This was a great story with mystery, adventure and lots of magical happenings. I really enjoyed it and I thought the main character was very relatable.

4.5* thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book! This book was so fantastic! I’m so mad at myself for putting off reading it. This book is a sapphic dark academia with murders mystery and rituals! I highly recommend checking it out if you enjoy any of those things! My only issue with this book was its dual POV, only because sometimes it was difficult to remember which POV you were reading but otherwise a fantastic read.

I thought I would love this book… sapphic enemies to lovers, dark academia, Jekyll and Hyde retelling? It sounded amazing, but I’m sad to say it missed the mark for me.
The world building felt shallow, the characters’ inner monologues were annoying, and the romance wasn’t believable to me. I really tried to enjoy it but it was just horrible.

The Society for Soulless Girls is a sapphic retelling of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which in my opinion, is a really underused supernatural story (in comparison to Frankenstein or Dracula). It takes place at a college, and is full of sus rituals, spooky convents, mysterious deaths, and a golden retriever/black cat roommate pairing that turns into... maybe more? I was engrossed from start to finish in the book and couldn't tell where it was going. I fell in love with Lottie right away, and although Alice is a bit of an acquired taste, it was easy to relate to her anger. More angry girls in fiction, please!

The only thing that I didn't really like was the ending. It felt a little rushed, and like the author wanted to wrap it up neatly but didn't know how. I'm not sure if there was a 'right' way to do the ending, but it did feel a little lacking to me, and cheap in a "yeah! feminism!" kind of way, which sucked, because otherwise I thought the book touched on a lot of important topics and feelings for women, and I'm worried that the ending will lead some people to disregard the other, better articulated sentiments in the rest of the book, so I took off half a star for that.

Creepy School
Dark Academia
Paranormal Mystery
Sapphic
Grumpy Sunshine
Atmospheric
Jekyll & Hyde Retelling
Enemies to Lovers
New Adult

Atmospheric and creepy with paranormal suspense, this was quite a read. I really enjoyed the story, the ending does come at you fast but putting together the pieces of the mystery took me longer than half the book and I appreciate that.

The retelling was unique- Jekyll & Hyde but make it sapphic and at a school and full of feminine rage.

Laura Steven, you mad genius.

If you love all things:
YA sapphic
dark academia
mystery
Slow burn
enemies-to-lovers
Supernatural

Then this is the Halloween time read for you. Highly recommend.

Thank you to Random House Children's, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

This book is dedicated to girls who were born angry; so if that sounds like you, then this story is one you’re not going to want to miss.

Carvell College of Arts is finally reopening after being closed for the past decade due to the unsolved mystery of several students plummeting to their deaths from the North Tower, & Lottie has enrolled determined to find some answers. The same night that Lottie’s roommate Alice decides to try performing a ritual from an arcane book she found in the library, the North Tower strikes again.

There are many elements that I loved about this book: the historic college that used to be a convent, the campus cat that’s rumored to be immortal (named Salem), the sapphic sexual tension between Lottie & Alice & being able to flip back & forth between their POVs, the serious yet stylish black-lipsticked librarian, the fact that the dean studied at Oxford with Tolkien. However I think the absolute best part is the overall message around female rage: it’s not to be avoided or tamped down, it should be embraced & channeled.

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House Children’s for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book hit a lot of marks for me. It's got 90's setting, a dark atmosphere at the school, slow burn, and the overall gothic ambiance.

I enjoyed the unexplained incidents, the character growth of Alice and Lottie, and what in the world is going on in the North Tower?

I don't think this is a bad book at all. Towards the end it does get a bit slow, but then has a pick up towards the end that sucks you back in.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A really interesting entry that takes a look into a murder mystery with more than a few plots twists. While it was a little predictable in places it was still an enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

This retelling of Dr. Jekyll and Mr.Hyde was fun from the jump. A murder mystery for the sapphics and neurodivergent representation that isn’t robot human. I really enjoyed this one and found myself genuinely intrigued by the mystery. Loved it.

**Review ⭐⭐⭐.5 (3.5)/5 (rounded up to 4)**
After 10 years, Carvell Academy of the Arts is reopening. The deaths of 4 students forced the prestigious institution to shut down, and with the cases run cold many still question whether or not it should ever invite students back. For different reasons, roommates Lottie Fitzwilliam and Alice Wolfe both find themselves at Carvell with something to prove. While Lottie begins to investigate the decade-old mystery, Alice finds herself drawn to a mysterious, dark book in the library–and suddenly, another student dies. Can Lottie and Alice trust each other enough to find out what’s happening and Carvell to save the school, and themselves?

I am so conflicted. For the majority of this book, it was the sapphic dark academia mystery of my dreams. Loved the characters, an intriguing slow burn/enemies-to-lovers relationship (and written for a YA audience!), and a super intriguing premise. Up until the end, it was a solid 4 stars! However–even for the age range–the ending felt like a bit of a letdown. Without giving anything away, I think there was a more nuanced way to make the amazing argument of this book that would have still been accessible to YA audiences, and I felt the end didn’t have the integrity of the majority of what came before it.

However, I can think of students this book would resonate with, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to a YA audience. Overall the book is compelling, and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

**Acknowledgments & Disclaimers**
✨ Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Random House Children’s, for providing an ARC and the opportunity to share an honest review of this book.
✨ All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
✨ My reviews and ratings strive to evaluate books within their own age-demographic and genre.

The Society for Soulless Girls offers a propulsive page turner with themes that are relevant, albeit a tad heavy handed.

I found myself immediately hooked and turning pages when I started this one. The school setting and small group of students we are introduced too gives a moody and atmospheric dark academia vibe. While I did find myself clamoring to know what was to come I never felt truly engaged with the characters. This made the overall stakes of the book fairly low for me. The social issues/illnesses that are tackled here felt heavy handed for my personal liking. I think showing feminine rage is important and necessary but a little nuance could of made the whole thing more effective and in turn make the characters feel more realistic.

When I saw that this book was going to be published in the US I knew I needed to jump on it and get this book in my hands. Luckily I received it and I have to say it was better than I thought it would be. The premise was interesting, pacing quick, and the characters relatable.

Not sure why, but this Dark Academia went over my head. The dark secrets of the college, the rituals, the mysterious deaths - all just didn't build up enough interest for me. I kind of spaced out during most of the story. But I did appreciate the kind of love story, this book provided.

Maybe it is jut not for me, and others will enjoy this more.

Thank you to the publisher for my review copy. All opinions are my own.

"Within fifteen minutes of arriving at Carvell, I already wanted to slit someone’s throat.”

Needless to say I was intrigued the moment I read Alice’s opening line!

This dark academia, Jekyll and Hyde-inspired tale of two girls investigating a cursed college campus and a ritual that claims to remove the darkness from a person is the perfect way to start Halloween month.

This was such a suspenseful, dark read. Alice’s struggle with her anger and violent impulses leads her to use a soul splitting ritual that effectively turns her into two separate beings. Lottie is determined to uncover the truth about the murders on Carvell’s campus, and ends up getting more than she bargained for with a spirit haunting her and a roommate with murderous tendencies.

I loved how Alice and Lottie’s relationship developed throughout the book after they decided to work together, a perfect enemies to friends to lovers pipeline.

The only question I still have is (spoilers ahead) why Feathering and Mordue didn’t reach out to Alice if they already knew her and Hafsah’s names were on the wall of the tower? It was never explained why they didn’t try to help them…or maybe I missed it somewhere! Would definitely be curious to see if anyone else who read it has the same question.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for this arc

I loved the concept of this book with being a dark academia retelling of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and I instantly fell in love with it. I was completely immersed in the academia world of Carvell and could feel all the fall vibes with it. I enjoyed the back and forth POV of Alice and Lottie and seeing their friendship grow and blossom into more throughout the story. I found myself laughing out loud at so many parts and couldn’t put the book down with the short chapters. All the twists were well done and some surprised me, which I love in a thriller. I really enjoyed the feminist message that became formed towards the end and it just made me love this book even more.

Overall, I highly recommend this dark academia YA book for spooky season and anyone who enjoys retellings.

I thought this had some really strong, poignant things to say about female anger, but I don't know that the overall execution lived up to some of the phrases.

uhhh i dont know know what to say about this book.

first of all i really disliked the way it was written, there was something off about it and the editor definitely should’ve helped more. and some of the characters were so annoying i barely got through it.

i guess the only kind of positive thing was the plot.

thank you NetGalley for the e-ARC!

This one had some great potential, and although I found myself wanting to know how it would all end, and what mysterious forces were behind the things happening to our leading ladies, it didn't leave as much of an impact on me as I hoped it would.

The first thing I did when I finished this book was send a picture of the cover to my goth sister.
This book truly had me on the edge of my seat. I loved the suspense and the romance, and crazy sapphics dealing with demonic possession and evil alter egos are my favorite thing. I loved Alice and Lottie's grappling with female rage in a male-dominated system, but also them just trying to safely live their lives. The supernatural elements were delightfully mysterious and creepy, which was just in time for spooky season. My one gripe is just that I kind of wanted more buildup for the big twists at the end. I didn't guess them, but mostly because the focus was elsewhere for much of the novel. Overall, I really enjoyed this one and would totally recommend it for those who like somewhat unhinged love stories, lots of creepy college, and a tinge of possession and Jekyll and Hyde. I couldn't put this down!