One of the Girls: Book Review

I’ll be completely honest with y’all. I went into Lucy Clarke’s new novel, One of the Girls, totally blind. Two things jumped out when I scanned the synopsis: Greece and girl’s trip gone wrong. It’s been three years since I’ve been abroad, and I’m desperate to step foot on European soil again. So, in the meantime, I’ve been traveling through my books as much as possible. And after seeing that cover, I just knew that One of the Girls would be the escape I needed right now.

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Synopsis

Lexi, Robyn, Bella, Fen, Eleanor, and Ana are embarking on a weekend they’ll never forget. At the center of this hen party is the beautiful bride-to-be, Lexi. She’s always been a free spirit, so seeing her settle down is certainly something to celebrate. While she had no doubts before stepping foot on the gorgeous Greek island Bella and Fen arranged for the weekend, she can’t help but begin to question herself and her judgment as the hen weekend gets underway. Is she questioning her decision to come on this adventure, or is she starting to question her feelings for her soon-to-be husband?

While Lexi’s grappling with her own existential crisis, her friends are going through their own individual crises. Eleanor’s always wanted to be just one of the girls, but her loner lifestyle and social awkwardness make it hard for her to let her guard down and enjoy herself. Ana’s preoccupied with her teenage son’s poor life choices. Fen’s battling her own demons, one who lives on this very island. Bella’s just Bella, set on permanent self-destruct mode. And Robyn’s lost herself somewhere between marrying a man she didn’t love and becoming a single mother.

Little do they know, someone’s not going home at the end of the weekend. The secrets and lies weave a web of deceit and destruction around this den of vipers disguised as a bachelorette party. Who’s after who? And who will die? Only time will tell.

My Thoughts on One of the Girls

WHAT!!!??? Listen, I’m no domestic thriller expert, but this book definitely had me on the edge of my seat guessing who/what/when/where until the very end. I thoroughly enjoyed the guessing game that the author played throughout the novel. Pages were flipping as fast as possible so that I could get to the end of the story asap.

I normally don’t like books with so many main characters, but, for some reason, this book worked for me. Each of the characters introduced in One of the Girls intrigued me so much that I had to know more about them and how their stories interconnected. The author did a terrific job playing the characters against each other throughout the novel, leaving the reader wondering who’s going to the be “bad guy” in the end.

Now, I’ll admit, I love to guess at the ending all through a thriller. I get SO much satisfaction from being right about a twist or a big reveal, and I’m sure you do, too. One of the Girls had me guessing, but, boy, was I wrong! The twists at the end came out of no where for me, which means I was left gaping-mouthed and frantically flipping pages to find out what came next.

At the center of the story is the relationship between the bride-to-be, Lexi, and her childhood best friends, Bella and Robyn. The girls could not be more different. And while that drew them together at one point in their lives, their differences have since drawn them further away from each other. That distance added complexity to the current day relationship and to the dynamics with the other characters.

My Rating for One of the Girls

In the end, One of the Girls was a highly satisfying, summer suspense novel that I couldn’t put down. If you’re looking for an escape with a twist of murder, look no further than Lucy Clarke’s new novel. The payoff in the end is very much worth it and the Greek island setting is stunning!

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