Deeply disturbing, dark, twisted and compelling. Flynn has woven a compelling, horrifically believed story about young college students and the manipulative, evil machinations which ended in a lovely young girl's death. Summoned to a reunion 19 years later, the past and present combine for an explosive and unexpected finish.

This was a compelling read.

I love books set in American universities - there is always lot of drama going on and this book was no different.

Interestingly, the narrator of this book was one of the 'mean girls' which did give you a sense of compassion towards her at certain points. Ambrosia was pulled into a toxic friendship in college which resulted in said drama! She is invited to her college reunion, she doesn't want to go, but her husband Adrian thinks it sounds like fun...Ambrosia knows it will be anything but, especially as someone is leaving cryptic messages for her relating to Ambrosia's time at the college.

Sometimes you feel sympathetic towards Ambrosia and think, she was only young and being manipulated by her friend Sully and other times you think, nope, she's a mean girl!

Either way - I wouldn't want to be friends with her.

Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to review this book this is my honest opinion.

Thanks to HQ and Netgalley for an ARC.

Ambrosia Wellington has been invited to her 10-year college reunion. She's pretty sure she doesn't want to go as the memories other people have of her don't quite chime with the life she's built in New York. Her hot husband doesn't know all the stories of her college days. However a more personal message arrives and she realises she must go and be reunited with people she hasn't seen since those days.

This is well plotted, balancing the timelines of college-age Amb and present day Ambrosia and creating an unsettling atmosphere. Suspense builds over the course of the reunion weekend as Ambrosia's college past, and her view of it, is laid out. The consequences of past actions mount up in a gruesome game of dominoes to the denouement.

For me, all the characters lack emotional depth and the ending felt forced, but I suspect I'll be in a minority.

‘The girls are all so nice here’ tells the story of Ambrosia whose college days are something that she wants to leave far, far behind her but after she begrudgingly accepts an invitation to a reunion those memories are irreversibly brought to the surface.
Ambrosia and Sully used to be best friends with Sully always being the life of the party but as Ambrosia always felt the need to keep up, situations became more dangerous and motives darker. One night things go too far and someone in the present wants to expose all the secrets from that night for all involved.
I loved this book because it is a fresh, dark, twist on the ‘I know what you did last summer’ style. The narrative effortlessly flits between the girls in freshman year and the reunion and layers each twisted secret beautifully. The girls really aren’t nice in this book but I couldn’t stop turning the pages in this obsessive thriller.

I finished this book last night (finished the whole book in half a day) and I was still thinking about it when I woke up. This is a brilliant thriller I have read in a long time!
The two main characters Amb and Sully of the story are so unlovable. The theme is basically the mean girls stories, it’s dark and disturbing but I have to admit I just couldn’t put the book down at all. These mean girls Amb and Sully are not only bullies but evil! The girls are anything but nice! The timeline is build upon past (then i.e 10 years ago) and present (now) as the story is told from Amb’s POV. At present, they are back at their college for 10th anniversary student reunion and the past haunts them to their present day.
The book is a well written story about friendship, betrayal, mistakes, mental health, bullying, denial, toxic friendship, mind games, bad influence, rape and negativity. The two main twists of the story I.e. who did it and who is doing it were kind of predictable for me. Nevertheless, the ending was definitely satisfying and I enjoyed the book.

In her mid-thirties Ambrosia Wellington (now there's a name) is working in PR and is married to Adrian, a hot younger man. Ambrosia is perturbed to receive an invitation to a reunion from her university - she doesn't want to return to those days when she known as Amb and was one of the 'mean girls'. When she arrived at university feeling gauche and reeling from a cheating boyfriend, she fell in with Sully, a girl who exuded danger and mystery. Ambrosia wanted to be one of Sully's 'chosen ones' but this meant acting in increasingly callous ways. Someone is determined Ambrosia will be at the reunion and she receives a handwritten note saying that they need to talk about what really happened that night. Who sent the note, what do they want from Ambrosia, and will it cost her everything including her life?

This is one of those books which has main characters that you love to hate. The two main characters, Sully (Sloane) & Amb (Ambrosia) display grade A nastiness and cruelty when they decide to wreck a fellow student's long distance relationship for the heinous crime of being too nice. (Well that's Amb's excuse, whilst Sully's reason is more that Flora can see through her facade). The book moves between the reunion weekend in the present and what happened in the past, and it shows the casual cruelty in the competition and one-upmanship that the girls indulge in. It was very well written and I flew through it, but I did think the ending rather overegged the pudding though.

TWs: suicide, rape, bullying, drug use, infidelity

Thanks to NetGalley & publishers, HQ, for the opportunity to read an ARC. I am voluntarily giving an honest review.

This novel is about three girls at uni Amb, Sully and Flora. Flora and Amb are room mates but not necessarily friends. Amb and Sully are mean girls and Amb seems willing to do anything for Sully.... Including breaking her room.mates relationship up with her long term boyfriend Kevin. The novel takes bullying to a new level and there are lots of alcohol, drug and sex filled parties.
Amb is married now to Adrian and gets a reunion invitation through the post, she does everything she can to not go, she hasn't told Adrian about her past and didn't want him.to.find out...... After all she doesn't really know what happened that night herself!
Lots of people not to.be trusted in this book, but who do you belive ?

Many thanks Net galley for letting me read this novel I will be looking out for others by Laurie now and will be recommending my friends read this.

I never repeat the blurb. It started well, but got SO drawn out that I found myself just skimming to the end. Just stopped caring.

It’s hard sometimes to review a book which evokes a strong reaction in you, but not one you necessarily enjoy. I can recognise that the writer is talented to make me feel so much, yet I struggle at points to get through a book where the hatred, lies and betrayal is just dripping off the characters to the point where I’m frustrated with almost all of them. I’m not entirely sure I knew what I was letting myself in for with this one. Yes, I knew this was a ‘mean girls’ story. I just wasn’t prepared for quite how mean they could be.

Ambrosia Wellington – known as Amb – is our protagonist and (almost) sole narrator. She was a mean girl in college, but she’s over it now, settled down with a PR job in Manhattan, a small apartment and a decent husband. A man who’s kind, but perhaps ultimately lazy, and not deep enough to get under her skin and understand who she truly is and what she’s done. Until, an invitation arrives for her college reunion. Of course, the happy couple should go along – but neither of them really have an idea of how things might unfold…

The story is told using a dual timeline, with Amb reflecting on her time at college, her goody-two-shoes roommate Flora and wild partner-in-crime, Sully. The three become entangled in a dangerous web involving a boy, the type that can never end well.

“Flora was wanted by someone. Sully was craved by everyone. I was eaten alive, cannibalized by my own comparisons.”

In the latter timeline, we following Amb at the lead-up to her reunion and during the event itself. For most of the novel, I was more captivated by the past storyline, while the present acts as a slow-building lead-up to a grand finale. It did feel a little more YA than adult, focused on teenage girls’ insecurities and the wildness as they lose their inhibitions for the first time, all in an effort to fit in. But then the present day storyline takes over, taking us on twists and turns to a satisfying finale.

I have to talk about Ambrosia for a moment. She’s a complicated protagonist – not quite an unreliable narrator, but twisted in herself. There’s a deep insecurity in her which seems to leave her almost without a sense of self. She isn’t heartless; she feels guilt, but not enough to make her take responsibility for her actions. I was simultaneously disgusted by her and pitying of her. She’s a great anti-heroine, and I enjoyed the way her story ended.

I do have mixed feelings about this book because of how dark it is. There’s triggers everywhere – which are difficult to go into because the involve spoilers. I think it was a bad choice to be reading over International Women’s Day because it really highlights how women can pick people apart instead of banding together. Personally, I’ve never known or experienced behaviour like the girls in this book.They really frustrated me at times in some ways because the extremes they went to seemed unrealistic and kind of pathetic. Amb’s occasional glimpses of compassion only really made the entire situation worse. I think this is a book that will mainly be read by women and I hope that it’ll help women come together and not behave this way, rather than pull each other apart.

The Girls are all so nice here - no, no they are not!

This dark tale of obsession, betrayal and lust centres around college friends Ambrosia Wellington and Sloane ‘Sully’ Sullivan and what happened on one night in college which ended in the death of Ambrosia’s roommate. The story alternates between the build up to that night and the toxic friendship between Amb and Sully and 14 years in the future when they go back for their college reunion but someone is sending mysterious notes and emails trying to get to the truth.

I liked that there were the two timelines both with a different mystery to unravel but often found that because the characters just didn’t seem to have changed very much in 14 years I didn’t always know where I was in the timeline.

I found all the characters cold and unfeeling throughout the story especially Ambrosia who was just the same throughout the book, by the time of the reunion she hadn’t changed at all from when she was at college.

The book started off at a quick pace but then slowed down about halfway through and I really had to push myself to the end.

I think the only character I had any sympathy for was the roommate and even she was a ‘too nice’

There are triggers for this story of rape, bullying and suicide. So this isn’t for you if you aren’t okay with this content.

This is only my opinion and the writing is good. I think this probably borders on YA so isn’t an age range I’m used to reading about- I’m also a lot older than the girls in the book so found it difficult to relate.

Many thanks to NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for a review.

The Girls Are All So Nice Here is a gripping and addictive psychological thriller and a compulsive exploration of the dark complexities of female friendship. A lot has changed in the years since Ambrosia ”Amb” Wellington graduated from Wesleyan University, and she’s worked hard to create a new life for herself; she's a high-flying PR agent for a top Manhattan company, and although it's a world away from her aspirations of being an actor throughout her freshman year, she enjoys it and her husband, Adrian worships the ground she walks on. She has long since repressed memories of what happened at University but little does she know, she is about to get an unwelcome reminder. This reminder comes in the form of an unsolicited email from Wesleyan’s alumni committee announcing the upcoming reunion and inviting her to it. She couldn't think of any worse function to attend so ignores it but she soon receives an anonymous message with a very different tone to it through the mail. It reads ”you need to come. We need to talk about what we did that night.” Gone was the polite invitation and replacing it was one with sinister and threatening undertones. No longer can she simply ignore the problem. It seems that the secrets of Ambrosia’s past—and the people she thought she’d left there—aren’t as buried as she’d believed. It's almost fourteen years ago now that the working-class, down-to-earth New Jersey native leapt at the chance to trade her state and home life for the opulence and elitism of Wesleyan University in Middleton, Connecticut. While there she came to despise her roommate, Flora Dartmouth, who constantly rubbed her up the wrong way due to her people-pleasing nature and Amb viewed her as both sickly-sweet and the very definition of a ”try hard”.

Enter Sloane ”Sully” Sullivan. Sully, Amb’s former best friend, was equal parts charismatic and cruel with a penchant for bullying and targeting other girls showing them no mercy. After the annoying Flora, Amb found Sully’s rebelliousness refreshing but this friendship meant indulging in many dangerous and damaging behaviours yet Sully was always able to make anyone do anything. Was there something that happened that she doesn't remember on the many booze and cocaine-fuelled evenings and boundless casual drunken hookups? She does remember that Sully pursued Flora’s boyfriend ceaselessly, though. Amb reluctantly decides to go to the reunion and she and Sully are reunited for the first time since their university days. She has apparently also received threatening messages and it becomes clear that they’re being pursued by someone who wants more than just the truth of what happened that first semester. This person wants revenge for what they did and the devastating damage they caused—the extent of which Amb is only now fully understanding. And it was all because of the game they played to get a boy who belonged to someone else, and the girl who paid the price. This is a riveting and propulsive thriller full of twists, drama and surprises and a well-plotted and immersive storyline. Told from Amb’s perspective and alternating between the first semester of the freshman year for the girls and the subsequent reunion, the issues of sex, betrayal and scheming — all come into play in bleak and heavy loads. Towards the end of the book, there is a minefield of secrets that unravel with each one eclipsing the last and a steady rising of dread that had me on the edge of my seat. This unsettling, scintillating and deliciously dark tale ended in a thrillingly satisfying conclusion. Highly recommended.

With such an unlikeable main character, I thought I won’t be able to follow through this book, but to my surprise, not only did I finish the book, once I started, I couldn’t put this book down! It’s extremely addictive!

I loved the author’s writing the most! Without actually saying it, the book makes you believe in one thing & then, few pages after, you’re told the truth and you think ‘Can’t believe I felt for it’. I wish I could say more, but I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t read it yet!...

I had my suspicions on the right person for most of the time, so it wasn’t shocking when the actual truth came out, nevertheless, the story unfolded beautifully & then ending was just perfect for this book!

Favourite quote:

‘I turned into a monster, but the world knows exactly how to make monsters out of girls who want what they can’t have.’

Trigger warnings suicide, rape, abuse.
Wow what a powerful story I was absolutely gripped. This book follows Amb and her reunion back at college. Changing from back when Amb was in college to present day this book is easy to keep track and has you second guessing everyone. Was not prepared for the ending which actually had me sweating racing through the last few chapters. Not an easy read but one of the best I have read this year. Thanks to netgalley for my advanced copy.

The Girls Are All So Nice Here by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn
Pub Date 9 March 2021
Nice girls can do bad things.
This revenge drama/thriller switches between 2003 and 2017. The story follows Ambrosia Wellington, from teenager to adulthood, where she is now married, residing in Manhattan; she is also being compelled to attend her college reunion.
The author embraces some adolescent relationships' toxic sides, including cruelty, deception, betrayal, and obsession.
She also references suicide, self-harm, rape and alcohol/drug use.
It is a well written, executed story, a recommended read.
I want to thank NetGalley, HQ and author Laurie Elizabeth Flynn for a pre-publication copy to review.

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Release Date: 9th March 2021



Ten years ago, Ambrosia arrived at Wesleyan University for the first time. She was desperate to fit in to her strange new world of the elite, rich and beautiful. And when she meets Sully, she might finally have a new friend to lean on and bring her into the spotlight. She's intoxicating, stunning, and very dangerous.

Now, having grown so much in the last decade, it's time for a class reunion - but can Amb face the old life she's left behind without being drawn back in? Her life now is unrecognisable from the one she once had and she's desperate for them not to collide because if they do ... something will explode.

This was a deliciously dark, twisted tale about betrayal, obsession and jealousy that kept me under a constant dark cloud, drawing me in. Delving into the dangers of possessive and obsessive relationships, and just how easy it can be to fall for someones fatal charms.

Jumping between Ambrosias' current life and the dark shadow of her past - we get to slowly, painfully fill in the pieces of her former life and highlight the stark contrast and growth between who she is and who she once was. Unlike a lot of books that straddle dual timelines, neither one gets forced into the background and the momentum keeps building from the first page. Almost every single person we meet was deeply dislikable and flawed, so painfully real and perfectly terror-inducing. They're uncomfortable, vindictive and unsettling - and you won't be able to look away.

This is Mean Girls like you've never seen it before - riveting, infatuating and disturbingly devastating.



RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐



Thank you to NetGalley and Laurie Elizabeth Flynn for an advance readers copy in return for an honest review.

Toxic friendships fascinate me so I was really excited to read The Girls Are All So Nice Here and it completely lived up to my high expectations. The story follows Ambrosia, nicknamed ‘Amb’, as she starts at the prestigious Wesleyan University with a determination to fit into the elite and privileged world of the girls there. She becomes obsessed with the magnetic and dangerously manipulative Sully, and the two form a dark and destructive friendship which has far reaching devastating consequences.

I found The Girls Are All So Nice Here totally engrossing, it is such an addictive read. I was gripped by the nastiness and cruelty that seemed to be second nature to some of these girls and I was fascinated by the fact that, for Amb at least, there seemed to be a genuine confusion at the concept of someone being kind without an agenda or ulterior motive. Amb is not a particularly likeable character. In some respects I understood her deep-seated insecurities and how they moulded her into the person she becomes at Wesleyan, however the further she descended into her manipulations in her sinister efforts to impress Sully, the less that cut it as an excuse for her actions. The Girls Are All So Nice Here is a compelling look at the darker side of the relationships between women and also at the power of words. The things people say, or write to each other can be just as deadly and influential as physical action and the repercussions for other people can be horrifying.

This book really got under my skin, I found it incredible tense at times and loved the dual narrative following Amb in the present as she is pulled back to Wesleyan for a ten year reunion and in the past as she falls deep into an obsessive friendship with Sully and follows her darker instincts for destroying Flora, her college roommate who appears to Amb to have a rose-tinted life. I also think the ending is particularly effective. Without giving anything away, I felt like it was quite a brutal, yet brave way to end the story and I loved it. Highly Recommend!

I found it easy to resonate with this gripping revenge thriller that I couldn’t put down. As a thriller, I thought it was incredibly well done. Pacing was fantastic with plenty of twists that I didn’t see coming and a satisfying ending. It was dark and super intense. And yet somehow it was also a cathartic reading experience for me - giving me the opportunity to process my own experiences of being bullied.

Side note: If you loved Pretty Little Liars (in either format), then this is a MUST READ.

This was a twisty and turny thriller and I liked the writing and how the plot progressed. The development of the characters was done well and there was a clear shift between the 2 time periods, not only in the references but also in the the way the characters behaved. I did think at times the pacing was a bit inconsistent however it didn't affect the key elements of the story and this only happened in a few minor scenes. I did like both girls but but they they had different levels of characterisation and the reveal of who was behind the invitation didn't exactly make sense. The ending didn't work for me and the epilogue could have been done better.

This is a great book full of all the bitchiness, deceit, backstabbing and anxiety that comes with relationships among teenage girls. There are probably characters in here that will remind readers of people in their own lives.

The story takes place at Wesleyan university, where Ambrosia - or Amb - has arrived to study. But it flits back and forth between the time she was at university to her life ten years later, when she is invited to a reunion.

The more grown up Amb has obviously made a huge effort to move on from her college days. But this isn't just the usual scenario where someone has done a few embarassing things. It's clear that she is desperately trying to escape something that she is severely ashamed of - and fears could threaten her marriage if her husband Adrian finds out about it.

The sections that describe the younger Amb are great. We get to judge the "girls" she is studying with along with her and her increasingly influential friend, Sully.

There's Amb's roommate Flora, who is a too good to be true character, always nice to everyone and never angry or cross. Sully is the anti-Flora, and Amb describes feeling torn between the two.

She is annoyed at Flora, who appears to have everything, until she gradually realises this isn't the case. But she's more pulled by the desire to impress Sully and be "noticed". Unfortunately, events will means he is eventually noticed for all the wrong reasons.

Amb is a great character as I think the reader can really empathise with her, even when she does terrible things. The author really gets across some of the pressures that face teenage girls and the hideous anxiety that comes with worrying about not fitting in.

Sully is a great character and a sense of growing menace leaps out as the book goes on.

I liked how the author prods at the motivations of the girls. On the surface, it can seem they are trying to impress boys and get male attention. But all too often, it's the judgements and approval of their fellow girls that they really crave.

And it's good how it shows that everyone has insecurities and negatives in their lives, it's just that some people hide them better than others.

The plot itself has plenty of twists, and there are enough more minor characters to keep the reader's interest. It's especially good at switching between then and now, because it shows up more clearly how misinterpretations may have taken place. Things can look very different ten years on.

I read the book in just a few days as it's very readable and engaging. For anyone who feels like jumping into a world of vicious, duplicitous young women and the deadly games they can play with each other, I would highly recommend it.

A really unexpected plot with lots of twists and turns and a cheeky yet surprising ending. Kept guessing what was going on throughout and a couple of red herrings too.. Good mix of the then and now timelines. Dark, gritty and challenging. Not many characters are likeable but they don't need to be, and the ones that are really create an impact. Different type of book in this genre to normal, more about female relationships, jealousy, possession. Well worth a read.