When We Were Monsters
Random House Children's Books · Hardcover · September 2, 2025
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places comes “a standout dark academia thriller” (e. lockhart, author of We Were Liars) about the monsters who walk among us—even in the glittering upper echelons of society.
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- Who it’s for
- A sharp, eerie setup with enough bite for study and enough tension to keep you turning.
- Genres
- YA Mysteries, Boarding School YA, YA Psychological Thrillers
- Published
- Random House Children's Books, September 2, 2025
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From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places comes “a standout dark academia thriller” (e. lockhart, author of We Were Liars) about the monsters who walk among us—even in the glittering upper echelons of society. A dead teacher at an elite boarding school. Four students who had every reason to want her gone. Who is the monster?
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At an elite New England boarding school, eight students are selected for an exclusive storytelling workshop with the one and only Meredith Graffam—an enigmatic writer, director, and actress. For sixteen days, they will live in the isolated estate of the school’s founder, surrounded by snowy woods and a storm-tossed seas. Only one of the chosen will walk away with a lifechanging opportunity to realize their creative dreams. Everyone, including Graffam, has a compelling reason to be there—Effy, the orphan, Isaac, the legacy, Ness, the wallflower, Ramon, the outsider, and Arlo, whose unexpected arrival leaves Effy spiraling—but only the most ambitious will last the term. Graffam’s unorthodox methods push the students past the breaking point, revealing their darkest secrets, taking unthinkable risks, and slowly starting to turn on one another. But Graffam never expected they would turn on her . . .
Dark Currents
A sharp, eerie setup with enough bite for study and enough tension to keep you turning.
Come here for
- edgy YA suspense
- classroom-friendly discussion fuel
Expect
- psychological unease
- supernatural-crime thriller blend
Where it sits
| YA Psychological Thrillers | 39% |
|---|---|
| Boarding School YA | 34% |
| YA Mysteries | 31% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- YA Mysteries
- Contemporary YA Romance
- YA Psychological Thrillers
- Authors
- Jennifer Niven
- Publisher
- Random House Children's Books
- Published
- September 2, 2025
- Format
- Hardcover
- Reading lane
- YA Mysteries