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This read like a disturbing ‘80s version of Are You There, God? It‘s Me, Margaret and I couldn‘t put it down. 😆

#Teacher #SchoolSpirit

A psychological thriller with themes of Catholicism, racism and misogyny. Recommend for older teens and adults. The novel shifts between 1984 when the protagonist Justine is twelve and 2014. The scenes in the earlier timeframe seemed more fleshed out and I was left with questions about Justine as an adult.

I admit, 40% of my attraction to this book was the cover. Glad I checked it out - can‘t put it down!

Chidgey masterfully crafts an atmosphere of growing unease. Coming of age, with all its preteen anxieties, is compounded by a glamorous, manipulative teacher. Interwoven into the narrative are issues of groupthink, religious ferver, body image, loneliness, and grief. An unsettling read with an explosive climax that will not soon be forgotten.

A disturbing & riveting tale of coming-of-age amidst grief, racism, people who are deeply unwell, religious conservatism, & the dangerous ways the delusion & the "madness of crowds" can work, in all stages of life. The narrative & writing brought to the surface all of the subterranean fears & anxieties of childhood, especially the sense that adulthood is not all that it's cracked up to be. A tad overlong but the writing is good & worth the effort.

A beautiful teacher comes to town & a class of 12 year olds are enthralled. All of the students want to please her and be the teacher‘s pet. When items of the students begin to be stolen, the story takes off. We follow our main character, still grieving the death of a parent, as she navigates the hierarchy within a teenage world & the manipulative world of an adult. It‘s a page turner I could not put down. Already grabbed another by this author.

So apparently I‘ve abandoned the many books on my shelves and overindulged at the library. The pressure is now on to read them all before their due date. And I have a week coming up that is filled with elections, registering voters, and alphabetizing returning absentee ballots. Yeehaw!

Great storytelling about a young girl and her relationship with her father , her friends. Navigating those pre-teen years in New Zealand. Then, a beautiful teacher that everyone falls in love with. Suspenseful, a page turner for me with quality writing.
I‘m looking up more by Catherine Chidgey now. Lovely writer to discover here on Litsy. 🙏

This is an anxiety inducing book. A 12-YO girl wants to be loved and accepted by her teacher. When theft in her classroom occurs blame goes all around, altering lives forever. Turns out, an adult is manipulating an innocent vulnerable girl, gaslighting her. The more the manipulation continued the more stressed I got. It reminds me of Stephen King‘s short story The Apt Pupil, which was much more disturbing. But I got the same ill vibes from this ⬇️

#BookReport 07/24

Another productive reading week! I loved the tagged book, enjoyed X and was disappointed by The Details and The Stationery Shop. Not complaining though, I had a good week!

I plan to read this ebook next for #NewZealand #foodandlit #readingOceania @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB @Catsandbooks

The tension…. What a read. Justine and her classmates all adore their new teacher, Mrs Price. They all want to be her pet and Mrs Price is a manipulator and enjoying that a lot. Then the thefts start.
In between we are in current times, Justine is 42 and visiting her father in a nursing home.
I cannot say too much but will always wonder what exactly happened. I feel for Justine and I must read more by this author!

#ReadingOceania24 🇳🇿

I loved this. Dark, tense, superbly written. One that will linger and haunt me, I think. Highly recommend!

A little fangirling moment that i thought bookish people would appreciate - also shows how small NZ is! @CarolynM @Rissreads
My brother returned from camping and says “the guy at the next campsite was a really nice Dad. He takes his kids away by himself so his wife can have alone time to write novels. She's on her 10th one, & won NZ author of the year”
So guess who the wife was - Catherine Chidgey! I must hurry up and read this novel now!

#12Booksof2023 October

The tension and the expectations - do I need to say more?

Some honorable mentions:

Clarissa by S. Richardson. A buddy read on Litsy hosted by @Lcsmcat When you spend that much time with a chunkster, it stays with you. Also contains one of my most hated characters ever!

Anne of Green Gables. The ultimate cozy read for autumn

How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry. The title says it all - books and bookstores

Thank you so much @BarbaraBB for my lovely #jolabokaflod treats, perfect Christmas Eve ahead 🤩

And thanks again to @MaleficentBookDragon for making so many Litsians across the globe happy tonight!

Merry Christmas!

Every student in Mrs. Price‘s class wants to be her pet. Middle schoolers can be just as nasty as I remember them! But what‘s really going on with this teacher and who really is she? It‘s up to 12 year old Justine to figure this out and most definitely after her father falls for her. It‘s a thriller that will keep you guessing even after you‘ve finished the book.

My second book completed for the #NovelNovember readathon.

This book was so tense at times, I had to read to the end and get the worst of it over; then I went back to read the middle. All the students in 12 year old Justine‘s parochial school class want to win the approval of glamorous Mrs Price, who plays favorites…not exactly a healthy way to teach. But the school administration and parents seem just as enamored by her…and then thefts start…

Quite the enjoyable, page-turning, sick-in-bed read. Some parts of the ending were a little far-fetched, but that didn‘t stop me from turning the page faster.

This book was a page turner from start to finish. I was sucked into the story and couldn‘t put it down; I definitely stayed up too late a couple of nights this week to finish it. I really, really disliked Mrs. Price - a sign of excellent character development on Chidgey‘s part. I am really a fan of her writing.

The tension in this book and the keeping of throughout is amazing, pulling me in from the first paragraph.

Justine is visiting her dad at the elderly home, when one of the nurses reminds her of her teacher, Mrs Price, from her school days 30 yrs before. So starts the road down memory lane, of a teacher that every pupil and who visible had pets in class. And as a reader you know that something most have happened.

This first paragraph has me hooked. I wonder if she manages to keep the tension throughout the book?

Original but dark story about a girl and her teacher, who is going to marry the girl‘s father. Took so turns, I didn‘t see coming. Enjoyed it.

I loved this! Justine looks back at her 80s childhood, when a charismatic, glamorous new teacher arrives at their New Zealand Catholic school and everyone wants to be her pet.

Once I got a few chapters in I just couldn‘t put it down. It‘s dark and twisty, but not in a ‘terrible‘ way like the author‘s recent book, Remote Sympathy; more in a ‘I need to inhale this all in one go‘ way.

#netgalley

UK pub date 13th July…and it‘s a Europa Edition!