I want to provide the best possible review I can of this one, but this was a plot that truly just lost me a lot of the time. The story is broken up into these mini-segments with a title. There are not really chapters. It's just these headings and thoughts. It feels like a poetry book, but it's not poetically written. So, at first, I kind of enjoyed that, but then I started to get confused. I wasn't sure where I was in the timeline of the story or who was talking to me.

I struggled to get any of the characters to be fleshed out. They all felt one-dimensional, only living with Margaret Moore, and not existing without her in the picture. The girls all felt almost as though they were one person, and it made me never find a connection with one of them or their story.

This one was not for me. I liked the location and setting, but the way the story was told really threw me, and I wasn't ever able to find a way to enjoy it.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this one.

Thank you so much St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books for this advance ebook copy!
I could have screamed when I got this email!.😘

I Am Margaret Moore by Hannah Capin was such a wonderful book!
This is why I love a good YA/Thriller story! And Capin did such an outstanding job with this one. Now I've got to read her two other books and hope they're as amazing as this was!
People should go nuts over this anticipated book!

What I loved:
The creepy, twisted turns this book took.
The writing is honestly unlike anything I've read before! Its absolutely amazing!
These characters are divine and the tension is outta this world here!
This is one book you need to add to your TBR pile because it f'ing wild!

Thanks again NetGalley, Publisher and Author for the chance to read and review this amazing book!
I'll post to my Social media platforms closer to pub date!

Synopsis:
Each summer the girls of Deck Five come back to Marshall Naval School. They sail on jewel-blue waters; they march on green drill-fields; they earn sunburns and honors. They push until they break apart and heal again, stronger.

Each summer Margaret and Rose and Flor and Nisreen come back to the place where they are girls, safe away from the world: sisters bound by something more than blood.

But this summer everything has changed. Girls are missing and a boy is dead. It’s because of Margaret Moore, the boys say. It’s because of what happened that night in the storm.

Margaret’s friends vanish one by one, swallowed up into the lies she has told about what happened between her and a boy with the world at his feet. Can she unravel the secrets of this summer and last, or will she be pulled under by the place she once called home?

Review:

Thank you so much, Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

While reading 'I am Margaret Moore', I went through so many emotions: sadness, anger, outrage for what our main character was going through, but even though this book evoked strong feelings in me, the only thing I could think about was how confused the plot made me. I tried so hard to like this, and I didn't, so it'll be a hard book for me to review.

Lets' first talk about the characters. I think that, at it's best moments, 'I am Margaret Moore' is very much a character driven book. Margaret was a layered character, which I appreciated, but I had some real problems with the other characters. I could feel the authors hand so much in this aspect, because it felt like all characters that weren't Margaret herself orbited around her, and only existed for her. Especially the boy from the storm: I knew nothing about his character, which kind of bothered me. I think that this was the intention of the book: to make things appear kind of hazy, but to me it felt kind of sluggish, and made it harder to connect with the book.

The plot and set-up was very intriguing, and by far the strongest part of this book. The plot twists were crazy, and to be honest, they were the only reason why I kept reading. I think that a lot of readers will connect strongly to this story, because it is very timely, in that it depicts female rage, and the #metoo movement.

The writing and pacing is where I had huge issues. The style is being called 'lyrical', but I don't think that's quite right. What you need to know is that the experience of reading this is like reading poetry, because the plot doesn't necessarily follow a linear timeline, and because at times it can feel nonsensical. However, I love reading poetry for the profound insights that it gives me as a reader, but, this book gave none of that. So sadly, it left me feeling empty, and ultimately, very, very confused. I also felt that the pacing of the story was way off. Like I mentioned earlier, it has a dreamlike quality to it that feels hazy, but it doesn't float along easily and beautifully like one would expect: instead it feels jarring and disturbing.

While taking all of these things into account, I didn't always understand the experimental ideas of 'I am Margaret Moore', but while I couldn't love it, or even like it, I'm trying my best to appreciate it.

Anticipation: 3.5: Synopsis is intriguing, paranormal thriller?!
Enjoyment: 1: WAIT WHAT OH NO

--> 1.75 stars.

I really enjoyed this book. There were thrills, mystery, and close friendships. It definitely got off to a slow start but quickly picked up about a third of the way through and by then I was so invested that I couldn't put it down. If you like thrillers and mysteries this is going to be the read for you.

TWs: sexual assault, blood, gore, death, abortion

I'm going to be honest, the blurb for I am Margaret Moore didn't really interest me, but because I loved Hannah Capin's last novel, Foul is Fair, so much I decided to read it anyway. As it turns out, it was an excellent spur of the moment decision on my part, because I ended up really loving it. It's been awhile l since I've read about rich people drama and this was a special kind, if for no other reason than the way Capin flawlessly captures raw emotions in her work.

I am Margaret Moore was a bit difficult to follow at times, and even though Margaret is supposed to be an unreliable narrator, I did think it got a little too convoluted at points. I don't mind unreliable narration, but I did feel like I ended up having to re-read parts multiple times. However, I still really enjoyed the book as a whole, especially when it came to Margaret and the rest of the Deck Five girls. Sisterhood was an important theme in Foul is Fair as well, and it's one of the reasons I ended up loving the book so much in both cases. There's a very wild, intense bond between all of the girls, Margaret, Rose, Nasreen and Flor, but it extends out to all of the girls, even though most of them are nameless and have no real role in the story.

I also really loved the plot twist, which I hadn't seen coming since I had forgotten that it wasn't pitched as a contemporary novel, and the way the story really began to bloom after the reader finds out. It definitely ended differently than I thought it was going to, but I really, really loved it. If it weren't for getting so confusing at times I'd have given it 5 stars, but I'm hoping that it's something that will have been smoothed over by the time the finished copy comes out.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book made me feel ALL the emotions. However, I really wasn’t comprehending anything until I got to about 41%. After that, it was still rocky in some areas, but I eventually pieced it all together enough to get the gist of everything. I think.

This is my first Hannah Capin book, so I was realllllly being patient with the writing style at the beginning, but I still found myself getting somewhat exasperated by the repetition. I feel like the lyrical writing got in the way of answering some major plot points for me. Some of them (like the time frame of this story) was answered in the last chapter, but I’m still so curious about the age of these girls, what kind of camp/school they are at, and what ever actually happened??? (Maybe this was a writing strategy to make us, the reader, feel like we are trying to piece everything together alongside Margaret? Which, if that is the case, it is cool yet still so confusing for the first 100 pages).

I also wish there were some added backstory and development to the setting because I couldn’t really connect with any of the Navy terms. I’m not sure if Neverland is more like summer camp or boot camp.

Also, even if this summer program were going on in the late 1950’s, how could they get away with operating after multiple fatal accidents???

However.

I am willing to push these questions aside because I actually loved the plot and was feeling A LOT of emotions while reading this. It was heartfelt, horrifying, and was hard to read at times, and I enjoyed it overall!!!

I Am Margaret Moore by Hannah Capin is a young adult paranormal thriller written in an almost prose style. Along with the different writing style this one also jumps around between timelines in the story in a unique fashion. The story is based at Marshall Naval School and involves four girls, Margaret, Rose, Flor, and Nisreen. Something happened one summer the girls came together and things have never been the same since.

I’ve read Hannah Capin before so the writing style wasn’t a surprise but while I wasn’t a huge fan of the style I didn’t mind it in the past. However, this time around I didn’t feel the book flowed well at all and a lot of the time I felt it got repetitive. What really bothered me though after wading through was I could probably tell the entire story in a couple of sentences so I felt like this was one long teen angst ramble that went nowhere surprising.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Margaret Moore and the Deck Five girls have spent each summer learning about Naval Academy life. They are a close knit group of friends, and this summer, Margaret isn't at camp. The other Deck Five girls want to know what happened to her last summer, when she left camp unexpectedly. As the mystery unfolds, the tragedy of Margaret Moore is revealed and avenged.

This is a ghost story mystery that is way too confusing for most readers. The timeline is difficult to follow, and details don't seem to connect. The ending does tie everything together, but the rest of the story didn't hold my interest.

Thankyou Netgalley for the advanced copy of I am Margaret Moore. Each summer the girls of Deck Five come back to Marshall Naval School. They sail on jewel-blue waters; they march on green drill-fields; they earn sunburns and honors. They push until they break apart and heal again, stronger.

Each summer Margaret and Rose and Flor and Nisreen come back to the place where they are girls, safe away from the world: sisters bound by something more than blood.

But this summer everything has changed. Girls are missing and a boy is dead. It’s because of Margaret Moore, the boys say. It’s because of what happened that night in the storm.

Margaret’s friends vanish one by one, swallowed up into the lies she has told about what happened between her and a boy with the world at his feet. Can she unravel the secrets of this summer and last, or will she be pulled under by the place she once called home?

I really enjoyed the friendship between the girls, and Hannah Capin brings back her signature lyricism from Foul Is Fair, but brings it up to 11. However, it became at points a little repetitive and difficult to follow. Not quite as propulsive as her past two books, of which I continue to be a massive fan.

I thought I understood what was going on until about halfway through the book. I kept reading knowing it would all make sense in the end, and it did! I enjoyed reading this book and the twists and turns.

#bookreview of #iammargaretmoore
5 STARS
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#paranormalthriller is part of this book's description and it did not disappoint.
.
The beginning starts us off with hints of a terrible secret, the bond of friendship, and love.
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This type of story is meant to be a bit confusing because our narrator herself is a bit confused but that only made me excited to see the whole story unfold. Hang in there because the story as a whole makes you see the beginning in a whole new light.
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Margaret and her friends crave the truth and let me just say we get to know all the horrible scary details.
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Loved the writing and the ending was beautiful and tragic and satisfying and I loved every word.

Release date: 3/15/2022
Thank you St Martins Press, @netgalley and #wednesdaybooks for an early copy to read and give an unbiased review.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was fast paced, and was on the spooky side. I felt that the final outcome of it was easy to predict, but I still enjoyed the read.

I Am Margaret Moore is an unflinching and captivating story about the girls of Deck Five. Girls who have spent their summers together at Marshall Naval School. They've sailed together for years and now as this final summer has arrived it all feels the same but different. It's a haunting story and as a follow up to Capin's Foul Is Fair I was expecting I Am Margaret Moore to entrance me and sweep me up in every event as they passed. Capin has a unique and bewitching writing style and while I didn't adore this book as much as I hoped I would, the writing was superb once again.

From the first page this book was mysterious and while it was easy enough to figure out that something was up with Margaret, as well as the general idea of what was going on, I still was hooked on wanting to find out exactly what had happened to her. The further the story unfolded the more I found myself getting frustrated with my confusion over enjoying it. There were numerous portions of the book that seemed to drag because without answers the plot ended up running in circles. The more that Margaret got confused the more frustrated I got. From an overall story view I can understand why Capin chose to write the plot the way that she did, honestly I could see this becoming a really well done movie, but without being able to piece together a timeline or having visuals of everything that happened it was impossible to fully understand what was going on. It was a dark and devastating plot however and I did find myself captivated by it overall.

Something that I enjoy about Capin's books is that she writes messy characters. The girls are not perfect and they make a lot of mistakes, albeit deadly ones. Margaret Moore, being the titular character got all of the attention and unfortunately I think that detracted from the story overall. I was really hoping to get to know the other Deck Five girls better especially considering how Margaret exclaimed from the get go that they were so close. With the odd time jumps and extremely open ending about everything I couldn't help but leave this story wanting more. As everything began to unfold we saw bits and pieces of how her friends moved forward but I personally didn't think there was quite enough closure.

Now Capin does have a writing style that isn't for everyone but if you've read Foul Is Fair and enjoyed it or if you enjoy incredibly lyrical writing I would recommend giving this book a try. It had a lot of potential for me and as I've thought about it more, I just kept going back to hoping we would get just a little bit more. So when that little bit more never came I felt underwhelmed. I think I'll sum it up with it wasn't bad but it wasn't what I had hoped for either.

→ 4 stars
★ ★ ★ ★
tw: gore, death, teen pregnancy, sl*t shaming

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lyrical and haunting I Am Margaret Moore is a book you won't be able to forget.

Reading this book was truly a unique experience. The author's writing style definitely isn't for everyone, but I really enjoyed it. The first third of this book moved pretty slow but did a great job of building up to the action. And while the details helped paint a vivid picture, I feel like some scenes were over-detailed, and focused too much on one thing. I also had a hard time following the dialogue and most of the navel-y (?) terms.

The turn this story took was wild. I predicted one main point in the story (yay me), but there were SO many twists and turns. And I think the cryptic, poetic writing style really helped with the dark and dramatic effect.

Watching Margaret slowly unravel the details of the summer was thrilling and gave me literal goosebumps. I absolutely loved the last chapter (if we can call it that) with the four together again. Honestly, my only complaint about the ending is I think after the BIG big reveal, the story kind of dragged on.

Overall this was a unique and dark book that I really enjoyed and very much recommend.

**Disclaimer: I received a free early access copy of I Am Margaret Moore by Hannah Capin through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this opportunity.

I Am Margaret Moore by Hannah Capin is a young adult paranormal mystery/thriller.  The story is about a teenage girl named Margaret Moore who returns to her yearly summer camp for the last time, but something bad happened the previous year and they have to figure out what exactly happened.  I rated this five stars on Goodreads.  It is set to be published on March 15th, 2022.


Here's the summary from Goodreads:

Lyrical and haunting, Hannah Capin's I Am Margaret Moore is a paranormal thriller that tests the hold of sisterhood and truth.
I am a girl. I am a monster, too.
Each summer the girls of Deck Five come back to Marshall Naval School. They sail on jewel-blue waters; they march on green drill-fields; they earn sunburns and honors. They push until they break apart and heal again, stronger.
Each summer Margaret and Rose and Flor and Nisreen come back to the place where they are girls, safe away from the world: sisters bound by something more than blood.
But this summer everything has changed. Girls are missing and a boy is dead. It’s because of Margaret Moore, the boys say. It’s because of what happened that night in the storm.
Margaret’s friends vanish one by one, swallowed up into the lies she has told about what happened between her and a boy with the world at his feet. Can she unravel the secrets of this summer and last, or will she be pulled under by the place she once called home? 

This book is not going to be for everyone.  Initially, I wasn't even sure if I was going to like this book.  I was excited to request it because I loved Hannah Capin's first two books, and didn't realize she had another one coming out.  However, when I picked it up, I found it kind of slow and hard to get into.  Once I got into it, however, I pretty much couldn't put it down.

The writing of this novel is just as the blurb says: lyrical.  It almost reads like poetry at places and I was really obsessed with how it was written.  It was super impressive to me.  However, I can see where not everyone would enjoy it.  It just really worked for me.  However, I will say that the inclusion of the navy terms was a little confusing because there wasn't really an explanation for most of them and sometimes it was hard to puzzle the definition out from context.

Story wise, I liked the structure of layering in the flashbacks so that the what happened last summer was slowly revealed.  It kept me guessing and needing to read to find out what exactly happened.  I didn't expect the twist/big reveal and I kind of loved that and love the twist itself.  I just really didn't expect it.  I won't spoil it because it's really important to not know the twist going in.

As I mentioned, it is a slower starting book, but this ended up working out for me.  I just found the story very haunting and I think it's one that will stay with me for awhile.  Again, this book won't be for everybody, but I do recommend that you check it out when it publishes in March of next year.

The ambiance of this book stood out so boldly. There were parts that I had to go back and think about because I was very confused. I'm looking forward to others reading it so we can chat about it!

I liked the idea of this when I first requested this, and the cover is definitely my style.

However the writing style of this really let this down. Aside from the narrator being unreliable, none of the characters really had a personality so it was difficult to connect to anyone at all. I disliked this so much I found it difficult to get through.
Adding to this I wasn't a fan of the military aspect, I didn't grasp that in the synopsis because I didn't realise that "Marshall Naval School" meant it was a Navy Summer School - which is on me to be honest.

I wouldn't recommend this to anyone to be honest.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I Am Margaret Moore is the story of 17-year-old Margaret, who returns each summer to the Marshall Naval School with her best friends Rose, Nisreen, and Flor. There's something different this summer though, and it's not just the knowledge that this is their first class summer, their last summer together before they start their lives in different corners of the world. This summer, time is out of joint. It's second class summer, it's third class summer, it's their Butterfly summer when they first met at 9 years old with grass-stained knees, it's the summer Margaret was 4 and fell off the pier into the lake, it's first class summer and they are seventeen.

If you found that last sentence confusing, buckle up. I Am Margaret Moore is told in non-linear fashion and almost entirely in metaphors. The blurb describes this book as "lyrical" but "verse formatted to look like prose" may be more accurate. For the first 2/3 of this book I wasn't sure about much: whether I liked the story, the writing style, the characters, whether I was even going to make it through. The plot felt slow and meandering, the characters seemed fairly flat. I wondered when the thrilling part of this thriller would start happening. I was sure this would be a solid 2 stars.

And then! Oh my goodness, and then! At 67% something shifted and this book fell into perfection. The plot goes from 0 to 100. Margaret suddenly gets a personality and some spunk, and I understood why she didn't hand much before. Little things that I thought made no sense suddenly clicked into place. For a book that I had been reading knowing exactly what would happen next, I suddenly wasn't sure where things were going. I started this book feeling like Hannah Capin was just a bit pretentious and finished it thinking she just might be a genius.

I want to add two caveats here: #1: I truly love well-written books that confuse the hell out of me. Nothing makes me love a story more than having no idea what's going on and trying to put the pieces together. If you like to know what's going on at all times when you read, this will not be the book for you.

And caveat #2: I see many reviews saying the twist was obvious. Without spoilers, I think these people might be misunderstanding what the twist is. I too was frustrated for the first half of the book, thinking I was being insulted as a reader, the author assuming I couldn't pick up on what was going on. However, what I assumed would be the twist was not it (it's really just more of a plot point you're assumed to have figured out before Margaret does), and I honestly think this was one of the least insulting-to-my-intelligence books I've read in a long time. Capin doesn't spoon feed us anything, trusting the reader to put together the pieces she's given us, and I love her for it.

This book will definitely not be for everyone. I can imagine many more people will hate it than love it, and that's perfectly understandable. As I stated, the writing is mostly metaphors. There is a lot of repetition. A LOT of repetition. But it's repetition with a purpose, and the payoff is so very worth it.

Content warnings: murder (on-page, fairly graphic), accidental death (on-page, not graphic), rape (on-page, non-violent), unwanted pregnancy, botched abortion, misogyny, military themes

I received a copy of I Am Marget Moore from Netgalley and Wednesday Books.

I thought this book was going to be a thriller and while it was thrilling this book was wholly unexpected.

The writing is a stunner.

The book is about Margaret Moore a girl who spends her summers at a naval camp. Only this summer is different because of what happened last year. A secret that can't be spoken.