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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
4.5 stars. I loved this book because I love dark acedemia books. Getting into an Ivy League school is cut throat business. 5 girls develop a scheme how to beat the other classmates. I y league schools only pick a couple per class and they will do anything to make sure they are going to get their choice of college.
Gut instinct was a 3/5, but the second I started actually thinking about it, the more I used the word *fine* to describe It, which is a classic 2 or 2.5. Although there were some things I didn’t expect along the way, the whodunnit was very predictable to me. The characters were not quite generic flat stereotypes, but not far off, either. Some of the motives were shaky. I feel like I’ll forget a lot of this, very quickly. I’ll go with 2.5/5 for now— it was a pretty generic dark-academia-murder-mystery-at-a-boarding-school novel. And I think next time I grab for a dark academia novel, I’ll be grabbing for a college one, because I think I’ve been in high school land far too long.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.8
Very captivating and kept me on my toes the whole time, but the ending was just NOT satisfying at all.
Very captivating and kept me on my toes the whole time, but the ending was just NOT satisfying at all.
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Would have been better with less swearing and at least one likable character.
The DRAMAAAAAAAAA of it all!
This was a delightful YA thriller riffing on the cut throat world of college admissions, building on the Lori Loughlin celebrity scandal in recent years. It doesn’t follow the girls as they sabotage their classmates; rather it follows the fallout and consequences of their actions when Early Decision results come out.
If you’ve ever worked at a university this is *chef kiss* in how self-aware and critical it is of the university sector.
This was a delightful YA thriller riffing on the cut throat world of college admissions, building on the Lori Loughlin celebrity scandal in recent years. It doesn’t follow the girls as they sabotage their classmates; rather it follows the fallout and consequences of their actions when Early Decision results come out.
If you’ve ever worked at a university this is *chef kiss* in how self-aware and critical it is of the university sector.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Maybe a 3.5.
Alexa Donne is always really good at plotting and on the technical writing level. I find her an effective mystery writer because she knows how to adapt a trope to craft a good story. This is why she's also great a retellings. I'm one of those mystery readers who LIKES when I can guess the twists, because I feel the clues are being laid down well and working effectively. That's exactly what happening here! It's not too obvious, but not so strange and twisty that it felt unrealistic. I also like her commitment to diversity and acknowledging inequality in all her work!
However, something about Donne's books can feel almost flat to me. She's very effective at technical stuff but the characters aren't vibrating off the page and occasionally the POV is flavoured with a little too much modern cringe that seems designed to be "relatable" more than character-building e.g. "there's nothing like the rush of shopping in Sephora". It takes me out of the narrative.
In all though, this is a fun book and I enjoyed the reading experience! It won't stick with me forever but it was what I wanted to entertain me for the weekend.
Alexa Donne is always really good at plotting and on the technical writing level. I find her an effective mystery writer because she knows how to adapt a trope to craft a good story. This is why she's also great a retellings. I'm one of those mystery readers who LIKES when I can guess the twists, because I feel the clues are being laid down well and working effectively. That's exactly what happening here! It's not too obvious, but not so strange and twisty that it felt unrealistic. I also like her commitment to diversity and acknowledging inequality in all her work!
However, something about Donne's books can feel almost flat to me. She's very effective at technical stuff but the characters aren't vibrating off the page and occasionally the POV is flavoured with a little too much modern cringe that seems designed to be "relatable" more than character-building e.g. "there's nothing like the rush of shopping in Sephora". It takes me out of the narrative.
In all though, this is a fun book and I enjoyed the reading experience! It won't stick with me forever but it was what I wanted to entertain me for the weekend.
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated