Member Reviews

When I read "THE BAD ONES is a poison-pen love letter to semi-toxic best friendship, the occult power of childhood play and artistic creation, and the razor-thin line between make-believe and belief." in the summary for this book, I knew I wanted to read this book.

I am not disappointed. The relationship between Nora and Becca is intense and overwhelming in a way that Nora, the person we are most with during the book, doesn't even understand at first. I don't want to get into spoilers, but the relationship is handled very well. Nora has to examine how well she knows her best friend and how much faith she has in her.

I thought all the characters were fleshed out well and I liked the overall story. I will say this book is maybe a slow burn, which I don't mean in a bad way at all. A lot of it looks at Nora's psychological well being after Becca disappears and saying it's not going well is definitely an understatement. The book feels a little less outright horror and edges more into the unsettling/haunting type of horror, which I really liked.

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3.5 stars (rounded to 4 stars). Review to be posted 1/28/2024.

The Bad Ones explores toxic friendship, childhood games, and goddesses with a twisty thriller with aspects of fantasy and horror.

Nora's best friend, Becca, disappears in the same winter night as three other people in her small town. The two friends have been estranged for the last few months, so Nora is surprised to learn Becca has left her small clues to her disappearance as well as other secrets hidden within the town. This leads Nora to a local legend surrounding the goddess game, a childhood game centered around the death of a woman decades ago. At the same time, Nora doesn't feel quite "right" and as if she is being haunted.

I found this book to be a YA thriller at its true essence versus a horror or fantasy. The book itself was actually super short and leads to a speedy pace. I'm a big horror reader, so I wouldn't call this a horror book, but it does have small elements that create a tense atmosphere. There's a sleep walking scene that I thought was definitely the creepiest part, but as a whole I felt the vibe and plot was more thriller based. The book does jump back and forth between multi-povs and different timelines, so be prepared for that.

Character wise, I liked that we got the backdrop to Nora and Becca's friendship throughout their childhood years. It really helps show their dynamic and also their childhood games and make-belief that had a big effect on the current timeline. The author also did a great job incorporating how grief impacts children and the importance of make-belief and friendship. The goddesses, lore, and supernatural elements were super interesting and unique and definitely my favorite part of the book!

Some things I didn't like, the romance seemed a bit misplaced. Nora doesn't spend a ton of time with the love interest and it doesn't seem to match with the high stakes vanishings and the eerie atmosphere. It almost felt like a check in the box so that it fits a standard YA book. Additionally, the actual "exploration into toxic friendship" seems incomplete, because it seems like Nora truly doesn't face the truth of Becca's manipulation and is blind even at the end to how she was treated.

It reads like a thriller/mystery, but the messages and trail that Becca leaves for Nora doesn't really make sense at the end when everything wraps up. It was more of Nora just looking into the town's history and stumbling through each day and discovering new things. Things just kept "happening" to Nora versus her following a trail of clues. I didn't like the ending all too much, but I also didn't predict it either and it was all a surprise for the most part.

Thank you to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for a ARC in exchange for an honest review!

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Wow. Just....wow. This book was PHENOMENAL. I was immediately hooked and KNEW I was going to be on here gushing about it even before the halfway mark.

The lyrical prose was so immersive and beautiful without being wordy. Spooky without being over the top. Creepy without being cheesy. The perfect balance in a good horror novel. I literally sat down to fold laundry, opened this instead, and didn't move until I read and absorbed the last of the book. I don't think I could give this more of a glowing review, honestly. This was the PERFECT book to kick off spooky season.

๐“๐ก๐ž ๐๐š๐ ๐Ž๐ง๐ž๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ž๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ซ๐ž๐ฅ๐ž๐š๐ฌ๐ž ๐…๐ž๐›๐ซ๐ฎ๐š๐ซ๐ฒ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ’ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ž๐Ÿ๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ž๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐š ๐Œ๐”๐’๐“ ๐‘๐„๐€๐ƒ ๐ข๐Ÿ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ'๐ซ๐ž ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐จ๐ฑ๐ข๐œ ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐ข๐ž๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ๐ฌ, ๐œ๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ž๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐š๐ซ๐ฒ ๐†๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐œ ๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ซ๐จ๐ซ, ๐จ๐œ๐œ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฐ๐ž๐ซ, ๐š๐ง๐ ๐Ÿ๐ฅ๐š๐ฌ๐ก๐›๐š๐œ๐ค ๐๐Ž๐•.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for a copy of this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

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โœจARC REVIEWโœจ

This was creepy, twisty and suspenseful. Fantastic YA thriller. It will absolutely keep you on your toes. Secrets, toxic relationships and magic make this a great read.

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I have read books by this author before, and I truly enjoy them. This falls in line with the recent trend YA books to focus on friendships more than romance, which is enjoyable. The premise here, being that Nora and Becca have been friends since childhood, but the deaths of Beccaโ€™s parents and a subsequent fight in their ladder teenage years, causes them to drift apart for a few months. During this time, people in town start to go missing. Nora wonders if it has anything to do with a game they used to play as kids, and starts to feel strange, as if she is dissociating, or is being haunted.

This has rich characters as well as lyrical proseโ€” especially when it comes to the setting. An example of a line I really enjoyed from interiority respect was โ€œ And we thought, if there can be a goddess of fevers and of door hinges, a goddess for every hour of the day, a god literally of poop, no kidding, then why not a goddess of crushes, of white lies, of the middle of the night?โ€œ

Though I think it works in this book, itโ€™s important for readers to know that this is not a linear, single POV. While the majority of the story is told from Noraโ€™s first-person perspective, there are flashbacks in third person that tell the stories of other people in town, including Becca.

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Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review! The Bad Ones by Melissa Albert releases February 20th, 2024.

This book was creepy, haunting, enthralling, twisty, and so much more. I picked this book up and found myself unable to put it down! I was second guessing myself throughout the story and will definitely be looking into more books by Melissa Albert!

A full review will be posted on GoodReads closer to the release date.

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I was hesitant to start this book because I read Melissa Albertโ€™s other novel, Our Crooked Hearts, which didn't stand out to me, but Iโ€™m so glad I decided to give this one a shot. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book and how intoxicating it was.

The Bad Ones deals with friendships that can be toxic to a certain degree, buried secrets revolving around the supernatural, and when playing pretend becomes more real. The plot itself was spine-chilling, and I felt I was constantly on the verge of solving the mystery that would explain the sinister disappearances. Once the dark histories came to light and the story reached its conclusion, I can say I was positively satisfied. I had already enjoyed most of the book, and the ending wrapped everything together nicely.

A few parts bored me somewhat, but I got past these moments easily due to the short chapter length and quickly grew excited again. Although I didn't resonate with the characters, I was still fascinated with the relationship dynamics (aside from the romance that felt out of place). With how much trust people are willing to put in their best friend.

If youโ€™re interested in supernatural mystery/thrillers or the dark complexities of friendship, The Bad Ones is worth checking out.

Thank you, NetGalley and Flatiron Books, for sending me an e-ARC of this book! All opinions are my own.

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Wonderful horror novel. I loved the writing and all the creepy stuff actually made me truly uneasy at times. This author is always such a solid bet, I was never disappointed in their works. Recommended.

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So the mythology of this book is extremely expansive and the writing is well done, however I did not enjoy this book. The characters were all over the place, and while the obvious messages about toxic friendships and girlhood were present, nothing about these characters made them standout.

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Let me start by saying. I am so thankful NetGalley and FlatIron allowed me to read and review this book. When I read the description โ€œhorror fantasyโ€ I was instantly intrigued. Melissa Albert has done it again. She has left me speechless, and racing my kindle โ€œtime leftโ€ to the very end. It was unnerving, and every twist and turn had me needing to know more. If Iโ€™m honest the only thing that fell short for me was the โ€œromanceโ€ I truly donโ€™t believe this book needed it.

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* Thank you NetGalley and Flatiron books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. *

The Bad Ones is a story about an urban legend, people disappearing in small towns, and the bond between two best friends.

I donโ€™t want to say too much. The Bad Ones is the kind of book you want to go into mostly blind. Itโ€™s a slow, sleepy creepy horror that sneaks up on you. It exists in that liminal space between sleep and wake, where everything and nothing is real and youโ€™re somehow the clearest youโ€™ve ever been but also confused.

Does that tell you anything about the story? No? Then you will have to see for yourself.

Anyone who loves weird YA horrors will be a fan of this one.

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The Bad Ones is an excellently written and intricate story. This book was difficult to put down.

This story follows four seemingly unconnected people go missing in a single night. When Noraโ€™s best friend, Becca, is one of the missing, Nora decides to uncover the truth. Becca has left many clues behind for Nora, but they all lead back to a childhood game, the goddess game. Throughout her search, Nora unravels a dark, sinister history to her town.

This book has left me with no words. I donโ€™t think I have read anything as captivating and complex as this story was.

Thank you NetGalley and FlatIron books for the arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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This is a page-turner. While a little confused by the mechanisms of the ending, this was an enjoyable read.

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I loved this! Spooky but not too scary, with excellent writing and complex characters. A bit gothic, a bit Ferrante, a bit Ninth House. All things I loved, so I loved this one too. Definitely worth reading for anyone who enjoys toxic friendships, teenage girl weirdness, loner boys, and spooky unexplainable events

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I am not a fan of the horror genre but HOLY CRAP this was freaking amazing. This was my first book by Melissa and it certainly wonโ€™t be the last!

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Thank you to Flat Iron Books for my arc!


I had no idea I needed a fantasy gothic thriller because that is exactly what this is. I loved this, mainly because it was set in winter but also youโ€™re taken on this journey where two best friends have had some type of falling out until one of them goes missing and you follow the main character as they try to figure out what happened. I love Melissa Alberts writing and highly reccomend this

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This book had me scared from the very first pages!
It was spooky and kept my attention the entire time.

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The Bad Ones is a supernatural horror that begins with four seemingly unrelated individuals going missing over the course of one single night. Nora, a high school student with a reputation for lying, wakes up to discover that her best friend, Becca, is one of the missing. The story follows Nora as she races to find her friend, who has left her some pretty creepy clues, and unwittingly gets wrapped up in some spooky local folklore in the process.

Albert's writing is absolutely addictive. I could not make myself put this one down, and when I did, I found myself immediately drawn back in because I had to know what was going to happen next. 400 pages totally flew by and I know for a fact that I will eat up whatever Albert puts out next with a spoon.

I adored all of the peeks into Nora's friendship with Becca, from the time they were small up to the present. It really worked to explain the desperation we feel from Nora throughout her hunt for Becca. Through this relationship, Albert manages to find a place to explore grief and blinding adoration and the nostalgic feeling for childhood in a horror novel. Bravo for that!

The one piece that felt a little bit out of place for me was the romance element. Maybe I'm just getting too old, but I couldn't imagine thinking about kissing a boy who was a stranger up until one day ago, just a few days after my best friend went missing and while I was in the midst of searching for her. These bits took me out of the story a little bit, and I mostly just wanted to get back to our regularly scheduled, chilling program.

If you're a fan of horror that will make a chill run down your spine, pick up The Bad Ones for sure. Honestly, read this one with your best friend, if you can -- I know I'm going to make mine get into it as soon as possible.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the arc of this book!

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As a vengeful goddess slinking through town, she takes the form of a long-haired, somber girl enveloped in a cloud of ominous black mist. She whispers apologies as she approaches her unsuspecting victims โ€“ four people who suddenly vanish into thin air. One from a house porch, another from a speeding car, a teenage girl from her sleepover, and a boy from the cemetery.

Nora Powell finds herself standing before the front lawn of her estranged friend Becca's home, trembling after receiving a cryptic text from Becca, someone she hasn't spoken to in months. Becca happens to be one of the four who mysteriously vanished without a trace. Nora knows Becca so well โ€“ she's been grappling with the loss of her parents, dealing with a strained relationship with her stepmother. Nora becomes suspicious that Becca may not be just another victim of a predator who has taken these four individuals, but that Becca might be the very cause of their disappearances. You see, Becca is no stranger to using dark magic for revenge. She's ventured into this territory before, somehow linked to the myth of the town's goddess โ€“ a figure children chant rhymes about: "Goddess, goddess, count to five, in the morning, who's alive?"

Has Becca delved into something so perilous that the lives of the entire town are at risk? Or could she still be out there, needing Nora's help?

Nora's reality begins to blur, slipping between reality and illusion. She sleepwalks, plagued by nightmares that involve snatching others' bodies and experiencing their memories. Something sinister is happening, something related to her missing friend. Could Nora be in even greater danger? And perhaps her only allies are the friends from the school paper and the enigmatic new transfer student โ€“ a charismatic photographer who might have befriended Becca, carrying her secrets. Together, they embark on a journey to find Becca, following the breadcrumbs of clues she's left behind.

Overall, this is an incredibly chilling and captivating supernatural YA horror fiction that I simply couldn't put down. I've already devoured Melissa Albert's previous books, and this one lived up to my high expectations.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for sharing this fantastic book's digital review copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

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"The Bad Ones" by Melissa Albert is a haunting and atmospheric supernatural horror novel that weaves together themes of friendship, dark magic, and the blurred lines between reality and imagination. With its eerie ambiance and intriguing mystery, Albert crafts a tale that lingers in the mind long after the final pages.

The story unfolds in a small town where four individuals suddenly vanish on a winter's night, leaving behind a sense of unease and dread. Nora Powell, estranged from her best friend Becca, finds herself pulled into the mystery when Becca becomes one of the disappeared. As Nora delves deeper into the enigma of Becca's vanishing, she uncovers a disturbing history intertwined with a local goddess and a series of cryptic messages that Becca has left behind for her.

Albert's writing is atmospheric and evocative, creating a palpable sense of unease that permeates every page. The town's history is shrouded in darkness, and the supernatural elements are seamlessly integrated into the narrative, adding a layer of mystery and tension that keeps the reader engaged.

At the heart of the story is the complex friendship between Nora and Becca, which is portrayed with depth and authenticity. Their shared past, secrets, and conflicts contribute to the emotional resonance of the novel. As Nora navigates her feelings of guilt, regret, and longing, she must confront not only the mystery of the disappearances but also the demons of her own past.

The incorporation of childhood games, local lore, and artistic creation adds a unique and compelling dimension to the narrative. The concept of the legendary goddess and the idea of blurring the lines between make-believe and reality further enrich the story's thematic exploration.

"The Bad Ones" is not only a supernatural thriller but also a meditation on the power of memory, friendship, and the darker aspects of human nature. Melissa Albert's prose is both captivating and chilling, drawing readers into a world where the boundaries between the mundane and the magical blur. With its blend of horror, mystery, and psychological depth, this novel is a must-read for fans of atmospheric and thought-provoking dark fantasy.

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