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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.

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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
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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

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To celebrate International Womens Day we're hosting a Morning Conversation alongside @gunnercookellp ♀️

We’ll be discussing the community and how one local project united people across Manchester to help save a much-loved charity.

Featuring:
🔸Catherine D’Albertanson, CEO of @little_green_sock Little Green Sock Project
🔸Matthew Dashper-Hughes, executive coach and trustee of Alice

You’ll also hear from the gunnercooke foundation @dogoodfaster on how giving back strengthens and enriches communities. 

Sign up via the link in our bio!

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HELLO LOVERS 💛

Why not treat that special someone in your life, be it a partner, pal or family member, to a book this Valentine's Day?!

Pop down to HOBAF for your fill of coffee, sweet treats and great reads this bookshish Valentines.

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CRAFTS WITH TONY 🎨

Friend of the shop Tony is coming back to craft on 28th February from 11am - 1pm. Learn how to make beaded keychains; who needs a labubu on their bag?! These events are free for all; no booking needed ✨

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Love is in the air at House of Books and Friends, and these are our top recommendations if you want to get into the spirit of Valentine’s Day! Enemies-to-lovers not your cup of tea? No problem! We have plenty to offer including YA, poetry, and non-fiction. 
Romantic love is not our only focus at House of Books and Friends, so this is a reminder to cherish all your loved ones: familial, platonic, or even furry friends that help keep your head up. Connection should be celebrated all year round, not just one day in February…

‘The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King’ by Harry Trevaldwyn
‘Wuthering Heights’ by Emily Bronte
‘When Angels Speak of Love’ by bell hooks
‘Conversations on Love’ by Natasha Lunn
‘Book Lovers’ by Emily Henry
‘In Memoriam’ by Alice Winn
‘Everything I Know About Love’ by Dolly Alderton

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EVENT REMINDER 💙

We still have tickets available to hear Adam Farrer in discussion with Max Dickins on his paperback title, 'Broken Biscuits, and Other Male Failures'. Join us on 17th February at 6pm for a discussion and a chance to ask Adam your questions!
Tickets in bio 🎫

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Ethan's recommendation encourages us to unplug, and reconsider our connection to the world around us📚 📱

Released in paperback just this month, The Extinction of Experience is a passionately written reflection on the iron-fist integration, or domination, of digitally mediated communication in everyday life. Rosen pleas with us to consider the more profound impacts of these new communication styles on our ability to empathise, socialise, and understand each other’s true motives. 

This book has caused me to reflect on how digital communication has both facilitated connections my loved ones, but also disconnected me from the mundane, random moments of connection with strangers, instead prioritising algorithmically-fed content on my phone🤔😀.


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