Don’t just read Very Bad People…Experience it! 

I picked up Very Bad People by Kit Frick in preparation for broadening my horizons as a writer. At this point, I’ve spent countless hours plotting, drafting, revising, and brainstorming YA romance books. But recently I had an idea for a darker book that a critique partner encouraged me to pursue. So now I’m in the trenches, and while I work, I’ve been putting YA romance to the side in favor of YA thriller and YA horror. I really enjoyed the change of pace. 

Here goes: All Calliope Bolan wants to do is get away from her suffocating small town, escape the questions about her mother’s sketchy death, and simultaneously become closer to her momma by attending the elite boarding school she attended in high school. But during her first week there when she’s comes face to face with a strange man that triggers a memory and she gets tapped by a secret society things start to get more complicated instead of less. As Calliope’s mixed feelings about her secretive choices continue to push her farther away from her family and friends, she must decide how far she is willing to go to get the answers she’s seeking and who, if anyone, she can trust in the meantime. 

Conspiracy, secrecy, privilege, affluence. These are all things associated with secret society’s. Reading Very Bad People instantly gave me The Skulls vibes. I don’t think this movie was widely popular. However, I watched it with my cousin over a spring break in high school, and it became a go to movie for me ever since. It stars Joshua Jackson and Leslie Bibb, who at the time were both cornerstones of the WB (now CW) shows Dawson’s Creek and Popular. I can’t say I ever watched Popular, but if I ever missed an episode of Dawson’s Creek, it was for a very good reason. It also stars Paul Walker who was making a name for himself in the Fast and the Furious franchise, but I first saw him in She’s All That.  

The Skulls is based loosely on the Skull and Bones society, which is said to be a secret society at Yale.  The movie follows Luke McNamara, a college student with plenty of brains, but not a lot of money. In conspiracy stories this means he is basically ripe for manipulation. Someone with his background should surely be okay with not asking too many questions if their life becomes considerably easier, right? Especially when the reach of members often seems endless, and there is typically personal baggage being held over your head. Luke’s comes in the form of a weird caged conversation while Calliope’s appears in an envelope. But here’s what the ridiculously rich and privileged rarely consider, that people from the “wrong side of the tracks” also have a conscious. As Luke, and Calliope, both struggle with similar conundrums—How far is too far? Is knowing more acceptable than doing? Is what is illegal always wrong?—They also both need to remember one key thing, they’re intellect got them sought out and inducted in the first place. Could it possibly get them out? 

There you have it. Do yourself a favor and read Very Bad People. As you read Calliope’s story, consider watching The Skulls. Or possibly pick up another book, movie, or show about a secret society. I’d love to hear any recommendations you have in the comments section. 

If you haven’t already read Very Bad People, what are you waiting for? If you already have, why not pick it up again? Either way, take my advice when you do—don’t just read it, experience it! 

Want information about purchasing this book from Neighborhood Reads, a local Washington, MO book store? Click the book cover above!