The Girl You Know checked all the boxes of a great dark academia thriller. Filled with twists and turns, it was exciting to read and kept me guessing until the end.

This has been on my TBR as soon as I saw who it was by. I loved all the romances that I’ve read by Rose, so I knew I had to get my hands on this thriller by her too. And guess what, she did not disappoint.

Ok so the mystery was really out there. It reminded me of another book that I’ve read before where the twin goes to a posh school to find out what happened to her sister. And just like in that one, this crazy ass school was the death of her. But her sister was a bad ass. She did what she had to do. Which included her going to the school and figuring out what exactly happened to her. Come to find out she was the opposite of her sister and they weren’t twins, but she still fooled everyone. And that’s when I realized she was determined. Because everything was stacked against her but she still set out to get all the information and she did.

The mystery itself was kinda crazy. I picked the right person, but I didn’t mind because I only did so for one reason…. Because no one else was thinking it was them. That was literally the only giveaway. So basically don’t read this review because I gave you the answer lol But seriously, it was a good time. She was interviewing and finding out things I didn’t even think about.

The entire time tho, that school was a cesspool. There is no earthly way there was this much shit happening there and that place was still open. I don’t understand how they were ok with that. After the first incident it should have been stopped, but there was more going on and that still didn’t deter them. This was another one of those books where I was damn near mad at every adult in the book. Not all of them were terrible, but most of them were.

I don’t want to talk too much about this one, but I’ll just say it was another banger from Elle Gonzalez Rose. I can admit I was a little iffy to see how this was going to go since I was used to her romances, but I really shouldn’t have worried. This book was soo good and I hope that Rose branches out to more genres in the future.

Thank you Netgalley and Bloomsbury USA for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this book I could not put this book down. If you are into dark academic mysteries this is for you! I loved the twists and turns of this book. The setting was dark and creepy and I loved it. I really enjoyed that the mystery was kept till the end and it was a good one!

The Girl You Know by Elle Gonzalez Rose is an interesting dark academia story.
The pacing is perfect and the ending was really good. I was invested in the characters and had a hard time putting this down!
The suspense and the setting just kept me on edge the entire time.
I continued guessing until the very end. Her storytelling is just brilliant.
An intriguing young adult dark academia thriller that was totally unputdownable.

3.5 rounded down to 3 on Goodreads

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury YA for providing me with an ARC!

Things I liked:
1. The premise was super cool. Luna’s twin sister died unexpectedly so she takes her place at a boarding school, where nobody knows her and she has all these rude friends. There were a lot of secrets and that was fun to explore
2. I enjoyed reading about Luna’s journey and learning about the boarding school. That was probably the best part of the novel. I think the book would’ve worked better as a standard contemporary rather than a mystery.

Things I didn’t like (as much):
1. All of the side characters were SO UNLIKEABLE!?!??! I think that was on purpose, they were supposed to be rich, detached, and willing to do bad things, but it got really annoying that EVERY character was awful. Even the characters we were led to believe were good ended up being the worst ones.
2. I wasn’t satisfied with the ending. I predicted one of the antagonists, but the other was someone I never expected it to be. I didn’t like that it ended up being that person. It felt unrealistic and I wanted one of the boarding school characters to be good. I was rooting for this person the entire time.

The Girl You Know is an interesting look at the connections between twins, financial disparities, and academic rigor, but overall the book was unsatisfying and difficult to get into. It was hard to care about Solina as she was never on page, dying before the start of the book. Everything we learned about her was conveyed through others. A dual perspective that went back and forth between her experiences and her sister's attempts to uncover the truth might have been more meaningful and engaging. Additionally, the book was billed as having a sapphic romance component, which is very small and not particularly convincing, had it been left out I don't think the plot would have been negatively impacted much at all. Overall, for voracious thriller readers looking for another book, this might hit the spot, but there are better thrillers to recommend to those who haven't read them all.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Rating 3.75?

I feel like all of Elle’s books have been vastly different and I like that about them. I never know what to expect. While to feel like this plot has been done before, I was really enjoying Luna as a character. She’s strong willed and determined. While this book didn’t focus on romance, I felt like the whole “revenge” was lackluster. Without spoiling it I was a little disappointed. The romance was pretty not existent and even when there was a little of romance it didn’t feel believable. I didn’t see any chemistry between them two at all. They barely spoke. I think the strong characters of Luna and Tiffany really made the book. I liked reading Luna’s backstory and hearing about how hard she tried. I wanted her to succeed. I just wish she would have gotten to have an ending she deserved.

3.5 stars. Lots to love about this one, but there are a couple elements that kept it from being a book I loved!

What I liked:
* the exploration of class, race, money, power
* the boarding school setting and all of its dynamics

What I didn't like:
* the ending felt so so weak to me in light of everything that happened in the book. Without giving any spoilers, one example is that the "who" in the whodunit gets off scot free-ish. There were other ways it wrapped up that were just disappointing overall. I think a solid ending would have made this a solid 4 star read.
* I didn't buy that no one realized Luna was not Solina (this is in the publisher's description so this is not a spoiler). It was just too obvious that she was not the same person

Whenever her sister dies under somewhat mysterious circumstances, Luna is determined to do whatever it takes to find out the truth. She never called her sister's elite boarding school, Kingswood, to tell them about her passing. Luna goes to the boarding school, acting like her sister, to find out the truth.

This book was good. I found it to be slow-paced. I don't usually care for books that take so long for anything interesting to happen. However, this one was enjoyable. I liked the characters. And, it had a satisfying ending.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Bloomsbury, and Elle Gonzalez Rose for the opportunities to read this e-ARC.

I tried multiple times to get into this book but had a very hard time doing so, so I had to DNF at around 65%, but it is far from a bad book. Here are some thoughts.

The concept was super interesting: Luna finds out her twin sister Solina has been murdered and vows to find who is responsible. Solina had been acting strange prior to her disappearance and Luna suspects something strange had been happening at the very prestigious boarding school that Solina attended.

Luna goes incognito into the school, pretending to be Luna with the intention to find out who is responsible for this heartbreaking loss. She finds out the life Solina had been living at this school full of rich people is much different than what she had told Luna.

The concept was very appealing to me and I was excited to dive into this mystery. It however fell short for me multiple times: I was not engaged with the story or the character. The narration felt very high-level and it failed to intrigue me. I expected to be more seriously invested in the murder mystery but cared very little about the investigation as all stakes seemed quite low?

It is very disappointing as I was quite looking forward to this read. However, I don’t think it was particularly bad. Maybe it was just not the right book for me, in terms of narrative devices. I would be tempted to pick this up in the future and give it another try, so I am giving it 3 stars and will continue reading by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for an early arc of The Girl You Know. I thought this was a really good story, I would recommend checking it out. I gave it a 4.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Elle Gonzalez Rose, and Bloomsbury YA for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

This was fine but nothing remarkable for me personally. I love a YA academic thriller, and there was great atmosphere in this book. The school setting, as well as Luna's small hometown, were both extremely vivid, and the mystery fit nicely in the setting. I liked the premise of a twin going undercover to solve her dead sister's mystery, and I especially loved the queer representation! The found family between Luna and Tiffany was probably the highlight of the book for me, and I wish I could have seen even more of their dynamic together. I think what didn't really work is that none of the characters are super fleshed out. Certain characteristics/traits are stated rather than being shown, and what is stated is about the extent that the reader gets to see of any character. I also found the mystery extremely predictable and would have liked the plot to be a bit more developed in that aspect. I think there is promise here, but the execution just fell a little flat for me personally.

I really liked this book! I’ve been on a dark academia kick recently so I was looking forward to this one. I liked the pacing and the writing style. But oh my god the ending made me so sad. I was rooting for Luna from the start to find out what happened to her sister and get some revenge, so the ending crushed me. I definitely recommend this story.

Elle Gonzalez Rose delivers a captivating, emotionally charged story in The Girl You Know. This character-driven novel dives into themes of friendship, identity, and the complexities of knowing—and being known. With its sharp prose and relatable exploration of personal growth, the story grips you from the first page and doesn’t let go. Perfect for fans of heartfelt contemporary fiction with a fresh perspective.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book!

The Girl You Know is a tense thriller with multiple layers of mystery to unravel. I LOVED this one! I was so nervous for Luna the entire time she was pretending to be her sister, which added so much to the tension that existed within the story as she tried to figure out what really happened to Solina. The story had a lot to it--the mystery of Solina's death of course, but also the academic pressures faced by students, the impact of their poor choices along the way, how to show up for your friends and family, and abuse within relationships. I think my students will grab this book immediately!

Luna was a great character and so enjoyable to follow. I loved the portrayal of complex sisterhood and watching as Luna gradually uncovered Solina's life, with all of the complicated emotions that came with it. The depiction of grief was particularly special. While it was foremost a twisty mystery-thriller, The Girl You Know also had that strong foundation of being a book about much more—Luna's journey, and seeing where she ended up, was even more exciting for me than the whodunnit! Some moments legitimately had me screaming though (like Luna taking the test)!

In The Girl You Know (by Elle Gonzales Ross), the protagonist Luna works for minimum wage in a small town in Washington state, barely scraping by each month. She and her twin sister were largely left to their own devices after her mother died, as their father was unable to help out. Any of Luna additional earnings went to making sure her sister Solina was doing well as she was completing high school away from home.

The twins have had a rough go of it since their mother died, bouncing around in group homes and struggling to survive. When Solina is found dead, Luna goes under cover at her high priced boarding school trying discover who may have intentionally hurt her sister.

Normally I love a good YA thriller, but this one just didn’t do it for me. I found the characters to be very contrived, especially the rich teens. The plot was also pretty pedestrian, as though it was pitched to be the triller version of Gossip Girl. While I did appreciate the inclusion of a transgender character and a couple of the discussions on race and class, it was not enough to make me enjoy the story. A disappointing one for me, I give it 2.5 stars.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and feedback.

This is hands-down one of the most enthralling and emotionally charged mysteries I’ve read in ages! From the very first page, I was hooked by Luna’s determination to uncover the truth behind her twin sister Solina’s tragic death. Her transformation into her sister to infiltrate Kingswood Academy was both chilling and fascinating—it had me on edge the entire time.

Luna is such a compelling, strong, feminist character. Her grief and resilience were palpable, and her growth throughout the story was phenomenal. I found myself rooting for her through every twist and turn, and let me tell you—those twists were mind-blowing! The whodunit and the why behind it all left me completely floored.

The fast-paced plot, layered with heartbreak and suspense, was so addictive. The diverse cast was a refreshing touch, and the side characters—especially Tiffany—brought so much depth and emotion to the story. I also loved the twin dynamic, which added an extra layer of intrigue and intensity.

And THAT PLOT TWIST. Never in a million years did I see it coming, and it elevated this book from a great read to an unforgettable one.

If you love thrillers with complex characters, emotional depth, and jaw-dropping revelations, this book is a must-read! Add it to your TBR—you won’t regret it!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

4.25

Luna’s twin sister Solita turns up dead. The police think it was suicide but Luna doesn’t believe it. Solita has been away at boarding school and was home during break. Luna decides to impersonate her sister to see if she can find out who killed her sister. While at school she learns that her sister wasn’t who she thought she was. I really enjoyed joining Luna on a journey of discovery and also of retribution.

I really enjoyed this one. I read it in a day so that should tell you I didn’t want to put it down! It definitely kept me guessing til the end with many twist and turns. I really appreciated its diverse cast. I couldn’t give this book five stars because I wanted the school to pay for their part in Solita’s death.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA Children’s book for this digital ARC l received in exchange for my honest review.

Secrets, lies, murder and revenge.

Luna and her twin, Solina are inseparable until Solina dies. Luna, lost and spiraling, is determined to figure out who took her best friend away from her. So much so that she enrolls in Solina’s preppy school as her just to find out. What she discovers instead is how little she knew her sister. While Luna was giving up everything so Solina could have the life they’ve always dreamed of, was Solina acting like her sister didn’t even exist? Who was she and can Luna get to the bottom of each secret before it’s too late?

This was fast paced and super easy to get into. I love the idea of twins so much so that was definitely an added bonus for me going in! I love how everything played out so effortlessly and was easy to follow. I really enjoyed the side characters, especially Tiffany! Luna was a complex character and I really felt for her throughout the book.

The ending or the “who dun it” was definitely a shock, but a little anticlimactic in my opinion. I felt like I needed a little more in that aspect. It just came to a conclusion pretty abruptly.

Overall, this was a great YA thriller and I def would recommend!