Review will be posted to the blog & Goodreads on July 9th.

They Wish They Were Us reminds me how much I hated high school. Sure, I never was a part of a group like the Players. I never went to a school like Gold Coast Prep. Goodman was able to perfectly set up the stage so I felt like a student at Gold Coast Prep and was able to feel the pressure of what was at stake. Heck, there were parts where I felt my chest constrict because I could relate the anxiety of trying and trying and trying and still not feeling like it's enough. I love being able to slip into a book like that.

The lies, secrets, and deceit are deliciously juicy to watch play out. Maybe it's this world is so far removed from anything I've ever know but I did have to suspend quite a bit of disbelief for things to play out. I'm sure rich kids get away with a lot but maybe not quite this much. That said it was still fun to read about this world and the scandalous things going on.

My biggest complaint is the story focused too much on drama involving the Players. I was really hoping for a bigger focus on the murder mystery. Yes, the later half of the book shifts the focus to more of a mystery but it's not quite enough for my taste. Plus the summary puts a pretty heavy emphasis on the mystery.

Recommended more for fans of 'Gossip Girl' than 'One of Us Is Lying'.'

“They Wish They Were Us” by Jessica Goodman

I received an e-ARC from PenguinTeen and Netgalley for my honest review.

They Wish They Were Us is an intriguing mystery about privilege, loyalty, and the cost of friendship. Jill, a high school senior and member of Gold Coast Prep’s exclusive group, the Players, discovers that her best friend’s murderer has declared his innocence. Although Jill and her friends were present three years ago when Shaila was killed by her then boyfriend and fellow Players initiate, Graham, none of them remember nor want to recall the events of that night. Why would anyone other than Graham want Shaila dead?

Much of the story is told through Jill’s reflections and memories of Shaila and through her present day interactions with current and former Players, teachers, and school administrators. These conversations and reflections help weave together the guarded details leading up to the night of Shaila’s brutal murder. Goodman does a wonderful job of portraying the dangerous underbelly of fraternal societies and the willful ignorance that ensues when traditions are threatened. In this story it appears that everyone has something to gain, but no one minds losing a friend or two to get it. From the beginning until the end the reader will find themselves piecing together the events of the night Shaila died, up until the final reveal.

Although the novel includes a diverse cast of characters, their voices are never fully developed beyond the surface, and at times they are unrelatable. This story not only left me needing to know more about the inception and purpose of the Players, but it also left me wanting to know more about the individuals who would choose to join this elusive and seemingly dangerous group. Of course, I expect this will likely be addressed within the finalized version of the book. Overall, I found this book to be a fast-paced and engaging who-done-it mystery. It is perfect for fans of cult classics such as Gossip Girls, Pretty Little Liars, and Mean Girls.

They Wish They Were Us is such a great murder mystery book!
I love that it had me guessing the whole way through! It had me holding my breathe and reading as fast as I could so I could get to the end and figure out what happened! Lol
Thank you so much for this e-arc!

What would you sacrifice for a golden ticket to your dream college? Jill has earned this prestigious status at Gold Coast Prep. It's senior year and Jill and her Players group have the chance to initiate the incoming freshman. But Jill doesn't want it to be the same as the previous years, years when the props went too far, the year her best friend was murdered. Will Jill survive her senior year to reap the benefits of what she has sacrificed? They Wish They were Us is a roller coaster ride through the pressures of high school academics and scholarly achievement. Goodman touches on difficult topics young adults go through such as rape, alcohol abuse, sexism, and classism. The novel will keep the reader guessing how far the players will go and who is behind a player's murder. Under the high thrill of a secret (yet not so secret) society and murder on the run, the book does not venture deep into the issues presented and is predictable at the end.

Thank you to PenguinTeen and NetGalley for a copy of this eARC for my review.

Real rating: 3.5/5 stars.

I think this book is kind of the equivalent of reading an episode of Riverdale. It was pretty entertaining and a very quick read, but the big twist is not hard to predict and there was a real feeling of it needing just a little something else. Most of the main characters were kind of awful in their own ways and I think Henry is the only person I really felt bad for, but that didn't last too long.

For all the build up of how bad the Players are throughout the book, I think it takes a little too long for why they are bad to be spelled out. By the time that is revealed, it is kind of an anti-climax.

All of this being said, I wasn't bored while reading it and I enjoyed the pacing. It will be interesting to see what the author comes out with next!

Gossip Girl meets MURDER in this YA thriller that had me wanting more. It took me a few days, but I easily could have stayed up and finished it in 24 hours. I was OBSESSED. Quick-paced, this book has you flipping the pages so quick to see what happens next. Readers will follow Jill and her group of friends, The Players. The Players are an elite group at their prestigious school that did a lot of things to get to the top, some easy and some they'd rather forget about. How far are you willing to go to belong? How far are you willing to go to find the truth? We don't know until we're put in a position where we have to risk everything.

Review posted on GoodReads (June 24, 2020)
Review Linked.

3/5 stars!

A huge thank you to PenguinTeen and NetGalley for sending me an E-Arc for an honest review!

I was really interested in this book when I heard about the premise, and I did really like the ending. However, I did find the middle of this book a little slow, and I did find the plot predictable. I also had an issue connecting with the main character. One last thing that I had trouble with while reading this book, and one thing I think that caused me to not love this book, was how I found the switching between flashbacks and the present time very confusing.

I did like the writing style and the idea. I think that if you loved Gossip Girl or Veronica Mars, or any other YA thriller/crime, then you would like this book!

Thanks for reading!
Caden

WOW! This book was great! I love books that include private schools(because they remind me of Harry Potter/hogwarts) and this one was awesome. It has great friendships, a lot of mystery, and kept you guessing. This reminded me of the book we were liars, another book that has a similar mysterious past! I would recommend this to people who love contemporary mysteries that aren’t as predictable as you would think!

I won this ARC in a contest provided by the publisher. My review is completely honest and voluntary, I was in no way compensated for this review.


I went into Jessica Goodman's They Wish They Were Us expecting an edge of your seat, creepy thriller set in a preppy high school of the rich and elite. Thinking that the vapid and vain people were hiding dangerous secrets...but sadly, that's not what I got at all.

My main issue was that I wanted a good creepy thriller mystery and instead what I got was what I felt like was a straight up contemporary read on the everyday lifestyles of the rich and elite students of Gold Cost prep. Jill Newman isn't quite typical student though, she's not of the overtly rich and famous, she's actually at the school on a scholarship. This year though, she's a senior and her and her best friends are finally the leaders of the Players. The super-super elite popular group that basically controls everything about the school and can literally cheat their way into the top colleges of their choice. I mean, seriously! Jill mentions how they all have an app that has all the test answers they'd ever need, what you need to write about in your entrance exams to get into this or that college. It was kind of disgusting. I mean, Jill admits to working hard and trying not to use the easy way outs all the time, but not "all of the time" is still "some of the time."

What continued to bug me was how these Players thought they were all so entitled to everything and I mean everything. Whatever they wanted, they got because they were Players. It was just so disturbing. Plus, when it came to recruiting new Players every year, students were subjected to gross and inhumane tasks in order to achieve the ultimate popularity and privileges.

Now I don't want all this to come off as Goodman being a bad writer, it just wasn't a lifestyle I cared to read about. It was just disturbing and disgusting. The things that Jill and her friends went through their freshman year was just so disgusting, and it was really only the girls who were subjected to the absolute worst. It was just wrong.

This book comes off as a contemporary read to me. Jill gets the first text that would suggest her best friend's murderer isn't really the murderer fairly early, within the first five chapters I'd say, but then all her friends tell her to let it go. So, she does. And then it's back to the literal everyday life of Jill Newman and her friends. Going from day to day, watching freshmen and other underclassmen subject themselves to ultimate humiliation to earn a spot on the Players team for future years to come. It was absolutely and utterly boring coming from a thriller reader's perspective.

It's not until you're past the 65% mark that Jill starts to tire of Player games and trials and thought maybe there was some validity to the claim that her best friend's murderer isn't who they all thought it was. PAST the 65% mark!!! I just read over half a book of watching a person go through their everyday life and it was the most boring thing ever! I was just so aggravated by this, because less than half the book was spent on looking into the mystery element of what I thought was going to be a mystery story!

Another thing that totally bogged me down with reading were the constant flashbacks Jill went through. I mean, I get that some of them might have been necessary, but not all of them. They were just so dull and it took you away from the moment in the present. Perhaps it was just the eARC formatting too, because these flashbacks didn't happen in a way where you could see that they were flashbacks and then you didn't really catch onto returning to the present. I think this was more of an eARC thing, but still, it made it really hard to follow the story-line.

Another gripe I have was Jill herself. In the book she had a very nice boyfriend among her circle of friends, but she didn't love him. Really, it seemed like she was just using him to make her crush--who was away in college and not even at her high school anymore--jealous. Adam was the one who recruited her to be a Player and subjected her to the humiliation trials in order to win her place among them. She fell in love with him from the moment she met him basically and secretly lusted after him her freshmen year and after he went to college she kept in touch with him here and there. Having a boyfriend was just easy, and expected for a Player apparently. What was worse, her boyfriend seemed to really care for her and she just strung him along knowing that one day they'd end things and she could be with her crush Adam. It just seemed cruel and heartless of her, and here we're supposed to be rooting for Jill as she's our heroine of the story. Her romantic decisions didn't sit right with me and made me like her even less.

So once we got up to that 70% mark or so, the mystery really started to thicken and get interesting! I had two suspects myself. One came up fairly early on, the other one around the midway point and and I can definitely say I sooooo knew whodunit!

In the end, I will say that I was a bit disappointed with this one. I went in expecting a great thriller mystery and instead got a contemporary read that had an underlying mystery that needed solving that our characters eventually got around to solving in the end. Things felt rather resolved in the end-end, so I'm a little uncertain why Goodreads is showing this one as a series. I suspect it could be a possible continuation as if there's more that we don't know, or as the series' title suggest, it could involve a whole new cast of Players and mystery. Only time will tell, but I can honestly say that I likely won't be reading that one.

I still have another of Goodman's book on my TBR pile that I plan to read at some point. I won't say I am turned away from this author, but if this other book turns out to be a contemporary read with just a tiny mystery that needs solving, it might turn me away from her books for good. If you enjoy contemporary reads and are not opposed to mini mysteries, I would recommend They Wish They Were Us. If you love a good straight up mystery, well, don't expect much from this book.


Overall Rating 2.5/5 stars



They Wish They Were Us releases August 4, 2020

Jill Newman attends Gold Coast Prep, a prestigious school that seems to create brilliant graduates. In freshman year, Jill's best friend, Shaila Arnold is killed by her boyfriend, Graham. Three years later, Jill is a senior, and part of The Players, the elite of Gold Coast Prep. When Jill starts receiving texts from Rachel, Graham's older sister, claiming his innocence, everything becomes more complicated. Now, Jill needs to decide who she believes, and who she can trust in the end.

I think this was more of a 2.75/5 star read for me, but I'm rounding it up for the sake of Goodreads having a crappy rating system. I was a bit disappointed in this because I was able to figure out who the killer was very early on, but I had written them off because it seemed to obvious an option... but then I ended up being correct in the end. The plot was a bit slow, spending more time on Player drama then the murder mystery. I was intrigued with the Players and what they were all about, but I wasn't all that impressed with how much they complained about EVERYTHING. It seemed a bit silly when they are handed everything on a silver platter and still have the audacity to complain about having to get donuts for a senior above them... I dunno, it just rubbed me the wrong way I guess. I did enjoy Jill and her development throughout the story. I like that she finally realized the Players didn't need to be something she put on a pedastal. I also enjoyed how the story flipped between the past and present without it being too jarring to read.

Overall, a fun read, but nothing to memorable in my opinion.

Elite private school kids caught up in deadly pranks and hazing rituals? Sign. Me. Up.

The story "They Wish They Were Us" follows high school seniors at a rich private school in Staten Island, where the elite is made up of a group of hand chosen students to run the school and pass down their traditions for the next batch of seniors. "The Players" as they're called, select new candidates from freshman stock before the start of their senior year. To be chosen is not only an honor, it's a guarantee of the best opportunities for a future you could only dream of. Acceptance into top Ivy League schools, networking with powerful leaders in various fields, a guaranteed perfect GPA, not to mention the ultimate in high school social status. But this senior class of 'Players' is haunted by their own freshman initiation, where they lost two of their own in a tragic night that resulted in the death of one and the imprisonment of the other. Determined to carry on with their responsibilities of choosing the new "Players', partying, and enjoying their last year of high school popularity, they all try and push away the memories of that night, and with it, the truth.

This book was fast paced, edgy, full of mystery, and dipped between past and present seamlessly. I found myself double guessing all the characters and wondering just how deep the secrets went in every chapter. The gothic school setting mixed with the almost George Orwell-esque descent into bacchanalian scenery made me anxious, frightful and thrilled. This debut is such a haunting read, and the reveal stayed with me long after I finished the book. Even after knowing all of the sordid deeds committed by and to the 'Players', I couldn't help wondering if I had been there, would I wish I was them?

Thank you so much to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for this amazing E-ARC!

This was an engaging fast-paced read with a cool secret society twist. I would've loved more time spent with the murder mystery plot line versus the secret society challenges and flashbacks, but overall a solid read!

Jill is a senior in high school. Jill and her friends are in the next-so-secret secret club The Players. They worked hard to get through all the hazing and initiation to become members of this elite group of high schoolers. They also risked a lot to get chosen to be part of this group, including dealing with the murder of their friend Shaila.
Now it's time for The Players to make the rules. Jill wants it to be different but she finds herself under pressure to go along with the group. She finds herself questioning everything, her future, her relationships, and questioning who actually killed Shaila. Jill is willing to risk it all to find the truth.
This YA story is part teen angst, part mystery, and part coming of age story. The characters are bratty and entitled but despite that, you root for them to find redemption. The story is suspenseful and is a quick read. It makes you feel as though you are in the prestigious prep school as a fellow classmate of The Players, watching them self destruct, yet hoping that they turn out to be better.
Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Teen's YallStayHome Sweepstakes for the advanced reader's copy. The opinions are my own.

A girl begins to question everything she's believed in this young adult thriller. Reminiscent of "Gossip Girl," Jill goes to a posh school, Gold Coast Prep, on scholarship, surrounded by the rich and elite. She has managed to get into the exclusive Players, who's who of the school and beyond. The Players get test answers, perks and make connections into the future. Unfortunately, Jill's freshman year suffered a tragedy, the murder of her best friend, Shaila, and the confession of Shaila's boyfriend of the murder. Now during senior year, Jill and her friends are ready to rule the school and initiate a group of freshmen, including her own brother, into the Players. But when Jill starts getting messages from the murderer's sister claiming he didn't do it, she begins to question that night and everything the Players stand for. I guessed the murderer pretty quickly, which was a let down for me and I'm not a Gossip Girl fan, so it was a miss for me.

Book Review!
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Thank you to Peguin Teen for working so hard to continue to get books out for reviews during a time like this. You guys are awesome. THEY WISH THEY WERE US by Jessica Goodman comes out August 4, 2020 and everyone needs to make their calendars. This book gave me hints of We Were Liars, which has been a book that has stuck with me for years. .
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The plot follows a group of elite high schoolers that call themselves The Players. They are the elite of the elite and are given access to different resources that allow for their lives to be easier. Each year, new members are added to The Players from the freshman class. And now that our main characters are at the top of the food chain, it's their turn to pick the newbies. However, of course not everything can go as plan. The senior Players are haunted by the death of one of their friends who was killed during their initiation into The Players as freshman. With the pressure of getting into an elite college, remaining at the top of the high school food chain, and the stress of your best friend's killer coming forward proclaiming innocence, what could possibly go wrong? .
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I loved how Goodman created this elite high life society, gave it it's flaws to humanize it, and packed one moral punch by the end of the book. THEY WISH THEY WERE US has its twists and its turns, just like every good book, but what will make this book stand out is the unique plot and the amazing character development. If you liked We Were Liars, Gossip Girl, or even Lord of the Flies, nab this book ASAP! This is a five star read.
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The best way I can think to describe this book is that it somehow manages to be YA at both its trendiest *and* most timely. I can feel the teenaged version of me falling in love with these characters and reading the book late into the night, while also appreciating why it fits so beautifully into the 2020 zeitgeist. I think that teens are going to obsess over this book and I personally can't wait to recommend it to everyone I know!

I absolutely loved They Wish They Were us!

Goodman's writing flows effortlessly and she does a great job of setting the scene. With a story full of great characters and a good mystery this book had it all. I really enjoyed the narrator Jill and following along as she tries to figure out what exactly happened the night her best friend dies gave me Veronica Mars vibes (think season one Jill= Veronica and Shaila = Lily) I did manage to put the pieces of the puzzle together but not until closer to the end and it definitely wasn't obvious from the get go.

I was pulled in from the start and devoured this one in two days so I definitely recommend picking it up in August!

I raced through this book. Even though the plot was a bit predictable, the characters were compelling and engaging and the writing was perfect for a mystery/drama set in a world of rich and elite teenagers. I highly recommend this book to teen readers who like stories like Pretty Little Liars or We Were Liars.