Wasn’t a fan of the book—lots of stereotypical characters. I was super excited for the queer rep but it missed the mark this time. 2.5 stars rounded up.

The Grimrose Girls is Pretty Little Liars with fairytales, laura pohl does an amazing job of mixing the classic fairytales the real ones not the disney ones and throws them in to a modern style mystery. just mix in the plot of a dead friend and you have the idea of how this book will go.
there is a lot of diverse representation in this book which is refreshing to see and the whole book as a great flow to it.

Classic fairytales twisted up together with a Pretty Little Liar’s-like mystery, indeed! This is such a fun read and I took a lot of enjoyment from these clever, reimagined stories.

The Grimrose Girls started out slow for me. We’re introduced to the main characters as they’re grieving the death of their best friend, who died suddenly in the lake on their school grounds. Despite the death being ruled a suicide, they feel as if there’s something more to the story and begin to investigate. As their group expands from a new roommate at the school, the stakes increase. All isn’t as it seems.

As the blurb for the story mentions, the characters are all reimainged fairy tale characters that attend this boarding school together. The fairytales that are mentioned are all familiar, and many follow the original fairytales rather than the “cleaned up” versions that have become popular for kids. As the story goes on, it becomes obvious which character each is based on, even before they start to dig into the mysterious curse and deaths at the school. The diversity and representation in the characters was done well and didn’t feel forced for any of the characters.

The Grimrose Girls is very atmospheric and dark, though for me the beginning of the book was such a slow pace that I wasn’t sure if I was going to get through it. It did pick up as the book went on, and I can see why everyone loved it once I got through the slow parts. The pacing is the main reason why I’ve dropped my rating for it, and I’m looking forward to seeing where the story goes from here, as the book ends with a number of unanswered questions.

Warning: This book discusses some sensitive topics that may be triggering for some readers including death, mention of suicide, mention of drowning, and murder.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Full review to come on Instagram and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

I really really love modern retellings of fairytales and The Grimrose Girls beautifully weaves many fairytales into its story. The characters were all very well developed and I enjoyed reading the four different point of views. The mystery was my favorite part and I couldn’t wait to see how this story was going to end.

We have four main characters in the story: Yuki, Rory, Ella, and Nani attend a boarding school for girls in Switzerland where students are mysteriously dying. One death is that of their best friend and leads them to hunt for answers they are unsure they will be able to find.
It seems Grimrose has dark secrets and a curse. can they uncover the mystery before more deaths?
I enjoyed getting to know the girls, who were all facing their own problems. There were lots of twists that I didn't see coming. I'm looking forward to the next one!

Characters & diversity & representation = stellar. Plot & execution = not so much. My favorite characters were Svenja & Nani. There were a ton of characters but I appreciate the fact that each of their personalities was distinct and unique. I was not a fan of the twist, however. Overall, it was a quick and fun read.

Combining fairy tales and pretty little liars type themes? I’m all the way here for it. I love the spin on the fairy tales making them more modern. I adore the mystery and world and can’t wait for the sequel

Fun and fresh take on the fairytales retelling genre! I'd describe this as Once Upon A Time meets Pretty Little Liars. The mystery kept me turning pages and the writing was easy to read. Definitely excited for the sequel!

This is a YA retelling of a variety of fairytales.
The book has four narrators, which I loved as you were able to get a personal look into each of the characters back stories and feelings.
It's a great read for people who love fairytale retellings. The book was excited and offered a range of different stories, which was great.

Juvenile and the representation was questionable at best, I didn't appreciate the way queer women have portrayed super stereotypical portrayal and the representation of mental illness was not done well. I felt like the author didn't put enough effort into research and making a well-rounded fantasy novel even though it was unique and a cool idea

Yikes. That was pretty bad.

I'm usually a sucker for anything fairytale, but this left a lot to be desired. You spend so much time figuring out who is supposed to be who that it takes away from the story, not that there was much there to begin with.

The characters were flat, the plot was boring, the mystery wasn't much of a mystery, and the diverse rep that this was supposed to have was laughable.

Nope. Not for me.

The Grimrose Girls: Dark Academia Fairytale by Laura Pohl is a YA dark academia book that combines the modern world of a cursed private academy with a who-done-it that explores the grim side of age-old fairy tales.
Ella, Yuki, and Rory return for the start of the new term at Grimrose Academy only to discover the fourth member of their clique, Ariane, has drowned in the campus lake. Her death has been ruled a suicide, but her friends know it was murder. When Nani arrives as their newest roommate, they become determined to find out what really happened.
They discover a book hidden in Ariane’s wardrobe. It’s a book of fairytales. It appears innocuous at first glance, but as they read it, they notice none of the stories have happy endings. As dead bodies continue piling up it becomes clear the book and the school is cursed. Each story correlates to a student at Grimrose and foreshadows their demise.
Can the girls break the cycle of deaths or are their own fates tied to the cursed stories dooming them to brutal and gruesome endings?

Pros And My Favourite Parts
The Grimrose Girls has so many fun tropes rolled into one story. I felt very comfortable in the world of the book from the get-go. The modern takes on how each character embodies their classic fairytale persona is clever. Of course, Cinderella is dealing with depression and OCD, and Aurora’s parents are over-protective because their daughter lives with chronic pain. Pohl creates the world of Grimrose Academy with nice touches that give it an ominous, creepy vibe. The best thing the story has going for it is a diverse cast of characters. Not only is it a racially diverse group, but every letter of the LGBTQ alphabet is represented. Where were these books when I was young and figuring things out?
There’s enough closure in this story to make for a satisfying reading experience, but Pohl has set it up so that readers will be waiting for the next book in this series with high anticipation. I’ looking forward to the next book.
Cons And Heads Up
I thought the first quarter of the book was a bit slow. I know the author was establishing the characters’ personalities, but I thought it dragged a little. Once magic and murders started appearing the plot takes off.
I wasn’t wowed by the audiobook. .
The Conclusion
The Grimrose Girls made for great company on my daily commute. If I’m going to sit in traffic, a good story makes it bearable. While each girl is tied to a familiar fairytale, it was fun seeing how that was interpreted for a contemporary audience. The backstories for each girl is compelling so I was interested from beginning to end. I’m enjoying reading more YA literature. I’m finding a lot of well written titles that are just as appealing for adults as they are for younger audiences. The Grimrose Girls definitely falls in that category.

I was curious about this book as soon I saw the synopsis and this book didn't disappoint.

I really liked the multiple povs, it was great to get into everyone's head and still have the mystery going.

It was very engaging but I just felt like the chapters were a bit too lengthy or wordy.

I recommend this one. It's a good book and everyone should read. Of course I would love to have this book in my bookstore.

All of the stars for this amazing book. I was hooked from page one and couldn't put it down. Definitely one I would recommend to anyone looking for a YA thriller/horror/fantasy. I simply loved this book, so damn much.

I had a blast reading this book. Something about a retelling is always appealing to me, but this book takes it to a new level! Bringing so many fairy tale characters together and giving each character such different, yet familiar personalities was so fun to read. I felt like I was getting to know the characters I've known since I was a kid in new and exciting ways. Apart from the amazing characters, the story was gripping and I was trying to piece things together and find clues along the way, which made the pages fly by.

The Grimrose Girls gave me all of the Ever After High/Disney's Descendants/Monster High vibes mixed with a lil bit of murder and of course the Grimm stories, that I didn't know I wanted to read.

However I did and it was a fun read, especially at the end of the year since it mostly takes place during autumn/winter. I really liked the way the girlies were linked to fairytales and also the fact that this does also have lgbtqia+ rep. I liked the fact that it wasn't clear up until a certain point if there was like actual magic going on and the fact that a lot of people had secrets and a couple of red herrings, of course. The story wasn't that grim even tho people were dropping dead, left right and centre. That made it also just an easy read and I flew through it in like two days.

This a review for an arc from NetGalley.

A thriller fantasy novel akin to Pretty Little Liars and fairy tale retelling? Yes please! This book definitely delivered with an enjoyable cast of characters who each had their own story lines in addition to the overall plot. Great LGBTQ rep and disability rep that did not seem forced and don’t see enough of as well. It’s always fun to see how modern spins are put on fairy tales, and putting it into dark academia scenic mountains of Switzerland at boarding school was the perfect touch. It appears as though this will be a series and I look forward to reading the next installment - fingers crossed!