sniggy's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
so, i just finished this. there are a few things
1. the writing
it felt kind of forced to like connect with modern audiences. there were some weird words and phrases .
2. the plot
just like what!!???!??!? the plot was interesting to say the least. there were loads of things that were left unexplained. the things that were explained were just not explained well at all.
3. the love interest
what was happening with Ethan, i have no idea. like he was helping Olivia figure things out and then suddenly he was into Harvard and had been test taking for Emma's scam business. didn't like his character at all.
4. predictability
many of the subplots were predictable for me. like there was no surprise aspect at all.
5. the murderer
the motive was terrible. like did not make sense at all why that happened. mc was saying throughout the book that it's always the boyfriend and guess what? IT WAS THE BOYFRIEND!!!!!!!!!!
6. Olivia
Olivia's character was bland. it was giving pick me energy. saying things like 'i will never fit in' 'i will never be one of them' i'm not like them' like just shut up!!!
7.the names
the first thing i look at in a book is names. the names in this book were so basic. eg: Olivia, Avery, Sierra, Ethan, Paul, Emma, Tyler.
8. NOTHING HAPPENED!
also nothing happened. in most murder mysteries there are so many twists and turns but i felt like nothing really was happening. usually in books like these, there is so much information that you forget but not in this. all the 'MC almost getting killed' part was also bland and felt forced.
9. tropes
plus, all the basic murder mystery tropes were there.
10. just a me thing
covid-19 was mentioned in this. like its not a bad thing but it was kind of just glossed over. i think i just don't like it when authors put real life events into books.
apart from all that negativity i think the story was really fun and interesting and an out of the box idea.
1. the writing
it felt kind of forced to like connect with modern audiences. there were some weird words and phrases .
2. the plot
just like what!!???!??!? the plot was interesting to say the least. there were loads of things that were left unexplained. the things that were explained were just not explained well at all.
Spoiler
3. the love interest
what was happening with Ethan, i have no idea. like he was helping Olivia figure things out and then suddenly he was into Harvard and had been test taking for Emma's scam business. didn't like his character at all.
4. predictability
many of the subplots were predictable for me. like there was no surprise aspect at all.
Spoiler
5. the murderer
the motive was terrible. like did not make sense at all why that happened. mc was saying throughout the book that it's always the boyfriend and guess what? IT WAS THE BOYFRIEND!!!!!!!!!!
6. Olivia
Olivia's character was bland. it was giving pick me energy. saying things like 'i will never fit in' 'i will never be one of them' i'm not like them' like just shut up!!!
7.the names
the first thing i look at in a book is names. the names in this book were so basic. eg: Olivia, Avery, Sierra, Ethan, Paul, Emma, Tyler.
8. NOTHING HAPPENED!
also nothing happened. in most murder mysteries there are so many twists and turns but i felt like nothing really was happening. usually in books like these, there is so much information that you forget but not in this. all the 'MC almost getting killed' part was also bland and felt forced.
9. tropes
plus, all the basic murder mystery tropes were there.
10. just a me thing
covid-19 was mentioned in this. like its not a bad thing but it was kind of just glossed over. i think i just don't like it when authors put real life events into books.
apart from all that negativity i think the story was really fun and interesting and an out of the box idea.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Cursing, Death, Grief, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Outing, Racism, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Classism, Gun violence, Outing, and Sexual assault
dream_in_pastel's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, and Bullying
Minor: Drug abuse, Homophobia, and Racism
tealikestoread's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Cursing, Murder, Blood, Classism, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Drug use
storyorc's review against another edition
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is a book about bitches, male and female, and is willing to hold them accountable for their bitchery.
The camp tone requires you to play along (starting with the idea that a group of mean girls are referred to as 'the Ivies' by actual human peers). It is more of a Knives Out than a Hound of the Baskervilles, with the caveat that it is much more predictable than either.
Though none of the boys are as compelling as the female leads, every character is either hiding something or trying something. The Ivies is very much a book of its time as well. References to 'the oppression Olympics' (which Donne boldly tries to convince us her protagonist's mother coined) and Elizabeth Warren are harmless, and the through-line about systemic injustice is pertinent. However, this is strained to the point of parody by the end. I feel Sierra, the Ivies' only black member, would have benefited from exchanging about 20% of her dialogue on race issues for another character trait besides 'hacker' too. (Side note: unless Girls Who Code has drastically changed their mandate since my involvement, their web dev classes will not give you the skillset to hack your school's IT systems.)
The climax is a bit of an eye-roll but upon completion of that, we are rewarded with the most interesting moral notes of the book. Donne pokes her head above the crowd here when she forsakes the nice but unmemorable ending for one where a) the logical consequences of the murder scandal play out with no care for plot armour and b) our narrator, Olivia, when faced with one test of character, chooses Relatable enough to root for; bold enough to balk at.
I usually steer clear of high school drama, college admissions, and rich boarding school stories, yet Ivies has such a snappy voice and the plot was so peppy that I finished it in one day. I only hope Donne's next book bears a different setting.
The camp tone requires you to play along (starting with the idea that a group of mean girls are referred to as 'the Ivies' by actual human peers). It is more of a Knives Out than a Hound of the Baskervilles, with the caveat that it is much more predictable than either.
Though none of the boys are as compelling as the female leads, every character is either hiding something or trying something. The Ivies is very much a book of its time as well. References to 'the oppression Olympics' (which Donne boldly tries to convince us her protagonist's mother coined) and Elizabeth Warren are harmless, and the through-line about systemic injustice is pertinent. However, this is strained to the point of parody by the end. I feel Sierra, the Ivies' only black member, would have benefited from exchanging about 20% of her dialogue on race issues for another character trait besides 'hacker' too. (Side note: unless Girls Who Code has drastically changed their mandate since my involvement, their web dev classes will not give you the skillset to hack your school's IT systems.)
The climax is a bit of an eye-roll but upon completion of that, we are rewarded with the most interesting moral notes of the book. Donne pokes her head above the crowd here when she forsakes the nice but unmemorable ending for one where a) the logical consequences of the murder scandal play out with no care for plot armour and b) our narrator, Olivia, when faced with one test of character, chooses
Spoiler
the dark side! To play the game in the documentary interview in pursuit of sweet, sweet validation.I usually steer clear of high school drama, college admissions, and rich boarding school stories, yet Ivies has such a snappy voice and the plot was so peppy that I finished it in one day. I only hope Donne's next book bears a different setting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Minor: Racism, Rape, and Homophobia
collinsd's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Bullying, Classism, and Cursing
Minor: Death, Incest, and Infidelity
More...