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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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Mar 10



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Athena recommends the book 'A Killer In Paradise' by Tom Hindle to be your next mystery read! 

'I devoured this book in two days. It has intriguing characters, a beautiful setting and lots of fun twists to keep you on your toes! I really love Hindle’s use of an enclosed circle of suspects, much like Agatha Christie's mystery novels; I find that this makes for a more gripping and intimate reading experience. This is a great book to read if you’re looking to for something which keeps you guessing to the end.'

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Mar 9



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House of Books & Friends is excited to welcome Rozie Kelly to the store on 16th April at 6pm to discuss her book, Kingfisher, which has just been longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2026. As well as a discussion on her book, there will also be a Q&A, plus the chance to get your books signed by Rozie. Rozie will be in conversation with Sara Hunt, publisher at Saraband.

Tickets and info can be found at the link in our bio 🖤

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Mar 8



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March 8th marks International Women’s Day! This is a day to celebrate the achievements of women and is a call for gender equality. At House of Books and Friends we have taken the opportunity to recommend books FOR women BY women that are available both in-store and online, in order to raise awareness for women’s issues, but also just to showcase talented women writers.♀️

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Mar 6



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With International Women's Day coming up, we thought we'd draw your attention to Virago, a publishing house which has been uplifting female authors for over 50 years! We stock plenty of their editions instore, swipe to read a little about them! 💜💜

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Mar 5



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House of Books & Friends is thrilled to welcome Sheena Kalayil on Thursday 30th April at 6pm to discuss her book, ‘The Others’, recently longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction.
Tickets and info available at the link in our bio 

About the book

Secrets, lies and love as the DDR collapses. 

It is 1989, and in a small Baltic city in East Germany, the Deutsche Demokratische Republik, three young people from vastly different backgrounds become friends. Armando is a factory worker from Mozambique, Lolita is a medical student from India, and Theo is an East Berliner who dreams of being a writer.

When Armando and Lolita make a grisly discovery, they find themselves caught up in the politics of Theo’s homeland more than ever before. While a quiet revolution sweeps through Eastern Europe, and the Berlin Wall teeters, the three find themselves entangled in a poignant love triangle which threatens their futures.

As the world order shifts, their three lives are bound together in a web of love, lies and fears, leaving each irrevocably changed.

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Mar 4



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Congratulations to all the publishers and authors who have made it on to the Women's Prize for Fiction! A special shoutout to three titles on the list:

Marcia Hutchinson, who hosted the launch of The Mercy Step here at HOBAF 💚
Rozie Kelly, who's title Kingfisher was one of our booksellers favourite books from 2025 🐦
Sheena Kalayil, published through Fly on the Wall Press, who may be visiting us very soon...👀


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