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cristinareading's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Body shaming
Moderate: Blood and Homophobia
hardcover_hazel's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
"The living room is empty. Empty as a ditch a girl might have fallen into."
Girls of little hope had me intrigued. Three girls disappear into the woods and only two come back, covered in blood with no memory of what happened.
"All she knows for sure is that one of her best friends is missing, and the other wants her to lie about it"
We travel across different thoughts with each chapter the perspective of a range of characters. The missing girl, Kat, has diary entries from the past we follow along with.
"Sometimes it seems that's all getting older is: just a slow accumulation of damage"
This book is listed as horror fiction and the twist (and a scene or two with gore) is so. good. Please check the trigger warnings before reading as lots of blood tends to be mentioned š©·
"Even the trees, she feels, are aware of her footsteps pressing the soil against their roots"
I didn't expect the twist. Starting out as a murder mystery, it expands into something more, something wild, that forever changes the town of Little Hope.
"Blood mixes with her saliva, creating a perfect map of her"
I loved this so much š„° thank you to Johnathan Ball Publishers for the giveaway I won with this book š©·āØ
Girls of little hope had me intrigued. Three girls disappear into the woods and only two come back, covered in blood with no memory of what happened.
"All she knows for sure is that one of her best friends is missing, and the other wants her to lie about it"
We travel across different thoughts with each chapter the perspective of a range of characters. The missing girl, Kat, has diary entries from the past we follow along with.
"Sometimes it seems that's all getting older is: just a slow accumulation of damage"
This book is listed as horror fiction and the twist (and a scene or two with gore) is so. good. Please check the trigger warnings before reading as lots of blood tends to be mentioned š©·
"Even the trees, she feels, are aware of her footsteps pressing the soil against their roots"
I didn't expect the twist. Starting out as a murder mystery, it expands into something more, something wild, that forever changes the town of Little Hope.
"Blood mixes with her saliva, creating a perfect map of her"
I loved this so much š„° thank you to Johnathan Ball Publishers for the giveaway I won with this book š©·āØ
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Self harm, Blood, Vomit, and Body horror
Moderate: Death of parent, Eating disorder, Genocide, Gore, and Murder
leelaamanda's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Gore, Violence, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Fatphobia, Homophobia, Suicide attempt, and Religious bigotry
tarrynosaurus's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I love, love, loved this. It was scary and the body horror bits made me squirm. It also has some stellar laugh-out-loud-on-public-transport one-liners.
Loved the characters, loved the main trio dynamics. The twist was surprising and really clever. Plus, the teenage girlie vibes transported me back to my own neon green and purple bedroom, and for some reason, I felt like I needed to immediately locate a pair of rip-off Converse to doodle on?
Highly recommend!
Loved the characters, loved the main trio dynamics. The twist was surprising and really clever. Plus, the teenage girlie vibes transported me back to my own neon green and purple bedroom, and for some reason, I felt like I needed to immediately locate a pair of rip-off Converse to doodle on?
Highly recommend!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Domestic abuse and Self harm
grunbean's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A book that canāt be put down. I think as expecting a spooky and quirky story - I picked this up near the YA section of my local bookstore. It is SO much more than that.
Iām not sure how to summarise it. You NEED to read it yourself if youāre at all into mysteries and horror and the dread of growing up. It is gore galore, so it could be a bit much for those who donāt have much of a stomach for that.
I dearly wish this combination of authors will collaborate again!
Iām not sure how to summarise it. You NEED to read it yourself if youāre at all into mysteries and horror and the dread of growing up. It is gore galore, so it could be a bit much for those who donāt have much of a stomach for that.
I dearly wish this combination of authors will collaborate again!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dysphoria, Domestic abuse, Death, Drug use, Medical content, Gore, Grief, Torture, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Mental illness, Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Violence, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Bullying, Alcoholism, Animal death, Sexual harassment, Religious bigotry, Outing, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, and Cursing
Moderate: Abortion
natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Have you ever read a book that was both eerie and grotesque, yet soo utterly fascinating you were unable to put it down? Well, thatās what Girls of Little Hope was for meā a fabulously weird and unexpectedly compelling YA Horror from writing duo Sam Beckbessinger and Dale Halvorsen. Which perfectly captures the anxiety, angst and (relatable) growing pains of adolescence, but with a much needed (and surprisingly bloody) supernatural twist thatās guaranteed to keep even the most seasoned Horror fans on their toes.
Set in a small California town during the 1990s, Girls of Little Hope follows the mystery and aftermath of the disappearance of three girls (Donna, Rae and Kat) and the strange circumstances surrounding Donna and Raeās return three days later: naked, covered in blood and with no memory of what happenedā¦
I loved every deliciously creepy second of this! Iām not usually a huge Horror reader, but the atmospheric and expertly detailed, small town setting (complete with sinister undercurrent) and compelling, misfit characters had me utterly hooked.
Donna, the first character weāre introduced to is portrayed as quite impulsive and the most vocal of the trio but her sense of loyalty, compassion and long hidden vulnerabilities really made her one of my favourite characters.
Rae, our other āsurvivorā is resident āgood girlā who comes from a respectable, church going family whoās perceived perfection and conservative values have forced Rae into a suffocating state of repression and self loathing that was truly heart breaking to watch unravel.
Kat, our amateur sleuth and budding journalist is the only character whose POV is told via journal entries which really added a sense of intimacy and allowed us to explore their deep bond of friendship in such exquisite detail.
We also get to explore Katās mum Marybethās POV, whose complicated mother-daughter relationship juxtaposes perfectly with Katās innermost thoughts and really captures the flaws and nuances that really make up this fascinating, formidable and surprisingly three dimensional supporting character.
As well as Katās diary entries, weāre also treated to newspaper articles and Riot Grrl-esque āZine pages, which cleverly immerses us in the history of Little Hope, its supernatural goings on and the angsty 90s high school experience without the pace slowing down or becoming too info dumpy.
I canāt say much else without spoiling the plot but, if you love shockingly twisty, House of Hollow meets Stranger Things style Horror, or books that scream āWe are the weirdos misterā, then you definitely need to add this to your TBR just check TWs beforehand.
Also, a huge thank you to Kabriya over at Titan Books for the incredible proof.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Death of parent, Self harm, Animal death, Body horror, Fatphobia, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Murder, Lesbophobia, Confinement, Racism, Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Gore
Minor: Alcoholism, Religious bigotry, Ableism, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Grief, Misogyny, and Suicidal thoughts
rhensie's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Dude, what the fuck? I thought I was getting into a mystery crime novel and got .... very much something else??? A very raw exploration of female friendship, generational trauma, and being an outcast, alongside some pretty horrific horror going on. I would very much recommend reading this book, but be aware that you are not getting into a simple mystery here. The cover is not great, but don't let that put you off; if you can handle the trigger warnings, this is worth a read.
This sort of take on the fungi pandemic is super interesting, considering our own situation on this planet right now, as well as other media that do similar things. I wish we'd learnt more about it, but that also wasn't really what this book was about.
Our main cast of characters are fascinating. Kat, Rae and Donna all have unique flaws and yet fit together incredibly well, and it is devastating to learn what actually happened to them, and the fact that they will never live their full lives. The only thing missing for me was more exploration of the girls' sexuality and identity - there are some fairly heavy handed hints with respect to these issues, but none explored fully, though perhaps there just wasn't time for that in this book.
For anyone who wants to read this, be aware that there is graphic description of self-harm bycutting , including a somewhat lengthy and graphic section of the book that was very difficult to read. Also be aware that there is some fairly substantial fatphobia from one of the main characters.
Our main cast of characters are fascinating. Kat, Rae and Donna all have unique flaws and yet fit together incredibly well, and it is devastating to learn what actually happened to them, and the fact that they will never live their full lives. The only thing missing for me was more exploration of the girls' sexuality and identity - there are some fairly heavy handed hints with respect to these issues, but none explored fully, though perhaps there just wasn't time for that in this book.
For anyone who wants to read this, be aware that there is graphic description of self-harm by
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Suicide attempt
sharron_joy_reads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Published 13th June 2023 by Titan
Donna, the rebel, Rae, the good girl and Kat, the budding writer are best friends, it is them against their very close minded boring little town of Little Hope, California.
They decide to hike into the woods in search of the fabled gold mine of Little Hope and days later Donna and Rae stumble into town, both covered in blood and naked, what happened to them and where is Kat.
Do the survivors know more than they are saying? What happened in the hidden cave deep in the wood? Does the resident returned murderer know what is going on?
This is a brilliant horror mystery and short chapters make this a fast paced thrilling read. The story unfolds through multiple POVās and secrets are dripped through the story to keep you reading, loved that!
The story is set in the 90ās and it has a very nostalgic feel to it, the music, the posters on the walls, the clothes, all evoking that era. The book includes pictures of newspaper clippings, news reports and pages of the girls zine, I love this device in books and it gives the story a perspective outside of the characters involved and how the world will consume their story.
There some really heavy issues raised here, Raeās ultra conservative religious family and her reaction to this, Donnaās grief and Katās over protective mother. But at heart it is a story of the power of female friendship especially in teen girls and how intense and all consuming that can be.
The horror really kicks in at the halfway mark and is visceral and grisly. There is a YA horror that has a similar theme to this but this is far more detailed and complex, a far more rounded story where you feel you really know the girls, their families, their community and the small town they live in.
This is a really fantastic read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I received this E-ARC from Netgalley for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Death of parent, Body horror, and Death
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