Review: Girls With Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young

Title: Girls With Sharp Sticks

Author: Suzanne Young

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publishing Date: March 19th, 2019

Pages: 400
Audio Length: 10 Hours and 35 Minutes

Genre: YA Contemporary Thriller
TW: Slight abuse 

Series: Girls With Sharp Sticks #1

Source: Audio

 

The Girls of Innovations Academy are beautiful and well-behaved—it says so on their report cards. Under the watchful gaze of their Guardians, the all-girl boarding school offers an array of studies and activities, from “Growing a Beautiful and Prosperous Garden” to “Art Appreciation” and “Interior Design.” The girls learn to be the best society has to offer. Absent is the difficult math coursework, or the unnecessary sciences or current events. They are obedient young ladies, free from arrogance or defiance. Until Mena starts to realize that their carefully controlled existence may not be quite as it appears.
As Mena and her friends begin to uncover the dark secrets of what’s actually happening there—and who they really are—the girls of Innovations will find out what they are truly capable of. Because some of the prettiest flowers have the sharpest thorns.

What made me pick this book up: 

I think it was mostly the title on this one. Girls With Sharp Sticks just sounds enticing to me. It sounds mysterious. 

What did I like about the cover: 

It fits the book so well. First of all the girl on the cover is gorgeous. In the book they keep talking about how beautiful she is. Innovations academy is only supposed to have the most beautiful girls. 

I love how she looks so perfect almost fake in the over skin, but where it cracked is still beautiful, but real and full of life almost. 

What made me read this book: 

I really like books that are set at boarding schools. They're either super creepy or kinda bad ass or what not. Usually super creepy. 

What did I like the most: 

Let me start with the story. Like I said, I love books set at boarding schools. This one was no exception. 

Of course you know from the synopsis/cover that this book is about perfect girls at a perfect finishing school.

That alone is interesting to me. Why are they perfect? What makes them so perfect? Are they really perfect?

(You'll have to read the book to find all the answers to this one)

This was written really well, it wasn't over descriptive but it kept me being able to visualize it and I just HAD to read more. I needed to know what was going on.

The "thing" that happens I really didn't see coming at all. I was like wait... what? It's kinda a weird thing, but it strangely makes sense. 

I kept getting some of the characters mixed up, but that might be because I was listening to it on audio and sometimes if there is quite a few names, I don't remember who is who. But they were all great and even for being... "perfect" they had their own personalities and I actually grew to care for them all. 

What didn't I like: 

That I have to wait an entire year for the next book. *Crying internally*

No but really, the only thing I had a problem with was the pace. It felt like it took half the book before anything really started happening. Things were happening to build up, but it was just small things. I guess now that I've read the whole book I can kinda see how important those little things were, but still. It just had a slow pace to it. 

Even once things started happening it felt kind of slow.

Also the whole book is kinda f'ed up. I hated the guardian. HATED HIM. I WANTED TO CUT HIM.

*Ahem*

Sorry about that. You'll understand if you read it. 

Would I read the rest of the series/more from this author?
Yes! I can't wait to read the second one. And there's a few of hers I've had my eyes on like...

I don't know what I expected with this book, but it wasn't at all what I was expecting. It was good but not WHAM BAM GREAT like I was hoping.

“Shame is the best teacher.” ― Suzanne Young, Girls with Sharp Sticks

Suzanne Young is the New York Times bestselling author of The Program, The Treatment, and several other novels. She currently lives in Tempe, Arizona where she teaches high school English and obsesses about books. Learn more about Suzanne at www.suzanne-young.blogspot.com