An interesting look at the troubled teen industry and its role in the deaths of three young women who were forced into its programs by their parents.

These horrifying scared straight style programs are having another moment in the spotlight right now thanks to Paris Hilton’s memoir, and it’s never been more apparent just how dangerous and damaging such programs are on teens.

The author seems to insinuate that these young women, despite the troubles they had before being enrolled in such programs, might be alive today had they not been subject to them. I’m inclined to agree with her, and there’s a lot of hard data to support that viewpoint.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the author herself or her role in this. She comes off much more as someone who has always thrived on cadging off the drama of her comparatively more troubled friends than as the rescuer she envisions herself to be.

Still, I think she has the right of the real issue her, which is that predatory programs like this not only
don’t “fix” teens the way that they claim to they actually make their problems far worse.

The Troubled Teen Industry has fascinated me even before there was a formal name for it. In South Florida in the 1970’s, there was a controversial program called The Seed where many of my older siblings’ friend were sent. If you got caught smoking weed or drinking, off you went. It seemed like a horrific punishment for normal adolescent behavior, and in fact The Seed’s techniques were modeled after Syananon and were later compared to North Korean brainwashing techniques.⁣
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The author was childhood friends with the Elissa of the title, and struggled to make sense of her old friend Elissa’s untimely death as well as of two other women, Alissa and Alyssa. The author and Elissa grew up during the era of Paris Hilton and The Simple Life, but Elissa was the one who engaged in wild partying and questionable sexual behavior. While Ms. Leach went on to graduate high school, Elissa was shipped off to the first of the boarding schools that promised to “reform” her behavior.⁣
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Elissa later met and befriended Alissa and Alyssa who were also typically rebellious teenagers. Once the three of them were absorbed into the unregulated Troubled Teen Industry, they were doomed. We now know that this industry has resulted in many troubling disappearances and deaths. ⁣
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The author uses research and statistics to illustrate how dangerous this system is. There are some who do claim to have been helped by these troubling practices, but overall this is a cautionary tale about a system that tragically, needs to be brought into the limelight and held accountable. ⁣
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(𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.)

I don’t normally read tons of nonfiction but this one sounded intriguing. It is basically the tale of 3 poor little rich girls who all died young. Maybe I am just a different generation and i know i sound cold, but I found it hard to drum up a lot of sympathy for the girls in the book. “The Elissas” tells the story of 3 similar wealthy white youth who are struggling with addiction and personality disorders while striving to be like Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie. They partied hard and paid for it. They were rebels who lived recklessly without thinking about the consequences. I didn’t really like this one.

Elissa, Alyssa, and Alissa are three suburban girls that meet at a boarding school for troubled teens. Eight years later, all three girls are dead. In this heart-wrenching true story, Elissa’s childhood best friend, Samantha, sets out to discover the truth behind their deaths and what went wrong at their boarding school. Samantha speaks to former teens sent to various schools within the Troubled Teen Industry, experts in the field, and friends of the three girls. The topic of the Troubled Teen Industry might sound familiar, as it was heavily featured in Paris Hilton’s 2020 documentary.

Although this wasn’t what I expected (the synopsis + true-crime label gave me a different idea), it’s obvious this was a labor of love from Samantha to Elissa and a way to memorialize the three girls in an impactful way.

highlights:
- exploration of the troubled teen industry
- references to factual research, memoirs, and pop culture
- rhode island setting for much of the book (love a lil rhody mention)
- john hughes fun fact
- incredibly educational on a topic I didn’t previously know too much about

This was an Interesting and short nonfiction. More a reflection by the author than a true crime or expose of the troubled teen industry.

I really appreciated this fast-paced nonfiction book about the Troubled Teen Industry and addiction. I have to say that this read like a love-letter or guilty letter written from Samantha Leach to her friend, who passed away, Elissa. I did learn a lot about the Troubled Teen Industry and addiction, but given how short the book is, I kind of wish the book was a bit more focused on one topic or the other. I also found the alternating chapters to be a bit confusing, but given how linked the stories were, I wasn't too bothered by it.

Okay I have a complicated handle on this one. Let’s start with things I liked. I thought the pacing was pretty good here, with the appropriate page count so it doesn’t feel bloated. I also think although this is an extreme example, but I think a lot of people have been in friendships like the one central to this book. There’s the thin line between being enamored with people who are charismatic but a little more chaotic/bold than you and knowing when it goes too far and when to stop. I thought this was going to be a little more of a deep dive into the troubled teen industry- and it is a little bit- but the focus I felt was was more on personal stories within the programs to way more macro looks at how drugs and mental illness affected the three central young women. My heart really goes out to Elissa, Alyssa, and Alissa and their families but this book kind of commits my biggest true crime pet peeve… the author had a very tangential relationship to the subject- in this case she and Elissa really stopped being friends when they were pretty young. I’m not saying her grief isn’t valid, but she really wasn’t interacting with Elissa when most of the book takes place and she didn’t know Alissa or Alyssa at all. She talked to friends and family but even calling the book “the Elissas” kind of puts them in the supporting cast positions and I don’t love that. There’s a larger conversation about who should tell what story but I just didn’t love some aspects of this- I feel like there’s a lot of speculation. The thing that kind of bugged me the most I can’t say because it would spoil the book, but it relates to how the girls unfortunately passed. This is definitely a more character driven narrative, so it’s not for people looking at a particularly analytic look at the troubled teen industry. Anyways I’m still working out my thoughts on this one, but I would suggest checking this out and seeing how you feel.

"While being a rebellious teenage girl is an inherently romantic experience—one that's fetishized by the stories I grew up on ... the romance doesn't last very long."

That quote from this memoir sums up what I feel about the book. The author in some ways perpetuated that cycle of fetishization with this memoir, picking over the lives of three young women, only one of whom she actually knew, and even then, for a relatively limited time and in relatively limited ways. While I was in some ways educated about the "troubled teen industry" the book didn't sit well because it felt like a taking of other people's tragedies and trying to own them, because they were 'romantic' and evocative of the stories that she found compelling when she was younger. It almost felt at times like she envied these young women the drama of their lives, particularly when she luxuriated in the details of their descent from "nice, white middle-class girls" to addicts, spiraling toward destruction, occasionally succumbing to the trap of centering her own emotional reaction to the tragedy rather than the tragedies themselves.

The Elissas, despite her best efforts (and I do believe she tried) are not so much humanized as made object lessons. But of what? The fate of affluent white "troubled teens" as different but no less tragic than their Black and brown, not-so-affluent counterparts (racial disparities are mentioned several times and well-cited)? Of the failure of the addiction industry? Illustrations of the need for regulations of unlicensed 'treatment' facilities? Or just another sad story, made sadder because these are not the kinds of girls this was supposed to happen to?

Since the author was not present for almost any of what happened to these young women, there was very little dialogue and what little there was, appeared at the most insignificant moments. A boyfriend who wants to leave to go hang out and use instead of spending time with his also addicted girlfriend says, "All right. I'm gonna head out." She says "What the fuck? Where are you going?" He says "Just meeting up with some people." She says, "Are you serious right now?" He says, "...Yes?" She says, "Fuck you." He says, "Fuck me?" She says, "Yes." He says, "Wow. Fuck this. I'm out of here." That kind of exchange was typical of the dialogue—inane exchanges that offer little insight about the interiors of the young women, but sound like something in a movie like, 'Less Than Zero', or 'Candy' (a Heath Ledger movie she cites, as an example of how popular culture romanticizes love intertwined with addiction).

Though some of the writing was insightful and incisive, and there were copious citations to support most of her assertions, I never could get a handle on what this book was trying to accomplish. The one Elissa the author actually knew, she successfully unentangled herself from long before the most acute phases of her addiction began, but upon Elissa's death, her preoccupation resumes and expands, now encompassing two other young women she didn't even know, and finally manifesting itself in this book, which at times seems less an examination of their unique but similar tragedies than an expression of the author's own continuing desire to consume other people's pain and repurpose it for herself.

In the Afterword, the author mentions that a friend suggested that she check out Al-Anon and my first thought was, "Oh, thank God". And I felt similarly when she acknowledges that she's "always felt more comfortable in the chaos of others' lives than the monotony of [her] own." After reading this book, part of me was like, "ya think?"

A worthwhile look and exploration of what crises is affecting the young of our day and age and what we can do about it! I enjoyed hearing the story of The Elissas, and I mourn for them and their families and all those who loved them.

This is a wrenching account about the role of the troubled teen industry in the lives of three Elissas- Elissa, Alyssa, and Alissa. Readers should be aware that there are detailed descriptions of drug use and disordered eating (among other things) in this book. I don't know that there are many people out there who won't find this book affecting. It looks hard at the troubled teen industry, and the issues with these unregulated programs. The opioid epidemic is also at play here, and there were some interesting connections made, as well as thoughtful commentary on how the young women in this narrative were particularly susceptible.
I knew teens who ended up in this system. I have known adults who made the devastating choice to put their teens in this system. The opioid epidemic has impacted people I love. This story feels essential.

While there's a book to be written about the troubled teen industry, this isn't it. It's well written and I cared about the three women discussed in the book, but it barely touches upon the troubled teen industry. I also found the three Elissas difficult to differentiate among despite the different spellings of their names (which isn't the author's fault). I don't regret reading this book, but I feel like it was marketed as something it wasn't.

Thank.you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

The author’s close childhood friend, Elissa, tragically died in the year following her stay in an expensive boarding school for teenagers, part of the “Troubled Teen Industry.” In the years that followed, two of Elissa’s friends from the same school, Alissa and Alyssa, also died. This book follows their short lives, their early years in their wealthy but troubled families, their time within the Troubled Teen Industry and their dependence on drugs and alcohol. This is a well written book and easy to read, but I’m honestly not quite sure why it was written. The author does talk about some of these boarding schools that charge exorbitant rates to rich and desperate parents while being poorly regulated and often abusive but it definitely is not an expose on the subject. It also discusses the rise of the opioid epidemic in suburban enclaves but once again only skims the surface. It is a portrait of three troubled girls, but only one of which she had any sort of relationship with so it felt too voyeuristic to me.

I received a digital Advanced Review Copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Grand Central for the opportunity to read and review this book! The Elissas is a narrative nonfiction book that follows three "troubled" teens throughout their lives in and out of the Troubled Teen Industry. The three girls are all uncannily named Elissa, Alyssa, and Alissa, and all meet at Ponca Pines, a therapeutic boarding school that touts a reputation for "reforming" troubled teens. The Elissas explores the dark side of the Troubled Teen Industry that preys on wealthy white families and their drug- and alcohol- abusing teens. Leach knew Elissa, and spins a tale of Elissa's troubles and time in different therapeutic boarding schools. She also tells the similar stories of Alyssa and Alissa in tandem with Elissa's. The result is an eye-opening narrative about the dark side of this predatory industry.

I did NOT know very much about the Troubled Teen Industry or about how dark and predatory it can be. This was a very eye-opening read and I loved that it was told in narrative format even if it is all completely based on true stories. That's a testament to Leach's writing - it was sometimes difficult to remember that I was reading a nonfiction book. It led me to want to learn more about this industry... and I actually did some googling and found out there are two of these therapeutic boarding schools very close to where I live. This was definitely outside my comfort zone but I'm so glad that I read it!

The cover and title of this book would be right at home on the list of the latest summer thrillers, but this is definitely a case of true life being more shocking than fiction. Bustle editor Samantha Leach's exposé of the Troubled Teen Industry reads as both a warning and a regretful love letter to her lost friends. Prior to Paris Hilton recently opening up about her times at such institutions I had never given them much thought, let alone considered all the moving parts that created the industry, despite an estimated 50,000 teens being sent to troubled teen programs each year, with many coming from the suburbs.

🚩HOW THE INDUSTRY WORKS🚩
Parents concerned about their teenagers "acting out" tend to head to their computers in search of answers, where they often make a connection to a college counselor-type consultant, unaware that these consultants "are often receiving financial kickbacks from these programs, earning a fee each time they place someone in their care." These desperate parents often agree to a short-term wilderness program for their teen. Next, it is usually suggested to parents that they have their teen stay on for another few weeks, months, etc., and then recommended that they transition to a therapeutic boarding school (a recommendation that persuades 40 to 45 percent of parents) like Ponca Pines (located in Nebraska, where teens are considered minors until the age of nineteen.) The initial short-term wilderness programs are essentially "preparation for later selling [parents] on a long-term stay at a boarding school. All of which contributes to the $1.2 billion profit the industry turns annually."

I was outraged to learn the intricacies of this system that inflicts more damage on teens while preying on wealthy parents looking to get their rebellious teenagers in line. Hopefully, books such as this, outspoken advocates, and work done by the nonprofit Breaking Code Silence will not only expose the horrors of this unregulated industry but lead to a full reformation or dismantling.

Five stars. A very interesting and intersecting story about the author's connection to a few women all with a variation of the same name - Elissa. Leach describes in detail what happens over the years to these people and others around them. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I felt like I was watching a show as I was reading this book because of the way it sucked me in!

The Elissa’s was the first book of its kind that I have read. It was dark and disturbing (duh) and made me wonder about the author.

I feel like this would have made a better documentary. When interviewing parents of the deceased I wonder how much of the story that was told to the author was actually said by the parents or friends.

I can’t remember much about my friends from high school or college. But I guess when memorializing the dead your memory can come back.

I don’t know. This book just didn’t do it for me. It taught me a lot but I felt bad for the families of the deceased more than anything. This book probably re opened wounds without their explicit permission and I didn’t think it was cool.

Thank you for the advanced copy!

Elissa, Alyssa, and Alissa all found their way into the Troubled Teen industry, and all three died less than ten years after graduating from their program. Leach uses first person accounts from friends and family to create a memoir of these young woman's lives, their time in the troubled teen industry, and how that industry left them with trauma and no ability to cope with the freedom adulthood provided. It was an interesting story that I couldn't put down.

Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read an ARC of The Elissas. This is a tough one, as it is based on the author's childhood friend Elissa, who died young. Elissa was sent to one of those terrible cult-like teen boarding schools, where she met Alyssa and Alissa. They died young, too. Samantha Leach is trying to do a lot in this memoir/ journalistic exposé of the Troubled Teen Industry, which is heartfelt and admirable. However, I think it needed more research on where the industry currently stands. It was almost as if this book was a long magazine article, but it really needed to be a much longer or much more in-depth book. It was also hard to understand the way Leach chose to write about the girls' experiences as if she were there, but wasn't. I'm sorry for the loss of "The Elissas", and I will read more from this author in the future. Also, the Troubled Teen Industry needs to be regulated and/or stoppped, obviously.

Samantha Leach was close friends with Elissa, one of the main characters of the book, as they grew up in Providence, RI together. They drifted apart as Elissa was sent away to a program and eventually ended up at a boarding school within the Troubled Teen Industry where she meets Alyssa and Alissa.

In The Elissas, the author focuses on their time spent at facilities within the Troubled Teen Industry and their lives after graduating. She discusses the struggles they faced as they grew up and the challenges they encountered when they reentered society. Leach provided important insight into this industry but the stories of the main characters were a bit hard to follow.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this ARC.

This is a fast paced read, twenty four hours and I was done. It was incredibly sad how the three ended up. My only issue with the book was it was hard for me to keep the three girls straight at the beginning. They all are named Elissa but spelled differently and that was enough to confuse me throughout the book. If you like fast paced nonfiction this will be one you’ll want to pickup. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for a honest opinion.
3.5⭐️