Collins Pruitt has it all... or so she thinks: a loving relationship with both her parents, wealth, acceptance into a prestigious and exclusive boarding school. But someone in Collins's life tells her that all of what she loves most is at stake, and how to fix it, if she's brave enough.

I liked Bass's overall story crafting in "An Education in Ruin." Bass writes her protagonist in a way that allows her morals to be tested, and Collins is certainly an interesting character. I wanted to keep reading to see what happens, but there were a few points in the story where I felt the pacing was a bit rushed, but not so much so that the story as a whole suffered.

If you're looking for a love story that isn't run of the mill, this one is definitely for you.

It was an okay book. A little hard to get into at first. Took me about 3 chapters to really dig into it but when I did it was good. Fairly quick read also.

An Education in Ruin is a sneak peak at the super fabulous life of rich people, the boarding schools they attend and the investments they make. Think lifestyles of the rich and famous, showing just how the rules can be broken so that the rich can stay rich.

It took me a few chapters to really get into story though. The writing was very stilted and clipped, missing that easy storytelling flow that I’m use to reading. It also had some major plot holes right off the bat.

Collins wants to make Jasper Mahoney fall in love with her to leverage their relationship against his mother to make her break up with her dad for some unknown reason. I saw that going wrong in so many ways and was unsure how you could even leverage a broken heart but Collins was all for it without really knowing why which was concerning. She was willing to ruin these boys and this family because of some family issues of her own? Things weren’t adding up for Collins nor I and everything was actually more complex and twisted then they were believed to be. It kept me intrigued though and I really wanted to know what the hell was actually happening.

While I found the plot twists entertaining, it was the romance between Collins and Jesper that kept me reading. Collins needs to make him fall in love with her for her ultimate plan to work. Jesper himself was super closed off, distant, moody and of course a boy that looked like he hadn’t slept in like 10 years. I mean I would’ve passed and given up on that whole scheme quite early. Jesper was not an easy mark. I wanted to see her follow through on her plan but of course she ends up falling because duh and I couldn’t blame her.

What I really disliked about the book beyond the writing and Collin’s not well thought through plan was the flash forwards. They only stated the months out it flashed forward and at one point it’s supposed to be a month out but the scene playing out matches up with what happens a few chapters and days later. It was really confusing and didn’t add anything to the story.

An Education in Ruin did manage to keep me guessing and while the romance was predictable that didn’t take away from the relationship that formed between Collins and Jesper. I also really enjoyed the relationship Collins shared with her father. It was so sweet and wholesome, the relationship we all want with our parents. If you can get past the writing and the flawed half-baked plans, it is a good story about relationships and trust.

I have read all of Alexis Bass books and I have to say this is one of my favorites. I finished it in about 2 days because I just couldn't stop reading. Collins was a great character who wants to do the right thing for her family but doesn't know what the right thing is. The Mahoney brothers are privileged teens but you'll fall in love with Jasper and want to be best friends with Theo. The only thing that I didn't like was it finished way to fast I needed a few more chapters.

Mildly surprised at just how bad this was.

Some 17-year-old girl whose name I've forgotten enrols in a fancy private school to take revenge on a couple of boys. Her 'vengeance plan' is laughable, half-baked, and anyway falls to pieces instantly when she falls head-over-heels for one of her targets.

As if that's not bad enough, the writing is insanely stilted and the dialogue is unrealistic as hell.