The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette's By Hanna Alkaf
I hurried to look up this book and found out that I needed to wait seven months Hanna Alkaf releasing 9 24 I picked up this book because I love YA thriller and I went to an all girls high school so it seemed right up my alley and it was One of my favorite things in books is when the setting of the book takes on a character role and that s a huge component of The Hysterical Girls of St Bernadette s The school has a personality and history and is a vital component to the story. A huge element in this book is also how teenage girls are usually just labeled as hysterical whenever they are going through something difficult.
This book touches on the fact that so many times girls are just pushed to the wayside because people don t believe them or their stories the characters in this book are just expected to ignore and move passed the screaming epidemic that seems to be taking over their school along with all the internal battles people around them don t know they re fighting Overall I d consider it part YA thriller part young coming of age and finding their voice Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review Hanna Alkaf Hanna Alkaf s The Hysterical Girls of St Bernadette s is a gripping novel that captivates readers with its short straightforward chapters and alternating points of view between the main characters Khadijah and Rachel This structure keeps the narrative pace brisk and engaging making it difficult for me to put the book down from start to finish. One of the novel s standout features is its stark and distinctive characterization Both Khadijah and Rachel are complex vividly painted characters with their own unique struggles It s hard to choose a favorite because each girl is so relatable and well developed Rachel s narrative burdened by her mother s relentless expectations resonates deeply Her constant fear of disappointing her strict mother is a theme that I believe many readers especially Malaysians will identify with. Khadijah s story on the other hand is heart wrenching Traumatized into muteness by the sexual assault from her stepfather she battles against a world that too often dismisses and victim blames her This is all too real for us women of course Even though things are done TO us we are always treated as if we re the ones in the WRONG Hanna Alkaf created the painstakingly realistic portrayal here through these St Bernadette s girls. Although people eventually listened to Khadijah when it was already too late The assault had to happen for people to listen to her and her journey highlights the painful reality of being unheard and invalidated. The setting of St Bernadette s school itself becomes a character in the novel much like the creepy house in the movie Monster House Mind you I love that movie Hanna Alkaf breathes life into the school giving it a personality that stands out among the girls known as the screamers The red herrings sprinkled throughout the story add to the suspense and I was than intrigued to uncover the mysteries of the school and its tragic history with previous screamers. However the book s ending did feel rather abrupt and anticlimactic It seems rushed leaving many loose ends untied such as the resolution of Rachel s relationship with her mother and the extent of the missing girls trauma While open endings can be effective this one lacks the closure needed to feel satisfying The absence of clear resolution for the characters struggles is the only reason this book isn t a solid 5 star read for me. I NEED ANSWERS TO A LOT OF QUESTIONS But overall this book is a compelling read with strong relatable characters and an intriguing plot Despite the somewhat unsatisfying conclusion the vivid writing and engaging storyline really make it a worthwhile read Hanna Alkaf An all girls private school is struck with mysterious cases of screaming hysteria in this chilling dark academia thriller haunted by a deeply buried history clawing to the light Hanna Alkaf Thank you Kak Hanna and Salaam Simon Schuster for the e ARC I love the story line especially the main plot points the Hysterical Girls Because I live in SEA so it is quite common The story itself was so firmly grasping that I couldn t put down my book until I found out what happened to the girls but the ending sigh kept me yearning Hanna Alkaf 
I write unapologetically Malaysian YA and MG An all girls school is struck with mysterious cases of screaming hysteria in this chilling dark academia thriller haunted by a deeply buried history clawing to the light For over a hundred years girls have fought to attend St Bernadette s with its reputation for shaping only the best and brightest young women Unfortunately there is also the screaming When a student begins to scream in the middle of class a chain reaction starts that impacts the entire school By the end of the day seventeen girls are affected along with St Bernadette s stellar reputation Khadijah s got her own scars to tend to and watching her friends succumb to hysteria only rips apart wounds she d rather keep closed But when her sister falls to the screams Khad knows she s the only one who can save her Rachel has always been far too occupied trying to reconcile her overbearing mother s expectations with her own secret ambitions to pay attention to school antics But just as Rachel finds her voice it turns into screams Together the two girls find themselves digging deeper into the school s dark history hunting for the truth Little do they know that a specter lurks in the darkness watching waiting and hungry for its next victim The Hysterical Girls of St Bernadette sStudents at a Malaysian boarding school are struck by a mysterious screaming illness Is it mass hysteria a haunting or something else The book explores trauma bodily autonomy and sisterhood This is my first Hanna Alkaf book but I can tell it s not her first YA novel She writes her characters with an emotional depth I wish I saw frequently in YA Thanks to Simon Teen for providing an ARC Hanna Alkaf ARC for review To be published September 24 2024 I love that this YA book is set in Kuala Lumpur that alone makes it stand out from a lot of what s out there And the book covers a tough topic though not explicitly St Bernadette s is the best school for girls around perched atop a hill only the best make it through the gates One ordinary day a new girl starts to scream in class Then another Then another By the end of the day there are seventeen of them Khadijah is a girl with her own problems she doesn t speak But her sister is one of the screamers Rachel is trying desperately to live up to her strict mother s expectations while also trying to carve out a life for herself Is it possible And why are the girls screaming And what will happen next This is definitely YA for YA but I like that it exists for girls even if I don t know that I was crazy about the ending Probably a 3. 5 for me Hanna Alkaf HELLOO HANNA ALKAF MALAYSIAN GIRLS SCHOOL THRILLER Hanna Alkaf first arc Hanna Alkaf thank you to netgalley for this arc khadijah doesn t speak a word after past experiences show her she isn t listened to she s silent but everyone around her isn t when khadijah s classmates start screaming for no obvious reason the past is dug up and khad takes it upon herself to save her classmates and put a stop to the panic of St Bernadette s 3. i ve never read a malaysian centered book so this was a big treat i loved learning about malaysian culture googling words in malay that i didn t know the meaning of before fun fact cirit birit means diarrhea in malay love knowing that now the casual mentions of current things i know school age children talk about e. g kpop music videos was refreshing there were no over the top i m trendy and hip like you references which i sadly find in modern YA books at the end i don t think i can quote the book so i ll just paraphrase who am i to determine what s normal and what isn t how would i know how trauma has affected someone else and that hit SO hard oh my gosh props to Hanna Alkaf 33this book genuinely was really good i don t normal pick up books like this but i thought i would give it a go i would recommend this to my friends as it kept me thoroughly entertained i had trouble picking it up because i thought it would end too fast but i also wanted to read it really bad very conflicting they also just mention monkeys casually sitting outside lol Hanna Alkaf
| The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette's By Hanna Alkaf |
| 1534494588 |
| 9781534494589 |
| English |
| 352 |
| Hardcover |