A review by booksaremypeople
The New Girl by Jesse Q. Sutanto

4.0

As a huge fan of Dial A for Aunties, I was eager to read this young adult novel, which, according to the author’s notes, looks as though it was written before Dial A for Aunties. This is the story of Lia, an Indonesian American, who procures a spot at the coveted Draycott Academy in Northern California under a track scholarship. The days she arrives on campus she witnesses police hauling away an Asian student who is kicking and screaming, no longer a student. But now Lia has moved into her room. On the surface, Draycott looks beautiful and feels safe, but Lia soon learns about DD short for Draycott Dirt, an online platform where students can anonymously spread gossip about one another. Before she’s had a chance to settle in, someone wants Lia gone and she’s has been dragged into the school’s dark underbelly rife with morally corrupt adults, drug dealers and liars. This dark and entertaining novel explores friendship, identity, class, race and bullying. Thank you to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for the advanced review copy of this book.