In 'Where Sleeping Girls Lie' we follow a young English girl as she starts at a boarding school following a host of family tragedies. After being homeschooled all her life, Sade enters Alfred Nobel Academy and is immediately thrown into more turmoil. We follow Sade as she navigates high school politics while trying to investigate the sudden disappearance of her roommate. This book explores many triggering topics head-on. I would check the content warnings, but I also found that the topics were handled with enough care that I could continue reading. Overall, this is a very important book, especially for its intended audience. Although I'm not in that category, I still found it quite affecting and therapeutic as it related to some of my traumas. 4.5, as I just didn't get the 5 star feeling, but nothing against the book

This was a great books for people who are looking for a moderate amount of horror and mystery. It was a fun read to read with friends. The plot was a little predictable for some friends, but it did not affect my experience.

this was a good solid mystery; a lot of moving parts and characters to keep track of though. my only complaint is that it was sooo much longer than it needed to be & oftentimes the characters seemed to not be so fleshed out

Really enjoyed this book! I preferred it over Ace of Spades and thought it was really well done. The characters were well described and the twists were believable. Will recommend!

Thank you netgalley and check CW/TW before starting this book.

This would make a great HBO limited series! This book starts off really slow and only picks up by the 60% mark and while some readers might be annoyed by this, I enjoyed the slow pace. Sometimes a book needs to start off slow to be good and this is one of them.

When you realize why this is called Where Sleeping Girls Lie, you will feel sick to your stomach and as the story continues the worse it gets.

But as much as I liked this book, I do think that the execution could have been better, but maybe that’s just me being wishful and hoping for more.

I absolutely loved Ace of Spades so I was very much looking forward to this one.
While I did enjoy this one, I felt like something was missing. I wasn’t really into the mystery and I think that made it hard for me to enjoy the story.

Overall the writing was fantastic and I still really liked the book. Highly recommend it.

This book was heavy and gorgeously written. It feels weird to say that but it the writing was stunning. The author handled the heavy subject of rape and privilege deftly. I was immersed from the beginning and this book definitely helps me see the hype of dark academia.

Recently orphaned (and incredibly wealthy) Sade Hussein arrives at Alfred Nobel Academy eager to study at a real school for the first time.

Previously homeschooled, she quickly learns the ropes with the help of her roommate Elizabeth and her friend Baz.

But then Elizabeth disappears, and everyone seems to point the finger at Sade.

Can she figure out what happened to Elizabeth while navigating the social scene at school?

***

I thought this would be a good fall book—English boarding school, missing roommate, mysterious cliques…but unfortunately, it never really came together for me.

After reading more than a third of the book, I DNF’d. The story was lagging; it didn’t seem to be going anywhere.

I didn’t feel a deep connection to either Sade or Elizabeth, so the stakes were low for me. The mystery wasn’t especially compelling, since I wasn’t invested in the characters. There were hints about a dark secret in Sade’s past, but they were frustrating because they were never explained (maybe that happens later in the book).

It was well written, it just didn’t grab me

This is a story about a dish best served cold.

I loved the author’s first book, so I was super excited to read this one… and I’m torn on it. I appreciated the characters, they had nuance and depth. I liked the twists, it absolutely kept me guessing & I gasped out loud at one point. On the other hand it was so, so long- i think a solid 100 pages could've been cut without losing anything essential.

Thank you so much Feiwel & Friends &
Macmillan Children's Publishing Group!

A very disappointed 2.5 stars.

WHERE SLEEPING GIRLS LIE is a mystery set at a prestigious British boarding school, following Sade Hussein, a previously home-schooled girl who's eager to escape her mysteriously dark past. But devastation seems to follow her, as her new roommate Elizabeth disappears on Sade's first day. The school administration doesn't seem too concerned by her disappearance-- it's up to Sade and Elizabeth's best friend, Baz, to figure out what really happened to Elizabeth.

I wanted to love this book so bad. I adored Àbíké-Íyímídé's debut novel, ACE OF SPADES, and was so excited for another dark, twist-y, thriller with poignant societal messaging. However, WSGL failed to capture me the way AoS did, on several fronts.

To start, this book's writing just did not gel with me. There were so many sentences that read weirdly (such as the extremely natural dialogue, "Told you, you wouldn't believe me if I told you," and the incredible descriptor "his expressionless expression"). There was also an overusage of passive-voice and weirdly structured sentences, to the point that I was rewriting in my head as I read. I tend not to register prose when I'm reading unless it's the best thing I've ever read, or if it's disrupting my reading experience, and unfortunately WSGL fell into the latter category.

The characters were also extremely lackluster to me. We are deliberately kept in the dark about Sade's life before she came to Alfred Nobel Academy, and while this made me intrigued in her *past*, I didn't really care about her in the present-- because I didn't know her. Her personality is also really fluid, sometimes acting really sassy and flirtatious, and other times very withdrawn and quiet. Which could have been an interesting character choice, if it felt like it was done intentionally. Instead, it comes across as unfocused and confusing. The other characters also suffer from this lack of characterization. Baz is done the dirtiest; he's supposed to be goofy, and definitely has goofy moments, but other than those little blips we don't really know who he is. And since he's the main connection we have to Elizabeth, that means I didn't really care about Elizabeth.

Elizabeth was a whole different thing. We only one chapter with her before she goes missing, and the whole plot hinges on Sade caring about finding Elizabeth-- but why? Why does Sade care? They only knew eachother for a few hours. And sure, your new roommate disappearing suspiciously might make you curious, and that curiosity could draw you to investigate, but the book kept trying to insinuate that Sade had a deeper connection to Elizabeth that just did not exist. There's a significant backstory reveal in the third act that explains why Elizabeth would be drawn to Sade, but not the other way around, so my question still stands. Why did Sade even care?

That brings me to my final point: the pacing. By looking into Elizabeth's disappearance, Sade uncovers a well-hidden scheme, which I won't spoilt. Except this scheme isn't even hinted at until past the halfway mark. I didn't feel invested in the story until that scheme was hinted at, and as the second and third acts progress it becomes obvious that that scheme is the actual plot, moreso than Elizabeth's disappearance. The rate at which information was revealed served to dampen the plot from what could've been an engaging story. And as stated before, there was a backstory reveal that made a bunch of pieces click into place, but there was no reason for this information to be withheld until when it was. It just seemed like the author decided, "This is the moment I will reveal all the pieces," instead of it feeling like a natural progression of the mystery plot. Why wasn't this information, that characters knew from the beginning, revealed earlier? The only answer I can arrive to is, because if it was this book would be much, much shorter.

This ended up being more rant than review, and I have even more gripes that I've left out for length. In the end, I unfortunately I cannot recommend this book, despite how much I was looking forward to it. However, I'm still holding out hope for Àbíké-Íyímídé's future novels.

From the book description:

<i> “ Sade Hussein is starting her third year of high school, this time at the prestigious Alfred Nobel Academy boarding school. After being home-schooled all her life and feeling like a magnet for misfortune, she’s not sure what will happen. What she doesn’t expect though is for her roommate Elizabeth to disappear after Sade’s first night. Or for people to think she had something to do with it.

With rumors swirling around her, Sade catches the attention of the most popular girls in school – collectively known as the ‘Unholy Trinity’ – and they bring her into their fold. Between learning more about them - especially Persephone, who Sade finds herself drawn to - playing catch-up in class, and trying to figure out what happened to Elizabeth, Sade has a lot on her plate. It doesn’t help that she’s already dealing with grief from the many tragedies in her family.

And then a student is found dead.

The more Sade investigates, the more she realizes there’s more to Alfred Nobel Academy and its students than she realized. Secrets lurk around every corner and beneath every surface…secrets that rival even her own.”</i>

This is a great slow-burn academic thriller, though it starts off right with the disappearance of Sade’s roommate. The slow burn comes from the intense and through digging into the secrets and mechanisms of the school, which are insanely complex. But as Sade and her friends get into them, things quickly speed up, and boy, when they explode - BOOM! It’s intense.

I enjoyed how things turned out, with a lot of issues resolved - it’s really best if I don’t say too much so that you go in completely blind- but suffice it to say that Sade is dealing with so much, and it was nice to see much of it come to a close. In some type of way. That’s all I’ll say.

I also liked how no one was completely innocent in the story. It was an all over complex plot and situation. I love stories like that. Ones that make you think.

However, with that complexity, the ending was a little fast-paced for me, and sone of it was hard to follow, so I did find myself reading some parts several times just to make sure I was understanding them. It was intense.

Definitely pick this one up if you love complex puzzles and dark academia. I think we’re really seeing some of the best YA content we’ve ever seen, and this is adding to that canon, definitely.

Trigger Warnings (as of author’s website): Death of family members (including parents), grief, murder, sexual assault, rape, suicide and suicide ideation, alcohol consumption, emotional abuse, anxiety, misogyny, rape culture, drugging and drug use, aftermath of C-PTSD

Sade Hussein is starting her third year of high school at the prestigious Alfred Nobel Academy boarding school. She’s been homeschooled her whole life and feels like a magnet for misfortune, but she’s ready for a fresh start. What she’s not ready for is her roommate, Elizabeth, to disappear after Sade’s first night.

With rumors swirling around her, Sade catches the attention of the most popular girls in school and they bring her into their group. Between learning about them, especially Persephone, playing catch-up in class, and working with Bas, Elizabeth’s best friend, to try and find the missing girl, Sade has a lot on her plate. It doesn’t help that she’s dealing with her own grief from the many tragedies in her family.

And then a student is found dead. The more Sade investigates, the more she realizes there’s more to Alfred Nobel Academy and its student body than she realized. There are secrets everywhere.

I had a digital ARC of this book but then grabbed the audiobook from my library as soon as I could as I needed one to listen to on my drive to and from my hometown. Let me tell ya, the audiobook was amazing! Natalie Simpson was captivating and even did multiple voices for characters. It made my 2.5 hour drive both ways (almost) enjoyable.

I’ve had Ace of Spades on my TBR shelf for ages but for some reason haven’t gotten around to it. I will tell you, after reading Where Sleeping Girls Lie, I will be moving that up on my list for sure. Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé is an amazing author and I cannot believe I’ve slept on her as long as I have. I’m usually kind of “meh” when it comes to mysteries or thrillers, but this novel kept me on the edge of my seat and guessing, because it could have gone so many ways and it sometimes was a shock as to which direction it went!

This will be on many recommendations lists for sure. I would say it could be enjoyed by everyone, but there is the angsty-ness of YA relationships, so it may not be for everyone. But, if you’re down for a page turning, or ear turning, read, this is for you!!

*Thank you Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Where Sleeping Girls Lie is a young adult mystery set at a very fancy boarding school. The story starts with our main character, Sade, as the new kid in school. There are so many weird goings-on at the school that you can’t help but keep reading to find out all the mysteries. And I found it to be a slow unraveling, which I appreciated as it helped the book hold my attention. I also liked the atmosphere of the book. The boarding school created a sinister vibe, couldn’t trust anyone. And the story brought attention to classism in contemporary society with the treatment of students who don’t come from a wealthy background. And of course gender based violence was a big factor in the story. Read this book if you’re looking to escape into a dark, atmospheric young adult mystery!

Compelling story that is sitting with me, but mixed feelings overall. It feels a little over-written and could have used some stronger editing.

I was bothered by how Sade and Basil use so much logic in Part 2 as they break down their intense search of the campus for Elisabeth, rely heavily on CTV coverage and what not when it's already been proven that that can be messed with. I found the switch to Elisabeth's POV a little jarring. All that said, the tying together of the fisherman as a secret society and how the school at large was protecting them was compelling and I liked how there were multiple levels to fighting back and achieving some semblance of justice (although August getting off at the end annoyed me).

✨Book Review✨
Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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This book took me sooooo long to get into (like 40 percent), but once I was in, I was HOOKED and it was so good. I read the rest of the book in two days and it read like a movie. Super atmospheric and original. Boarding school vibes. I would definitely recommend this one if you’re ok with a slow burn and then a wild ride.
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I listened to the audio and enjoyed the narrator even though they were British. That may have also been part of why I struggled to get into the book. I have a hard time with British narrators.

Great mystery, loved the representation (on all fronts), and another great book overall. I can't wait to see more from this author!

I adored Ace of Spades so much, and when I received an ARC of Where Sleeping Girls Lie, I'd hoped I would love it just as much. Unfortunately, Where Sleeping Girls Lie fell flat for me. A lot of the dialogue felt cheesy and forced, and there were too many characters who were unmemorable or unlikable. Sade was a compelling main character, although she wasn't a great main character for a thriller, as she didn't seem to know much about anything, and it was frustrating waiting for her to catch up with me on clues. Overall, the book was too predictable for my taste.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I quickly realized this was not the type of book I envisioned. I think this is definitely one that others can love and appreciate but it didn't work well for me.

I’ve been eagerly awaiting Faridah’s next book since I read Ace of Spades, and this didn’t disappoint! I was glued to the book the whole way through (which was not good when I had work to do)—a truly gripping story, and like Ace of Spades, it was a fresh take on a thriller that I really loved.

4.5 stars. This book from the author of Ace of Spades definitely lived up to the bar that she set with the first one.

Atmospheric and engaging, very much the dark academia vibe that is popular now, but a much more diverse cast and unexpected storyline. I'll read whatever the author comes up with next!