Name: All These Beautiful Strangers
ISBN: 9780241329498

Elizabeth Klehfoth

Charlie Calloway has a life most people would kill for - a tight-knit family, a loyal set of friends, and top grades a privileged boarding school. But Charlie's never been interested in what most people want. Like all Calloways, she's been taught that she's different, special - better. So when her school's super-exclusive secret society extends a mysterious invitation, Charlie's determination to get in is matched only by her conviction that she belongs there. But their secrets go deeper than she knows. Charlie finds herself thrust into the centre of a decades-old mystery - one that implicates her family in not one terrible crime, but two. Uncovering their past may destroy everything she knows - or give her the answer she's always craved- Who or what was behind her mother's disappearance ten years ago?

All These Beautiful Strangers

"This is going to be big." -Entertainment Weekly “Juicy, clever, and beguiling." -Cecily von Ziegsar, author of the Gossip Girl novels A young woman haunted by a family tragedy is caught up in a dangerous web of lies and deception involving a secret society in this highly charged, addictive psychological thriller that combines the dishy gamesmanship of Gossip Girl with the murky atmosphere of The Secret History. One summer day, Grace Fairchild, the beautiful young wife of real estate mogul Alistair Calloway, vanished from the family’s lake house without a trace, leaving behind her seven-year old daughter, Charlie, and a slew of unanswered questions. Years later, seventeen-year-old Charlie still struggles with the dark legacy of her family name and the mystery surrounding her mother. Determined to finally let go of the past, she throws herself into life at Knollwood, the prestigious New England school she attends. Charlie quickly becomes friends with Knollwood’s "it" crowd. Charlie has also been tapped by the A’s—the school’s elite secret society well known for terrorizing the faculty, administration, and their enemies. To become a member of the A’s, Charlie must play The Game, a semester-long, diabolical high-stakes scavenger hunt that will jeopardize her friendships, her reputation, even her place at Knollwood. As the dark events of past and present converge, Charlie begins to fear that she may not survive the terrible truth about her family, her school, and her own life.

A Novel

A chimera of cult classics like gossip girl, pretty little liars, and cruel intentions, to list off those from the top of my head.

Charlie and how she was written is still an enigma to me. She’s a very hypocritical person who rejects certain parts of her “Calloway genes” yet enjoys the benefits of those parts she deems acceptable. Still wrapping my head around whether this was intentional or not.

I’m still a bit unconvinced by how this book ended. Was the nuance truly earned? Either way, I actually enjoyed this book, it had its moments and I definitely saw the potential.

Chalking this book up to a simple tagline— #richpeopleproblems. It’s a good day to not be part of the 1%

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A chimera of cult classics like gossip girl, pretty little liars, and cruel intentions, to list off those from the top of my head.

Charlie and how she was written is still an enigma to me. She’s a very hypocritical person who rejects certain parts of her “Calloway genes” yet enjoys the benefits of those parts she deems acceptable. Still wrapping my head around whether this was intentional or not.

I’m still a bit unconvinced by how this book ended. Was the nuance truly earned? Either way, I actually enjoyed this book, it had its moments and I definitely saw the potential.

Chalking this book up to a simple tagline— #richpeopleproblems. It’s a good day to not be part of the 1%

Megan O’Connod

Phillippa Hinds 

This book is all about secrets. It follows a young women, Charlie Calloway, in her junior year of high school, who has just become an initiate of the “A’s” - which is her boarding schools secret society. With a crazy and unstable uncle Hank turning up and putting idea’s in her head about her mothers disappearance she has to figure out what happened to her mom while also balancing the A’s challenges and getting into her dream college.

A pure joy to read - 504 pages of pure mystery and drama - which I am not that much of a fan of - but found that I could not put it down and even now, after 2 months since I’ve read it, it still pops into my head every now and then because it was just an incredible read.
However there was a lot of mention of dark topics such as drowning, drugs, alcohol and death so I wouldn’t recommend to anyone under 12 or 13 years of age.

Jennifer Rittall

“If my investigation into my mother’s past had taught me anything, it was that no one can really understand the whole of a person. In many ways, my mother, my father—the people I was closest to, the people who meant the most to me—were strangers. Beautiful strangers.” 

This is the story of Charlotte (Charlie) Calloway. She lost her mother at a young age and because of something her uncle tells her in the present, she believes that she has been deceived about the facts surrounding her mother's disappearance/death.

Charlie attends a boarding school that her father also attended and this weaves another story line in the mix.

A page-turner for those who love a good mystery with a healthy dose of suspense.

Ruth Parker 

This book hooked me in right from the start and refused to let me go right up until the end. No, actually, it kept hold of me for even longer. I was addicted. I loved every second of this book. It was one of my favourite books of 2018.

If you like mysteries, thrillers, cults and boarding schools, this is THE book for you!

I'm literally not going to say another word through fear of spoiling it.

Just READ IT.

Jayarna La Bozzetta

2.5

In the hands of a better writer, this book would have been good. It had dark elements, a twisty plot and an actual good mystery. 

However the characters were flat, dumb and not fleshed out. They were also really unlikable, which I'm usually okay with, but the main character had no redeeming qualities. 

The first 2 thirds just felt like "and the plot thickens" constantly, and wish more reveals happened so I didn't feel like I was drowning in clues with no idea what they meant. 

The pacing was also really off. Some things were really drawn out and others really rushed. 

Things were reveal poorly with bad buildup and just ruined all the setup. 

Overall this was quite painful to read and it would have been a two star if not for the decent ending. Congrats on your .5 star, shitty book. Can't believe this author has a BFA and MFA in creative writing.

Justine Rose

This book was much darker than I thought going into it - but that wasn’t a bad thing for me. I was shocked at the actions of characters throughout the book and intrigued the whole time, it was definitely a great read in the YA thriller genre.

Zoë

GIVE ME ALL THE BOOKS THAT TAKE PLACE IN BOARDING SCHOOLS



also i’m mad i didn’t see the ending coming i’m dumb it’s fine

All These Beautiful Strangers

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