Rebecca James

To escape the media attention generated by her sister's murder, a grieving seventeen-year-old Australian girl moves away and meets a vibrant new friend who harbors a dangerous secret.

Beautiful malice

Beautiful Malice

Discovered this book when I was 12, it had me hooked until the end. 

The characters were intriguing and the plot was dark and interesting. 

Lulu Evensen

Discovered this book when I was 12, it had me hooked until the end. 

The characters were intriguing and the plot was dark and interesting. 

Loved it. I will reread it soon 



Jessica L. Peryman

This book broke my heart then rebuilt it then broke it again and so on. 

This is the book that gave me my love for suspense/ physiological fiction books ❤

Katherine has moved away from her shattered once-perfect family to start a new life in Sydney. There she keeps her head down until she is befriended by the charismatic Alice, and her life takes her in new directions. But there is a dark side to Alice, and as we learn the truth of Katherine's sister's death and Alice's background their story spirals to an explosive finale. A potent, intense and simply unputdownable psychological thriller from an exciting voice.

Olivera Mitić

This is one of those books which leave you a really nasty feeling in the stomach when you finish them. It certanly made me feel uneasy from the very fisrt page. 

Right now I am not going to talk about the characters in general, or about the writing, or about anything other than Alice. Alice was the most memorable character I have ever had the pleasure of reading about so far. She was so mindblowing, so unpredictable and so creepy that I honestly only kept thinking about her during the whole book. 
Her actions shocked me. Her transformation was amazing. She was such a mean and crazy person that came in the pacage of a beautiful and popular girl who seemed to be just like anyone else. 
I cannot imagine how Rebecca James even came to the idea of inventing someone like Alice, but honestly women, I bow down for you. You really have impressed me for life. 

The writing really did it for me. I finished the book in two sittings and i was so interested in what was yet to come that I was mentally absent during family dinners, only thinking about what will happen next. 

This is the first book that I have read that takes place in Australia. That made it even more interesting for me. 

The reason why this book got a 3 star rating lies in the fact that I was left to wonder how I feel about it after finishing it. And even after more than a month, I still wonder. The plot was rather simple, yet terrifying, even though I saw some of the parts coming (mostly why Alice acted the way she did). I get chills every time I think about it. Really, the rating is just a personal thing, but speaking objectively - this is a pure example of literar genius.

Jessica Nottingham

First off, let me say that I really don't think that this book wasn't exactly what I was expecting. I can't put my finger on it, but something was missing that I was expecting. After reading I had to take a step back to think about how I really felt. Right from the beginning I was a little frustrated with the fact that things weren't moving more quickly. Rebecca James does well at making sure she gives you just enough to keep you reading, but I wanted so much more.

I will honestly say that the premise of the story itself is good! Following Katherine through her grief after the death of her sister felt real enough. The unexpected twists and turns also do a great job of keeping the reader involved. Also, the way that the timeline jumps back and forth from past to present is fairly intriguing. Slow plot in the beginning was straining though and, unfortunately for me, the slow outweighed the intriguing. 

The characters in this story just felt flat to me. One-dimensional. I never really felt invested in any of them, and I was sad that I didn't feel more emotional when bad things happened. Quite the contrary, I was happy when these things happened because it caused the story to speed ahead. Katherine (Katie) Patterson (Boydell) just never struck me as someone who I wanted to connect with. Mostly I was frustrated by Katherine's inability to cope. Yes, I know she is young in this book. I get that. However the initial sympathy I felt for her was soon replaced by annoyance. I loved Robbie, but I kept wishing he didn't act like such a door mat. In fact, the one character I felt the most for in this story was Alice. Despite her evil exterior, I think she was probably the most well-written character.

Final thoughts? I really wish I could have connected with this book more. There was so much potential for it to be a great story, and I was saddened that it fell a bit flat. I enjoyed it enough to recommend it as a library read, however I can't say that I personally would purchase a copy.

Georgia Trueman 

Jess Smith

Eugenia 

Marta Costa 🐰

Lucy Upston 

Klara

Sofia Blomqvist Rytters

Neva Davies

Silje Risøy Helgerud

So. Were you glad, deep down? Were you glad to be rid of her? Your perfect sister? Were you secretly glad when she was killed?Following a horrific tragedy that leaves her once perfect family devastated, Katherine Patterson moves to a new city, starts at a new school, and looks forward to a new life of quiet anonymity. But when Katherine meets the gregarious and beautiful Alice Parrie her resolution to live a solitary life becomes difficult. Katherine is unable to resist the flattering attention that Alice pays her and is so charmed by Alice's contagious enthusiasm that the two girls soon become firm friends. Alice's joie de vivre is transformative; it helps Katherine forget her painful past and slowly, tentatively, Katherine allows herself to start enjoying life again.But being friends with Alice is complicated - and as Katherine gets to know her better she discovers that although Alice can be charming and generous she can also be selfish and egocentric. Sometimes, even, Alice is cruel. And when Katherine starts to wonder if Alice is really the kind of person she wants as a friend, she discovers something else about Alice - she doesn't like being cast off.Shocking and utterly absorbing, Rebecca James's strong narrative will grip readers from the very first page. BEAUTIFUL MALICE has become a publishing phenomenon, sparking numerous auctions worldwide, selling to 27 countries, and launching a previously unknown writer into the centre of the international book market.

Beautiful malice

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