The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! đ
lucyjanewood's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
torikiza's review against another edition
2.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a eARC of this title in exchange for my honest opinion.
âAll Girlsâ had such a promising premise but it fell flat. Each chapter is a different girlsâ perspective which really muddied the entire book for me.
Trigger warning: sexual assault.
The book centers around this all girls boarding school where a student is suing because she was assaulted by a teacher and never received true justice. Each different girlsâ perspective sometimes offered an interesting story involving this main premise but then some perspectives would have nothing to do with the rest of the book. There was just way too much going on.
However, I will say that the book itself is well-written and there is a lot of promise here. Teenage girls are more complicated than one might think and many different issues are attempted to be tackled in this book.
âAll Girlsâ had such a promising premise but it fell flat. Each chapter is a different girlsâ perspective which really muddied the entire book for me.
Trigger warning: sexual assault.
The book centers around this all girls boarding school where a student is suing because she was assaulted by a teacher and never received true justice. Each different girlsâ perspective sometimes offered an interesting story involving this main premise but then some perspectives would have nothing to do with the rest of the book. There was just way too much going on.
However, I will say that the book itself is well-written and there is a lot of promise here. Teenage girls are more complicated than one might think and many different issues are attempted to be tackled in this book.
brooke_review's review against another edition
4.0
Boarding schools have always fascinated me, and thereâs just something about these novels that makes for an intriguing story. Inhabiting a world few of us will ever experience, boarding school girls lead a life of power and privilege, and when you combine that with the elements of a good coming-of-age tale, you often have quite the interesting read on your hands. Emily Laydenâs debut novel All Girls is one such book, but readers should educate themselves on the format and pacing of this novel before they pick it up to avoid being disappointed.
All Girls draws readers in with a scandal. It seems a male teacher slept with a student decades ago, and now the victimized girl is speaking out by exposing him on campus to the new class of students at Atwater, a prestigious New England boarding school. While the book opens with this tale, it doesnât remain its focus, and instead the offense lingers in the background, threading its way throughout the pages of the story, occasionally popping up here and there.
No, All Girls is actually about, well, the GIRLS of Atwater. The book is divided into several sections with a different student at the boarding school taking the spotlight, letting readers into her life at the school. We witness friendships, sports, first love, prom, and graduation through the eyes of these girls. There is no significant plot to remember, and quite frankly, you will forget the characters too, but the journey is an alluring one. All Girls is for anyone who has ever been curious about the day-to-day life of boarding school students and wants to peek behind the walls of Atwater.
All Girls draws readers in with a scandal. It seems a male teacher slept with a student decades ago, and now the victimized girl is speaking out by exposing him on campus to the new class of students at Atwater, a prestigious New England boarding school. While the book opens with this tale, it doesnât remain its focus, and instead the offense lingers in the background, threading its way throughout the pages of the story, occasionally popping up here and there.
No, All Girls is actually about, well, the GIRLS of Atwater. The book is divided into several sections with a different student at the boarding school taking the spotlight, letting readers into her life at the school. We witness friendships, sports, first love, prom, and graduation through the eyes of these girls. There is no significant plot to remember, and quite frankly, you will forget the characters too, but the journey is an alluring one. All Girls is for anyone who has ever been curious about the day-to-day life of boarding school students and wants to peek behind the walls of Atwater.
heather425's review against another edition
4.0
I live for a good story that takes place at an elite boarding school. I have always been enthralled with the idea of attending a boarding school. I grew up in the MIdwest and attended a boring public high school. I was thrilled to be given an ARC from Netgalley and the publisher for All Girls! This book takes place at an all girls boarding school, Atwater, in Connecticut.
The book opens with signs being placed along the road to the school saying there is a rapist on staff. The reader meets Lauren, a freshman, who is moving in to the dorm. Lauren's story gives us some background that an alum from the 90s is accusing a staff member of rape and that the school did nothing about it at the time and continues to sweep it under the rug. From there each chapter follows a different girl's POV and interspersed are emails and reports from the administration alluding to the lawsuit from the alum. I enjoy stories that are told from differing POVs, but it threw me off in this book because I was not expecting it. It did take me out of the story a bit and I never felt connected to the characters because there were so many voices. I wish it had followed Lauren and maybe an upperclasswoman for the events that occur.
As someone who was a teen and then young twentysomething in the 1990s this gave me a lot to think about in regards to how we were taught to deal with rape culture. It was still put on the females then to know their surroundings, etc. I am glad that is changing to address that boys must also be responsible for their behavior.
Overall if you enjoy stories set on the back drop of a boarding school you will like All Girls. I look forward to more books from Emily Layden.
The book opens with signs being placed along the road to the school saying there is a rapist on staff. The reader meets Lauren, a freshman, who is moving in to the dorm. Lauren's story gives us some background that an alum from the 90s is accusing a staff member of rape and that the school did nothing about it at the time and continues to sweep it under the rug. From there each chapter follows a different girl's POV and interspersed are emails and reports from the administration alluding to the lawsuit from the alum. I enjoy stories that are told from differing POVs, but it threw me off in this book because I was not expecting it. It did take me out of the story a bit and I never felt connected to the characters because there were so many voices. I wish it had followed Lauren and maybe an upperclasswoman for the events that occur.
As someone who was a teen and then young twentysomething in the 1990s this gave me a lot to think about in regards to how we were taught to deal with rape culture. It was still put on the females then to know their surroundings, etc. I am glad that is changing to address that boys must also be responsible for their behavior.
Overall if you enjoy stories set on the back drop of a boarding school you will like All Girls. I look forward to more books from Emily Layden.
vanessabrown's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
alyssapf31's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This took longer to read than I wish it had. Idk if it was the focus on multiple characters that made it confusing or the girlsâ stories having very little to do with the expected plot, but it was just slow.Â
kristen_eden's review against another edition
4.0
Let's start by saying that stories featuring an all female cast coming of age hold a very special place in my heart. Bonus points if it's set at a private school. More bonus points if there's magic involved. No magic here, but this look into a year in the life of this all girls school was still so well done, high marks all around. Read more like a very interwoven short story collection, with each new school event passing the Mic to a new character.
catreader18's review against another edition
4.0
This story follows girls at an all girls boarding school over one school year. When the school is rocked by a rape accusation, the students want to find the truth.
This is only part of the story. I loved this story and that it followed the girls for an entire school year. There are so many different characters represented and it makes the book all the more interesting. I didnât like how the story handled some of the things that happened in the book, which is why I rated it one star lower. Overall the writing is captivating and it is very good story.
This is only part of the story. I loved this story and that it followed the girls for an entire school year. There are so many different characters represented and it makes the book all the more interesting. I didnât like how the story handled some of the things that happened in the book, which is why I rated it one star lower. Overall the writing is captivating and it is very good story.
jamiethomasss's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
rachelsreads93_'s review against another edition
3.0
3.5 out of 5 â¨s â first of all, thank you to NetGalley and St. Martinâs Press for the ARC of All Girls! I loved the description of the plot from the get-go. A story revolving around a scandal in a boarding school? Count me in.
I have mixed feelings about this book, though. I want so badly to have been invested in more of these characters. I liked that we got to see the impact of the news of the assault accusations on a variety of different experiences at the school. I just wasnât satisfied with the ending nor that the characters didnât feel like they converged at any point for some big sort of impact by the end. For me, this didnât work so much.
I did, however, really like how Layden explored how a sexual assault case from 1995 impacted students at the same school in 2020. As a teacher, I think this spoke to some conversations happening within younger generations at this very moment. There were some powerful moments about assault and consent.
Although this was not my favorite book of 2020, the plot was still intriguing and there were many moments that felt powerful throughout. Would still recommend to others that feel the plot sounds intriguing!
I have mixed feelings about this book, though. I want so badly to have been invested in more of these characters. I liked that we got to see the impact of the news of the assault accusations on a variety of different experiences at the school. I just wasnât satisfied with the ending nor that the characters didnât feel like they converged at any point for some big sort of impact by the end. For me, this didnât work so much.
I did, however, really like how Layden explored how a sexual assault case from 1995 impacted students at the same school in 2020. As a teacher, I think this spoke to some conversations happening within younger generations at this very moment. There were some powerful moments about assault and consent.
Although this was not my favorite book of 2020, the plot was still intriguing and there were many moments that felt powerful throughout. Would still recommend to others that feel the plot sounds intriguing!