Exclusive: Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé’s ‘Where Sleeping Girls Lie’ Excerpt Will Leave You Absolutely Speechless

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The name Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé alone should make you want to pick up Where Sleeping Girls Lie, but in case you need another reason, we seriously cannot get enough. We’ve read many twisty and wild books in our time, but as with another book from Faridah, she just takes it to another level that we haven’t seen before. Leaving your heart pounding and wanting more, believe us when we say, she is just getting better and better which is why you’re going to want to pick this up ASAP.

Cosmopolitan got an exclusive look at Faridah’s sophomore book, which fans of Ace of Spades have long been waiting for. Where Sleeping Girls Lie, which is set to be released on March 19, 2024 takes everything we loved about her writing and turns it up a notch. This time, a young student has to figure out where her roommate has disappeared to. And you know nothing is what is seems.

Ready to find out some more? The official description from our friends at Feiwel & Friends will definitely get your heart going.

In Where Sleeping Girls Lie — a YA contemporary mystery by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, the New York Times-bestselling author of Ace of Spades a girl new to boarding school discovers dark secrets and coverups after her roommate disappears.

It’s like I keep stumbling into a dark room, searching for the switch to make things bright again…

Sade Hussein is starting her third year of high school, this time at the prestigious Alfred Nobel Academy boarding school after being home-schooled all her life. Misfortune has been a constant companion all her life, but even Sade doesn’t expect her new roommate, Elizabeth, to disappear after Sade’s first night. Or for people to think she had something to do with it.

With rumors swirling around her, Sade catches the attention of the girls collectively known as the ‘Unholy Trinity’ and they bring her into their fold. Between learning more about them—especially Persephone, who Sade is inexplicably drawn to—and playing catchup in class, Sade already has so much on her plate. But when it seems people don’t care enough about what happened to Elizabeth to really investigate, it’s up to she and Elizabeth’s best friend to solve it.

And then a student is found dead.

As they keep trying to figure out what’s going on, Sade realizes there’s more to Alfred Nobel Academy and its students than she thought. Secrets lurk around every corner and beneath every surface…secrets that rival even her own.

We know that you’re definitely excited to dive in and read, so luckily, we got an exclusive excerpt that you can check out below. Don’t forget to pre-order Where Sleeping Girls Lie and also maybe throw in a Ace of Spades re-read.


An Excerpt From Where Sleeping Girls Lie

By Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

Sade felt jittery as she pulled her swimming suit on for the first time in a long while, fingers shaky as she gripped the nylon material. She wasn’t sure if it was the result of her nerves from being so close to a pool again or if it was her excitement.

Either way, the feeling made her nauseated.

She walked out of the changing room and into the chlorine-filled pool, where someone seemed to be doing laps across the deep end.

She took a seat on the bench and watched them, envying the ease with which they swam. Their arms sliced the water, their form as straight as an arrow.

When they finally came up for air, she recognized the face of the swimmer. It was her supposed brother, or at least the one Miss Blackburn had forcibly thrust upon her.

“Hey, new girl,” he said, noticing her now. “I have a name,” she replied.

He smiled. “My bad. You coming in today?” he asked. She assumed by inhe meant the pool.

She wasn’t sure. She hadn’t done this in such a long time. She was almost certain she had forgotten how.

If that was even possible. “I’m not sure . . . ,” she said. “Why not?” he asked.

“I think I’ve forgotten how to swim.”

He started floating on his back. “So what you’re saying is . . . you’re scared?”

She didn’t like the way he said that. It was like he was calling her weak. “No—”

“Then what is it, new girl?” he asked.

She narrowed her eyes at him, realizing that he was daring her. “I’m not scared,” she said, pulling her goggles down, securing them as she walked to the steps. The water beneath her wavered, and it made her feel queasy. But she didn’t back down, didn’t want Mr. Douche-face to win.

Her legs vibrated against the slippery ladder, nervous energy coursing through her as she slowly lowered herself into the pool, while ignoring her beating heart.

As her feet touched the bottom step and she felt her swimsuit mold into her in the water, the fibers clinging desperately to her skin, she felt herself begin to relax. The water was warm and welcoming.

It felt like coming home.

“See, new girl? Not scary at all,” August said before splashing at her gently.

She tried to move away quickly but wasn’t fast enough to dodge the water, and it spilled all over her face and swim cap. She splashed him back, but he ducked, surfacing again a little way from her.

“I win,” he said.

“You cheated. I didn’t know we were playing a game, so it doesn’t count!” She caught herself smiling. Somehow the water had momentarily washed all her worries away. The taunting voice inside, the whispers in the library and the halls, even Elizabeth were all forgotten in an instant now that she was here in the water with this strange boy again.

“Okay, fine. Let’s play a game,” he said, pulling his goggles up, which she noticed were old and worn-looking. “Two lengths. Fastest wins.”

“That works for me,” she said. Lengths were always her strong point. She was fast, and she knew it. This would be easy.

The pair swam to the deeper end of the pool, clambering out to find their starting positions. The boy began counting down.

“Three . . . two . . . one . . . ,” he said, and then she dove into the pool headfirst. Felt the water embrace her, pulling her in like an old friend it had longed to touch.

She swam like her life depended on it, cutting through the water, holding and releasing her breath over and over again. She felt invincible. Her body felt stronger in the pool than it had before.

Once she got to one end, her legs began to burn, but she propelled herself forward again, pushing through and letting her muscle memory do the work. They reached the end of the lap, her hand smacking the tile first.

August came up for air, shock on his face as he breathed heavily. “Where did you learn to swim like that?”

She shrugged. “My coach won silver at the Olympics and trained us to her standard.” Sade allowed herself a coy smile at August.

“You should join the girls’ swim team,” he said. “What?”

“You’re really good. The official tryouts for this year’s team already happened, but I’m sure if they saw you swim, they’d have to consider you,” he said.

She hadn’t thought of competing since the last time she trained or even swam. Almost a year ago now. It used to be her whole life. Something about considering his suggestion—even for a brief moment—felt natural.

“Oh . . . I don’t really do that anymore. I don’t want to make it into something serious.”

He looked even more taken aback, ready to challenge her on that. “Really?” She nodded, hoping he’d drop it. No good came from unearthing the past.

“Well, if you change your mind, I’m sure I can persuade the coach to let you try out,” he said.

“Are you on the team?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’m a reserve at the moment, but I’m training hard to be the captain in my fourth year,” he said.

“Gonna need a lot of practice, then,” she said, resulting in her being splashed again. This time she was able to dodge it in time.

“I can’t prove it, but you definitely cheated. I want a rematch.” “Lengths again?” she asked.

“No . . . Something harder,” he said. She could see the cogs in his mind spinning. “Who can hold their breath the longest underwater.”

“Okay,” she said.

She felt the itch in her brain return. It felt like the sky was falling.

“Right—three . . . two . . . ,” he started, taking longer pauses between each number. “One,” she finished for him, and they both sank beneath the surface of the water.

Sade kept her eyes closed at first, wanting to get used to the feeling of being under again.

The itch persisted.

She opened her eyes and smiled at August, letting him know how easy this was for her.

He raised his eyebrows and folded his arms in response. He swam deeper, touching the bottom with his hands and doing a handstand.

She surveyed the pool, trying to think of something impressive to do, but she quickly got distracted by the flicker of something nearby.

She squinted into the depths, now noticing a red cloud blending with the blue of the water.

The same red spilling across the floor of the pool. The same red staining her palms.

And then, she looked up and saw it.

The dead body floating in the pool alongside them.

Excerpted from WHERE SLEEPING GIRLS LIE by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé. Copyright © 2024 by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé. Reprinted with permission from Feiwel & Friends. All rights reserved.


WHERE SLEEPING GIRLS LIE, by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, will be released on March 19, 2024. To preorder the book, click on the retailer of your choice:

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