Jules Giraci does a fantastic job writing about the reality of pro-ED spaces online without writing a new ED bible—I remember being in middle school and treating books like Wintergirls and Wasted, meant to be cautionary stories, as how-to guides. The afterword by the author is also an incredibly important piece.

Wow, what a ride! Reading this truly made me feel like Taylor Grothe looked directly into my soul to figure out the perfect book for me. 5 stars, no notes.

The author and the editing team did fantastic work at making this an incredibly smooth read without sacrificing any atmosphere or detail. I could see Preston University in my mind, and the characters’ lives played out as clearly as if I had watched a movie. Similarly, Marcella and Lacie are each well-established, and the cast of characters is kept small enough to be streamlined but large enough to feel realistic.

The romance between Marcella and Lacie is wonderfully written, and I kept forgetting how short the book’s timeline really is. They move seamlessly from academic rivals to being in cahoots to seeming as though they’ve known each other for years, and to me it really reflects how certain people just fit together. You really can’t help but cheer them on in all their bloodstained glory!

This is the perfect book for anyone who loved the mystery behind Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, the dark academia haze of Bunny, and the monster/mortal romance in An Education in Malice. As a member of the book’s street team, I received an e-ARC via Netgalley ahead of the publication date in order to write this honest review.

“Vile Lady Villains” is an incredibly strong debut novel from Danai Christopoulou, as well as a beautiful sapphic romance. Truly, no man could have written this.

The prose is every shade of purple imaginable, which I loved. It sometimes feels long-winded, but the writing goes perfectly with the main characters. For me, it was almost reminiscent of reading the Bard himself. The text is full of creative metaphors that evoke strong emotions and vivid imagery, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

The characters truly come to life over the course of the book. They do have the advantage of being based on the existing characters of Lady Macbeth and Klytemnestra, but Christopoulou does a fine job of developing them into their own people, which is of course the point of the book: two women, whose stories were supposed to be over, writing a new story together. Their relationship starts out as mostly yearning, and I could’ve gone for a couple more meaningful looks or brushes of the hand, but it does build up into something more. How could it not, when they are both such vile lady villains?

I had a lovely time reading this novel, and I look forward to what Danai Christopoulou writes next. I received an e-ARC from the publisher via Netgalley ahead of the US release date in order to provide an honest review.

With sufficient detachment from the horrifying elements, this book is pretty funny and also can technically be described as a best friend’s brother hockey player romance. Big emphasis on “technically.”

I found Maeve herself incredibly humorous, as the driving force behind many of her actions is her simple, unshakeable belief that she is Not Like Other Humans. The story ends up being a long-winded attack on that mindset, leaving the reader with a reminder that you must accept not being wholly unique as part of the cost of human connection.

Check content warnings and reviews before reading. This book in particular contains graphic sexual violence and gratuitous gore.