4.75 stars
The pacing was a bit slow for a majority of the book.
But great content and lessons. #feminism

I did not enjoy this one...It was just really surface level sexism and very basic. Very cheesy, not revolutionary to me and I really didn't vibe with the writing style. There were some twists and turns that I didn't see coming but overall, not my thing.

9,00 on CAWPILE

This was so THRILLING. I couldn't put it down, I needed to know what would happen next. Gonna start the 2nd book this evening. But also so horrifying wtf, I hate men

It was really hard to put this book because it’s so addicting. I did not see the plot twist coming at all, which is always nice. I’m really looking forward to more from this series.

This book was really good. I did find a few things to be obvious but I still really enjoyed this book. It was perfect as I first book in a series or duology whichever this is. it introduced the characters and I liked most of them and truly want to know what will happen to them.
This book also gave me serious West World vibes which is great for me at least. The book had this great creepy and unarming vibe running all through out. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I was so eager to find out moor about this world and these girls. I was so invested in their lives and in this book.
I would say anyone who is a fan of West World should total check this out!

THE LESS YOU KNOW, THE BETTER

I saw some reviews floating around likening the book to some TV shows/ other books. I hadn’t watched or read the books so that didn’t tell me much but looking back I understand the main spoiler.

Trust me, the less you know the more enjoyable the book is. I guessed some spoilers but the one at the end had me shook.

I loved this book. The plot captivated me, the story is creative, and it truly left me wanting to learn more about Innovations Academy. At several points throughout the story my heart was beating through my chest and I became a nervous wreck. I found myself really invested in the characters, and the plot twists were actually surprising and thought-provoking. The only criticism I have is on the romance between Philomena and Alex (is that his name? I cant even remember). I did not feel that this was needed. It did not add much to the quality of the story, and I was much more interested in the close familial relationship the girls shared with each other.
Girls With Sharp Sticks is not just another run-of-the-mill YA novel, it raises meaningful conversation on sexism, rape culture, and humanity.

ARC provided by Simon Teen via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summary
This follows a group of young woman at a prestigious boarding school designed to teach them how to be the "best of society" - beautiful, proper, and obedient. But the school has dark secrets and Mena and her friends are determined to discover them, and in turn, who they really are.

Overview
This is a little hard to describe without getting mildly spoiler-y. And I recommend going into this with as little information as possible! There aren't any blatant spoilers below, but some of my thoughts may give you ideas about the reveals.

It feels like the YA love child between Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro and The Handmaids Tale by Margret Atwood. It's definitely not going to be for everyone - especially considering those are both polarizing books. But I loved the themes in here.

HUGE trigger warnings for abuse and sexism. And this gets pretty graphic so if blood makes you queasy, you may want to avoid this one.

What I Loved
1. The friendship between these girls was so well done. At no point was there any cattiness or competition. These girls supported each other through thick and thin. It was such a beautiful representation of strong, supportive friendships.
2. This did a really good job of building suspense. This book isn't a thriller by any means but the setting and lack of information give so much suspense to the story. For a lot of the book you're questioning everything.
3. The themes in here were fantastic. Not only was this a feminist story but it also brings to question what makes us human. It's one of my personal favorite themes, so I may be slightly biased, but I thought it was really well done.

What I Didn't Love
1. The reveal became pretty obvious around the half way point (and I had guessed it even earlier). So the big reveal wasn't as shocking as it could have been.
2. The ending did feel a little heaving handed. And it is extremely open ended! I have no idea if there is a sequel coming but there are a lot of loose ends left.

Overall I flew through this story. I was so captivated by the world and trying to figure out all the threads. And it covers some of my all-time favorite themes. I definitely recommend checking this out!

lab rats but if instead of saving the world mr davenport was a raging misogynist

Trigger Warnings: Abuse, Violence, SA

It wasn't until I went to find the second book in the Series I realized I have read Suzanne Young before. I read "The Program" by Suzanne Young in 2013 and absolutely loved it; although I was not committed to reading the series.

Very the Handmaid Tale meets Westworld.