The Girls Are All So Nice Here is a book I have been really looking forward to reading and was thrilled to be accepted for an ARC. I am a fan of school/ college based stories, probably harking back from my love of Mallory Towers and St Clare's as a child. The Girls Are All So Nice Here is told in a mix of 'present' and flashbacks with Ambrosia as the central character. She attended Wesleyan with high hopes of becoming an actress, but most importantly, of reinventing herself and meeting new and interesting students and being part of the in crowd. She quickly realises that she doesn't quite fit and after the first day is despondent. Her roommate Flora is a sweet, possibly naive, girl who sees the best in everyone and everything and is a ray of light in their dorms. She tries to befriend Ambrosia but isn't quite the best friend she has in mind. On the other hand, wild girl Sully enchants Ambrosia and soon the two of them are thick as thieves, but at what cost? We follow the dramatic and tragic course of the girls' Freshman year at Wesleyan interspersed with plans for a reunion ten years on where secrets may start to unravel and old wounds reopened.
I really enjoyed the writing style for The Girls Are All So Nice Here. Having two timelines made the story fly and kept a level of intrigue about what horrors occurred during that first year and how they can never quite be buried. The characters are mainly completely unlikable but still interesting and great to read about. It makes me very glad my university days are long behind me! I thought the story was well written with enough mystery to keep the reader guessing whilst enough clues to let you have a crack at working out what went on.
The Girls Are All So Nice Here should appeal to readers who want a bit of Mean Girls with a bit more of a grown up twist. I very much enjoyed reading and look forward to more from Laurie Elizabeth Flynn!
I really enjoyed the writing style for The Girls Are All So Nice Here. Having two timelines made the story fly and kept a level of intrigue about what horrors occurred during that first year and how they can never quite be buried. The characters are mainly completely unlikable but still interesting and great to read about. It makes me very glad my university days are long behind me! I thought the story was well written with enough mystery to keep the reader guessing whilst enough clues to let you have a crack at working out what went on.
The Girls Are All So Nice Here should appeal to readers who want a bit of Mean Girls with a bit more of a grown up twist. I very much enjoyed reading and look forward to more from Laurie Elizabeth Flynn!