Bad Graces

An international bestseller!

Yellowjackets meets House of Hollow in award-winning author Kyrie McCauley's gripping and magical YA thriller following a group of young women as they face the stress of harsh elements, a mysterious monster, and an unraveling of secrets after their yacht is wrecked off the coast of North America.

Liv Whitlock knows she doesn't belong there. But after years of stumbling between foster homes, often due to her own self-destructive tendencies, Liv desperately needs to change the trajectory of her life . . . so she steals her perfect sister's identity.

Liv starts to rewrite her story, winning a prestigious internship on a movie set filming in Alaska, and finds herself on a luxury yacht alongside pop star Paris Grace, actress sisters Effie and Miri Knight, Olympic gymnast Rosalind Torres, and social media influencer Celia Jones. Liv tries to find common ground with her famous companions, but just as the group starts to bond, a violent storm wrecks their vessel, stranding them on an island in the North Pacific Ocean.

Among the threats of starvation and exposure, they learn there is a predator lurking in the forest, unlike anything they've seen before-until they begin to see it in themselves. Every injury they suffer on the island causes inexplicable changes in their bodies. With little hope for rescue and only each other as their final tether to humanity, can the girls endure the ominous forces at work on the island? Or will they lose themselves to their darker natures?

"1144082976"
Bad Graces

An international bestseller!

Yellowjackets meets House of Hollow in award-winning author Kyrie McCauley's gripping and magical YA thriller following a group of young women as they face the stress of harsh elements, a mysterious monster, and an unraveling of secrets after their yacht is wrecked off the coast of North America.

Liv Whitlock knows she doesn't belong there. But after years of stumbling between foster homes, often due to her own self-destructive tendencies, Liv desperately needs to change the trajectory of her life . . . so she steals her perfect sister's identity.

Liv starts to rewrite her story, winning a prestigious internship on a movie set filming in Alaska, and finds herself on a luxury yacht alongside pop star Paris Grace, actress sisters Effie and Miri Knight, Olympic gymnast Rosalind Torres, and social media influencer Celia Jones. Liv tries to find common ground with her famous companions, but just as the group starts to bond, a violent storm wrecks their vessel, stranding them on an island in the North Pacific Ocean.

Among the threats of starvation and exposure, they learn there is a predator lurking in the forest, unlike anything they've seen before-until they begin to see it in themselves. Every injury they suffer on the island causes inexplicable changes in their bodies. With little hope for rescue and only each other as their final tether to humanity, can the girls endure the ominous forces at work on the island? Or will they lose themselves to their darker natures?

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Bad Graces

Bad Graces

by Kyrie McCauley

Narrated by Jeanne Syquia

Unabridged — 8 hours, 12 minutes

Bad Graces

Bad Graces

by Kyrie McCauley

Narrated by Jeanne Syquia

Unabridged — 8 hours, 12 minutes

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Overview

An international bestseller!

Yellowjackets meets House of Hollow in award-winning author Kyrie McCauley's gripping and magical YA thriller following a group of young women as they face the stress of harsh elements, a mysterious monster, and an unraveling of secrets after their yacht is wrecked off the coast of North America.

Liv Whitlock knows she doesn't belong there. But after years of stumbling between foster homes, often due to her own self-destructive tendencies, Liv desperately needs to change the trajectory of her life . . . so she steals her perfect sister's identity.

Liv starts to rewrite her story, winning a prestigious internship on a movie set filming in Alaska, and finds herself on a luxury yacht alongside pop star Paris Grace, actress sisters Effie and Miri Knight, Olympic gymnast Rosalind Torres, and social media influencer Celia Jones. Liv tries to find common ground with her famous companions, but just as the group starts to bond, a violent storm wrecks their vessel, stranding them on an island in the North Pacific Ocean.

Among the threats of starvation and exposure, they learn there is a predator lurking in the forest, unlike anything they've seen before-until they begin to see it in themselves. Every injury they suffer on the island causes inexplicable changes in their bodies. With little hope for rescue and only each other as their final tether to humanity, can the girls endure the ominous forces at work on the island? Or will they lose themselves to their darker natures?


Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

03/11/2024

At 16, twin sisters Violet and Everly Whitlock have moved from one foster home to another. Compared to her demure sibling, Violet has always been the “troubled child, the rebellious one”; even discovering her passion for poetry hasn’t helped her escape her reputation. To obtain a summer internship working on a movie adaptation of The Tempest in Alaska, Violet steals Everly’s identity and sets out on her own. But the yacht transporting Violet and several of the film’s stars drifts off course and shipwrecks near the coast of a mysterious island. Free from societal pressures and able to explore their true selves, Violet and her companions, including singer Paris Grace, actor sisters Effie and Miri Knight, Olympic gymnast Rosalind Torres, and influencer Celia Jones, confront their respective traumas and discover the island’s deepest secrets—such as the monster that lurks in the woods. The six racially diverse girls undergo terrifying yet empowering transformations as they struggle to survive and work to redefine themselves in this emotionally raw and sometimes brutal tale by McCauley (All the Dead Lie Down). “We’re teenage girls. We’ve all been prey before,” Effie says of their predicament, encapsulating a powerful story, though one that’s over too quickly. Ages 14–up. (June)

From the Publisher

"A fast-paced plot with an engaging mystery that will hook readers from the beginning. A modern, twisted dark fairy tale." — School Library Journal (starred review)

“McCauley’s feminist spin on Shakespeare and Greek mythology is both lush and disturbing. Though the plot races forward at a shocking pace, each character feels fully formed, helping to construct a brutally relatable portrait of what it is to be a teenage girl. Compulsively readable.” — Kirkus Reviews

“A powerful story.” — Publishers Weekly

"This is a book of atmosphere. McCauley takes the strands of The Tempest and weaves them into an eerie, almost psychedelic tale that Yellowjackets fans will devour." — Booklist

"Well-paced action. Atmospheric prose skillfully entwines cathartic survival-thriller elements with dreamy magical realism and a good dose of body horror." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Praise for All the Dead Lie Down: "A rich, disquieting novel for fans of horror, fairy tales, and good storytelling."  — Booklist (starred review)

"Beautiful and textured."  — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"McCauley skillfully wrangles haunting atmosphere, anticipatory tension, and macabre humor to cultivate a slow-boiling thriller couched in a decades-old mystery."  — Publishers Weekly

"Macabre yet somehow cozy, All the Dead Lie Down is perfect for readers who enjoy charmingly disturbing children and grand old houses full of secrets. A great book to curl up with on a dark night."  — Kendare Blake, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Three Dark Crowns

"A compulsively readable jewel of the genre, All The Dead Lie Down, will seize you with an eeriness that refuses to relent. An instant classic, worthy of collection with the best of them."  — K. Ancrum, author of The Wicker King and Darling

"McCauley’s writing is as gorgeous as her story is gruesome, filled with a creeping dread that gets into your bones and holds you in thrall. All the Dead Lie Down is the best sapphic horror I’ve read in years."  — Erica Waters, author of The River Has Teeth and The Restless Dark

"This has it all: a slow burn sapphic love story, an agonizingly delicious build of tension, creepy children, reveals that made me gasp out loud. A gothic love story meets gothic horror story, with expert pacing, dark family secrets, and a twisted reveal I didn't see coming."  — Katrina Leno, author of Horrid and You Must Not Miss

Praise for We Can Be Heroes: "Powerful and unflinching, We Can Be Heroes is as fierce as the girls it portrays—and as unforgettable."  — Marieke Nijkamp, New York Times bestselling author of This Is Where It Ends

"McCauley has penned a lyrically gorgeous and hauntingly beautiful story about love, loss, and the power of standing together to deliver justice.”  — Kim Johnson, author of This is My America

We Can Be Heroes is a vivid, striking novel about all-too-common violence in America, and the ways it shapes lives in a small town. Vivian, Beck, and Cassie’s grief, rage, tenacity and vengeance give us the strength to fight back against the gun violence and violence against women that we as society have come to see as unstoppable and inevitable. May this book be an awakening for many, and a call to action for all of us.”  — Katherine Locke, award-winning author of The Girl with the Red Balloon

Praise for If These Wings Could Fly: “A hauntingly intense tale thrumming with hope! A stunning, powerful debut.” — Tiffany D. Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of Grown and White Smoke

"A deep dive to illustrate the quiet strength of those in the darkest situations, If These Wings Could Fly is atmospheric, brilliantly drawn, and ultimately hopeful.”  — Mindy McGinnis, author of The Female of the Species and Heroine

“McCauley expertly blends the devastation of family with the invincibility of first love and sisterhood. This debut marks the start of a bold new talent!”  — Justin A. Reynolds, author of Opposite of Always and Early Departures

“Heartbreaking, important, and layered with so much hope, this book breathes magic into every chapter.”  — Akemi Dawn Bowman, Morris Award Finalist and author of Starfish

"[A] lyrical novel [with] authentic, intimate first-person narration... Strong writing that features some dreamily lovely turns of phrase... A powerful, thoughtful, and ultimately hopeful debut."  — Kirkus Reviews

"Poignant and powerful, this novel uses magical realism to examine choice in a difficult world. There are titles for teens that address the realities of dating violence, but it’s more difficult to find stories of family violence; in her debut, McCauley traverses the tender ground with grace."  — Booklist

"McCauley offers just a touch of magical realism here, layering a painfully honest exploration of domestic violence with a subtle eeriness... Her narration is elegant and thoughtful... a refreshing portrayal of two teens who negotiate their own challenges while acknowledging those of others."  — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"McCauley makes a moving debut with this hard-hitting novel set in a small, tightly knit town."  — Publishers Weekly

“A beautiful, powerful, and emotional story that tugs at your heartstrings as it empathetically and honestly steers you through the pain of domestic violence.” – — Farrah Penn, author of Twelve Steps to Normal

If These Wings Could Fly is a tense and emotional story that will in turns break your heart, make you swoon, and leave you feeling hopeful.”  — Elizabeth Eulberg, author of Past Perfect Life

“A careful, sharp exploration of rage, love, and what it means to balance on the knife edge between them.”  — Rebecca Barrow, author of This Is What It Feels Like

School Library Journal

★ 05/01/2024

Gr 9 Up—Liv Whitlock stole her sister's life for a second chance. Having lived a lifetime of foster homes and being deemed volatile and violent by her social worker, Liv's last straw is when her sister Everly tries to smother her in her sleep. Using her greatest talent, writing, and her sister's better grades and reputation, Liv wins an internship on a film set in Alaska. Along with actors and sisters Effie and Miri, athlete Rosa, singer Paris, and influencer Celia, Liv joins the film's director Vincent on a luxury yacht trip to the film location. However, when the yacht capsizes during a storm, the girls wash up on a mysterious island in the Pacific Northwest. Stalked by a mysterious predator and fighting to survive, Liv realizes the island is not what is seems and all the girls will be forever changed. McCauley creates a fast-paced plot with an engaging mystery that will hook readers from the beginning. The story and characters will most likely engage readers who enjoy the fantasy, survival, queer romance, or horror genres. VERDICT A modern, twisted dark fairy tale, perfect for fans of Krystal Sutherland and established fans of McCauley.—Kaetlyn Phillips

Kirkus Reviews

2024-03-23
Teen girls must survive on an island that harbors a terrible secret.

Twins Liv and Everly have been through more than a dozen foster homes, and Liv is the reason why: She’s set fire to a house and punched a foster brother. When they finally find kind foster parents, Liv, who can tell her welcome is wearing thin, steals Everly’s identity to win an internship on the Alaska set of a film version of The Tempest. Setting out on a fancy yacht with producer Vincent Bellegarde, five teen girl celebrities, and the crew, Liv hopes only to escape her current life. She’s wondering whether she’s out of her element when disaster strikes, and the boat is wrecked in a violent storm. The survivors—the six girls and Vincent—wash up on an island somewhere in the Pacific. Because they sailed off course to look for whales, no one knows where they are—and they have no way to contact rescuers. Worse still, they’re not alone: Someone or something terrifying is on the island, and they must escape before the experience turns them into monsters themselves. McCauley’s feminist spin on Shakespeare and Greek mythology is both lush and disturbing. Though the plot races forward at a shocking pace, each character feels fully formed, helping to construct a brutally relatable portrait of what it is to be a teenage girl. Apart from one girl who is Puerto Rican and one who is Black, most main characters are cued white.

Compulsively readable. (Thriller. 14-18)

Product Details

BN ID: 2940159412607
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: 06/18/2024
Edition description: Unabridged
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