Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for an arc

Some spoilers ahead:

While You Belong to Me had a really interesting premise, unfortunately, it fell a little flat for me. I enjoyed The Falling Girls by Krischer and while I ultimately decided on the same rating for both of them, I definitely connected more with her previous work than this one.

We follow Bean, a high school junior nursing a crush on Julia, daughter of famous wellness guru Deena Patterson, who runs a company called DEEP. When Bean- who is one of her elite private school's resident goths- receives an invitation to a DEEP event, she's shocked- and excited- for the opportunity to get closer to Julia. At first, it seems like a dream come true, a dazzling world of beauty and inner enlightenment. However, as Bean is pulled further into the inner workings of DEEP, she realizes everything is not quite as it seems. When tragedy strikes within the DEEP community, Bean must decide where she draws the line.

I think what caused the majority of the disconnect for me was the writing style. It just felt a little too... stilted? for lack of a better word. I'm sure it works for some people, but for me, something about the style really kept me from being able to fully immerse myself in it. I do wonder if this would've worked better in the adult genre rather than YA because maybe the writing choices were meant to keep it at that slightly younger level. However, I read mostly YA and don't typically run into this problem, so I'm not fully sure what about it didn't work for me.

I'm always down for a cult-esque/psychological book, especially if it's sapphic. The romance was pretty well done and I did like Bean and Julia together, but at times, I couldn't tell if Julia actually liked her or not. It was a bit insta-love, but that didn't bother me so much as while it was an important motivating factor throughout, the romance wasn't the main storyline.

There was also really great commentary on the beauty industry and the way it preys on vulnerable women and girls. The discussion surrounding the way wealth plays into that idea and how the rich are able to get richer by exploiting the insecurities of the working class was beautifully done. I actually haven't read too many books that explore this topic by taking it to the farthest point from a YA point of view, so that was unique and something memorable for me.

But man, oh man, do I wish that Femme- the young ambassadors group of DEEP- was able to do what I think it was attempting to do just slightly more successfully. It's pretty cut-and-dry clear that Femme is a cult. They wear all white and participate in strange rituals that require full devotion from the members. I just wish, as a reader, that I believed that I would be convinced. I've read some other books about cults, and the reason that they work so effectively is that you don't even realize that you're being pulled in until you find yourself nearly agreeing with the characters as well. Unfortunately, the whole time I was thinking, Why are you doing this, Bean? This is clearly a cult. As the reader, it's almost too obvious that it's a cult in a way that makes it less fun. While maybe it's not obvious to Bean in the moment, if it had been a touch more subtle, that would also allow the reader to get drawn in.

Bean's friends were way too forgiving, but I am happy that they stood up for her in the end- especially Ivy, who definitely would've been within her rights to never talk to her again. I did like the touch at the end that Ivy got to write her expose article, which felt like a little bit of earned justice for her. Brooks and Nico are somewhat the same character to me, they don't really get enough of their own individual storylines. Same with most of the Femme girls, other than Harmony. Kenny, Grace, Harlow, and Katrina again seem to all somewhat serve the same purpose. For them, however, I'll accept their similarities since they're meant to be representations of the cult and everyone sort of morphing into the same person.

All I'll say about Harmony is that she deserved better; that's for sure.

Kai was a very bad person but an interesting character in that he's sort of the figurehead for all these young, impressionable girls and is the mastermind behind everything. He deserved far worse, definitely.

I obviously didn't enjoy it, but the story shines with its conversation on the way men are able to get into power positions over young girls and manipulate them. That and the beauty guru aspect were the best-executed parts of the story and the parts that kept me reading. Bean's slow transformation from goth to wearing all white was a nice touch, too. I also liked it in the end when her friends reflect on how she was the one who got them all into goth culture in the first place because it showed how Bean's own understanding of events was sometimes misconstured. I think that idea could've been leaned into harder to develop her character more.

Deena is sort of a faceless entity -- which is the point -- who only really exists online. I liked her character for the intrigue she provided and how she was able to grow her company and become a savior to women by manipulating them. I wasn't shocked to find out she knew everything but I do wish her and Julia had more moments together to show what their relationship was like.

Bean's mom was nice but was also a touch too clueless for me. She expresses concern maybe like once? And then never tries to stop Bean from hanging out with DEEP. Bean's father was an interesting storyline but only pops up a few times and I sort of forgot about him until just now writing about her mom.

Towards the end, Bean's mom also mentions that it had only been 4 weeks, which was jarring to me because it definitely seemed like the timeline was way longer! I think if it had taken place over a longer period of time, that would have made more sense.

The "mystery" was a bit predictable (and I think popped up too late) but added good tension and moved the story forward, allowing Bean's view of Femme and DEEP to be altered. It was also pretty obvious immediately what had happened, though I think that that's sort of the point -- the reader knows but Bean has to come to that conclusion herself.

I didn't really love the ending. The epilogue was a little too blunt for me. I had hoped that maybe Julia and Bean would be able to salvage their relationship when Julia stood up to her mom and Kai, but nope, they break up off-page, and we just get told in the epilogue. Realistic, yes, but not the happy ending I had been hoping for! Funnily enough, I think the style of the epilogue is the best of the book and has a lot of great insight, despite that.

I don't think this is a bad book by any stretch of the word. I wanted more from it, but I think a lot of people are really going to love this. There's really great commentary on what it means to be a woman -- or even a girl -- in a world that seems to throw new products at us every second meant to make us look "younger" or "prettier." The way men use money to abuse and control girls was also thoughtfully explored. I just don't think this was for me personally!

3 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Sadly, I did not enjoy this very much. I’m settling on a 3 star review just because this is a YA book and I think some of my expectations not being met are due to age range. I LOVED the authors last book “Where Are You Echo Blue?” And I usually enjoy stories about wellness gone wrong or cult-y type books. However, this just missed the mark for me. It didn’t feel well developed , felt rushed, frustrating ending and just overall underwhelming. I will certainly try the authors next adult work. I think for younger YA this might be a really exciting and entertaining read.

This was an interesting book. I had a feeling from pretty early on how the story would end, but I was pleasantly surprised but some of the twists that I didn’t see coming. This book had some layers to it, and I quite enjoyed reading it. It was something new for me, because while I love thrillers and books that give off uncomfortable auras, I’m not a big beauty person, so I found myself entering a world I didn’t know much about, but found to be well developed. I would recommend this to friends.

I expected a lot more from this just from the premise: a health and beauty cult, a sapphic romance…

It spectacularly failed to deliver on such a promising idea.

The dialogue and narration felt very stale and surface-level. The characters’ dialogue felt very forced and caricatured.

The main character, Frances, is the antithesis of what the Femme cult entails: She is goth, she hasn’t worn white her entire life, and she cares little about her appearance. All of this is just told to us by her, it is never actually shown in a way that makes me believe it. Yet within 5 pages, suddenly she is buying into this cult. Which is not inherently bad, but I was just not seeing why I should care.

Maybe this would be enjoyed more if you are less picky than me about the “show, don’t tell” narrative device, but it irks me to no end to be told everything and not see any proof.

Frances Bean and her group of friends are known in their school as the goth outsiders. But when Bean is paired to work on a school project with her crush Julia, the popular daughter of a famous wellness figure, she soon finds herself in a completely different world. What starts out as fun parties and product samples quickly turns more sinister and dangerous.

I enjoyed the concept of this book and showing the darker side of the wellness industry and how easy it can be for young or impressionable girls to be taken advantage of. I also thought it was really interesting to have the main character start out as an outsider, but show how she can still fall prey to mainstream influences that people might assume she has no interest in.

The book immediately starts with Bean being invited to a party by Julia and very quickly becoming involved with the wellness company and leaving her friends behind. I wish there was a little bit more time in the beginning of the book showing her and her friends before she starts changing. I felt like I wasn’t able to appreciate how much of a change she made since I barely got to see her as a character before the wellness cult part of the story happens. It just seemed like everything in this book was a bit rushed and I didn’t get the character development I would’ve liked. I can appreciate that things were probably happening quickly in the story to show how easy it is for people to fall under the influence of a cult. But it didn’t fully work for me as a narrative.

There are definitely parts of this book that are thrilling and suspenseful. It’s interesting seeing this type of cult story from a YA perspective. And I’m always going to be excited to read a sapphic thriller. While this didn’t become a new favorite, I do think it’s a quick and compelling read. It’s worth checking out if it sounds interesting to you.

I really enjoyed this. It was super dark and didn’t go quite the way that I expected. The writing flowed well and it was easy to get sucked into the story. I really liked the main character. All in all, I think this is a pretty solid thriller.

Thanks to NetGalley for the copy of this ARC! This will be out in April of 2025!

An absolute delight! I loved not only the pacing of the story, but the telling of it as well. From start to end, I was given an adventure!

This was my first YA and I think it would be a cute fun read for young teens it’s not my normal but it’s cool for the young kids that it was ok since it was my first of this genre

You Belong to Me is a novel that will have you on the edge of your seat.

Hayley Krischer has a way of writing that makes me devour all her books. They are fast-paced and so easy to read which helps with the stories she writes.

In this novel, we follow Frances Bean and although like most high school students she feels lost, she also has a great sense of self and leadership. Frances is a very strong lead even when she gets involved in Deep, a wellness brand with a lot of secrets.

I believe the story that was told about leadership and what makes a good leader was done very well. This is an intense read that offers readers a look into the Instagram wellness world. It will remind you that things aren't always as they seem and sticking to who you are instead of getting involved in a place that is trying to erase your identity is the better option.

Overall, this is a quick read with a lot of twist and turns. It's queer, but done in a very tasteful way that doesn't make it Frances's entire personality like most YA novels I have read in the past.

I would recommend this book for anyone who likes I'm The Girl by Courtney Summers.

A dark YA thriller about obsessive teenage friendship and the dangerous pull of belonging. When new girl Sadie becomes fixated on popular Nina, their intense bond spirals into something far more sinister.

You Belong to Me is a gripping, thought-provoking story that tackles love, obsession, and power dynamics. Krischer’s sharp writing makes this a compelling and unputdownable thriller.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

This is the second book I've read recently about people being influenced and sucked into a cult. Each was very different but hit the mark on what that is probably like when people get hoodwinked in without realizing it.

Frances Bean is on scholarship to a prestigious private school because her mom is a teacher there. She gets paired up with her crush for a school project and the crush just so happens to be the daughter of a mysterious, wealthy CEO who is now recruiting young folks into the mix. It's quite a whirlwind and Bean is sucked in almost immediately. Glamour, attention from the girl she likes, what's not to love.

Until there is something not to love, of course. I'm not opposed to same sex relationships (you do you, boo!) but this relationship felt a tad too forced for me because it was like one second Bean didn't exist to Julia and then suddenly they are a couple. It was just kind of weird.

Overall the story is good and will likely be entertaining to the YA audience it is targeted for. It has it's issues but I don't think most teens who pick this up will be bothered by those issues.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing me the opportunity to read an advanced review copy. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.

The story grabbed me right away. The characters are well developed and interesting. Strong young adult read. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Is it really a cult if they are all so nice?

Krischer really knows how to get you invested in a story while also questioning every part of it! How was Bean suppose to know what was going on when everyone was so nice? Who knows? But Krischer really makes you ask questions and honestly question every character and question all they are doing!

This sounded interesting but was disappointing (and frustrating). I didn’t like the forced plotting, stale dialogue, and heavy-handed moralizing. If the synopsis sounds good to you, try it out. If we don’t share pet peeves, you may like it more than me.

Energy: Faux. Shady. Sanctimonious.

🐺 Growls: Heavy-handed explanations and flat, cringey dialogue. The writing style isn’t bad, but the lines are. Everything felt forced and tell-not-show. It was hard to believe in the character interactions (especially the romance). The pacing drags for the first half, then glosses over a bunch of reveals in a rush near the end. The characters kept re-explaining the plot.

🐕 Howls: All the characters sounded alike with this dreamy, oddly formal way of talking (even those not involved in the wellness group). The main character was too much of a Poor Me, popular-but-doesn’t-realize-it caricature and kept randomly changing her beliefs and motivations to fit the needs of the plot. Awkward explanations and clunky moralizing (especially at the end…this read like a middle grade book with a moral message tying too hard to seem unintentional about it). The main character kept getting in the way of the story and she’s the only perspective – I wish we got the PoV of a friend or her girlfriend.

Scene: South Brent, New Jersey, USA
Perspective: A private high school student on scholarship with a group of misfit friends. They are crushing hard on the popular girl, whose mother owns is a semi-famous wellness influencer/CEO and are curious about attending her youth group.
Timeline: Current (2010s or 2020s).
🔥 Fuel: What are Julia's intentions in inviting a classmate to her mother’s wellness party? Is the wellness youth group toxic, dangerous, or helpful? Is Frances’ crush actually crushing back? Who can she trust in her girlfriend’s group and family?
📖 Cred: Plausible to suspended disbelief

Mood Reading Match-Up:
Victorian goth style. Dewey skin. White lace. Cushions. Parasol. Patchouli & lemon. Lymphatic drainage facials. Crystals.
• Linear timelines
• Tagging along, peering over shoulders, theorizing
• YA romantic suspense & drama
• Falling for the popular girl
• Plot-driven, reflective, simplistic writing style
• Behind closed doors of sketchy wellness youth group
• Blinded by love, I-can-change-for-them sapphic romance
• Mentor-protégé toxicity
• Red flags everywhere
• Moral exploration defining victims and perpetrators

Content Heads-Up: Adult/minor relationship, grooming (20-something with teens). Alcohol addiction (family history, parent; recovery-relapse, death). Alcohol use (underage). Cannabis use (gummy; underage). Cult. Drugging. Drug use (psychedelics). Emotional abuse. Loss of parent (as teen). Murder.

Rep: American. Jewish heritage. Hindi and Black peripheral characters. Cis. Lesbian. Gay. Hetero. Ghostly, dark, and tanned skin tones.

📚 Format: Advance Reader’s Copy from Penguin Group-Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley.

Don’t be deceived by the intriguing cover, this story is dark and twisted! There is SA involved in this story so beware of that as well. I can’t wait to reread this on a stormy summer night.

You Belong To Me is a thrilling story about a normal high school girl who, in order to get with her beautifully unattainable crush, attends a skincare and wellness event and accidentally gets sucked into a cult. More than that, it’s a story about the dangers of impossibly high beauty standards, constant comparison, and, most importantly, free will.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who finds cults endlessly fascinating, I devoured this book. It’s clear that Krischer did a ton of research into cult dynamics and tactics, and it absolutely shows. What I found especially compelling was the decision to base the cult around the idea of free will, constantly reminding its members that they’re individuals who should think for themselves while simultaneously proving the exact opposite. It was exhilarating to watch it all build up and unravel.

That said, for a book I enjoyed so much, I was surprised by how much trouble I had deciding on a rating. At times, it felt like the book over-explained itself, ruining the vibes it was trying so hard to create. It also leaned into some tired YA clichés, like having the main characters spend the entire semester working on a school project that just happens to be thematically similar to what they’re actually going through.

Ultimately, while I would’ve loved for this book to take an even darker, deeper, and more poetic approach, I think it’s only fair to rate it for what it is: a perfectly well-executed and captivating YA novel.

Frances Bean is more of the outsider girl who just wants to fit in with the pretty girls. One of her friends, Julia is apart of the group because her mother is the one whom is selling the products to make all the girls exceptionally pretty. The girls who were serial killers are now sweet girls due to the skincare products and wellness shots they keep drinking. The whole story is a brainwashing cult from what I am getting at in the beginning of the book.
The characters seem to be addicted to the products but not realizing that it is changing them and making them only want to be around those who are to in the liking of the products or environment. Bean started drawing the dots together noticing that some of them are not aging like how they should so they looking like how old she is just by using the products. The book is really good, it really makes me feel like I am reading an American Horror Story Episode. The more I read it, it got better along the way and the end was crazier than what I could have imagined. But I loved this.

This work started off strong, and I enjoyed the unsettling vibes that were present throughout. The author did a good job setting the scene and making it difficult to guess what exactly was going on and how involved certain people were with the whole thing. I quite liked the premise and the idea of how wellness industry trends often feel like cults for the wealthy.

The romance/crush aspect started off strong, but it soon jumped into insta-love in a way that I don’t prefer or find compelling. The resolution was also faster than I prefer, which made it feel on the weak side. I think this was partially because it was somewhat unrealistic and didn’t allow for realistic growth or reflection for the characters.

There were many technical issues with this work. There were errors and typos throughout, and there were many instances where the writing/wording was awkward and took a few rereads to figure out what exactly the author was trying to say. I did read an ARC, though, so hopefully these things will be cleared up in the final copy.

Despite the negatives, this was an entertaining read, and I can see many YA thriller readers loving it. My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.