I read this for my book review committee, which focuses on new YA and children's books. I'm not a big YA reader, but I think it's good to use the book review as a way to keep up to date with modern YA.

This book follows Isabeau, one of six girls who were best friends and, oddly enough, were all born on the same day. They all live on an island off the coast of Louisiana in the town of Sorrow, named after the founder who was suspected of being a witch. This book gives "The Craft" meets "My Best Friend's Exorcism" vibes, which I did enjoy.

The friend group has broken up, through Isabeau and Reuel are still BFFs. They celebrate their birthday in the historical cemetery, but Reuel goes missing. A big search happens and she's found/returned days later.. but something's wrong. The tragedy brings the dix girls back together as they try to solve the mystery of Reuel's disappearance as it happens to them one by one.

What I really enjoyed about this book was the message of friendship. It demonstrated that friendship is work, but even if it's broken it can be repaired. I think a lot of kids who have experienced a friend group breaking up can identify with this book.

I have a couple complaints about this book that I think will be resolved as the author finds her stride: some of the descriptive language is a little clunky and feels awkwardly shoved in to give the reader a mental image of a room or a person. And, more egregious, the pacing stuttered. Often we would discover a clue or hint as to what was happening with the girls or they'd know where to go next to look for something.. but then it would take a few days for them to fall into action. I felt like they weren't taking the situation as seriously as I, the reader, felt it was.

This was a fun, witchy book that I think a lot of YA readers will enjoy. The aggressively pink cover grew on me as I read the book and the cover art is gorgeous. There was a little bit of an urban legend in modern day feel to this story that, as a child of the 90s, I really enjoyed.

I thought i reviewed this earlier and realized i never did. I read this the day I got the arc. I devoured it and it's creepy darkness, much like Amanda Linsmeier's debut novel, Starlings. I'm utterly convinced I have found another book that I can add to the favorites list.

A riveting, fast paced supernatural thriller that I really enjoyed! I love this genre, especially this time of year, so it really fit the mood I was looking for nicely. I enjoyed the pacing, the witchy vibes, likable characters, and overall charm.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for access to an eARC in exchange for my honest review!!

what's it about? ⬇️

Isabeau, Reuel, Georgia, August, Sloane, and Cori were the best of friends from birth--literally, they were born on the same day--and practically inseparable for most of their childhoods until a rift split them apart, leaving their group fractured. But in the same way that Georgia, Cori, and August stuck close together through high school, Isabeau and Reuel remained closer than sisters. But when Reuel goes missing on the night of the girls' sixteenth birthday and Isabeau is scrambling to join the town's search for her best friend, the group is reforged by their shared desire to find and bring Reuel home safely. And even after Reuel returns, alive if a little worse for wear, the group's goes back to the way things were years before, happy and strong and together.

But when Reuel only continues to get sicker and dreams begun to lure the girls from their beds in the night and return them with the same eerie, frightening sickness, the six of them will have to figure out what's happening to them and how it ties to the dark past of their small town and it's founder, a woman named Sorrow who was labeled a witch by history.

As their time begins to run short and their desperation grows, they may find more truth to the claims of history than they originally expected. Can they solve the mystery and save themselves before it's too late. And will realize how much stronger and better they are together and stick by one another even when things are at their darkest?

my thoughts? ⬇️

There is almost nothing that I love more in this world than a story of female friendships mixed with feminine rage, and Six of Sorrow really delivered on both. I loved these characters, flaws and all, and I loved getting to see the bonds between them stretch and strengthen as the story went on, just as I loved getting to see the relationships between their mothers and how those had changed since they were young. Loyalty and the importance of friendship were such key themes of this story, and it just had my whole heart. I can't wait to dive into more of Amanda Linsmeier's backlog and fall in love with her characters all over again.

trigger warnings ⬇️

body horror, blood, gore, fire/fire injury, injury/injury detail, death of a parent, child death, cancer, vomit, alcohol abuse, alcoholism, addiction, cancer, abandonment, pregnancy, miscarriage, infidelity, kidnapping.

Title: Six of Sorrow
Author: Amanda Linsmeier
Page Count: 336 ( 168 in October)
Dates Read: 9/19- 10/16
Format: E-book
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Summary: 6 girls born on the same day and grow to become best friends. One night one of them is taken. They must work together to save themselves from the past.

Review: This was a pretty face paced read. Lots of things were happening right after another. I liked the characters and the bond that they had. Some of the plot had some holes in it in my opinion but I still e joyed the boom overall.

A fine YA fantasy-horror. Some parts were stronger than Linsmeier's first book, but some of the same weaknesses were still there. Overall, the basic plots felt super similar (teen girl being bartered to a paranormal entity of some kind) though the how and why are different. I agree with many of the other reviews that said the ending was lackluster. This is a pretty short book (< 300 pages) and it could have benefited from an ending that was better built out. Additionally, the romance felt really shoehorned in at the end. It was unnecessary to the plot and just felt like a check box.

Overall, I did enjoy the characters. The story was unsettling, and I was genuinely creeped out during parts of it. I think it will be a good horror intro for teens who are looking to get into the genre but it definitely does have some downfalls.

Six of Sorrow by Amanda Linsmeier is a hauntingly beautiful tale that weaves together themes of grief, love, and redemption. The narrative follows a group of friends grappling with their past traumas as they navigate their complicated relationships and the aftermath of a devastating event. Linsmeier’s prose is evocative, capturing the raw emotions of her characters while exploring the intricate bonds that tie them together. This poignant story is a compelling read for those who appreciate deep character development and explorations of the human experience.

This is a perfect spooky, atmospheric, gothic book. I loved the witches and demons and friendships shown in this book. I felt like I was invested in this story right from the beginning. I couldn’t put this book down until I finished it.

A mysterious force keeps taking girls who share the same birthday. Although it is bringing them together, it is also clearly hurting them. They realize they are the only ones that can do anything and fight to save themselves.

I thought this one was ok. The synopsis was so interesting and witchy, but I don't think the book lived up to those vibes.

This was on track to be four stars but the ending and story wrap up fell short for me. The reason for everything they went through felt so disconnected from the characters. It felt like it could have happened to anyone even though the beginning of the book made it feel like they were so specially targeted. There wasn’t a personal enough connection between the characters and the supernatural elements to me. I also felt that pacing was a bit slow at first and then the wrap up felt rushed. Loved the characters and the concept and definitely got that creepy eerie vibe!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's for providing me with an eARC of Six of Sorrow in exchange for my honest review!

This YA mix of dark fantasy and horror is engaging enough, but I wish it could have ultimately stood out more. I admire the small-town setting and the eerie atmosphere, with the occult element being a neat touch as well. But the mystery that we dive into just unfolds in a tropey fashion that I feel like I've seen tons of times before. Grief and dysfunctional families comprise major parts of the thematic material, and again, they're decently executed, but they don't move me as much as I want them to.

Overall, I'm officially rating Six of Sorrow three out of five stars.

Six of Sorrow had all the ingredients for a captivating supernatural mystery—atmospheric small town, witchy vibes, and a unique premise—but ultimately fell short of its potential. The first third was engaging and set up an intriguing mystery with the six girls sharing a birthday and a sinister connection. However, the story became disjointed as it progressed, with rushed plot points and underdeveloped characters, leaving emotional beats feeling unearned. The romance subplot felt out of place and the pacing uneven, with a slow buildup that led to an unsatisfying, hurried conclusion. Despite this, the town of Sorrow and its eerie setting were well-crafted, and younger readers may still enjoy the spooky ambiance and sapphic representation. While I wouldn’t rush to recommend it, it wasn’t a bad read either.

This was my first time reading a book by Amanda Linsmeier, and I really loved her writing. *Six of Sorrow* is a YA horror-mystery that follows six teenage girls, once close friends, who were all born on the same day. In present day, on their birthday, one of the girls goes missing.

The paranormal elements in this story were fantastic, and the mystery was well-crafted. The author did an excellent job creating a creepy atmosphere that added an extra layer of chill to the story. I also really liked the way the friendships between the girls were portrayed.

I highly recommend this book to fans of YA horror, and I’ll definitely be reading more from this author in the future.

Sixteen years ago, six girls were born on the same day - they became friends in Sorrow, Louisiana until a rift between them occurred. Isabeau and Reuel remain best friends while the other girls separate. But when Reuel goes missing, the former friends gather once again.

Days later, Reuel returns sick and with no memory of where she was. Then, when another girl in their group goes missing, questions begin to swirl between the friends. What is their connection? And why are their moms, who seemed like they could barely stand each other, all of a sudden have started talking to one another?

I really enjoyed this creepy, supernatural YA read. It’s set in May, so springtime, but it totally gives off spooky season vibes (so, in all honesty, can be enjoyed in any season!).

This is my first read of Amanda Linsmeier but she writes really well - this entire novel played out like a movie in my head and I could vividly “see” all the locations.

The narrative is also pretty fast paced and catchy - I had a good chunk of time to read it on my third day of reading and couldn’t put it down until I finished.

Overall, if you’re looking for a spooky, supernatural, kind of witchy, YA horror read that’ll keep you turning page after page until you find everything out, this book is for you!

*Thank you Delacorte Press and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

This was one of my Netgalley YA horror arcs and while I did have a few reservations I enjoyed this one a lot. Content Warning: alcoholic parents, underaged drinking, smoking, body horror.

Let me start with one of the reservations as it sets the stage Isabeau (Iz) is one of six girls in Sorrow (a small island off the coast of Louisiana) named for a local witch a few hundred years back, and these six girls are all turning sixteen on the same night (where we drop into the action). Only something happened that broke them apart three years ago leaving Iz with only Reuel still talking to her.

As you might expect there is plenty of angst about this that goes on for a big chunk of the book. It gets a bit overwhelming and slows the action but not terribly slow. Iz and Reuel are still bffs celebrating in Sorrow's cemetery (because a) they're both the tortured artists types Iz is graphic art and Reuel a poet) b) the whole town has a Sorrow ritual on this day as well) Afterward, they go home to Reuel's for a while before Iz goes home to her alcoholic mother (This is something that did work for me, how Iz is torn by her feelings of having a functional alcoholic as a mother. I've seen a lot of that) Reuel is gone by morning.

This reunites the remaining five girls and without being terribly spoilery as they each go missing and return 'wrong' the sense of dread increases throughout the book. I thought that was handled well. The girls come back together almost too easily (that is my other reservation, there are some emotional beats that felt off. This was one of them) and together they need to uncover what is happening to them, what their mother's did that they're being weird about and how does this all relate to Sorrow.

I did figure that out pretty early on but I still enjoyed watching Iz and her friends solving the mystery. The end action worked well for me. This is a very female forward book, almost a role reversal to early action/horror when the few guys in it are only there as boyfriend props (except Bridger who has a small role to play). I didn't mind this at all. I will say another place I felt this stumbled with the emotional beats is Iz figuring out her feelings which felt a little out of nowhere (with some back tracking to be sure we saw the clues which yes I did but the whole couple thing felt shoehorned in and stretched out the ending a bit much.

That aside, I liked Iz and her friends and would recommend this. One thing I didn't enjoy was how much Iz smoked especially in the light of them not having much money. Health concerns aside, have you seen the cost of cigarettes?

This book gave me similar vibes to House of Hollow, which I really enjoyed. The writing style/level was very different in my opinion. I wasn't really a fan of the way that the characters were written in this story, they didn't feel well developed. I did enjoy the spooky aspects of this book, and definitely have a group of teens at the library that would love this.

3 stars- meh, this was okay.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, the author, and Delacorte Press for an ARC in return for an honest review!!

The first thing that caught me eye was the amazing cover. Itis giving strong woman, gothic, and supernatural.

What did I enjoy?
🪄fast paced
🪄reminded me of Practical Magic
🪄witches, demons, and spooky vibes
🪄small town atmoshpere

What could have been better?
🦇this was so repetitive that I felt like half the book was going over the same thing... constantly stuck in the same section.
🦇the characters felt shallow besides the main one
🦇the ending.... is everything really solved that quickly? with little to no detail. I wish we would have explored the mothers more, the friendships, the past. Idk, felt rushed. I do not want to spoil anything so I will not go into detail.

“Six of Sorrow,” by Amanda Linsmeier

Isabeau and her five best friends were inseparable until a falling out. But now one of them is missing and they all join back together to find her and figure out what is happening to them.

This was a really good book. I loved how the entire book was focused on the girls and their friendship and not relationships, it is a nice change of pace. I loved the spooky ghost/ witch vibes with the book and the mental anguish of not knowing what is real or fake. This is a great book for people who love amateur sleuth books for sure. 4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

loved this mystery and keeping secrets and the different point of views. Also loved trying to figure out who did it . I enjoyed the mystery behind it.

"Six of Sorrow" by Amanda Linsmeier was an interesting YA tale.

It came across as a supernatural version of "Pretty Little Liars" albeit with less intrigue. The story centers around six girls who were childhood friends but drifted apart in their teen years. They have an interesting connection, they were all born in the exact same day.

A blood ritual in a cemetery marks an unconventional birthday celebration and a drastic change to the status quo. These now estranged friends must band together when one of their own goes missing.

While the premise was inspired, I couldn't really get into the book as much as I would have liked. I felt like I struggled at times, but I did enjoy the HEA.

Thank you NetGalley and Delacorte Press for gifting me this ARC.