The Belles - by Lacey N Dunham (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Belles Never Tell... It's 1951 at the secluded Bellerton College, and Deena Williams is doing her best to blend in with her wealthy and perfectly groomed peers. Infamous for its strict rules and illustrious prestige, attending Bellerton could be a life-changing experience for Deena-and she refuses to let this opportunity pass her by. She quickly forms an alliance with the five other freshmen on her floor, including Bellerton legacy and natural leader, Ada May Delacourt. Ada May, Deena, Prissy, Fred, Sheba, and Nell are soon singled out by the headmistress as the most promising girls of their class, and she anoints them The Belles. But no sisterhood comes without secrets, and the Belles are no exception. Playing cruel pranks on their housemother and embarking on boundary-shattering nighttime games, the Belles form a sisterhood. They walk the college's haunted halls in unison, matching black ribbons in their hair. Ruled by fear of losing their Belle status, they collect secrets about each other like currency, ready to cash them in for self-preservation at the slightest misstep. But as their night games become more dangerous, the loyalty Deena feels for The Belles and the sinister history of the college collide-with deadly consequences. An atmospheric and seductive coming-of-age story, The Belles is an excavation of the dark side of girlhood, the false security of class and tradition, and our dangerous desires to belong at any cost"--

Book Synopsis

In this richly atmospheric, dark academia debut novel, a young woman with a secretive past will risk everything--including her life--to fit in.

Belles never tell...

It's 1951 at Bellerton, a secluded all-women's college, and Deena Williams is doing her best to blend in with her wealthy and perfectly groomed peers. Notorious for its strict rules as much as its prestige, Bellerton could give Deena the affluent life she's only dreamed of.

She quickly forms an alliance with the five other freshmen on her floor, and soon they are singled out by the president's wife as the most promising girls of their class. She anoints them: The Belles. They walk the college's halls in unison, matching velvet ribbons in their hair. But no sisterhood comes without secrets, and the Belles are no exception. Playing cruel pranks on their dormitory housemother and embarking on boundary-shattering night games, the Belles test the limits of the campus rules.

But as Deena beigns to piece together the sinister history of Bellerton, her own past threatens to come to light, forcing her to make a dangerous choice. A chilling and seductive coming-of-age story, The Belles is an excavation of the dark side of girlhood, the intricacies of privilege, and the unbridled desire to belong at any cost.

Review Quotes

"Keeping secrets carries consequences in Dunham's moody 1951-set debut...[and] a macabre discovery on campus in 2002 hint at impending fireworks. Fans of dark academia will find much to savor." -Publishers Weekly

"Debut novelist Dunham juggles gothic elements including a nasty poetry professor, a drunken misery of a housemother, and glimpses of ghosts in the campus trees. Both a time capsule, and a ticking bomb, of womanhood repressed in service of societal conformity." -Kirkus Reviews

"Dunham delivers a deliciously fun take on dark academia with her deftly crafted novel that makes the most of its spooky, atmospheric 1950s setting and the stifling Stepford-like community of faculty and students that make up the book's maleficent cast of characters.

Readers who fell for the unsettling charms of Shirley Jackson's or Daphne du Maurier's stylish, gothic-imbued brand of horror and anyone who loved the cliquish, killer cast of characters in Donna Tartt's The Secret History will be enthralled with Dunham's exemplary debut." -Library Journal (starred review)

"Dunham expertly plumbs the depths of female friendship, the intoxicating blend of losing yourself to something greater, and a need for belonging that can border on dangerous. The Belles is dark academia with gothic Yellowjackets vibes." -Vera Kurian, author of Never Saw Me Coming

"An impeccable campus noir. In Dunham's dazzling debut, the girls of Bellerton college are ensorcelled by the ornate traditions they encounter when they arrive at the crumbling South Hall, but the secrets kept by the residents of that drafty dorm will prove fatal. A novel about the youthful, heady quest for sisterhood and the risk of considering a stranger family, The Belles is perfect for fans of Meagan Abbott and Rachel Hawkins." -Katy Hays, New York Times bestselling author of The Cloisters

"As I read this novel, heart in throat, I couldn't decide what was more terrifying: Bellerton itself, dripping with darkness, or the Belles, the girls who are both the school's victims and its most fervent acolytes. A gothic tantalizing fever-dream of a novel about the nightmares of class, power, propriety, and, under certain circumstances, girlhood itself." -Clare Beams, author of The Garden

"A delightfully dark, Southern Gothic suspense. The Belles, as they call themselves, are the envy of their classmates, but with disappearances and accidents around every corner, what price will they pay to belong? With haunting prose, The Belles drew me in and kept me up late at night." - Lauren Ling Brown, National Bestselling author of Society of Lies

"Lacey N. Dunham's The Belles is hauntingly seductive - Gothic Suspense at the top of its game! Both atmospheric and compelling, The Belles beckons you in from the first page, takes hold, and doesn't let go until the very last word. Completely engrossing! A beautifully written, tautly-plotted debut sure to captivate readers and leave them breathless." - Sophie Stava, author of Count My Lies

"Seductively immersive and brilliantly gothic, The Belles beautifully mines the depths and complexities, the dangers and cruelties, of young womanhood within the confined and explosive space of a 1950's southern all-girls' school. Lacey N. Dunham is a writer not only of compelling story but of rich and unforgettable characters, a creeping, immersive setting, and continually stunning sentences." -Lynn Steger Strong, author of Flight and The Float Test

"Vicious and delicious, The Belles is one smart gobble of a novel. Dunham deftly explores the darkest perils of girlhood and the terrible lengths we go to in our desire to belong." - Joanna Pearson, author of Bright and Tender Dark

About the Author

Lacey N. Dunham is the author of The Belles, named a Best Book of 2025 by Library Journal and Crime Reads, and the forthcoming Fall of the House of Graystone. A Poets & Writers 2025 Writer to Watch, she has received fellowships from the Elizabeth George Foundation, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the Sewanee Writers' Conference, and Catapult. She lives in Washington, DC with too many books, but only two cats. Find her at laceyndunham.com.