Spoiler Discussion: Suicide Notes for Beautiful Girls

February 5, 2016     erinthebooknut     Book review, Spoiler Discussion

Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls by

IF YOU HAVEN’T READ SUICIDE NOTES FROM BEAUTIFUL GIRLS DO NOT READ THIS POST! There is a non spoilery review for this book for those who haven’t read it. 

MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!

You’ve been warned!

Ok folks it’s spoiler time.

Let’s just come out and say it: Delia is a complete and utter psychopath. And I kind of love it. This is the part of the book that gives me huge flashbacks to reading The Merciless by Danielle Vega (another great mindfuckery book). This is the reason I finished the book in just over 2 hours, staying up past 2am to do it. Worth it.

So I’ve got a few things to discuss and a few loose ends I want tied up.

First of all, like I said above you don’t have to be a psychiatrist to tell that Delia is a straight up psychopath, though I do not believe she is really a sociopath. Depending on who you talk to, psychopathy and sociopathy can be considered interchangable terms, though they’re not. Sociopathy is usually used in regards to someone whose behavior is related to their social upbringing as much as biological and psychological factors. I suppose the question is whether Delia was this nuts before her “shitbag” stepfather came around or if she’s always been that crazy.

Psychopathy (condensed):

  • Diminished empathy and remorse (not lack of, some can turn on and off)
  • disinhibited/bold behavior
  • Both callous and charming
  • Amorality- absence/disregard/indifference towards moral beliefs
  • Often excellent liars

Sounding familiar?

Why does any of this matter? Because it was there the whole freaking time and a lot of us didn’t see it. And it’s one of the things that makes this book such a compelling read for me. The character is so gorgeously written and I can’t get over how great that is! But enough of the pyschobabble, let me show you.

The first hints are in the MC’s relationship with her. Their relationship is atypically close, but seemingly only on the MC’s end. It’s very one sided. For example: the incident down by the water where the MC gets her first kiss (and it’s really terrible and uncomfortable for her), it seems to take Delia a minute to remember that she should probably be concerned for her friend. AND SHE NEVER COMFORTS HER AFTER! They never talk about it again. Then there’s the fact that Delia put her in that position in the first place.

But I let it go, because I see stuff like that in so many YA contemporaries like this one. Honestly, in a lot of these stories, and in high schools everywhere, teenage girls act like a bunch of sociopaths. They’re absolutely brutal, even in the name of friendship.

Then the big reveal. Surprise! She’s not dead. Ok, I can understand that too. She has a convincing story.

Then we actually get Delia’s POV and red flags are EVERYWHERE! The one that really got me is her real feelings for Ashling. Complete indifference. Ash is like a toy to her. The only person’s feelings Delia seems to care for is June’s. And even that is on a purely selfish level.

I just can’t get over how well this character is put together, even as completely off her head as she is. But I have a few loose ends I’d like tied.

  • Was Delia’s stepdad ever actually a rapist?

Evidence for: most of the evidence for this is either a) from Delia or b) seen in the biased eyes of June who has already been informed of his guilt BY Delia. But is there actually any evidence? I will admit that all of Delia’s stuff being immediately removed from her room is kinda sketchy.

Evidence against: No bite mark, unreliable witness, his seeming genuine sadness  (parental, not creepy) at Delia’s “death”.

I just want to know how far this lying goes, and how elaborate Delia is willing to go.

  • What is up with Ryan?

It’s pretty obvious that Ryan is actually a pretty awful boyfriend. He had a whole second cheater’s phone after all. But why? He doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who does it just to be a big player. And he didn’t really seem to like Delia that much in the first place so…I’m confused. What IS up with Ryan?

  • Did June actually die or did she go with Delia?

Yeah, I know I’m never getting an answer to this one. It’s one of those subjective, up to the reader type things. I kinda like to think that she said fuck it and went with her. It’s the more interesting of the options anyway.

  • Is Delia actually afraid of fire?

Or maybe the fire Delia is afraid of is the fire inside her. If you read her POVs they’re full of references to fire. But I’m not really sure she actually cares enough to be afraid of herself. So really, what’s up with that?

  • Is Ashling really that stupid?

This one is pretty much self explanatory. Come on, girl.

The characters in this one are absolutely brilliantly written and those of you who have also read The Merciless can probably make the same parallels that I’m seeing between them. Without the horror aspect, of course.

So what’s your take on Delia? What do you want to know? Did I miss anything? Tell me in the comments.

From my shelf to yours,

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33 responses to “Spoiler Discussion: Suicide Notes for Beautiful Girls

  1. Delia was freaking nuts or a pathological liar! There’s really no other way to put it. It’s been a while since I read this one (last summer or spring), but yes… Delia was just insane!

    I don’t actually believe that her stepdad was a rapist. I think she just thought she needed to say something for sympathy, and that worked at the time.

    I had weird feelings about the whole book, especially when Delia came back in. Part of me wanted to read it as June hallucinating or dreaming up her best friend being back, but for the most part, I think it was all real. I don’t think June died; I think she started playing the same game as Delia and they all ran off together to go squat somewhere else.

    • erinthebooknut

      Ooooh I never thought of it as a hallucination. That’s an interesting theory, though I agree I don’t think it’s true.

    • Persephone

      100% June didn’t kill herself, she just did exactly what Delia did. I have sort if the same feeling abut William.. Delia ignored every question about him and about the bite… seems all super odd.

    • Joanne

      I think June did die. As much as she loved her best friend she wasn’t like her. June was a kinder person and cautious person. I think when she was asked to come along with Delia she couldn’t bring herself to. I think Delia was so infatuated with June that she couldn’t stand to have her leave so she killed her. I think the note at the end was written by Delia because she wanted June to want to be with her and that way when people found June they would think that June really loved Delia and couldn’t live without her.(Which is what Delia wanted) Delia’s life wasn’t for June and she realized that at then end.

  2. Dafne

    I love the book. I kinda believe Delia lied about her stepdad, or maybe she did get raped but didn’t want to tell June so she wouldn’t carry that “extra baggage”. To be honest, it made me angry that June treated Ryan the way she did, when Delia was involved too.

    *I think Ashling just wants to believe Delia loves her. Being in the situation they all are, it seems it would be hard to come across others who you can connect with and have mutual understanding. So she took the opportunity to be with her and created her own little fantasy.

    *I’m sure June went with Delia and this was Delia’s plan. I think they already had everything ready like a suicide note from June (written by Ashling) because Delia knew she could manipulate June to do anything. They’re friendship is/was too romantic and toxic to just suddenly walk away from in.

    ^^I was wishing Sebastian and June would have more story. It was beautiful.

  3. dani

    Few things that bugged me
    -*most important, am I the only one who noticed that in the beginning when June called Jeremiah and got his voicemail he said “this is Jeremiah FISKE!!!” Ryan’s last name is fiske… The whole book I was wondering if they were supposed to be related until the webpage about Jeremiahs death said his last name was aaronson. I don’t get how a mistake that big made the final copy… Lol
    – seriously though, did William actually [try to] rape Delia? And if not why does she want him dead so bad?!
    – does she kill June? Was that suicide note BC they faked Junes death, or BC they killed her and are trying to cover it up? I need to knowwww

    • Riley

      Wait a minute, did it actually say Jeremiah Fiske!!! Do you know what page cause I would love to see that and do some debunking!

    • A

      Yes! I was wondering why June didn’t seem surprised that Ryan and Jeremiah shared a last name when she heard his voicemail. I was waiting for a big reveal. Then, nope. Not his last name at all. Sloppy editing?

      I need more answers. I’m disappointed by how much is left unresolved. I’m ok with some open ended stuff, but too much was unclear. ike the author didn’t know the best way to wrap it up. So she didn’t?

    • Erin(Seriously)

      i think what she stole from Tig was a gun, she talks about having stolen it to use on herself, and it ends with a fake suicide note. That whole group’s motto was about protecting the ones they love no matter what, I think in Delia’s mind she was protecting June from being without Delia. This was the only way to keep her safe.

      • Alley

        Now what is confusing me is that if June actually went with Delia, how could the gun have been used for her suicide? There would need to be June’s body to make the suicide believable. So did Delia actually kill June because June wouldn’t go with her?

  4. Brenna_Pisciotta

    This book through me in for a ringer.. it was ABSOLUTELY the best book I have read in a long time.
    It kept things suspenseful and I found myself dumbfounded at times. Especially at the ending.. It basically seems up to the reader on whether Delia planned to actually kill June or if Delia planned June’s suicide. Either way there was a fake suicide note from someone for June.

    I would love to read a second book if she ever wrote one.

  5. AMac

    So late but to answer some questions a). I’m definitely not sure Delias stepdad ever did anything. It could be that she was upset over losing June’s friendship and used the story as a reason to fake her death. She’s that manipulative! B). I also think she made the first move on Ryan! She was afraid of losing June to him and tried to do something to tarnish him in June’s eyes but it backfired and June left her. And finally I think she killed June and herself at the end! She still had the gun from Tig and she gave June a choice to come with them because she couldn’t live without her again. June is coming undone as she’s realizing the extent of Delia’s manipulation and questioning everything. Maybe she finally said no to her and she couldn’t bear it. The note was written by Ash to cover up June’s death

  6. Annon

    super duper late but I honestly thought June was dreaming (kind of like the set up of twilight: breaking dawn) and then at the end when Delia was “backing up towards the fire” i thought maybe they were all going to kill themselves by fire because the “fire was too big for their backyard” if Delia is the messed up, imagine how the rest of them are. The suicide note at the end also had me thinking that from the beginning June kills herself after hearing about Delias death and, assuming she overdosed, she hallucinated the whole rest of the story and in the end readers discover that June really did kill herself and hallucinated Delia being alive as she was overdosing.

  7. Victoria

    So I finished reading the book today and like IM SO FREAKING CONFUSED LIKE what was the object Delia took from Tigs?! Why was their a note at the end of the story? Was Jeremiah’s death planned?? And is Delia and pretty much everyone in the group psychos? Or is it just Delia?? Did June die or did she just give in and went with Delia and the group? If she did then how did they get away w/o anyone knowing she left?? Omfg I have Soo many questions to ask!! Someone plz help me!!!?

  8. Mystery Lover

    Guys I think that we can either decide on two endings: June went with Delia because Delia said she stole the gun because she wanted to use it on HER. We’ve read her say it so many times but i don’t think we understood; there is no world for Delia without June in it. She threatened to kill herself, and June couldn’t let that happen, so she agreed to go with them. That’s why Delia said she held the gun out in front of her not to june’s skull. OR, we could also say that June is writing this some time in the future because life didn’t go how she thought it would and now she’s tying up lose ends so she can join them- her.

  9. Amanda Johnson

    I think Delia is a total psychopath….I think the others are all under her spell. All very troubled and looking for love/family. That’s why June fell for her, with her loneliness and absent mom. I think Delia started something with Ryan o drive him and June apart, not realizing what would happen. ALso pretty sure she lied about her stepdad and wanted him gone for some other reason, like changing her life from before he was around. I think either June went with them or else she killed June. I almost think that’s more likely.

  10. im so confused! i just finished the book and at first i thought they were all going to kill themselves in that big fire, but idk because some people are saying other stuff about “June going with them” but i dont know what that means? going with them to make it look like june killed herself? or did Delia actually kill June? And for what reason?

  11. yuanyuan

    I think the end is entirely up to you, my favourite version is:
    The stepdad didnt do anything but Delia had never liked him, so she decided to take his life (the fire in her heart was blazing when she heard him arguing with her mom, as she once said). Shes undoubtedly a psychopath. And at the end, she took out a gun and hold it at herself, she couldn’t hurt Junie. June had to decide on leave her and let Delia die or go with them, maybe to the fire to kill all of themselfs or – the version i like better – to start a new life. I dont think its realistic for the storyline/characters but in my favourite version June took the gun out of Delias hand and explained to her that she needed time. The last note is to Delia, she decided to go with them.

    OK now the version my psychopaths;) (my second liked version):
    The stepdad wasnt a rapist, Delia just didnt like him. Jeremiah and Ryan could be cousins, but in the german version i read, the first JEREMIAH FISKE is non-existent. Delia hold a gun at the end at herself and killed herself in front of June, shes a psychopath and wanted to kow the feeling and the unknown eternity. June couldnt help with herself and decided to write a letter which she left on her pillow before she also killed herself.

    VERSION 3:
    June also decides to fake “suicide” and thats her letter to delia and the world.

    I DONT LIKE THE SUGGESTIONS ABOUT DELIA KILLING JUNE AND ASH WRITING THE LAST NOTE BUT ITS NOT IMPOSSIBLE AHHHHHHHHHHHH
    Für die Deutschen als Suchwort: Schöne Mädchen brennen nicht Ende Erklärung

  12. Vinny

    I think Delia’s death was a suicide, And I don’t know if her step-dad or whoever raped her, I think that maybe he did, and she got pregnant from it, so she set herself on fire, besides, the main character saw a pregnancy stick test that had 2 bars, meaning pregnant… This book sure does twist my mind a lot, I kinda like it, but it’s not my favorite.

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