I will return to this book at a later date. Anna-Marie McLemore is a great author and I highly recommend Flawless Girls. If you have enjoyed their other works, you will also enjoy this. I love their writing.

2.5-stars: Flawless Girls had an interesting concept, but unfortunately, it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. The premise of a group of seemingly perfect girls with hidden flaws had so much potential, but the execution felt a bit underwhelming. The story had its moments of intrigue, but the plot was often predictable and lacked the tension I was hoping for.

The characters, while initially intriguing, didn’t feel fully fleshed out. I wanted more complexity and depth from them to really connect with their struggles and motivations. Instead, they often came across as stereotypical and one-dimensional, which made it hard to stay invested in their journeys.

The pacing was uneven, with some sections dragging while others moved too quickly, glossing over important plot points that could have added more weight to the story. That said, there were a few twists that kept me somewhat engaged, even if they didn’t completely surprise me.

Overall, Flawless Girls had the potential to be a gripping read, but it didn’t quite live up to its premise. It’s a quick read and might appeal to readers looking for a light, suspenseful story, but for me, it lacked the depth and complexity I was hoping for.

This had a surprising amount of body horror for a young adult novel, which I absolutely loved! I think teens can withstand a bit of gross yuckfactor in their stories, and love the way McLemore handled it here. I will say that the overall message of this one seemed like it was trying to be given via metaphor, but it was pretty heavy handed. That also said, I'm not the exact target audience for this, so keeping in mind that I'm an adult and not a teen, maybe it's not so heavy handed at all? I don't know, but I thoroughly enjoyed the journey and love how much depth and emotion McLemore packs into their books.

Anna-Marie McLemore writes such beautiful stories that even when the description has me unsure of if I'd like the book I know I'll at least love the prose and that's what happened here.

Flawless Girls is a short novel that functions as an extended metaphor for girlhood and the way women are forced to shave down the "bad" parts of themselves to fit into societal expectations. I loved the social commentary aspects of the story but found myself needing more grounding in the magical realism/horror elements of the story. The prose is lush and evocative and I loved the imagery even if I did sometimes find myself getting lost in the details about gems.

I also loved Isla as a main character and her struggles reconciling her body (especially being intersex) and behaviors with societal expectations of what it means to be a girl. That being said, the rest of the characters felt a little more one dimensional. I think I personally just wanted to see more, especially with regards to the world, and Paz and Renata.

Flawless Girls really went hard on metaphor and messaging. It was, frankly, hard to miss. I enjoyed the thriller aspect with a touch of body horror sprinkled in. This one is definitely worth the read!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to review this book. All opinions are my own.

Flawless Girls, we follow the Soler sisters as they attend the "Alarie House, a prominent finishing school that turns out first ladies, princesses, and socialites." - synopsis

Isla returns after one day at the school while Renata remains at the school. Mysteries unfold when Renata goes missing and Isla, after many strings are pulled, returns to find her sister.

This story starts off very eery and creepy the perfect dark academic setting. I loved the writing in this novel overall. However, I found the storytelling to be disjointed and very told. The story felt very told instead of lived through iwth the characters. Jumping between present life, with different storylines and the history of the woman who have graduated from Alarie House. I found the story to be unique and needing to be told, with a real relatable component of the 'parts of a woman'. Just didn't feel that it was executed very well.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Feiwel & Friends for the ARC copy of this novel for my honest review.

I'm not really sure what to make of this one. The premise was interesting and I liked the intersection of expectations on girls and the role of race and culture. And the writing itself is careful and intentional. But the reality of the plot is confusing. I was never fully clear as to what was going on. I feel like proper understanding would require a second closer read but I'm not sure it's worth the effort.

This is just creepy enough to feel like horror without going all-out. It still feels like McLemore's familiar magical realism but with the horror aspects dialed up. The atmosphere and writing and vibes are immaculate. The plot is a little confusing still, but it was an immersive read and I had trouble putting it down, even if I wasn't sure what was happening for the last quarter.

I LOVED the commentary throughout on what it means to be a perfect girl and what striving for that does to someone and how that was tied together in the end. Having Isla, an intersex girl, as POV character and Bas, a lesbian, as love interest, eternally perplexed by the other girls' - including her beloved sister's - drive for perfection really helped sell the themes.

The audiobook was well narrated and enhanced the reading experience.

*Thanks to Feiwel and Friends for providing an early copy for review.

Anna-Marie McLemore's books are always impeccable, and this one was no different! Their books always touch upon identity and include magical realism; one thing I also love about their work is how timeless their books feel-- they could take place today or they could take place 100 years ago.

This one follows Isla, who enrolls at an elite girls' finishing school called the Alarie House along with her older sister Renata. After seeing something unsettling her first night at the house, Isla believes that something is wrong and flees, though Renata chooses to stay. Months later, when Renata returns home, she is no longer herself-- and shortly after her return, she disappears. In order to find the truth about her sister, Isla returns to the Alarie House...and discovers disturbing horrors within its jeweled walls.

Much like McLemore's previous books, Flawless Girls is lush and lyrical, though this one leans more horror than their other books. I don't want to give too much away, but I will say that this book is a fascinating exploration of how gender is performed, and specifically the confines of traditional femininity. What does being a girl really mean? What happens when girls do not fit this mold? What happens when we push back against these gendered expectations? And what happens when we tear them down?

Flawless Girls is unique, beautiful, and disturbing. It has queer rep--specifically a main character who is intersex (an identity underrepresented in YA literature!), and several characters who are not explicitly labeled but who defy heteronormativity.

Highly recommend to readers who've enjoyed McLemore's previous books, or enjoyed "A Lesson In Vengeance" by Victoria Lee or "What Big Teeth" by Rose Szabo.

**⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | A Lyrical and Enchanting Tale of Identity and Empowerment**

Anna-Marie McLemore’s *Flawless Girls* is a beautifully written novel that intertwines magical realism with powerful themes of identity, beauty, and self-acceptance. McLemore’s lyrical prose creates a vivid, enchanting world where the characters' struggles with perfection and societal expectations are portrayed with deep empathy and nuance. The story’s rich symbolism and emotional depth make it a compelling read, though the pacing may feel slow at times. Despite this, *Flawless Girls* is a captivating exploration of what it means to embrace one’s flaws and find true strength within.

This book was so confusing and really jumbled to me. I never really understood the magic, or was it magic? I never really understood what was happening at the house or who was behind it, or why. It was very disorienting and perhaps just not meant for someone with my type of mind.

This was haunting. I absolutely felt immensely for these sisters and loved watching everything progress.

This book reminded me of the experience that I’ve had while reading books by Mona Awad, in the way that it felt like a fever dream and I can never recount what happened while reading the story. At the very beginning of the book, the Soler sisters attend this Alarie finishing school because of the respect that it will give them from others in society. (Essentially.) Things go south in the middle of the night for Isla Soler, so she dips—meanwhile, Renata Soler finishes out her time at the school/house. However, when Renata comes back home, something is different about her.

This description is what drew me in to the book. However, after giving it a good try, I couldn’t do it anymore. 😭 I’ve been thinking that I’m just not smart enough for this type of novel, but I’d be surprised if anyone truly understands this.

Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and Anna-Marie McLemore for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

Flawless Girls by Anna-Marie McLemore, while beautifully written, ultimately fell short for me. The novel's slow pacing and somewhat predictable plot made it difficult to stay fully engaged. Additionally, the characters, though richly developed, did not resonate with my personal preferences. Despite its literary merits, this book just wasn’t for me.

3.5 stars

I enjoy the way McLemore writes so poetically, they create some beautiful and vivid images and bring me into the story fully. This was so easy to fall into and I immediately needed to know more about what was going on in the finishing school.

For a while, I wasn't sure exactly what was going on. Is this a spell or curse? Is someone controlling the girls? I wanted to know and powered through this to find out, and ended up not really loving the answer. Also, I still don't see how it fits completely and have a couple questions.

I thought the setting was kind of ambiguous as well, so I couldn't tell how far in the past everything was. I understand the author wanting this to be a bit open to interpretation, but a bit more world building might have helped.

This was intriguing for sure and I may re-read one day to really pay attention to all the metaphors and gem descriptions closer.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley for the copy.

- Anna Marie McLemore delivers another atmospheric, emotional, deeply queer story with FLAWLESS GIRLS.
- I loved the imagery of this book. McLemore winds together the opulence and eerie atmosphere beautifully, and I could envision it all as I was reading.
- There isn’t a whole lot to FLAWLESS GIRLS. The plot is one-track and unfolds pretty linearly among the few fully drawn characters. It’s really all about the beauty and the feelings here.

"This tradition, this awful legacy of deciding which parts of a woman should be shown and which parts should be made invisible, had been handed down like inherited furniture."

Girls who go to the prestigious Alarie House finishing and etiquette school are known to marry high power men, lead extraordinary lives and are thought of as the pinnacle of grace, style and elegance. However, when Isla and her sister Renata - raised by their brazen, carefree grandmother - start at the school, lsla has a harrowing experience that sends her running from the house and leaving her sister behind.

Months later, her sister shows back up at their family home but is not the same. When she vanishes the next morning, Isla knows she will have to return to the Alarie House once again to figure out where her sister is and what is happening at this institutional machine that turns young girls into proper, prom and quiet young women.

💥💥💥

I am always enamored with Anna-Marie McLemore's enchanting magical realism fueled YA novels but this one was particularly poignant for me. So much of being a young woman comes with the judgment and stress of societal norms. This book captures that anxiety while revealing some of the harmful consequences of living in a world that expects perfection.

FLAWLESS GIRLS is full of the horrors of girlhood, the perils of perfection culture and a mystery hidden in the bowels of this jewel-laden, spotless, glittering institution.

All the stars for this one, plus just LOOK AT THAT COVER! Beautiful! Thank you to the author, @netgalley, and the publisher @macmillanusa for the e-ARC.

This one has been out in the world since Tuesday this week!

💥💥💥

What kind/color of jewel is your favorite?

I am not much of a jewel person myself, but I do have a green sapphire on my wedding band as I LOVE the color green.

Be well!

💚SMASHBOT 💚

#booksta #bookstagram #booklover #bibliophile #bookdragon #bookworm #bookaholic #bookreview #annamariemclemore #magicalrealism #bookish #netgalley #netgalleyreviewer #flawlessgirls

Intersex character representation makes this a vital inclusion into my library's collection! Add in the fact that it's an awesome horror story? Amazing! I liked that it was fast paced and that it had short chapters, made the read go very quickly. Would definitely recommend.

Isla and Renata Soler's grandmother got them into the much coveted Alarie House. The Alaire House is the prominent finishing school. It's known for turning young women into first ladies, princesses and socialites.

Isla and Renata have completely different experiences at the school. Isla leaves after one day and Renata stays behind. Isla refuses to explain her hasty departure which becomes more mysterious when Renata returns months later and then vanishes on her own accord.

Isla is determined to find her sister and the only way she can do that is to return to The Alarie house. Then things get really peculiar and I was left questioning what I read. I'm still not sure what I read. I usually DNF books like this but I pushed through because I had so much hope for this book with a gorgeous cover.

I've come to the conclusion that this book just isn't for me. I don't understand it fully but the parts that I did - I liked it,

The cover for Flawless Girls by Anna-Marie McLemore is pretty and easily caught my attention. I also liked the description, which made me excited to read it. The book had an interesting concept and there were moments in the story that I enjoyed. However, I struggled to stay interested in the story and had to come back to it several times to complete it. It could be that my assumptions about the story didn't align with the reality of the story. It was lackluster at times. I will say that the overall concept or message was a very good one that I won't spoil here. That being said, I would still recommend this book to others.