Book Review: Such A Clever Girl by Darby Kane

Such A Clever Girl by Darby Kane opens with the friends and family of Xavier Tanner gathered for the reading of his will when his granddaughter, Aubrey (presumed dead for the last fifteen years), suddenly walks through the door. Her unexpected appearance reignites the rumor mill surrounding the mysterious disappearance of her family all those years ago. It also draws a teacher, a café owner, and a psychologist back together for the first time since that day. What secrets have they been keeping, and how are they connected to the Tanner family disappearance?

Told mainly from the perspective of Stella, Marni, and Hannah, the author slowly weaves a hellacious story of secrets, lies, and things that aren't as they seem. As the reader navigates the story, they're presented with flashbacks and tidbits of information of what happened to the Tanner family that connect these three women together who otherwise wouldn't be connected. Add in an occasional bit of information from the perspective of Aubrey, it really makes the reader wonder who's perspective they can actually trust.

The character development in Such A Clever Girl is phenomenal. The three main characters in the book are so nuanced and have such a backstory that there are times when you love them and dislike them within just moments. A lot of the secondary characters are portrayed as being extremely unlikable with the exception of a couple. As the story progresses, some of those secondary characters that were so awful end up not being quite so bad.

Throughout the novel, I kept changing my mind on who I thought the villain would be, and in the end, I didn't quite figure out who it was. I don't know how Darby Kane kept all the details straight because my head spun a bit with the reveal.

As far as settings go, I couldn't think of a better location than the infamous Sleepy Hollow. Pair that with the sinister and gothic vibes, the story couldn't have been any more eerie and unsettling.

Four out of five stars is what I rated Such A Clever Girl by Darby Kane. The only real complaint I have about the book is that the real identity of the reporter is a bit convoluted. I did also have trouble keeping the three main characters straight for a large part of the story.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and William Morrow for approving my request for an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Such A Clever Girl by Darby Kane. Having read and loved the author's novel The Engagement Party, I was thrilled to receive a copy for free in exchange for my honest review.

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