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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
This was such a good book! I love a good dysfunctional "friend" group and rich people drama so this was fantastic. The plot twists kept surprising me and the characters were so interesting. I love it
When I was looking for my next read, scrolling through various titles online, the cover of this book intrigued me. But when I read the blurb, I was downright excited. To give you an idea, here's a short intro to The Ivies:
Every student has a dream college. Many hope to get into the Ivy League. So the do The Ivies. A group of five girls at Claflin Academy, each assigned to a particular Ivy school, The Ivies have one goal - to get into their respective schools. By Any. Means. Necessary.
But, well, when things don't go according to plan, murder can be added to that list.
The plot had me completely invested. My suspicion kept falling on one character, then another. Each clue new clue was a shocking revelation.
I loved how well-formed the characters were, each with their own unique traits and personalities. Bold, smart, clever, confident, it was all there.
Overall, this book was an amazing read - up till the end. But the conclusion simply didn't satisfy me; in fact, I was slightly disappointed. After the great build-up throughout the story, the ending seemed a little less exciting and slightly abrupt.
Still, I think that the rest of the book was fantastic. It also reveals another aspect of high school student life and college admissions - pressure, competitiveness, student struggles, and more.
Every student has a dream college. Many hope to get into the Ivy League. So the do The Ivies. A group of five girls at Claflin Academy, each assigned to a particular Ivy school, The Ivies have one goal - to get into their respective schools. By Any. Means. Necessary.
"We disrupt class ranks, club leaderships, summer internships, academic competitions, and musical auditions. We improve our own odds by slightly decreasing the fortunes of others."
But, well, when things don't go according to plan, murder can be added to that list.
The plot had me completely invested. My suspicion kept falling on one character, then another. Each clue new clue was a shocking revelation.
"Keep your enemies close."
I loved how well-formed the characters were, each with their own unique traits and personalities. Bold, smart, clever, confident, it was all there.
Overall, this book was an amazing read - up till the end. But the conclusion simply didn't satisfy me; in fact, I was slightly disappointed. After the great build-up throughout the story, the ending seemed a little less exciting and slightly abrupt.
Still, I think that the rest of the book was fantastic. It also reveals another aspect of high school student life and college admissions - pressure, competitiveness, student struggles, and more.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Murder, Toxic friendship
Minor: Alcohol
3.25 this book was engaging and an easy enough read! it demonstrated the pressure of college and class on a student body sufficiently, but it was predictable (at least to me) and not the most memorable novel ever.
Nobody at fancy Claflin Academy believes that “where you go is not who you are”, particularly the group of girls known as the Ivies. For them, it’s the Ivy League or nothing and they are very well aware that those colleges will take 2, or at most, 3 students from Claflin. So sabotage is the name of the game as they make sure they get the best extracurricular positions and that smart students might not be feeling their best for their important exams.
Each of them has their assigned school so they’re not competing with each other - Avery the Queen Bee sees to that. But when Avery is waitlisted for Harvard and it turns out Emma applied and was accepted, then the proverbial hits the fan. Unfortunately, our protagonist Olivia, who was assigned Penn, has also applied and been accepted to Harvard but, unlike Emma, she doesn’t tell anyone.
So when Emma turns up dead, Olivia starts to investigate. But the deeper she goes, the less she likes what she finds about the other girls in their clique and begins to suspect that maybe one of them would do absolutely anything to secure a place at a most prestigious college
This is a really solid murder mystery with motives, red herrings, and twists abounding. Olivia, the token scholarship member of the Ivies, peels away layers of oblivious privilege and entitlement as she investigates but she, herself, is also not above a bit of sabotage and maybe the finger will point to her?
After the Varsity Blues admission scandal, in which parents did some pretty corrupt things to get their kids into prestigious universities, it’s a logical step on to imagine the kids themselves being so obsessed with where they end up that they would resort to all sorts of shenanigans. Of course the Ivies go way beyond what might really happen (or do they?) and the plot does get a little farfetched, but not enough to worry me.
Perfect for readers who enjoy Karen McManus and Holly Jackson.
Thanks to Crown and Netgalley for the digital review copy.
Each of them has their assigned school so they’re not competing with each other - Avery the Queen Bee sees to that. But when Avery is waitlisted for Harvard and it turns out Emma applied and was accepted, then the proverbial hits the fan. Unfortunately, our protagonist Olivia, who was assigned Penn, has also applied and been accepted to Harvard but, unlike Emma, she doesn’t tell anyone.
So when Emma turns up dead, Olivia starts to investigate. But the deeper she goes, the less she likes what she finds about the other girls in their clique and begins to suspect that maybe one of them would do absolutely anything to secure a place at a most prestigious college
This is a really solid murder mystery with motives, red herrings, and twists abounding. Olivia, the token scholarship member of the Ivies, peels away layers of oblivious privilege and entitlement as she investigates but she, herself, is also not above a bit of sabotage and maybe the finger will point to her?
After the Varsity Blues admission scandal, in which parents did some pretty corrupt things to get their kids into prestigious universities, it’s a logical step on to imagine the kids themselves being so obsessed with where they end up that they would resort to all sorts of shenanigans. Of course the Ivies go way beyond what might really happen (or do they?) and the plot does get a little farfetched, but not enough to worry me.
Perfect for readers who enjoy Karen McManus and Holly Jackson.
Thanks to Crown and Netgalley for the digital review copy.
3 stars
A fun and surprisingly intense YA thriller set at an elite boarding school.
All the characters are great. I loved that even our protagonist has gotten her hands dirty, both in the past and while trying to discover who murdered her friend, all while juggling the mess of applying to the country’s top colleges. I wouldn’t necessarily want to be friend with any of the conniving students at this school, but their exploits are great fun, in the vein of Mean Girls or Gossip Girl.
The climax and ending, in my opinion, lost a lot of the steam that had been built up by some fun twists and turns, and I rolled my eyes a little at how things wrapped up. But the journey was such a good time, I found I didn’t mind all too much.
A fun and surprisingly intense YA thriller set at an elite boarding school.
All the characters are great. I loved that even our protagonist has gotten her hands dirty, both in the past and while trying to discover who murdered her friend, all while juggling the mess of applying to the country’s top colleges. I wouldn’t necessarily want to be friend with any of the conniving students at this school, but their exploits are great fun, in the vein of Mean Girls or Gossip Girl.
The climax and ending, in my opinion, lost a lot of the steam that had been built up by some fun twists and turns, and I rolled my eyes a little at how things wrapped up. But the journey was such a good time, I found I didn’t mind all too much.
I really enjoyed this book and I’m not super into mysteries. I picked it up because someone at the library had it out on display and I had never heard of it. I’m so glad they put it out there like that because this became one of my favorite books I’ve read this year. It was fun. I think my daughters would enjoy it as well.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes