These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly is a dark, thrilling mystery set in Gilded Age New York. It follows Jo Montfort, a wealthy young woman, as she investigates her father’s suspicious death, uncovering secrets and facing societal expectations. With suspense, romance, and historical intrigue, it’s perfect for fans of atmospheric, character-driven mysteries.

This kind of has everything you need in a Victorian teen murder mystery - a little romance, a ball, a wacky grandma, a hot boy from the wrong side of the tracks and a creepy asylum. It is slow in places and probably could have been several chapters shorter but it was a good time.

Good book to read. Easy to follow. Didn't feel any hangers so that's always a good thing! Good characters and plot!

This is an excellent mystery book that will appeal to many young adult readers. I was hooked from the first few pages. Something fun and exciting happened in every chapter.

I purchased this because I'd enjoyed other titles by this author, and this one sounded like a great possibility. When I read it, it wasn't what I was expecting. It seemed like Donnelly was aiming for a younger audience this time. and it didn't have the strong writing I was expecting.

I've tried really hard to get into this book and really wanted to finish it because it does have so many good ratings. I have started reading it about a half dozen times, but I always end up losing interest or getting distracted by something else I'd like to read and it gets put back on my to-be-read shelf. I think it's time to call it and just say that this book isn't for me.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley.

I adored every page of it.

This was the first book that I've ready by Jennifer Donnelly, and it won't be the last. It was exactly the book I wanted to read at the moment that I read it, and I'm certain that other people will feel the same way.

There is something very compelling about books set in the <i> fin de siecle</i> (end of the century) as the nineteenth century moved into the twentieth. The world was changing daily, and the people were changing with it. This is the story of Jo Montfort, a wealthy young woman that has been raised and educated to be a decorative wife. Except she wants so much more. When her father dies, apparently by accident, Jo knows that something is wrong. She pushes and investigates and seeks the truth, not knowing what she will learn about her father, about her family, and about herself.

Donnelly's book is fast-paced and excellently researched. She clearly knows what late nineteenth century New York was like for the wealthy, for the working classes, and for those that have been left behind--the homeless and the insane. I recommend it highly.

I have read previous historical fiction novels by this author and really liked this historical mystery. I liked the strong female characters trying to make something out of their lives, and the interesting mystery. Recommended.

I really enjoyed this one, and it was absolutely delightful to read a story about a strong female in such a patricarchal time. I felt a strong connection to the characters and the mystery, and while it wasn’t a stunning or surprising twist, the story moved well and kept me entertained and somewhat guessing.

Another excellent YA novel from Jennifer Donnelly. Will recommend to fans of Libba Bray, as well as historical fiction and mystery readers.

I feel like the only person out of my goodreads friends who didn't like this one, but...


This one just didn't hit it off with me right from the start, for petty reasons at first but when those are so early in the book...they kind of color the rest of the reading experience? There's not much I can say beyond that. It was a bunch of small things, and not enough good things to balance out on the other end.

It started with the mystery, and the fact that the whole thing is kicked off by Jo going "but my father is a SAFE gun owner, he couldn't possibly have an accident! This has a whiff of foul play!" Which is just such a hot button of mine, and a dangerous attitude that far too many people have. *Anyone* can have an accident! That's why constant caution is so important! And to make it even worse, there's far BETTER mystery red flags that pop up shortly after, so the whole 'oh, a good gun owner wouldn't' thing wasn't even necessary.

Jo herself...didn't thrill me. I liked the bit at the start where she was trying to write about social issues and wanted to be a journalist, but as the story went on her feminism took on a really...stock tone. All of her comments about 'fairness' and 'womens roles' were...not wrong, just extraordinarily overarching and bland. It started to feel less like a personality and more like a checklist. She wasn't upset about misogyny because of her individual wants and goals and fears or whatever, but just...because. (I mean, she could have had specific wants, she started out having specific wants. It just flattened out as the story went on.) Again, nothing necessarily wrong, just really dull.

The pace of the whole thing was pretty tedious, too, and I think it's because there wasn't really a lot of tension to the mystery. Jo just...wanted to know a thing. It was personal to her, sure, but there weren't any stakes or urgent facts. Finding out The Thing didn't have any weight to it other than 'after I find out I'll get to know The Thing.' And...m'kay. Cool story, bro?

So, yeah, nothing terrible, just...way too easy to put down.

This was a great audio to listen to. The complex narratives were woven together extremely well, and those who are fans of historical fiction, murder mysteries, Sherlockian style stories, and old-time journalism will relish this book.

I'm unable to provide a review at this time. Unfortunately, I DNFed this book in the first 18%. It just didn't grab my attention. I apologize for any inconvenience.

I can't believe that I didn't finish this one--usually I love historical fiction with teen female characters. But I just couldn't take the main character's ignorance, and the way she openly decided to shirk her upbringing and "step put" with a poor newspaper man. I know it happened at the time, but it just didn't ring true to me. I stopped during Disk 6 and moved onto the next audiobook..

Archived. Wasn't able to review before it was archived

The title and cover caught by eye. I'm just recently getting into this genre and this has become a very well circulated book at our school. It's a great YA title.

I wasn't able to get into this book. I did try to like it but sadly I'm a mood reader. I DNF this book.

Unfortunately, this was a book that I was not able to finish. The pace dragged for me and I could not get into the story. I will not be rating or reviewing this book. Thank you for the opportunity.

Unfortunately I was unable to finish this title, therefore I will not be leaving an online review.

Will not be providing a review for this novel, sorry for the inconvenience, but thank you to the publisher for the opportunity.