A review by kiwi_00
Briarcliff Prep by Brianna Peppins

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book has a special place in my heart alongside Wash Day Diaries and Confessions Of An Alleged Good Girl. I felt seen as the writers of these books showed strong sisterhoods or described things that are universal to being a Black girl/woman. (I would also recommend Odd Girls Out, a webcomic on the Webtoon Naver site/ app for more fiction on sisterhood and teenage girl friendships).
Things I liked

1. The pacing throughout the book was almost perfect- not too fast but not too slow either.
2. The description of Briarcliff Prep, Preston Academy and the professors really helped to make me feel absorbed in the book. It made me wonder what it would be like to have HBCUs or a HBBS in the UK.
3. There were multiple things that Avi was focused on - Her friends,
   Quincy
   , her sister, her grades and the school newspaper and all the drama that came with it. It helped to flesh out her character and make her seem more real.
4. The emphasis of sisterhood regardless if it was a blood relation or not. I loved the friendships in the story.
5. The boarding school setting- Shout out to younger me being obsessed with the Mallory Towers series.

Things I did not like

1. The ending- Too many things happen behind the scenes and are mentioned in passing when I think that making the book a bit longer would have helped. For example
   When Moe blames Avi for not telling anyone about Belle being in an abusive relationship
   , I would have liked to see them have an actual conversation about it where he apologises to her. Same issues for
   Belle and Nevaeh rekindling their friendship and Quincy and Avi's last conversation which just felt unfinished
   .
2.  Moe- I'm aware that he was written like this on purpose as a chance to have critique/commentary on how Black men tapping into patriarchy harms and endangers Black women who often have to protect each other from that and other forms of white supremacy. That being said, I hated the way he kept trying to impose himself as an authority figure in Avi's life especially in situations where she could and should exercise her own autonomy.  For example
   even though their dad had given Avi permission to date Quincy, Moe kept butting in to tell her that he didn't approve and initially was not going to allow her to date Quincy or telling her that she shouldn't dress the way she does
   . The way he acted throughout the book is very indicative of how Black men (and other who agree with Black patriarchy) try to police and remove autonomy from Black girls and women under the guise of protecting them especially from other men but when it is time to stand ten toes down, put his money where his mouth is or to walk the walk, he didn't do any protecting. Alarm bells should have started going off in his head, when Avi kept repeatedly
   saying that she did not like Logan
   . 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse