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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-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
best thriller book i’ve read in a whike
This book was a hot mess, like literally a hot mess. There was so many plot holes, the writing was giving off Wattpad vibes. It was predictable.
Don’t even get me started on the killers reason to kill? Absolute stupidness. The book was just dumb and a clear rip of One of us is lying - really poor attempt to rip that off.
The whole thing was a mess, I had to force myself to finish this shambles of a book. I would not recommend at all.
2⭐️ and that’s me being generous.
Don’t even get me started on the killers reason to kill? Absolute stupidness. The book was just dumb and a clear rip of One of us is lying - really poor attempt to rip that off.
The whole thing was a mess, I had to force myself to finish this shambles of a book. I would not recommend at all.
2⭐️ and that’s me being generous.
This was a really good read, I liked how you never really knew who the killer was until the very end. There were so many moments I thought I knew who it was going to be until a couple of chapters later and it makes it out to be someone else.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 !
I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS BOOK AND I WAS NOT LET DOWN.
Anyone who is a fan of Alexa Donne's YouTube channel knows that her usual fare comes in the vein of soapy, romantic Jane Austen retellings in space. While that is not usually my jam, I bought them all anyway. I think her channel is wonderful and I've enjoyed watching her walk the walk when it comes to applying the concepts she speaks about in her writing, and its been a joy watching her style evolve. What was particularly exciting about 'THE IVIES' is that Alexa is a voracious thriller/suspense fan and this step outside the romance genre was a move that I couldn't wait to see done!
THE IVIES is a YA thriller set in the competitive, cut-throat world of college admissions. Focusing on a group of girls (Avery, Margot, Emma, Sierra, and Olivia) who will do anything, and I mean anything, to gain and keep their coveted spots in the Ivy League schools they chose. They lie, they cheat, they sabotage, and most importantly, they don't get caught. But when the status quo is blown out of the water, fights are had, things are said—and someone ends up dead.
Here, we get to follow Olivia, who has always drifted *just* outside the group known as 'The Ivies. She's not rich, she's not devastatingly pretty, or smart, or talented but she certainly makes up for it in ambition (a fact that I appreciated dearly about her). Olivia can't help but notice that her friends are keeping secrets, but are they deadly? She takes it upon herself to find out.
I've said this about "The Folk of the Air" Series by Holly Black, and I stand by it here: I love a book where not a single person in it is "good". These characters were fleshed out and nuanced. You could not put a concrete label on ANY of them and will find no stereotypes here. That was the beauty. What you think you know, you don't, and in true thriller fashion, I found myself yelling at this book more than once. Alexa managed to pull a successful double-switch that had me cackling. I could see the threads she was weaving, could almost hear her voice describing the concept of how to put a thriller together— but she left just enough ambiguity to make me question myself and I adored every minute of it. (Listen I read a lot of thrillers, I love being duped, especially when it's really so simple.)
The teeny, tiny things that made me pause: Cataldo was by far one of the least useful cops I've ever seen (even though I ended up liking her anyway) and while it pushed Olivia along to do her thing, it seemed a little unrealistic how much she relied on a teenager, but maybe that's just me. There was also a bit of a moment where the book seemed to be grasping at things, taking a little too long to orient itself into moving forward into the investigative phase. Thankfully, this was short-lived, and I can't really blame the book too much: Anyone would be spinning around in circles in that scenario. It just kind of left me wondering where we were going to go from there. This book was chock full of thriller tropes we see every day that some people will enjoy, and others will not. I, personally, had a great time.
Overall? I loved it. I truly did. I wanted to love it, but I came in objectively, and I still was entirely happy with the result. Alexa Donne should ABSOLUTELY write more thrillers (if she wants to) because I'll be the first in line!
Keep an eye out cuz THE IVIES hits the shelves 25 May 2021!
I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS BOOK AND I WAS NOT LET DOWN.
Anyone who is a fan of Alexa Donne's YouTube channel knows that her usual fare comes in the vein of soapy, romantic Jane Austen retellings in space. While that is not usually my jam, I bought them all anyway. I think her channel is wonderful and I've enjoyed watching her walk the walk when it comes to applying the concepts she speaks about in her writing, and its been a joy watching her style evolve. What was particularly exciting about 'THE IVIES' is that Alexa is a voracious thriller/suspense fan and this step outside the romance genre was a move that I couldn't wait to see done!
THE IVIES is a YA thriller set in the competitive, cut-throat world of college admissions. Focusing on a group of girls (Avery, Margot, Emma, Sierra, and Olivia) who will do anything, and I mean anything, to gain and keep their coveted spots in the Ivy League schools they chose. They lie, they cheat, they sabotage, and most importantly, they don't get caught. But when the status quo is blown out of the water, fights are had, things are said—and someone ends up dead.
Here, we get to follow Olivia, who has always drifted *just* outside the group known as 'The Ivies. She's not rich, she's not devastatingly pretty, or smart, or talented but she certainly makes up for it in ambition (a fact that I appreciated dearly about her). Olivia can't help but notice that her friends are keeping secrets, but are they deadly? She takes it upon herself to find out.
I've said this about "The Folk of the Air" Series by Holly Black, and I stand by it here: I love a book where not a single person in it is "good". These characters were fleshed out and nuanced. You could not put a concrete label on ANY of them and will find no stereotypes here. That was the beauty. What you think you know, you don't, and in true thriller fashion, I found myself yelling at this book more than once. Alexa managed to pull a successful double-switch that had me cackling. I could see the threads she was weaving, could almost hear her voice describing the concept of how to put a thriller together— but she left just enough ambiguity to make me question myself and I adored every minute of it. (Listen I read a lot of thrillers, I love being duped, especially when it's really so simple.)
The teeny, tiny things that made me pause: Cataldo was by far one of the least useful cops I've ever seen (even though I ended up liking her anyway) and while it pushed Olivia along to do her thing, it seemed a little unrealistic how much she relied on a teenager, but maybe that's just me. There was also a bit of a moment where the book seemed to be grasping at things, taking a little too long to orient itself into moving forward into the investigative phase. Thankfully, this was short-lived, and I can't really blame the book too much: Anyone would be spinning around in circles in that scenario. It just kind of left me wondering where we were going to go from there. This book was chock full of thriller tropes we see every day that some people will enjoy, and others will not. I, personally, had a great time.
Overall? I loved it. I truly did. I wanted to love it, but I came in objectively, and I still was entirely happy with the result. Alexa Donne should ABSOLUTELY write more thrillers (if she wants to) because I'll be the first in line!
Keep an eye out cuz THE IVIES hits the shelves 25 May 2021!
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Gaslighting
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
A really intriguing mystery about college admissions! I saw a few of the twists coming, but was still guessing about a lot of them. My favourite twist was Avery’s character, actually. I wish we had rounded her out a bit more. I could have used more Avery, hah. I found the end a fitting conclusion. It was a tad heavy-handed at times, but overall a really fun ride.