The Divines: A Novel
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- Create Date：2021-01-20 04:20:47
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Ellie Eaton
- ISBN：9780063012196
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Editor Reviews
From the very first page， The Divines throws the reader headfirst into the crucible of adolescent girlhood， in all its insecurity and entitlement， brittle vulnerability and callous cruelty。 Eaton turns a keen eye toward class， privilege， and trauma， but this novel is above all a ruthlessly compassionate exploration of the stories we tell ourselves about the past—our drive to assuage our regrets， even as we are reluctant to reckon with their repercussions。 A confident， nuanced， impeccably paced debut。
Reviews
Coloradogirl71
，
This complex story is difficult to categorize， it’s a bit coming-of-age， escaping the past， and with a bit of a mystery thrown in。 This debut novel really got me thinking about perception and reality and how we reconcile ourselves with the past。 There are two storylines， one is set at a boarding school in England， St。 John the Divine， and features the privileged girls who are students and call themselves The Divines。 There is a long history and legacy with mothers and grandmothers attending the school as well。 This storyline was a bit uncomfortable to read， there is the rivalry with the Townies， the level of cruelty between the girls， and the lack of discipline from the teachers。 There is definitely a hierarchy at the school and the author builds a bit of mystery around events that happened。 Josephine， or Joe， is the main character。 It was interesting that all the girls had nicknames that were boys’ names and had perfected the flip of hair that marked them as Divine。 Joe seems to feel like she was frequently left out of things at school， especially when she had a roommate who was outside the circle of popular girls。 The other storyline is set in Los Angeles， 15 years later， and more about Joe trying to make sense of her school years now that she is a wife and mother。 The past seems to be haunting her present self and she ends up at a school reunion confronting many of the perceptions she has about her school years。 She seems to remember herself and events differently than the other women。 At the end of the book， I was left wondering if you can really change？ Can you make up for things you’ve done in your past or can some things never be forgiven？ While I didn’t like Josephine， she was an interesting character！
Stephanie
，
The book blurb expertly covers what The Divines is about， so no need for me to rehash it here – I’ll just jump right in to my review。 This story is really carefully crafted and very well written， almost precise-sounding and high-brow in tone at times， especially with the occasional Greek/Roman/English mythology/literature reference。 The juxtaposition of past and present， how some event in the past which is big to one person is inconsequential to another， how the past can come back not only The book blurb expertly covers what The Divines is about， so no need for me to rehash it here – I’ll just jump right in to my review。 This story is really carefully crafted and very well written， almost precise-sounding and high-brow in tone at times， especially with the occasional Greek/Roman/English mythology/literature reference。 The juxtaposition of past and present， how some event in the past which is big to one person is inconsequential to another， how the past can come back not only to haunt but to chew away at the present， the flippancy and casual cruelness of teenage girls in boarding school， are all very well done。 It lays out quite clearly the cliquey cruelty teenage girls can inflict when they think they’re better than anyone else， even each other。 Yet despite how well-written/crafted/paced it is， even as it took me away by moments in its flow and amping up tension， it was just not my cup of tea。 I couldn’t relate to any of the Divine’s experiences， except as an outside observer being appalled at the horrible depths some teenage girls were capable of descending to。 I could tell I was supposed to feel invested in Josephine’s story and slowly-unraveling life， but it was as though I was watching those emotions played out in someone else， while I remained detached。 I even almost DNF’d it around the halfway point， because I just wasn’t invested in it – I did manage to speed up my reading pace， and by the end was reading a page every 37 seconds or so， when I usually average closer to 1 minute per page。 So as a work of literary fiction， it’s a solid 4， but for me personally， it’s a 1-star book。 Therefore， I’ll be generous in my Goodreads rating， and give it a 3。Favorite quote from the last page: （view spoiler）[In making light of my apology， she’s refusing to play the victim， to seem in the least bit tragic。 And why not？ Who are we， after all， if not the author of our own story？ – page 308 （hide spoiler）]I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest review。 This has not affected the contents of my review or rating。 。。。more
Nelda Brangwin
，
This is a coming-of-age story like no other and it does not make my want to send my granddaughter to a private boarding school。 The girls of St。 John the Divine are cruel to one another。 They are cruel elitists。 Told by a graduate of the school， Josephine， it looks back on her time as a “Divine”。 Now married and living in the US she had pushed the school to the back of her mind until her honeymoon when she and her husband stopped by to visit。 Josephine has reason to regret her actions which she This is a coming-of-age story like no other and it does not make my want to send my granddaughter to a private boarding school。 The girls of St。 John the Divine are cruel to one another。 They are cruel elitists。 Told by a graduate of the school， Josephine， it looks back on her time as a “Divine”。 Now married and living in the US she had pushed the school to the back of her mind until her honeymoon when she and her husband stopped by to visit。 Josephine has reason to regret her actions which she thought led to the death of her roommate。 She’s haunted by them， and as she says “ I was a teenager， self-obsessed， too caught up in my own narrative to care about anyone but myself。” While all the characters， including the adults were unlikable， the audiobook made it impossible to put down。 With great voice change and pace， Imogen Church has created a listening experience that will remain with me for a long time。 。。。more
Boyschool
，
I didn’t really enjoy this book。 I found a lot of it vulgar and rude， and awkward for me to hear the main character Joe （aka Josephine， aka Sephine） discussing her body parts and private matters in just gross ways。 I didn’t enjoy the gay issues， none of the characters were even remotely enjoyable。 Joe is a horrific parent， and not much of a wife for the almost perfect husband she somehow lands。 The book seemed to have no point， and the ending was just dumb。 The best part was some of the descript I didn’t really enjoy this book。 I found a lot of it vulgar and rude， and awkward for me to hear the main character Joe （aka Josephine， aka Sephine） discussing her body parts and private matters in just gross ways。 I didn’t enjoy the gay issues， none of the characters were even remotely enjoyable。 Joe is a horrific parent， and not much of a wife for the almost perfect husband she somehow lands。 The book seemed to have no point， and the ending was just dumb。 The best part was some of the descriptions of the boarding school。 Also this is one of the worst cover designs I’ve ever seen。 It doesn’t even have a thing to do with the book， but beyond that it’s just ugly。 。。。more
Cindy H。
，
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for gifting me this gripping Audio ARC。 In exchange for a copy of The Divines， I offer my unbiased review。They called themselves The Divines。 A group of posh young girls attending an English boarding school。 These girls are awful， truly nasty to their teachers， peers and the local townies。 They torment each other， showcasing the worst qualities unfortunately found in young girls。 Recalled years later by Josephine， now a new mother， she is still unnerved by Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for gifting me this gripping Audio ARC。 In exchange for a copy of The Divines， I offer my unbiased review。They called themselves The Divines。 A group of posh young girls attending an English boarding school。 These girls are awful， truly nasty to their teachers， peers and the local townies。 They torment each other， showcasing the worst qualities unfortunately found in young girls。 Recalled years later by Josephine， now a new mother， she is still unnerved by the trauma experienced while attending St。 John’s of The Divine Boarding School。 Although this book is very unsettling， difficult to care for any of these vile girls， I could not stop listening to Imogen Church， as she brilliantly narrates this disturbing story。 Part coming of age， part mystery/ psychological thriller this debut is compulsive。 I was impressed by author Ellie Eaton’s ability to weave the current scandal surrounding Larry Nassar into this story。 I’m surprised how deeply this story held my attention。 I’m curious to see what Ellie Eaton writes next。 。。。more
Mark Chimel
，
I'm attracted to any book with a comp to Normal People in the description， but I'm finding this is one that gets thrown around a lot lately given the massive success of Normal People。 In this case， I didn't really get the comparison。 This is very much a female boarding school， coming of age story， and overall it wasn't really my cup of tea。 There's also something deeper here though too， which doesn't really reveal itself until towards the very end and this is where this book really shines。 While I'm attracted to any book with a comp to Normal People in the description， but I'm finding this is one that gets thrown around a lot lately given the massive success of Normal People。 In this case， I didn't really get the comparison。 This is very much a female boarding school， coming of age story， and overall it wasn't really my cup of tea。 There's also something deeper here though too， which doesn't really reveal itself until towards the very end and this is where this book really shines。 While the entire book examines an adolescent past， the end is what makes you question our memories。 How accurate are own memories of the past？ This is the question this book leaves you with。*I received an ARC audiobook from the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Amanda
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I received an ARC through the Book Club Girls Early Reads program from Harper Collins Publishers。 I’m sorry to say， but this book was absolutely awful。 There was not one single likable character in the entire book。 They were a bunch of insufferable， entitled， selfish brat bullies who used their perceived status to make life absolutely miserable for everyone around them。 I read for enjoyment， but this book made me feel disgusted and angry at their awful behavior。 If there was ANYTHING redeemable I received an ARC through the Book Club Girls Early Reads program from Harper Collins Publishers。 I’m sorry to say， but this book was absolutely awful。 There was not one single likable character in the entire book。 They were a bunch of insufferable， entitled， selfish brat bullies who used their perceived status to make life absolutely miserable for everyone around them。 I read for enjoyment， but this book made me feel disgusted and angry at their awful behavior。 If there was ANYTHING redeemable whatsoever in this book， I wouldn’t be so annoyed about wasting time finishing this book when I could’ve been reading something much better。I will never recommend this book to anyone。 。。。more
Erin Yates
，
The Divines chronicles the life and times of a formless， rich， selfish teenager as she becomes a less rich and less selfish， although still largely formless， adult。 In trying to cast Josephine as an everywoman， she becomes a no-woman。 The same rings true for the rest of the divines。 Eaton does a whole lot of telling and little meaningful showing， and while the ending was a nice little quirk， I was left wishing for something more。
Erin
，
ARC from NetGalley and William Morrow in exchange for an honest review。 So， unfortunately I was not a fan of this story。 Where I am sure there is a demographic for this type of book， I didn’t enjoy it。 Much like Catherine House it left me confused and wondering why I finished it。 I didn’t connect with any of the characters nor did I have a ton of compassion for them。 They were mean bullies as children and grew up into mean bullies。 I wanted for Sephine to go through this massive transformation b ARC from NetGalley and William Morrow in exchange for an honest review。 So， unfortunately I was not a fan of this story。 Where I am sure there is a demographic for this type of book， I didn’t enjoy it。 Much like Catherine House it left me confused and wondering why I finished it。 I didn’t connect with any of the characters nor did I have a ton of compassion for them。 They were mean bullies as children and grew up into mean bullies。 I wanted for Sephine to go through this massive transformation but it didn’t happen。 Her husband was bizarre and her mother was the worst。 I guess it’s all about the cycle of abuse （for lack of a better word） but I really just didn’t get what I was supposed to get out of it and I was super mad how it ended。 。。。more
Isis
，
Eaton’s literary boarding school debut has it all: pretentious， snobbish， viscously cruel teenage girls。 Drama， drugs， alcohol， smoking， and sex。 However， this is not your typical boarding school story。 Eaton takes us on a wild ride into the psychological world of dark academia with her extraordinary writing skills。 In The Divines， we follow our narrator， Josephine， in alternating chapters as she recalls and processes who she was， what happened all those years ago， and how it all shaped her into Eaton’s literary boarding school debut has it all: pretentious， snobbish， viscously cruel teenage girls。 Drama， drugs， alcohol， smoking， and sex。 However， this is not your typical boarding school story。 Eaton takes us on a wild ride into the psychological world of dark academia with her extraordinary writing skills。 In The Divines， we follow our narrator， Josephine， in alternating chapters as she recalls and processes who she was， what happened all those years ago， and how it all shaped her into who she is。 It’s like a complex character study where Eaton focuses on just how tenuous our memories are。 What I liked: Eaton’s incredible writing and how she addresses the negative effects of elitist education by having Sephine （this is the name Josephine goes by in her adult life） send her Mother an article about Boarding School Syndrome， which is very real and includes anger， depression， anxiety， failure to sustain relationships， fear of abandonment， etc。 What I didn’t like: It just really dragged on for me， and this is with me listening to the audiobook version narrated by my absolute favorite narrator （and I listen to a lot of audiobooks， folks）， so it’s not that。 It could just be that I wasn’t in the right headspace for it with all that’s going on right now。 If you like mean girls boarding school trope， and like literary fiction， you’ll probably like this one。 If you don’t like more complex reads， and the obvious boarding school trope， then it's probably not for you。 。。。more
Katrina Feraco
，
I loved this book， so much。 I listened to the audiobook version and Imogen Church was a PHENOMENAL narrator—a very gifted actress。 Though I didn’t go to a girls boarding school， I once， in my late teens， worked for a summer at a girls camp with its similar legacy families—mothers and daughters all attending， year after year asking to be in one another’s bunks—and this book took me back to the summer I was an outsider in a sea of my own Divines。 Jo is unreliable narrator who is also insanely self I loved this book， so much。 I listened to the audiobook version and Imogen Church was a PHENOMENAL narrator—a very gifted actress。 Though I didn’t go to a girls boarding school， I once， in my late teens， worked for a summer at a girls camp with its similar legacy families—mothers and daughters all attending， year after year asking to be in one another’s bunks—and this book took me back to the summer I was an outsider in a sea of my own Divines。 Jo is unreliable narrator who is also insanely self-concerned; she doesn’t believe she is at fault for her actions， as an adult or as a teen， but when you examine her in every situation， it’s easy for us as readers to see what is true。 I wanted better for Lauren—a resolution perhaps， or for Jo to not be Like That—and the fact that she is left out of the narrative at the end ruins the book a bit for me， but I loved the final portion of Jo’s story。 This book was not cuddly touchy-feely we-all-learned-our-lesson， but then， neither was high school。 。。。more
Mara
，
The Divines by Ellie Eaton is a fascinating novel about Josephine， a 30-something newly married professional still haunted by memories of the actions of herself and her vapid， cruel classmates as teenagers。 The novel is told in dual timelines during Josephine's time in boarding school in England and present day as a nomadic married woman。 The writing was very good and I liked the ruminations about our own behavior and the lengths we go to fit in as teenagers and how our formative years stay with The Divines by Ellie Eaton is a fascinating novel about Josephine， a 30-something newly married professional still haunted by memories of the actions of herself and her vapid， cruel classmates as teenagers。 The novel is told in dual timelines during Josephine's time in boarding school in England and present day as a nomadic married woman。 The writing was very good and I liked the ruminations about our own behavior and the lengths we go to fit in as teenagers and how our formative years stay with us。 This book is filled with unlikable， selfish， entitled characters， so it was frustrating at times how awful and oblivious they could be。 I liked the ending， but it offered limited resolution and left me with questions about some of the characters。 Imogen Church excellently narrates the audiobook。 I sped up the narration， so it was perfect and really kept me intrigued， so I binged this in 3 days。 Thank you Harper Audio and NetGalley for providing this audiobook ARC。 。。。more
Kathleen Gray
，
I almost put this to the side thinking it was one more British girls' boarding school novel- and I'm so glad I did not。 It's much more than it appears on the surface and from the publicity materials。 Josephine- Joe to her classmates and Sephine to her husband- has never let go of what happened in her last year at St John the Divine before Gerry went out a window。 This moves between the present， as Sephine navigates life in the US with Jurgen， her gentle generous Austrian scupltor husband an the I almost put this to the side thinking it was one more British girls' boarding school novel- and I'm so glad I did not。 It's much more than it appears on the surface and from the publicity materials。 Josephine- Joe to her classmates and Sephine to her husband- has never let go of what happened in her last year at St John the Divine before Gerry went out a window。 This moves between the present， as Sephine navigates life in the US with Jurgen， her gentle generous Austrian scupltor husband an the last year Joe spent at school。 She's unable to reconcile the events of that year but she's also unable to share fully with her husband or， for that matter， with her mother， also an alum。 Joe meet Lauren- a townie- by chance and becomes wrapped up with her in a way she didn't expect but more importantly， she becomes obsessed with Lauren's brother Stuart， who works as a maintenance man at the school。 There is， indeed， a big Mean Girls thing here led by Skipper and to a large extent， these girls are hateful。 Eaton does an excellent job capturing the class issue between Joe and Lauren as well as Gerry。 This gets more graphic than I expected in both the past and the present but it works because it feels honest。 I loved the characters who felt fully formed。 Thanks to edelweiss for the ARC。 Excellent writing， a taut plot in both time lines， and a clear voice in Josephine make this a page turner。 No spoilers from me。 。。。more
Dorothy
，
My rating: DNF at 25%。 It was okay， but not for me。（view spoiler）[The writing was good and I liked where the story was going， but wound up deciding it just wasn't for me， whether because of the pacing or disinterest in the main character。 I think this book will do well though， cause it gives me both Heathers and Mean Girls vibes and those stories always sell。 I did， however， like the narrator of the audiobook and their portrayal of the characters。 （hide spoiler）] My rating: DNF at 25%。 It was okay， but not for me。（view spoiler）[The writing was good and I liked where the story was going， but wound up deciding it just wasn't for me， whether because of the pacing or disinterest in the main character。 I think this book will do well though， cause it gives me both Heathers and Mean Girls vibes and those stories always sell。 I did， however， like the narrator of the audiobook and their portrayal of the characters。 （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Misi
，
With how “The Divines” starts， you would suspect that there is going to be a really interesting and dramatic backstory in the protagonist’s high school past。 However， that drama never really materializes。 The novel was vaguely interesting， but the flashbacks fail to adequately connect to the present。 It’s an alright book with some racy storylines， but I failed to really understand the “why” behind this story。 I was excited for this one， but it’s just a 3 star ⭐️ rating for me。 Thanks to Netgalle With how “The Divines” starts， you would suspect that there is going to be a really interesting and dramatic backstory in the protagonist’s high school past。 However， that drama never really materializes。 The novel was vaguely interesting， but the flashbacks fail to adequately connect to the present。 It’s an alright book with some racy storylines， but I failed to really understand the “why” behind this story。 I was excited for this one， but it’s just a 3 star ⭐️ rating for me。 Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy。 。。。more
Allie
，
2。5https://www。literarilythrilling。com/b。。。To be Divine， well， that meant everything to them。 Attending the elite boarding school meant so much to them， their mothers having also attended。 Meant so much…until it didn’t。The Divines is the debut novel from Ellie Eaton and follows two parts of one character: Josephine both in her thirties as well as her teens。 We first join Josephine on her honeymoon where she finds herself near the school she attended for part of her school years。 While walking by 2。5https://www。literarilythrilling。com/b。。。To be Divine， well， that meant everything to them。 Attending the elite boarding school meant so much to them， their mothers having also attended。 Meant so much…until it didn’t。The Divines is the debut novel from Ellie Eaton and follows two parts of one character: Josephine both in her thirties as well as her teens。 We first join Josephine on her honeymoon where she finds herself near the school she attended for part of her school years。 While walking by to look at it， she learns that the townies still have strong opinions about the Divines， even fifteen years later。 Realizing this， our protagonist begins to reminisce on that time in her life， a time when the girls went by male names， when friendships were more complex than they should be， and when， right before St。 John the Divine closed its doors for the last time， a terrible thing happened to one of the girls。 This is not an easy book to review。 The audiobook is narrated by Imogen Church， one of my favorite narrators， and she does a wonderful job bringing Josephine/Jo to life。 But frankly: Jo is not a great character。 I don’t have a problem with this — I love a book with unlikeable characters。 However， it is nice to have at least one character you are rooting for and， frankly， there aren’t a lot of characters I found myself teaming up with。 I feel like some of the more minor characters did not deserve what was given to them and having some closure with one， in particular， would have been nice。 Told in two parts， we get to hear about The Divines as Jo remembers that time。 There are things， though， that do not add up， making the reader believe that maybe Josephine’s memory isn’t the best for telling this story。 There are things we never find the true answer out about， which can be frustrating。 In between the flashbacks we have Jo in the current。 Newly married， working as a freelance journalist， trying to start a family。 Josephine is obsessed with her past and cannot part from it， keeping items in a box that she brings out constantly to stare out while thinking of the past， looking up old schoolmates online。 While I understand the reasoning behind the duo-perspective， the back and forth did not work for me in the way it was written。 I found myself enjoying the past much more than the present， until the end when the present ended up back at that school。 I had all about given up on this book until the end happened。 At the end of the story， Josephine attends a reunion and gets back in touch with some old friends。 Hearing them discuss their memories of different situations in the past had me really re-thinking a lot of her story。 While this book ended up not being for me， I greatly enjoyed the ending， something I’ve noticed in other reviews some readers have not enjoyed。 Ellie Eaton really put her all into this debut and I look forward to reading from her again。 The writing was beautiful， but it was just lacking something for me。 I think anyone who enjoys reading stories with that dark academia aesthetic， with discussions of toxic friendships and how your youthful decisions can come back to haunt you， may find this book words for them。 Major thanks to NetGalley and the publisher， HarperCollins， for the ALC copy。 I received this copy free for review。 All thoughts are my own。 。。。more
Stacey-Lea
，
3。5 starsThe Divines alters between two timelines of our protagonist， Josephine’s， life。 Her time as ‘Joe’ while attending St John the Divine， a boarding school in the middle of England and as ‘Sephine’， an adult trying to come to terms with her past。 There were many elements I enjoyed in here， mostly from boarding school chapters， wherein Eaton raises the topics of toxic friendship， the feeling of isolation at a young age and the exploration of sexuality in a time where it wasn’t so openly disc 3。5 starsThe Divines alters between two timelines of our protagonist， Josephine’s， life。 Her time as ‘Joe’ while attending St John the Divine， a boarding school in the middle of England and as ‘Sephine’， an adult trying to come to terms with her past。 There were many elements I enjoyed in here， mostly from boarding school chapters， wherein Eaton raises the topics of toxic friendship， the feeling of isolation at a young age and the exploration of sexuality in a time where it wasn’t so openly discussed。 While I definitely felt compelled and intrigued while reading these chapters they were interspersed with adult Sephine finally accepting the consequences of her actions， spanning across six or so years。 These moments felt as though Sephine was very trapped in her own inner monologue and it became somewhat monotonous。 I can see what Eaton was aiming for with The Divines and for the most part I appreciated the writing this just， sadly， never took the next step to completely “wow” me。 。。。more
Kathryn Budig
，
Miss Eaton is a remarkable wordsmith。 She’s created a propulsive world with dynamic， and yes， often unlikable characters， but that’s what makes it click。 It is seeped in the dirty truth of privilege， teenage recklessness， and the haunting consequences。 A fantastic debut。
Connie
，
St。 John the Divine was a private girls’ school once located in Oxfordshire England。 Generations of wealthy young girls attended。 Now， many if the buildings are gone and the others are used for flats and business offices。Josephine was a student when she was younger。 She was called Jo then。 Newly married to Jurgen， she stops by the site of the school and at his request， she begins to tell him about life at the school。The Divines were rich， sexually precocious， called each other by boys’ names， an St。 John the Divine was a private girls’ school once located in Oxfordshire England。 Generations of wealthy young girls attended。 Now， many if the buildings are gone and the others are used for flats and business offices。Josephine was a student when she was younger。 She was called Jo then。 Newly married to Jurgen， she stops by the site of the school and at his request， she begins to tell him about life at the school。The Divines were rich， sexually precocious， called each other by boys’ names， and the locals hated them。 They were from rich families， entitled， and spoiled。 Many of them have mothers who went to the school as well。I really expected something big to come out of this story but I was left with a feeling of Who Cares？ Teenage girls are all over the place。 Some of them tend to be the bullies and others are the bullied。 They feel gawky and unsure of themselves， contending with acne and hormonal changes。 I have read other books about boarding schools that had a good plot so I was truly looking forward to reading this。 Now， I feel let down。 Bratty girls some of whom never grew up。 Sorry。 Not my cup of tea。Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review。 。。。more
Cassidee Lanstra
，
Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Audio for an advanced audiobook。 It is hard to put a rating on this book。 The Divines was beautifully written， ripe with lush prose and honesty。 It’s a book about discovering sexuality， the loss of innocence。 It’s a book about the power struggle between the privileged and the normal people。 I understand what the author was trying to accomplish in this coming of age story， but I’m not sure it quite paid off。Josephine attends a posh all-girl boarding school， where th Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Audio for an advanced audiobook。 It is hard to put a rating on this book。 The Divines was beautifully written， ripe with lush prose and honesty。 It’s a book about discovering sexuality， the loss of innocence。 It’s a book about the power struggle between the privileged and the normal people。 I understand what the author was trying to accomplish in this coming of age story， but I’m not sure it quite paid off。Josephine attends a posh all-girl boarding school， where they scoff at the townies and flaunt their privilege。 I didn’t find her or any of the other characters entirely likeable， but I would say most teenagers aren’t entirely likeable as it is。 Most of us did thoughtless things， were filled with angst， eager to please， followers of the herd， desperate to be cool。 Any or all of these things。 Nothing about this book was anything I hadn’t read before。 Snotty girls treating each other badly， being hurtful towards each other， losing their virginity in a less than ideal way。 Girls that grow into women and are unreliable narrators of their own life。 This could have still worked。 Women need stories that analyze their relationships with each other。 The thing is， it all built to this ending that was lackluster， ended abruptly。 It felt like there was no pay off for it。 The narrator was phenomenal though， and like I said， the writing was gorgeous！ I think that many people will absolutely adore this novel。 。。。more
Katy Stankevitz
，
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copyThe Divines is a very intriguing debut novel about a woman in her 30s who starts to unravel her memories of a traumatic event that happened at her English boarding school。 This book definitely fits into the "dark academia" category， but I thought the character development was higher quality than a lot of similar books I have read。 The book has a focus on privilege; how we perceive our privilege growing up and also how that impacts us a Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copyThe Divines is a very intriguing debut novel about a woman in her 30s who starts to unravel her memories of a traumatic event that happened at her English boarding school。 This book definitely fits into the "dark academia" category， but I thought the character development was higher quality than a lot of similar books I have read。 The book has a focus on privilege; how we perceive our privilege growing up and also how that impacts us as adults， that kept me thinking for days after I read it。 I recommend this to anyone who likes "dark" books - think Gillian Flynn meets Secret History。 。。。more
brooke
，
I'll start this by saying I loved the narration。 Imogen Church has a lovely voice， and she was really fun to listen to。 I probably enjoyed this a lot more than I would have if I'd read the physical book。 The story itself was interesting as I don't typically read much dark academia， but I have a hard time enjoying books with unlikable narrators。 The girls were awful （I'm sure that was the point） and I was hoping for some sort of growth or character development， but sadly I felt unsatisfied at the I'll start this by saying I loved the narration。 Imogen Church has a lovely voice， and she was really fun to listen to。 I probably enjoyed this a lot more than I would have if I'd read the physical book。 The story itself was interesting as I don't typically read much dark academia， but I have a hard time enjoying books with unlikable narrators。 The girls were awful （I'm sure that was the point） and I was hoping for some sort of growth or character development， but sadly I felt unsatisfied at the end。 Overall I have mixed feelings about this book but it did keep my attention the whole time。（（（Thank you NetGalley for the ARC！！））） 。。。more
DeAnn
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3。5 Complex Boarding School StarsThis complex story is difficult to categorize， it’s a bit coming-of-age， escaping the past， and with a bit of a mystery thrown in。 This debut novel really got me thinking about perception and reality and how we reconcile ourselves with the past。There are two storylines， one is set at a boarding school in England， St。 John the Divine， and features the privileged girls who are students and call themselves The Divines。 There is a long history and legacy with mothers 3。5 Complex Boarding School StarsThis complex story is difficult to categorize， it’s a bit coming-of-age， escaping the past， and with a bit of a mystery thrown in。 This debut novel really got me thinking about perception and reality and how we reconcile ourselves with the past。There are two storylines， one is set at a boarding school in England， St。 John the Divine， and features the privileged girls who are students and call themselves The Divines。 There is a long history and legacy with mothers and grandmothers attending the school as well。 This storyline was a bit uncomfortable to read， there is the rivalry with the Townies， the level of cruelty between the girls， and the lack of discipline from the teachers。 There is definitely a hierarchy at the school and the author builds a bit of mystery around events that happened。 Josephine， or Joe， is the main character。 It was interesting that all the girls had nicknames that were boys’ names and had perfected the flip of hair that marked them as Divine。 Joe seems to feel like she was frequently left out of things at school， especially when she had a roommate who was outside the circle of popular girls。The other storyline is set in Los Angeles， 15 years later， and more about Joe trying to make sense of her school years now that she is a wife and mother。 The past seems to be haunting her present self and she ends up at a school reunion confronting many of the perceptions she has about her school years。 She seems to remember herself and events differently than the other women。 At the end of the book， I was left wondering if you can really change？ Can you make up for things you’ve done in your past or can some things never be forgiven？ While I didn’t like Josephine， she was an interesting character！Thank you to Book Club Girls/William Morrow and NetGalley for the copy of this one to read and reivew。 。。。more
Diana
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Abandoned。 Funnily enough， a siege of the Capitol and a swift second impeachment left me not caring about these hair-flipping rich girls。 It's probably not the book's fault。 Abandoned。 Funnily enough， a siege of the Capitol and a swift second impeachment left me not caring about these hair-flipping rich girls。 It's probably not the book's fault。 。。。more
Megan☾★
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TRIGGER WARNINGS: eating disorders， childhood trauma， bullying， gay panic， also wouldn't recommend to people with tokophobia**I received an advanced listener's copy of this audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。**After many days of forgetting my earbuds at home and suffering in silence at work， I finally finished this！ It was driving me BONKERS that I didn't finish this sooner。 The whole mystery of what happened to Gerri Lake （please correct me if I spelled her name wrong， I TRIGGER WARNINGS: eating disorders， childhood trauma， bullying， gay panic， also wouldn't recommend to people with tokophobia**I received an advanced listener's copy of this audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。**After many days of forgetting my earbuds at home and suffering in silence at work， I finally finished this！ It was driving me BONKERS that I didn't finish this sooner。 The whole mystery of what happened to Gerri Lake （please correct me if I spelled her name wrong， I didn't have a physical copy） kept me strung along through this narrative。 It felt a bit long and dry at times， but the narrator really has a way with painting a picture with the words the author provided。 I would love to see them work together again in the future！ In some parts of the story were so well crafted， I could almost smell the cigarette smog and pre-teen/baby slut body spray。 But in typical fashion of my reviews， my general thoughts include: Gerri didn't deserve this shit， Skipper sucks， Josephine sucks but grew so much on me， and I JUST WANNA KNOW HOW LAUREN IS， MY POOR BABY。 Finally， I didn't realize that there would be graphic， embellished descriptions of pregnancy and childbirth。 As someone who is horrified of the idea of pregnancy， this didn't do it for me and I really wish I could have skipped through it， but due to it being an ALC copy， the chapters weren't clearly separated/marked。 。。。more
Donna
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It's always difficult for me to connect with a book when the majority of the characters are entirely unlikable， such is the case with The Divines。 However， I found it to be a slow paced yet fascinating story of how cruel teenage girls can be especially when left largely unsupervised。 The Divines， the group of boarding school girls afforded too much privilege and too little accountability get into situations far above their level of maturity and some are left with physical and emotional scars tha It's always difficult for me to connect with a book when the majority of the characters are entirely unlikable， such is the case with The Divines。 However， I found it to be a slow paced yet fascinating story of how cruel teenage girls can be especially when left largely unsupervised。 The Divines， the group of boarding school girls afforded too much privilege and too little accountability get into situations far above their level of maturity and some are left with physical and emotional scars that last far into adulthood。 The narration was well-done and I found it most comfortable to listen at 1。25 speed。 The slow pace of the story initially made it a bit challenging to become invested in the story but overall it was quite an enjoyable read。 Netgalley - Harper Audio 。。。more
Karen Parisot
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At St。 John the Divine， an all-girls private boarding school in England， the daughters of privilege are called Divines and all have masculine nicknames。 Despised by the Townies， the Divines are an insular group whose school motto of MEMOR AMICI is taken to heart。 One of the Divines is Josephine or Joe to her friends and she has been assigned the least desirable roommate of all， Gerry。This novel is different。 It’s about memories and how everyone’s memories are different。 About how teenage girls c At St。 John the Divine， an all-girls private boarding school in England， the daughters of privilege are called Divines and all have masculine nicknames。 Despised by the Townies， the Divines are an insular group whose school motto of MEMOR AMICI is taken to heart。 One of the Divines is Josephine or Joe to her friends and she has been assigned the least desirable roommate of all， Gerry。This novel is different。 It’s about memories and how everyone’s memories are different。 About how teenage girls can be so， so cruel to one another。 About trying to fit in and seeking acceptance no matter the cost。 About unchecked bullying。 It’s all these things and more besides。 It’s a provocative， compelling well written read。 3。75 stars 。。。more
Azra
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Rating: 3。5/5Overall， I enjoyed this book！ It was quite complicated， but stars off a little slow。 By the midpoint， I was very invested in the characters and the mystery。 This novel was quite character-focused， which I enjoyed。 It introduces the ‘Divines’: a group of entitled but fierce elite young women who inhabit St John the Divine。 Decades later， Josephine （one of the Divines） seeks to revisit her experience at the school。The writing is masterful， and a joy to listen to via the audiobook vers Rating: 3。5/5Overall， I enjoyed this book！ It was quite complicated， but stars off a little slow。 By the midpoint， I was very invested in the characters and the mystery。 This novel was quite character-focused， which I enjoyed。 It introduces the ‘Divines’: a group of entitled but fierce elite young women who inhabit St John the Divine。 Decades later， Josephine （one of the Divines） seeks to revisit her experience at the school。The writing is masterful， and a joy to listen to via the audiobook version。 The author portrayed a very sharp sense of the world in reflecting on the impacts of one’s past。 *I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review 。。。more
Virginia
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Hm。 How to come of age without actually growing up。
Calista
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3。5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️🌗 I went into the Divines expecting some dark academia and good social commentary on the difficulties of teenage experiences in all kinds of relationships。 I sort of got more of what I’d call grungy academia and 3/4 commentary。 The book leaned heavily into the grungy， dirty descriptions of Josephine’s life at both her preppy， old fashioned boarding school in ‘96 England and throughout her late 20’s- early 30’s and her marriage and parenthood。 I thought the author was quite good at pros 3。5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️🌗 I went into the Divines expecting some dark academia and good social commentary on the difficulties of teenage experiences in all kinds of relationships。 I sort of got more of what I’d call grungy academia and 3/4 commentary。 The book leaned heavily into the grungy， dirty descriptions of Josephine’s life at both her preppy， old fashioned boarding school in ‘96 England and throughout her late 20’s- early 30’s and her marriage and parenthood。 I thought the author was quite good at prose and her descriptions painted very good visual pictures。 As a note， the book is definitely not for everyone if you’re sensitive to language and sexual content。 As far as the commentary， some of the things such as the isolation borne from superficial friendships and the ruthlessness of cliques is pretty well-done。 I liked viewing adult Joe’s viewpoint on the things she did and said as an adolescent because that often provided the needed commentary （i。e。 recognising that she did something out of insecurity but it was still wrong）。 However， there were a few certain （major） parts of the plot that I felt were not handled to the extent they needed to be given the seriousness of the topic， particularly in relation to the plotline with Stuart。While I didn’t mind the twist at the end， the actual ending itself left MUCH to be desired for me。 The book did such a good job at showing Josephine’s gradual unwinding and struggles with her friendship with Lauren in the past and her husband in the present。 The emotions connected with those relationships were so visceral and well crafted。 I felt the characters’ hurts， wants， and needs intensely where I needed to and it worked。 I was invested in that as much or more than with the main plot of what happened to Gerry Lake。 The book ends abruptly without satisfactorily concluding either Lauren’s or Jergen’s story arcs with Josephine though。 They were the most constant forces in the book with Joe and I was disappointed that there was no resolution at all for them。 I recognise the author’s choice to end it abruptly was supposed to make its own statement， however， it didn’t work for me at all and really didn’t help my enjoyment of the book。 However， beyond those few points， I think the writing style was very good and there were lots of moments that I genuinely enjoyed。 I think the author is good at writing very real characters and the execution of the many different relationship story arcs and social commentary just needed some tweaking。 And while the ending didn’t work at all for me， I think it may stylistically work for others。 I would tentatively recommend this book to those who like gritty books with a “preppy” backdrop but with my aforementioned caveats front and center。 I think it could definitely work for a lot of people and offer an engaging reading experience。 。。。more
Joelle Egan
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