Girls with Sharp Sticks (Girls with Sharp Sticks, #1)

by Suzanne Young

“Enough plot twists to give a reader whiplash.” —Cosmopolitan

From New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Young comes the start of a thrilling, subversive new series about a girls-only boarding school with a terrifying secret and the friends who will stop at nothing to protect each other.

Some of the prettiest flowers have the sharpest thorns.

The Girls of Innovations Academy are beautiful and well-behaved—it says so on their report cards. Under the watchful gaze of their Guardian, they receive a well-rounded education that promises to make them better. Obedient girls, free from arrogance or defiance. Free from troublesome opinions or individual interests.

But the girls’ carefully controlled existence may not be quite as it appears. As Mena and her friends uncover the dark secrets of what’s actually happening there—and who they really are—the girls of Innovations Academy will learn to fight back.

Bringing the trademark plot twists and high-octane drama that made The Program a bestselling and award-winning series, Suzanne Young launches a new series that confronts some of today’s most pressing ethical questions.

• ISBN10: 1534426140
• ISBN13: 9781534426146
• Publish Date: 19 March 2020 (first published 19 March 2019)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 416
• Language: English

Reviews

[stressedrach]

This is the first book I have read by Suzanne Young but it definitely won’t be the last, this book captured me more than I thought it would. It intrigued me but also horrified me in parts too.

The all –girls boarding school is like a teen version of Stepford Wives, where girls are taught how to be the ‘perfect woman’, they are told what to wear, what to think, how to act and to obey their man. Mena notices things aren’t quite right with this set up and vows to stop it happening, her and her friends bring girl power to the table.

“Some of the prettiest flowers have the sharpest thorns” – Ain’t that the truth!

It was well written, a bit slow to start with but soon warmed up, good character development, I could not put it down and it is worrying that this kind of thing could happen. Bring on book 2 in the series.

[cornerfolds]

Read more of my reviews at Cornerfolds.com!

Girls With Sharp Sticks is my second book by Suzanne Young after The Program, which I read several years ago. I was intrigued by the cover of this book and the synopsis pulled me in even more! I really didn't know what to expect or whether this was even a dystopian book, but I knew I had to read it as soon as possible. (Readers should be aware that there is physical and sexual assault in this book, so if that's something you'd rather avoid you may want to skip this one.)

Mena is the main character of this story. She attends Innovations Academy and is extremely close with many of the other girls. After meeting a boy on a field trip, she begins to open her mind just a little bit more to the world around her. I loved her friendships with the girls most of all! The girls of the academy are fiercely loyal to each other and I loved how they supported and helped each other. I also really enjoyed the romance though! It wasn't the main plot point of the story, but was just enough for those of us who love at least a little romance in all of our books.

The school and those who ran it were absolutely terrifying. The entire school was run by men with the only other woman being one of their wives, who was a graduate of the academy. I hated them all. When girls asked too many questions or become defiant, they received treatment to bring them back in line. It was infuriating watching the girls go throughout their days without question and then absolutely helpless to do anything once questions did arise. I feel like the scariest part about this story is the knowledge that it doesn't seem that far off from something that could really happen.

While I loved many parts of Girls With Sharp Sticks, I did feel that it was very predictable. At the beginning, I had an inkling that something felt off and quickly formed an idea of what I thought could be happening. The more I read, the more obvious it became that I was correct. Maybe the fact that everything is pretty much out in the open is what makes it scary? But I have a feeling that the big reveals were supposed to have more impact than they did.

I can't say much more without spoilers, but I will say that I did definitely enjoy this super disturbing, super feminist story. I wish that it had been a bit less easy to predict, but the relationships and the world building were fantastic despite that. I can't wait to see what happens next!

[girlinthepages]

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.*Thank you so much to Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I've only read one book by Suzanne Young and it wasn't my favorite, and I somehow completely missed the hype train for her successful The Program series. Couples with the fact that I'm not a huge dystopian fan, I didn't think much of Girls with Sharp Sticks when I first came across it on Goodreads. However, I started seeing more and more of my trusted blogger and reviewer friends post about how intensely good the story was and it peaked my interest. I found myself clicking the "request" button on NetGalley and was not disappointed- Girls with Sharp Sticks is a clever and compelling read that will simultaneously make you angry and horrified at the sexist and oppressive potential our world has to offer.

It's hard to adequately review Girls with Sharp Stickswithout spoilers, but the basic outline of the plot is that beautiful female students are sequestered away in a mountaintop boarding school where they learn how to be "perfect"- a twisted finishing school that has a very Stepford Wives vibe to it. Slowly but surely throughout the course of the novel, the girls begin to "wake up" and realize the disturbing foundations of their education and must decide how to deal with their situation. It's powerful and feminist, and though it may *seem* exaggerated, what's scariest about this story is that it's not that far off from the truth- the girls may have exacerbated behaviors from their education, but their fears, stigmas, and societal responses are all ones that I bet many girls and women find themselves participating in, whether consciously or unconsciously (apologizing when it's not necessary, trying to diffuse a situation with politeness and good manners for fear of a violent outburst from a man, etc.) It's fascinating being inside the main character, Philomena's, head because readers truly see how deeply rooted some of the power imbalances and societal stereotypes between men and women are, and how someone who is so intelligent can also be manipulated. I think this day in age many women have a place of privilege where they can say "I would never put up with that sort of sexist behavior" or "I would never tolerate that kind of abuse" because they are surrounded by strong, supportive communities, which is a wonderful thing! However, I think Girls with Sharp Sticks does an amazing job at showing that even the most seemingly privileged, beautiful, intelligent, etc. people can be manipulated, emotionally abused, oppressed and not seem it from the outside, and society is set up to have us look the other way or explain it away.

Girls with Sharp Sticks is unique in that I have found it hard to pin down into one genre. It's set in the modern world which makes me lean toward "contemporary," however there are definitely some science fiction elements with the technology, and thriller elements with the pacing and reveals. Yet one of the most uncomfortable elements about the story is how delicately it straddles the line between fiction and sci-fi: while some of the technology might be far-fetched, the ideals and beliefs that have let to the creation of Innovations Academy are certainly not. The story was a slow burn but in a necessary way, that slowly built up the foundation of the schools, its teachings, its methods, and they've cultivated a culture of fear masquerading as obedience. While a little slow to start, I'm so glad the author spent the time building the momentum of the story and taking readers along on Philomena's journey to break through years of manipulation and, for lack of a better term, brainwashing.

Overview: A Handmaid's Tale for a younger generation, Girls with Sharp Sticks is intricately plotted, cleverly written, and examines how society isn't that far off from certain sexist, horrifying outcomes if we're not active and vigilant against misogyny and oppression. This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight .

4.5*

I freaking adored this book, and I am having trouble fully articulating why. Like okay, I love dystopian stuff. I extra love books where girls come together to overthrow the patriarchy. And I extra extra love when those books have incredible twists that leave my jaw on the floor. This book has all those things. And I am purposely going to keep this review short, because of the aforementioned articulation struggles, but also because I think you should just experience it for yourself. Here are a few more things to get you excited to read it:

• •Creepy ass boarding school! Oh yes, this place is messed up! I know it, you'll know, it, everyone knows it, except for the girls who attend it and have been conditioned to think it's the best thing since sliced bread. Mena, the main character, even meets an outsider who asks the same questions I ask!
  

  "If you don't mind me asking, what the fuck kind of school is this?"

  
  


• •Female friendships galore! Obviously since they're stuck at Creep College, they bond and they bond hard. I loved Mena, the main character, sure, but I absolutely loved them all.



• •Can I mention the twists again? Because it took the whole book in a direction I did not see coming. I mean, you know something's up but... not these particular shenanigans!



• •It reminds me a little of Louise O'Neill's Only Ever Yours except I didn't want to just end the world when I was done (so, a wee bit less hopeless hah). And you guys know how much I adore that book, so.



• •There's a SEQUEL! Need, need, infinitely need.

Bottom Line: I legit couldn't put the thing down and in the end, that's all you need to know.