I'm torn on this one. I typically LOVE books by Julie Buxbaum, but this one didn't feel quite the same. I was very intrigued by the college admission scandal plot, but it still didn't hold my attention like her books usually do. I guess I missed her typical swoony heroes and fun banter and just the fun romance she would usually write about.

Chloe Berringer has it all, or so it seems. The daughter of a B-list actress and a financial manager, Chloe and her sister are living a stereotypical life of privilege in Beverly Hills, complete with a swimming pool. The problem? Chloe's parents are eager for her to get accepted into a prestigious college and Chloe's SAT scores are abysmal. When Chloe's parents are caught up in a scandal involving the shady practices of a college admissions "counselor", Chloe's life falls apart. Did her parents not think she was smart enough to get into college on her own? Loosely based on the real-life college admissions scandal, the story is told from Chloe's point of view. Is she as innocent as she seems? With her mom facing possible prison time, Chloe takes a hard look at her life, her attitudes, and realizes it's not pretty. Did her parents go too far in their quest for bragging rights? Will Chloe and her sister ever be able to put this behind them? There are no easy answers in this honest look at a family in a crisis of their own making. Interesting, thoughtful, and introspective, this book would be an excellent addition to any YA fiction collection.

Admission by Julie Buxbaum is a quick, enjoyable read about the college admissions scandal. If you are interested in hearing what Lori Loughlin and her family might have been dealing with throughout the scandal, this is the book for you. My issue with this book, though, is the author expressly states at the beginning of the book: "This book is 100 percent a work of fiction, and the characters are all born from my imagination, not from real people in the real world." Why not just say that she was inspired by the actual events? This bothered me. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

If you are looking for a scandalous YA read about college admission, lying, bribing, and navigating growing up then this is the book for you. Each character felt uniquely real. The protagonist Chloe, who is caught in the middle of the allegations thanks to her parents. is one that you love and hate all at the same time. You will be rooting for her but also want to shake sense into her. The family dynamics and friendships made for a very intriguing read, even more so as you see the details of the scandal unfold. If you have read any of the other works by Judy Buxbaum you will appreciate the references that are tied into this book. The theme of privilege is addressed on multiple levels, and I appreciated that it was without restraint.

Genre: Realistic
Grade appropriate: High School

RATING BREAKDOWN:
Overall: 5/5-- As always Julie Buxbaum writes a fantastic story. This is the inside look at the admissions scandal that we all wanted. It’s completely fictional but so satisfying to see it from the inside.
Creativity: 5/5-- It’s such a riveting story. I’m so glad Julie abandoned what she was working on to write this story when it grabbed her.
Characters: 5/5-- Chloe is so likable and real. She sees herself as a villain in the story but as she says “even villains deserve nuance. She’s every woman.
Engrossing: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Appeal to kids: 5/5-- I know lots of seventh and eighth grade girls who would love this book but I do feel like it’s more appropriate for High School. Chloe is 17 in the story and that’s the target audience.
Appropriate length to tell the story: 5/5

CONTENT:
Language: mild— goddamn (1) shitty (2), probably a few more that I missed.
Sexuality: medium—The main character is looking forward to losing her virginity in college, heavy kissing, talk of her boyfriend’s hand being up her shirt
Violence: none
Drugs/Alcohol: mild—overuse of Xanax by parents

I liked Buxbaum’s previous book, Tell Me Three Things, so I was looking forward to this release. The ripped-from-the-headlines plot could have been trite, but it wasn’t. As a high school teacher, it was really interesting for me to see how the admission process works for some people. Good story!

Chloe Bellinger is three weeks into her senior year at LA’s prestigious Wood Valley High School and already over it. The academically disinterested daughter of a B-list Hollywood celebrity, Chloe is rich (although, as she sees it, not rich-rich), with hired assistants orchestrating every element of their performative family life. When her parents arrange testing accommodations at the suggestion of the private college application advisor, Chloe never questions a string of “weird” steps in her submission process, relieved by her eventual admission at what was by all accounts a ‘reach’ school. Only when the FBI arrives, arresting her mother with a threat of charges against Chloe, too, must Chloe confront her complicity in a bribery scheme that set her up for college success.

A nod to the recent college admission scandal that rocked schools across the country, Admission deftly explores moral culpability and willful obliviousness to the privileges of affluence. In a story that unfolds alternately between the “Then” and “Now,” the ripped-from-the-headlines tone propels this immersive and timely read. While readers may not relate to Chloe’s personal chef, her heedless sense of entitlement serves as a cautionary tale for some while others will connect with the fact that Chloe’s mediocrity bothers her less than her parents’ unwillingness to accept it. In all, Admission is a delightful distraction from the anxiety-driven narratives of its college-bound peers with solid moral heft to ground it.

(Included in Booklist for VOYA, publication pending)

Julie Buxbaum's Admission takes a real life national scandal and gives it a human touch. Everyone has heard about the college admission scandal from a year ago. Celebrities and other wealthy, powerful families cheated and bought their kid's admission into college. The country was outraged and it sparked conversations about wealth and privilege in America.

Buxbaum takes this story and fictionalizes it, focusing on the teen and her family who are at the center of the scandal. Chloe isn't a good student. She does't play sports. She really only has a passion for her volunteer job reading with a young kid. Her mom is famous, though, so Chloe doesn't have a completely normal teen life.

As Chloe's senior year moves along, her parents get more and more focused on her college admission. While they hire counselors, tutors, and more to help Chloe, Chloe starts to feel like something is off. Still, she goes along with the decisions her parents make until the day the FBI show up at her house and arrest her mom.

The book moves back and forth between the current events after Chloe's mom is arrested and the previous months as the events unfold. Buxbaum shows Chloe's relationship with her best friend who is the daughter of Nigerian immigrants and not rich like Chloe, and her crush turned boyfriend, both of whom are smart, determined, and focused. The contrast between Chloe and them shows her ignorance and unrecognized privilege in small, insightful ways.

Buxbaum has taken what became a sensationalized scandal and examined privilege, wealth, and social status in America. This was a great read for teens to see how even small actions can affect and hurt those around you, even when you think you are doing what is best.

**I received an eARC from Netgalley**

Chloe Berringer’s life seems perfect: she lives a privileged life in Beverly Hills with her actress mother, father, and sister, and she was recently accepted into her first choice school, Southern California College. Everything comes crashing down one morning, however, when the FBI arrive to arrest her mother, who’s been accused of bribing and cheating Chloe’s way into SCC.⁣
•⁣
This juicy yet heartwarming book was just the escape that I needed last week! The real-life college admissions scandal, on which “Admission’s” plot is based, is fascinating to me, and Buxbaum did a wonderful job of navigating issues of privilege for both teen and adult readers. This book’s characters are not always likeable, and it definitely falls under the “wealthy people behaving badly” sub-genre, if that’s a pet peeve for you. I enjoyed the high-stakes drama, as well as Chloe’s character development and inevitable growing pains in this well-written story. I love when a book is both a light read and thought-provoking, and “Admission” definitely fit this bill!⁣ I'm looking forward to reading more of Buxbaum's books in the future!

This was an insightful and compassionate look at a ripped-from-the-headlines plot; the mostly-innocent teen caught in the middle of a huge college admissions scandal and its consequences for her and her family. Julie Buxbaum is one of my current favorites writing for YA; her books are intelligent and moving.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I don't tend to gravitate toward YA contemporary fiction, to be honest, though I previously read and enjoyed Busbaum's earlier novel also set at Wood Valley High School. But, I couldn't resist the Sweet Valley vibes oozing off this cover! It just struck the right nostalgic chord in me! And though Wood Valley High School does remind me a bit of Sweet Valley High School in a lot of ways, the plot here is pulled right from the headlines of the celebrity college admission scandal. Chloe Berringer, high school senior, narrates her family's story in "then" and "now" segments detailing both the scandal and the events leading up to it. Chloe's mother, Missy, is a pretty easy comparison to Lori Loughlin, with her backstory of being a celebrity popular from an older sitcom being rebooted. and Lifetime movies The details of the crimes here are similar, too, but Buxbaum does a good job of humanizing the family in the midst of the turmoil that they have brought upon themselves.

Chloe makes for an often frustrating protagonist as she neglects her real homework (although she does make enough references to the required reading that it seems like she should have just read them since they are clearly occupying her thoughts!) and purposefully buries her head in the sand. Her relationships do all feel authentic - and for all that Chloe can be unlikable, this is a quick and compelling read. I could have easily stayed upon a bit later to read this all in one sitting, had my Kindle not needed to charge! I like Buxbaum's writing style - her characters are all fully developed and the dialogue is fun. I would definitely read more from her in the future! I think that this one will be a popular read with both adults and young adults. It's engaging from the start and while the story is certainly familiar, since I didn't actually follow this news story, it all made it seem fresh and very behind=the-scenes to me! Altogether an authentic and addictive read!

In light of the recent news with celebrities families trying to "buy" their way into college, this novel comes out at the perfect time. Chloe shows great development as the plot progresses and I would recommend this novel to any high school student questioning his or her place in the world right now.

Unless you live under a rock, you’ve heard about the big College Admission Scandal. Many wealthy parents, including a couple celebrities, used a “consultant” to cheat their kids into prestigious colleges. Admission is an account of a fictional family facing the fall out. However, if you’re hoping for more emotional insight than you’ve seen on the news – or that Lifetime Channel movie – then you’re going to be a little disappointed.

The crimes of Chloe’s parents are taken directly out of the headlines and seems to be a combination of both Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, though I definitely felt more of a tilt towards Loughlin. The story read a lot like the Lifetime movie of the scandal, except the movie was a little more interesting. The slow pace and unlikable characters made the book a chore to get through. There is even a part early on where Chloe is in English class discussing a book and is reminded that readers don’t need to like characters in literature, which feels like a cop out for not making the characters of this book more developed or empathetic.

The chapters alternate between Now and Then, with the Now chapters starting with the FBI showing up and the Then chapters starting with Chloe struggling to study for the SATs. I have to say I found the Now chapters much more interesting. Most of the Then chapters felt a little like filler that basically just highlighted all the ways that Chloe was unaware of her rich, white privilege. There are snippets of Chloe ignoring the weird things her parents were doing – telling her she has ADHD to get accommodations on the SAT, going through her phone to find a picture where she has a good tan that someone might be able to confuse for some Argentinian heritage, etc. The past chapters also chronicled her relationship with her best friend and friend-turned-boyfriend, who were both pretty underdeveloped caricatures.

I think the story would have benefited by adding some other POVs. Or even making at least one of the characters a little more calculating. Here everyone knows what they’re doing isn’t on the up and up exactly, but they also don’t think it’s really that bad. The whole point of the story seems to be to cast a light on how privileged people don’t fully grasp their privilege and it’s effect on others. All explained to us by a privileged white lady…

Overall, I found Admission pretty disappointing. The main character was whiny and unrelatable, there wasn’t really anything in the story that you haven’t already read in the news, and the overall moral of the story about wealthy, white privilege came across as kind of trite. Also, the cute romance I expect from a Buxbaum book was almost completely missing here. The one bright spot in the book was Chloe’s sister, Isla, who was the only character who didn’t feel like a complete cliche, even if she was a little unrealistic.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 2 Stars

This book BLEW ME AWAY. First of all who isn't intrigued with what is going on with the whole college admissions scandal? This is definitely an inside scoop to what is going on, sort of. Absolutely not based on any specific person this still follows the lives of privileged kids and how they get a leg up on others, and how their actions affect others. Such a page turner. I could not put it down, literally. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a very interesting take on a case that had the entire country holding its breath. I vividly remember hearing about the Olivia Jade case, and it’s been rattling around my head this year too as I filled out my numerous college applications.
However, the story takes a very nuanced approach to the fraud. Chloe is far too relatable, to be honest. She is no genius, but she knows her grades could be better if she worked harder. She just isn’t too interested in school, and she doesn’t quite have a passion. She’s come to terms with her averageness at this stage in life, but she’s queasy about the thought of disappointing her parents. Still, she knows that she is loved, and she’s positive that they’ll get over it. Besides, she knows that she’s well-off and her college education doesn’t really matter. Despite all this, her parents have high expectations for her and she doesn’t quite know how to tell them that … she’s not that smart. But when her SAT score jumps 250 points and her dream college accepts her, she chalks it up to luck and moves on with her life.
It’s this simplicity that makes the reader sympathetic to Chloe. We begin to feel her insecurities, surrounded by hard workers and geniuses at one of the most elite high schools in the country. We feel her joy and relief when she doesn’t have to disappoint her friends and parents. But Chloe knows that she didn’t deserve it. She genuinely thinks that something is wrong, she just doesn’t know exactly what it is. She’s a kind and simple soul whose one true love is volunteering to read to younger children. She’s not super woke but she’s honestly trying. She sometimes forgets how privileged she is, but she does her best to be mindful. She’s not perfect, but she never sets out with the intention to do harm. Yet she’s also comfortable. She ignores the warning signs and goes with the flow. She doesn’t stand up for herself. And in that way, she is complicit. Her sorrow that her parents didn’t believe in her strength hurts acutely, as does her shame in having this exact shortcoming broadcasted publicly.
The dual timeline of this novel is also a great way of keeping things from getting boring. Because we know what’s coming, it would be insanely tiring to read the story in chronological order. Still, knowing what Chloe’s life was like before the scandal blew up is important. That’s how we find out exactly how much she knew. That’s how we find out who her friends were, what kind of person she was. That’s how we find out exactly how this entire scam took place under her nose. So the dual timeline serves its purpose very well. We get to find out how Chloe and her family are dealing with the fallout and how the legal process is unfolding, while alternating chapters fill us in on how and why her parents committed this crime.
The characters in this book really help bring it to life. Chloe’s best friend Shola is the African American scholarship student (of course). She keeps Chloe grounded by checking her privilege. Whether it’s educating her about the FAFSA, having to cancel plans because she has to tutor her younger siblings so that they can get into the private school on scholarship, or just spending all her time at Chloe’s house because her house is too crowded, Shola is Chloe’s foil. It might seem like too much at times (does Shola also have to dress differently that everyone else at school??) but I think it speaks to Chloe’s character. She is genuinely a sweetheart, and she chose to be friends with Shola. She genuinely wants to learn from her, to support her, and it’s clear that a lot of Chloe’s growth comes from this relationship. Shola is also a Harvard-bound genius, so she constantly makes Chloe feel even more worthless in comparison. The Before also focuses a lot on Chloe’s crush/boyfriend Levi, and it often devolves into stereotypical teen romantic drama territory. This mainly serves to reveal how uncomplicated Chloe is; she’s just awkward and sweet and not super ambitious. Levi, by the way, is also a Harvard-bound genius, but he’s rich.
No surprise here, but the heavyweight players turn out to be Chloe’s family. The story does a good job of humanizing a famous actress and putting all of her hard work and insecurities on display. Make no mistake; Chloe has a very loving family. The rising star, however, is her younger sister Isla. She is also a—you guessed it—genius. This just makes Chloe feel even worse because she knows that her parents would never feel a need to bribe Isla’s way into college. Chloe mainly brushes her know-it-all, matter-of-fact sister out of the way, but she slowly begins to realize that her sister has struggles of her own as well. The family dynamic of this story becomes more and more important as the case plays out.
Overall, this book really works to show another side of the college admissions scandal. While many people, including me, were absolutely furious when this news broke, Admission helps us empathize. At no point does the book try to defend the fraud. Instead, the story exposes the motivations and systems that pushed people into these crimes. If only for that, it’s a compelling read. Paired with a genuinely amiable protagonist and a gorgeous cover, I’d definitely recommend Admission!

This is a ripped from the headlines story!! Admission is an account of a fictional family facing the fall out. Fast-paced and emotional, this was a story that I didn't want to put down. The characters are well developed, and the stress and pressure that Chloe, her sister, and her friends all feel will definitely resonate with teens. Thank you netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for review.

I have thoroughly enjoyed Julie Buxbaum's other books, but this one is the best one yet. Reading that Buxbaum came up with the idea based on the present-day college scandal made it that much more interesting. I could not put the book down and felt like I was watching E! News the whole time. This story, which is one we have all seen, tells you it from a different perspective. With that being said, it comes with many lessons that I will be thinking about continuously. Great read and quick read!

What a relevant novel after the recent scandal made national headlines last year. I really enjoyed that this was done through the student's perspective to give an idea of how the students/children may be handling the situation. This whole topic is something that needs to continue to be brought to the spotlight so we can hopefully see major changes. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

I want to thank NetGalley, Random House Children’s and author Julie Buxbaum for providing me with an ARC of this novel.

What an important and relevant novel! This is an awesome take on the most recent college admissions scandal involving Full House star Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman. This story was well developed and it was interesting to be able to see the child’s point of view. As with the most recent publicized scandal, you really only get to see the parent’s point of view. In Admission, we get to see Chloe’s take on everything. I also enjoyed the dual timelines; we get to see what happens before the scandal breaks and then what happens afterwards. This was totally different from what I normally read, and I really enjoyed it. I found the perspective enlightening and educational.

Thank you to those named above for allowing me to read and review this ARC!

This book was a good look into the child’s side of this issue. It had to be a hard place to sit for many of these children, but I think it reflected the position (of some of the students at least) really well. Buxbaum did not disappoint.