Tap cover to enlarge

When We Were Monsters

Published
Sep 2025
Main Genre
General Fiction General Fiction
Pages
400

About This Book

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places comes "a standout dark academia thriller" (e. lockhart, author of We Were Liars) about the monsters who walk among us—even in the glittering upper echelons of society.

A dead teacher at an elite boarding school. Four students who had every reason to want her gone. Who is the monster?

At an elite New England boarding school, eight students are selected for an exclusive storytelling workshop with the one and only Meredith Graffam—an enigmatic writer, director, and actress. For sixteen days, they will live in the isolated estate of the school's founder, surrounded by snowy woods and a storm-tossed seas. Only one of the chosen will walk away with a lifechanging opportunity to realize their creative dreams.

Everyone, including Graffam, has a compelling reason to be there—Effy, the orphan, Isaac, the legacy, Ness, the wallflower, Ramon, the outsider, and Arlo, whose unexpected arrival leaves Effy spiraling—but only the most ambitious will last the term. Graffam's unorthodox methods push the students past the breaking point, revealing their darkest secrets, taking unthinkable risks, and slowly starting to turn on one another. But Graffam never expected they would turn on her . . .

Genres & Themes

Buy This Book

Formats & Editions

Browse the different covers, formats, and publication history for this title.

Hardcover

Hardcover edition cover
Hardcover
First Edition Sep 2025 Knopf ISBN 1524713023
Buy
Hardcover edition cover
Hardcover
Sep 2025 Knopf ISBN 1524713031
Buy

eBook

eBook edition cover
eBook
Sep 2025 Random House ISBN 152471304X
Buy
eBook edition cover
eBook
Sep 2025 Knopf ISBN B0DTPBLLSF
Buy
eBook edition cover
eBook
Sep 2025 Penguin ISBN 0241772486
Buy

Audio

Audio edition cover
Audible
Sep 2025 -- Not Selected ISBN B0DVH8H2J2
Buy