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.

There’s no doubt this is a beautifully written and unique book. However, the pace of it made it really hard to enjoy. I found it very slow going and hard to get into. Until about 70% of the way through, I found it difficult to want to pick it up to read. Once the pace picked up, I started to really enjoy the way it was written, especially the subtlety of it. It was a shame it just took so long for me to appreciate it.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was quite disappointed with this book to be honest. It was obviously based on the Turpin case as so many facts that the public have knowledge of were featured here for example the matching t shirts on the one and only family holiday. The more I read the more details I recognised from the Turpin case. which I'm not sure worked for a work of fiction.
I liked the way we found out from Girl A how her years in the 'House of Horrors had affected her and the consequences on all of the children. I did feel like things were left a bit too vague and left to the readers imagination as to what happened and why, that's just my opinion, I like things being tied up neatly! I like stories that flit between past and present but this one changed without any warning and you weren't sure if you were reading past events or not. I know this book as been extremely successful and I can understand why, there were just a few too many niggles for me I'm afraid.

I really enjoyed this!
It took me about 80 pages to gel with the writing style, but once I did I devoured it. A really well told story, with flashes of past and present, culminating in a reveal I didn't guess until really close to it. I found myself thinking about it when I wasn't reading it which is a sure sign I'm hooked.
This is only a 4 star instead of 5 because of the struggle at the start.
Big thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely fabulous. This book literally has it all. It starts off going one way and dips and dives through different stories. Based on some factual stories it’s fascinating. I cannot wait to read the next book by this new super talented author.
5/5

A gripping read that simultaneously won't let you put it down and brilliantly delves into the minds of a group of siblings that survived terrible neglect and abuse and the different ways they have responded to and tried to overcome it.

Girl A by Abigail Dean is a novel about survival after extreme trauma. I didn't enjoy it as much as Room.

Obviously a very popular book but for me it was a DNF at 20%,it was slow and confusing and found the narrative dreary most of the time

A dark and bleak character story based around extreme child neglect and abuse, and life after.

Girl A is the anonymised court reporting name of Lex Gracie, one of the survivors of the Gracie 'House Of Horrors'.

At the very start Lex is contacted by authorities following her mother's death in prison, Lex is the executor of the will and as such must make contact with all of the surviving siblings.

It's a dark, bleak and harrowing story. Lex is the main character but all of the children's stories are told. The timeline flits about frequently between past and present, while it is fractured it is never confusing.

While it is a bleak story, there is hope and a will to survive as we see how sibling is coping, or trying to cope in adult life.

Hugely impressive, especially for a debut novel. I was reminded of some of the very best authors who deal with extremely traumatic childhoods such as Lucinda Berry and Mark Tilbury, and the flitting between times and the siblings element reminded me of My Little Cruelties by Liz Nugent, one of my favourite books this year.

Definitely recommended especially for fans of dark, harrowing and deeply moving psychological character driven stories.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins

2,5 stars!
This is a book you either love or hate. I’m afraid I’m propending toward the latter at the moment.

First of all let me point out that this book is listed as a literary thriller but is nothing of the sort! It’s a drama about dysfunctional and abusive parents and the psychological strain their children endure because of it!

I can’t even begin to tell you how many problems I had with this book! The first and biggest problem was the writing! I felt I was in the author’s head trying to interpret her jumbled thoughts. The sentences were clipped and scarce jumping from one subject to another.

Each paragraph started in a different timeline (there are only 5 or 6 chapters in the whole book, each of them referring to one of the abused siblings) so that I often found myself rereading whole sentences because I thought I was in the past instead of the present and viceversa!
Her writing was just all over the place!

Another thing that bothered me was that there was no climax or mid-point in the book, just the nightmarish retelling of what these children endured and how the past followed them into adulthood! There was one minor revelation near the end, but by then I had completely lost interest in all the characters.

I’m not saying it’s awful, someone else will probably find some hidden meaning and find her writing style innovative and fresh! The author certainly was brave to face such a heavy topic for her debut novel. But I need to enjoy a book, be it a heavy topic or not and that didn’t happen with this book!

All in all a very depressing and discouraging tale that failed to convey some much deserving optimism for the future.

Not for me I’m afraid!

Lex Gracie doesn't want to think about her family. She doesn't want to think about growing up in her parents' House of Horrors. And she doesn't want to think about her identity as Girl A: the girl who escaped, the eldest sister who freed her older brother and four younger siblings. It's been easy enough to avoid her parents--her father never made it out of the House of Horrors he created, and her mother spent the rest of her life behind bars. But when her mother dies in prison and leaves Lex and her siblings the family home, she can't run from her past any longer.

This book is a heartbreaking and disturbing read, focusing on a tough subject so it was never going to be hearts and flowers. It was a hard read at times but one that I am glad I have read. This also works very well as an audiobook. The book does need a trigger warning, however.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

I originally read a sample of this on NetGalley and loved it so was delighted to be approved to read the book in its entirety.
Girl A tells the story of Alex, formerly Girl A from her family of children who were kept imprisoned in their home by their parents. Alex is made to think about her past when she is called to the prison after hearing some bad news…..she is forced to think back over the events of her childhood and that of her siblings too.
I loved this book. Difficult to read at times and very moving but beautifully written and would highly recommend.

This is a book about survival and how the Gracie children dealt with the aftermath of physical and mental abuse, endured at the hands of the people you’re meant to trust the most - their parents.
There was never going to be a happy ever after to this story, how could there be after the years of suffering of these children?
The main character is Lex who managed to escape from her family’s house of horror and raise the alarm. Known as Girl A in the tabloids, the book moves from the present back to her younger years, when the abuse started. Although difficult to read, the author didn’t want this to be the main focus of the book.
Her emphasis was more on the after effects Lex and her siblings faced after they escaped, as they tried to rebuild their lives.
My heart broke for these children and I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was really not for me, I thought the story would grip me enough but unfortunately it was just too dark and traumatic for me. I’ve seen some amazing reviews so if you like a dark read I think you’d love it.

I have heard such a lot about this book and was delighted to have the opportunity to read it for myself. The protagonist is Lexie Gracie, known a Girl A in a story of abuse, squalor, neglect, religious extremism and death - phew, that’s a lot to deal with! Lexie has made a success of her life after she escaped from her parents at the age of 15, but can anyone really ever leave all that behind? Although on the surface this book is about redemption and filial loyalty, it is much, much deeper than that. The writing is compelling and the characters jump off the page - I read late into the night to finish this one, it really is that good.

I thought this was a great book focusing on the psychological healing from an abusive, traumatic childhood. I loved the way it examines the different wounds that emerged from each of the siblings from their experiences, and how they struggled to reconcile those as they grew to adulthood. Above all of the difficulties and painful experiences there was a sense of hope and I felt that the writer handled this beautifully - not watering down their hurt, but equally allowing the sense that they are all striving to rise above their past and live new lives in the future. I found this was an intelligently written book and a real page-turner.

This was an immensely dark and gut wrenchingly emotional read which will stay with me for a long time.

The main character was Lexie (aka Girl A) and the writing is her narrative of present day dealing with her late parents estate and together with flash backs to her childhood living in the House of Horrors. The storyline also covered her relationships, both past and present with her siblings.

This was a gripping read and one that I would highly recommend.

This is Abigail Dean’s debut novel and it is with bated breath that I wait for her next book, which I believe is due out next year (2022).

Thank you to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for the review copy.

This seems to be considered as a mystery thriller, but I would say more as a psychological character portrayal. About a family whose parent's are abusive and the effects on each child. Skips around time wise too much and was pretty dark and depressing read. Irs marmite either you love it or hate it....

Girl A has had praise coming left, right and centre. For whateve reason this reader could not engage with it. I was unable to understand the hype for Girl on A Train, which this book is compared to a great deal so perhaps its me rather than the book. I never quit engaged with any of her freindships, with her siblings and beyond. There are memorable moments throughout that are written with conviction. There is no doubt Dean is going to be a voice who is around for many years and creating more intense and challenging novels. I however struggled with this novel and whilst I egarly anticipate reading the novels on the Observers new voices list couldn’t quite believe the hype with this one.

Very different! Enjoyed this - sadly not one of my favourite reads ever but definitely know which customers this would be perfect for!