Klehfoth, Elizabeth. 2018. All These Beautiful Strangers. New York, NY: William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0062796707. $26.99 USD.
Portrayed as a cross between Gossip Girl and The Secret History, Klehfoth's debut delves into secrets, lies and betrayals, both past and present, set within the hallowed halls of an elite New England boarding school (campus mysteries are a weakness of mine)! See my reviews of Christopher Swann's Shadow of the Lions (https://bit.ly/2mKOUk4 ) and Dead Man's Bridge by Robert J. Mrazek (https://bit.ly/2LzkM9F) for more campus mysteries!
Grace Fairchild, the wife of a wealthy real estate mogul, disappears without a trace one day, leaving behind her 7 year old daughter, Charlie. Years later, Charlie immerses herself in campus life at Knollwood Academy, and hopes to leave her shadowed past behind. Tapped to be initiated into a secret society called the "A's," Charlie finds herself risking everything to participate in the semester-long Game played by the "A's," and ultimately unlocks some of the secrets from her past.
When I finished All These Beautiful Strangers I was completely satisfied, just as I am with all the best books I read. It was a mix of the memories of my own adolescence and how things aren't always what they seem that was the appeal for me in this well-written, clever mix of family drama and mystery. Fully fleshed characters, chapter cliff-hangers that made me want to keep reading, short flash-backs that heightened my curiosity about what actually happened in the past - all these things combined made it a great read. I will add this to my growing list of campus mysteries to recommend, though my all-time favorite is still Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl!
Happy Reading!
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