Cover Image: Girl A

Girl A

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Member Reviews

This is definitely one book that you won’t be able to forget!
Since it’s release I have both read the book and listened to the audiobook and the story line is still just as powerful the second time as it was the first.
The first reading of this amazing book literally took my breath away and it was impossible to not being invested in Girl A as well as her brothers and sisters.
I didn’t see the plot twists coming and one caused a lump in my throat it was so unexpected and heartbreaking.
If like me this book has been in your ‘to be read’ pile then I highly recommend you bringing it to the top of your list!
I had heard a lot of good things about this book and it was all correct, I just wish I’d read it sooner.
An outstanding book with an author to watch.

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This was an average book for me, nothing too exciting but a quick enough read. If you haven’t read many thriller / suspense novels then I think this would be more enjoyable.

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Genuinely engaging right to the end - the characters were deep, flawed and interesting, and the subject (while not unique) was unusual enough to add another layer that was slowly unpeeled as the story (and progress, and flashbacks) unfolded

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It took me three goes to get into this book. Once I got to 40% it finally had me.

I feel it went in to many different directions.

Great storyline, it just needs tweaking in areas.

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A creative take on the captor-captive thriller that looks at what happens in the years after captives are freed. The scope here is impressive: The author attempts to give voice to a range of characters, from the captives and their captor/s to foster families, partners and friends. Throughout, she sets up and untangles her main thread involving Girl A who escaped captivity and freed her siblings. When their jailed mother dies, Girl A formulates a plan for her inheritance. In seeking sign-off on this from her siblings, she finds them each in various states of trauma and recovery. We find, as Girl A does, that freedom means different things to different people, and that trauma manifests in unfathomable and heartbreaking ways. Dean's approach is, for the most part, is successful and gripping. This is not a typical mystery, but there are a few surprises along the way. Overall, an original take on the genre. Looking forward to the next book.

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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book. This was an excellent read.
Thoroughly recommended

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Hmm. This book didn't quite land it for me but if it's piqued your interest, this is what you're in for:

✨Abused children (7 of them)
✨Girl A struggling with her past
✨A family torn apart
✨A house of horrors

Granted I tend to live in a fantasy world, but from time to time I do love to dabble in a wee mystery/thriller book. This one fell flat for me. There's something about it that just doesn't sit right.
Perhaps it was the lack of detail about what actually goes on in her past and having to presume/guess that I got the general gist of it. Or perhaps it was just the way the story was told, but it just didn't grip me.

This is a super harrowing subject with an insanely traumatising storyline yet nothing seemed to actually happen. I just wanted to know more 🙁

I imagine (and hope that) I'm very much in the minority with this view as I know this will be some reader's jam.

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There’s something deeply unsettling, yet strangely compelling, about a book that highlights the darker side of human nature, especially when multiple themes vie for attention. In this case, religious fanaticism alongside child abuse, neglect and trauma. I wasn’t sure I’d have the stomach for it, but I found myself riveted from start to finish.

Girl A is Lex Gracie, one of seven siblings at the center of the “House of Horrors” child abuse case that once shocked a nation. Now a successful career woman, Lex is forced to confront her past, when their mother — the only surviving parent — dies in prison, naming Lex executor of her will.

Lex has an uneasy and distant relationship with all but one of her siblings, who, like her, were adopted and raised separately after their rescue. The will has left Lex with no choice but to get in touch with them all to sign off on their mother’s bequest. Each carries the scars of their trauma; some have coped (or hide it) better than others.

The standout of this book for me was Dean’s handling of the first-person narrative. Lex’s voice is searingly authentic and segues from the present to the past and back again — the transitions becoming more and more seamless — as she undertakes the difficult task of meeting with each sibling, whilst enduring flashbacks of their imprisonment and abuse at the hands of their crazy zealot of a father and complicit mother.

Hers is the voice of a survivor, of someone who has overcome the worst trauma imaginable. But as the past and present collide, Lex’s voice starts to waver with uncertainty and confusion. Lex may be a survivor, but as much as she’d like to think otherwise, she is a damaged survivor. Just how damaged is not clear until the very end of the book, when the legacy of her childhood is revealed in a gasp-aloud moment that sent shivers down my spine.

In Girl A, Abigail Dean has achieved something astonishing: a heartbreaking story of the lingering effects of child abuse that, while horrific, is so beautifully balanced with the astonishing resilience of the human spirit, that rather than shrink from it, you embrace it. Her secret, I think, is in avoiding sensationalism. And this is very, very clever.

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A very gritty story, the writing was very good but at time the plot fell flat for me. I found myself left wondering what was happening and having to use my imagination which didnt sit well with me. Sometimes when there is so much attention on one book I find myself expecting far to much. Over all I think the author did well with such a emotive subject but for me it just didnt have the standard of her other work

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I absolutely loved Girl A and ended up reading it back in April - thank you for approving me for a copy.
This is a difficult read at times and it will definitely make a lot of people uncomfortable. It details the impact of traumatic abuse on a family, and the aftermath for each of the children. Despite the subject, I absolutely loved the writing in this book and it kept me gripped. I will definitely read more from this author.

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Absolutely loved ‘Girl A’ by Abigail Dean. I don’t usually enjoy this type of story and I probably wouldn’t have bought it on the off chance. Given the opportunity by NetGalley to read an advance copy however , I thought I’d give it a go. I’m so glad that I did. Though distressing in parts the writing is excellent and the concentration on how the mind deals with trauma was so interesting.

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Actual rating 2.5/5 stars. Trigger warnings for child abuse, child neglect, suicide, and PTSD.

Lex Gracie was once only known as Girl A. She was the eldest sibling who grew up in, what the media termed, the House of Horrors. She suffered horrific abuse at the hands of her parents and is still suffering from the trauma many years later.

This was such a harrowing read! The book was focused mostly in the present but it continued increasingly lengthy passages providing insights to Lex's childhood. These past segments were very hard to read as they contained details of the horrifying treatment the children endured. There were a few specific pages towards the end of the book that made me nauseous with all it revealed and I doubt I have ever read anything as truly horrifying as what it contained.

However, despite acknowledging the powerful yet traumatising storyline, I also don't feel I ever got anything out of my time with it asides from sadness. The sections set in the present day showed how Lex and her siblings were still struggling with their pasts. I felt sensitively towards this but also don't truly understand the purpose.

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A major disappointment on all levels, so much so I made myself read it to the end just to see if it would redeem itself.

There’s so much wrong with this book I’m confused as to why it’s been rated as highly as it has and also hugely annoyed at how much of a let down it was.

The writing was terrible and hard to follow. Without warning a paragraph could suddenly be written from the past or present day. Chapters were long, rambling words all repeating the same thing.

The most annoying thing is that this book was meant to be about what happened AFTER. Of course you need to read up to the current day to understand the situation. But this book focuses almost entirely on before and the after is just Lex traveling to and from places, meeting her siblings (who are all vile) eating constantly and planning to convert her old home. Spoiler: nothing happens once they leave the house! The main focus and interesting part of the narrative is the bit we’re not meant to be focusing on.

There’s no twists, thrills or shocking elements. It’s more like reading a very monotone diary account which really could’ve been summarised a lot sooner and more could’ve been made of the book.

The characters are flat, I felt nothing towards Lex. Couldn’t really get to grips with who she was as a person or even how she looked. I was surprised at just how much hate there was in the family too. They’re all grown ups now and all share equal trauma, you’d think they’d either avoid each other and try to suppress the memories or it’s bring them all closer. The reality was that they were all strangers.

I’m so glad I have finished this book, I skimmed the last 40% and even that was painful!

Thank you to NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review. My view is my own and I hope that I remain in the minority.

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It's hard to believe that Girl A is a debut novel, It is extremely well written and powerful , the storyline is dark and disturbing detailing the abuse suffered as a child by Lexi and her siblings and may contain triggers. I was hooked throughout and utterly drawn into the unthinkable lives of these children who, as adults live with the trauma of their childhood which has profoundly affected each one in different ways.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this stunning debut, this is my honest review of the book.

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I felt like this book was really going somewhere, but fell a little flat for me, which is a shame as so many others seemed to love it.
Sadly not one I particularly enjoyed.

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This was a great read. Kept me rapt throughout thanks to the changing narrative and focus on the different siblings and what happened to them. I didn’t enjoy it as much as I expected to but I think that was mainly down to the fact that I’d seen it publicised so much that I’d built it up too much in my head! Overall a satisfying page-turner and sure to be a bestseller!

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Wow! This book addresses many difficult topics that some readers might find upsetting. Lexi, the protagonist seems quite cold and controlled but as you get to know her you realise that the tone is perfectly pitched to deliver this harrowing tale. The story switches from present day to reveal the terrible events in the life of Girl A. The dual timeline meant that the events are slowly revealed and it did take my breath away at times as revelations were made.

So many sad stories and events in this book. Readers should be aware that the parents are incredibly cruel to their children in this book which results in child death (filicide?). self-harm, addiction, suicide attempts.

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Lex Gracie was 15 when she became ‘The Girl Who Escaped’. Now a successful lawyer, when her mother dies in prison and names Lex as her executor she returns to England and reconnects with the siblings from whom she’d been separated as a teen. While not exactly a thriller, Girl A is a compulsive, propulsive read which I could not put down, as each new horror unfolded slowly on the page. It comes with major CNs for abuse, neglect and child loss: not one for the faint-hearted, but a fantastic read.

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Lex Gracie is Girl A, the one who escaped.
In a beautifully written novel, Dean gradually unveils the story of the Gracie family and the house of horrors they inhabited.
Now their mother has died and Lex has to confront her siblings and her past as they decide what to do with the home they’ve inherited.
Told through the children’s past and present, the novel is not always easy to read and it’s not always easy to piece the past together.
But this expertly mirrors Lex’s life as she creates a new identity.
I raced through this - not only because of the gripping plot, but also because Dean is such a skilled writer with a great turn of phrase.
Thoroughly recommended for its devastatingly, beautifully told story.

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I am Lex Gracie: but they call me Girl A.
I grew up with my family on the moors.
I escaped when I was fifteen years old.

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Book Review

Sorry to say, this was one that I really struggled with. This book has been so hyped on instagram and Twitter. I really struggled to see the hype. Perhaps, I wasn’t in the right headspace for this one. But I just expected so so much more. I found the book to be overhyped.
The writing was fantastic in places, but then at other times it lacked. I found myself confused by what was happening in some places. The narrative seemed to jump around, but with no sort of pattern.
However, I usually love books like this, so I will revisit this book in the future and amend my review should it change.

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