Plain Bad Heroines

Well… this book was WEIRD. And I mean that as a compliment.

Plain Bad Heroines is basically what happens when you throw a creepy old boarding school, a possibly cursed book, mysterious deaths, Hollywood drama, queer romance, a whole lot of yellow jackets, and approximately 472 layers of storytelling into a blender and hit GOTHIC CHAOS.

The story jumps between the early 1900s and the present, revolving around the infamous Brookhants School for Girls, where two students were found dead under very strange circumstances. And because apparently nobody in this book has ever watched a horror movie, generations later people are STILL poking around trying to figure out what happened. Naturally, things get weird.

This is definitely a slow burn, and she is a CHUNKY girl. There were moments when I wondered if we were ever going to reach the point, but somehow I kept turning the pages because the atmosphere was just too good. Creepy school? Check. Forbidden relationships? Check. Hollywood egos? Check. Possibly supernatural happenings? Check. Tiny murderous insects buzzing around like they pay rent? DOUBLE CHECK.

I also loved how the book knew exactly how ridiculous it could be. It's gothic and creepy, but there's this mischievous little wink running through the whole thing that keeps it from taking itself too seriously.

If you like your gothic fiction strange, darkly funny, queer, atmospheric, and just a little unhinged, Plain Bad Heroines is worth picking up.