I absolutely raced through this - totally chilling and gripping. I'm keen to see what Abigail Dean does next.

A gripping, dark thriller that you won't be able to put down, I read it in one sitting and have not stopped thinking about it since.

Full of twists and turns, the story shifts between Lex and her siblings childhood to their present time as Lex is struggling to turn the familial home into something good. The writing draws you in from the start and the story really keeps you engaged throughout.

Highly recommended reading.

This is a strong debut in the thriller space. As Lex plans to turn the House of Horrors where she grew up into something better, she must go back in time to consider her past, the one thing she doesn't want to think about too much at all. The story isn't reinventing the wheel but it is well executed, with haunting moments and plenty of build to a satisfying conclusion.

This is a tragic, gripping story but a few things meant that it ultimately fell short for me.
And there were a few things that made it difficult for me to give it a higher rating.
Firstly, there were so many different characters (siblings, family members, friends, etc.) that it was difficult to keep track of them or for them to feel like real people. This made it difficult to connect with or relate to any of them.
The near constant switching of timelines also made things even more confusing.
It could have been better marked or even broken up better to make it abundantly clear that the timelines were changing.
It also wasn't quite as thrilling or suspenseful as I imagined it would be, having read the blurb and seen the hype around this book. It was more of a slow paced family drama.
It just wasn't what I was expecting. But I know that others have loved this book so maybe it just didn't work for me.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After requesting this book following many social media recommendations, I had put off reading it because the setting sounded so grim and I wasn’t sure I had the stomach to read about child abuse, but in fact the book doesn’t focus on the trauma itself so much as it’s aftermath. It is still a tough read in parts, but extremely thought provoking about how the different siblings in a family live with their terrible shared childhood and their differing experiences and memories of growing up in what was later exposed as a “house of horrors”. Although the siblings’ experience was extreme, the exploration of how different members of a family remember events in the past, and the way their lives are shaped not only by what happened but their differing perceptions of it. I would also say there is a twist near the end that for me was reminiscent of Sister by Rosamund Lupton, a perspective change that begs that you go back and reread the story in a new light. This was a compelling, thought-provoking read with a page-turning pace and I thoroughly recommend it.

Wow - I finally got round to reading this novel and it was thrilling and really well written. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

"Girl A" is a book that you could enjoy on so many levels: the quality of writing, the gentle humour, the life-affirming story. A great debut which has it all - multi-dimensional characters, cleverly switching narrative and a heart-breaking twist at the end (I admit, I saw it coming - there were a couple of clues scattered here and there).

The story switches between present day, recent memories of Girl A and her childhood spent in the so-called "house of horrors". Occasionally hard to read but never graphic, the book focuses on the after effects of trauma - how one copes - or does not - with the childhood trauma, is it really possible to move on?

Ultimately, despite the heavy subject, this is a life-affirming read. Thoroughly enjoyed!

Girl A is an absolutely stunning book - one of those novels that you never want to end. Dean's prose is taut, fiery and cutting and I was absolutely absorbed in Lex's voice and story. I also loved how the book followed each sibling, exploring how past events have affected and shaped their lives. It's a sophisticated page-turner that goes beyond your typical thriller, to unpick how trauma can hinder or propel us (although it never feels exploitative and doesn't seek to sensationalise traumatic events either). There's a brilliantly-crafted surprise ending too. I believe this is one of the best books of 2021. I absolutely loved it.

3.5 stars out of 5.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

Girl A shows how childhood trauma and abusive affect you long after the trauma is over.

For a debut I really think she knew how to grab your attention and keep it, I think the dialogue between the siblings was fantastic. There was just enough descriptions of the abuse to get the message across but not make the reader overwhelmed.

I’m excited to see what’s next for Abigail Dean.

It was so interesting and heartbreaking to see how the siblings each dealt with their childhood.

To me I think the issues I had was that the jump in timelines happened too frequently and started to get confusing. I don’t think I would label this as a thriller either it’s more just a hard hitting contemporary. The ‘twists’ I guess where just added to make it a thriller but nothing was surprising.

"𝐈𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭, 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮"
-Abigail Dean

If you're in the market for a psychological, soul destroying survival story, this one may be right up your street.

From reviews I've read, it's a bit polarising and I can see why, because it is such a dark and taxing read and there's not too much thriller/mystery elements. It is wholly a survive story flipping in time lines beteeen the childhood of the survivors to current time.

We pick the story up after the death of their Mother in prison, and follow predominantly the character of 'Lex' (Girl A) with each chapter focused on her interaction with one of her siblings both as a child and now (post death of Mother). Dealing with the trauma of their escape from the House of Horrors, the story shows how each sibling has been impacted in a multitude of different ways and it does make you think of just how a situation like this would impact a victim for the rest of their lives.

I did enjoy the growth in relationships between characters and can see this easily being a 4 or 5 star read for some.

This novel lives up to the hype, it was difficult to see it as pure fiction as the depiction and characterisations are so real. Definitely a good read and I look forward to her next book.

This wasn't for me. I tried to get through it but i just couldn't, The writing was fine but the story was nothing new or nothing too interesting. It had potential but just wasn't for me.

A different type of thriller with an original storyline. Interesting to see how a victim comes to terms with the horrors inflicted on her by her parents, the very people who should protect her. Enjoyable, well written.read.

A taut, compelling thriller that kept me turning the pages. Recommended! Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this ARC

I have just finished this book and although at first I found the switching timelines a bit confusing It was better once I'd figured out who was whom. A tragic story which grips you from page one. Thank you for the advanced copy.

Such a brilliant debut! I read all about this one online for the last year. It is such a brilliant and complex book with excellent characters and told from a really interesting perspective. I absolutely loved it

This dark and twisty thriller was an absolute cracker, a totally gripping page turner. A fantastic debut novel for Abigail Dean.

‘Girl A’ is the debut novel by Abigail Denton and highly anticipated book from Harper Collins.

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. When her mother dies in prison and leaves Lex and her siblings the family home, she can’t run from her past any longer. Together with her sister, Evie, Lex intends to turn the House of Horrors into a force for good. But first she must come to terms with her six siblings – and with the childhood they shared.

‘Girl A’ is the highly anticipated debut from Abigail Dean and it’s Harper Collins big book of 2021. During the week, Harper Collins had its fiction showcase and front and centre was ‘Girl A’ with Abigail Dean excitedly announcing that the book was being optioned for a series having caught the attention of the people behind the hit television series’Chernobyl’.

I spent last weekend absorbed in this dark and gripping story that made for unsettling reading at times.

The story is primarily seen through the narrative of Girl A who is Alex Gracie, the eldest daughter in the Gracie family, who was the first to escape her controlling and abusive parents. She then brought the rest of her siblings to safety. Now, 20 years later, after years in prison her mother has died leaving her estate to Gracie to sort. Now, Gracie has to make contact with her siblings who all sent to new homes when they were rescued and decide what to do with the old family homestead.

I loved this story and can truly understand the hype that comes along with it. Alex is a great protagonist telling the story of her siblings, both in past and present tense that makes for thrilling and disturbing reading as she recounts the physical, emotional and psychological that her deeply religious father inflicted upon the family, whilst her mother detached herself from the situation. Through starvation and chained to beds, this book detailed horrific manners of abuse that makes the book fascinating to read. The story reflects on the how the children have adapted their lives, some have never recovered from the trauma whilst others have used the situation to their advantage being from the ‘House of Horrors’ family, claiming celebrity status. Of the siblings Lex, Ethan, Delilah, Gabriel, Noah and Evie, Lex has maintained a strong relationship with her youngest sister Evie and its makes for tender reading their moments together, both in the past and present.

A fantastic piece of writing that really gets under the reader’s skin, ‘Girl A’ is haunting psychological thriller that pulls you in more with every page. With twists, shock and scenes of a sensitive nature, this book will be your next book obsession.

You can buy ‘Girl A’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.

As a weird lover of dark and morbid books, I had high hopes for Girl A based on the blurb and some rave reviews I'd seen across Bookstagram. Unfortunately, I just didn't "get" it, and was left with more questions than answers.

Lex, also known as Girl A, became a national headline when she escaped from what was later labelled the 'House of Horrors,' saving her siblings from the clutches of their abusive father and docile mother. Years later, she is contacted to say that her dead mother has chosen Lex to execute her will. Deciding the fate for the house, Lex must convince her siblings, some of who she has unstable relationships with, to agree to the terms. What follows are childhood flashbacks, traumatic memories, and a snapshot into how each sibling has evolved based on their individual experiences in the 'House of Horrors.'

One of my biggest struggles with this book was the character detachment. We were introduced to a bunch of different characters - numerous siblings, family members, lovers, friends, colleagues - but to the point where I didn't really know anyone. I felt an uncommon disconnect, even to Lex who centres as the focal character throughout. I didn't feel that there was enough exploration into each sibling's childhood and instead, we jumped to their adulthood and were just kind of expected to recognise them. Secondly, I could not keep up with all the time-hopping. There was barely even a line break to differentiate what was present and what was past (and how far into the past at that). I found it so hard to stay on track and work out what was happening. I normally love this but the lack of warning/context meant that my brain was always having to catch up.

I really really wanted more exploration into the children's childhoods - even though I really liked how this novel focused more on the siblings as adults, I felt like there wasn't enough insight into what led to their father losing control, how they survived, what they were made to endure, etc. It felt more that the reader was meant to create their own version of events and use their imagination based on the tidbits offered by the author. Again, I really like when things are left open to interpretation, especially when done right, but I did feel there were too many holes in this one for me to feel truly absorbed in the characters and their stories.

I think much of this comes from personal preference - I enjoyed the descriptive writing style and much of the content, it just overall didn't connect enough for me.

A terrifying story from beginning to end.

A twisted tale from start to finish.

The alphabet always stuck on A.

A hard read for many I would say.

4/5