Anouk longs to be part of the human world where she would have the freedom to do as she pleases, meet other people, and maybe fall in love. But as a Beastie, an animal enchanted to become human to serve the witch who created them, Anouk is trapped. When the witch she serves, Mada Vittora, is found dead, Anouk becomes suspect #1. She flees to the outside world of Paris to find the real killer. She only has three days before the spell keeping her human wears off and she returns to being an animal.

While I didn't love GRIM LOVELIES, I did like it. The setting of a magical Paris and incorporation of the Beasties was really creative and interesting. The murder mystery had several cool plot twists that I didn't see coming. I didn't fall in love with any of the characters, but it was still easy to root for Anouk and hope for the best outcome. Her feelings of being trapped and her drive to have a better life were impactful. I also loved the nods to several fairy tales like Cinderella.