I’m a little late reading this book but it was a good time to read it. This book deals with a lot and is about Mary, who goes to an Ivy League college, then gets kicked out for an assault and has to go back home to her small town. This was hitting on mental health from things from her past. She goes back home and one of her white childhood friends is missing along with a black girl, who was found murdered. She decides they are tied together but the black girl’s disappearance was not being taken as seriously. She gets involved in investigating, suspecting several people. The author kept me turning pages to the end to find out who did it. This was a good crime thriller. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to review this book.

I really, really enjoyed this book. It was extremely gratifying to see a young woman fall, but take responsibility for her shortcomings, and work to become a better person- even if that isn't who you thought you'd be. I didn't see the actual murderer coming, not by a long shot, although I did know for sure that Dwayne wasn't a killer, so that was a nice little surprise. I also felt like this was a smart book, with its underlying commentary about race, racism, and "missing white woman syndrome". Ice been recommending this book for a while now, and will continue to do so. I think Catherine Dang is a talented author, who probably has more stories to tell, and I, for one, cannot wait to read those future stories.

Thanks to Book Club Girl, William Morrow, and Harper Collins for this copy of "Nice Girls."

Mary and Olivia used to be close friends when they were young. But in middle and high school, they each found new friends and new groups.

Now Mary is home after being expelled from college and Olivia is missing. Mary tries to pry behind Olivia's seemingly perfect life to find out what might have happened.

She finds that even after all these years, Mary is still a hungry, angry girl.

"Nice Girls" is a fast-paced thriller that delves into the dark underbelly of suburbia, exploring themes of deception, revenge, and the pressures of societal expectations. Catherine Dang's writing style is sharp and engaging, drawing readers into a world where appearances can be deceiving and secrets lurk behind every facade.

Filled with twists and turns, "Nice Girls" keeps readers guessing until the very end. Dang skillfully builds tension throughout the narrative, creating a sense of unease that lingers long after the final page is turned. However, the pacing is a bit uneven at times, with certain sections of the novel feeling rushed while others drag on.

Dang creates a diverse cast of characters that are well-developed and multi-dimensional, each grappling with their own demons and desires, whose lives intersect in unexpected ways. However, some readers may find it difficult to connect with the characters on a deeper level, as their motivations and actions can feel somewhat contrived at times.

Overall, "Nice Girls" is a solid thriller that will appeal to fans of the genre. While it may not offer the most compelling plot or characters, its fast-paced narrative and suspenseful atmosphere make it a satisfying and enjoyable read for those seeking an escape into the world of suburban secrets and lies.

This book started out strong for me, but ending up being a "did not finish" because it couldn't hold my attention and I just didn't connect with the story.

Mary gets expelled from her ivy league college and returns to her hometown. When some "nice girls" start disappearing, she's pulled into the police investigations. This is a book about girls who aren't nice at all. It was okay.

When Mary, quiet, chubby, studious Mary — who made it out of her small Minnesota hometown to go Ivy — when Mary returns to her hometown a college dropout, thin, sophisticated, and seemingly haunted — she can't help feeling like nothing is as it should be. So when her former childhood friend and on-her-way influencer Olivia disappears — Mary becomes obsessed.

In a sentence: A page turner with a very unlikeable main character and an unsatisfying ending. I had high hopes for this book but it did not deliver. Thank you for the opportunity to read this one early.

Not my favorite book, I really just did not like the main character. Mary's personality was one that I found hard to keep me engaged in the story. I worked to finish the book.

This title definitely slipped through the cracks of the overwhelming Deluge of books and everything going on during the whole everything was locked down period of time. In fact, I'm not sure that I have ever heard anyone other than myself talk about this book which is a shame.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow and Custom House, William Morrow for letting me read this book.Nice Girls by Catherine Dang is a quick murder mystery in a small town.

I wanted to like this book so badly, but it was all over the place. Mary was constantly pointing fingers. She was all over the place, and sometimes her logic was hard to follow, finding breadcrumbs and having wild theories about who and why, killed it for me, and not to give any spoilers... but at the end of the book, she used the person's full name repeatedly every time the person was mentioned, which extremely irritating for some reason. She/he and him/her work just fine instead of the full name. It had promise but it was just too much with the unlikable Mary and there was just something missing.

Mary used to be such a nice girl. She was the resident whiz kid of Liberty Lake, Minnesota—the quiet, chubby teen with the scholarship to an Ivy League school. But three years later, “Ivy League Mary” is back—a thinner, cynical, restless failure who was kicked out of Cor­nell at the beginning of her senior year and won’t tell anyone why. Taking a job at the local grocery store, Mary tries to make sense of her life’s sharp downward spiral.

Big DNF from me. Definitely not making me want to know what happens. I wanted to like this one, but unfortunately I'm putting this one down. Just not for me!

*Thank you @williammorrowbooks for the copy in exchange for an honest review. Review not posted to Amazon/Goodreads because less than 4 stars or DNF.*

I loved this engrossing mystery! It is not like all the other thrillers out there, and offers intriguing characters and a well developed storyline that you truly care about.

Good plot, good characters, this one definitely kept me guessing the whole time. I Would love to sell this title to my readers, a lot of whom prefer a good thriller. My first by this author and I look forward to reading mor in the future.

Will review in the future, was offered as a free book with no review needed. However, as soon as I read this I will review. Thanks for offering free reads for Book Club Girls.

I tried to read this book multiple times and was always unable to finish. I think the author has potential. This just wasn’t grasping my attention.

I tried about 20% of this one but it just wasn't working for me- after talking with some trusted sources, I don't think this book is for me.

Nice Girls is an intriguing mystery with plenty of twists and turns throughout. The story follows Mary who used to be such a nice girl. Three years ago, she was the chubby, nerdy scholarship kid at Ivy League School. Now, she's a thinner failure getting kicked out of Cornell University and nobody knows why. When rising social media star Olivia goes missing, everyone obsesses over her. Except Mary knows Olivia isn't the vision of perfection she makes herself out to be. Olivia used to be Mary's best friend. And Mary is beginning to wonder if her disappearance is tied to another missing person deemed a runaway. The mystery is a bit of a slow-burn, but intriguing none the less. Highly recommended! Be sure to check out Nice Girls today.

Catherine Dang made me fall head over heels for this book "Nice Girls." I was fully absorbed. My breath was taken away. Until about....70% of the way in when my love soured. Most of this book is amazing! The ending is over the top, but some will love it.
Mary was the awkward girl in high school. She left Liberty Lake on a mission to become the biggest success the school had ever known. She was accepted to Cornell and her dream was coming to fruition Until she was expelled her senior year. Now she's back at home and fully ashamed of what's become of her. .
Liberty Lake is befuddled when Oliva, a rising Instagram star, goes missing. How funny. She was Mary's childhood bff. Mary becomes a detective and and investigation takes place.
Mary was unlikeable, but I've been known to enjoy a heroine that I love to hate. Not so much with Mary. That along with the end make this a 3.5 stars from me.