I read a lot of YA books, but I must admit, reading Lillian Clark's new book, Immoral Code, was the first time I felt old reading this genre. There are certainly universal themes of friendship, loyalty, and love, but perhaps because the book deals with a lot of technological stuff, some of the lingo used went over my head. (It's embarrassing to admit I'd never heard the term "ace/aro" to describe someone who is asexual and aromantic—I know what these words mean, but I wasn't familiar with the abbreviation. Sigh.)

Nari, Bellamy, Keagan, Santiago, and Reese are a group of five friends on the cusp of high school graduation. Nari is a hacker who wants a career at a major technology company after college. Her boyfriend, Keagan, just wants to be with her and doesn't have many ambitions beyond that. Reese is a talented visual artist who is fierce and fiercely independent. Santiago, despite his parents' objections, is headed to Stanford on a diving scholarship—and hopefully the Olympics. Bellamy is absolutely brilliant, and she dreams of going to MIT.

There's just one hitch in Bells' plan. Her financial-genius father, whom she has never met, makes so much money that he's negated any possibility of her getting the financial aid she needs to attend MIT. As part of the agreement between him and her mother, he only provides a minimal amount of child support each month, so she's not even allowed to ask him for help. How could her dreams be dashed so badly by someone who has never been a part of her life (except her conception)?

Nari is outraged by her friend's situation and decides there's only one way to solve the problem: since Bells' father makes so much money, he probably wouldn't notice if a tiny bit was missing, right? Nari plans to hack into his bank accounts and skim just a little off the top of every million dollars he makes, until she accrues enough to pay Bells' tuition? Seems like an easy plan, right?

Of course, not everyone is a fan of the idea, given it's a crime that could land them all in jail. But why should a man who has never cared one iota for Bells ruin her dreams and her chance for an incredible future? When hacking from a distance doesn't seem to be working, the quintet plans a road trip to hack into his computer in person. It's the ultimate rob the rich, give to the poor scheme.

Despite making me feel a bit curmudgeon-like, this book was a fun ride. I really liked the characters and the way they interacted with each other. While the subject matter of the book was super-technical in parts, I didn't feel like the characters were overly sophisticated or too erudite for their own good—these were, for the most part, highly intelligent teenagers jousting with the verbal swordplay you'd expect from kids like this.

The book shifts narration among all five characters, which did get a little distracting at times. It was helpful to hear how each perceived the events of the book, particularly Nari's scheme, but often the voices seemed more similar than the characters did, so I had to go back and remind myself whose chapter this was. Beyond that, though, Clark's voice is a fresh one, and this take on a heist story was enjoyable.

NetGalley, Random House Children's, and Knopf Books for Young Readers provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

Immoral Code is the story of 5 teenagers, a group of friends that come together when one of them needs it the most. Bellamy is a certified genius and is on the road to MIT after graduating from high school. The only thing is, her biological father is the reason she may never get the chance to go. It has always been Bellamy and her mother, struggling to make ends meet. Her father left long ago, before Bellamy was even born but he must fill out financial aid paperwork before she can be approved. Turns out he has an insane amount of money from the company he created, so Bellamy is not qualified for financial aid. But of course she and her mother cannot afford MIT, so her dreams are completely dashed.

Except, her best friend Nari is a hacker and devises a plan that involves all 5 of the friends performing a heist (of sorts) to siphon money from Bellamy’s father’s company because he owes her that much, right?

The group of friends and their individual personalities is what makes this book. I adore each and every one of them. They are completely fleshed out and as the perspective rotates between chapters you always know exactly who is speaking. Honestly, I wish I had been part of this friend group in high school!

While the story isn’t exactly fast-paced, the really characters drive this story. Lillian Clark does such an excellent job of navigating the difficulties of being a teenager on the cusp of becoming an adult. The relationships and conversations that are not always easy and how we are all just humans making mistakes.

Thank you so much to Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book!

It was hard to get into this book. I actually stopped reading half way through. Unfortunately I just didn't find the plot that interesting and I tried to finish it but it didn't grab my attention from the start.

Told from the five perspectives of teens, Immoral Code is about an unwavering friendship, fun road trips, and a teen's heist.

I love the premise of the book. It reminded me of Warcross (the hacking part) and Six of Crows (a group of misfits committing multiple felonies.) However, as I finished reading this, this novel is not actually an action heist, but more of about morality, loyalty in friendship, how teens deal with complicated relationships with their parents, and how to start a new page in their life.

Just like what I mentioned, this book is narrated from alternating POVs of the five main characters. Most of the time, I don't have any problems with multiple POVs. At first, I had a hard time differentiating the characters. Their individual voices sometimes weren't different enough. Also, the first half has a slow pace. I think it is because of the stream-of-consciousness style of each character. I appreciate how readers can dive into the thoughts of the characters, but this story had too much of it that it made the story dragging. It also felt sometimes those thoughts didn't add anything relevant to the story. Although I didn't like the first half, it picked up in the middle and got better from there.

Plotwise, the book is more of the planning of the heist rather than the action itself. In every chapter, I saw how the characters struggle in their personal lives and their own decision whether carrying out the heist is the right thing to do. There are some funny scenes during the road trip, as well as some dramas. The ending is okay, but the overall voyage is exciting and amusing.

What I really like about this book is how diverse the characters are. We have a Japanese-American hacker, a physics genius, a queer person, a Mexican-American athlete, and a sensitive caring one. I am hands down to their friendship. Committing a crime for a friend? That's an intense friendship out there! Also, their conversations and shenanigans reminded me of my friends in high school. The author did a good job depicting high school comradeships.

Overall, Immoral Code by Lillian Clark is a young adult contemporary questioning us how far we would go to help a friend.

3.5 stars!

This was a fun plot, with interesting characters. It's hard to not feel sorry for Bellamy and her horrible situation, and despite all actually hope they all get away with their 21st century heist. It was a bit confusing jumping back and forth between POVs, as it was hard to tell sometimes who was actually talking. Overall though it was a fun read that some of my teens will enjoy.

I was very excited for this read. I didn't know exactly what I was getting myself into, but I was pretty hyped to get this book. There aren't many of these in the YA Genre, so I thought...this should be fun. It took me a bit to get to this book but I finally read it and I enjoyed it. It wasn't quite the show stopper I was hoping for and I did have some issues... well really just one minute one. Overall thought it was a fast paced light read with some very very quirky characters.


Long story short is this.... there once was a very smart girl who was accepted into a very pricey school, the school of her dreams. Her mother was a single mother who worked two jobs to support them, smart girl should be able to qualify for a loan but because baby daddy has loads of money, she doesn't get the loan... even though baby daddy is not a good daddy and doesn't really support smart girl.

So smart girl has some really good friends, and her best friend is another smart girl who knows a bit of something about hacking... So these friends come up with a white collar crime that steals money from baby daddy so that smart girl can go off to the school of her dreams. Of course these are all teens and you know it's not as easy as it all seems.


This book was a lot of fun. The characters were all so quirky with a bunch of one liners that had me cracking up at times... oh the chapter titles gave me some giggles too. This book isn't really mean to be a comedy and for the most part it's a very serious book but there were some laughs here and there that brought down the seriousness just enough to enjoy.

The relationships between all the characters was fun to be a part of. Each and every one had a different dynamic to their relationship with one another. So there was a ton to explore here. I really did like all the characters. They were all broken and had their issues, but they all had some redeeming qualities too.

I liked the story for the most part. I loved how the author had some of the teens questioning if what they were doing was right and the others were able to easily justify the actions. So moral dilemma... check. I like books that really focus on the gray areas.

The entire book I was rooting for these young criminals to get away with it but also wanted these little heathens to change their mind and walk away. I felt for Bellamy really I did. The entire situation was just sucky... but as an adult with some what of a moral compass..I was like this is so wrong... but then I wanted to see them get away with it so I could watch them pull it off. My feels were so confused.

The pacing was quick but not rushed. The writing was well done. The entire book felt well thought out and I was amazed how well the author was planning a crime. Really the only issue I had with this book... was the ending. I couldn't figure out how I felt about the end. So really that is it. Other than the ending this would have been a 4 heart rating for me.


This was a fast light fun read.

Sadly, I had to abandon this one- the voices were distinguished enough for me- it was hard to tell who was who from chapter to chapter and I got tired of flipping back and forth to figure it out.

A smart talented teen has been admitted to her dream college but cannot afford to go. Her very wealthy, estranged father refuses to help so her friends get together and decide to pull a computer hacking heist to get the money. This intriguing concept is let down by the execution. Each chapter is told from the point of view of the different characters, but the voices are often hard to distinguish from one another, and some don't sound like real teens. So much time is spent bouncing from character to character the story loses momentum and takes too much time to get to the heist itself. Readers who are interested in the characters may like this book, but those looking for something more plot driven will be unsatisfied.

Title: Immoral Code
Author: Lillian Clark
Genre: YA
Rating: 4 out of 5

Five friends. An absentee father who’s a billionaire. One nefarious plot.
Nari is a genius digital hacker. Keagan is her sweet boyfriend who would follow her anywhere. Reese is a visual artist who dreams of traveling everywhere. San is headed to Stanford on a diving scholarship and wants to go to the Olympics. And Bellamy is a physics genius who gets into MIT—then finds out the father she’s never seen is a billionaire, destroying her hopes of financial aid.

Nari’s not going to let her best friend’s dreams be destroyed by some jerk who wants nothing to do with her, so she comes up with a plan: hack into Bellamy’s dad’s computer empire and plant a code that skims enough money off millions of transactions to pay for Bellamy’s first year of college.

What could possibly go wrong?

This group of characters was fascinating. A group of individuals who form a fantastic team with an unbreakable friendship. I did not entirely care for Nari, who was very bossy and demanding (autocratic comes to mind), but I loved the rest—especially Reese and her vibrant hair. The relationships were complex and believable, and Keagan was my favorite character: he’s the voice of reason, as well as being the lone “ordinary” soul in the group. Definitely a good read.

Lillian Clark grew up in Wyoming and now lives in Idaho. Immoral Code is her debut novel.

(Galley courtesy of Random House Children’s/Knop Books for Young Readers via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)

A group of teenagers take revenge on a parent when his indifference prevents one of them from going to college. As the friends navigate their elaborate plan, their relationships will reach new junctures. They’ll also have to decide whether their anger is worth risking all of their futures. Debut author Lillian Clark brings to her story five relatable protagonists in the mostly enjoyable novel Immoral Code.

It’s their senior year of high school, and Bellamy, Santiago, Nari, Keagan, and Reese all have big plans for life after graduation. Reese spends her days mapping her route around the world while using her art to express herself. Long-time couple Nari and Keagan know they’ll stay together no matter where they end up, although Nari has a clearer vision of that than Keagan does. Nari’s wicked smart when it comes to coding and hacking, and she’s just a few keystrokes away from joining one of the giants like Google or Apple. Keagan doesn’t care where he goes as long as he can hold Nari’s hand on the journey. Santiago got recruited by Stanford on a diving scholarship long before this last year of high school and plans to compete for Olympic gold.

Bellamy, physics genius and daughter of a single mother, knows MIT is for her. She filled out the paperwork with diligence, even if that meant thinking of the father who left her behind. Bellamy’s mother and Robert Foster dated in high school and got pregnant. Robert fled town, but at least he sends money to Bellamy and her mother. Considering he’s a billionaire now, it’s the least he can do.

Until that money comes in the way of Bellamy’s dreams. Her student loan application at MIT is denied. There was no way she was going to MIT on her father’s dime, hence the loan application. Even after sending the necessary paperwork in a timely fashion, through lawyers, to her father to make sure her application stood independently of his income, he still manages to mess this up. Just like he’s messed up pretty much her entire life by denying that she exists.

The friends rally around Bellamy and begin brainstorming ways to help her out, which prompts a dangerous discussion: what if they figure out a way to steal the money from Robert Foster? Given the number of zeroes he must have in his bank balance, would Foster even notice that the money was missing? The friends explore the idea and decide to make it a reality, but even they can’t imagine how their actions will push them into unexplored territory in their individual relationships with one another as well as a group.

Author Lillian Clark captures the voices of her teen protagonists with ease. Each of the friends has his or her own fears and hopes, their own desires and their own uncertainties; despite the challenge of flipping between five points of view, Clark manages to make each of them distinct. Readers in the target audience will find at least one “friend” among this set and will most likely warm up to the group as a whole.

Clark also doesn’t shy away from testing the relationships, especially Nari and Keagan’s, considered at the outset the most solid of the group. Righteous indignation can only take a person so far, as the couple discovers. One of them approves wholeheartedly of their revenge mission; the other experiences ambivalence, which also brings up a challenge to that character’s inner strength and a new facet to the romance. Clark lets her characters hurt one another with words and unintended actions; just because they’re teenagers doesn’t mean everything comes up rainbows and roses all the time.

If the book falters, it’s in the over exposure to the friendships and the lack of time spent on the heist. Readers might find themselves getting a little impatient for the action to get rolling. Clark does an excellent job of establishing her characters early and with solidity. Instead of letting that solidity stand on its own, however, she insists on building more onto that platform before finally moving on to the main action. As a result, the heist really doesn’t get its full due, and parts of it feel a little unreal.

Readers looking for a fun, quick book will certainly enjoy this one, however, and it offers enough unique perspectives to make most members of the target audience happy. I believe Immoral Code Borders on Bookmarking it.

What a fun book. Five very close friends are making plans for college/work after they graduate high school. One girl gets accepted to MIT, but will not be able to go because her deadbeat dad makes too much money and disqualifies her for financial aid. The group decide to hack into the bank accounts of her father, and siphon off a few cents per dollar, in order to glean tuition money for her. What could possibly go wrong? Fun plot the relationships are great, and it keeps you wanting to read. This should be made into a movie!

Immoral Code is a great read. It follows five friends, Reese, Nari, Santiago, Keagan, and Bellamy. At first I thought it was going to be difficult to follow these five but it wasn't. Each character brings a different quality to the story. Bellamy had gotten in to MIT but she is denied finical aid because she has a rich dad that has nothing to do with her. With her ability to go to MIT in jeopardy, her friends hatch a plan to get her money from her father. The story had me hooked from being to end. These friends are definitely the type of friends you want on your side. This one was a great YA read.

Today is the release day for Immoral Code by Lillian Clark. I have a love-hate relationship with this novel.

I received an e-mail for the advanced copy at the beginning of the year. I was instantly drawn in by their tagline: "Ocean's 8 meets The Breakfast Club in this fast-paced, multi-perspective story about five teens determined to hack into one billionaire absentee father's company to steal tuition money."

Should have been suspicious at the 8 instead of 11, but I was completely focused on The Breakfast Club--easily one of my favorite movies. I didn't read the synopsis much further than that when I clicked the request button. It took awhile for the request to be approved, and I mostly forgot what the story was all about by the time the ARC hit my inbox.

I really need to read synopses in much further detail before I request books. It bites me in the butt when I don't. Hence the love-hate relationship.

This is a story told from five different perspectives. The author does an okay job of achieving unique character voice in this style. Most of the chapters really just feel like more of the same voice, the kids are not that unique from one another. (But I honestly feel that this is true teenage mindset, so not a disaster point in my opinion.)

There was plenty of action and drama to keep the story line from getting stagnant. I didn't have trouble with the grammatical writing. I had trouble with the concepts and lessons presented. I understand it is Immoral Code, and it is about hacking and theft, but I figured there would be a correlating message.

Points I loved:
Keagan's moral compass
Keagan's battle with being moral in a group of amoral idiots
Keagan and the conservation he has with his dad
Bellamy's logical viewpoint on life and the emotional complications that come from being logical 100 percent of the time

Points I hated:
Nari
Keagan's relationship with Nari
Reese
Santiago
The amount of diversity pandering
The resolution of the story
Stance on regret

I honestly never would have requested this title had I read through the synopsis better. It is not in a genre that I read or have any wish to read. At times, it was a struggle to get through the novel, but there were bright points that made me give it a chance. Before I knew it, I was at the end of the book struggling with how I was going to come up with a review.

There are good things that can be garnered from the book, but on an overall scale, I think it has more negatives than positives on what an impressionable young person will walk away with. Therefore, I won't recommend it. I'll just put my opinion out there, and then you'll do whatever you feel best suits your needs.

How far would you go to help your friend reach her dreams? For Nari, San, and Reese there was no question they would give up what they had and go to jail to help Bellamy go to MIT but Keagan he just went along but wasn't to sure about it. But was the code really that solid?

This book is full of action, and awesome characters that belong together, they can be so different but at the same time the same, it just fits. The suspense in this book at times you could cut with a knife, so remember to breath, maybe even cheer for the kids they might need it, just remember what getting caught means to everyone, and I think you will love this book if you can handle the code.

I got halfway through but did not finish. Five friends team up to steal money from one of the girls’ estranged father after she is denied financial aid to MIT. The premise is good, but the story dragged.

Narioka Diane Okada and Bellamy Bishop have been best friends since second grade. Now, in their senior year in high school, and on the brink of adulthood, their relationship is stronger than ever.

Dissimilar as they are, tall, beautiful Nari and short, nearsighted Bells, have personalities that compliment each other. Dr. Okada, as Nari is sometimes known, is a leader, while brilliant, 165 IQ, Bellamy is a follower. Both are exceptional students; Nari's goal is to study computer science at U.C. Berkeley, while Bellamy dreams of going to M.I.T. to learn how to design spacecraft that will make interstellar travel possible.

By force of personality, kindness, or luck Nari and Bells have swept three other friends into their circle, all high achievers in their own right. Santiago, a champion diver and swimmer, is headed for Stanford with dreams of Olympic medals. And Keagan the lucky, also a jock, who doesn't know what he wants to do. Last comes Reese Ethel Gregors the acearo, flamboyant graphic designer, dancer, and performance artist. All five are smart kids, good kids, with worlds to conquer. And graduation is mere months away.

The fly in the ointment: After being accepted and submitting the financial aid paperwork, Bellamy's dreams of a scholarship to M.I.T. have come smashing down. Never wealthy, her mom has raised her with only miserly support from her biological father. That man, Robert Foster, whom Bellamy has yet to see, is fabulously rich, a billionaire many times over. When that information comes to the attention of the people at M.I.T., it is little wonder that they balk at paying his daughter's tuition. What to do? How to get the money? Well, after Robert hangs up on Bellamy without saying a word, the default position becomes; steal it!

Narioka is a gifted hacker, she can break into just about any system and access the information in its most secret files. And that is what she does with Robert's company, Foster Innovations, or FI as it comes to be known. Her proposal: skim $.01 from every sale or transfer over a million dollars. With billions of dollars in capital, hundreds of accounts, and tens of thousands of transactions, no one will ever notice or miss such a small amount. It is a brilliant plan. Everybody joins in. As Reese asked rhetorically before embarking on the scheme, “What can go wrong?” Well, briefly, everything. To include being successful, or landing in prison.

At first glance "Immoral Code" a bit of a sappy, untenable morality tale, and I'll bet that you are saying to yourself, "Well, that sounds familiar." Stealing cash by skimming accounts via computer, that is. Heck, it is such a meme in computer fiction that Nari got the idea from an old movie! And the reason for the theft? Just about anyone can look at Bellamy's situation and in two minutes be thinking of five ways to achieve the same ends without the extrajudicial flapdoodle. So, let's just say that "Immoral Code" is not convincing in concept on the surface.

More in-depth though, it is the story of five friends who love one another and will risk their futures for one of their own. The writing is sharply done. Each character has a vibrant persona with a colorful and unique voice with which they explain themselves and their involvement in the crimes. The story has wit, humor, intelligent dialog and, that YA prerequisite, sweet teen romance, too. It is apparent that Ms. Clark has done her homework, as the scenes, descriptions, and activities are acutely characteristic of today's young adults. Nor is the writer shy about the conflicted nature of what Nari and crew are engaged in. She bluntly asks difficult questions of her players, something you don't often see in YA novels. So, in sum, even though I find that "Immoral Code" has shortcomings, I recommend it for its lively sparkle. Hey, even smart kids do dumb things, right?

I say, "Please, can I have some more," to Ms. Clark, Random House Children's Books, and dear old Netgalley! What would I eread and review without you and your Advance Reader's Copies?

5 friends embark on the biggest and craziest scheme ever. Can she write the program to save her friend and her dreams of M.I.T. or will they go down in flames. A story of triumph and the support of friends to achieve your dreams. These high school friends set out to show support and love for one of their own and find out more about themselves in the process. Great YA read from this new to me author.

This is a fabulous debut about five kids who get in way over their heads. I really enjoyed spending time with these teens. They are close friends who know each other well, but perhaps not as well as they think. The story is told through all of their points of view, and it was fascinating to spend time in each character’s heads. This is less about a heist and more about morals and how to navigate life in your senior year.

Nari is the mastermind of the heist and she is the one with the tech abilities to pull it off. Although it is never directly stated she may have done some less than legal things on the dark net, but has never gone this far. She is the strongest advocate and fiercest believer that what they are doing is the right thing to do.

Keegan is the moral voice although he struggles with giving voice to his objections. He was one of my favorite characters. Listening to his inner dialogue was like a manual to right vs. wrong. He really struggled with the pressure of wanting to do what was right and not disappointing his friends.

Reese was another favorite character. I loved her descriptions of her friends moods and emotions, in artists terms using colors and vivid prose. She also had a a lot going on at home that colored some of how she felt about the heist.

Santiago was such a sweetie, and had his own struggles with confidence and standing up to his parents. It was interesting to have a character with Olympic hopes and what that meant for his future. His feelings for Bellamy also interfered a bit with his ability to think straight about what they were doing.

Bellamy was the smartest of the group and you would think she would be the one to protest the most. But I can totally understand why she wouldn’t. A father who can’t even acknowledge your existence, and then ruins your chance to go to MIT would make anyone mad. She does right in the end.

The plot was great. For the most part the story is about the inner struggles and the relationships of these five friends. The heist was not a big part of it. The whole heist actually felt pretty authentic too. It wasn’t over the top and felt like something a group of high school students would come up and accomplish. The aftermath was a bit over the top maybe? I’m not sure it would have quite played out the way it did, but it was a satisfactory ending.

Overall a great debut. If you like stories that have moral gray areas and a group of friends who support each other even when they are not sure what they are doing is right, than I highly recommend this book. If you are looking for a fast paced adventure, this doesn’t quite fit the bill.

Oh my gosh I stayed up wayyyyy too late to finish this, but it was so good y'all. The voice in this book is excellent. Each character shines in their own brilliant way, but my favorite by far is Keegan. I thought about him and his morality a lot even when I wasn't reading this book. I think this book is going to stay with me for a long time, which is great. It asks the right questions at the right time and isn't afraid to hit you in the gut with the tough scenarios. While this book serves as the perfect starter course on morality and philosophy, it's also highly entertaining with an engaging plot that kept you biting your nails until the last page, characters that I wanted to be friends with, and a perfect balance of fun and serious.

I'm so excited for this book to be out in the world so everyone can experience it.

I received a free copy of this book from net-galley in exchange for my honest review.

The premise of this one grabbed me at once: five high school seniors plan a heist, to get money for one of their number to go to college.

The book is short on action and heavy on teen dialogue, which might make it a strong plus for its intended readership. The narrative style is broken into chapters from each of the five characters' POVs. The kids come across as extremely intelligent; the three girls' chapters came alive for me more than the two boys' chapters. Overall there was a sameness to the intense, clever talkiness to the prose, but then tight teen friendship circles can talk like each other, so I figured, fair cop.

Within their chapters, we learn that each teen has different issues, or a different perspective: there is diversity here, and one teen has moral qualms about the heist, but--as teens will do--is reluctant to speak.

I thought Clark did an excellent job with the emotional rollercoaster of senior year, and how even smart teens cannot see all the consequences of their actions, as their worlds are still revolving around them. Also in navigating the pitfalls of friendship, relationship, and communication.

Altogether a clever, absorbing read, if not exactly action-packed overall.