A review by gwendolyn_kensinger
The Favorites by Rosemary Hennigan

2.0

Audrey, Jessie’s older sister, was one of Professor Crane’s favorites. But something must have happened between the professor and Audrey because her whole demeanor changed. She dropped out of school, took off to Central America and ended up dying in a bus accident. Jessie suspects that Audrey had an inappropriate relationship and she sets out to avenge her sister. Jessie finds out Audrey had been sleeping with her professor, Jay Crane, and Jay had sexually assaulted her. Believing Crane’s abuse is to blame for her sister’s death, she enrolls in Franklin University, where Crane has tenure, and manages to be selected for his exclusive six-person law seminar. She knows that Crane plays favorites so she sets her sights on becoming his next. 

The story addresses some really important themes and topics such as the #metoo movement, the abuse of power between teacher/student relationships, misogyny, and believing victims (esp women), the justice system and how it can fail victims & protect those in power. That being said I don’t think it did a good job of tackling those topics because of the way that Jessie was coming on to the professor and trying to entrap him. Her plan is to have sex with the professor and have someone catch them in the act and then blame him for assaulting her. In the meantime she finds herself becoming charmed by him. This ended up giving me the reverse ick and going against everything I think the author was trying to say. Ultimately it never reached the level of thrills I needed or expected, but I did like the setting and I was able to finish the book in a day.