“This is going to be big.” -Entertainment Weekly“Juicy, clever, and beguiling.” -Cecily von Ziegsar, author of the Gossip Girl novelsA 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 … 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.
more
I picked up this book because it was described as a mix between The Secret History and Gossip Girl , and I loved The Secret History. In terms of plot, that’s a fair description (it’s about a teenager inducted into a secret society at her prep school, and how things turn dark when she suspects they had something to do with her mother’s disappearance).
All These Beautiful Strangers didn’t have the multi-layered characters of The Secret History or tangential philosophical musings I found so interesting, as it’s more propelled by plot. But I thought the author did a good job of unraveling the story in a thoughtful way, and using the different point-of-views tactfully. I’d recommend it as a summer read if you’re looking for something with a bit of suspense!
While I perhaps wanted more of the boarding school crazy drama/mystery solving/secret elite club heists that I might expect from a YA book like this, this read was still fun, albeit a tad darker than I thought it would be, and a great way to spend a sunny afternoon curled up with a book!
Just snagged this BookBub deal before a long flight, and was entertained throughout my entire trip. I even waved the flight attendant off when she was coming around with snacks, and I generally don’t do that!
This is a page-turner told from several different points of view. Characters are well-developed, so much so that one character in particular (one we never technically hear from) is someone you come to feel protective over as a reader, someone you care about. The shifts in time, place and point of view are done in a way that feels seamless to the reader. I couldn’t put it down until I knew “who dunnit”and the ending did not disappoint.
A great read.
Secret societies, private schools, the young and the beautiful. Klehfoth draws the reader into a seductive web of lies, half truths, and danger. I don’t usually enjoy young adult POVs, but their self obsessed inherent unreliability really works with this story. Looking forward to her next book.
I enjoyed this book. I did kinda get confused some because of it going back and forth and many characters. I would still recommend this book. It says it is a thriller, but I didn’t feel like it was.
Great characters. I loved that Charlie was redeemed in the end.
A good read. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Very good book. Intriguing and a page turner.
/ 5
All These Beautiful Strangers by Elizabeth Klehfoth will hook you from the very start and eat up ALL of your free time.
What it’s about: Charlie is 7 when her mother disappears from the family lake house never to be seen again. Now at age 17 Charlie is going to a prestigious boarding school called Knollwood Prep where there is an elite group of students called the “A’s”. The A’s have chosen her to be an initiate to their secret club, but to be a part of it she must play a very serious game that will threaten everything. As if that wasn’t enough, secrets of the past are coming to light and causing Charlie to wonder if her mom really did run off, or if something much worse is at play.
This book was SO GOOD! I believe this is a young adult novel but I found myself forgetting that as I read. I also cannot believe it is a debut novel because it reads like this author has been in the game (of writing silly) for a very long time. I was fully engrossed in the story and had a hard time putting it down. This book is over 400 pages but I didn’t even notice because the pages fly by so fast.
All These Beautiful Strangers switches through a few different viewpoints and from past to present, but I think Charlie in present time was my favorite overall. I loved the boarding school setting and seeing her grow as a person throughout the book. There are some pretty unlikable characters but most were the type that you love to hate, and I saw enough growth in Charlie that she didn’t end up bugging me as a character. It was actually quite fun reading from her POV and I adored the humor Klehfoth infuses into the novel.
Plus, I think we can all agree that the cover of this novel is gorgeous. It screams summer to me and would make the perfect beach read (or all year round read since it’s so dang good!). I loved the mystery aspect about Charlie’s mom and there are quite a few twists and turns that I wasn’t expecting.
Final Thought: Overall I really loved All These Beautiful Strangers. There is a mystery, a dash of romance, secrets, drama, and so much more. The pace was on point and not once did I find this book dull or want to stop reading it. I thought it read more like adult fiction but maybe that’s just me. Either way, I can tell that Klehfoth has a ton of talent and I can’t wait to see what her next novel brings! Highly recommend this addicting, duplicitous novel.