See this review and more at my blog, The Scribe Owl!

Thank you to Turn the Page Tours for an ARC in exchange for a blog tour stop!

4/5 stars

The Ivies is a YA thriller about how cutthroat college applications can really be.

This was a lot better than I expected it to be! I've read one other book by Alexa Donne that I didn't like at all, but this one was much better. I was a little apprehensive because of my previous bad experience, but The Ivies was a massive improvement.

Everyone knows the Ivies: the most coveted universities in the United States. Far more important are the Ivies. The Ivies at Claflin Academy, that is. Five girls with the same mission: to get into the Ivy League by any means necessary. I would know. I’m one of them. We disrupt class ranks, club leaderships, and academic competitions…among other things. We improve our own odds by decreasing the fortunes of others. Because hyper-elite competitive college admissions is serious business. And in some cases, it’s deadly.

Really, the main thing that I got out of this reading experience is that I should read more thrillers. Though I still guessed the killer, I enjoyed the twisty plot and complex characters. The thing about thrillers is that there is never a perfect character to root for. Everyone's a little screwed up in one way or another, and that's fantastic to read about.

The premise of this story is tons of fun. I love all the talk of admissions and getting into the right school, and this is probably a very timely book for some readers.

All in all, this was an enjoyable book. It's not my new favorite, but I had a good time and I'd encourage you to read it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Olivia Winters and her friends Avery, Sierra, Margot and Emma are the elite. The envied. The Ivies. Each of the girls excels academically and in extracurriculars, and each has been “assigned” an Ivy League school to apply for and go to. Olivia’s dream has always been to go to Harvard, but she was assigned Penn by the ringleader of the group, Avery. Avery is the Harvard of the group. Only Avery doesn’t get in. Olivia, who applied secretly... did. We also find out that Emma did the same thing. While Olivia keeps this fact secret, Emma tries to appeal to Avery so they can stay friends. Instead, she is found murdered the next morning and Olivia starts investigating. Avery couldn’t have murdered her friend... could she?

Olivia is a great main character. She’s more relatable than her rich, privileged friends (at least in my opinion). She has a tougher time as a scholarship student. And the mystery itself is really intriguing. There are a number of suspects, some obvious and some less so.

You also learn a lot about the other Ivies as Olivia investigates. Avery is not quite as perfect as she seems. Her character is actually really great and fascinating. Sierra, the “hacker girl” is interesting as well. She kept you wondering and trying to decide if you liked her or not. Margot, the “actress”, is kind of boring for an Ivy. She’s not as big a part of the plot though, so it’s likely just that we don’t get to know her well enough. And then there’s Emma, the dead girl. We learn quite a bit about her and she’s definitely a character.

This one had me gripped. The storytelling is fast paced and you don’t know what information to trust or who knows what happened. Everyone has a secret. I kept telling people it was almost like Pretty Little Liars meets Gossip Girl.

It’s definitely a solid read that I’d recommend to readers of either of those books, or anyone who is interested in a fast mystery read.

Trigger warnings: toxic friendships (bullying and blackmail), death, mentions of disordered eating

The Ivies, being released next week, was one that I could not put down! It is a very timely novel speaking of Coronavirus and the cutthroat admissions of colleges. I was guessing the whole time and was shocked by some of the characters as the story unfolded. I’m definitely a sucker for private school drama. Think Gossip Girl meets Pretty Little Liars, with a touch of a modern day Nancy Drew.
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The Ivies takes place at a private boarding school, Claflin, and is told from Oilivia’s point of view. Olivia attends the academy on a scholarship and was welcomed into an elite group nicknamed The Ivies. It’s mid-December, which means schools are releasing their Early Decision notices. This should be a happy day for The Ivies who have lied, stole, and cheated their way to their top choice schools. However, when the queen bee gets deferred and one of The Ivies is found deceased, Olivia launches her own investigation to what is really happening at Claflin.

Nobody at fancy Claflin Academy believes that “where you go is not who you are”, particularly the group of girls known as the Ivies. For them, it’s the Ivy League or nothing and they are very well aware that those colleges will take 2, or at most, 3 students from Claflin. So sabotage is the name of the game as they make sure they get the best extracurricular positions and that smart students might not be feeling their best for their important exams.

Each of them has their assigned school so they’re not competing with each other - Avery the Queen Bee sees to that. But when Avery is waitlisted for Harvard and it turns out Emma applied and was accepted, then the proverbial hits the fan. Unfortunately, our protagonist Olivia, who was assigned Penn, has also applied and been accepted to Harvard but, unlike Emma, she doesn’t tell anyone.

So when Emma turns up dead, Olivia starts to investigate. But the deeper she goes, the less she likes what she finds about the other girls in their clique and begins to suspect that maybe one of them would do absolutely anything to secure a place at a most prestigious college

This is a really solid murder mystery with motives, red herrings, and twists abounding. Olivia, the token scholarship member of the Ivies, peels away layers of oblivious privilege and entitlement as she investigates but she, herself, is also not above a bit of sabotage and maybe the finger will point to her?

After the Varsity Blues admission scandal, in which parents did some pretty corrupt things to get their kids into prestigious universities, it’s a logical step on to imagine the kids themselves being so obsessed with where they end up that they would resort to all sorts of shenanigans. Of course the Ivies go way beyond what might really happen (or do they?) and the plot does get a little farfetched, but not enough to worry me.

Perfect for readers who enjoy Karen McManus and Holly Jackson.

Thanks to Crown and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

The Ivies had its moments. You aren’t supposed to like the characters. They aren’t nice people. The Ivies plot and scheme against their classmates for coveted spots at Ivy League schools. But would they kill for them? At first this book seems to be fairly simple and predictable. The characters do develop depth as the story progresses. Most of the flatness comes from how other view each other and not from the characters themselves. I found the reveal to be a little over the top and ridiculous, but then the entire book was unapologetically over the top, Without the last few chapters the whole thing would have been less satisfying. The characters who come to terms with reality in the end are far more interesting (though still not likable). Any more would give too much away, but those last few chapters pushed me from leaning 3 stars to solid 4.

What would you do to get into one of the best schools in the country? Ivies is a fun suspense novel that follows five girls who have deemed themselves the Ivies. Not because they are the best (though they are) but because each one is striving to get into a different Ivy League school. But early decision doesn't go quite the way as the girls expected, and one of them is found dead. Who killed her? What was their motive? The Ivies are not lacking people wanting to take revenge. It takes a lot to reach the top and stay there. Overall a fun book, there a quite a few twists and turns. There is suspense, romance, and sabotage. Can't wait to recommend it to teens for a great fast summer read.

Thank you to netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
This book?? it was very hard to put down. I was immediately drawn in by the blurb and needless to say it did not disappoint.
This book is like if riverdale and 13 reasons why had a child. The plots is so intriguing and these characters were so riveting, I couldn’t get enough. Every time I thought I knew what was happening...I was wrong. And when I trusted a character turns out I shouldn’t have!!

This book was an enthralling read and I would totally recommend. It honestly would have been a 5 star if it weren’t a bit cringe?? at times. The mentions of tik tok and the corona virus as well as some other slang kind of put me off. But I enjoyed it nonetheless!!

I'm a sucker for a boarding school/prep school novel and this one was really dark fun. YA fans that enjoy true crime will enjoy this one. The plot moves quickly and is well-organized. The final cover is great--I think the teens in my library are really going to go for this one and I've already been talking it up!

I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Ivies by Alexa Donne is a young adult thriller set in an elite boarding school. A group of girls will literally do anything, even kill to get into an Ivy Leage college. This is the first YA thriller that I have read and I will be recommending it to all high school juniors and seniors.

In this book, Mean Girls meets Gossip Girl, with a pinch of Pretty Little Liars.

Olivia (UPenn), Margot (Princeton), Avery (Harvard), Emma (Brown), Sierra (Yale) are the Ivies at Clafin Academy. The group of friends works as a team to keep their classmates down and securing their own spots at their prescribed schools, but when acceptances don't go to plan, friendships unravel, secrets are revealed, and threats are made. Told from the perspective of scholarship student, Olivia (UPenn), this book had me hooked pretty early on. There were some tropes that were a touch predictable, but that doesn't really bother me. I didn't see the actual ending coming. I definitely recommend this read.

4.5 stars for me!

Thank you to NetGalley for supplying me with an arc!

This book was a wild ride! I really enjoyed going through this journey with Olivia, the protagonist. The characters feel like real, albeit definitely overdramatic, representations of the type of you see throughout high school. The plot was fun and full of a ton of twists. The setting of the boarding school was great and added to the story.

I'm not a thriller reader, so I was worried, but this book absolutely won me over!

My few criticisms are that the main character didn't have a very defined personality and the pacing was a little slow in the middle. But I absolutely recommend this book!

I absolutely enjoyed reading this book. It's described as "The Plastics meets the Heathers" which is pretty apt, and there's a few Mean Girls references which is always fun. I do like a good murder mystery, and this one had plenty of great twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. I always like making my own guesses and trying to think outside of the box, and while there were some things I maybe guessed a part of, there were definitely many unexpected reveals that made reading this even greater. This book has what I think are the key ingredients to really making a mystery/thriller like this one work: surprise twists, characters that I actually care about, and characters that I love to hate.

As far as the characters, this book is told from the first person POV of Olivia Winters. Olivia is a scholarship kid in a school full of wealthy snobs who she does her best to fit in with. She's made her fair share of bad choices and is by no means a squeaky clean good girl, but she has a good heart and a relatable personality, making her a great character to follow along as the dark secrets start to unravel. I like that she's not perfect and we get to see her work through her own role in the consequences she's seeing played out. She's definitely someone I was rooting for throughout, though. Then there are the other Ivies, especially queen bee Avery, and a few other key players that make you mad, but in a good way. Characters that are ruthless, selfish, and just a but out of touch. But they're also well-developed and really interesting, creating the kind of drama that for some reason is so much fun to read or watch.

While this book is obviously a work of fiction and college admissions doesn't usually involve murder, I do like the conversation in this book around the intensity of college admissions as well. I have my own opinions about how ridiculous the whole process is, a this book definitely intensifies that in a way that was fun to read. There are various moments throughout that highlight the overvalued nature of Ivy League schools, the racism that comes out in discussions about college admissions, the insane power of money and legacy, etc. As a whole, I thought this book was great and would definitely recommend it. There's some strong language and mentions of mature topics for anyone who minds, but overall it's a fun mystery, so make sure you get yourself a copy of this one!

I really enjoyed The Ivies, it was full of twists and turns and some really unlikable characters that by the end I ended up actually liking. The main characters were like a mix of Mean Girls and Pretty Little Liars, they would and will do anything to get accepted into an Ivy college. Even horrible things and ruining other people's chances at getting in, they are ruthless and will get into their top choice.

One of the main Ivies ends up dead, it seems as though someone murdered her just hours after she got accepted into her dream college. Was it one of her friends getting revenge for taking their spot, or was it someone random? All we know is that it was definitely someone at the school.

I really enjoyed the twists and turns and learning about what horrible stuff the Ivies had done to their fellow classmates. The only two issues I had with the book were very minor, but I felt as though this was a super long book that could have been shorter. The middle did drag a little bit, and if it was shorter the entire thing could have been a fast paced thriller. The other part which is totally just a me thing was the romance, I really did want certain people to end up together, but it was such a back burner romance that just fizzled out. We don't get closure and it just is what it is.

I honestly didn't expect the killer until the very end and had my theories as to who did it. I was pleasesntly surprised at how much I enjoyed reading this dark academia thriller!

If you like shows like Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars, you will LOVE Alexa Donne's latest book: The Ivies.

It's been quite awhile since I received an advanced copy of a fiction book that I enjoyed as much as The Ivies. The murder mystery had me on the edge of my seat throughout the book. It keeps you on your toes, as you try to put the pieces together. There were a lot of twists and turns that caught me by surprise, which is not an easy feat for thrillers to accomplish with me. I found myself saying "Just one more chapter..." throughout reading The Ivies, but with the way its written, one more turned into "okay I *HAVE* to know what happens next!"

Rating: 4/5 Stars

TW: death, rape

I received this novel as an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. Any and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was in the midst of my freshman year of college or late senior year of high school when the huge college admissions scandal arose. It shook me to my core that there were elites out there who would cheat and scam their way into getting their kids through America's top schools. It's horrendous to think about. And this novel threw me straight back into that time period.

Olivia Winters is a part of a group called The Ivies: a group of 5 girls from a Claflin Academy that have cheated their way to the top of their school. Their goal? Get into the Ivy League schools. However, when their admissions scheme doesn't go according to plan, who makes it out alive? And will Olivia be able to figure out who did it before it's too late?

I'm a pure sucker for murder mysteries. And this story had everything that a young mystery fan is looking for. Dirty secrets and schemes? Check. Backstabbing and betrayal? Check. It's a good amount of clichés, but it's done in such a way that it keeps you invested. The way Donne does this is by using her own experiences from her time as a private-college admissions essay consultant to help drive the knowledge of the characters and how they do what they do. It felt scarily real, especially towards the end of the novel when the big secrets come out.

Becoming immersed in the world of Claflin Academy was done very seamlessly. Readers immediately get background on why the Ivies do what they do and how it is they develop their plans brings you into the danger that comes with ruining other lives in favor of your own. I almost felt dirty reading about everything that the Ivies did, and yet it's the kind of stuff you expect from a high school drama.

One thing I loved about this story is that it is decently paced, riding the line between normal paced and fast paced, and gives you just the right amount of information to have your theories yet constantly question what you know. I know that's how I was. My theories were shifting almost every few pages. I finished half of this book in one sitting because of how immersed I was.

Another cool thing for mystery fans: the hint of romance is only a minor subplot. It barely takes a centerfold and I felt the book did better without it. On top of that, the novel also doesn't have a completely happy ending, which I really appreciated because it goes to drive home Donne's point at the author's note that this is a cautionary tale for when the absolute worst happens and that there are ramifications for your actions.

As much as I devoured this book and the new twists it brought to murder mysteries, I think it primarily fell flat for me because of the heavy focus on the drama and a various amount of side characters that have one scene of spotlight and are never seen again. On top of that, this takes place apparently in a world where COVID-19 was beaten pretty early, which I am extremely mixed on as we are still dealing with this pandemic.

The Ivies also highlights the extremely dark side to coveted college admissions and really makes you question how many of the spots in class-years are really earned. Donne also discusses the racism that sometimes lies in those who cheat their way in, and I'm glad it's not something that was just discussed once and done.

Overall, this novel is a stunning slap in the face about the real world we find ourselves in and will make you question how corrupt our college system is. It's a fast paced mystery read that is good for any beginner to intermediate reader wanting to get into the genre.

girls who will Literally kill to get into college sounded fun to me right away & well, i will say that was indeed a ride. first and foremost i did Not guess the plot twist (but i am also terrible at guessing the plot twists so). i haven't read a ton of ya mysteries but i have read a few and i mean this was obviously very formulaic in regards to books about rich private school kids and the main character who makes it clear that she is on scholarship. very clear. like every chapter. multiple times. lol sorry but as a low-income student who is currently attending a private college i am tired of reading about Very privileged white characters attending Insanely good high schools who lean on being poor as a way to show that they are not privileged, it's just soo annoying but anyways i digress. the plot twist/reveal, specifically the motive was definitely... unexpected. it was so odd honestly, like i got it but was just so caught off guard by the reasoning lol. overall though i gave this 3 stars so i obviously didn't hate it, it was pretty fun & entertaining. if you're into these types of ya mysteries i'm sure you'd have a good time!

*review will be published to goodreads on 11 May 2021 (two weeks before release), link to review will be put on instagram on the same day*

First off, thanks NetGalley and Crown Books for the ARC.

This book... was not what I expected. I did not like the adult encouragement of underage drinking. That’s not cool. It’s also not an LBGT book. It briefly mentions a relationship in another state, that’s it. The main characters personality changes a lot. The main story takes place over a few days, and she changes significantly. I feel like the author tried to hit every minority possible and it just made it a bit of a mess. The story was quite predictable and never had that “whoa” factor for me.

I did like the “boarding school girls clique rumor spreading” atmosphere. I was never confused in the story, it flowed well and I could visualize what the author was trying to describe. I learned a lot about Ivy college admissions and requirements.

If you typically read Adult thrillers, avoid this one. But if you are a fan of YA thrillers, chances are you’ll like it.

I've honestly never read a more accurate description of the admissions process. One that is not cloying nor impersonal nor preach-y nor coming from someone that last experienced college admissions in the mid 2000s, but just an amazing display of what truly is (odd to be saying that when the center of the book is a murder). And the way the way the characters talk about admissions, that's how everyone I knew talked about it by the time I was applying. It brought back the way we all used to talk and I'm amazed at how well it's reproduced. I've never met quite so talented schemers, but I have seen shades of all of them in real life, down to the gravity they place on admissions.. The research in a lot of college admissions stuff was there. I remember ED week, I remember Penn having ED unlike most other schools, I remember all the essay stress and hearing about college consultants. No other college admissions book (including some unfortunate best sellers) I've read commented on all of the process this well.
The book follows a group of five Ivies, seniors who are ruthless in their climb to the top of their boarding school and into the colleges of their dreams. Going into this completely blind, since the description gives little to no information, was a really good decision. I had no clue who was even going to die so the guessing started early, which was really enjoyable. This book was a very thriller-centered thriller. It hit all the tropes and beats expected in the genre, and it did them REALLY WELL. I did guess a good amount of the red herrings as usual as well as the killer, but it took me a while to be certain, though I am proud to say it was well before the denoument. I enjoyed following the investigation, though one red herring seemed so very obvious to me that I was surprised the main character did not catch on. The ending though was where I felt this book truly shine. Not the confront the killer ending, but the last chapter where there was a time jump to a year after the murder. The main character's characterization held so well, no end of book massive change in personality because she's now a perfect and centered person. She remained who she was throughout the book, changed to some extent, but her core as a character remained and I really appreciated that. The same remains for most of the other characters.
My quibbles with this book were pretty small. The only 'major' gripe was the killer's motives. The confrontation and explanation were a little jarring compared with the rest of the book, though I had guessed who it was. The why didn't really make sense to me because I really hate that particular trope but I wouldn't say it was too poorly set up. Minor things now One of the Ivies in particular felt underdeveloped, but then the main character commented on their lack of connection and it made sense, so I never felt it afterwards. The underdeveloped character ended up becoming someone I liked so go figure. I also did notice very minor things about the classes, like AP Brit Lit not being a thing, but that might just be the elite boarding school only teaching AP English Lit using British lit specfically since there's latitude on which texts are chosen. I've also taken AP Art History and the brief description of the course is super inaccurate in its modern form, but again maybe private boarding schools teach it differently than the College Board.

Tl;dr Great thriller with an amazingly accurate depiction of college admissions and a fun upper-class environment

A free e-copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

*eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Fans of college admission scandals and murder, look no further!

I am a massive fan of Donne's other works, Brightly Burning and The Stars We Steal, so I knew I had to read her newest book, set at a private academy where students scheme to gain admittance into the Ivy League.

Our main character, Olivia, is a member of a group called the Ivies, known for their determination to get into an Ivy League college, no matter the cost. And then, on the night of acceptance letters (or rather, online portals), one of them ends up murdered. What follows are twists and turns and truly terrible boyfriends.

While The Ivies was not as wonderful as Donne's other books, it definitely deserves a spot on your shelf!

If you liked Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson, this book is for you!

The Ivies by Alexa Donne is a contemporary YA thriller set at a prestigious American high school filled with entitled rich kids. As a fan of Riverdale, Heathers, Mean Girls, and books like One of Us is Lying, it was right up Sophie’s alley.

The book is told from the perspective of Olivia, one of the Ivies. The Ivies are a group of five senior girls at Claflin Academy who have one goal in their minds: admission to an Ivy League college. To secure that all-important goal they will go to any length necessary, working together to disrupt exams in their favor, hack school computer systems to ensure they have the best schedules, and even resorting to the occasional bout of blackmail. Each girl is assigned to one Ivy League school to ensure they don’t take one another’s place.

However, Olivia has secretly applied to Harvard behind the group’s back and is shocked when she receives early acceptance while the Ivies leader (and Harvard legacy student) Avery is rejected. That night, fellow Ivies member Emma publicly reveals her own secret Harvard acceptance to everyone, causing Avery to attack her in a jealous rage. The next morning, Emma is discovered dead on the school grounds, and Olivia begins to wonder just how far her so-called friends would go to guarantee their places at the colleges they have built their dreams upon.

Sophie loved the first three-quarters of this book, which had strong Pretty Little Liars vibes and kept her awake turning the pages long after bedtime for just one more chapter. There were plenty of twists and turns here along with lots of red herrings and fun bits of misdirection. Unfortunately, she felt that the book petered out to an unsatisfying conclusion by continuing on after the point when it should have come to an end. However, despite this, she would still strongly recommend this book to anyone who loves rich teen drama.