The Girls is another one of those books which joins a long row of novels published during the last few years which insert the word girl in their titles and turn into more or less instant successes. (Just for the sake of thoroughness, let me point out Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Shanghai Girls, The Good Girl, Twenties Girl, Pretty Girls, The Girl with All the Gifts, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Luckiest Girl Alive, The Girl You Left Behind, Girl Online ... oh, do I need to continue?) 
 Emma Cline's debut novel has been promoted as a literary sensation and a "sensual, disturbing trip through a late-60s California". Upon initially starting this book, I was impressed by the author's sophisticated and complex writing style, especially since young authors of her age often tend to attempt presenting a new direction for the YA/Fantasy/Dystopia genres. Cline isn't afraid to delve into a completely different and yet very interesting genre. Perhaps it was her age and the promotion which fooled many people into expecting something different from the novel, ultimately resulting in the surprisingly low average rating it received since its publication. 
 The Girls are several women from different age groups during the violent end of the 1960s who are part of a murderous cult. Our protagonist, Evie Boyd, is introduced as a lonely and tempted teenager who longs to discover more from this world than only the confinements of her upbringing, which leads her to the culmination of her path in a violent and uncontrollable circle of self-destruction. Both the novel's concept and execution are very original, and the unique writing style is something Emma Cline will be recognized for, even though it is ultimately up to her whether The Girls is going to remain a one-hit wonder. 
 Many reviewers on Goodreads have pointed out the strengths of this novel, and I am going to direct you towards those more encouraging reviews since this is obviously not a novel for everyone. My rating originates in a personal problem with the author's writing style, as I ultimately realized that I wasn't as engaged with the novel as I had hoped to be. I suspect many readers have experienced the feeling of reading a book which you could easily appreciate for its insightful contents and the interesting plot, yet were unable to really get immersed in - that's what happened for me. Evie Boyd's fate was an interesting one to follow throughout the novel, but unfortunately the very diverse minor characters remained pale and colorless for me. 
 Right now, Emma Cline's novel is nominated for the title of "Best Fiction" in the Goodreads Choice Award 2016. I wouldn't be surprised to see it win in this specific category. But there is no doubt that this is a novel which will continue to leave its readers polarized in their opinions.