A sapphic enemies to lovers, set in a gothic university in the 90s, with a supernatural murder mystery. The premise is right up my alley, and yet I feel super conflicted on this one!

The author's scene-setting and atmospheric prose were great, and really paid homage to historical gothic literature. I just feel as though the entire book leaned a little too heavily on the slow burn aspect, both in Lottie and Alice's budding romance and in the murders storyline. Both resolved rather quickly and unsatisfactorily in the last twenty pages or so, leaving me wanting more time to explore both. The villain and their motivation also felt a little surface-level feminism 101. The concept of female rage and the anger in young women is a really cool topic, and I felt like it wasn't stretched to its fullest potential here.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's/Delacorte Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This is the perfect dark academia novel to kick off spooky season. It's 100 degrees and I was reading this on my Kindle while drinking pumpkin cider, all hopped up on the idea of autumn.
The setting: former-convent -turned-college-campus that's reopening a decade after closing because of a semester full of suspicious tragedy.
The main characters: a grumpy/sunshine roommate duo that start off on rough footing but grow to depend upon another while fighting against an unknown darkness.
The vibes: sapphic + immaculate.
My only gripe: it's a little heavy handed on the feminist messaging sometimes. I'm pro the message, just wish the author would have trusted us a bit more to understand it without it feeling a little... lecture-y at times.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this novel.

There was a lot I liked about this book. I enjoyed the dark academia vibes. I enjoyed the whole idea of the ritual and the mystery of this story. I also really enjoyed the writing at times. There were some really beautiful passages in this book. This book had a lot of stuff that I really like, however, this one ended up being very middle of the road for me. I felt like the story dragged a bit in the middle and lost my interest. I also wish it would have gotten a little bit darker. I think I probably would have enjoyed this one a bit more if it wasn't YA. I would have liked to experience more of the romance as well as more of the horrors.

Ultimately, I thought this book was fine and would recommend it for people who enjoy YA, dark academia, and stories with some supernatural elements.

I expected to like this, but I didn’t expect to get as sucked in and love the characters as much as I did! I think we can all agree that both Lottie and Alice are quite unlikeable at the beginning of the book in their own ways, but they became so very human with each passing chapter.

I loved the commentary on feminine rage and sisterhood that was laced throughout the book. I loved the gothic elements and the supernatural that was woven into the story so masterfully.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author and publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

First, I would like to thank NetGalley, Random House Children, and Delacorte Press for this Kindle ARC. I would call this a modern day Jekyll & Hyde story about two college roommates who are enemies but become lovers by the end of the novel.

Carvell College of the Arts was shut down ten years prior after the murder of four students, but has now reopened. Lottie, a field hockey player who also wants to be a writer has an ulterior motive for wanting to attend this college. She is obsessed with finding out the truth behind the four murdered students and has been drawn to attend this school. Her roommate, Alice, wants to be a judge and is attending because it gets her away from her home life but is not too far away. Alice also has some anger issues and her rage is easily brought forward by anyone who mistreats her.

This novel explores how female rage is treated, explores an enemies to lovers trope, explores possession, has a focus on gothic supernatural happenings, quotes from philosophy and literature that would be recognized by high school teens, and the mystery behind the soul-splitting ritual.

I think most readers with both hate and love the two main characters at times throughout the novel, but in the end be pleased.

If your into ritual stuff this would be the book for you but this book just didn’t capture my attention, and it’s slow going….

*Actual rating is 3.5 stars*

This book is described as a sapphic dark academia retelling of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, with supernatural elements and female rage. While I don’t normally go for any of that, this combo was just too intriguing to pass up. I love a mystery.

Most of the book chugged alone at a steady pace. There were murders, demonic rituals and a sapphic awakening - all with a private school backdrop. There were enough interesting things to keep my interest. Especially the dark atmosphere of the school, and the mystery surrounding the sinister North Tower. The book is dual perspective in first person, and I wasn’t a fan of that. It’s just easier to keep track of the different characters with third person pov. I enjoyed both Lottie and Alice, but they definitely both felt quite a bit stereotypical at times. You got the bubbly, sporty blonde girl and then the dark, gothic and socially rude dark haired girl. I wish there had been more to them, and their relationship.Because this was one of the slowest slow burns I’ve read to date. Also the girl's anger could have been more fleshed out in its portrayal.

So I did enjoy the book for most of it. But then the story reached the climax, and it was pretty underwhelming to be honest. Like, what was that ending?! It was supposed to be this big reveal, but I just found it boring. Which isn’t a great thing when the whole book had led up to that moment, and then it doesn’t deliver. If you’re gonna read this book, then be prepared to only enjoy the journey.

The author starts this one off with the acknowledgment of my dreams.

"For the girls who were born angry."

The Society for Soulless Girls is a modern ('90s, if I remember correctly) and sapphic retelling of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde. It is about the fury of a woman, the quiet and loud traumas of girlhood and ambition.

Alice (grumpy) and Lottie (sunshine) are roommates at a newly reopened Carvell College, which was shut down after four unsolved murders a decade prior to the events of this book. With their enemies-ish start, they eventually must set aside their differences to uncover the truth before it's too late. Why? Because the mysterious deaths have restarted.

This novel fits in almost seamlessly fits into the dark academia, and is a stellar contribution to the genre that is far more focused on men. The mysteries within the college had me fascinated and, more importantly, the characters were so beautifully done, with them being foils of each other. Their differences only make the themes of this book stronger, which is a definite plus.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

The Society for Soulless girls centers around Lottie and Alice, two roommates who are polar opposites. Lottie is a tall, sunshine of a student athlete with ulterior motives when it comes to attending Carvell. While she enjoys their literature program, she wants to investigate the North Tower Deaths, which caught her attention when a local girl perished to the Tower years before. Alice, on the other hand, is a spiky, pixie-like goth who has a violent edge. She ends up hurting everyone she gets close to, so she prefers to stay away. Alice and Lottie, however, find themselves coming closer together after another mysterious Tower death. Both emotionally and paranormally.

I’m so glad I came across this book. I was scrolling through NetGalley, looking for something a bit different to give an ARC review for and I just finished reading The Spirit Bares Its Teeth. I was looking for something more eerie regarding either an all-girls school or a sanatarium. While The Society For Soulless Girls was neither, it still had a heavily female character list and centered around mental health/anger.

Admittedly, I didn’t remember that it was a retelling of Jekyll and Hyde until I re-read the synopsis, but I really enjoy how Laura Steven twisted it to make it so. I liked both of our main characters, Alice and Lottie, and I found myself relating to Lottie a lot.

The pros:

-I really enjoyed the dark academia vibe this book had without being way too pretentious. I love the aesthetic, but I feel at times that people who partake come off as somewhat elitist at times. There was never really that feeling, even though it’s implied the school’s an elite school.

-I related to Lottie a lot. Someone else didn’t quite like her discovery of sexuality, but that’s the thing about sexuality. It’s a spectrum and the more you grow to know yourself, the more you change and that can include sexuality. Especially at 19-20, you’re still learning about yourself as you slowly get used to being a grown up.

-I’m usually not the biggest fan of multi-POV stories, but this book warranted it. If we weren’t in Alice’s headspace, I don’t know how much we would be able to empathize with her, especially after the Salem incident. (I know, she came back to life. Still.) But we see it’s a struggle between good and bad.

-I liked that the love story was a side plot and wasn’t too heavy when it didn’t need to be. Also, I think all of the dots connected well and we’re foreshadowed appropriately.

The Cons:

-I really don’t like how Hasfah referred to herself as an alien. There’s already so much of a stigma around being autistic and unless the author is autistic herself, I don’t feel that she called herself an alien so often.

-The first part before Poppy died could’ve been cut down just slightly. We already know what the “normal” landscape is like.

-I wish the ending was slightly more solid. I think it needed a longer wrap up, see the resolution slot into place a bit more rather than it be in a few paragraphs.

-I entirely forgot who Salem was after she was first introduced because she only really came up again a few chapters before Alice “killed” her, so I wish she would’ve been integrated a bit more into Part 1. Also, why Salem?!?!

Even though I have some qualms, I really enjoyed this novel! It’s definitely in one of my top tens and I’ll be buying it. I can’t wait to look at Laura’s other stories and see what they’re like!

Carvell closed ten years ago after the death of four students. Newly reopened, Carvell welcomes a new class of students including Alice and Lottie. Lottie is determined to uncover the mystery behind the deaths while Alice just wants to get her anger under control as she pursues her philosophy degree. Both girls get wrapped up in increasingly strange circumstances, including the development of their feelings for each other, only to find that everything is more sinister than they appear.

Laura Steven’s writing is exquisite, the kind of lyric writing that fits the gothic nature of the series. But mysteries and thrillers really reveal how difficult it is to write a compelling second act. At times it felt that Alice’s anger was cartoonishly monstrous. Overall, just fine.

3.5 stars
The Society For Soulless Girls is one of those books that creates such a lush dark atmosphere that you can’t help but vividly imagine the world Laura Steven creates. I liked all the discussions about how society views angry women and what it’s like for rage to sink it’s teeth into you especially with the addition of a life-altering ritual. The haunted gothic school setting was perfection and I can so easily picture it from the author’s detailed descriptions. I felt like I was really there while reading this book!

I love the grumpy gothic girl x sunshine sporty girl enemies to lovers trope this book has and how chill both main characters are with paranormal phenomenons. because of their shared interest in the occult, they are quite comfortable and in the element at a gothic deadly college. I honestly love how they react so rationally when the most unhinged things would occur.
the characters are so unique compared to any that I’ve read before. the romance is definitely a slow burn and I would have loved to see more tension between them throughout the book leading up to when they kiss. they did things individually for a large portion of the book so I would have loved more interactions between them throughout.

I did have a difficult time staying engaged with this book midway through and on. I love how atmospheric it is but found it hard to follow the storyline/mystery sometimes. the pacing is a bit too slow for me which contributed to my enjoyment of the book.

overall, I did enjoy this book especially the characters and atmosphere but struggled staying engaged and which is why I have given this book a 3.5 star rating.

thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children’s, Delacorte Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Ten years ago the elite Carvell Academy of the Arts closed its doors after four of its students mysteriously died in what is known as the North Tower murders. Now the school has reopened and freshman Lottie Fitzwilliam can’t wait to be a new student. Of course, despite her parents protests, she has other reasons for wanting to attend the academy. Lottie is determined to find out what happened that fateful night. When Lottie’s roommate, Alice Wolfe, finds a mysterious book hidden in the library, the North Tower claims a new victim. Lottie is convinced Alice has something to do with the murder but when several students begin acting weird, including herself, she must figure out if the killer among them or within them.

The Society for Soulless Girls grabbed my attention when it stated it was a sapphic Jekyll & Hyde. I will start off saying the romance in this novel is very slow paced (enemies to lovers) and doesn’t contain much more than kissing. Once the characters begin to reveal more about their preferences, this makes sense, as one is recovering from two traumatic romances (FM/FF) and the other character belies she may be asexual. The Jekyll & Hyde aspect of the novel was a fun twist involving a soul-splitting potion that is meant to be helpful but instead creates even more problems for those who imbibe. This was a unique murder mystery that would be perfect to curl up with this fall.

This book was tricky to me. I wouldn't necessarily say it was...good, exactly, but it had the feel of a guilty pleasure movie or tv show. Like, I know this isn't the most highbrow or well-made literature I could be consuming, but it was fun and kind of spooky campy and a little bit sapphic and I'm for all of those things.

Could have definitely done without on particular scene though, and if you've read it, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Thanks to NetGalley, Laura Steven, and the publisher for this ARC! The Society for Soulless Girls comes out on September 19th 2023!

3.5 stars

Big thanks to Laura Steven, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions!

*PLEASE CHECK TRIGGER WARNINGS BEFORE THIS BOOK* - there is one scene that might not be for all readers and there are NO WARNINGS about it in the beginning of the book. I cannot say anything without spoiling it, but if you have triggers, look up this book before you read.

To start out, the cover, title, and description alone drew me to this book. I absolutely loved the idea of this dark academia-style supernatural mystery with a little bit of romance. Then I read it was a Jekyll and Hyde retelling and that influenced me further.

Well, this book was a bit rough starting out to be honest. The only thing that intrigued me was the idea of these unsolved murders and the aesthetic of this old college. The characters, while supposed to be opposites, had me so confused as to who was who because they were both so philosophical in their POVs. There was A LOT of philosophy talk and I was over it quite quickly.

But once it started to get into the supernatural, ritual, mystery side - it had me hooked. These weird blood rituals and the mystical rubies were so different from your average college, supernatural mystery. It was a bit darker than I expected too for a YA book, but I enjoyed it. That side is entertaining, kept me wanting to know more and captivated by this tale.

When it comes to the enemies-to-lovers, sapphic romance side - I was disappointed. This is definitely a SLOW BURN and there is barely any romance. I guess personally, I was hoping for more of the romance side. Plus, they were BARELY enemies-to-lovers.

Overall, 3.5-stars rounded up to 4-stars. Entertaining and easy to read on the mystery side. But the romance side was lacking. There was also entirely way too much philosophy, English books, and women's anger speak. By the time I was around 80% I was completely over it and ready to done with the book.

The Society for Soulless Girls is a dark academia thriller set on the campus of Carvell Academy of the Arts. The esteemed college and former convent houses a dark and mysterious past and has reopened ten years after four students died from falling out of the North Tower. One of the novel’s narrators, a freshman English major named Lottie, comes from the same hometown of one of the previously murdered students, and she is drawn to the college in the hopes of investigating the unsolved murders. The novel’s other narrator is her roommate Alice, a philosophy major who harbors anger issues and a violent streak. When a new student is killed in the North Tower, Lottie and Alice become involved in a dangerous plot to learn the truth which may even incriminate them.

Steven’s book is a delightful read for fans of dark academia and offers plenty of atmosphere to set the stage for the story. The philosophical and literary studies of Lottie and Alice pair nicely with the frightening mystery, and when Alice uses a spell from a library book to perform an ancient soul splitting ritual that will soften her anger, the novel reworks key themes from Robert Louis Stevenson’s Gothic masterpiece the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The Society for Soulless Girls expertly uses the supernatural to explore the way society teaches young women to suppress their anger, guilt, and shame, ultimately showing how these emotions must be integrated with hope and love to form wholeness.

In addition to navigating a haunting atmosphere, Lottie, an outgoing athlete, and Alice, an introverted Goth, must find a way to survive the transition to college, live with one another in a small dorm room, and face their own social insecurities. The novel also hints at a Sapphic romance. This is the perfect Young Adult/New Adult read for those interested in classic literature, dark academia, and coming of age stories. I would definitely consider using this text in my Young Adult Literature classroom!

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair review.

This book was beautiful, spooky, and sweet.
Our story has two different POVs. One is the outgoing and optimistic Lottie and the other is the more reclusive , angry and book loving Alice. I loved the parallels between the two characters and the difference in talents, hobbies, and behaviors. It made for a great opposites attract kind of story.

The themes in the book are:
LGBTQIA representation
Mild gore
feminism
possession by an angry nun
romance

The story starts off a little slow but there is a lot of separate character development and two different activities of our characters that eventually come together. I felt to some extent it took a little long to get more relationship development between our two main characters. I also would have loved to see more Hasfah within the group earlier on. Overall though I enjoyed the build up and imagery the story provides which makes it super spooky and eerie.

The character banter is also fantastic and I love the sarcasm our characters exhibit in these very odd situations. It felt very realistic and added some lightness to some very intense scenes.

Overall the story was hard to put down and ends on a really good note. If you want a new spooky story with an eerie mystery and great banter, this should be your next fall read for the season!

I was fortunate enough to get an early e-arc copy of this book for reviewing purposes.

I was very intrigued by the premise of the book. It claims to be perfect for fans of Ace of Spades and The Inheritance Games…sign me up! We are following Lottie, she is going to school at Carvell College of Arts. Ten years ago, they were forced to close their doors due to four students being murdered. Lottie and her roommate stumble onto something very disturbing and it makes them go on a mission to find out the truth of what happened, before it happens again.

This book has the makings of so many things that I love. Female/Female enemies to lovers, spooky/creepy setting, slow burn romance, etc. I just for some reason did not love it as much as I was expecting. I think that some of the “twists” just did not hit for me, but overall I think it is an enjoyable and fun read. I would recommend it if you like thriller/horror or f/f relationships.

It was okay. It didn’t blow me away but held my attention well enough. For me, something was missing in the story to make it a little more engaging . While I know the point is for the main FMCs to be polar opposites. I wish I felt a tad bit of chemistry from them on the pages to make their scenes together a little more palatable. The friction when they were at odds worked great but when they were supposed to be working more cohesively, it just felt flat.

4.5 stars rounded up! I didn't have much of an idea what this was about going in other than hearing it is a sapphic YA retelling of Jekyll and Hyde, and it was that and so much more. This was such a great glimpse into feminine rage and had so many elements I love: a boarding school setting, a possible possession, and sapphic love story with plenty of creepy scenes woven in.

I loved this one and look forward to recommending it for readers who like similiar authors such as Kayla Cottingham! Thank you so much NetGalley and Random House Children's for my review copy.

This wasn't quite the Sapphic Jekyll and Hyde retelling I was expecting, however it worked! and it provided me with the dose of Dark Academia I needed at this time of year.. great!

Alice & Lottie met as assigned roommates in their dorm, at the recently re-opened Carvell College. Lottie's family are hesitant for her to go, considering the deaths of several students previously leading to the schools closure, whilst she is adamant to go. Alice has a deep rooted anger problem which she is willing to do anything to bring her own walls down.. even if it's a little bit, occult-ish.

This YA mystery has plenty of twists and turns, and is narrated by two English women, which takes a little getting used to, if like me you're used to American narrators, however their accents help to immerse in the Carvell College setting.

This book touched on asexuality, which I was pleasantly surprised by. We do have a not-quite-enemies-but-we're-also-not-friends to lovers situation blossoming throughout the book, which is pleasant but did feel more rushed in the final chapters.