Where Sleeping Girls Lie

3.5 stars!!!

This was not at all what I was expecting! I've heard a lot of hype about this author's previous novel but I never actually got around to reading it, so I went into this with zero expectations. This has a great dark academia with representation that is just a part of the story, not the central plot! I was super interested in unraveling the mysteries thoughout this book but when it came to the ending, things just started falling flat for me. I was super invested for majority of the book, it just felt like there was all this lead up for a big reveal and it was just a small thing. But overall, I liked how the main character's past and the mystery in present day tied together and I let out a couple loud “GOOD FOR HER”s. I will definitely go back and read this author's previous novel regardless because the writing in this one was so well done and easy to read.






Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and Feiwel & Friends for providing me with an eBook copy to review on NetGalley.

First line: The night it happened, there was a party.

Where Sleeping Girls Lie is a great thriller/mystery. I wouldn't say I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, as it's a bit of a slow burn, but I did feel like I was right there with Sade, trying to solve the puzzle. And it really was a puzzle. With most books, I don't think too hard on the mystery because I know it's going to be solved eventually. I'll come up with theories as I read but that's as far as I go. This book had me entering morse code into a translator and attempting to decipher an anagram. That's how invested I was, and it was so fun!

I worried that Sade and her friends working to solve a mystery would feel a bit like an episode of Scooby Doo, but I was pleased to find that it did not. It was also as realistic as a story about teenagers trying to solve a crime could be. They didn't know more than they should, they didn't solve it ridiculously quickly, and there were even times when they made more emotional than logical decisions. The characters felt very much like actual young adults - their behavior wasn't super juvenile, but it also wasn't overly adult in the way that some characters in books other YA media can be. 

Something else I really loved is the way that Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé describes her extremely diverse cast of characters. She does it so perfectly that even I had a clear picture of what they all looked like, and I don't even have the ability to visualize. Not only were their descriptions on point, but their personalities were fantastic. I loved Baz so much. Everyone needs a Baz in their life. 

The book starts off with a letter to the reader in which Àbíké-Íyímídé explains that “with Where Sleeping Girls Lie, I write to young girls who feel so much anger, and need desperately for someone or something to tell them that their rage is important, and that the capacity to heal from deep wounds is not at all impossible.” This is such an important message that spoke to the angry young girl I once was (and sometimes still am) in a way that I truly appreciate.

I wish I was more confident to do video reviews because I feel like that is what this book deserves. 

This book had me first at “Oh my god Faridah is about to murk my emotions” to “oh my god I need financial compensation for the emotional state of RUIN I am in”. 

Faridah has been my go to mystery author since Ace of Spades and at the time... that was her debut book. Her writing is top tier, and her storytelling is just as powerful. 

After finishing the book I went back to the letter Faridah wrote at the beginning of the book, and I was further torn. Don't get me wrong the book finishes on a beautiful note, but going back and reading the note really did it in for me. 

I don't even know how to write a review for this? I know I say that a lot just because I'm not great with explaining BUT I truly don't want to spoil anything. The synopsis does a great job of not going into the true story especially since this is a mystery book it is very easy to say one thing and mess up the story for someone. Which I don't want! 

Where Sleeping girls lie explores “boys will be boys”, and schools brushing serious issues under the rug, revenge, and a splash of top tier black feminine rage. But on a serious note divulges in topics such as sexual assault, rape, suicide and suicidal ideation, grief, and death of family members (including parents).

This one was definitely less nerve racking than Ace of Spades, but still gave me all the same level of anxiety. 

Sade (SHAH-DAY) is a dynamic character, and I want to talk more about her, but I feel like it would give too much away 😩

While reading I loved that I was able to catch on to the mystery, and clues that were sprinkled in. BUT I still didn't have the full picture until the very end.

Then there was THE ANAGRAM! There was a freaking anagram to solve while reading. That I unfortunately still don't understand even after the answer was revealed. I'm hoping to read other reviews closer to release, and see if anyone fully grasped it. 

I can't wait until March to see what everyone else thinks about it ! 

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