I have been desperately waiting for this book for years. I absolutely loved Ace of Spades back when it debuted in 2021, and I have been waiting oh so patiently to get my hands on Àbíké-Íyímídé's sophomore novel ever since.

And goddamn, were my expectations blown wide out of the water.

Àbíké-Íyímídé's writing is exceptional. She paints such beautiful, vivid pictures with her descriptions, her dialogue is engaging, the kind of realism I aim for in my own writing, and the mystery kept me on the edge of my seat from the beginning to the end. Yes, it is incredibly slow-paced, and the story is nearly 600 pages, but her ability to capture you with the setting and characters well make up for it.

God, I could gush about so many aspects of the book, but refraining is needed here. I wholeheartedly recommend anyone go into this book blind and with patience, because, I promise you, it's so worth it.

All in all, read this when it comes out! Àbíké-Íyímídé is an amazing writer, and I will be reading everything her hand has touched!

Where Sleeping Girls Lie follows Sade, a teenage girl, who is going to her first ever boarding school. Sade’s past feels shrouded in some dark secrets but we do know that she’s lost both her Mum and her Dad. Within 24hours of finding herself in this new boarding school Sade’s roommate, and the first friend she’s made, mysteriously disappears. It doesn’t take long for Sade to quickly realise that things aren’t adding up and we’re soon sucked deeper and deeper into the secrets lurking at underneath the boarding schools gothic elegance. The vibes are immaculate here - dark academia, mysterious, brooding - just perfect for a boarding school mystery.

The characters all felt nuanced, diverse, and there was a full host of interesting characters. There were a couple of cliches and tropes but they didn’t detract from this being a really enjoyable read.

WSGL is a very steadily paced. I wouldn’t say it was slow but there’s no ramping up or fast paced scenes really. Which I do think is a bit of a shame as I imagine some pace build up would have really added to the suspense. But because of the pacing I think WSGL leans more towards being a mystery than a thriller.

It did take me a few chapters to get into this, I wasn’t sure where we were going at the start and there seemed to be a few too many cliches for me taste but the more I read the hooked I became! There was a very weird Mean Girls throw back (new girl at school, befriends a bit of an outcast who has an outgoing gay male best friend. They’re sat in the cafeteria and three beautiful girls walk in -cue the gay best friend telling the new girl all about the cliques. This new outcast friend used to be BFFs with the central popular girl before they mysteriously fell out… Flash forward and the popular trio invite the new girl to have lunch with them) It was a little weird reading these scenes play out as they were so similar to the film but thankfully things quickly diverge in a more interesting direction.

There wasn’t anything particularly unexpected or any twists that I didn’t think were a little predictable - but this didn’t hinder my enjoyment at all.

Also I couldn’t review this without mentioning the slow burn - urgh it was brilliantly done! I also loved how much queer representation was effortlessly interwoven here - it felt like natural elements to the story and not like it was thrown in just to tick a box.

This is my first time reading anything by this author but I’m now on my way to look into the rest of her work as this was a really well written and enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-ARC

TW: rape, sexual assault, suicide, death of a parent, murder and more.

after reading ace of spades, I knew that I HAD to read anything by this author because it would blow me away- and I was absolutely right. this is the first time in MONTHS I’ve finished a book in one day, I was unable to put it down from the moment I started it.

this book has such a beautiful atmosphere, really highlighting the dark academia elements we all love. the prestigious schools, the gorgeous artwork and architecture, the privileged rich kids, the uneven sense of justice. you can tell there was a lot of thought out into how this book was constructed and it paid off.

the plot? absolutely phenomenal. like I said, from the very first page you’re interested and you’re thrown right into the deep end of trauma and darkness. the mysteries throughout were so intelligently written that I genuinely had no idea what was going on until the author wanted me to, even when I thought I was being smart and on the right track. the plot twists and discoveries were written in a way that kept you hooked but didn’t reveal too much too soon, it was a very steady but enjoyable read.

let’s not forget about the representation. we’ve got lesbians, we’ve got bisexuals, we’ve got Asian women, black women, gay men and so much more. the thing I ADORED the most? In this book, being gay was just that. It wasn’t like this big thing where everyone had to come out and it wasn’t everyone’s major plot point, we could just see gay characters existing and having character points that were nothing to do with their sexuality. and my favourite? angry intelligent women who are fucking sick of being told to put up and shut up, women who want to rock the boat and set the system on fire- building a new one from the ashes. angry women, passionate women, women who will change the world.

thank you so much to Net Galley for providing me with a copy of what is an amazing book.

WOW! I am blown away by this book, it was captivating and harrowing and crushing all in one and I could not put it down. I won't publish my full review until after publication as don't want to give any spoilers, but this book is well worth a read

The cover drew me in initially but when I started reading I was hooked and felt immersed in the world of the book and the mysterious atmosphere.

I enjoyed Ace of Spades so was keen to read this when I saw it!

A slow burn of a mystery with great characterisation. I enjoyed this despite its dark content. Sade's story was (at times) a tough one to read and I was grateful for the content warnings. I would recommend this to my students but perhaps with more caution.

Where Sleeping Girls Lie is a reference to an article that is mentioned at the end of the book, once we know the secrets that are kept by the characters we encounter. It is, intentionally, designed to rouse dislike of the misogynistic attitudes that pervade this novel. Appropriately, it is also clear by this point that the girls we encounter during this book do not lie, and have only just found their voice.
Our main character is Sade Hussain, a young girl who is about to start a new life at Alfred Nobel Academy boarding school. She arrives at the school and is taken under the wing of her roommate Elizabeth Wang. Unfortunately, soon after Sadie’s arrival Elizabeth goes missing. For reasons that become clear later, Sade takes it upon herself to look for clues as to what might have happened.
As Sade digs, she unearths secrets that are shocking, though sadly not a surprise given the culture in which we live.
Sade is not what she first appears to be, though we are given plenty of clues throughout the book that alert us to this. The characters are privileged and, perhaps, at times rather like caricatures. However, the sentiments behind the book are timely.
I curious to see what teen readers make of this. Many of my students loved Ace of Spades and while I think this is a welcome exploration of attitudes to consent and how we manage expectations of all involved, I wonder if it is a little drawn-out at times and whether they will find the ease with which Sade is able to find just the right people to help her at the time she needs them just a little implausible.

Teenager Sade enrols at a boarding school following on from the death of her only remaining family member. She is allocated a house sister called Elizabeth with whom she will be sharing a room but after only a day, Elizabeth disappears and in the face of indifference from those in authority, Sade is determined to discover what has happened to her.
After a strong start, the mystery slowly unfolds. We know that Sade has secrets in her past and her anxiety hints at the trauma she has experienced. As the new girl she has to make all new friendships and her relationship with Baz offers a lightness which contrasts well with the dark themes of the book. The book has themes of power and privilege as well as sexual assault, grief and suicide, all of which are written without being heavy handed. The complex and diverse cast of characters is easy to keep track of because they are so well crafted.

This was a fab YA novel, the only thing that I would criticise is that I think this would have done brilliantly as a series, there was so much background and I would have loved to have watched the characters develop more and uncover more about their shady pasts, upbringing and the who why’s and what’s or how they all ended up attended ANA. (The school)

Set in a boarding school in the uk we meet Sade Hussein on her first day at ANA , this book goes straight in and doesn’t miss any details. There are lots of taboo subjects covered and the characters are all well developed but I would love to read more about some of the less popular characters too.

All in all this is a book I won’t forget, thank you to NetGalley the author and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for an honest review

I went into this expecting a thriller, but I’d say this is more of a mystery with a focus on character development rather than plot. I still enjoyed it, but I’d recommend tempering expectations before you start.

I absolutely loved the gothic school setting atmosphere. It’s very dark and heavy, which I loved! It’s hard to say much without spoiling, but I highly recommend this if you’re into gothic books.

Where Sleeping Girls Lie is an ambitious, dark YA mystery set within a boarding school. It covers the story at an engaging pace and kept my attention throughout. Overall, I thought that this was an interesting take on the boarding school story, with a diverse cast of characters who pushed the story along.

However, the story does deal with a number of difficult topics which readers may find distressing - these are mentioned in the author’s note at the beginning - and should therefore be kept in mind when choosing whether to read this book or not. I would say that it is better suited to older readers than books like A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (despite their otherwise similar placements), and would hesitate to recommend it to my students without being sure how they would respond to the relevant trigger warnings. My rating is reflective of this uncertainty.

3.5*

I thoroughly enjoyed this YA mystery set in a boarding school - the author did a great job weaving all the threads together to make a not too predictable story. This would be a perfect autumny read. There are some dark themes in this book so please check triggers before reading!

This was a highly anticipated read for me, I’m so glad it lived up to my expectations!

It had a real gothic feel with its secrets, dark characters who really led me in all kinds of directions. I truly did not know how this would end and I was shocked by the outcome. The ending did feel very bitter sweet as not all justice was fair, but that gave a sense of realism.

I liked the diversity and this reminded me of a good girls guide to murder with its diverse characters, style of pacing with its clues and outcomes. This was fantastic!

When she starts at her new school, Sade Hussein is not entirely sure what to expect. The Alfred Nobel Academy (ANA) is after all a very prestigious institution. And it is certainly not the kind of place where you expect students to go missing!

As if that were not bad enough, Sade is horrified to discover that not only is it her roommate Elizabeth who has gone missing, but that she herself is now viewed with suspicion in some quarters.

This is all very far from what Sade had anticipated, but she's in it now. And navigating an environment where friends are in short supply, she might just have to find her own way out...

This is an absorbing story about secrets, elitism, rivalries and a culture of entitlement. Readers who enjoy dark academia stories will enjoy this one. It gets 3.5 stars.

I have just finished ‘Where Sleeping Girls Lie’ by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and have decided to give it 5 stars.

‘Where Sleeping Girls Lie’ is a novel that takes place at the prestigious Alfred Nobel Academy or ANA. Where we begin in the story we follow out protagonist, Sade, arriving late at the esteemed school. When a student goes missing she and other students find themselves tangled up in the mystery of it.

First, I loved Sade and how thoughtful she was. She was not one to do or say anything on impulse (like a lot of characters have a frustrating habit of doing in this particular genre) and that allowed for me as the reader to really get an insight of her thoughts. As for the other characters (like The Unholy Girls, teachers, swim team members etc.) - they were properly fleshed out which was great given that there are many characters we’re introduced to quite early on and throughout the story. I thought the way her and Baz leaned on each other was sweet and the understanding that she shared with Persephone. There are many characters that are unsavory and I was kicking myself for being fooled by the charisma of a particular one.

As for the plot, I was kept on the edge of my seat and there was little I correctly predicted. I think half way I even stopped trying to guess and let myself go slack-jawed at certain points. There are some heavy themes and so you’ll need to check the trigger warnings but I do believe that such topics and other themes like gender and privileged were handled appropriately given the nature and genre of the book so that’s always a good sign. There’s a great level of mystery and many high tension moments. The length of this book initially made me nervous but once I got into it I really powered through and didn’t even noticed I had read so much in my first sitting.

I’ve not read from this author before but based on my reading experience I sure will be.

Thank you to NetGalley and Usborne for this ARC.