it's haunting, it's disturbing, it's harrowing, but it's also sweet and filled with love

thanks to Macmillian/Feiwel and Friends for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

A dark academia and Mean Girls vibes? Say less.
I had a flashback to Cruel Intentions — aka rich kids doing bad things and expecting to get away with it.

I’ll start by saying this is definitely more mystery than thriller, so know going in that the pacing can be a bit slower.
Sade hasn’t had an easy life and less than 24 hours at her new boarding school her roommate goes missing. She wants to find out what happened and discovers layer and after layer of secrets.
We get a diverse cast of characters at Alfred Nobel Academy- rich girls and boys from all over, uptight teachers, absent parents, and a guinea pig. I thought the boarding school setting was creepy in the best way and made for a great back drop for all the secrets its inhabitants are hiding

I recommend if you like
•Mean Girls - but make it murder
•Elite boarding school setting
•Diverse cast solving crime
•Morse code
•Sapphic tension
•A guinea pig named muffin

Thank you to Macmillian Children’s and Turn The Page Tours for my early copy. All thoughts are my own.

Where Sleeping Girls Lie is a fantastic young adult thriller!
Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé weaves a fabulous story about Sade, her new boarding school, and her missing roommate. Every time I thought I knew where the story would take me, there was another subtle twist or turn that kept me turning the pages. A really fabulous read!

Though a slow moving plot, this was so good just because of the characters, and the over all ending.

I kept thinking this school will have some dark but magical (read Fantasy element) to it. But no. It was just a contemporary mystery, And when I say just, I don't mean it in a bad way. This book delivered on very hard topics with loveable and some very despicable characters.

No, I had no idea what the plot will turn out to be, or the secret. Or that ending. But I was here for all the twists, and all the banter and amateur sleuthing around beautiful campus. It made me want to be part of that group of friends, or being part of that school (till it didn't).

The author delivered once again, and I'm glad I had an early chance to read this. It will definitely be recommended by me.

TW: Suicide, sexual assault, rape (not on paper), physical assault, death of a parent, drug and alcohol use. Not a comprehensive list, but biggest one's I could think of.

Thank you to the publisher for my review copy.

I loved Ace of Spades and was so excited for this book - twisty and suspenseful boarding school story? I’m sold. I did enjoy a lot about this: the actual storyline, trying to figure out what was happening at the same time as Sade, the representation and thought, the setting. But the book is too slow and then wraps up too quickly. I don’t want to spoil anything so my review will be somewhat short. But, this book sheds like on the negative experiences of young girls at boarding school, and honestly in life. The plot is there and it’s enjoyable (albeit hard to read), it just takes too long to get to what is going on. And then the end was wrapped up like a bow - and I wanted more consequences (even if that isn’t realistic).

This book is my the same author of Ace of Spades so I was extremely excited to pick this one up. BUT I want to say that the two books are extremely different. While Ace of Spades is a thriller, WSGL is a slow burn mystery!

Our main character Sade had been homeschooled all of her life and due to some outside circumstances she begins boarding school. Her new roommate Elizabeth disappears after Sades first night and she is determined to figure out what happened to Elizabeth.

Àbíké-Íyímídé truly makes you feel that you are in the pages with these characters. Although it is unsettling and mysterious the atmosphere is so enthralling. Along with the atmosphere once again the characters came through in this one. I feel that characters in mysteries are just there to move the plot along but it did not feel this way here.

I would say more but of course it would just be spoilers… If you are the slightest bit interested, please do check trigger warnings before going into this one and check it out!

Her debut novel Ace of Spades had me in a chokehold! This book tells the story of Sade Hussein who attends the well-known boarding school of Alfred Nobel Academy, however when her roommate ends up missing, Sade is the main suspect of her disappearance. This book was really good as always Faridah. It had twists and turns, every time I thought I had the right person, they had a valid excuse. The only thing I didn’t like about the book was the slowness of it. This one was a slow burn for sure unlike Ace of Spades; to which that book was a very fast pace. Overall, this was a great second novel!

Where Sleeping Girls Lie is Faridah Àbiké-Íyimidé’s second novel and although she made us wait awhile for it it was definitely worth the wait. If you’ve read Ace of Spades I think you’ll definitely enjoy this one. Although, different in their pacing Faridah’s storytelling is masterful. This follows Sade Hussein who had been hime schooled all her life and is joining Alfred Nobel Academy for her third year of high school. When we first meet Sade she is very all alone in the world. Upon arriving at the academy she meeets Elizabeth her roommate and house sister who shows her around and introduces her to Basil is such a wonderful character and friend. I Elizabeth and Sade hit it off and agree to be friends but sadly their friendship doesn’t last very long because Elizabeth goes missing. Sade and a basil work together to try and figure out what has happened to Elizabeth and slowly Sade starts uncovering the dark secrets of Alfred Nobel Academy. She meets new people and has to decide whether or no she can trust them. Like I said before this is a slower paced mystery but it’s so thorough and every twist is followed all the way through and explored well. I want left with any questions at the end of it and the reveals were not expected. The friendships, little bit of romance, and the mystery we’re done so well and worked well together. I thoroughly enjoyed this and found myself wanting to do nothing more than continue reading to discover hat would happen next. 4.75⭐️

When Sade Hussein starts at the prestigious Alfred Nobel Academy, she hopes the new environment will be enough to shake the ghosts of her past that continue to haunt her. However, when Sade’s roommate, Elizabeth, goes missing less than a week after her arrival, Sade realizes that she cannot escape her history so easily. After the disappearance, Sade is forced into the school’s limelight and finds herself drawn into the social circles of ANA’s most privileged, including a group of girls known as the “unholy trinity.” While trying to find a place for herself among this elite crew of teenagers, Sade also works with Elizabeth’s best friend, Baz, to try and solve the mystery of her disappearance. As Sade and Baz embark on this quest, shadowy secrets about the school and its occupants begin to make their way into the light.

Where Sleeping Girls Lie is a masterful combination of riveting mystery, social commentary, and complex characterizations that make it incredibly difficult to put down. Reminiscent of Mean Girls, but with a dramatic spin, a more diverse cast of characters, and set within the boundaries of an ominous boarding school, Àbíké-Íyímídé’s novel effectively used familiar genre conventions and storylines to tell a new story, one that critiques institutions of privilege and the misogyny that exists within them. This book offered great LGBTQ+, POC, and interfaith representation that existed amidst a backdrop of wealth and clear-cut social hierarchies. The characters that Àbíké-Íyímídé draws are compelling and nuanced, each with their own backstory that defines their choices throughout the novel. Sade’s strong voice drives the narrative, but elements of her history are revealed very slowly, building up suspense and intrigue around her character. However, at times, it felt like there were too many characters in the story; it seemed like a student or teacher would be a crucial component of the mystery, but then they would not be mentioned for another thirty pages. Because of this, there were moments where the connection between characters and the plot lost clarity for me. With that being said, I still appreciated the resolution of the novel. Not everything is wrapped up perfectly, and Àbíké-Íyímídé refuses to sugar coat elements of the story, making the portrayal of grief and trauma realistic rather than trying to minimize these feelings and experiences to make them palatable.

I would recommend this book to all readers who enjoy thrillers and mysteries or have ever felt drawn to books about boarding schools!

This was a fascinating, if weirdly paced book. For the most part I was all for the mystery and where it would lead. I was with the main character in her exploration of everything that was happening. Without giving any spoilers, I liked the big revelation, but one of the smaller ones about the main character herself was not only a little ridiculous, but also one of those things that it felt ridiculous to hide from the audience itself. Besides that, the characters are fun, the tension has just the right amount of tension and light-heartedness.

This book reminded me a school thriller with a dash of the movies Heathers and the visual novel Flowers. Happy reading.

Where Sleeping Girls Lie starts off feeling like a cozy boarding-school mystery and builds into a sharp portrait of power, privilege, and trauma. I'm not usually a huge fan of YA, but the premise drew me in and this one delivered. Abíké-lyímídé crafts a tense, compelling mystery with great dark academia vibes and well-developed, diverse characters. The pacing was definitely slow in the first half, but it did pick up, although the book could maybe have been a bit shorter and still packed a punch.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan/Feiwal and Friends for an advance review copy.

CW: sexual assault, suicide, drugs and alcohol use/abuse

Thank you so much to Colored Pages Book Tour & Macmillan for an advance copy of this book!

"The best liars, Sade had found, were the ones who were also lying to themselves in some way."

I was super excited to get an early copy of Faridah's follow up to Ace of Spades. The cover alone draws you in.

The first half of this book was incredibly slow and if you are a fan of slow burn in thrillers than perhaps you will love this. But the last 40% is really where it shined. You don't know who to believe and I was not sure where exactly this was going. There were some surprising twists. The romance thrown in at the end just felt like a throwaway and I didn't think was really necessary to the story. I think I would have enjoyed this more if it had not been so long. I am glad though everything was wrapped up.

This book will make you angry and another tale of rich boys who think they can get away with things.
And the angry women who refuse to take their crap.

3.5

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. She has decided to go but doesn’t realize how unusual the school is. She is surprised at the rules the school has. She meets her house sister and roommate Elizabeth who also gives a tour of the campus. When they finally go to their room, she sees a dead rat in front of the door. Elizabeth goes into the room and grabs a plastic bag and scoops up the rat which is then disposed. Elizabeth gets phone calls that upset her but doesn’t say anything to Sade. Then Elizabeth disappears the next day. Her best friend Baz meets Sade. Elizabeth’s disappearance and school administrators’ commitment to sweeping it under the rug haunt Sade. Sadly, hauntings are something she is well acquainted with. Death has always plagued Sade: her father’s, her mother’s suicide, and the drowning of her best friend, whose ghost often appears to her (“Sade felt her, the shadow girl from her nightmares). Baz becomes very upset when he learns Elizabeth is missing. He wants to search for her with Sade. Will they find her? While time flies by, Sade ends up going out with Jude on a date then gets invited to Jude’s birthday party. She was surprised, but decides to go. After the party, she wished she had not gone. Why?

The author has written a YA (Young Adult) contemporary mystery. There are twists and turns in the novel. The author has Sade involved with the secret cults of the world, missing girls and death. The novel includes revenge and justice. it examines toxic masculinity and rape culture through an angry lens. It demands to know why this behavior is accepted and enshrined into the very fabric of these institutions—seeking justice for the violence brought against women’s bodies, particularly when the victims are deemed as lesser by society. There are other secrets. It’s a book with its secrets give a chance to discuss these secrets.

The book started off really strong for me and was well layered and paced. However, it felt like it dragged on a bit too much. I feel like this should have been about 50-75 pages shorter than it was. I started feeling disengaged with the story as it dragged on. Great concept and interesting plot though!

Sade arrives at boarding school and shortly after, her roommate goes missing. Sade is determined to find out what happened to her while also facing her own dark past.

This was a slow burn thriller. The first 60% of the book was focused on developing Sade's character. Her background was slowly revealed but you still didn't get the full picture. The last 30-40% of the book really picked up. We find out what really happened and we also get a nice little twist in there!

This was YA, dark academia with promise. Everyone raves about this author, but this book was just ok to me. 3.5 stars

Thank you Netgalley for my ARC!

A vibe-y suspense story that tackles injustice? That seems to be the new trend in YA suspense and I am HERE for it.

I was a HUGE fan of Àbíké-Íyímídé's first book, Ace of Spades, so was super excited to read this.

In many ways, it's a book with similar themes: the immorality underlying the beautiful exteriors of some elite institutions.

Sleeping Girls Lie is told through the POV of a single character, Sadie (AOS had a dual POV with a female and male narrator).

Where Sleeping Girls Lie is both deeply atmospheric and quite long. It took me probably two-thirds of the book to figure out where the story was headed. Until then, it was British boarding school/small British village vibes, orphan sent to boarding school vibes, missing roommate true crime vibes, and a strange trio of (possibly) mean girls.

I read somewhere that this was supposed to be sapphic, but unless that was so subtle I missed it, I wouldn't put that label on it. I'd call it more feminist. There was a scene that was so unexpectedly cool and visual that I hope this book makes it to the screen!

Huge fan of this author - I'll read whatever she writes!

3.5 Stars
Where Sleeping Girls Lie is dark mystery set amidst the backdrop of a prestigious boarding school where new student and main character Sade (pronounced shah-day) finds herself at the center of a missing person scandal right out of the gate. It doesn’t take long for Sade to realize that there is a lot more to Alfred Noble Academy than meets the eye and that more than just navigating the social hierarchies of the school, Sade finds herself confronting the enigmatic secrets of her past and also the harrowing realities lurking within the shadows of the school’s traditions.

Check your trigger warnings going into this one as Where Sleeping Girls Lie explores the dark side of male power and privilege and the institutional systems that empower them to exploit young women.

The characters were a stand-out in this story with side characters Baz and Persephone stealing the show and serving as a testament to the power of teenage friendship. The queer representation was excellent, though the m/m pairing and f/f pairing was only a small part of the plotline. I would have loved to explore the sapphic relationship a bit further in the story but it made more sense to let the platonic relationships take center stage. I also found the mental health rep to be solid in this story with our main character grappling with grief, loss, trauma, and significant anxiety throughout the story. In addition to the mental health representation, there was a significant storyline about SA that was portrayed sensitively and realistically - giving voice to an experience held by many young women.

I do feel the pacing of the book was a little off and I struggled to stay engaged in the story through its entirety. I also saw some of the major twists coming and felt the ending was wrapped up way too easily (I get having connections but since when can someone confess to murder and not go to trial? – or maybe that happened off page).

If you like dark academia mysteries, boarding school settings (where the kids actually go to class), books with queer and mental health rep, exploring themes of power, privilege, and systemic oppression, with a sprinkle of female rage/revenge then Where Sleeping Girls Lie is the book for you!

A dark and twisted tale of betrayal and belonging, this YA mystery explores unsettling and timely issues with a strong protagonist and eerie setting.

While the tone is a bit melodramatic, the heaviness of the subject matter is obvious. There is one glaring plot hole but otherwise, the path of the narrative is interesting and satisfyingly twisted.

I think you’ll like the diverse cast and creepy locale. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy. These opinions are my own.

So many things to love about this book! I always enjoy a well-done YA mystery, which I think this is. Plus it includes an atmospheric boarding school setting, wonderfully diverse cast of characters, and several layers of social commentary appropriate for a story told in today's time. I agree with other early reviews that say the pace of the book gets a littttle slow towards the middle, and could have been cut down quite a bit, and then the ending feels a bit rushed and like all the action and reveals are thrown out at once when they could have been placed more evenly throughout. But all that said, I was fully invested during my whole time reading it and I came to care deeply about many of the characters! I'd definitely recommend to fans of Ace of Spades and other dark-academia-YA-mystery books.

I couldn't put this book down. I hoped it would be just as good, if not better than Ace of Spades, and Faridah didn't disappoint.

While reading, I had so many questions and didn't trust anyone. When, I thought I had it figured out, a new issue and question would pop up. As I got closer to finishing the book, I realized things were mentioned or revealed in previous chapters, but because I was so focused on my theories, I didn't realize it. I loved how everything came together.

I think Faridah addressed the heavy topic and themes in this book with a level of care that is needed.