The Quick Cut: A ripped from the headlines story that centers around a girl whose parents cheated to increase her SAT story. 
A Real Review: Thank you to Delacorte Press for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review. 
   College. For some, it is a definite. For others, its another four years of education that feels like torture. However, for those who want to get their higher education degree, the pain begins much sooner. You start the process of ensuring you get great grades and take that required SAT or ACT test to prove you are worthy of the spot in their program. If you were struggling, would you cheat to make it there? Or would your parents go behind your back and do it for you? This is the case for Chloe. 
 Chloe has it all: an amazingly smart best friend, a mom who is a B list celebrity, she's dating the boy she's had a crush on for years, and she's going to the college of her dreams. Unfortunately, it all comes crashing down on her when the FBI show up at her front door and arrest her mother. Suddenly all that prestige disappears and what is left is a social pariah that everyone is ripping apart. How did she get here and where did it all go wrong?
 I get it, this is one of those stories where you relate with what is happening because its something we've all heard about. There are very few people who haven't heard about the college admissions scandal that hit multiple celebrities and high class families. When it comes to stories that relate heavily to real life situations, I expect the story to provide some new insight that you would not have seen elsewhere. Considering how much I loved the author's book "Hope and Other Punch Lines", I had high expectations that she would nail bringing a new light to this territory. Instead, what's given is an unlikable lead character in a situation that only highlights her low level of moral strength. 
 Chloe as a lead character is someone who fits the definition of a stereotypical celebrity's child. She goes to a high class school, has raised expectations of her future, and has parents who are more than a little self centered. So when her SAT score continues to stay in the 1200 range, she is devastated on the prospect that she won't get into the college she wants to. However, when her parents hire someone to help and get Chloe a medical accommodation to take the SAT again, this time the score balloons to 1440. Rather than insist something must be wrong (she even questions it!), she takes what her parents give her and say that her work finally paid off. Really? That's all the fight you're going to put up? This is your life. She never learns a lesson or really gets something out of what happens. I get that there are people out there who function like this, but they're not the type of people who should have books written about them. 
 A disappointingly shallow story. 

My rating: 2 out of 5

This book was amazing. It was so timely and realistic. We all know the story of the real college admissions scandal so it was easy to relate and be pulled into the story instantly. It was like reading the Lifetime movie The College Admission Scandal. I enjoyed the two time periods then and now. The main character Chloe along with her mother showed good character development throughout the story. I liked how it had a little air of mystery in the story as well.

I have really enjoyed all of Buxbaum’s books that’s I’ve read so far (I think there’s only one I haven’t picked up yet.) So, I was super excited when NetGalley emailed me saying I was approved for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I was really intrigued to see how the author was going to portray her own version of the college admissions scandal. First off, as an overall, I thought she did an incredible job making the reader feel things for these characters (whether those were positive or negative things, they were feelings either way.)
Chloe, our main character, was really complicated. We follow her story as the chapters flip back and forth between the before and the after of the scandal. I really liked her at first. I felt really bad for her. She’s a girl that grew up with privilege, but not entitlement. She knew she probably wouldn’t get into the colleges her parents want, but she was willing to make the effort they were asking to placate them. But as we learn her past leading up to her mother's arrest we learn what she actually knew about the things her parents were doing. This made me like her less. I don’t want to go into too much detail about it because of spoilers, but the more the reader learns of her story the less likable she becomes. Though I think she really grew before the end of the book. I think she learned from the mistakes that she made and will continue to grow from them.
I think this book had some really important and thoughtful conversation about privilege and the different kinds of privilege, some that come with the color of your skin and some that come with having money. I’d like to see some own voices reviews to see their thoughts on these conversations, but I thought they were well done.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was gripping and interesting. I felt like I flew through the story and devoured it. Despite not always liking what I was reading, I was pulled into the story. Oh, I also totally loved the mentions of Hope and Other Punchlines & Tell Me Three Things, they were super cute.

I'm obsessed with the College Admissions scandal. Who isn't? It's celebrity gossip that unites us all. But this book takes a look at who the scandal affects, the children of the wealthy. Chloe gets a lot of uneasy feelings about her college admissions process that her B-list mother actress and wealthy father are doing for her. She knows she isn't SCC material, and she's honestly okay with it. School isn't her thing, she isn't really sure what is. But her parents are determined to have her admitted to a prestigious school, no matter the cost. After the FBI arrive at her door to arrest her mother, Chloe discovers the truth, her SAT scores were faked, and her application claimed she was half latino, and that she was a champion pole vaulter. Her best friend avoids her, her boyfriend breaks up with her, and the press hounds her family day and night. Chloe knows she's privileged, and seems much more woke than the real celebrity children, but its refreshing to see. It's what we want from these kids.

To the author's credit, I didn't expect this book to be tolerable. As someone who has a disability, needed extra time on the SAT, and comes from a poor area, this book made my blood boil. This book, through its fiction, laid out the privilege, expectation, and multilayered nature of the WHY. When you understand the why of the situation, you can see its causes and avoid moral repetition. This is entertaining fiction with a cause.

Chloe as a character is equal parts empathetic and infuriated. She is both a metaphor and an average girl surrounded by skill and perfection. Her faults are as equal to her humanity, and this carries the reader through the story. Not to mention the question of her own fault in the situation.

The writing and relationships are alluring, and I read this book incredibly quickly. Please, do yourself a favor and pick it up. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This book was certainly interesting and it is very well-written. I personally could have lived without the “then” because I only cared about the “now” but I understand it’s importance to understanding the story as a whole.

Julie Buxbaum (Tell Me Three Things) tackles the inevitable topic of the college admission scandal in her newest YA novel, Admission. Chloe Berringer lives in LA with her perfect B-list actress mother, father and sister, Isla. Chloe is desperately trying to navigate the admission process that seems to be coming much easier to her friends--including her bestie, Shola. Teen readers will definitely empathize with Chloe’s struggles (SATs, college essay, etc.) and her desperation to get into a “good” school. Told in a flash back-and-forth format (Now and Then), we slowly learn what happened as Chloe and her family live through not only the public embarrassment but the legal ramifications. Buxbaum’s telling an important story about wealth, privilege and responsibility that comes across a bit clunky and forced, but will resonate well with the target audience.

This is a timely story inspired by the college admissions scandal. Buxbaum effectively creates suspense as Chloe's narration alternates between Then and Now. Really well done, enjoyable, and thought provoking!

Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

A personalized look at the college admission scandal told from the POV of a privileged daughter who benefitted. A searing look at the problem with CCR in today’s world.

I absolutely loved this book. It was an intriguing look into the college admissions scandal from the perspective of a privileged student who was caught up in it. I enjoyed how nothing was black and white, and the farther into the book we got, the less innocent Chloe appeared. The book handled topics of privilege, race, and class with eloquence and tact.

This was a fun, quick read and although I was aware of the college admission scandal, I didn't know a lot of details and this was a fascinating (fictionalized) look into what it might have looked like behind the scenes.

Admission was just as juicy as the real college admission scandal. While @juliebuxbaum is clear that she was simply inspired by true events to weave this story, the similarities are definitely there. Admission is the story of Chloe Berringer. She’s a high school senior hoping to get into SCC. Her only problem? She’s not the best student and her SAT scores are less than stellar. Her parents make it their priority to get her into SCC whatever it takes. Admission was truly a ripped from the headlines story and I loved it. I doubt I am the only one who notices all the nods to the real life scandal. Admission comes out May 5 and it is another must read by @juliebuxbaum.

I received this book from Netgalley to read and review. For more thoughts, check out the Instagram account @BestsLoveBooks.

This one was a big swing and a miss for me.

ADMISSION by Julie Buxbaum is a ripped-from-the-headlines fictionalization of the college admissions scandal. Chloe Berringer is an average student at a ritzy private high school in LA, and is the first to admit her academics and extracurriculars are nothing special. Her B-list celebrity mom (who reads very much like a cross between Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin) hires a college counselor, and the rest unfolds exactly as you've seen in the news.

The novel is clear that while Chloe had a few inklings her college applications might not be totally above board, her obliviousness prevents her from being complicit in the scam. I've enjoyed Buxbaum's previous novels, but she is not the YA author I look to for the most incisive social commentary, so I wondered how Buxbaum would deal with this topic. I struggled with this book because it felt like she had trouble separating her opinion from Chloe's, even though she characterized Chloe as too oblivious to recognize the privileged life she leads. Any time Chloe, as narrator, went into an explanation of how RAICES would have been a better charity for her parents to donate to, it's hard to believe she would even know what RAICES is. Additionally, Chloe's best friend, Shola, is given the unfortunate role of being the black friend who has to explain how privilege works. I could feel Shola's exhaustion every time she spoke, and maybe that was the point, but it felt like a sloppy way to complicate Chloe's world view.

I blazed through this book in just a couple sittings, so if you're looking for something to read during a layover (...or quarantine...) this could be fun. Otherwise, there is so much more YA that explores privilege with much more nuance. Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for this review.

As a fan of Buxbaum's previous novels, I was intrigued when this novel came up on Netgalley and as usual, her writing did not disappoint. This fiction novel is loosely based on Laurie Laughlin's role in the college admissions scandal. Chloe Wynn Beringer is the daughter of a b list actress who is arrested by the FBI for cheating her daughter's way into college. Told from Chloe's perspective in both the past and present it is an addictive read that I could not put down. The reader sees Chloe as a student who is really struggling under the SAT and college admission weight. Then we see her as she deals with the aftermath of her mother's lies. I highly recommend this novel! Thank you to net galley for the ARC

I really enjoyed this book about a college admission scandal ring. It is easy to compare this book to what is going on currently in the Lori L. story in the news and there seem to be a lot of items that could easily be true for her case. For instance Chloe's mom did what she did because she loved her daughter and wanted to help her out in anyway possible. She figured if she couldn't buy a building, which is completely legal, then going through the side door was the next best option. This book gives you a multitude of feelings. First you get angry because of what happened and how Chloe gets into SCC just because of her mother and not her own merits. Next you feel sorry for her because she honestly did not know what was going on and she did push back a few times. She did not understand why her college admission counselor was insistent on her having ADHD to have longer on the SATs and how she knew she did not. When she received her highest SAT scores ever she approached her school counselor to find out if there could be some sort of mistake. Chloe and her younger sister Isla were both innocent bystanders in this admission scandal ring but it feels like they are the ones who have to give up the most. Friends stop talking to them and they feel the hatred and death threats being aimed at them. This book was much needed during this time to give some perspective into what the child goes through when their parents participate is a scandal of this sorts.

Thank you to netgalley and Random House Children's Books for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Admission is one of those “ripped from the headlines” type books that offers a glimpse into the recent college admission scandal. I am always a sucker for any book that allows me to live a rich person’s life vicariously, so I was excited to read this!

While the depictions of the rich kid life in CA was fun, about half way through, I was a little worried that the main character, Chloe, was getting the typical “not my fault!” edit that I’ve heard offered as a defense from people talking about the real life situation. The author took great pains to establish her as a likable, if ignorant, bystander. And (spoiler), even if Chloe didn’t get actual consequences (like jail time or fines), I appreciated the frank discussion about privilege that she and her best friend have several times before the book ends. (It made me think about my own ignorance to privilege!) I also ended up loving Chloe’s mom, despite being prepared for her to be the villain of the story.

Admission is a well-written, quick read, and I think it’s the perfect book to add to your pool bag this summer!

Thank you so much for giving me an eARC of this title.

I am sending this message to let you know that I will not be reviewing this title. I read close to 35 percent of this title. I cannot connect with the plot and some of the inclusions of this book. I feel like some of the information that was given was misinforming and a little insensitive. I found myself struggling to appreciate the characters and direction. This book is just not for me. I do wish it all the best, and I look forward to working with you again in the future.

Kind regards,

Brittney

#Admission #NetGalley
What a great book for parents and young adults! It is a learning lesson in the damage and effects of trying to beat the systems.

I truly enjoy all of this author's writing. It is fast paced, quick witted, fun characters, and interesting environments. I will read everything she ever publishes.

This book was the same. Read it in one sitting. Was a timely and fascinating story. Not based on the true story, but inspired by, so don't think you're reading a true accounting of the College admissions scandal.

This was 3 1/2 stars for me. It was very readable, but ultimately, I just didn't connect with the characters. I found them not very likable, but that could have been part of the plot.

Would I recommend this book? Yes. It's a good read. Just won't be my favorite from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House/Delacorte Press for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I love Julie Buxbaum and was thrilled to have been given the opportunity to read another one of her novels! To have such a hot-topic as the plot was a good choice! I had such a good time with this book. Chloe was an incredible main character, and following her story as she deals with such an incredible situation made me never want to put it down!