One night everything changes for Nora, a high school student in a small Illinois town. Nora and her best friend Becca have been estranged but their friendship is deeper than most. When Becca disappears, Nora struggles to accept it and is determined to figure out what happened as well as how it fits in with the other three people who went missing that night.

The Bad Ones is a slow-burn horror that has believable characters and complicated emotions. I appreciated the care the author took in developing and presenting the events of that night. Each time we delve into Nora and Becca's past and that of the towns, I was pulled deeper into the narrative. Each moment of clarity brought more questions until the gratifying and illuminating conclusion.

The dark and tense atmosphere throughout the narrative fits perfectly with the mixture of horror and fantasy. I especially loved how the goddess game played into the overall story and the way Nora unraveled each piece of the very complicated puzzle.

I received an eARC of this title from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was fun! A little spooky, a little creepy, and a lot mysterious. I loved the last book I read from Melissa Albert and this was no exception. She builds such great atmosphere and tension in the contemporary settings she creates that it's impossible not to be riveted from start to finish. The story revolves around the sudden disappearance of four people in the same night and the clues left behind for one of the victim's friends. A dark children's game sits at the middle, and I really enjoyed how this horror mystery unfolded. I never once guessed where it was going to go and finished the last half in a day. Admittedly, it wasn't perfect though. There was a romance that did nothing for the story or characters, and the ending lost me a little bit.

3/5 stars.

The Bad Ones is a mix of a mystery whodunit with a dash of the paranormal. The story is told in present day, as Nora must navigate life after her best friend and four others mysteriously disappear one night. There are also chapters that give us a glimpse of the past of Becca, her best friend, as she becomes more and more entranced by the local legend, The Goddess Game. I listened to the audiobook version and the narrator did a fantastic job with bringing the characters to life and adding to the spooky vibe this book presents.

The Bad Ones is a twisty slow burn YA horror that was very enjoyable. Kept me guessing the whole time and the end was satisfying. I was able to listen to the audiobook early thanks to NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion. I had fun with this audio, the pacing was good and the narrator kept me engaged the whole time.

Dark, creepy and well-paced. This is a perfect supernatural horror tale showcasing the complicated nature of teenage friendships and what it means to get revenge.

When three people disappear on the same night, Nora tries to find out what is happening by investigating the life of her best friend Becca, one of the missing people. With time, Nora starts to feel weird things happening to her: is she in full control of her body?

I feel that the cover of the book might give adult horror vibes, but this is definitely YA. But this is not a problem! This books was UNPUTDOWNABLE, I couldn't stop reading it. I didn't take the 'horror' part seriously when i read the book description, but in the end I was super scarred.

I am giving four stars because I think that the resolution was too rushed. I missed some more in depth explanation of what was the goddess? where did it go? where did it come from?

Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for sharing this book’s advanced reviewer's copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book.

This book was a wild ride. I was so intrigued by the mystery and finding out what happened to Becca. The Goddess Game was unique and at the same time reminiscent of all the stories and games invented in towns all across the world, such as the story of Bloody Mary. I thought using the game in the way Albert did was great and worked well for the book.

At first, I was like meh, then a little confused than OH MY GOD this is amazing! The number of times my jaw hit the floor when I was reading was a little embarrassing (considering I was reading this during my downtime at work). The start of the book felt a little slow and at times I was a little confused because of the back and forth in the timelines, new characters seemingly popping in all of a sudden and just an overflow of information. But then the story really started to fall into place, and it was amazing, jaw dropping, and I couldn't put it down. The way the Urban legend took form was something I never expected, each step of the puzzle solved only led to more questions. Overall, I thought it was a great mix of mystery, supernatural and a little bit of horror. I can't wait to read more books by Melissa and I was so glad I was chosen to have access to this ARC from NetGalley.

Another excellent performance by Emma Galvin! I loved her performance on Melissa's last book, Our Crooked Hearts, and she delivers another wonderfully dark and mysterious performance for this book. It was a perfect pairing, because yes, the audiobook was great, but that was truly due to the incredible source material.

Melissa Albert has weaved another excellent dark mystery, unsettling and captivating with a pace that kept me hooked until the last page. The thread of magic that is woven through this book is just enough to keep the horror scary and the mystery interesting. While The Hazelwood is still my favorite of her books, this comes in a close second.

Have you ever played the Goddess Game before?

In one night, four people mysteriously disappear. Is it the work of a serial kidnapper? Or has local lore come to life in the form of a vengeful goddess?

This was an enjoyable, spooky read. I haven’t read anything by Melissa Albert before, but she’s been on my TBR for quite a while. The story felt fresh, I wouldn’t describe this as horror, but the vibes are eerie. I appreciated several twists and it helped enhance the story, instead of feeling like a TWIST. The only hiccup was that the ending felt rushed, and I felt like the payoff suffered. I’m still a little unsure to be honest. It doesn’t take away from my overall enjoyment though.

I listened to the audiobook; my only issue was that I had trouble discerning between the characters. I felt the voices the narrator used for different characters sounded so similar to me, I couldn’t tell when the POVs changed. That could be a me thing though.

The Bad Ones is out February 20th, 2024.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a wild ride! 4 people, including main character Nora's best friend Becca go missing in one night. There are 2 other students and 1 teacher missing. Nora initially thinks Becca ran away since she doesn't get along with the only person she lives with, her step mother. But when Nora starts finding messages from Becca, she wonders if something happened to her and if all the disappearances are connected.
The intrigue was high in this one. I needed to know what happened to everyone. I needed to know where Becca's messages were leading. I needed to know what the Goddess Game had to do with everything. I needed to know what pictures Becca had taken with her last roll of film. I just needed to know everything. I was on the edge of my seat with my heart beating fast.
The characters were good. I think my favorite was James who was into photography and spent a lot of time with Becca in the photo lab in the mornings and who helped Nora with everything that was going on. I did like Nora, she was absolutely committed to finding out what happened to Becca and nothing was going to stop her. We didn't get a ton about Becca except mostly flashbacks and she seemed a little whacko. She lost her mother to a hit and run driver and then 3 years later, her dad to cancer I think, so she went through a lot.
The plot was like 95% horror/thriller, and then had that 5% of "is this part fantasy?" which is always a fun little addition to a story. I like when books seem like they could happen anywhere, anytime, but then add that fantasy or paranormal twist. I was hooked from the beginning and was never let go. The ending was a little bit confusing, but I still couldn't get enough of it.
The narrator was great. She was easy to listen to and really brought the characters and the story to life. I think I've listened to a few other books she narrates and it's always a pleasant experience.
I am definitely going to be recommending this book to horror/thriller lovers who want a touch of fantasy!

This book was very gripping but ultimately it was a little too similar to some of my recents reads and for me it didn’t do as good of a job. I also was not a huge fan of the narrator for the audiobook.

I think the biggest issue with the execution for this one was that the main character wasn’t very likable and I wasn’t really rooting for her. More of the chapters from 3rd person POV might have worked better here.

I also thought the reveal was done in too much of a large info dump and not really built up as well as I have experienced in other books.

The plot was still really intriguing and the twists definitely surprised me. I think without having other recent books to compare to I would’ve enjoyed this more.

When Nora's best friend Becca goes missing she's bound and determined to figure out why, even though they'd recently had a pretty serious falling out.

We learn of an old rhyming game played around town and clues left by Nora for Becca. Will she find her and save her from The Goddess?

This was a beautifully written novel with plenty of suspense and wonder. The well written characters are sire to draw you in and the mystery Nora faces is wild!

Young girls have started to go missing. One of those girls happens to be Nora's best friend. Nora and Becca had been on the outs, but they had been friends since elementary school and things would work out. When Becca goes missing, Nora needs answers. The police have chalked it up to an angry girl running away, but things aren't adding up. Strange occurrences are happening around Nora that can't be explained. She begins to question what is real and what isn't. Or is it all real? This suspenseful mystery will surely grab your teens that enjoy the atmospheric horror with a little bit of paranormal activity. The twist and turns will keep the reader wanting more.

I have always enjoyed reading the books by Melissa Albert since the Hazelwood. This one is no exception. I couldn't stop listening to the bad ones until it's finished. It was little slow burn in the middle but her writing style is so good. I cant wait for her next book!

In the span of one night, 4 people go missing in a small town. One of them is Becca, Nora's best friend she hasn't been speaking to for a few months. Initially nothing seems to link the disappearances, but as Nora starts to find cryptic clues from Becca, they point her towards a local suburban legend about a goddess.

I had a somewhat visceral reaction to Nora and Becca's friendship, at times codependent and semi-toxic. Some parts made me feel queasy for just how close to reality they feel. The author tells the story of a truly isolated young woman that maybe under the influence of something masquerading as an avenging goddess. The Bad Ones is at the intersection of horror and paranormal fantasy. The audio book narrator sounds close to the age of these high school girls.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for an advanced audiobook on NetGalley.

I really really loved the journey that was this book!!! I am usually not a slow-burn lover, and especially not a supernatural/speculative horror/mystery thriller lover because I find that it’s usually done “cheaply” at the end to just “tie up loose ends” but this author really did this book right!!!! Piece by piece was laid out and as the reader we are apple to come to our own conclusion come the end of the book!

Audiobook wise I loved this narrator (Emma Galvin, and I look forward to listening to her in more audiobooks in the future) and was able to listen at 2x speed and even though it was 11 hrs and some change long it FLEW BY!

4.50⭐️

Special thanks to Macmillan Audio and Macmillan Young Listeners for the review ALC in exchange for my honest review!

Solid supernatural horror. It has all of the parts that make for a really great scary story. I just wish it was...creepier, spookier, somehow. Nora's search to discover what is actually going on with all the missing people is interesting and tense, but it also could've been scarier. I could easily hand this one to people who wanted to explore horror but wanted it in a pretty gore free, no nightmares way, which is perfectly reasonable.

It's hard to believe this one was an 11.5 hour long audiobook! I was so attached to the story that it felt like only a couple hours! The mystery was so compelling. It's such a great YA supernatural horror! Melissa Albert is incredibly talented with her writing and Emma Galvin narrated this one in such an exciting manner. There are a lot of people mentioned in the novel but I didn't think it was hard to keep everyone straight at all. Huge thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC of this one!

Audiobook Review - The Bad Ones by Melissa Albert is part thriller, part fantasy YA fiction. Narrated by the talented Emma Galvin this audiobook will draw readers in and keep them guessing until the final chapters. While this was a five star stand out YA thriller I found it very enjoyable and recommend it for purchase where YA thrillers with a touch of magic/fantasy are popular.