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tinky47's review
5.0
Isabella, better known as Isa is heartbroken when she has to start her junior year in a small town, leaving behind her childhood friends, and her starring role in the theater. She starts the year miserable with the vibes in the new school and lack of internet connection, but begins to explore the historic mansion that belonged to a socialite and photographer’s muse who is also named Isabella.
When her newfound friend Alexa begins an Instagram account using lovely items from the socialite, Isa’s images go viral. Suddenly she is famous, and flawless- a living muse that everyone at school worships.
This is a deliciously written thriller with bits of ghostly chill. Recommend on a rainy day with a cup of hot tea.
https://www.netgalley.com/book/218197/review/205297
When her newfound friend Alexa begins an Instagram account using lovely items from the socialite, Isa’s images go viral. Suddenly she is famous, and flawless- a living muse that everyone at school worships.
This is a deliciously written thriller with bits of ghostly chill. Recommend on a rainy day with a cup of hot tea.
https://www.netgalley.com/book/218197/review/205297
janagaton's review
3.0
beautiful cover, mediocre story, and the "darcy coates meets black mirror" pitch is such an overstatement lol. there were some creepy parts & i def wanna read Dorian Grey now, but im really glad im done with this book
mousymouse's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.75
This book started out quite intriguing, I flipped through the beginning rather quickly. Toward the middle the pacing slowed down and I found it hard to get through the pages as fast. The end was really hard for me to get through.
The plot was really good and made me want to keep reading despite the pace slowing down. I overall enjoyed the story, but found myself confused a few times.
My biggest issue is that the story jumped from first pov to third pov, which there is reason behind that, but the way it was done was rather confusing. I think third pov all the way through would have worked better.
The plot was really good and made me want to keep reading despite the pace slowing down. I overall enjoyed the story, but found myself confused a few times.
My biggest issue is that the story jumped from first pov to third pov, which there is reason behind that, but the way it was done was rather confusing. I think third pov all the way through would have worked better.
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review
1.0
1.5/5
I usually like some horror books but this one got to my anxiety a little bit. Not as bad as These Violet Delights but it is somewhere in that area. At first I was enjoying the book with the mystery but then the horror came in and I don’t know why I didn’t DNF it for the scariness of it.
I usually like some horror books but this one got to my anxiety a little bit. Not as bad as These Violet Delights but it is somewhere in that area. At first I was enjoying the book with the mystery but then the horror came in and I don’t know why I didn’t DNF it for the scariness of it.
may_books20's review
1.0
My biggest problem with this book was that the main character was sooooo spoilt and unlikable. It was hard to relate to her or even sympathize with her because of how terrible she is to her mom and the people at her new school. Also, news flash: no one likes a person who feels sorry for themselves all the time. Readers should be at least able to sympathize and understand a character, even a villain, but Isabella was absolutely wretched.
Another problem I had with this book was that the author has no idea how real teenagers talk. This book was written in this decade, right? Also, Laurin has a problem with picking a personality for her main girl. Is Izzy a spoilt 2022 teen who feels sorry for herself all the time? Or is she a quirky theater nerd who speaks in Shakespearean English and uses words like “embellish”? Instead of finding a way to merge these two personalities, Nina Laurin alternated between the two very quickly and not very gracefully.
I was really excited about the story, which felt promising, but I really couldn’t stomach any more of Isabella’s awful, stuck-up behavior. Into the DNF pile we go! *le sigh*
Another problem I had with this book was that the author has no idea how real teenagers talk. This book was written in this decade, right? Also, Laurin has a problem with picking a personality for her main girl. Is Izzy a spoilt 2022 teen who feels sorry for herself all the time? Or is she a quirky theater nerd who speaks in Shakespearean English and uses words like “embellish”? Instead of finding a way to merge these two personalities, Nina Laurin alternated between the two very quickly and not very gracefully.
I was really excited about the story, which felt promising, but I really couldn’t stomach any more of Isabella’s awful, stuck-up behavior. Into the DNF pile we go! *le sigh*
ameserole's review
3.0
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Last Beautiful Girl started off pretty interestingly. Especially after meeting Izzy, the main character, who isn't pleased about the big move from the city to a small town. At sixteen, I can see why she wasn't exactly excited about this. If I was moving somewhere at the age, I doubt I would be either. The only good thing out of this move was a giant house but it does come with some spooky vibes.
With the house being super mysterious, I was very intrigued with what was going to be slowly revealed. It was also interesting to see how she would change and adapt to it all as well. Now I knew that this was going to give certain Black Mirror vibes before diving into it. I will admit that it did a very good job of weaving those throughout the book. Definitely made me want to stop everything and rewatch that show but I had to see how things would end.
In the end, the mystery and haunted house vibes were intriguing enough but I was expecting something a bit, well, more. Don't get me wrong, I liked the book. I totally did. It was easy enough to devour within a sitting. I just felt like it had potential to be something more. Especially when it came to certain twists thrown our way.
Still, I'm really happy that I got the chance to jump into this. Will definitely be on the lookout for what Nina writes next!
The Last Beautiful Girl started off pretty interestingly. Especially after meeting Izzy, the main character, who isn't pleased about the big move from the city to a small town. At sixteen, I can see why she wasn't exactly excited about this. If I was moving somewhere at the age, I doubt I would be either. The only good thing out of this move was a giant house but it does come with some spooky vibes.
With the house being super mysterious, I was very intrigued with what was going to be slowly revealed. It was also interesting to see how she would change and adapt to it all as well. Now I knew that this was going to give certain Black Mirror vibes before diving into it. I will admit that it did a very good job of weaving those throughout the book. Definitely made me want to stop everything and rewatch that show but I had to see how things would end.
In the end, the mystery and haunted house vibes were intriguing enough but I was expecting something a bit, well, more. Don't get me wrong, I liked the book. I totally did. It was easy enough to devour within a sitting. I just felt like it had potential to be something more. Especially when it came to certain twists thrown our way.
Still, I'm really happy that I got the chance to jump into this. Will definitely be on the lookout for what Nina writes next!
hitbooksnotgirlz's review
4.0
I surprisingly really enjoyed the crossover between the 19th & 21st century, and the whole concept of the novel was quite horrifying in the best way.
alisonandabook's review
4.0
3.5/5 stars**
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the opportunity to read this title in exchange for an honest review.
This was a fun one, I really liked the concept. A haunted house horror YA sounded like such a great time! While it wasn't perfect, I still had a great time from beginning to end. I found the switching of perspectives and narrators to be really well done. This books really dives into the toxicity of the internet and social media, which I think is an important lesson, even with the supernatural elements in this book. As the description of this book noted, it was indeed very Black Mirror-esque. That being said, there were a few plot holes, and certain characters I wish had a bit more depth. I enjoyed the ending of this one, and it made up for the times that it dragged on a bit in the middle of the novel. Overall, this was fun to read!
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the opportunity to read this title in exchange for an honest review.
This was a fun one, I really liked the concept. A haunted house horror YA sounded like such a great time! While it wasn't perfect, I still had a great time from beginning to end. I found the switching of perspectives and narrators to be really well done. This books really dives into the toxicity of the internet and social media, which I think is an important lesson, even with the supernatural elements in this book. As the description of this book noted, it was indeed very Black Mirror-esque. That being said, there were a few plot holes, and certain characters I wish had a bit more depth. I enjoyed the ending of this one, and it made up for the times that it dragged on a bit in the middle of the novel. Overall, this was fun to read!
adriennek13's review
5.0
This book had one of the most interesting concepts I’ve seen, and I love how the characters changed over the course of the story. I also like how the ending was ambiguous and we don’t know for sure what truly happened, the ending wasn’t wrapped up neatly. Sometimes I think that makes for a more interesting story. Nothing went the way I expected and I liked that it kept me guessing.