Girl A ~ Abigail Dean

Girl A by Abigail Dean was yet another book I had seen everywhere so when I saw it in my local library I was inclined to pick it up. The concept hooked me straight away and from the blurb alone I knew this was definitely going to be my cup of tea. This story enticed me enough for the pages to constantly keep turning, however, the more I think about it now the less satisfied I become. 

Written from the perspective of Lexie Grace, otherwise known as Girl A, we learn the story of her parents, the house of horrors that they once called home and ultimately how she became the ‘girl who escaped’. With the recent death of her imprisoned mother, Lex and her siblings are left the house alongside a past they had been trying to run from their entire lives. The past can no longer stay hidden and Lex tries to change the house of horrors to force for good. But first, she must try to understand her six siblings and the turbulent childhood they once shared.

I liked the fact that although told predominantly from Lex’s perspective we do gain glimpses of the other siblings as they now try to navigate adulthood. Some of which she hasn’t spoken to for years. However, every time I felt like she headed a few steps in one direction it abruptly stopped leaving me with yet more unresolved questions. Mainly to do with their mother being a victim herself and the role in which eldest son Ethan really played, I felt could have been delved into much deeper.  Although it felt as if we travelled this journey with Lex that she was meant to grow but I feel we left her at the end of the novel exactly how we had found her at the start. The ‘twist’ I definitely saw coming but I will say those scenes towards the end of the book were beautifully written by Dean and definitely pulled on a heartstring or two. 

Overall, I felt a little underwhelmed by this book as it had a brilliant concept but fell a bit flat after what felt like it was building to some momentous ending. I gave Girl A by Abigail Dean a 3.5 ⭐️ rating.

M🌸