Scan barcode
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
eleanorefiore's review
mysterious
tense
- 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? N/A
4.0
✨ Engaging
✨ Struggled just a bit with the writing style
✨ Infuriating in the best way possible
The Ivies is so incredibly engaging. There’s so many mystery threads for you to follow, and as they came together they made one big picture. All the hints were there and I loved following them and putting the pieces together afterwards.
The main mystery—the murder—was probably the least interesting out of all of them, but I still liked the set up and pay off. I know it won’t appeal to everyone. I’m putting spoiler thoughts at the bottom.
Olivia was fine. I didn’t love her, but I have no reason to complain. She doesn’t grow, necessarily, but she’s a good vessel for a mystery novel—unobtrusive, but interesting enough. She makes sensible decisions and there’s also plenty of time to explore the rest of the cast.
I think the setting was a big reason I liked it. I tend not to like teens written by grown adults, but the fact that it’s in a rich, private boarding school makes it seem like a whole other world. And some of the things I usually mind make sense in that setting.
The ending is infuriating, but not in a bad way. The whole book is about rich white kids—it’s hard to be in that world and not get angry at how rules are just suggestions to them. But it’s not unrealistic and because of that I don’t count my annoyance as a negative.
I know some people will be like “it’s ALWAYS the boyfriend!” but like....yeah, it is. As an avid watcher of true crime...I'm so used to it it's not even funny.
I had a feeling right at the beginning, when they were reading the text about how not to trust any men, and then Avery made a snarky comment about her stepbrother.
I don’t know if his motivation completely sticks right with me, but the truth is that this book was never about who killed Emma. It was Olivia uncovering ALL the lies and mysteries at Claflin.
Also low-key I loved how she told you in the beginning not to trust any men. Because I’d get attached to Ethan, but there was always a thought in the back of my head that maybe that wasn’t right. And it all played out and it was just perfect!
✨ Struggled just a bit with the writing style
✨ Infuriating in the best way possible
The Ivies is so incredibly engaging. There’s so many mystery threads for you to follow, and as they came together they made one big picture. All the hints were there and I loved following them and putting the pieces together afterwards.
The main mystery—the murder—was probably the least interesting out of all of them, but I still liked the set up and pay off. I know it won’t appeal to everyone. I’m putting spoiler thoughts at the bottom.
Olivia was fine. I didn’t love her, but I have no reason to complain. She doesn’t grow, necessarily, but she’s a good vessel for a mystery novel—unobtrusive, but interesting enough. She makes sensible decisions and there’s also plenty of time to explore the rest of the cast.
I think the setting was a big reason I liked it. I tend not to like teens written by grown adults, but the fact that it’s in a rich, private boarding school makes it seem like a whole other world. And some of the things I usually mind make sense in that setting.
The ending is infuriating, but not in a bad way. The whole book is about rich white kids—it’s hard to be in that world and not get angry at how rules are just suggestions to them. But it’s not unrealistic and because of that I don’t count my annoyance as a negative.
I had a feeling right at the beginning, when they were reading the text about how not to trust any men, and then Avery made a snarky comment about her stepbrother.
I don’t know if his motivation completely sticks right with me, but the truth is that this book was never about who killed Emma. It was Olivia uncovering ALL the lies and mysteries at Claflin.
Also low-key I loved how she told you in the beginning not to trust any men. Because I’d get attached to Ethan, but there was always a thought in the back of my head that maybe that wasn’t right. And it all played out and it was just perfect!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Note on drug abuse TW: There is a lot of talk about some of the characters adding things to others' drinks—like laxatives and adderall—without their consent or knowledge. I wasn't sure what to label it, but the true trigger warning should say "drugging others without their knowledge".thesaltiestlibrarian's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions expressed in this review are mine alone and may not reflect the views of the author, publisher, or distributor.
A lot of thoughts are swirling around my head, and I'm not even sure where to start. Let's break it down. So you have this private school, Claflin, in Massachusetts. Sounds swanky, right? It's also cutthroat. Only a few students every year are admitted into Ivy League schools.
You know what, no, I'm going off. I can't stand it. I grew up poor and didn't even think I'd ever have the chance to go to college. But I did, because I worked my ass off in full-time online courses for two years WHILE I took care of my grandmother so my parents could work. Those online grades got me scholarships to the campus I eventually attended, and yes, I think it's good for people to study what they're passionate about. But we need to stop pushing the "college is the only option" narrative on teenagers. It's unrealistic with the way things are run right now. Education is becoming a privilege, which is absolutely not what it actually is. I can teach myself the same physics for free at the library that someone shells out $100,000 for at a college that equates in the long run to buying brand-name toothpaste: no one cares in the real world, it holds no actual sway, and is swindling you out of money you can spend on the same damn thing somewhere else.
This book didn't deliver on the narrative that it could have. We got rich people problems running amok, terrible people being terrible, and no real discourse on how education elitism is poisoning the post-secondary tracts that should ultimately be free or HIGHLY reduced in-state. The whole motive in this book was so ludicrous that I very nearly stopped reading at the 89% mark. Private school is a sham, Ivy Leagues mean nothing, and standardized testing only measures your ability to take a test and memorize crap.
The writing was fine, I couldn't have cared less about any of the characters, and the narrator was no more innocent or lovable than the nearest Fannie Mae CEO. Nothing about these people was redeemable. No one tried to redeem themselves in any capacity. The only reason I'm not more pissy is that this actually had structure and plot that held me. Olivia's whole "we're not the same, sis" attitude got old FAST, and I can't believe she was surprised at her friends' horrible actions.
The reason I AM pissy is the lack of indictment on college scandal and the price of education. If Donne had just taken that extra step, THE IVIES would have been absolutely scathing. But we got a run-of-the-mill YA mystery that actually left me feeling that Donne approves of the current state of affairs. If you're looking for the next Holly Jackson, this ain't it. If you're looking for societal commentary, it's not here. This book is a reflection of Ivy Leagues: promises a whole bunch and delivers only disappointment and a time commitment you can't get back.
A lot of thoughts are swirling around my head, and I'm not even sure where to start. Let's break it down. So you have this private school, Claflin, in Massachusetts. Sounds swanky, right? It's also cutthroat. Only a few students every year are admitted into Ivy League schools.
You know what, no, I'm going off. I can't stand it. I grew up poor and didn't even think I'd ever have the chance to go to college. But I did, because I worked my ass off in full-time online courses for two years WHILE I took care of my grandmother so my parents could work. Those online grades got me scholarships to the campus I eventually attended, and yes, I think it's good for people to study what they're passionate about. But we need to stop pushing the "college is the only option" narrative on teenagers. It's unrealistic with the way things are run right now. Education is becoming a privilege, which is absolutely not what it actually is. I can teach myself the same physics for free at the library that someone shells out $100,000 for at a college that equates in the long run to buying brand-name toothpaste: no one cares in the real world, it holds no actual sway, and is swindling you out of money you can spend on the same damn thing somewhere else.
This book didn't deliver on the narrative that it could have. We got rich people problems running amok, terrible people being terrible, and no real discourse on how education elitism is poisoning the post-secondary tracts that should ultimately be free or HIGHLY reduced in-state. The whole motive in this book was so ludicrous that I very nearly stopped reading at the 89% mark. Private school is a sham, Ivy Leagues mean nothing, and standardized testing only measures your ability to take a test and memorize crap.
The writing was fine, I couldn't have cared less about any of the characters, and the narrator was no more innocent or lovable than the nearest Fannie Mae CEO. Nothing about these people was redeemable. No one tried to redeem themselves in any capacity. The only reason I'm not more pissy is that this actually had structure and plot that held me. Olivia's whole "we're not the same, sis" attitude got old FAST, and I can't believe she was surprised at her friends' horrible actions.
The reason I AM pissy is the lack of indictment on college scandal and the price of education. If Donne had just taken that extra step, THE IVIES would have been absolutely scathing. But we got a run-of-the-mill YA mystery that actually left me feeling that Donne approves of the current state of affairs. If you're looking for the next Holly Jackson, this ain't it. If you're looking for societal commentary, it's not here. This book is a reflection of Ivy Leagues: promises a whole bunch and delivers only disappointment and a time commitment you can't get back.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Toxic relationship, Murder, Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Vomit, Drug use, Gun violence, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Incest and Homophobia
More...