The Grimrose Girls
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- Create Date：2021-10-19 07:51:12
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Laura Pohl
- ISBN：1728228875
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Summary
The Descendants meets Pretty little liars。
Four troubled friends， One murdered girl。。。 and a dark fate that may leave them all doomed。
After the mysterious death of their best friend， Ella， Yuki， and Rory are the talk of their elite school， Grimrose Académie。 The police ruled it a suicide， but the trio are determined to find out what really happened。
When Nani Eszes arrives as their newest roommate， it sets into motion a series of events they couldn't have imagined。 As the girls retrace their friend's last steps， they uncover dark secrets about themselves and their destinies， discovering they're all cursed to repeat the brutal and gruesome endings to their stories until they can break the cycle。
This contemporary take on classic fairytales reimagines heroines as friends attending the same school。 While investigating the murder of their best friend， they uncover connections to their ancient fairytale curses and attempt to forge their own fate before it's too late。
Four troubled friends， One murdered girl。。。 and a dark fate that may leave them all doomed。
After the mysterious death of their best friend， Ella， Yuki， and Rory are the talk of their elite school， Grimrose Académie。 The police ruled it a suicide， but the trio are determined to find out what really happened。
When Nani Eszes arrives as their newest roommate， it sets into motion a series of events they couldn't have imagined。 As the girls retrace their friend's last steps， they uncover dark secrets about themselves and their destinies， discovering they're all cursed to repeat the brutal and gruesome endings to their stories until they can break the cycle。
This contemporary take on classic fairytales reimagines heroines as friends attending the same school。 While investigating the murder of their best friend， they uncover connections to their ancient fairytale curses and attempt to forge their own fate before it's too late。
Reviews
˗ˏˋmarcelina´ˎ˗
，
an aroace protagonist！！ and saphhics？？ 😳 sign me in！！
Anne
，
The Grimrose Girls had a lot of components which piqued my interest but I was left wanting a bit more。 For example， the school in a remote location， possibility of a curse， diverse casts， and multiple POVs had great potential。 In the end， I felt that there was not enough time spent on any one character's POV to get to know them。 Especially at the beginning of the book， I was struggling to keep all of the characters straight。 The ending seemed rushed and there were many parts that felt too perfec The Grimrose Girls had a lot of components which piqued my interest but I was left wanting a bit more。 For example， the school in a remote location， possibility of a curse， diverse casts， and multiple POVs had great potential。 In the end， I felt that there was not enough time spent on any one character's POV to get to know them。 Especially at the beginning of the book， I was struggling to keep all of the characters straight。 The ending seemed rushed and there were many parts that felt too perfect （such as multiple characters ending up with romantic interests）。I would have enjoyed this book more if it had fewer points of view， took longer to tell the story， and had more character development。 I would still recommend this book to anyone wanting a quick， slightly suspenseful read。 There was good representation of people with different genders， sexualities， and backgrounds。 3。5 stars 。。。more
Dusty
，
RATING: 2。5 STARSThe Grimrose Girls by Laura Pohl is a dark spin on fairytales that the Brothers Grimm would be proud of。 The book is a solid choice for those who are fans of mystery and dark academia - but might fall short in the eyes of fantasy readers。At the start of the story， Ella， Yuki， and Rory are returning to the ultra-exclusive Grimrose Academy in the mountains of Switzerland。 Things will not be the same， however， as they are missing the fourth member of their group Ariane。 Some th RATING: 2。5 STARSThe Grimrose Girls by Laura Pohl is a dark spin on fairytales that the Brothers Grimm would be proud of。 The book is a solid choice for those who are fans of mystery and dark academia - but might fall short in the eyes of fantasy readers。At the start of the story， Ella， Yuki， and Rory are returning to the ultra-exclusive Grimrose Academy in the mountains of Switzerland。 Things will not be the same， however， as they are missing the fourth member of their group Ariane。 Some think Ariane committed suicide or simply drowned， but her friends believe someone killed her and are determined to find out what happened。 After new girl Nani finds a mysterious book of fairytales in Ariane’s closet， things get even stranger and they must race to solve the mystery before it’s too late。 While reading， I was reminded of the Once Upon a Time tv show。 Both Once Upon a Time and The Grimrose Girls leave you wondering which fairytale corresponds to each character。 Some of the fairytale relations were fairly obvious （Ella） while others were hard to pin down （Yuki）。 I enjoyed figuring out who was who - this aspect was my favorite part while reading。 It was a little hard at times to connect the fairytale retelling aspect to the dark academia。 Admittedly， these two genres are not commonly crossed。 The atmosphere definitely felt dark and the author did a great job building the setting。 I had no problems envisioning the academy， though I did wonder at times why they set it at an academy if they barely covered any school-related issues or scenes。 However， the fairytale aspect was where the book fell flat。 I felt like I was missing something in explanations on why things were happening， and I think that made it harder for me to connect to the story as a heavy fantasy reader。 This book is supposed to be part of a series， so I'm hoping the author leans more into the fairytale aspect for the second installment。 Despite giving this book a low rating， I would still consider reading the next installment as the author did enough to make me curious about what happens next for the foursome。 Thank you to the author， NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for allowing me to read an early copy of the book。 I appreciate the opportunity。 。。。more
Nashae Jones
，
This book combines three of my loves: fairy tales， LGBTQ+ representation， and murder。 To put it simply， I couldn't put this book down。 It was absolutely engrossing。 I absolutely loved the gothic boarding school/castle setting， and the characters were memorable and the plot kept me engaged。 I can't wait to get this book for my classroom。 This book combines three of my loves: fairy tales， LGBTQ+ representation， and murder。 To put it simply， I couldn't put this book down。 It was absolutely engrossing。 I absolutely loved the gothic boarding school/castle setting， and the characters were memorable and the plot kept me engaged。 I can't wait to get this book for my classroom。 。。。more
Other Rachel
，
A sinister take on fairytales， Laura Pohl twists the stories we know into a gothic sophomore novel about the narratives young girls are trapped in。 Those at the Grimrose Académie for Elite Student mourn the apparent drowning of one of their own。 What a tragedy to lose such a girl， what a horror。 However， the secrets she kept start to unravel as her friends investigate。 Ella， who is trapped by her cruel stepfamily: Yuki， who keeps her cold heart hidden， and Rory， who is determined to be no one's A sinister take on fairytales， Laura Pohl twists the stories we know into a gothic sophomore novel about the narratives young girls are trapped in。 Those at the Grimrose Académie for Elite Student mourn the apparent drowning of one of their own。 What a tragedy to lose such a girl， what a horror。 However， the secrets she kept start to unravel as her friends investigate。 Ella， who is trapped by her cruel stepfamily: Yuki， who keeps her cold heart hidden， and Rory， who is determined to be no one's damsel。 When the new student Nani joins them， so does the danger that exists inside the school。 Full of troubled friendships， diverse queer romances （my beloved lesbian with a sword！）， and fun explorations of what power fairytales have， The Grimrose Girls has a strong aesthetic！ At times， it felt like there were so many plot threads that the narrative became tangled。 One can hope these will be explored further in the sequel。 And while I went in having different expectations – less Pretty Little Liars and more Truly Devious – I was still charmed by the soapy dramatics that had real-life elements grounding them among the magic and curses。A copy was provided by NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Allie
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3。5 stars。 rtc
Caitlin Michelle
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**I read an e-arc of this through the "read now" section on NetGalley！**This was such an intriguing book and I'm so glad that it isn't a stand-alone because I definitely need more from this world， especially with the ending。 The pacing was a bit slow in the beginning for me and it took a little for me to get really into， but once I did， I basically read half the book in one sitting。 There was really great LGBTQA+ rep and mental health rep， and all of the characters were so unique and different f **I read an e-arc of this through the "read now" section on NetGalley！**This was such an intriguing book and I'm so glad that it isn't a stand-alone because I definitely need more from this world， especially with the ending。 The pacing was a bit slow in the beginning for me and it took a little for me to get really into， but once I did， I basically read half the book in one sitting。 There was really great LGBTQA+ rep and mental health rep， and all of the characters were so unique and different from each other， both the main and side characters。 I'm very interested to see where the plot is going in the next book because there are still so many questions and things to figure out。 I don't read a lot of "re-tellings" and I don't know if this would exactly be considered a re-telling because it's not one fairytale， but I really liked the spin the author put on the story and fairytales in general。 This was a really solid first book and I'm excited for what comes next！ 。。。more
Tiffany C
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In this magical murder mystery where the characters’ fates are all tied to classic fairytales （the gruesome ones）， we follow a group of three academy friends （plus the new girl who replaces their dead one） as they search for answers and try to end the curse that appears to be placed on Grimrose Academie before it ends them。 This was unfortunately a case of concept > execution。 I loved the idea behind the novel and was SO excited to read it but the hype behind it and the potential of the story ou In this magical murder mystery where the characters’ fates are all tied to classic fairytales （the gruesome ones）， we follow a group of three academy friends （plus the new girl who replaces their dead one） as they search for answers and try to end the curse that appears to be placed on Grimrose Academie before it ends them。 This was unfortunately a case of concept > execution。 I loved the idea behind the novel and was SO excited to read it but the hype behind it and the potential of the story outshined the actual writing。 Several of the characters were decidedly unlikeable。 It’s hard to root for characters that fall kind of flat in their development and spend most of their time acting like entitled mean girls whilst trying to prove that they aren’t entitled。 These “friends” are actually very nasty to one another。 The book features Asian， black， and Hawaiian characters， as well as characters with every hair color， financial status， and one plus sized character （though I wasn’t super fond of her depiction - particularly one scene where her glasses fall off and another character describes them as being so dirty they didn’t know how she sees through them。 It felt like the purpose was to make her seem awkward and gross， so it’s not GREAT representation， but it’s there）。 The book did feature serious LGBTQ+ representation （lesbian， male bisexual， asexual aromantic， biromantic demisexual， trans） but there was so much focus on this aspect that I think it actually took away from the main point of the story - which I thought was supposed to be the mystery。 Most of the plot points and development that the characters had happening was in regards to their sexuality。 Rather than it just being THEM， it was THE STORY - if that makes sense。 It’s classified as a fairytale retelling so I was hoping for a lot MORE of that as the main focus。 They briefly discuss aspects of the mystery but the development of the curse and the clues is honestly lacking。 I’m left with many questions unanswered。 The pacing of the novel is very slow where nothing notable happens for 200+ pages and then all of a sudden four people die in the span of maybe 50 pages。 As I came to the end of the novel and it became clear it is not a standalone， I was quite disappointed for this reason。 It’s a duology， but I do not plan on reading book two。 I do not feel it has enough content as is， so another book is much too much。 I wish it had been wrapped up with the one。 The book is young adult fiction and while I feel it had to be classified as this r/t the murdering， swearing， and nearly adult characters， it actually reads almost like a middle-grade。I feel like my review is coming across kind of harsh - I really didn’t HATE the book but I definitely didn’t love it。 I think I pick books apart more intensely when it is one that could’ve been SO GREAT if it had the right beta readers/editing， etc。 I feel like it has great bones but just wasn’t fleshed out enough to meet its potential。 It could have been super fun！It’s still a decent read overall， please still read and form your own opinions if you’re interested in it。 ~ the end for those who haven’t read it。 ❌ Ahead are things I wish would’ve been different （better understood if you have finished the novel because also some spoilers）:*confirmation of each of the girls relation to their fairytale。 It’s strongly hinted at and some of them know but never explicitly say it。 I figured out one right away， two and three shortly after， but am still not totally settled on #4， which is disappointing as I feel it was a big part of the book’s appeal。 *more teamwork between the girls to explore the mystery/curse。 Even when one gets LITERAL MAGIC， she remains a skeptic and wants to shut her friends down。 That’s no fun。 *A less obvious villain。 I knew straight away she was involved in some way。 But also - the reveal regarding that is not very believable。 How could she have influenced the deaths？ There isn’t much clarity surrounding those details。 。。。more
Megan Wors
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I really enjoyed this book。 I have been on a dark academia kick lately and I loved this unique perspective on the sub genre！ It’s not often that you get to read a fantasy retelling with a dark academia book， so I really appreciated how unique this was。This book followed the stories of 4 reimagined Fairytale princesses who have to figure out how their own curses can be stopped。 This is not the Disney fairytales that we remember though， these stories follow the much darker original fairytales。I ap I really enjoyed this book。 I have been on a dark academia kick lately and I loved this unique perspective on the sub genre！ It’s not often that you get to read a fantasy retelling with a dark academia book， so I really appreciated how unique this was。This book followed the stories of 4 reimagined Fairytale princesses who have to figure out how their own curses can be stopped。 This is not the Disney fairytales that we remember though， these stories follow the much darker original fairytales。I appreciated how inclusive this book was and the incorporation of LGBTQ characters， specifically those on the ACE spectrum as well。 I haven’t checked if this is the start of a series yet but I truly hope it is because I’m hooked and I need more。This was also a really fast read， so it’s perfect to binge in a night。Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an eARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Cady
，
From the moment I laid eyes on the gorgeous cover art， I knew The Grimrose Girls was my kind of YA book。 A group of girls at an exclusive， maybe-cursed boarding school。 A whole cast of LGBTQIA+ and disabled characters。 Fairytale heroines solving a murder mystery while also piecing together their own identities （in more ways than one）。 For a reader who loves the darker side of magical stories， there isn’t a whole lot more you could ask for in a YA novel。The story focuses on a group of girls at Gr From the moment I laid eyes on the gorgeous cover art， I knew The Grimrose Girls was my kind of YA book。 A group of girls at an exclusive， maybe-cursed boarding school。 A whole cast of LGBTQIA+ and disabled characters。 Fairytale heroines solving a murder mystery while also piecing together their own identities （in more ways than one）。 For a reader who loves the darker side of magical stories， there isn’t a whole lot more you could ask for in a YA novel。The story focuses on a group of girls at Grimrose Académie， an exclusive boarding school which is obviously in Switzerland and obviously a castle。 Ella， Rory， and Yuki are best friends mourning the loss of their missing piece， Ariane， who drowned in the school’s lake just a month prior。 Nani Eszes， a bookish outcast in search of her wayward father， is the new girl who just happens to take over Ariane’s room。 When Nani finds an old book of fairy tales featuring some very， very grim endings in the late Ariane’s wardrobe， she becomes a reluctant fourth to their group as they are thrust into a mystery older， darker， and more magical than they could have imagined。 First off， let’s applaud Laura Pohl here。 The amount of inclusivity and representation in this book is phenomenal， as there are characters of all different sexualities and gender identities。 And can I just say， it is so refreshing to see teenage girls actually comfortable in their sexuality！ I can see this story having a profound impact on teenagers who may be questioning or at odds with their own sexuality， as the ease with which our POV characters describe their attraction （or lack thereof） to the people around them feels natural and confident。 The premise of the story is wonderfully imaginative and well-executed。 Once the girls find the book， the story picks up speed very quickly， and I will admit my horror-loving heart had a few moments of grossed-out joy when things started getting dark - and let me just say， the author has a gift for writing gruesome imagery that took me by surprise in the best way。 For example， there’s a certain scene involving porridge that。。。Well， I won’t be eating oatmeal for a while。 Each POV character has a unique voice and the transitions， for the most part， are smooth and keep the story moving along nicely。 My personal favorite was Rory， a lesbian sass machine who loves fencing and profanity， and who struggles with chronic illness in a way that felt realistic while also showcasing her determination。 More than once， I found myself laughing out loud at her snappy comebacks。 The story’s strength lies in its characters and central mystery， though I found the ending to be somewhat disappointing。 The grand reveal at the end left me wondering if it was even supposed to be a twist， as it seemed to be more spotlighted than foreshadowed from the first chapters。 Also， the resolution of this book felt a little unsatisfying thanks to having so many loose ends。 I know this is the first installment of a series， so it was certainly intentional， but I felt like our heroines （and myself as a reader） deserved a little more closure。 With that small piece of criticism aside， I fully intend to pick up the next installment。 While the book itself may not have perfectly stuck the landing， I really really really need to know what’s happening at this boarding school/magical death trap and， more importantly， to Rory and her f-bombs。 Disclosure: I was provided a copy of this book via NetGalley。com in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Katie Dei
，
If you enjoy twists on fairytales and Queer reads， this is the book for you。 Laura Pohl’s The Grimrose Girls takes what you know about The Grimm Brothers’ fairytale heroines and flips it on its head。 We have four main characters in the story: Yuki， Rory， Ella， and Nani attend a boarding school for girls in Switzerland where students are mysteriously dying。 One death is that of their best friend and leads them to hunt for answers they are unsure they will be able to find。I love the characters， th If you enjoy twists on fairytales and Queer reads， this is the book for you。 Laura Pohl’s The Grimrose Girls takes what you know about The Grimm Brothers’ fairytale heroines and flips it on its head。 We have four main characters in the story: Yuki， Rory， Ella， and Nani attend a boarding school for girls in Switzerland where students are mysteriously dying。 One death is that of their best friend and leads them to hunt for answers they are unsure they will be able to find。I love the characters， the setting， and picture that Pohl paints of this boarding school。 The Grimrose Girls is a fast read， but a slow build。 Pohl spends a lot of time flushing out the characters for us and this can make some moments feel stagnant， unless you are a character driven reader， in which case this is book is perfect for you。 If you need a little more action， the first few chapters might be hard to get into， but if you power through， it will reward you。Pohl weaves her words together beautifully and it so easy to picture every scene in this book。 There isn’t a moment where you are confused about what is going on。 This was a fantastic book to start my October off with and whether or not you read during spooky season， definitely add this book to your TBR。 *I received a complimentary copy of this book。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。 * 。。。more
Rebeca Arruda
，
Wow。 The “Pretty Little Liars meets Descendants” pitch had me convinced from the start。 But what I wasn’t ready for was the amazing characters Laura created - the four POVs are so well written and you can totally feel how nuanced each character is。 The mystery is also really well done and it entertained me from start to finish。 I loved all the twists and can’t wait to see how the series will end。
Kristi
，
I am such a fan of dark academia and the setting of The Grimrose Girls is catnip to my little kitty soul！ Set in a Swiss castle， aptly named Grimrose Académie， it starts with the mysterious death of Ariane and the friends she left behind to grieve。 Ella， Yuki， and Rory all know that Ari would never kill herself despite what the police investigation rules。 When new student Nani arrives， taking Ari’s place as Rory and Yuki’s roommate， the girls begin to work together to unmask the truth of what ha I am such a fan of dark academia and the setting of The Grimrose Girls is catnip to my little kitty soul！ Set in a Swiss castle， aptly named Grimrose Académie， it starts with the mysterious death of Ariane and the friends she left behind to grieve。 Ella， Yuki， and Rory all know that Ari would never kill herself despite what the police investigation rules。 When new student Nani arrives， taking Ari’s place as Rory and Yuki’s roommate， the girls begin to work together to unmask the truth of what happened to Ari。 More death and destruction occur and a mysterious book may hold the answer to the curse that the girls are looking for。 Full of fairytale magic and curses， the girls struggle to change what fate may bring。 There’s an overwhelmingly dark and sinister atmosphere that I loved and I think the combining of well-known fairytales is so clever and entertaining。 Thank you， Sourcebooks Fire， for this gifted copy。 。。。more
Erica
，
I received an ARC of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 Grimrose Académie， an elite boarding school， is also home to unfortunate girls who are cursed by their analogous fairy tale stories。 Ella， Yuki， and Rory are grieving the recent death of their best friend Ariane who's drowning was labeled a suicide。 With a little help from some new friends， the trio is determined to find out what really happened to Ariane。 They soon discover that Ariane wasn't the first death at Grim I received an ARC of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 Grimrose Académie， an elite boarding school， is also home to unfortunate girls who are cursed by their analogous fairy tale stories。 Ella， Yuki， and Rory are grieving the recent death of their best friend Ariane who's drowning was labeled a suicide。 With a little help from some new friends， the trio is determined to find out what really happened to Ariane。 They soon discover that Ariane wasn't the first death at Grimrose when they stumble across an unusual book of Grimm fairy tales which appears to foretell their deaths and if they can't figure out how to break their curses they could be next。Grimrose Girls is a new YA fairy tale reimagining series with a modern day setting。 Each of the students shares similarities with a specific fairy tale written in the pages of an unusual old book。 These fairy tales aren't the happily ever after endings they remember being told as children but rather tells a story of the horrific and often graphic deaths of the main characters。 The story follows the different characters as they grieve the loss of their friend， try to determine how to break their curse， and discover truths about themselves。 Although this novel kicks off with a mysterious death， I felt as though the plot wasn't really "fleshed out" enough。 It felt as if I was being dragged along through a story with not enough information。 The novel is a quick read with each chapter being fairly short but I found myself not relating to or caring about any of the characters。 The novel is an interesting twist on fairy tale reimagining's and although enjoyable， it just didn't live up to the hype for me or have the level of oomph that I was hoping for。 。。。more
Kera’s Always Reading
，
While reading this， I felt like I was walking the corridors of Grimrose Académie with these girls。 The writing is vibrant and intoxicating。 I just finished this one and I already need more！Mourning the death of their best friend Ariane， Ella， Yuki and Rory cannot allow themselves to believe that she killed herself like the police have concluded。 And， with the arrival of a new student （and their new roommate， taking Ariane’s bed） Nani， they are forced to face the fact that she is never coming bac While reading this， I felt like I was walking the corridors of Grimrose Académie with these girls。 The writing is vibrant and intoxicating。 I just finished this one and I already need more！Mourning the death of their best friend Ariane， Ella， Yuki and Rory cannot allow themselves to believe that she killed herself like the police have concluded。 And， with the arrival of a new student （and their new roommate， taking Ariane’s bed） Nani， they are forced to face the fact that she is never coming back。But， the secrets and deceptions run deep in this all girls elite boarding school。 And upon finding a book that Ariane had， those secrets begin spilling out， creating fear and tumultuous ground between the friends。They all must work together to figure out what happened to their friend while students begin to die around them。 Something wicked is cursing the girls and as they dig deeper， they discover history repeating， leaving them to be the ones to break the cycle。This book was addictive and I couldn’t put it down。 I am such a sucker for retellings especially when they are combined with dark academia， queer girls and great writing。 This book has it all。 。。。more
Rupkatha Bhattacharjee
，
The Grimrose Girls Arc Review Thank you Netgalley for the arc！ This however does not affect my honest review at all。The students of the famous Grimrose Academie are the best of the best。 They're rich， perfect， beautiful and just like the princesses and princes that belong in fairytales。 But that is the problem isn't it？ The fates of the students are inexplicably tied to stories that belong in a children's book but there's a twist。 None of these endings are happy。 ________________________________ The Grimrose Girls Arc Review Thank you Netgalley for the arc！ This however does not affect my honest review at all。The students of the famous Grimrose Academie are the best of the best。 They're rich， perfect， beautiful and just like the princesses and princes that belong in fairytales。 But that is the problem isn't it？ The fates of the students are inexplicably tied to stories that belong in a children's book but there's a twist。 None of these endings are happy。 _____________________________________ After the death of their best friend Ariane， Ella，Yuki and Rory have banded up to solve the mystery of her death。 Everything seems bleak since even the police have ruled it as a suicide but when they discover a book of fairytales with the help of Nani， the equally mysterious new girl， it changes everything。 _____________________________________ One word that I have for this book is: Disappointing。 It had everything in it to be the best book of 2021 except well a plausible plot。 Let's start with the characters， we have 4 pov characters Ella，Yuki，Rory and Nani。 All four of them have different motives， voices and personalities but at the end， they all become one dimensional and remain without any character development。 There's a huge cast excluding the main 4， there's multiple students at the academy who have a role， there's the love interests and the friends， siblings， families， many more characters that I cannot name。 At the end， it all became a one big mess。 The characters were one big caricature and not fleshed out at all， their backstories were huge infodumps and why Ariane， Yuki， Ella and Rory were friends wasn't even understandable to me because they all had nothing in common。 And all they did on page was fight and bicker among each other。 Next up the setting， I love boarding school settings and they immensely please the dark academia fan in me but one thing that bugged me was these kids just never study。 I mean you're at an extremely expensive school but you don't have to study at all？？ The pacing of this book was fast and that's the only good thing about this and also the only thing that kept me from dnf-ing。 The main problem for the failure of an idea with such potential was it's too short chapters。 The chapters are barely 2 pages and its extremely annoying to keep jumping from pov to pov。 If the scenes were longer then atleats it wouldn't feel like I was reading an anthology of stories about characters I barely care about。 And the ending was very very anti climatic with a plot twist sprung out of the blue。 All in all 1。5 stars for keeping me entertained through the weekend and the amazing concept。 Recommended if you want to read a fast paced spooky book this fall。 。。。more
Kendra
，
** Thank you Edelweiss+ and Sourcebooks Fire for the advance copy of this book。 Gah。 What can I say。 I wanted to LOVE this。 But I didn’t。 I did， however， like it enough to probably read the second book to see where it goes。 I didn’t really connect at all with the characters- I think I was too busy trying to match them up with fairytales- or the plot。 But as this was a series starter， I have high hopes the story will progress with more meat。 3⭐️
Jessica Julien
，
Whoo， was this a fun read！ I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery and drama of this narrative。 I'm a huge fan of retellings， so the connection to fairytales was really interesting to me。It was difficult to keep track of the different characters as we follow 4 different girls at the same time。 The chapters were short， so it was continuously jumping around from girl to girl but once the story picked up the flow was easier to keep up with。 The relationship of the girls and their personalities were fun an Whoo， was this a fun read！ I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery and drama of this narrative。 I'm a huge fan of retellings， so the connection to fairytales was really interesting to me。It was difficult to keep track of the different characters as we follow 4 different girls at the same time。 The chapters were short， so it was continuously jumping around from girl to girl but once the story picked up the flow was easier to keep up with。 The relationship of the girls and their personalities were fun and relatable， lots of unique traits that kept them separate but is also what brought them together。 I'm excited for the next one， I'm hoping we get to see more behind the scenes of the girls' lives now that we have a baseline of their school life。。。 I'm particularly interested in Rory's secrets and eager to know more about Yuki's new trait！！A highly recommended read for those who like fairytales （and not the happily ever after ones）， aren't afraid of a little bloody details， and enjoy thriving friendships。 。。。more
Amanda
，
I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book but I definitely liked what I got！ I am such a huge fan of dark academia and I fell completely in love with this setting。 A castle located in the Swiss Alps transformed into an elite boarding school full of hidden rooms， passage ways and mystery。 The characters were fantastic and the mix of Disney fairy tale stories with a twist made the book that much better。 I read this in a day and cannot wait for the rest of the series！
（Energy）
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Three girls at an elite boarding school want to solve the death of their friend。 Each girl is unique and goes about their loss in different ways。 Spinning in fairy tale elements， this blends a bit of real-life with the magical。 There is a character for everyone in The Grimrose Girls， someone for each of us to relate to。 Even Yuki， who is a tough character to like， has her charm。 She wants no part in any of this and is rude in how she goes about making her stance。 Personally， her reasons don't fi Three girls at an elite boarding school want to solve the death of their friend。 Each girl is unique and goes about their loss in different ways。 Spinning in fairy tale elements， this blends a bit of real-life with the magical。 There is a character for everyone in The Grimrose Girls， someone for each of us to relate to。 Even Yuki， who is a tough character to like， has her charm。 She wants no part in any of this and is rude in how she goes about making her stance。 Personally， her reasons don't fit her actions， and I know there must be more to it。 The ultimate question is， why is a school that is riddled with girls dying still open？ I hope that is answered in future books because no parent who pays as much as these parents do for tuition will be okay with their children dying left and right。 But， as with Yuki， the book has its charm。 It's fun watching the girls piece together what is happening。 It's an enjoyable mystery that hooks readers from the start。 When I request a book from Netgalley， especially one that falls under Fantasy， I usually check to see if it's part of a series because authors and publishers have a way of making a series a serial。 Sadly， I requested this before it was labeled a book one， and I realized it wasn't a standalone。 I also understand that ARCs still have another round of editing to go through before they hit the market， but wow， my copy is filled with poor spelling and grammar， and that's pretty rare for me。 I think with a final edit， the book will hold so much more appeal。 Thank you， Sourcebooks Fire， for sending this along。 。。。more
Jesse Ruth （The best boyfriends are book boyfriends）
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Thank you Netgalley so much for this incredible arc！This gave me everything I wanted！ LGBTQ+， a boarding school that's actually a huge castle in Switzerland， so many fairytale retellings and a mystery！ Yes， I was all there for this！ Ella， Yuki and Rory are devastated by the death of their friend Arianne。 They do not believe it was suicide， which is the main rumor， so they are on a quest to find real answers。 Around this time Nani shows up and becomes a new member of the group with new insights。 Thank you Netgalley so much for this incredible arc！This gave me everything I wanted！ LGBTQ+， a boarding school that's actually a huge castle in Switzerland， so many fairytale retellings and a mystery！ Yes， I was all there for this！ Ella， Yuki and Rory are devastated by the death of their friend Arianne。 They do not believe it was suicide， which is the main rumor， so they are on a quest to find real answers。 Around this time Nani shows up and becomes a new member of the group with new insights。 This tale is full of twists and turns and surprises （some romantic surprises that made me squeal with happiness）。I loved this gorgeous and atmospheric tale from start to finish！ Definitely give this a shot and get swept away into this amazing world！ 。。。more
Lydia Hephzibah
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2。5 rounded up。 This felt really basic， to be honest， and the writing felt kind of childish even though it's supposed to be older YA。 it just doesn't match up to books the genre is producing these days - the voice was amateur and it didn't feel like anything new。 I appreciated the queer rep， even though it felt quite flat。 2。5 rounded up。 This felt really basic， to be honest， and the writing felt kind of childish even though it's supposed to be older YA。 it just doesn't match up to books the genre is producing these days - the voice was amateur and it didn't feel like anything new。 I appreciated the queer rep， even though it felt quite flat。 。。。more
Sofia Soter
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It's such a gift to be able to follow Laura's journey as a writer — through the Last 8 duology， and now through this new series！ Her knack for characters comes full force in The Grimrose Girls， with four interwoven POVs that really pull the many story threads together。 Even though I knew all that was gonna happen beforehand （girlfriend privileges！）， seeing it come together on the page was truly magical， and I can't wait to see the magic ramp up in the sequel， in Ella's， Nani's， Rory's and Yuki's It's such a gift to be able to follow Laura's journey as a writer — through the Last 8 duology， and now through this new series！ Her knack for characters comes full force in The Grimrose Girls， with four interwoven POVs that really pull the many story threads together。 Even though I knew all that was gonna happen beforehand （girlfriend privileges！）， seeing it come together on the page was truly magical， and I can't wait to see the magic ramp up in the sequel， in Ella's， Nani's， Rory's and Yuki's path to their fairy tale happy endings。 （view spoiler）[P。S。 Penelope， my favorite horrible girl， you will be missed and I hope to see you again in the land of fanfiction。 （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Elizabeth Davis
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4。5 starsGrimrose Girls is like finding a fine chocolate laced with arsenic。 It's decadent and beautiful， and filled with the threat of death。 The novel is laced with foreboding from the start even while we laugh at the girls' banter and their "normal" teenage lives， and Pohl's words create a rich and heavy atmosphere that suck unwary bystanders in and threaten violence。 This is a gruesome novel， with ample death and despair。 Adults stand unhelpfully in the shadows， and in some cases are as vile 4。5 starsGrimrose Girls is like finding a fine chocolate laced with arsenic。 It's decadent and beautiful， and filled with the threat of death。 The novel is laced with foreboding from the start even while we laugh at the girls' banter and their "normal" teenage lives， and Pohl's words create a rich and heavy atmosphere that suck unwary bystanders in and threaten violence。 This is a gruesome novel， with ample death and despair。 Adults stand unhelpfully in the shadows， and in some cases are as vile as the wickedness threatening the girls。 Despite all of that， the easy banter between the girls and the ample slivers of hope in the form of love interests and gentle kindnesses keeps the novel from plunging into misery。 While I think this is an all-around excellent book， my only critique is that some things were not clear to the reader， but written as being clear to the characters。 Obviously this is a literary device and some of these cases made sense in light of the coming sequel， but in other cases the reader was clearly supposed to know what had happened as well， but for whatever reason it wasn't written clearly。 These cases were minor and I would attribute them solely to Pohl having to switch between four characters constantly， which can be confusing for the reader when trying to explain a complex event。 Ultimately， I would suggest this book to anyone， especially for the month of Halloween， and I thank NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more
Dilayra Verbrugh
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Fairytales， lots of LGBTQ characters， diversity， mystery， boarding school， short chapters and dark academia！ This book was a bit slow in the beginning but once I was around p80 I couldn’t put the book down！ It was amazing and I didn’t even guess the ending！ Loved it 🥰
Daira
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Last year I read a book by Laura Pohl （The Last 8） and while I had some issues with it， I decided to give this authors books another shot。 „The Grimrose Girls“ ended up being quite different， for better or worse。 The story follows a group of girls – Ella， Yuki， and Rorry – who are coming to terms with the fact that they have just lost their friend Ariane。 A suicide， an accident or something else entirely， the death doesn‘t leave their minds as easily as it seems to everyone else's。 Subtle detail Last year I read a book by Laura Pohl （The Last 8） and while I had some issues with it， I decided to give this authors books another shot。 „The Grimrose Girls“ ended up being quite different， for better or worse。 The story follows a group of girls – Ella， Yuki， and Rorry – who are coming to terms with the fact that they have just lost their friend Ariane。 A suicide， an accident or something else entirely， the death doesn‘t leave their minds as easily as it seems to everyone else's。 Subtle details that do not fit together and the strange happenings in their elite boarding school， Grimrose Académie， lead girls to question what really happened to their friend。 They are joined on this search by a new girl， Nani， who has questions and worries of her own。。。 „The Grimrose Girls“ is a retelling of well known and beloved fairy tales， based on their darker， older counterparts （think Grimms' tales instead of Disney）。 While the modern spin on certain details from the stories were interesting and well thought out， some of the ‚clues‘ to which girl corresponds to what story felt a bit too on the nose （Yuki‘s name， for example）。 The representation was for the most part by a margin better than what I usually find in books。 It was amazing to see such different characters， just as we‘d expect in real life， with a variety of physical and psychological health issues， sexualities and cultures。 This was not done without a fault， of course， but I feel like the author did a lot of research and genuinely cared about what she was including。 Perhaps my biggest problem laid with the characters， specifically Yuki， and it‘s hard for me to explain why coherently or without spoiling things。 I just felt that she was hypocritical and dishonest to everyone including herself with very little reason。 I suppose one could assume this to come from the way she was raised， how she was taught to behave and to think， but it nevertheless made me dislike her。 All in all， I read the book in two days （which is quite a feat for me， considering my schedule， so you know I was invested） and liked the representation and how it was interwoven into the contemporary fantasy （if I can call it that？） without overshadowing the story or becoming just random tidbits of additional information。 I am looking forward to the conclusion of this story。 I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley， and I am leaving this review voluntarily。 。。。more
Kristi Housman Confessions of a YA Reader
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RTC on blog。Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my earc。
Beata
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Really fun and quick read！The characters and relationships were well done， and the murder mystery kept me engaged。 I wish I could quote some of the dialogue because it was really funny。 Full review coming soon！
Rosa
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Interesting take on fairy tale retellings。 The writing in the beginning was a exposition-heavy and simplistic， but each character stands on her own and carries her role and storyline well。 Fantastic rep throughout。 Unexpectedly gory with a lot of disturbing situations， but I'm not complaining。 Definitely going to read the sequel。Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC。 Interesting take on fairy tale retellings。 The writing in the beginning was a exposition-heavy and simplistic， but each character stands on her own and carries her role and storyline well。 Fantastic rep throughout。 Unexpectedly gory with a lot of disturbing situations， but I'm not complaining。 Definitely going to read the sequel。Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC。 。。。more
kaelin
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Like Ever After High， but make it dark and queer。 THE GRIMROSE GIRLS is strangely addictive， a twisted story that challenges the classic fairytales。At first glance， the story may not seem like much: four girls attending a prestigious boarding school， each of them burdened with their own struggles but banding together to uncover the mystery behind the death of their friend。 The beginning read as generic and amateur。 Little did I know。 Through a writing technique that I've seen rarely before， the Like Ever After High， but make it dark and queer。 THE GRIMROSE GIRLS is strangely addictive， a twisted story that challenges the classic fairytales。At first glance， the story may not seem like much: four girls attending a prestigious boarding school， each of them burdened with their own struggles but banding together to uncover the mystery behind the death of their friend。 The beginning read as generic and amateur。 Little did I know。 Through a writing technique that I've seen rarely before， the lines of the story become infinitely more tangled and convoluted as the book progresses。 I could scarcely put it down， even when the events were menial and boring。 What presents itself as plain and innocent is mangled and bloody underneath。 Dark motives。 A captivating mystery。 And girls who are capable of so much more than what is expected of them。The representation in this book-- *chef's kiss*--there's a disabled main character （fibromyalgia） who's literally such a bad bleep。 There's an aroace main character。 A fat main character。 A main character who suffers from OCD and anxiety。 The list goes on。 These girls are so， so lovable。 My main complaints are that the POV's were hard to distinguish from one another most of the time， so I would've liked to see each character's voice explored further。 Also， the mental illness of the aforementioned character seemed almost like an afterthought？ There were random mentions of her counting things and fidgeting， but that's it; that's barely scratching the surface of what severe anxiety and OCD really look like， and that bothered me。Overall， its faults were enough for me to dock a star， but I still enjoyed it。 Beware， though--THE GRIMROSE GIRLS is not a standalone！！ I had hoped it would be， but was still pleased with the ending and am eagerly awaiting the sequel。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Grimrose Girls
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Grimrose Girls&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Grimrose Girls&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0