This book is so much more than it appears to be in the surface. There’s the obvious scandal and drama, but there is also a lot of heart and a beautiful mother daughter relationship at the center of this. I think alternating perspectives can easily take one away from the overall story if not done well, but it was done well here. The story kept moving and new things were revealed through each change in perspective, which was a wonderful way to have it unfold. 

I’ve never listened to anything by this narrator before, but thought that they were excellent & would absolutely listen to more of their work in the future. I love when narrators really create a unique voice for each character that is instantly recognizable when ai hear it, and Mia Barrón definitely did that.

I would like to thank NetGalley, RB Media, and Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman for a free copy in exchange for an honest

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

It’s college admission’s season for three mothers and daughters navigating the college application practice. Ultra rich and ultra privileged families will do anything to make it happen. Everyone is vying for a spot at Stanford, and one almost fatal accident doesn’t seem to be much of an accident after all.

This book is everything! These mothers will do ANYTHING to get ahead no matter who gets left in their wake. This compulsive, twisty, and witty read left me on the edge of my seat! This story will leave you rooting for the underdog and hating the mothers that are clearly more concerned about themselves than their children. The character development was spot on and the audiobook was excellent! 

TW: rape, cancer, car accident 

Thank you to @netgalley and to RB Media for this ARC in exchange for my honest review! ✨

I wasn't sure I was going to like this book.  The characters were really stuffy.  The book got so much better as I put the pieces together as to why what, and how the characters were reacting to their lives.  Life is not what you want it to be, but there is always a silver lining it you look for it.  For that reason, I really enjoy this book.

* content: 4 stars
* narration: 4 stars

Girls with Bright Futures is a story about three mothers and three daughters. Three Stanford applications, but just one spot. What will a mother do to get her daughter the education she thinks she deserves?

I'm usually not into woman's fiction books, but this one I enjoyed a lot. It kept me engaged all the time. I liked the narration, it was nice to listen to, and the narrator did well with all the characters in this book.

Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this! All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley for my complimentary copy of Girls With Bright Futures in exchange for an honest review. 

This story follows the lives of three women and their daughters and their struggles around college admissions. Each mother wants their daughter to be accepted into Stanford during early admissions, but this year, there is only one spot available. The women will stop at nothing to secure their daughter’s place at the prestigious college, even if that means blackmail, cheating, bribery and breaking the law. 

I absolutely loved this book. If I was reading a physical copy, I probably would have devoured it in a single sitting. I loved the alternating POVs and how the lives of the three women came together. I couldn’t get enough of this one or listen to it fast enough. 

The narrator was just perfect for this one! Her reading flows perfectly and is crystal clear. I loved the distinguishing voices to separate characters which made listening that much easier. 

I would recommend this book to anyone who loved the series Gossip Girl. On that note, I think this book would make a great TV mini series!

Girls with Bright Futures brings so many headlines and shoves them into an intense and twisty novel. Gripped from the first page I devoured this story as quickly as I could. #GirlswithBrightFutures #NetGalley

Telling the story from the perspective of 3 very different women in one similar situation, they are all vying for one coveted spot at Stanford. Diving deeply into the world of privileged and super wealthy of America with one perspective coming from an outsider of the wealthy world we find ourselves torn between fraud, attempted murder, and college essays. Dobmeier and Katzman brilliantly tell the story without skimming over the hard bits. I could not put this book down.

TW: rape, mental health issues, assault, sexual harassment, workplace abuse. 

My only complaint is a fatphobic description of a heavy set woman "waddling" and the sexist (and right out of the rape culture playbook) description of a teenagers cloths as "enhancing beauty without flaunting it". These kinds of descriptions need to be left behind.

What happens when a highly coveted spot to Stanford is only accepting 1 more student from an extremely competitive private Seattle high school?  Shenanigans and drama, of course!

Girls with Bright Futures takes place at the, fictitious, Elliott Bay Academy in Seattle, WA.  The mom's at the school turn into something akin to The Real Housewives like The Real Tiger Moms of College Admissions, as each is trying their best to secure the best college spot for their daughter.

For our cast of tiger moms we have mega-famous tech CEO Alicia Stone who cannot be embarrassed by her daughter not getting into her school of choice despite her poor scores, not perfect grades and a serious case of apathy about the whole thing.  Next up is Maren, Alicia's right hand woman who has worked for her for years and is not willing to do anything to jeopardize her job, including allowing her daughter to pursue her dreams.  The third main player is Kelly, a stay at home mom who gave up her career to raise her children.  Kelly and her husband are both alumni of Stanford so her daughters spot should have been a lock but with only one spot Kelly becomes obsessive about being a shining star and doing what it takes to get her daughter in.

I enjoyed the ride and the drama in this fast-paced read.  It truly felt like I was reading some crazy storyline from a reality TV show highlighting powerful, rich families and the lengths they will go to for their kids.  There was some mystery, suspense and intrigue to keep you flipping the pages to find out what would come around the next corner.  I kept being amazed by the lengths some of the moms would go to, but I feel like this probably isn't too far from real life especially with the real life college admission scandal of recent memory.

CW: rape, childhood illness

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Well this was amazing - what I am really really into - hints of big little fires and big little lies.  The drama that was involved with the parents - thought a primary school PTA was bad. 

I love how little nuggets were thrown in - can't say one big spoiler but I knew when it was mentioned it was going to have a substantial impact. 

The narration was faultless and  just could not help but listen - it is half term now so have just listened to it all day it was that gripping. 

I was given an advance copy by the publishers and netgalley but the review is my own.

If you are a parent with a school-going child, you would certainly have encountered "Mom-zillas", mothers who are overinvested in every aspect of their child's life. Girls With Bright Futures has some such interesting monster moms, that can entertain you and open your eyes to how obsessed people become over trivial matters. 

We get to meet Maren (a single mother working multiple jobs) and her daughter Winnie (a class topper who dreams of going to Stanford), Alicia (ultra-wealthy president of a tech company, Stanford alumna, dreams of her daughter following her path to Stanford) and her daughter Brooke (doesn't want to go to Stanford and rebels against her mom's pressure), & Kelly (middle class stay at home mom, active in PTA and school activities, Stanford alumna) and her daughter Chrissie (pressures herself to such an extent to go to Stanford that she is suffering from depression.) 

A couple of days before the Standard early admissions are supposed to close, one of the girls suffers a near-fatal accident, leading to a nightmarish game of finger-pointing and blackmail. In the process, many more secrets come tumbling out and the mothers soon need to decide to what extent they are willing to go to fulfill their or their children's dreams. 

The book is narrated from the point of view of the three mothers. Alicia, Kelly and Maren depict three different types of moms, all of whom are very realistically shown. There are many other characters in the book who make a great impact even if they don't have as many pages dedicated to them. 

The obsessiveness over getting into Ivy League colleges is shown to an extreme degree in the book, but from what I've read in the news, there are parents who are willing to do anything to get their children into the elite universities. The book makes a pointed social comment against this kind of craziness. 

The audiobook is narrated by Mia Barron, and she does a fantastic job. Her reading is crystal clear, and she uses distinct voices for characters, which help you focus on the narration very easily. I'd love to hear more books narrated by her. 

Overall, this was an entertaining and enlightening read. Recommended for those book lovers who look for a light yet thrilling break from intense books.

Thank you, NetGalley and RB Media, for the Advanced Audio Review Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

OMG I loved this book! 2021 Favorites List! The story is so amazing and I can't wait to read more from this author. The book follows three mothers and three daughters as they are getting ready for college early admissions. Alicia needs her daughter to get the one allotted spot at Stanford even though her daughter doesn't want it but Alicia insists because she is the richest of them all. Kelly also wants her daughter to go to Stanford and will start as many rumors as she can to get her daughter accepted. And Maren, the mother who's daughter is hit by a car to knock her out of the running to get into Stanford. Maren also works for Alicia and is the poorest of them all. No spoilers! Just read this book! I highly recommend it and Thanks so much to #Netgalley for the early review copy! I just loved it! I couldn't put it down!

Wowzers! Bring on the popcorn! Or in my case, the milk and Girl Scout cookies! My goodness, this was a wild, crazy, and juicy read. In Girls With Bright Futures by Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman, I was introduced to a world that I’ll never belong to, or fully understand. This being the lives of the rich, powerful, and extremely ruthless. Mothers going completely mad, dads making sketchy moves, stress levels running high, and teenagers not giving a damn. Welcome to college admissions season, my friends. Anything goes and nothing will stand in the way to get their children into the school of their dreams. Hefty donations, threats, rumors, and back-stabbing at it’s finest, I tell ya. I was shocked, appalled, and completely addicted to this story. The narrator, Mia Barron was fantastic and it pained me to hit pause while listening! This book is perfect for fans of The Gifted School as it reeks with privilege, elitism, and entitlement. I highly recommend this entertaining read! 4/5 wild and crazy stars for Girls With Bright Futures!

“This is beyond soap opera, it’s Jerry Springer level”
Three High School seniors attending the same exclusive Seattle private school are informed that Stanford University will only be accepting one of them.  Let the drama begin. It’s not just the students who bring out the claws, it’s the moms!!!! I see this book as an HBO miniseries ala Big Little Lies. Hmmm, maybe Felicity Huffman & Lori Loughlin can star. 

I found this book completely believable and unputdownable. Very current and shines a spotlight on the college admissions scandal, the extreme lengths parents will go to and the inflated privilege & ego associated with certain colleges and universities. Major props to authors Wendy Katzman and Tracy Dobmeier for nailing the helicopter-moms craziness and unchecked competitiveness.  I can’t wait to see what these friends write next. 

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for gifting me with an Audio ARC. Narration was wonderful, as was the writing and storytelling. I highly recommended this timely tale.

OM to the G, this book. It made  me lol, sigh, roll my eyes, teary-eyed, cringe, wide-eyed like “Seriously?”  and I love it!

College admission season and most of the seniors at Seattle’s Elliot Bay Academy covet for the single spot at Stanford with the  three mothers leading the pack - tech giant Alicia, who uses her power and money to secure her daughter’s spot, Kelly a Standford alum and  uses her PTA status to get as much information from her competitors, and Maren, single, struggling and assistant to Alicia who will fight for what her daughter’s  deserves. The story centers on these three women, their daughters, families and the school community as to how much everybody is willing to do to cross the line to get what everybody thinks they deserve. 

My daughter is  a senior now and I can so relate with these moms (but not to their level which is way too much). I can relate how stressful to the kids the  first semester of senior year. Though my daughter is taking IB program and not AP courses, I know the demand of the exams, submissions, IAs, EE, TOK, and all those university applications and deadlines.  And I’m heading up the HS PTA too  so I know all the stresses and the pressures!

I know of some parents who would go out of their way to hire tutors and paying enormous amount of money for consultants for their kids to get into these Ivy League schools and what have you. I was only expose to these kinds of scenarios in the recent years. I have no idea what they are talking about when I sat down for an orientation about IB  and AP pathway. I came out of that orientation more confused than ever. And the parents are a bit competitive with grades and Uni applications  and where they apply and accepted. I also know kids get major stressed out during these months.  Of course we as parents always have the best intentions and wanting them to have bright futures. If we can just allow them to be and pursue what they want and be happy with their achievements, not adding more pressures to their plate. What they need is space from us knowing that we will understand and support them all the way.

Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for the audiobook in exchange for an honest view.

This book sparked my interest after the recent media attention on university admission scandals. When it’s no longer about academics  and more about working the system with your wealth. Many fun developed characters and an interesting storyline. I enjoyed the book.  Thank you Netgalley, Sourcebook Landmarks for this audiobook.

Reminiscent of Big Little Lies, this is the story of a wealthy private school and the lengths the parents will go to get their children into the top colleges. Girls with Bright Futures revolves around three families and the competition to claim the one last spot to Stanford. If you were interested in the college admissions scandal or love rich people behaving badly (a favorite trope of mine), then this one is for you. The story starts with a near-fatal accident and then goes back in time to the events leading up to the early admissions deadline and the accident. There is also a parallel plot line centered around the main character, Maren, and the secret she is keeping from her daughter. This part of the story may be triggering to some readers, and one of the scenes in particular was hard to read. Thought provoking and entertaining, this book had me hooked from the beginning and kept me guessing throughout. I think this will make a great read for book clubs!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark via NetGalley for the advanced copy to review. I really enjoyed listening to the audio version!

I had no idea what I was getting into when I started this book, I thought it was going to be a big drama, and there was so much more in this story; it was unputdownable and addictive, twisty, suspenseful and fascinating. A gripping and fantastic story that you need to read.

Thank you Netgally and Recorded Books for this ALC.

http://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeepleasemx

Such a timely story to tell! I love the upper-class drama between these mamas trying to get their daughters into college.

Wow! Oh wow! I'm so tempted to write the genre as horror because this book is a reflection of reality that is happening these days. A book about how the parents are so obsessed with getting their kids into "good colleges/schools" that they are willing to go to any extremes and it is a true horror, even more frightening than ghosts.

A story of three mothers with one dream - to get their daughters admitted into Stanford. When Stanford announces that they will only be taking in one student from EBA (Elliott Bay Academy) into their university, the mothers panic and take actions that are beyond our imagination. 

A very intriguing book with a wonderful turn of events. I loved how the book took different turns and still didn't lose its track. 

It had been a while since I read such a great book and I absolutely loved it.

Thank you Net Galley for an Arizo copy of Girls With Bright Futures.   This novel is unique as I've never read anything like it before.   Bravo!  This novel was fresh,  exciting,  character driven,  Artfully woven story.   The narrator was great!

This book is so timely! I enjoyed reading this book and found it very thought provoking and interesting. I will say I didn't really find the format to be all that original or groundbreaking but that didn't change my enjoyment of this book. This was a solid read but for me I think it was just okay.
  Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an early review copy.