Michele Campbell | SHE WAS THE QUIET ONE

Plot (via Goodreads):

When twin sisters Rose and Bel Enright enroll in The Odell School, a prestigious New Hampshire boarding school, it seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. But the sisters could not be more different. The school brings out a rivalry between them that few ever knew existed. And the school itself has a dark underbelly: of privileged kids running unchecked and uninhibited; of rituals and traditions that are more sinister than they seem; of wealth and entitlement that can only lead to disaster. 

For Sarah Donovan, wife of an ambitious teacher who is determined to rise through the ranks, Odell also seems like the best thing that could happen to their small family. But how well does she really know her husband? What lengths will he go to to achieve his goals? And when one dark night ends in murder, who is guilty, who knows the truth, and who has been in on it all along? SHE WAS THE QUIET ONE. Because murderers are almost never who you expect.

Review:

If you've been following me for the last year, then you may remember me gushing over a novel last summer called IT'S ALWAYS THE HUSBAND by Michele Campbell. It's the kind of novel that was genuinely dark, well crafted, and addictive...it's also the kind of novel that the minute you finish, you're anticipating and craving this authors next piece of work. Naturally, when I saw that Michele Campbell announced her next novel, SHE WAS THE QUIET ONE I knew I had to get my hands on a copy.

Reading a second novel by an author after you loved their first one so much can be scary. What if I don't like it as much? What if it's not as unique? What if it's a completely different direction than the previous novel? It's scary! Well, have no fear because Campbell is back with a bite. One of my favorite things about IT'S ALWAYS THE HUSBAND was the Ivy League setting that about half of the novel took place in. Well, it's like my prayers have been answered because this entire novel takes place in a boarding school! Hallelujah. 

This one started out a little weary for me. The prologue was dark and terrifying, leading you into a cautionary tale similar to Campbell's first novel. While I enjoyed the prologue, I was quickly introduced to two sisters in a way that made me question if I would like this one as the first chapter was a little cliche for me. Orphaned twins go to live with rich grandmother, etc. I was nervous. But, then good old grandma spends a ton of money on school supplies and clothes and sends them off to this prestigious and illusive school that their father had went to and all hell breaks loose. Chapter two and so forth had me hooked, so I won't fault Campbell on that and I appreciate an author who gets right to the point. Boy, does she ever. The plot takes a turn into this world that is not only unfamiliar territory to the two sisters, but to the reader as well. Cliques have been formed, friends have been made, and these two newbies are not sure where there place is. I loved the psychological aspect of this part as you see their relationship go from being so strong to really changing rather quickly. 

I adored the characterization in this novel. I was hesitant on reading an adult novel with young adult characters as I feared it may come off too much like a young adult novel, but the characterization in this read is multi-layered and nothing short of dazzling. There is a multiple character narrative in this one that really shines above the rest when other novels have failed to get their point across using this method. Campbell does it flawlessly. While I haven't been in school in quite some time, the way these characters are written was brilliantly executed using modern day technology and dealt with some pretty dark elements considering they are still in high school. Not one character felt cliched, not useful to the story, or was wasted by being outshone by another character. I absolutely hated some of them because we are meant to hate them, I loved more of them because of the way they were written, and I feared for two young women knowing that their lives were going to change forever.

The pacing with this novel was exceptional. I can't say it any other way. Between the setting, the time of year that everything takes place, and the way that Campbell paced this novel on top of everything else that I enjoyed about it just made it a really splendid read. The tension in this one just skyrockets as it continues and the story goes from innocence to eye-opening and alarming. I found myself going to take reading breaks for the necessities in life (bathing, food, water, etc.) and was flabbergasted at how far I had made it since I last looked. For me, I need to plan my life out down to the minute, so I am usually reading and even when enjoying something, I am taking note of how far into it I am and how I need to finish it before dinner or before a certain day. With this book, I was just so immersed that the outside world just faded into the background and I lost track of time and nothing else really phased me. That's when you know it's one hell of a read. As a bonus, there's another aspect that I wasn't expecting and didn't see coming, but just added a whole other level to how good this read was. When I read BIG LITTLE LIES by Liane Moriarty, I loved the small chapters of the detectives interviewing different people about this event that happened that the reader didn't have a full grasp on. With this story, I knew early on (the prologue) what had happened, I just didn't know a lot of the details and Campbell really tied so much together in such a "blink and you miss it" kind of way by including these interviews as smaller chapters in between the other ones taking place in the past. I loved it. It worked for me and it kept me allowing myself just one more chapter...

As the ending was approaching, I found myself at a crossroads. Do I slow down and really savor these last few chapters or do I just keep going and know that I am eventually going to have to literally close the book on this world and these characters and this story that I was so bewitched by? Well, all good things come to an end and this book is an example on how all amazing things can come to an end as well. I loved the darkness, the eeriness, the harrowing elements and the emotion that Campbell really brought front and center with the ending. There were so many things going on and I felt that she didn't hold back at all with being 100% honest to the story and keeping it suspenseful, emotional, and tying everything up so well. One thing I really enjoyed with both of her novels was that there are some twists that happen throughout, but  the endings aren't full of shock-factor and twists that you never saw coming, they are just dependent on her storytelling abilities and how she effortlessly ties everything up with a neat bow at end. No question left unanswered. I find this flawless and unique. I was so satisfied with this read that I almost missed the epilogue that just left my jaw resting on the floor and my mind being blown. Shock factor? Not a huge amount. Just the way that she wrote the epilogue and the few things that are revealed in it really took me for a loop. I was even more in love with this story more than I thought I could be. So, I guess I have one question left; when do I get to pre-order book number three?

Special thanks to St. Martins Press for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 5/5