The Little Munchkin Reader

A contemporary young-adult retelling inspired by the classic 1938 romantic suspense bestseller Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.

They call me 'New Girl'...

Ever since I arrived at exclusive, prestigious Manderly Academy, that’s who I am. New girl. Unknown. But not unnoticed—because of her.

Becca Normandy—that’s the name on everyone’s lips. The girl whose picture I see everywhere. The girl I can’t compare to. I mean, her going missing is the only reason a spot opened up for me at the academy. And everyone stares at me like it’s my fault.

Except for Max Holloway—the boy whose name shouldn’t be spoken. At least, not by me. Everyone thinks of him as Becca’s boyfriend…but she’s gone, and here I am, replacing her. I wish it were that easy. Sometimes, when I think of Max, I can imagine how Becca’s life was so much better than mine could ever be.

And maybe she’s still out there, waiting to take it back.

I read Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier about three years ago and really enjoyed it. Therefore, when I saw that New Girl was a modern retelling of the story, I jumped at the chance to read it.

I truly was not disappointed.

New Girl is set at Manderley Academy, a boarding school in New Hampshire. When New Girl receives a place at the Academy, what she does not know is that Becca, the girl who she is taking the place of, is... missing.

I totally devoured this book from start to finish. As I said previously, I really enjoyed Rebecca, so I was so glad to read a modern retelling of the story that, in my opinion, did a good job of keeping the story itself faithful to the original version. The pace within the pages was good and I loved the dual narrative throughout as it kept it fresh and engaging.

I also really enjoyed the spooky aspect of the story. Though I knew how the story itself would probably go, I still found myself being a little freaked out over certain aspects of the plot and storytelling. Minor details were thrown in to freak the reader out and golly, they did just that!

As a young adult retelling, New Girl is a good one. Full of mystery, suspense and drama, you do not need to have read Rebecca previously to appreciate this book.