Reviews

Girls with Bright Futures by Tracy Dobmeier, Wendy Katzman

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jess_mango's review

4.0

Elliott Bay Academy is one of the top private schools in the Seattle area and the school prides itself on the fact that it's students get into top-tier colleges. When Stanford University lets the school leadership know that since they've already accepted several student athletes from EBA for the next year, that only one more student from EBA will be accepted at Standford. This sets off a fierce competitions between 3 senior girls and their moms. The narrative shifts between the 3 moms: Maren, Alicia and Kelly. Alicia is the CEO of a large tech company and is definitely cut throat. Her daughter is not so cut throat. Maren is a younger, single mom who works as Alicia's personal assistant. Her daughter is the top of her class and has dreamed of going to Stanford since she was young. Kelly is a Stanford alum, head of the PTA and a bit of a gossip. Her daughter is super anxioys about the whole deal.

The book starts out with Maren rushing to the ER after she learns that her daughter was injured in a hit & run accident. The story then flashes back to earlier in the school year when all this intense competition started. There's lots of backstabbing, sneaky maneuvers, rumor mills, people digging up secrets etc. The book reminded me of both [b:Big Little Lies|33516773|Big Little Lies|Liane Moriarty|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1559835163l/33516773._SY75_.jpg|27570886] and [b:The Gifted School|44891473|The Gifted School|Bruce Holsinger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1591031433l/44891473._SY75_.jpg|65823849]. It also, for me, brought to mind the college admissions scandal that has been on the news that past couple of years. Oh, what lengths some parents will go to in order to get their kids into college!! It was one of those books that I had to work hard to put down. I split my time between the eBook and the audiobook and enjoyed it in both formats.

Thank you to the publisher for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

nickscoby's review against another edition

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2.0

I really tried but this book was just ok to me. Wayyyy to melodramatic and I didn't like any of the characters. Alicia Stone is not even the least bit realistic. Just shrill and evil.

cschambliss2018's review

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funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

karajferg's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

stephrand's review

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dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I always love a good “rich people problems” book and this one delivered. Very fast paced and lots of twists and turns. A lot of unlikeable but entertaining characters could have done without a few storylines (prostitution, Ted) but overall enjoyed it.

Content Warnings

bri_clee's review

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challenging emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

laurahood's review against another edition

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medium-paced

4.0

libraryforspooky's review against another edition

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5.0

I read this book in a day, once it started, I couldn’t put it down. I loved it and was not expecting some of the twists in the storyline. These girls, they do have bright futures but they could also be easily ruined by some of the actions from their parents. Read this book, you will not regret it.

jwoj24's review

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dark funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

Content Warnings

siobhanward's review against another edition

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mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I'm glad I went to a boring public school...

Kidding aside, I really liked this book. I thought the characters were interesting, the drama unfolded well and things moved at a good pace. Sometimes I struggle with books that move back and forth through time, but in this case it was well done and I appreciated that the storylines converged quickly. I also liked that despite most of the characters being unlikable rich people, they still felt human and didn't feel like caricatures, which is something that often happens in this kind of book.

Content Warnings

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