Cover Image: One of the Girls

One of the Girls

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Member Reviews

So I was really looking forward to reading this, having saved it as a good holiday read. It is set in Greece and so does make for a holiday read, but unfortunately one that I'd not class as particularly great. The main story is six girls off on a hen week, spending a week in a secluded villa in Greece to celebrate the upcoming wedding of Lexi, one of our main characters. As you begin reading it soon becomes apparent that this is not going to be a typical hen week without something sinister occurring. Each chapter is told from the perspective of each of the six characters, Lexi, Bella, Robyn, Eleanor, Ana an Fen, and it is quickly implied that each has their own story and skeletons in the cupboard. This is really what let it down for me, I couldn't help but feel this type of book has been written many times before, with this kind of narrative. I found most of the characters unlikeable and so had little empathy with any of them when problems began to arise. When revelations were made towards the last part of the book I also wasn't shocked or surprised and could see most of the twists coming. For these reasons the book left me feeling slightly disappointed as it lacked originality, however, for others may just be the kind of thing to enjoy whilst sitting by the pool as an easy holiday read. My thanks go out to netgalley and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this.

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I really wanted to enjoy this however there was a lot of characters and a lot of trying to build suspense and it just was not for me.

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I really enjoyed Lucy Clarke's earlier book, The Castaways, so requested this one on NetGalley. Finally got round to it, and it was even better than I expected.

I'd have preferred the title to be "One of Us" rather than "One of the Girls" because the author repeats the phrase "One of us" several times at key moments. In fact, I wonder if this was originally the title. I can see why One of the Girls works though, as it centres a character who has been quite lonely in her earlier life because of a very horrible man (not a spoiler - most of them have horrible men in their past).

Otherwise, this is a perfect ensemble cast. As the blurb tells you, a bunch of women go off on a hen do and death ensues. It opens with a red scarf floating from a body, and at several points we return to this image, thinking this will be the moment that the death takes place. Only for it not to be.

Until, quite suddenly, it is. The death has happened and the women must decide what to do next ...

A four-star read for me rather than five only because I guessed who died a good hundred or so pages before I think I was supposed to, and this made one particular arrival and the 'revelation' along with it a bit less thrilling than otherwise.

However, I definitely would recommend this to anyone who likes the subgenre of crime fiction I call "chick lit gone a bit evil." In fact, I've already recommended it to three friends for their holiday beach read, and I only finished reading it half an hour ago!

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This is a fast-paced, twisty and impressive thriller. The premise is simple: a group of women embark on a hen party on the faraway flung greek islands. What follows is a character-driven storyline with multiple point of views offered. I did find it tricky to differentiate between the different characters and voices, in particular, because they were all quite similar. But this is the perfect summer holiday read for when you want to lounge about at the pool or by the beach. Very fun!

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One of the Girls - Lucy Clarke

Firstly I thought there were just the right amount of characters within this story to keep it super entertaining without getting confusing. I loved the pace of the book and sped through it due to the suspense created by the author. The food and setting descriptions were amazing, plenty of secrets to be discovered with an amazing ending! Thank you so much NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the opportunity to read this book in return for my honest opinion.

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This was a slow burn book. The relationships of all the girls on the hen do slowly unravel and it helps build the tension. Lots of twists and turns and overall a great book! Would definitely recommend - perfect holiday reading!

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Six well formed characters who head abroad for a hen do. With past allegiances and friendships coming to the fore over the time away. Loved this book, well written and full or twists and turns.

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Started a little slow but once I was into it there were many twists! A dark tale based on a hen weekend with 6 women attending. Turns put everyone has secrets...

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This was a solid thriller. I loved the twists and turns and the solid storyline. It was atmospheric and had me interested from start to end.

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Another brilliant book by Lucy Clarke. Her style of writing for this story was fabulous. I could see the scenes playing out in my mind. I loved each of the characters and I loved the ending!
5 stars!

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I was absolutely absorbed in this book, I couldn’t put it down.
The setting was great, the character development was great and I loved having a chapter per point of view. I loved how you couldn’t trust anyone and I really didn’t guess the ending at all! Definitely a good summer feeling thriller to get stuck into!

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Perfect gripping holiday read from one of my favourite authors. Great characters, plot and twists, with plenty of sunshine.

Six girls on a hen weekend in a remote luxury Greek villa, each hiding their own secrets. Tensions soon rise, revealing the complexities and layers underlying their relationships, old and new.

Can't wait to read more from this author.

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I really enjoyed Castaways so I was looking forward to picking up another Clarke but I was so disappointed!

What I loved?
She built six distinctive characters, all flawed, all with secrets & took them to a gorgeous Greek villa I was intrigued to see what happened next.

What I didn't?
... basically everything that happened next! Absurd is the word that springs to mind. I won't do spoilers but 🙄🙄🙄

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I really enjoyed One of the girls by Lucy Clarke;
A group of six friends are on a greek island for a hen weekend. The story is told from the POV of each character (
I struggled a bit at the beginning to differentiate them...). They all have a secret we gradually learn about...
Thanks to netgalley and HarperCollins UK for this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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One of The Girls seems like fun, something to sweep you away onto a Greek Island for a weekend of hen party shenanigans. Or so you would think, except that rather revealing cover and then from the start, you know something is going to happen to spoil it. Five women are invited to Lexi’s hen-do for fun and games before she ties the knot. The book becomes dark as tensions rise and become pretty well sustained as bit by bit secrets are revealed. The tensions between the women reveals their layers and complexities of their friendships.

There are themes of female identity, friendship and forgiveness running through what is a compelling book with quickly paced, short chapters. It practically poses the question of how far would someone go in such a climate and will keep you guessing which of the women will end up a murderer.

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📚Book Review: It's cold and grey and miserable outside in the UK at the moment, so why don't we brighten it up with some sun, sea, and a spot of murder?

This is basically the premise of @lucyclarke_author's ONE OF THE GIRLS. Six women head to a gorgeous Greek Island for a hen do weekend of fun and relaxation. However, they all have their secrets and by the end of the trip, a body is found on the treacherous rocks below their luxury villa.

I devoured this in both kindle and audio, and I must say the audio edition was done superbly, and I couldn't wait to pop my headphones in and listen every chance I got.
Full of suspense, excellently plotted and compelling, if you're after a psychological thriller to distract you from the January Blues, look no further.

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Lexi and her small group of friends are in paradise - or are they?

In Greece for Lexi's hen party, the six women are there for the sun-soaked beaches, the Mediterranean food, and to celebrate their friend's forthcoming marriage. But all is not as it seems...everyone on the island has a secret, and someone doesn't want Lexi to get married at all...

I liked the premise of this novel, and the author did not disappoint with the execution - quick, twisty, and genuinely surprising. The characters were well written, the turns deftly managed, and the overall story excellent - I loved it!

Am already looking forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, and to the publisher, who granted me a free ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

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*4.5 stars. Firstly, I'd like to thank Netgalley and Harper Collins for the eARC/Audiobook for an honest review. This is my second Lucy Clarke read and I can't wait to read more (very much looking forward to the release of The Hike).

I listened to about 20% of the audiobook last year but didn't feel like I was focused enough so decided to try again this year. There are 6 main characters, which means 6 POVs. I really wanted to make sure I was getting the who's who of the story, which is why I started again. The story takes place in Greece where 6 women are on holiday celebrating Lexi's hen weekend. I thought that the pacing was really good. We know from the beginning that something bad is going to take place on this trip. As well as the 6 POV chapters, there are also short snippets in between from an omniscient narrator (the narrator, Sofia Zervudachi, did such a great job with these) giving us hints and I found them so brilliantly creepy.

All 6 characters are so different which Clarke did such a great job with. They are a group of beautifully diverse women navigating old and new friendships all while carrying secrets of their own. Clarke builds such beautiful settings and I loved exploring them with the characters. The book explores so much, including grief, parenthood, LGBTQ+ issues, expectations on women and so much more. There are many twists and turns in this book that had me gripped. On of the reveals, once I realised, made me gasp out loud. Absolutely brilliant writing. My favourite character has to be Robin and my least favourite was definitely Bella... she did have a a few redeeming qualities but she was not for me.

I really recommend this book to anyone who loves a thriller with tons of suspense. I really can't wait to read more from this author.

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‘One of the Girls’ is a wonderfully character driven, thrilling mystery with each chapter dedicated to a different girl. All 6 girls are on Lexi’s Hen weekend in a beautiful but extremely remote villa, on an island in Greece.

I really enjoyed discovering how the characters each developed throughout the story. I loved watching the friendships between the girls change, from the girls who started seemingly as strangers, to those such as Lexi & Bella who were long time childhood friends. New friendships & old friendships alike this story was full of new discoveries both about themselves and those they were spending time with.

From the very start we knew there had been a death. That much was a given, however the story was built up in such a way I spent the entire time wondering who it could be. Who was going to die? Who was going to kill? How would it happen?

I love how the chapters were structured, relatively short, making you want to read just a little bit more. Even though you said you’d stop reading after “one more chapter” I found myself reading 3 or more extra chapters!

All of the characters have some big secrets, some much bigger than others. Connections that I simply didn’t see coming. I thought the entire book was gripping and compelling. A definite page turner. It has been written in such a great way to build that suspense and wonder. When will we get another little clue about what was going to happen?

The location descriptions were wonderful, and although a fictional island in Greece, it was definitely somewhere as a reader, the author made me want to visit.

A truly fantastically thrilling read from Lucy Clarke. A story of friendships, love, deception, lies, and so many secrets! A must read!

5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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For Lexi’s hen-do, her and five friends head off to Greece for a few days of sun and sea. But as secrets become unveiled; tensions rise and one of the women will leave… a killer.

I loved this book so much. The tension is high throughout and I was constantly anticipating the next turn. All of the characters are fun and unique, with their storylines easy to follow (I find with a big cast sometimes it’s hard to tell characters apart, but not here) and I really enjoyed the flashbacks of each character. While clear where some of the drama was going to arise from, there was also a lot I couldn’t have guessed from the plot. I loved reading it and now that I’ve read two of Lucy Clarke’s books, I’m super excited to read more of hers.

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