Skip to navigation Skip to content
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • facebook
Shop Now
House of Books & Friends
My Account
  • £0.00 0
House of Books & Friends
  • Home
  • About
    • Our Mission
    • Resources for Connection
    • News
  • Shop
  • Events
    • Events Calendar
    • Coffee & Connections
    • The Loneliness Project
  • Contact
    • Hire Us
    • Accessibility Information
  • Home
  • About
    • Our Mission
    • Resources for Connection
    • News
  • Shop
  • Events
    • Events Calendar
    • Coffee & Connections
    • The Loneliness Project
  • Contact
    • Hire Us
    • Accessibility Information

Buy Online

When We Were Monsters

£9.99

Eight students walk into an exclusive writers’ retreat, but only one will walk out with a life-changing opportunity to realise their creative dreams.

Peek Inside

In Stock

ISBN: 9780241772492 Category: Children's - Young Readers Tags: Children's / Teenage fiction: Romance & relationships stories, Children's / Teenage fiction: Thrillers, Children's / Teenage personal & social issues: death & bereavement, Children's / Teenage personal & social issues: Sexuality & relationships
  • Description
  • Additional information
  • Reviews (0)

Description

The compulsive new thriller from multimillion-copy bestselling author Jennifer Niven.

Eight students walk into an exclusive writers’ retreat, but only one will walk out with a life-changing opportunity to realize their creative dreams.

Effy is piecing together a story about the tragic betrayal that led to her mother’s death. Arlo hopes to publish a novel – but he’s also trying to start a new chapter with Effy after he broke her heart and ghosted her three years earlier.

Their mentor is Meredith Graffam, enigmatic writer, director and actress, whose compelling accounts of her own near-death experience on the same retreat decades before continue to spark controversy.

But this celebrated teacher is not all she seems, and her students gradually realize they are fighting for something much more primal than academic advantage. As Graffam’s unorthodox teaching methods push them past breaking point, they reveal their darkest secrets, take unthinkable risks and slowly start to turn on one another. But Graffam never expected they would turn on her . . .

The Secret History meets One of Us is Lying in the most gripping thriller of the year.

Read a sample here

Additional information

Weight 0.281 kg
Dimensions 19.7 × 12.8 × 2.4 cm
Author

Niven, Jennifer

Publisher

Penguin Books

Imprint

Penguin Books

Cover

Paperback

Pages

384

Language

English

Edition

Paperback original

Dewey

813.6 (edition:23)

Readership

Children – juvenile / Code: J

Reviews

There are no reviews yet.

Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.

Related products

  • Man-man and the tree of memories

    £7.99
    Add to basket
  • Hero wanted!

    £7.99
    Add to basket
  • No brainer

    £7.99
    Add to basket

houseofbooksandfriends



View Instagram post by houseofbooksandfriends


Aug 4



Open post by houseofbooksandfriends with ID 18229325854320667


House of Books & Friends is excited to welcome Pete Wharmby to discuss his book 'Different Minds: How We Can Help Our Autistic School Children Thrive'. 
📆 1st September
🕑 6pm
Tickets in bio 🎟️

houseofbooksandfriends



View Instagram post by houseofbooksandfriends


Aug 2



Open post by houseofbooksandfriends with ID 18619492048025753


Have you got a little bookworm in your life? Then look no further than House of Books & Friends. We are excited to invite you to Little Bookworms, our monthly book club for 8-12 years. The book club runs the first Sunday of every month, 11am-12pm.

For September, we will be reading The Ministry of Manners by David Solomons. You have until the day of the book club to finish the title – this is available to buy as part of your ticket, or you can purchase a ticket only.

houseofbooksandfriends



View Instagram post by houseofbooksandfriends


Aug 1



Open post by houseofbooksandfriends with ID 18108603449094536


August is Women in Translation Month! We asked some of our booksellers for their favourite recent reads for global reading; what would you recommend we check out this #WITM?

houseofbooksandfriends



View Instagram post by houseofbooksandfriends


Jul 31



Open post by houseofbooksandfriends with ID 18112150217297401


Another month, another bookseller reading wrapped! July has been a fruitful reading month for us at House of Books and Friends! How has your summer reading been going, let us know in the comments (: 🌟

houseofbooksandfriends



View Instagram post by houseofbooksandfriends


Jul 31



Open post by houseofbooksandfriends with ID 17891142873663659


Thank you to everyone who attended July's book club and discussed Cooking in the Wrong Century with us! For August Book Club, we will be reading 'Happy Life', by David Foenkinos. As always, we have multiple sessions, so grab your tickets and we can't wait to see you there!
Link in bio for info and tickets 🎟️

houseofbooksandfriends



View Instagram post by houseofbooksandfriends


Jul 30



Open post by houseofbooksandfriends with ID 18093140318294763


House of Books and Friends are thrilled to welcome childrens author Oliver Jeffers to the store on 27th October at 11am to sign copies of ‘A Day off School‘ and ‘There’s a Ghost in This House‘.

Tickets included in the price of the book, choose which option to add on; a copy of either or both books! A free art print will be gifted with either book bought!


Follow on Instagram

You're here, so you must like reading.... our newsletter is akin to a literary classic! We have so many projects, events and plans for House of Books & Friends all of which we will pack in to our newsletter so you can be among the first to find out about all the latest news. Don't worry, we promise not to bombard you!

SUBSCRIBE
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • facebook

Get in Touch

We love to hearing from fellow Bookworms!

Please drop us a message, find out where we are or get directions via our contact page.
Contact Us

 

© House of Books and Friends 2026 / Website designed by Bookswarm

The House of Books and Friends CIC is a community interest company registration number 13909633, the registered office of which is 53 King Street, Manchester, M2 4LQ. Trading Address - 81 King Street, Manchester M2 4AH. what3words ///stars.wished.papers

  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy and Cookies
  • My Account
  • Search
  • Basket 0