It took a little time for me to get into the story, but once I was there, I was hooked. This story is creepy, suspenseful, and dark. If you like stories like this told from the perspective of a teenage girl, then you need this book.

*3.5 rounded up to 4 for Goodreads scoring system*
Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for my arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

"The Bad Ones" by Melissa Albert was a surprise for me. I was not a fan of Albert's Hazelwood duology but the things that didn't work for me in that series, worked well here. The book follows teenager Nora as she tries to unravel the disappearance of her best friend and the three other disappearances that rocks her small midwest town.

I really enjoyed this for the most part. Albert did such a great job of maintaining the tension and giving us a protagonist who was believable as a teen but her decisions weren't downright stupid like some other MCs (looks at recent reads). Nora felt very relatable with regards to her people pleasing and her desire to keep onto her childhood friendship with Becca. Albert, again, I think did such a great job of showing us how our childhood friendships can affect us in young adulthood and I just related to Nora so much; her feelings of insecurity with her friendship with Becca felt similar to my own when I was a teen and I appreciated that Albert treated it maturely.

The creepiness of this book was nice too. The unsettling story of the truth behind the goddess game, the creepy kids' games that Nora and Becca used to play, and the way the disappearances happened were well done. I only had to cut stars because I wish there wasn't a hint of romance in this. I get why it's included but it felt like a situation where a girl needs the love of a boy to feel "complete." I think it would have been better had things remained platonic because nothing is really changed by the inclusion of the romance. I don't know. I like and enjoy romance but in this case, it just felt weird to me.

Another plus for Albert is the way that as the reader, we too feel like Nora as she's putting things together. There were a few moments where I guessed the next story beat, but for the most part, I was putting things together at the same time as I'm reading Nora do the same. And I just adored Nora. The way she tries so hard to not be such a people pleaser and the way that she can't help but do that was so relatable. As someone who was a people pleaser to the point that it was affecting my mental health and perception of self as a teen, I think Albert did a great job with Nora.

Overall, I enjoyed this a lot and it's giving me food for thought about rereading the Hazelwood duology.

The setting for this story is set in a small town where the sudden disappearance of four individuals shrouds the community in mystery. The majority of the plot takes place on a single winter's night, where Nora attempts to unravel the truth behind her estranged BFF Becca's vanishing act.

The line between reality and supernatural becomes increasingly blurred as the plot progresses. Not only are we trying to unravel the mystery surrounding the disappearances but also the complex dynamic of semi-toxic friendships and childhood games that have made their way into adulthood.

Nora is attempting to decode a cryptic message left by Becca that unveils a very dark place in the town's past. I think the elements of suspense, dark magic and nostalgic childhood memories drew me into the story and kept me invested.

4/5 stars

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars
When this book popped up on NetGalley and was described as a supernatural horror novel I knew I had to request it. I'm not usually a fan of horror but I loved Albert's Hazelwood series (which is fantasy with a little horror) so I knew that even if the plot didn't draw me in the writing would. But the plot did draw me in so here we go.

I can't really summarize the book without giving too much away but I'll try. Our protagonist Nora is in an ongoing fight/friendship pause with best friend Becca, the two haven't spoken in months but when Nora gets a weird text from Becca she rushes over to her friend's house - only to find her friend missing. To make things stranger a couple of other people have also gone missing. Nora is determined to find her best friend and figure out how the other disappearances are all connected. The horror/supernatural element comes from a sinister playground rhyme and later game.

Honestly this book stressed me out. I was waiting on the edge of my seat for things to get bad and props to Albert for keeping the tension up throughout the book. However, I felt like the ending was a little disappointing from that perspective. Again no spoilers but if you've seen the film Drag Me to Hell (I do not recommend) I was expecting a similar ending.

Overall though I did enjoy this book a lot and it definitely kept me guessing throughout.

I was provided a free copy of this book through NetGalley.

Melissa Albert has really cemented herself as a one-click author for me. This book broke a wicked slump, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Filled to the brim with her customary amazing character work, spooky twists and turns, and haunting prose.

4⭐️ I struggled when I first started reading but it was worth pushing through!! Nora and Becca's relationship was well written. This was great YA horror fantasy.

I will be thinking about this one for a while. The story of Nora and her journey to uncover something supernatural really drew me in. I kept finding myself wanting to skip ahead to see what was going to happen, but the slow burn was worth the wait. I loved that the goddess game was sort of indicative of the intensity of female friendships (especially when we are young) and also the power of female rage. The ending tied up more nicely than I wanted it to. But overall it was a really riveting story and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publishing house for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Honestly, I’m not even completely sure how to describe this book. I was definitely in the dark about 90% of it on what was going on, who was good and who was bad, where Becca was, was Becca the goddess, who was the goddess, and what it had to do with killings years prior. It was a really cool take on those little urban myths most small towns have. I did feel like the ending just kind of dropped off and the explanation of everything was very fast paced. Which to me felt odd because the book was very drawn out. I understand needing to find clues but it felt a bit anticlimactic. Overall though, it did keep me hooked just enough to need to know what would happen.

#NetGalleyARC I had high hopes for this book as I generally enjoy this author but this was just meh. I’m not the type of person who doesn’t finish a book but I came very close to DNFing this one. I found it boring and hard to keep track of who was who and what was going on, but maybe that’s just because I was bored.

4.5
Thank you to Melissa & NetGalley and Flatiron Books for this earc.

For someone who’s been reading Melissa’s books since The Hazel Wood came out, let me tell you something. Melissa’s writing was and always be magic. I don’t know how she does it but no matter what the stories she writes just suck you in and don’t let go until it’s over.

This one was not an exception. Was absolutely terrified in the beginning? You bet I was. But that’s the beauty of it. You won’t know what’s happening or who’s responsible until the story wants you too. As always the friendships and the family connections were complicated and not easy.
The romance we got (very much Melissa’s usual style) was awkward and shy and precious. ( Seriously she writes characters who barely hold hands and ship them forever. Magic, I’m tell you)

Overall, another beautiful addition to Melissa’s world of magic and darkness. I will read anything this woman write.

I feel like this is one of the better YA books I have read in a while. Admittedly, I also feel I have aged out of what i'd call slice of life YA, simply because I'm older (and wiser?) than the characters, but give me YA fantasy or something with lore and some horror mixed in and i'm THERE for it.

The Bad Ones sits in the latter category for me. This isn't fantasy, but in some ways it IS horror. I truly enjoyed this story and the utter complexity of the situations that Albert crafted. Because when you sit back and look at it, this story, in some shape or form (without the true horror elements) has happened throughout time. To me, The Bad Ones is about one's inability to comprehend when bad things happen, and the sheer injustice of not being able to do anything about the injustices in the world.

Those big themes are hidden, in plain sight, until the end of the story when they come out of the shadows. The smaller cuts, the memory of being young and being so close with a friend that you're basically the same person, and how that friendship can grow into something you don't recognize anymore, is sprinkled throughout. The childish innocence of playing pretend morphs into something far more dangerous when you get just a little bit older and once you see or experience that danger, its hard, if not impossible, to get that innocence back.

Its not dissimilar to how once you SEE injustice, or are able to comprehend that there is bad in people who might not seem bad, you can't stop seeing it everywhere. Thats the curse of the goddess. once your eyes are opened, you can't help but see it and feel helpless. That the goddess game was borne out of one person's helplessness over something so tragic, and that is spread into a greater defiance speaks to the injustices in the world, especially those hurled at young women.

I truly enjoyed the characters in this book. each felt solid, and when called upon, Nora's friends were there for her, no questions asked, no matter how crazy she might have sounded. There wasn't a lot of time spent with the others, outside of James, but they felt like a group, and even if Ruth couldn't stop thinking in a journalistic way, at the end of the day she wanted to help her friend. perhaps, one of the reasons these characters felt so solid was there wasn't a lot of room given to the teens being overly dramatic or teen-like. they felt like teens but there was no melodrama, and where there was drama, it was earned.

Book:
THE BAD ONES by Melissa Albert(out Feb 20, thanks NetGalley and FlatIron Books for the earc)

Review:
4 ⭐
THE BAD ONES had a rough start. I almost gave up reading the book before making it through the prologue. It felt all over the place, but I know now that I was learning the story of the people who went missing. I gave THE BAD ONES a chance, and it was actually a good book. I liked the paranormal-esque nature. I mean what's better than revenge? Revenge mixed with horror + possession + sacrificing those doing very bad things. Once I got past the prologue, I was hooked. I loved how the chapters were short but they were never lacking.  There was so much mystery (vanishing people+strange girl+Becca and the goddess+Nora seeing things+clues). This book had me on the edge of my seat: I wanted to know about the missing, what they did, and who was behind it. If you like supernatural, magic, and Melissa Albert's books, the you'll like THE BAD ONES and reading about a supernatural entity getting revenge.

What I Liked About It:
*the creepy vibes
*the short chapters
*vengeance vibes

The description of the book seemed interesting, so I wanted to check the story out. Unfortunately, it is not working for me right now. It is nothing against the story or the author, but I couldn't get into the story/characters. I may try and find a physical copy to add the my library when it is released, though, because I think my readers could like it!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a chance to read an eARC in exchange for an honest review. The Bad Ones follows a teenage girl named Nora who struggles with the aftermath of her best friend Becca going missing, only to find out three other people in her small town all went missing on the same night. As she tries to unravel the mystery of her best friend's disappearance with clues left behind, it become apparent something sinister and otherworldly is at play and Nora is right in the middle of it as she starts waking up in strange places and loses bits of her day. Nora and her friends must unravel mysteries several decades old to find out what really happened to Becca.

Overall, I thought the pacing of the book was good. It was between a 3.5 and a 4. While slowly revealing details about the disappearances, the book does a good job building up suspense and a creepy atmosphere. The main characters are high school students, so the vocabulary was a bit more relaxed but outside the dialogue, some of the verbiage was a bit lacking, such as 'frown-smile'. It was an enjoyable book but I don't think I'd wish to read it again.

The Bad Ones by Melissa Albert.

Summary: Goddess, goddess, count to five. In the morning, who’s alive? In the course of a single winter’s night, four people vanish without a trace across a small town. Nora’s estranged best friend, Becca, is one of the lost. As Nora tries to untangle the truth of Becca’s disappearance, she discovers a darkness in her town’s past, as well as a string of coded messages Becca left for her to unravel. These clues lead Nora to a piece of local lore: a legendary goddess of forgotten origins who played a role in Nora and Becca’s own childhood games. . . . An arresting, crossover horror fantasy threaded with dark magic, 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.

Review: Personally I found it a bit slow for my taste. It's a simple YA/light horror book. Mostly for a younger audience looking for a spook.

#NetGalley

★ ★ ★ • 3

The Bad Ones is a paranormal young adult, suspense horror centering around two teen girls trying to figure out what happened to the missing people in their town. As well as how their disappearances have to do with the local legend referencing a malicious goddess.

The read itself was sort of slow at first, and I had trouble getting into it but it did pickup a bit once the plot progressed into more suspense elements. That said, I did end up finding the book overall to be underwhelming, but considering this is for a young adult audience, I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review!

I could not put this book down! The story was well written and intriguing. Finished the book in a day as the mystery kept me hooked throughout. Even as I thought I had figured out what was going on there was more to the story that I could not have predicted!

One winter night, four people vanish in a small town. Nora’s best friend Becca is one of the vanished, but Nora must believe Becca ran away…the alternative is too hard to consider. Following the clues Becca left behind, Nora, with the help of new friend James, will do anything she can to discover what really happened. With the perfect touch of horror, this YA mystery is sure to keep you up at night. It’s been a while since I sat down with a book that chilled me to the bone, but The Bad Ones was that book.

The plot of this book was fantastic. It was unique and engaging. I was engrossed from the very beginning and devoured this one pretty fast. Once I picked it up, I could not put it down. The pacing of the book was just right. I kept reading to see what would happen next. I enjoyed the time jumping, as it really built up the suspense and highlighted the climax of the action in this book. This incorporation of a children’s rhyme to fuel the action was so creative.

I loved the characters in this one. Well written and dynamic. Nora’s evolution as the book carried on was exciting and interesting. Her evolving friendships kept me interested and her love for Becca and unending search for her really carried her. I wish there had been more on her dynamic with her family, as I feel that would have been a nice exploration. Nora seems to brush off their concern and it would have been nice to see her grow in that respect, too. Becca was less exciting to see, but I still enjoyed her aloof personality and wonder with the world. Her motivations were honorable, despite being questionable. Nora and Becca’s friendship was definitely not the healthiest, but their love for one another was beautifully handled.

I would highly recommend this one. I could not put it down.

With The Bad Ones, Albert has truly cemented herself as queen of the uncanny, creating yet another world where myth and reality mingle and actions always have consequences. Much like her other works, this is a slow, steady build where the tension is taunt and the mystery surreal. At it's heart, it's an exploration of friendship and loss--how much of ourselves we are willing to give or should give to each other--and how tragedy and vengeance mingle in the dark. The characters are all delightfully believable--from the not-always-honest (including to herself) Nora to her well-meaning parents and sweetly crafted romantic interest. To the seemingly ordinary people who do bad things and the classmates/acquittances who might just be true friends. And, of course, to the estranged best friend--devoted and damaged and both too much and not enough all at once--who disappeared along with three other people one winter's night and whom Nora will do anything to find. These characters ground the story as it unfolds and the lines of reality blur, and readers will be hooked by the mystery of it all. (The short chapters make it easy to say, "Just one more...") Definitely recommended for anyone who enjoyed Albert's previous books, with a soft spot for urban legends, or a taste for the supernatural.

Fun isn’t normally a word I would use to describe a book in the horror genre, but this book was a lot of fun to read! I started and finished it in the same day because I could not get enough. This is my first read by Melissa Albert, but I will be seeking out her other works! The author did a phenomenal job keeping readers on their toes. The foreshadowing is well done without giving too much away. I still ended up being surprised by the reveal! I have always been the kind of person who only needed (wanted) one friend, so I found myself able to relate to the unique friendship that Nora and Becca had. There is nothing more special or important to a teenage girl than her best friend. The Bad Ones was a delicious, secret filled story about a complicated friendship and the dark history of the small town they’re from. If you’re looking for a book that you’ll be able to picture in your head as a movie, pick this one up.

Thank you to Netgalley and Flatiron Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!