When I find myself asking: what is going on? while reading, I’m either in for a wild ride or a major disappointment. I AM MARGARET MOORE definitely veers towards a wold ride, but unfortunately, it’s

The simple truth is that this book isn’t going to be for everyone. Disjointed and lyrical, Capin sets up an immersive experience which pulls you into the pages until you swear you hear the buzzing of insects and the first rumble of thunder. Mixed with an unusual POV, a setting that steadily grows more bizarre, and a dark mystery, I AM MARGARET MOORE had all the elements needed to win me over.

Unfortunately, it didn’t.

Instead of pulling me in, the writing style fought against me, and I struggled to push through to the end. Normally I’d tap out at this point but I wanted to uncover what went wrong with Margaret’s summer love, while also figuring out what the heck was going on with the summer camp. In that sense, Capin succeeded in creating a mystery dark enough to sink into me, but not far enough to the point that I enjoyed the process of uncovering it.

Everything goes back to the text that I AM MARGARET MOORE isn’t going to be for everyone. Maybe the payoff in the end will make the confusing process of finding answers worth it for some readers. While I didn’t find my groove here, it’s still a book I can see myself recommending given everything the book does have going for it.

I received a complimentary copy of I Am Margaret Moore from NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This was a great concept for a novel! I was definitely hooked on the storyline, but some of the writing style actually almost put me off to the point where I didn’t finish it. Although upon finishing the novel, I understand the purpose of some of it, there was still way too much repetition (and use of present tense linking verbs) for my taste. I guess this is one way to “live the moment” and smack the reader in the face with an event or feeling, but I was already paying attention, so it just got old for me—which is a shame because it detracted from a really great (but sad) storyline. Margaret’s puppy love situation definitely did not end in the innocent way that it began at her beloved Marshall summer sailing camp.

I just finished this book and have so many conflicting thoughts.

Let's start with the writing style. It was very lyrical, and sometimes hard to follow. On the other hand, it added to the dark atmosphere of the whole thing - it almost had a gothic feel. I don't usually enjoy books with this type of writing, but I did in this case. It just took me a while to get into the flow and enjoy it. Kind of like when you are looking for a hidden word -instead of concentrating, let your eyes relax and you will see them. This book was like that -you had to go along with the story and relax and not try to figure it out.

Next topic - the timeline. This was sometimes hard to follow - it was not linear, but often (usually?) didn't tell you when each chapter took place. It got a little confusing at times. And sometimes I think the book repeated itself, but again it was hard to tell.

The writing itself was well done. But there were too many words I didn't know - I assume they related to boats and boating... But at times I wondered what country this story took place in, since there were so many unfamiliar terms.

Next topic - the story. I was intense, it was dark, it was actually kind of depressing. And frustrating,. Now this makes it sound like I didnt like it, and again I DID. I just kept hoping it would turn around and get....happier..

So looking back on this review, it gives the impression that this was not a good review. This book was dark, it was full of drama, it was confusing, and intense and I really, really liked it. I think my review is as confusing as the book -maybe thats appropriate?

Thank you to the author, the publisher and #netgalley for the ARC which did not impact my review.. I almost want to give it 5 stars because it gave me such a "wow" but it was too dark and confusing for that.

Our veins bleed orange, our hearts are gold. Welcome to summer, and summer, and summer.

I AM MARGARET MOORE is going to be a polarizing book. Time is not linear; the language is so elevated and lyrical, it often reads more like a prose poem than a novel; it is dramatic and dark and doubles back on itself to the point of repetition.

And yet, it was violently, spectacularly *brilliant.*

I'm always a sucker for lyrical writing, even the purple-y stuff, and this is definitely book for people who enjoy immersing themselves in language without needing ... sense, I suppose. It is a mystery story, about a terrible secret at the Marshall Naval School, but it is also a *feeling.* It's the buzzing of the mayflies, the heady summer heat, and the lazy, golden sensation of years blurring together until time both stops and races away. It's a novel about growing up and staying forever young. It's a revenge tale about privilege and power. It's a poem about girls and boys and monsters and ghosts. And it haunted me, every time I put my kindle down.

I've read FOUL IS FAIR by Capin before, but this is by far my new favorite from her. Though I AM MARGARET MORE can be frustrating (I think the repetition was the biggest irritant for me) it's also a ballsy, beautiful entry to the YA thriller genre and I could bask in her writing forever. The twist was well-plotted, the characters were ephemeral yet vivid. I will absolutely be reading whatever Capin writes next. 4/5.

Paranormal thrillers are always a hit or a miss with me, never finding one that landed in the middle as "meh." This was definitely on the higher end of the seesaw as far as entertainment goes. This was definitely a thriller enticing all the way through.

They are ordinary girls. They attend a naval school in the summer. The scenery was described beautifully. All the girls seemed interesting. I like the name. Nusteen.i lkie the descriptions of the school

I was really excited to pick this book up after loving Golden Boys Beware: A Novel, but although there are a lot of common themes in each of the books, I just didn't fall for I Am Margaret Moore in the same way. I think this has a lot to do with where I currently am in my life, and what kind of things I'm looking for. I think if I was in my later teens, I would have been really been swept up with the reveal and the ending, but as an adult in my late 20's, I'm just looking for something that reads a little faster and with a little more hope.

I had trouble with the pacing: I felt like the first third of the book was a bit too slow. The lyrical writing in the book also added to the slow feeling in my opinion, as although Capin writes beautiful sentences and descriptions (which I do love), I felt like certain blocks of text were repeated too often.

What I liked so much about Golden Boys Beware was that terrible things happened to Jade, but she was able to respond and take a lot of action with her friends. So much of this book is waiting for Margaret to tell us the entire story of the past, and once that's finished, you realize that Margaret is just in a state that will make it very difficult to change her situation much. It was just difficult for me to read this book when I felt like nothing much could be done. Themes and relationships that I had enjoyed in Golden Boys Beware did become more common in the end, allowing me to see a clear connection between the two and appreciate Margaret Moore and her friends. But I just felt like there was a big lack of hope and also a lack of agency for most of this book than what I remember feeling for the characters in in GBB. I wouldn't recommend I am Margaret Moore if you're feeling blue or in a funk or anything -- it's pretty brutal.

Also, I don't know anything about boats, and I don't think enough boat/naval detail/explanation was given in the book, so it was difficult for me to visualize some scenes. And I wish that more time had been spent talking about the camp set up because I did not understand the difference between a third year and a first year summer for most of the book and that made things really confusing especially with the timeline hopping all around.

I Am Margaret Moore by Hannah Capin is a YA thriller in a similar style to We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. (if that's a book you have strong opinions about, I'd expect a similar reaction to I Am Margaret Moore) It seems to be one you either love or hate, but personally I loved it. I found it haunting, tragic and beautifully written. I enjoyed it just as much as Foul is Fair, though the main characters are starkly different personalities. Margaret Moore left me eager to read more from Hannah Capin.

The lyrical writing ruined this book for me. It was too complex to enjoy, and I was really disappointed with this book.

This book was a little difficult for me to follow at first but then it got more interesting. I really liked the short little chapters that it had. It kind of reminded me of “We Were Liars” but also poetry at the same time? I thought this story was beautiful and I will be buying the physical copy when it comes out.

Although I Am Margaret Moore had its moments, ultimately it tested my patience and I found the vagueness of it to be too frustrating. However, the target readership mid-teenage girls, may well enjoy it considerably more and be intrigued by the many references to "the boy" and the many occasions in which Margaret Moore kisses him. Not much of this plot seemed to go anywhere and the dreamlike plot, written almost like poetry, failed to captivate like the author probably hoped. It also moved over more than one summer timeline and I struggled to tell them apart, after about fifty pages everything became very samey. Obviously we're following a type of stream of consciousness, but I'm sure many teen readers will be turned off by it, although I suppose it is worth hanging around for the ending.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Kind of bummed....I think I would have absolutely loved this book if not for prose style writing. I've seen others say this dreamlike writing made the book all the blue better for them, unfortunately not so with me. The book is a thriller/mystery focusing on 4 girls at a camp, which is right up my alley. I would give four stars for the (I took off one because I saw the plot twist coming a mile away) and two stars for the actual writing. Just because this isn't particularly my cup of tea, doesn't mean that I wouldn't recommend it to others.

Thank you to the publisher and that galley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 37%

Despite the many elements of the premise that I love — summer camp, sisterhood, secrets of the past coming to bear on the present — ultimately the prose style overshadows everything else and keeps me from really getting immersed. It's not <i>bad</i>, just very stream-of-consciousness, circuitous and somewhat repetitive, with revelations and flashbacks rationed out gradually to build on each other; the present tense is more atmospheric than action-packed. There's a strange juxtaposition where it seems like the narrative is meant to have universal resonance, but at the same time Marshall Summer Naval School is something special, and so the novel as a whole is caught between the two.

I do think this will appeal to many readers, but it's just not for me.

Rating: 2.5
The writing was a little too lyrical for me at times. It was kind of confusing. I guessed the twist 5% in to the book, I'm not sure it was supposed to be that obvious.

I wanted to like this book, but the first half was so confusing with the constant jumping from summers. The naval terminology was hard to keep straight. The second half is where everything starts to come together and it becomes repetitive and honestly after the reveal, I think the story should have ended.

Favorite quote that I hope makes it into the final copy.

"I believe in monsters with wide smiles, beautiful and bright, that live in grand old Victorians; that push girls into the mud; that take our voices and tell us what we are."

“I am a mad girl who walks the lakeshore in mud up to my ankles. I swim in moonlight; I float above that deepest place and do not fear the things beneath. I wake when the sun comes up and the cannon fires and I am sleeping here on the water, and the mist is all around me, and everything is still, and I am Medusa and all the world is stone.”

I absolutely LOVED Foul is Fair (seriously everyone needs to read it if you love a good Macbeth retelling and lots of blood and revenge). Now, with I Am Margaret Moore, Hannah Capin continues to grow with her stories and the tales she spins. I Am Margaret Moore is poetic, lyrical, haunting and held deep with sorrow but it’s also more than that; it’s about sisterhood between best friends who’d do anything for each other.

I’ll repeat what others have said in that this book, especially the writing, will not be for everyone but the prose just so happens to be my kind of favorite. It’s like reading a fever-dream. After I finished reading, I felt like I was floating. I can’t wait to see what Hannah Capin has in store for us next.

This book is described as lyrical, however, it often borders on verse. The repetitive nature of this writing felt mind-numbing, at times, and frustrating at others. The twist of this book is one of the more interesting things that happens- and even our characters seem undeterred by it. This was strange, considering the entire plot relies on this twist. The world-building was fantastic, and I would have enjoyed an actual thriller written in prose in this world. However, this felt more like a contemporary in verse dressed up as a thriller labeled lyrical.
There could have been so much more to this story. The writing style took those opportunities away.
Full review October 4th, 2021

Not the typical genre I read but this was very enjoyable. It was well written and the characters were likable. I will definitely look for more by this author.
Thanks to publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.
Pub Date:10/12/21. Highly recommend

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I am Margaret Moore by Hannah Capin is a creepy YA thriller with twists and turns I never saw coming. When I saw those words in the description, I immediately added this book to my TBR list. I love YA books and I love thrillers, so why not blend the two genres and get something cool and ground-breaking? I was so excited to be approved to review this ARC that I was jumping up and down. Thank you again to the publisher for this opportunity!

The story revolves around five girls, friends at the Marshall Naval School, an elite summer camp by the seaside. They meet up every summer. This summer, however, a mysterious incident plagues the students. Rumors start springing up that Margaret is to blame. To solve the mystery, she will have to go into the depths of her mind and remember what actually happened last summer. This book seriously has everything: a seaside setting, camp traditions, and mysteries galore.

Here is an excerpt from an opening chapter that describes the school:

"Here we are only Marshall girls. We live behind glass and gray wood on green lawns. The forest hems us to the shore of Lake Nanweshmot; the forest keeps us safe away from the world. Here they push us until we break and heal and break again. We are everything and everything is ours."

And here is an excerpt from Margaret's point of view introducing her friends:

"One from last June, before we turned tan and sunbleached. Flor and Nisreen, Rose and me, fingertips clutching into each other’s arms. Laughing and right.
When they are unpacked they will come out to me, and we will be together again, and it will be our summer: this is what I hope with all my life.
I sit in the crook of our sycamore and I wait for them.
I need them back. We need us back.
Everything depends on it."

Overall, I am Margaret Moore is an exceptional YA novel that blends social commentary with mystery. This book is so innovative though that it's hard to find other books to compare it to. If you enjoyed the twists in We Were Liars or One Of Us is Lying but wished they were slightly more creepy, then this book is for you! If you are intrigued by the quotes above or if you're a fan of the YA and thriller genres, then you won't regret checking out this book when it comes out in October!