A review by minimicropup
She Was the Quiet One by Michele Campbell

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This was a suspenseful, character-driven thriller set in a boarding school world of shifting allegiances. Great pacing, multiple POVs, and a realistic psychological buildup kept me hooked. There’s some serious bullying and manipulation that plays out on page in a believable way, so maybe check content warnings before reading.  
 
Energy: Unraveling. Intriguing. Percolating. 
 
🐕 Howls: Didn’t love the contrived decisions that led to the ending, but it wasn’t bad.  
 
🐩 Tail Wags: The disquieting bullying and “mean girl” antics. The suspense. How it reminded me a little of Lisa Jewell’s style of character dev. Showing instead of telling. The different viewpoints and pacing for switching between them. 
 
Scene: 🇺🇸 Odell Academy High School, New Hampshire, USA
Perspectives (3): A parent and spouse hesitant to be in charge of the girls dorms but wanting to support their spouses dreams of overseeing a boarding school. A twin who doesn’t want to go to this boarding school and tends to act out and fall for anyone who accepts them. The other twin, excited to go to this boarding school and who feels responsible for ensuring their twin doesn’t get into trouble. 
Timeline: 2010s. 
🔥 Fuel: Is Rose & Bel's relationship too fractured to heal? What will happen when Bel starts crushing on her advisor? Which twin died and why? Who is taking the photos and sending threats? How far will the perpetrator go? 
📖 Cred: Plausible
 
Mood Reading Match-Up:
Towering elm trees. Dew covered lawns. Bunk beds. Disciplinary committee. Lightly falling snow. Ice-blue skies. Anonymous emails. Laundry room. Infirmary. 
  • Third person invisible in the room being told a story, overhearing character thoughts and opinions
  • Getting to know the characters and predicting what will happen and how they’ll react
  • Direct, sensory writing style
  • Chaotic, flawed, spiralling, unlikeable, and villainous characters
  • Dark academia coming of age psychological drama
  • Betrayal, life unraveling, manipulation, rebellion, secrets, scandal, and lies
  • Falling for teacher
  • High stakes escapes
  • Series of bad decisions unraveling
  • Sibling rivalry
  • High school hierarchies and cliques
  • Toxic relationships and power dynamics
  • Reverse whodunnit (who is it that died?)
  • Knowing more than the characters
 
Content Heads-Up: Adult minor relationship (flirting; kissing; rough sex, first time). Blackmail. Bullying (physical, emotional, rumours, peer pressure, pranks, embarrassing, fatphobic comments). Cancer (very brief recall). Disbelieving authorities (healthcare). Domestic abuse (confinement, gaslighting, threats). Drug abuse (prescription; painkillers). Family rejection (as teen). Grief. Gun violence. Infidelity. Loss of parent (as teen). Murder. Non-consenting photos/recordings of a minor (assault, hazing). Peer rejection. Suicide (brief, on page). Vomit, sickness. 
 
Rep: American. Second generation Korean (peripheral character). Cis. Hetero. White and pale skin tones. 
 
📚 Format: Paperback
 
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