From NetGalley:
Sixteen years ago, six girls were born on the same day—and now, on their birthday, one of them is missing. From the author of Starlings comes a story about small-towns, friendships, and the terrifying things your parents don't tell you, that's perfect for fans of Yellowjackets.
For most of her life, Isabeau and her five best friends were inseparable—amazingly enough, the six girls even shared a birthday. Then a rift caused their friendships to fracture, and Iz lost everyone except Reuel, the only one who didn’t abandon her.
Until now. The night of their sixteenth birthday, Isabeau leaves Reuel sitting on her front porch and heads home—and in the morning, Reuel is missing. She’s gone for two days, and when she reappears, there’s something wrong with her. She’s sick. Really sick. And she doesn’t remember anything that happened while she was gone.
If there’s any bright side to the situation, it’s that Reuel’s peculiar disappearance brings the six girls back together. Their sisterhood feels as strong as it was years ago, but when another one of them disappears, they all agree that they must have more in common than simply their birthday. They all feel it. Something’s been waiting for them, and that something has come to claim them one by one.
Deep in their bones, they know—it’s just a matter of time until they they’re all taken. And if they don’t save themselves, no one will.
Reminiscent of the OG Pretty Little Liars and the supernatural edge of Riverdale, Six of Sorrow combines the tension of ex-best friends, family secrets, and small town legends to create a memorable story, palatable for today's readers.
We focus on Isabeau, an artist who feels like an outlier in her school around everyone except her best friend Reuel. Isabeau's voice is angsty and full of resentment. She misses the other four in their former group of six. On the eve of their shared birthday, it's not hard to understand. In a bittersweet turn of events, when Reuel disappears the morning after celebrating their birthday in the cemetery...alone...the group reunites, drawn together by their love for Reuel, and their concern for Isabeau.
What follows after their reunion is a series of strange incidents that pull the girls closer together and terrify them. They dive into figuring out what is happening to them while looking after each other and trying to protect one another from unseen forces.
Linsmeier has done a fabulous job at building these interesting and unique characters! All six teens have a depth, an intellect, and a personality that separates them as they stand out on their own yet fit into their friend group wonderfully. The group dynamic truly makes me think of Pretty Little Liars circa 2010, but if Alison had reappeared much sooner. Mixed with some truly frightening horror elements that I really loved, this book feels like it belongs on the screen as a CW production.
Speaking of horror elements, Linsmeier taps into regular teen insecurities and uses horror to turn them on their head in an unforgettable way. She catalogs the deterioration of young, lively, beautiful teenage girls, yet she doesn't take anything away from their character. It strengthens their fight to learn the truth, whether that means defying authority or going off on their own to square off with their adversary once and for all. Together. The showdown was cinematic and tied together so many loose threads that the author dropped throughout the story.
This leads me to my favorite part! The romance, of course. The sweet, loving, first-love, sapphic romance. I will not say between whom! Just know, that I enjoyed the realization, the revelation, and the reciprocated feelings revealed at the end. Chef's kiss! This is the kind of love that comes from years of knowing each other, even if you don't know your feelings. It's a representation of sapphic love that I'm sure many can relate to!
Amanda Linsmeier has written a sophomore novel that makes its readers turn the pages at a break-neck speed until they reach its very satisfying ending, fit for a teen movie. Six of Sorrow is a wonderful addition to the genre and a credit to its author.
I recommend this book to anyone who's ever loved those teen shows that were a little creepier than normal. The good ones like, Pretty Little Liars (honestly, the OG show and the new series both apply here), Riverdale, The Secret Circle, and the newer Nancy Drew. Any ensemble-loving, thriller-addicted, horror-fiend reader will enjoy this book!
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