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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
I remembered reading this series out of order while I was in high school and college. I wanted to give this series a second chance and purchased the entire series for my Kindle.
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This book follows Reed Brennan as she moves into the sophomore dormitory at Easton Academy. She tries her hardest to get on the good side of the girls of the most exclusive dormitory known as Billings House while she falls in love with a senior named Thomas Pearson.
She realizes the depth of her issues as she tries to run from the issues her mother causes after her mother's motor vehicle accident. She tries to keep her secrets from the girls in Billings House as she wonders just how much she'd be willing to do in order to gain their approval.
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I remember loving this series when I was first reading through it and remember feeling quite hooked on each of the books. This is still the case with the first book, at least. I'm glad that I was still hooked and hope the next book will give met he same excitement.
That being said, I don't like Reed very much. I feel like she really is a sheep and is doing too much to gain the approval of the Billings Girls. I find Noelle to be such a bitch but that's just me. I remember my high school's version of Noelle and it's not a good reminder.
I am definitely not a fan of the Billings Girls but I also feel that Reed is complicit in doing too much at the expense of her dignity. The fact that she turned her parents away from attending the parents' weekend says a lot about Reed and it's not a good thing.
I feel like her father is a victim of the Billings Girls and it makes me feel quite a bit of sympathy for him. I know her mother can be a bitch in her own right and I do feel sympathy for Reed wanting to leave the home because of her mother's actions but does she still have to treat her father like that?
I hate that Thomas is such an abusive young man and it makes me feel sympathy for Reed that she is making herself deal with that shit. Does she not have any self-respect? I know what you're going to say, though, and I do agree: she's a victim of domestic violence.
I will give her a break for that. It's a cycle that not a lot of people can break free from. It's awful and I can't remember what happens to them in the end. I guess we'll see if I ever finish this series, won't we?
If you're into YA books without open-door smut scenes, I'd recommend this book/series. I did enjoy it, even if it's not my normal vibe these days. I've been looking to open my boundaries a bit and this was part of that, I suppose. Yay?
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
This book follows Reed Brennan as she moves into the sophomore dormitory at Easton Academy. She tries her hardest to get on the good side of the girls of the most exclusive dormitory known as Billings House while she falls in love with a senior named Thomas Pearson.
She realizes the depth of her issues as she tries to run from the issues her mother causes after her mother's motor vehicle accident. She tries to keep her secrets from the girls in Billings House as she wonders just how much she'd be willing to do in order to gain their approval.
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I remember loving this series when I was first reading through it and remember feeling quite hooked on each of the books. This is still the case with the first book, at least. I'm glad that I was still hooked and hope the next book will give met he same excitement.
That being said, I don't like Reed very much. I feel like she really is a sheep and is doing too much to gain the approval of the Billings Girls. I find Noelle to be such a bitch but that's just me. I remember my high school's version of Noelle and it's not a good reminder.
I am definitely not a fan of the Billings Girls but I also feel that Reed is complicit in doing too much at the expense of her dignity. The fact that she turned her parents away from attending the parents' weekend says a lot about Reed and it's not a good thing.
I feel like her father is a victim of the Billings Girls and it makes me feel quite a bit of sympathy for him. I know her mother can be a bitch in her own right and I do feel sympathy for Reed wanting to leave the home because of her mother's actions but does she still have to treat her father like that?
I hate that Thomas is such an abusive young man and it makes me feel sympathy for Reed that she is making herself deal with that shit. Does she not have any self-respect? I know what you're going to say, though, and I do agree: she's a victim of domestic violence.
I will give her a break for that. It's a cycle that not a lot of people can break free from. It's awful and I can't remember what happens to them in the end. I guess we'll see if I ever finish this series, won't we?
If you're into YA books without open-door smut scenes, I'd recommend this book/series. I did enjoy it, even if it's not my normal vibe these days. I've been looking to open my boundaries a bit and this was part of that, I suppose. Yay?
fast-paced
Re-reading this old series. Such high drama and intrigue!
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
By halfway through, I knew I wasn't going to rate this book particularly well. Even though I think it's compelling, it definitely suffers from YA syndrome-- everything moves a little too fast, the deepest thoughts and feelings slide by like skipping puddles, and the writing leaves a lot to be desired.
But as I moved through it, I became more and more uncomfortable with the treatment of a relationship in the book.The girl in the relationship just lets it happen to her, lets the guy drag her along at every strage, even when things take a tell-tale turn towards abuse. The classic initial signs of a budding abusive (or at least extremely shitty) relationship are all there, and our girl is swept along hook, line, and sinker, always thinking she's going to leave and always forgiving him almost instantly.
It's not that it's not relatable; it's not that these things don't happen every day; but as I was reading, I started to wonder how many YA novels I had read like this as a young woman. How many times had I watched a female character get pulled into bad situations and seen that as normal? What is the impact of repeatedly reading literature where the girl lets the guy make all the decisions and forgives all his mistakes? It left me feeling less than thrilled about the way the author handled it.
But as I moved through it, I became more and more uncomfortable with the treatment of a relationship in the book.
It's not that it's not relatable; it's not that these things don't happen every day; but as I was reading, I started to wonder how many YA novels I had read like this as a young woman. How many times had I watched a female character get pulled into bad situations and seen that as normal? What is the impact of repeatedly reading literature where the girl lets the guy make all the decisions and forgives all his mistakes? It left me feeling less than thrilled about the way the author handled it.
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Toxic friendship
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I give this a 4 star rating with some hesitation -- I think it was great fun. Sort of a "Gossip Girl" meets boarding school. In many ways it was one of the more realistic portrayals of boarding school I've read (I wouldn't be surprised if the author had actually attended one of the Northeastern boarding schools).
But it is definitely YA, so read at your own risk!
But it is definitely YA, so read at your own risk!
I liked Private. It's been on my to-read list forever, so I finally got around to reading it!
It's about this girl who goes to boarding school and becomes friends with the popular girls. There are quite a few cliches, but it was still enjoyable to read. It's definitely another mean girl-type of story, but it's one of the better ones, I think.
I'm not sure what secrets Reed is supposed to discover, but since Private is the first book in the series, it's much more likely that secrets will be revealed in the other books.
There's definitely an air of mystery and I couldn't wait to see what happened next. Even though things were pretty predictable, I still wanted to know what happened. There's something very addicting about a series like this.
The characters are okay- pretty standard for this kind of story. Thankfully, I've only the first book in the spin-off, and I don't remember enough to have an opinion about the characters. I get why Reed just went along with the Billings girls, and it's interesting to see Arianna from a different perspective. But I didn't care too much about her. I just couldn't completely connect with her.
It gets a 3 out of 5. I liked it, and I'll keep reading, but it didn't grab me the way I thought it would.
It's about this girl who goes to boarding school and becomes friends with the popular girls. There are quite a few cliches, but it was still enjoyable to read. It's definitely another mean girl-type of story, but it's one of the better ones, I think.
I'm not sure what secrets Reed is supposed to discover, but since Private is the first book in the series, it's much more likely that secrets will be revealed in the other books.
There's definitely an air of mystery and I couldn't wait to see what happened next. Even though things were pretty predictable, I still wanted to know what happened. There's something very addicting about a series like this.
The characters are okay- pretty standard for this kind of story. Thankfully, I've only the first book in the spin-off, and I don't remember enough to have an opinion about the characters. I get why Reed just went along with the Billings girls, and it's interesting to see Arianna from a different perspective. But I didn't care too much about her. I just couldn't completely connect with her.
It gets a 3 out of 5. I liked it, and I'll keep reading, but it didn't grab me the way I thought it would.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes