ghost story for teens. I loved the mystery element of the history of ghosts at the school. It seems like Haley learned about friendship through her investigation.

I was given an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.


I LOVED this book!! I have been in a bit of a slump lately and this book broke it. It was the perfect blend of creepy, murder mystery, and ghost story. It kept me on edge from page one. I don't scare easy but this book had a nervous pit in my stomach and I jumped at every noise- everything I want when reading a story like this one!
The writing was perfect, it flowed well and quickly. The characters were all well written and developed. I liked how the everyone was willing to help the main character in her investigation rather than the typical push back where no one wants to answer questions or everyone is defensive. It was refreshing.
I pride myself in being able to guess the ending/ plot twists in most thrillers but I did not see this one coming. It was so well written and planned. The end didn't come out of nowhere, there subtle hints throughout the book but the author hid them behind more obvious clues to throw readers off the trail. That takes a special skill and it was perfectly executed in this book.

This is the perfect chilling summer read. It is perfect for Halloween and spooky season.
Do yourself a favor and read this!

*Huge thank you to the author, Emily Arsenault, for providing me with an eARC and finished copy in exchange for an honest review!*

I honestly wasn't too sure what to expect going into this book, but I ended up absolutely loving it! It's one of the best mysteries I've read in a while, and the paranormal aspect of it added to the mysterious vibes. It was packed full of detective investigating, interviews, written excerpts, and all the wholesome detective-y stuff I love in a mystery novel. Also: boarding school! It's a boarding school mystery, and y'all know how obsessed I am with those.

Haley was an interesting main character. Despite this being primarily a mystery novel, we got tons of character development and history about her throughout the book. She herself was a bit of a mystery from the start, so I enjoyed learning more about her along with the larger mystery. Plus there was also tons to learn about her dead ex-best friend, Taylor. Even though Taylor was technically dead for the entire book, she felt very alive to me since I got to read about Haley's memories of her. I also found all the side characters captivating to read about because they were so packed full of character. The author did a great job of giving all the characters unique and vibrant personalities, not just the main characters. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, but I didn't have too many issues remembering who was who.

​The mystery itself couldn't have been better. It kept me guessing through the entire book, and I was totally shocked by the answer at the end. Never saw it coming! But I actually loved the answer, too; it was perfect and fit so well with this book.

My only complaint is that some scenes did feel a bit drawn out and dull. Some of the research Haley did in the school archives, while important to the investigation, was just a little boring to read about. However, most of it was very compelling and I didn't want to put the book down!

Overall, I really loved When All the Girls Are Sleeping and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it, especially to mystery fans! I gave it 4.5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨.

What started off as a slow start came barreling down the lane in this creepy thriller by Emily Arsenault. A campus ghost, a creepy campus, and what looks like her best friend being murdered all bring Taylor digging into the mystery of the Winter Girl, a mysterious ghost who haunts the dormitory. I truly enjoyed trying to guess the truth behind the mystery in this book and once I got past the story's initially slow start, I could not put it down. It was thrilling and disturbing and masterful. I had no idea where the story was going and it kept me guessing right up until the end.

This is not a book for someone wanting a fast paced mystery or a super scary ghost story, but it’s still a worthwhile read for someone wanting a little suspense and a little thrill.

One of the best things about this book is how realistically the puzzle pieces of the mystery are found and put together. There’s no “big reveal” or perfect coincidences leading to the protagonist finding the answer. It makes for a slower and less tense reveal, but in my opinion, a much more enjoyable overall experience. The twist at the end was unexpected making this a unique take on a ghost story!

A year after her friend's alleged suicide, a senior at a boarding school uncovers a long history of dark secrets that center around a 19th century ghost that haunts the senior dorm.

I read this book in one day--could not wait to find out what happened! There were so many red herrings that complicated the mystery, plus the horror-like ghost story atmosphere added a lot of suspense. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. Highly recommend to YA mystery and psychological thriller fans!