We chat with author Elle Gonzalez Rose about The Girl You Know, which is a dark academia thriller about who is allowed to break the rules and who suffers the consequences, perfect for fans of Jessica Goodman and Holly Jackson.
Hi, Elle! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi there! My name is Elle Gonzalez Rose and I write dark thrillers and swoony love stories for teens. I’m based in New York and outside of writing books, my day job involves writing trailers for TV shows—most recently for RuPaul’s Drag Race and Yellowjackets!
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I’m not sure what my initial inspiration was, but I wrote my first short story in Kindergarten! I had very kind teachers through elementary school who encouraged me to keep exploring my creativity, which led to me rewriting my favorite books whenever I didn’t agree with the ending, which naturally led to a long stint in fan fiction. Writing has been something I’ve loved for as long as I can remember, and I’m very grateful to have been able to make a career out of it!
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The Babysitter’s Club
- The one that made you want to become an author: Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Confessions by Kanae Minato
Your latest novel, The Girl You Know, is out February 18th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Dark. Raw. Twisty. Explosive. Emotional.
What can readers expect?
It’s definitely a story that leans into the dark in dark academia. The main character is in an incredibly angry and vulnerable place, and that anger is what drives her through most of the book. It’s an emotional journey, but fast paced with plenty of twists! With a tiny splash of sapphic romance, and found family as well.
Where did the inspiration for The Girl You Know come from?
The full premise of The Girl You Know actually came from a bunch of smaller ideas that I had. I’ve always loved dark academia and wanted to write something in that vein, but I’m not an especially academic person—especially when it comes to philosophy, which is a reoccurring theme in dark academia. So, I had the idea to write about an elite academy where the main character wasn’t supposed to be there. I’d had an idea for awhile to write about identical twins switching places, which felt like a natural fit for that dark academia concept. And, of course, I had the idea for the big twist long before the other pieces came together. But no spoilers on where that came from!
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Writing the moment where Luna gets the answers she’s looking for was by far my favorite moment to write! I write in chronological order, so I felt like I was just racing through this draft to get to that chapter. Of course it’s a really emotional moment for Luna to finally get what she’s been searching for the entire time, but as an author it’s super fun to finally have all the pieces fit into place. It’s also a scene I had completely envisioned from the early stages of outlining this story, so I couldn’t wait to bring it to life.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
Writing something so dark was really challenging a lot of the time. Since I write in first person, I’m putting myself in the headspace of the character to better understand their voice and how they’re moving through the world. Luna’s someone who already carries around a lot of anger and resentment, but that really comes to a head once she loses her sister. I wanted to explore the angry side of grief and the ways that anger and bitterness can manifest, since it was something I’d been dealing with myself after my dad passed away. While part of it was cathartic, it can also be emotionally exhausting to spend so much time in that headspace. Which is probably why this is the book that took me the longest to draft. Plus, Luna’s voice is so unlike mine that I sometimes had trouble making sure I was writing things as her and not as me. But ultimately I really believed in this story, and writing is a part of my every day routine so I pushed through and apologized to those around me if I was extra moody while I was drafting.
What’s next for you?
In a total switchup from this release, I have YA rom-com coming out August 12th that’s a sapphic remix on Legally Blonde called MARISOL ACTS THE PART! Then I’ll be taking a bit of a break to do some exciting personal life things before releasing my next YA thriller I DIDN’T DO IT in Spring 2026!
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?
In adult, I adore the Skyland series by Kennedy Ryan, so I’m eagerly waiting for Can’t Get Enough! In the YA space, I’m excited for According to Plan by Christen Randall, How to Survive a Slasher by Justine Pucella Winans, Salvación by Sandra Proudman, and the next book in the Deathcast series by Adam Silvera.
