Review Detail

Hope is smothered by her mother and limited by her Cystic Fibrosis, desperate to get out and be a normal teenager. She watches her best friend Ethan go to parties and date, when what she really wishes is that he was dating her. All of that changes when Hope receives a mysterious invitation to an exclusive club which dares the selected girls to complete some challenges that get at their worst fears- offering both threats if they don't and gifts if they do complete them. Hope thinks about chickening out, but seeking some adventure, she finds herself pushing her limits and doing things she never would have before. Despite this, bad things are happening to her and the other girls competing. Hope becomes desperate to solve the who and why before it's too late.

"Dead Girls Society" is a delicious young adult thriller/mystery. It kept me engaged and guessing all the way to the very end. Hope is your typical teenage girl- hating her illness and the way her mother smothers her. It was nice to see her learn more about the other girls' lives and realize that she's not the only one trapped and unhappy- and really, life as she has it, isn't so bad. The connection between them is fascinating and doesn't become clear until the end.

As for the romance, I was really cheering for her and Ethan all the way through, and I really enjoyed the pieces of that plus her burgeoning dating life, which were nice interludes between the dangerous dares. The book moves quickly with nary a dull moment and was so much fun to read/hard to put down. It is well written too, without any obvious plot holes or lack of motivation/clarity by the end. Krys has done a fantastic job!

This is a spellbinding mystery/thriller in the vein of Caroline B. Cooney and the other YA greats! The ending makes me think there will be a sequel? Let me be the first to hope for it and sign up to read it- I could definitely see Hope becoming one of my favorite characters.

Please note that I received this book from Random House through netgalley in exchange for my honest review.