Note to Self: Do NOT send my daughter to boarding school.

This book was infuriating and intense and scary and it made me want to scream and throw it across the room and commit random acts of violence. In other words, it did exactly what it was supposed to.

Lutz is a very talented and variable (in the best way) writer. From The Spellman Files to The Passenger to this one, she has demonstrated a consistent ability to dive into the heads of her characters and tell an utterly compelling story that lives and breathes in their unique voice(s), be they funny, smarmy, mysterious, horrible, or endearing. Each of her books/series feels so unique; the only unifying factor is the quality of the storytelling, which is always excellent.

This time she takes on sexual politics and she does it with her usual take-no-prisoners style of blood, guts, and sarcasm. I don't always like multiple narrators, particularly when they are all unreliable, but that format worked perfectly here in a world of he-said-she-said in which there is no truth, just perspective (in all its twisted, gory, horrifying, aggravating glory). Ms. Witt is by far my favorite of the characters in this one; she's Izzy Spellman as an adult, full of just the right amount of self-awareness and ennui to provide the snarky take-no-prisoners tone that ties the kids together in all their twisted quirks and foibles.

This one is dark and angry. As it should be. And it'll make you dark and angry while you read it. As it should. And it's a story that has to be told and retold and reinforced after it's been retold. Well done, Lisa Lutz - well done.

What a timely, excellent novel.

I enjoyed Lisa Lutz's Spellment Files books, and this is very different, but such a riveting, well-written book. I finished it in a day I was so interested.

The book tells the story of new teacher Alex Witt who comes to a new boarding school under mysterious circumstances and begins teaching creative writing. She soon learns the school is run by "The 10" and has a deep undercurrent of unsavory happenings.

The story is told from the perspective of two teachers and two students, all of whom have motivations of their own, and each of whom has a distinct voice. This switching was never confusing and was an excellent way to allow the reader to fully explore the story.

This book is a timely exploration of relationships and responsibilities, and I enjoyed the book so much.

I am such a fan of Lisa Lutz!

Thanks to NetGalley. com, the author and publisher for my advance copy.

This book absolutely blew my mind! So many different themes woven into a stunning and shocking picture of a Vermont prep school. The characters were so vivid that it’s hard to believe that they sprung from the author’s mind, however I’ve read her work before and she has a very creative and interesting mind! The tapestry that came to be was disturbing, shocking, and completely plausible in this world we live in. This book has solidified my fandom of this author, she is definitely talented!! Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for a free ARC in return for my honest opinion. My honest opinion is definitely that this book is not to be missed!

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Alex Witt takes a job, against her better judgement, at a prestigious school. Some of her students, girls, are being ranked on their blow job abilities. There are only certain boys who are allowed to rate the girls. The girls decide to get revenge. It gets very messy. The tension was good, but not so much so that you feel uncomfortable. I think that it is interesting that books like this are coming out now with the College Admissions Scandal going on in the US. Lisa Lutz has really spread her wings with this book and I can’t wait for the next book

REVIEW
Lisa Lutz’s The Swallows is a patriarchy-smashing exploration of a mediocre boarding school, as told through the narrative perspectives of multiple characters. Teacher Ms. Alex Witt quickly learns that a pervasive culture of misogyny has taken over the school, and it needs to be toppled.

PRAISE
“I devoured The Swallows. You’ll laugh out loud, even as you anxiously flip the pages.”—New York Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen

“Sharpen your axes, ladies, and get ready for this fierce, fun, unsparing novel of female rage, power, and friendship.”—Camille Perri, author of The Assistants and When Katie Met Cassidy

AUTHOR
Lisa Lutz is the New York Times bestselling, Alex Award-winning author of the Spellman Files series, as well as the novels How to Start a Fire and The Passenger. She has also written for film and TV, including HBO’s The Deuce. She lives part-time in the Hudson Valley, New York.

The Swallows by Lisa Lutz
.
📚 First off all, thank you to the author, List Lutz, Ballantine Books, and Random House for taking a chance on little ol' me and allowing me to read & review an ARC of this book through Netgalley. This is the first book I've been given the opportunity to review and I look forward to the many more to come.
.
📚 When Alex Witt started her job at Stonebridge Academy as the new creative writing teacher,  she did it half-heartedly and did not expect to delve into the secret society that alumni had created and students still participated in to this day. Ran by a select few of the top ten in each class, the boys have taken upon themselves to rate each girl they come across sexually, share photos, and essentially gossip in an online forum. Unbelievable, right?!? Even worse, they created the elusive Dulcinea award that is based on a very specific sexual act...that each participating female HAS NO CLUE ABOUT. It is no wonder that a rebellion is in store once the truth is slowly revealed & talk about girl power! The feminist in me was like "Hell yes!" the whole time: laughing with them, cheering them on, chopping down trees, putting up posters, and making those fu**ers pay. But how far can this insurgency go, before it is a bit too far?
.
📚 Considering how easily gossip is spread through social media nowadays, this book seems relevant to it's time. I can only imagine how horribly wrong and traumatizing this could be were it to actually happen at this level. Also, I'm not going to lie, the percentage of teenage females feeling pressured to do this sexual act at a single school, made me uncomfortable. It was thrown around left and right and I couldn't help but wonder if girls feel this same pressure in a typical school in real life. If so, we NEED to talk to our daughters/sisters/nieces/etc. and show them Ms. Witt's Blowchart. 💁

A disturbing but topical story about a progressive boarding school, where a group of female students, aided by a newly arrived teacher, band together to stop a degrading and ultimately dangerous “contest” that plagues the school. This is an engrossing, visceral book, with a storyline that’s current and relevant. That it occurs at the high school level only adds to the troubling nature of the book. I’ve read this author before (The Passenger), and enjoy her style of writing, and this book doesn’t disappoint.

Having been devoted to the snappy, delicious Spellman books, I was totally disappointed in this creepy drama about life in the boarding school of horrors.
Great potential for a teen summer movie but not for an adult read.

Alex Witt is at the center of the mayhem in this terrible, horrible school. Too much destruction, too many awful things, not an enjoyable read.

Thank you Netgalley, but sometimes an honest review shows great disappointment.

I enjoyed this a lot. I was thoroughly absorbed in this novel for days. A group of perverse high school boys are playing a sleazy game that someone needs to finally put a stop to. The author's wit gives just the right amount of levity to this story from different character stand points. Most of them weren't as they seemed on the surface and it was intriguing to discover what they were really all about by the end.

Right away, The Swallows hits the ground running. You're immediately brought into Stonebridge's intense ecosystem from the perspective of Alex Witt, a new teacher, who doesn't have time for teenage hierarchal nonsense. We then meet Gemma Russo, a student and rebel trying to topple the abusive status quo from the inside, not long after. Other narrators include student Norman Crowley and faculty member Finn Ford.

This started off as a fun book. It followed some of the familiar beats of a private boarding school, but quickly it turns into something else entirely. We're thrown into the planning stages of a budding rebellion, with none of the unnecessary explanations of why the characters would be so outraged at the state of their school. One group of students is being despicable to another group through various acts of manipulation and fear. By the time the revolt comes to a head, I'm ready to take up arms along with them.

The writing is funny and casual, even with very not-casual subjects. Lisa Lutz overlaps character perspectives sometimes and tells the interactions from multiple points of view, which I enjoyed for the most part. There were a few times I didn't realize that several chapters were all taking place simultaneously, but figured it out eventually.

I got so ramped up that, especially approaching the final act, I wanted to brandish an axe and shave my head--Alas, the ending was inevitable. Not predictable, but it couldn't have ended any other way. The final paragraph was really haunting. This is one of those that's going to stay with you a long time after you've finished it.

Lisa Lutz is a marvel! THE SWALLOWS is an intimate look at the lives of students and teachers at Stonebridge, a mediocre boarding school. When the new teacher, Alex Witt, starts the school year, it doesn't take her long to realize that something is wrong at Stonebridge. there's the student's pink scarf hanging on the coat rack in the teachers' quarters, the overheard sounds of a boy trying to convince a girl to do something she clearly does not want to do and the repeated mentions of a mysterious place called "the Darkroom" in her student's anonymous biographies. As Witt dives deeper into the culture of Stonebridge, she learns some unsavory secrets - but not in time to prevent the violence and mayhem bubbling just below the surface. Highly recommended.

The Swallows was intense and so full of suspense. It was very enjoyable and kept me on the edge of my seat.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

The Swallows feels designed to be a great show on the CW, in a good way. It reads like a cross between Veronica Mars and Riverdale, set at a not-so-elite boarding school where popular kids rule the school, using a darkweb network to control the student body, faculty, and each other.

The premise is quite interesting – a new teacher is half-willingly recruited to join the faculty at a boarding school and quickly stumbles upon a misogynistic conspiracy within the student body. With her help, a small group forms and works to take down the conspirators from within.

Overall, the story had a ton of potential. I think I would have enjoyed this story more if the points of view did not shift so often. I would have happily followed this story through the eyes of Ms. Witt and Gemma, or even just one of them. As it was, it feels like a story waiting for an adaptation to enhance it.

As it is, this is a quick read – popcorn fiction. I didn’t dislike it and I’d definitely check out more from this author, but I don’t think this book will be among my favorites this year.

The Swallow, is as far from The Spellman Files, as you can get. Set in a 2009 solitary Vermont boarding school, the Swallows is told in different voices of the school, both teachers and students. , Given the job by family friend and headmaster, Miss Witt is the new creative writing teacher and she quickly discerns something is not right between the girl and boy students, that other teachers may be aware of, but have done nothing to correct. She helps empower the girls while they plan to put a stop to a secret website that rates them sexually, but the main boys involved wont go down without a nasty fight. Brilliantly written, you’re filled with tension and outrage at the lackadaisical teachers, and malicious students, and a plot that never falters, but delivers beautifully. Yet sad to read and think this could very well go on in schools today.

One word: Haunting. The themes and close ties this book has to real world schools make it a must read for everyone. Will be recommending to patrons that enjoy thrills and a healthy dose of the realities today's teens experience.

I kept checking to see if this was Young Adult fiction, because it read that way. I thought we were going to get into some thought provoking questions about gender- I was wrong.
This could have been a dull short story,

I was given an advanced copy via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I am a huge Lisa Lutz fan so I was so excited when my request to read this new one was granted. And I was not disappointed. While it took me a bit to get into the rhythm of the multiple narrators, once I was there it was a really enjoyable read. Although I sure hope that real life high-schoolers and boarding schools do not resemble some of the ones depicted here. One warning... if you are uncomfortable reading about teenagers with sex lives then this wouldn't be the read for you. Can't wait for her next one!

I found it just ok. Far too many people. Just had me backtracking too much. The plot was not realistic in school.

Thanks, NetGalley for the advance copy for review.

Thank you allowing me to review this very shocking and interesting book. It's definitely not what I would normally choose to read but I am glad that I did. According to a friend who is familiar with YA because she's an English teacher this would qualify as YA but to me, with a really dark theme., The story is centered around a small coed prep school with alternating narrators both students and faculty members. This point was my biggest pet peeve while reading this story...WAYYYYYYYYY to many narrators that you have to go back to the start of each chapter to remember who's turn it is quite often. I don't want to give away the plot as it's pretty well stated in the description of the book but it is a dark girls vs. boys story for some trying to right many years of evil and heinous behavior and to finally put it to rest, permanently. The ending was for the most part satisfying although I think Claudine's storyline should have been a concluded in a better way, more details I suppose. I would recommend this as a sad commentary of the state of the world of many teenagers and adults.

This is a new author for me to read and overall this book was an enjoyable read for me. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. I would be interested in reading more from this author in the future!