The Book:
She Was The Quiet One by Michele Campbell, 2018
The Characters:
Twins Rose and Bel
The Plot (from Goodreads):
For Rose Enright, enrolling in a prestigious New England boarding school is the opportunity of a lifetime. But for Rose’s vulnerable twin sister Bel, Odell Academy is a place of temptation and danger. When Bel falls in with a crowd of wild rich kids who pressure her into hazing Rose, the sisters’ relationship is shattered. Rose turns to her dorm mother, Sarah Donovan, for advice. But Bel turns to Sarah’s husband Heath, a charismatic and ambitious teacher. Is Heath trying to help Bel or take advantage of her? In a world of privilege, seduction, and manipulation, only one sister will live to tell the truth.
The Review:
She Was The Quiet One popped up as a suggestion since I’ve just read The Wife Who Knew Too Much and A Stranger on the Beach.
The story begins with a girl being held in her school’s infirmary, under suspicion that she has killed her sister. So you know that one of the twins has died, but not which one or why. The other is being accused of murdering her sister. From there, the story unravels in a style that reminded me of Big Little Lies. Parts are told in real time by each of the twins as well as two of their teachers, interspersed with interviews and testimonies from other secondary characters that take place after the murder.
I found Michele Campbell’s writing to be compelling, and was eager to figure out who died and who killed them. The characters were interesting, if not necessarily likable. Most of the book fell into the “mean girl and victim retaliation” trope.
Overall not my favorite book by this author, but still an entertaining read. Those who like books about boarding school brats will enjoy this one.
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