I know this one was a new release in the US but already out in the UK. I loved the title of this book, I love that it gives the immediate dark academia vibe. It did fall a tad short for me on this one. It said Jekyll and Hyde vibes but I don't think it completely gave that. The twists were predictable, leaving me with really no excitement. I was really excited for this.

Ooooooo this was the fantastic amount of spooky! Lottie and the rubies, Alice and the split! I loved it and seeing how they both moved through their suspicions of each other to come together and solve the decade long mysteries. I loved seeing how their relationship developed from brazen dislike for each other to loving each other!

*I received a free ARC from NetGalley*

I wanted to like this one more than I did. The overall plot intrigued me but it didn’t grab my attention the way I expected it to. There was a lot going on…dark academia, exploration of sexual orientation, supernatural rituals, demonic possession, murder, mystery and probably other things I lost track of. I found myself getting distracted a lot and having to go back and reread because I couldn’t remember what I read on the last page. I did like how it all played out in the end but I didn’t really experience any jaw-dropping plot twists. The characters were okay but I don’t feel like I really connected with them. I felt like Alice was the more complex character but Lottie was a more well-developed character. We got a closer look at Lottie’s history, her relationship with her father and her motivations regarding Carvell College. Alice’s past was more obscure. We didn’t get to see any interactions with her family. You know something significant happened in her past because it is mentioned several times throughout the story but it felt very superficial. I wanted more of that story. This felt more plot driven than character driven and if there isn’t a nice balance then I prefer a more character driven novel. The characters are what move the plot along and these ones felt weak to me. It was just ok for me.

I DNF'd this about 2/3 of the way through.

There's a lot of promise in this book - dark academia, sapphic romance, murder. But instead of delving into plot, or character, or tension, we're just plopped into the most annoying inner monologue of a girl with no self awareness.

For the life of me I couldn't understand the characters' motivations or suspicions at all. It seems that everyone in this book goes of first impressions to a fault. The romance seems like fan service, and is shoehorned in with no real build-up. The plot makes no sense. Anger is a great feeling to explore, but even anger has nuance.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

The premise of this book sounded so interesting. Girls in college, previous murders happened there, mystery, love interests, supernatural, and dark, but gah, this book was just not good at all. I was really bored and disappointed.

Alice and Lottie are roommates who don’t like each other at all. However, Alice participates in a ritual that splits her soul. Lottie tries to discover the secret of the murders when a classmate also dies. I did finish this book, but it was a chore. I didn’t like either main character, and there was a random side character who also splits her soul, but she had no purpose in the book.

This book tried to do too much, but it ended up not doing anything very well.

“The Society for Soulless Girls” is a retelling of “Jekyll & Hide” and talks about two roommates who need to solve a cold case of murders that happened on their campus years ago. All this before another murder happens again.

I really enjoyed my time reading this great sapphic enemies to Lovers retelling and just couldn’t get enough of the story. I absolutely loved the setting of the book and the dark academia game came out strong!

There were some twists and turns that were really enjoyable and kept me on the edge of my seat but I found some parts of the story to be dragging a bit too much, especially the middle part was a bit slow. Other than that, you should definitely read the trigger warnings of this book before picking it up because some scenes are definitely not for everyone and really hard to take in.

“The Society for Soulless Girls” is the perfect horror read for Halloween that I can highly recommend if you loved “The Grimrose Girls” and “Jekyll & Hyde”.

DNF @ 50%
I really wanted to like this book based on the premise but i felt the plot dragged and lagged. i am also not a huge fan of the miscommunication trope (so frustrating!) so i was a bit doomed from the start since it is the majority of the dynamic between the two main characters.

i think im also too engrossed in adult horror/suspense to appreciate the slow burn of their relationship and it didn’t feel as spooky for me to continue.

i recognize that a lot of this is a “me” problem so 2.5 stars.

The Society for Soulless Girls by Laura Steven is a dark and funny YA story with a jaw dropping supernatural twist. Stevens is a descriptive writer that brings all the ingredients for a memorable story. I loved the occult and sapphics vibes.

This wasn’t for me.

I wanted to like it as dark academia is a favorite of mine but I didn’t. Alice and Lottie were meh characters and judgy.

The main thing I didn’t like however was the end. It was honestly like it wasn’t really solved. Like it just kind of ended. Abruptly.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

The Society for Soulless Girls was absolutely fantastic! Steven wrote a story that was so well written I found myself flying through the pages, unable to put the book down, pondering what would happen next. My favorite piece of this entire story was how believable the characters were.

The writing is clear and clean, and very immersive. The book hums along at a good clip, but the pacing makes sure we're given time to breathe between plot-intensifying moments. The story was absolutely engaging and the work that went into the settings was noticeable and superb. I felt absolutely transported and I'm so incredibly glad I was able to read an arc of this story.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest reviews. All opinions are my own.

Enjoyable sapphic dark academia book!

I enjoyed this book for what it was: a dark academia sapphic and feminine ragey book--what's not to like?

Though no fault of this book, I just could not get into it. I am in *another* reading slump and this one just couldn't hook me enough to keep going.

The Society for Soulless Girls by Laura Steven is described as a dark academia take on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. While I didn’t quite get that, I did get a fun, gothic-lite, spooky-ish read that was perfect for a cozy, autumn read. After several students were murdered at the prestigious, all-girls Carvell College for the Arts, the shuttered college is reopening for a new group of young women. Lottie, a preppy student-athlete, is eager to find out what truly happened and why. Lottie’s roommate couldn’t be more opposite- moody, dark, and angry- Alice also seems drawn to the macabre legacy of the College. Strange occurrences start happening and Lottie seems to have an unconscious connection to the North Tower, the location of the horror a decade previous. After Alice discovers a mysterious book in the library, both girls realize there is something sinister within the walls of the Tower and they are going to have to work together to stop it. Now, if it had stopped at this, I think I could have rated it higher, but The Society for Soulless Girls, also, tried to bring sapphic romance, the old “opposites attract” troupe. And, it just fell flat. It was a rushed romance and one you could see coming, but hoped Steven would keep at bay. It just was too trite and underdeveloped. But Steven is a master at building a setting- the College was spooky, and witchy, and “fall”y; all the things you want in a PLACE. I just wish some of that development would have also been used on the characters- the romance, the ultimate reveal, etc.
Overall, I enjoyed the read and recommend The Society of Soulless Girls if you are looking for an atmospheric little mystery/suspense read. It is NOT Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in dark academia, but it is worth your time. 4/5. Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the eARC in return for my own honest review.

I was so sad and shocked not to find myself loving this one more. I love isolated settings, elite academic institutions, and the dark academia genre so felt sure to find much to appreciate here as it delivered all three. However, the supernatural twist didn't wholly work for me, despite my immediate bond with these characters and my interest in the setting they were placed within.

Laura Stevens can do no wrong, especially when she’s writing about mysteries and dark academia. I really enjoyed this novel. The characters were interesting and the plot was exciting. I can’t wait to keep reading more of her stuff.

I enjoyed reading this book because it gave a feel of genderswapped and queer Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Society for Soulless Girls follows spunk and angry Alice and her roommate Lottie in the adventure of the lifetime. Carvell University was previously shut down for unsolved murders passing off as suicides. Lottie, intrigued with the history gets caught up in the wrath of the former nun that possessed the school. Alice wanting to relieve her anger stumbles upon a ritual book. At first these two cannot stand each other but as the adventure unravels how close do they become?

I loved the book and the fact that the romance is not the main thing but a side quest that leads to the big reveal. Overall, it was a great read!

There are a lot of things going for this book, but also many things holding me back from really enjoying it. Each chapter switches back and forth between two roommates in a gothic English University--the smiles and sunshine jock Lottie and prickly goth Alice. Immediately, the story is set up with mysterious deaths happening at the university years prior, causing it to be shut down...until now. How or why people would flood back (including the original professors) is an equal mystery. So much of this story relies upon the relationship between Alice and Lottie, but that relationship is non-existent for the first half of the book and though that changes slowly in the second half, there are some aspects of it that are rushed and much less impactful. To be honest, the first half is slow-moving and painfully pretentious. It does pick up and becomes somewhat interesting later on, but by then it feels more like a race to the ending. So so much of the book is build up, but the payoff for all of the reader's patience is quick and unsatisfying. I wish there had been more mystery and nuance.

My only significant complaint about this was it was LONG! 406 pages seems particularly lengthy for a YA gothic novel but I enjoyed the dark academia setting and overall plot! Some Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde vibes with feminist undertones.

This was kind of a meh read for me. First off, I loved the gothic horror aspects of this book and the romance was great. I'm a sucker for a good sapphic romance! But, the plot fell a bit flat for me. It was slower than expected and even though it was delightfully creepy I didn't find myself being super engrossed in the world. I'd give it a solid 3 stars.