The audiobook and eArc tandem read made the story so much fun . This is my favorite book by the Author and I cannot to read their future work .

Thank you for the Arc .

Review: Where Sleeping Girls Lie - Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"After being home-schooled all her life and feeling like a magnet for misfortune, Sade is not sure what will happen when she starts at a new school. What she doesn’t expect though is for her roommate Elizabeth to disappear after Sade’s first night. Or for people to think she had something to do with it.

With rumors swirling around her, Sade realizes there’s more to Alfred Nobel Academy and its students than she expected. Secrets lurk around every corner and beneath every surface…secrets that rival even her own."

I am late to the Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé (Ace of Spades is 100% on my tbr now) but this book made me a fan. The writing was fantastic and the story was spooky and tense and largely satisfying. Sade was a compelling narrator because her trauma prevents her from being completely honest so as she processes her family tragedies we learn more about her motivations. I would have loved to get more time with Persephone and the plot twist didn't do it for me entirely but it didn't really impact my overall appreciation for the story.

Would highly recommend picking this up if you're a fan of #darkacademiabooks and books like #theconjoined and #grown

TW/CW for su!c!de, misogyny and SA.

A massive thank you to @macmillan.audio for this fantastic book.

#wheresleepinggirlslie #darkacademia #yabooks #bookreviews #tbr #macmillanaudio #readinginstead

I adored Ace of Spades by the same author so I was eager to read this new release. The premise was arguably quite similar but I didn't mind. I was fine to read more of the same.

However this one started awfully slow and took a long time to get going. Unlike the author's debut, this one lacked the early juicy hook. Instead I had to push through for the sake of this review.

Thankfully the story ended really strong and I was ultimately glad I waited it out. The story had some more serious subject matter than Ace of Spades which landed to a more serious tone and less juicy.

I would definitely read whatever the author writes next and will likely reread Ace of Spades in the meantime.

Amazing story. Suspenseful, heartbreaking and hopeful. I appreciate the details on world building and character development. Faridah’s writing is exquisite and kept me wondering all through the story.

From the get-go, I was hooked on this mystery. It's got that classic "new girl at a private school" vibe with all the drama, suspicious characters and excitement you'd expect. The characters are interesting, the plot keeps moves along, and even though it's a bit of a marathon on audio (13+ hours!), I never found myself bored. If you loved "Ace of Spades," you'll definitely vibe with this one too.

Where Sleeping Girls Lie is a YA mystery centering around Sade Hussein, a recently orphaned girl with a dark past. This story follows her first few months at Alfred Noble Academy, a private boarding school, after being homeschooled all her life. She immediately befriends her roommate, Elizabeth, who goes missing the day after she arrives. While she and Elizabeth’s best friend, Basil, try to piece together what happened to her, they find that there may be something sinister going on at their school right under everyone’s noses.

What I liked:
- The plot. This was so fun and twisty and I could never guess what was going to happen next.
- THE CHARACTERS. The main characters (Sade, Basil, and Persephone) were all so lovable and everyone else felt fully fleshed out and very realistic. They all felt like people I’ve known at some point or another in my life (which was especially infuriating for the characters I didn’t like).
- This book explores the power that the extremely privileged hold in the world and how harmful it can be (def check TWs)

What I didn’t like:
- The pacing. I’ll admit, this is on me. After reading Ace of Spades, I was fully expecting this to feel more thriller-y and have a faster pace. I would recommend going into this with the expectation that this is more of a medium-paced mystery.
- The length. This is more of a preference for me, but it’s hard for longer books that aren’t fantasy to hold my attention. I did feel like this could’ve been at least 50 pages shorter (maybe even 100) and it probably wouldn’t have taken much away from the story.

Overall, I really loved this and highly recommend the audiobook. I will read anything this Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé puts into the world!!!

Actual Rating 3.5
TW: Rape, Suicide

Sade was homeschooled for her first two years of high school but is starting this new school year at a prestigious boarding school. She feels as if misfortune follows her; it’s not long before it strikes again, and she finds herself at the center of swirling rumors. As she tries to navigate her classes, her friendships, and catching the eyes of the most popular girls at schools, Sade finds herself struggling to deal with her grief and find answers of her own. Can she find the answers she’s looking for, or will she find herself swept up in the secrets of the school?

The atmosphere starts off strongly in the book, with excellent setting descriptions and hints of Sade’s past trauma, as well as an immediate start to darker things lurking at the school. While not much happened in the first portion, the details of the school and new characters maintained my interest.

Despite there being many secondary characters who played an active role in this story, they were all strongly characterized and well developed. This made it easy to keep track of who was who and added to the immersion of the story. I do think the story lost a bit of impact due to the amount of mundane daily school activities/interactions that were included throughout and how long it took to really get into the mystery.

If you’re interested in a slow mystery set at a well-to-do boarding school that explores themes of loss, trauma, and elitism, then you’ll probably love this one. The narrator of the audiobook was excellent and elevated the experience. My thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The MC begins at a boarding school just before her roommate goes missing. She must clear her name and find her roommate, but the school has secrets that will do anything to stay secret.
A powerful representation of how many institutions protect their own image over the well being of some of its members. This book was so well written and the atmosphere was perfectly dark academia. I would definitely recommend.

As a newcomer to books by Faridah Àbíké-Ìyímídé, I had no idea what to expect as far as her writing style, but I must say I love it! She has a remarkable way of writing, one that makes you never want to put the book down. I loved the atmosphere created in this book, and I loved her character build-up, details added, and the ease of which the book flowed. It all seemed so effortless and perfect, and I am now a Faridah fan!

In this dark academia mystery, we follow Sade Hussein, a young girl who is now attending an elite boarding school in England, Alfred Noble Academy. Sade has experienced a few tragic incidents in her life, the last being the reason she is now at Alfred Noble. During her first week at the boarding school, Sade's roommate, Elizabeth, disappears. Sade and Elizabeth's best friend, Basil (Baz), are now on a mission to find out what exactly happened to Elizabeth and, most importantly, whether she is still alive or not. Sade and Baz, along with a few other characters, discover the dark and terrible things going on at the school, things that many people, unfortunately, turn a blind eye to.

Warning: This book is a very heavy read, with several triggers - death, suicide, rape, sexual assault, drugging, misogyny, and racial discrimination.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially the setting, characters, and, of course, the mystery and twists themselves. I do, however, feel like this could have been a much shorter read. I received an e-ARC (audio) and also bought a physical copy (because I fell in love with it very early into the story) and I feel like it could've been a 300 pg read as opposed to a 400. Nevertheless, it was still great! 4.5 stars!

Thank you NetGalley, MacMillan Audio, and Faridah Àbíké-Ìyímídé for such a wonderful and compelling read!

The sinister vibes were right!

I really enjoyed the ambiance of this one. Dark Academia vibes with the school setting, and how the school minders are strict and don't seem to take what you say seriously. There were several times that I thought our FMC might have been an unreliable narrarator and that fine edge that Faridah walked where is she? or isn't she? was masterfully done. I listened to the audio book for this read and it was a perfect vehicle for this book. Narrartor did a wonderful job!

Usually YA horror/ mysteries aren't really my thing, but since I really enjoyed Ace of Spades, I felt like this would be a good time, and I was not dissappointed. It was a wonderful read and I can't wait to see what she comes out with next.

Where Sleeping Girls Lie

Summary: Sade Hussein is starting her third year of high school, this time at the prestigious Alfred Nobel Academy boarding school, after being home-schooled. Misfortune has been a constant companion throughout her life, but even Sade doesn’t expect her new roommate, Elizabeth, to disappear after Sade’s first night. Or for people to think she had something to do with it.

With rumors swirling around her, Sade catches the attention of the girls collectively known as the Unholy Trinity and they bring her into their fold. Between learning more about them—especially Persephone, who Sade is inexplicably drawn to—and playing catchup in class, Sade already has so much on her plate. But when it seems people don't care enough about what happened to Elizabeth, it's up to her and Elizabeth's best friend, Baz, to investigate.

And then a student is found dead.

As Sade and Baz keep trying to figure out what’s going on, Sade realizes there’s more to Alfred Nobel Academy and its students than she thought. Secrets lurk around every corner and beneath every surface…Secrets that rival even her own

My Thoughts; Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé does it again. I will admit this is a book that at times hit a little too close to home (trigger warning for SA, rape, grief, loss of family member, and suicide), but even with that it is a book that I would recommend. Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé states in the introduction “I write to young girls who feel so much anger and need desperately for someone or something to tell them their rage is important and the capacity to heal from deep wounds is not at all impossible.”

This was excellently written. While the dialogue sometimes felt a little preachy, the pace of the plot kept my interest, and the twist near the end was expertly done. A worthy novel to add to the collection of other books written recently about what powerful and privileged men do to women and how women fight back.

My first reading experience with Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé was a flop. I see a lot of people really loving this, but I'm sadly not one of them.

Granted, I was really into it at first! I love a good dark academic setting, the mystery was set up nicely, and the characters were interesting. I liked that they didn't read super young even though this is YA; that's always such a treat. However, this started dragging on and on and on, it got soooo boring and it lost me.

It's a DNF at 65%. I even tried listening at 2.5x speed to get over the snail's pace and get back into the story, but it didn't work. Not even 3x speed made me feel like I could continue pushing through this. Based on what I know of the story at the 65% mark and my experience, this is a 2.5 star rounded up to 3 stars for NetGalley.

If I feel like I have to "push through" a book, there's no way I'm giving it more than 3 stars by the end. I've read reviews to see what I missed and the ending wouldn't have saved this for me personally, so I don't regret pulling the plug because this just didn't work for me and that's okay.

That doesn't mean it won't work for other people and I hope it works for you if you're interested in checking this out.

"Where Sleeping Girls Lie" is an intriguing mystery following Sade Hussein's diffcult journey at Alfred Nobel Academy. After her father's death, she dives into the intrigue of her new boarding school, uncovering dark secrets as her roommate goes missing and a student is found dead. Àbíké-Íyímídé crafts a story, addressing themes of privilege, misogyny, and sexual assault awareness. With flawed yet endearing characters and a compelling storyline, this YA sapphic dark academia tale grips readers from start to finish. Though slightly lengthy, the audiobook's great production aids the immersive experience. Overall, it's a must-read for those seeking a suspenseful, socially conscious mystery. I have the physical book and I throughly enjoyed the audio book. Thank you NetGalley and Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé for allowing me access to this audiobook.

What I liked:
- The boarding school setting: I love me some dark academia, and a book set at a boarding school? Count me in.
- Sade: such a badass. She kept me on my toes for the entire book.
- The twists & turns: this book is wild! Just when I thought I had a handle on things there was another twist.

What didn’t work for me:
-nothing.

If I could give a book more than 5 stars, this one would be it.

Very unexpected twists and turns keep you coming back for more. Sade tries to uncover long-held secrets to address and get out from under the "good old boys club" mentality as well as drug addiction and rape culture.

You can't help but fall in love with certain characters and unlikely friendships.

Just read the book.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.

The author mentions the struggle of writing a second book that lives up to others' expectations, and from my point of view, she had nothing to worry about - she smashed it! This book was all kinds of creepy and seemed to take place in a more sinister and haunted Hogwarts - I freaking loved that. I also love female/true friendships, which is all I can really say without giving anything away!

My only criticism is that the book lost some momentum in the middle and became slightly repetitive, but when it got going again, it really went. The narrator was fantastic—I would recommend that she read everything honestly.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this early!

Thank you to netgalley and Macmillan Audio | Macmillan Young Listeners for allowing me to read this book. This is one of my anticipated reads of the year and lets say I was not disappointed.

This book is a mood--dark academia, a student disappears, who can you trust? The narrator breathes life into all of the characters, and the sound design is particularly haunting when you intermittently hear from Elizabeth, wherever she is. This isn't my go-to choice for a setting for a book, though everything about this story really works. Alfred Noble Academy is almost a character itself, and I think that hordes of readers are going to absolutely love this book.

Thank you to netgalley for providing a free digital copy in return for my honest review.

#netgalley #WhereSleepingGirlsLie

First and foremost thank you so much MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to listen to this audiobook by Faridah Abike-íyímídé narrated by Natalie Simpson.

This story follows Sade as she navigates becoming an orphan and choosing to still go off to an elite private boarding school (after having been home schooled her whole life). While she thinks her biggest struggle is going to be learning the social constructs of high school cliques, her room mate goes missing her first night there. We follow along as she follows clues, questions her sanity, and makes friends. Natalie Simpson does an amazing job at narrating this ever twisting mystery story.

As I got into the last 40% of the story it had a lot of twists that I NEVER saw coming!!! This story does heavily touch on sexual assault/rape so please make sure that if you have triggers involving that topic, you are putting your mental health first.
This story is sad and had me tearing up quite a few times as Sade's past is revealed slowly and as the girls stories all start to fall into place.

It is rather long winded at times and the length of the book is pretty long in general but its a good story that is well written and beautifully handles the sensitive topics.

I would recommend that anyone who loves a good mystery/revenge/conspiracy story listen to this audio!