Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest opinion.


The New girl is a thriller about Lia who starts out in a new prestigious private school, where all she wants to achieve are good grades and a future in running track. But soon she realizes that it won't be as simple as she believed. A group of students starts bullying her and her teacher seems to be out to get her. But things get even worse, when suddenly there is blood on Lia's hands and there is no way out of the ordeal she's got herself into.

This story was gripping and action-packed. I was on the edge of my seat every time I picked it up. Lia is one of the most chaotic protagonist I ever read about. Somehow, she manages to turn a bad situation into something even worse. But you can't help but feel bad for her, even after her questionable choices. Even though this book is a little over the top with its depiction of 'rich kids' and the writing is not flawless, I would recommend this book for everyone who is looking for a quick and interesting YA thriller.

Lia Setiawan is the new girl at Draycott Academy, an elite private school. Lia sticks out because not only is she new, but she’s also not wealthy and is enrolled as a track scholarship student. Lia suspects something is wrong with the school as soon as she takes a tour and witnesses a heated encounter between a student and teacher. Soon, Lia finds herself embroiled in the drama and secrets that come with the school and its students.

I’m not usually a fan of YA novels or campus thrillers, but I enjoyed this book because of the author’s writing. The book is easy to read and kept me fairly interested. There were some stretches in the middle, but for the most part, questions remained unanswered until the end. I like how the author incorporated her ethnicity into the novel and found the racial conflict between Indonesian and Chinese-Indonesians interesting.

Overall, this was a decent thriller and I’m interested in reading what other stories that author comes up with.

having enjoyed sutanto's previous works i was pretty excited to read this one
and it was,, fine???
sutanto always delivers on incorporating cultural identity into the story which i enjoyed
however in terms of story pacing is very weird throughout
and character depth is kind of nonexistent
the atmosphere of the school and the students just did not make any sense to me whatsoever
twist reveal at the end felt super predictable and underwhelming
final chapter was so weird as well
oh and don't get me started on how bad the use of slang was it was just so terrible somebody take this away from millennial authors because i guarantee they will butcher it

For fans of Academy-based thrillers like Truly, Devious. Lia wins a scholarship to a prestigious private school, but immediately there are mysteries there. A girl is carried out of the school on Lia’s first day. A teacher can be bought for grades.

Spoilers: It wasn’t easy to guess what would happen next. Especially as the protagonist doesn’t often kill one of the characters in self-defense.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of The New Girl by Jesse Q. Sutanto. I love a good YA thriller and this definitely delivered! This book was unpredictable and unputdownable....

Liz Setiawan realizes immediately that she is out of her element when she arrives at the elite high school where she has been awarded a hard-earned track scholarship. Within the first week, Lia meets absurdly wealthy teenagers, corrupt teachers and the boy of her dreams. As the plot thickens, we witness a murder, a drug overdose and a cheating scandal that explodes and threatens to take down everyone in its path. Lia is in way over her head, but she refuses to back down in her pursuit of the truth, regardless of the price that she may have to pay... and all that she stands to lose.

*Spoiler free*

After reading and loving The Obsession, I was incredibly eager to read this spinoff of sorts! It sounded like a fantastic thriller, with all the twisty darkness that Jesse excels at! I couldn't wait to see what this book would hold.

I adore all thrillers by Jesse, and The New Girl is no different. There is just something about these books that feels like something zipping straight through the veins. It's so, so good.

What I love most about these books is that they are a weird kind of deeply satisfying. Seeing depraved men get what they deserve is just something that speaks to my soul, and I love Jesse for providing that over and over again.

Lia also wants so deeply. She wants and she rages and she feels so much. Seeing all of that on display, so clearly and so upfront, was so wonderful. She does grapple with the guilt of her actions, but there is something lurking underneath, that keeps pushing her down the same path. I love her so much.

This is more of a prequel to The Obsession than a sequel, and seeing Easter eggs from the first book was so cool! They are not directly related, but seeing the beginnings of certain instances was very, very interesting.

The writing was another thing that I loved. It flows so well, and feeds into the absolute pandemonium that goes on inside of Lia's brain. It practically drips with the emotion that hangs from every action that Lia takes, and just gosh, it is so, so good.

The only qualm I have is that the ending seems a bit fast. I wanted more. But, I can also see why the book ended the way that I did, and I can appreciate the direction the story took. Of course, this is more of a personal opinion than anything else! It didn't hurt my enjoyment of the overall book.

Overall, I really, really loved this book. It's darkly satisfying, angry, and the writing seems to make your head spin with just how much emotion if packed into everything. It's so, so good.

I enjoyed The obsession so I knew I had to check this one out when I heard about it. I thought this was going to be a sequel to The Obsession, but it's more of a prequel. The novel follows Lia as she arrives at Draycott school. Just as she's arriving she sees a girl being dragged away by security. If you've read The Obsession, you will recognize this character. There are a few other characters that are mentioned throughout the story. That being said, you don't need to have read The Obsession in order to understand this book.

I thought this book was entertaining because it is told from the perspective of Lia who does some shady stuff, but you also can empathize with her because of what she has gone through to get to this point in her life. It is a conflicting feeling. I thought the writing and pacing were great. I loved the characters, especially Stacey. The last few chapters caught me by surprise. I didn't fully expect it to take the turn that it did.

If you loved The Obsession or even if you haven't read it but are looking for an interesting story about the rich, drugs, murder, and lies then I highly recommend checking this one out.

content warning: drugs, murder, mentions of eating disorders, bullying

This was a good read! I wish there had been more of a plot twist when it came to some things, but all in all it ended in a way I didn’t expect. The ending also fell a little flat for me, given all the tension leading up to the ending I expected more to happen.

The characters were well developed and very easily imagined. The storyline was well written.

I’d recommend this book for high school ages. Content warning of drug use, drinking, overdoses and murder.

Jesse Q. Sutanto's second thriller is a mash of athletics, drugs and dating. So the typical high school experience.
Weaving in her typical hilarity with a murder mystery, Sutanto delivers a teen thriller that is sure to entertain all readers.

I will include THE NEW GIRL in my Buzzfeed Books list of Anticipated Thrillers of 2022.

Thank you Sourcebooks Fire (Madison) and NetGalley for the pleasure of reading this digital review copy.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. All of the opinions given are my own and have been given nothing for my review.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After reading The Obsession and Dial A for Aunties, I would excited to pick up another Sutanto book, however I think I may have set my expectations a little too high with this one.

Firstly, the setting of the school that Lia attends is hugely unrealistic with everything screaming brash and expensive. I think if Sutanto had subtlety indicated the social standing of the students attending the institution, this would have been sufficient. The pacing of the book was messy as there would be moments where the plot would be flat and then suddenly something overly dramatic pops up. I figured out the twist a few chapters in, which is never great when you want to keep the reader guessing in a thriller story. Sutanto always does a good job of Asian representation in her books and I was pleased to note that the same followed in this book. Extra star for Lia's inner voice and the appreciation she had for her cultural identity, which makes it easier to get into her head and connect with her.

I'm a fan of Sutanto's work, but sadly this one missed the mark in many ways for me. I hope that her upcoming books will keep my love for her going strong.

Pub date: Feb 1, 2022
Genre: YA thriller
In one sentence: Track star Lia Setiawan wins a scholarship to Draycott Academy, but her fellow classmates would prefer she didn't keep it...

I love a good YA thriller, and the description of this one reminded me of Ace of Spades. I enjoyed the social commentary aspects of the story (covering topics like class and race), and seeing Lia sleuthing around campus was fun. I read this book in one sitting because I really wanted to know what would happen! Although I enjoyed the book, it was ultimately only a 3 star read for me - the school was very over the top (kids with $100K sports cars paying $30,000 per test for an A was a bit much). The pacing and writing were a little uneven as well and kept me from feeling totally immersed in the book.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The New Girl by Jesse Q. Sutanto is a mysterious YA thriller starring a protagonist of Indonesian descent. The story revolves around Lia Setiawan, who has recently been selected for a track scholarship to attend the prestigious Draycott Academy. But from the first day, when she sees an Asian girl being dragged off-campus, she realizes that something is off at Draycott. Will Lia be able to uncover its secrets? Or will she end up being the next one dragged out?

Here is an interesting excerpt from Chapter 1, which is from Lia's point of view:

"Draycott Academy. School for the elite, as in kids who are most definitely not me. I swear, even my new uniform knows it’s not meant for people like me; my navy-blue blazer keeps snagging on my ragged nails, and already I have a small stain on my plaid skirt. Maybe from OJ, maybe from the Javanese sugar syrup I covered my pancakes in this morning. It’s like my entire outfit is rebelling against me.
Ever since I got the offer from Draycott, I’ve been having this nightmare of being greeted by an admin who looks like she was built by an AI. Basically someone who looks like Betsy DeVos. “I’m so sorry, Lia,” AI Betsy would say, “but there’s been a mistake with your scholarship. You see, this school is a jewelry box, and you are not a diamond.” And then she’d flick me away like a piece of lint.
No matter how many times I try telling myself that I belong here, that they sought me out for track, telling me I was “the next Usain Bolt,” I can’t shake this feeling deep in my core that I’m all wrong for this place. That no matter how fast my legs are, they can never outrun my background."

Overall, The New Girl is an amazing YA thriller that will appeal to fans of The Inheritance Games or The Good Girl's Guide to Murder. I had so much fun reading this book, and I could not put this book down. One highlight of this book is that Lia is of Indonesian descent. I'm so excited to support an #ownvoices novel by an Asian author. As a reader of Asian descent, I get so excited when I see myself reflected in books, especially YA books. Another highlight of this book is the mystery and tension in the plot. I was on the edge of my seat as Lia attempts to discover Draycott's secrets. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of YA thrillers, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in February!

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am infatuated with Jesse Q. Sutano's writing after reading Dialing A for Aunties and The Obsession. Her third book once again was a satire thriller, knocked it out of the park. It was the perfect combination of humour, suspense, great plotline, quirky and lovable characters. I don't know if her books classify as young adult books, I am twice the age and more of her characters and I am kept on my toes reading them.

Lia is a scholarship kid enrolled in the most prestige high school, where she meets wealthy classmates that actually hired Marie Kondo to "kondo" their houses, Draycott Dirt which is an app that encourages irresponsible anonymous spread of rumours, fellow track girls that she's competing for the same spots with, a ruthless teacher who is out to get her, and a too-good-to-be- true boyfriend. It just gets better and better.

Consider me a fan girl Jesse Sutano, I can't wait to read whatever else you are going to write.

This book is positively appetizing. I did make the mistake of starting it right before bed, which is probably why I couldn't fall asleep... My heart was just beating so fast! I loved the connections between this book and The Obsession, both in the foreground and sneaky connections. There's a general dark academia atmosphere cultivated at Draycott that's just so thrilling. Lia isn't conniving by any means, rather thrust into a dog eat dog world where everyone has secrets. Add in Draycott Dirt, where everyone knows everything? It cultivates paranoia in the best way. This is a great book to start with for YA thriller fans, even if you haven't read The Obsession as it's kind of a prequel of sorts.

*Thank you to Sourcebooks FIRE and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review*

My favourite part of the book was Lia’s inner dialogue, it allowed me to understand her character better.

I don’t like the references to tiktok in this book because it contributes nothing to the plot, and it takes me out of the book world and into the real world.

I knew this was going to be a good book when I saw the author. I read “the obsession” earlier in the year and thought the writing was incredible. I hadn’t seen anything else by the same author so jumped at the chance to review this book.

I really enjoyed the vibe of this story, it had so many twists, it was great. I enjoyed turning the page and finding out what I had guessed was going to happen was wrong!

The friendships that develop (particularly Lia and Stacey) are pretty wholesome and what you would want for your child going into a boarding school.

I definitely recommend that you read this book, it’s full of drugs, drama and let’s not forget a little murder too!

Let me preface this by saying I hate, hate, HATE giving books poor reviews. I’m a writer, and know how much blood sweat and tears go into crafting a novel, and desperately hoping the world will love your book. So I’m striving to be honest, but never rude.

First off, Lia’s inner voice is remarkably consistent and sharp—there are some beautiful turns of phrases there, so I know this author can write. And I would absolutely be open to reading more by her. Just want that to be clear before pointing out some of the issues!

I would’ve appreciated The New Girl much more if it were either wholly younger YA or older YA, but instead it is an odd mix of both. Some of the story is very young YA—the dialogue is a little cheesy, the main character shallow and emotional, there are many, many exclamation points, and the mean girls are a little too mean and the rich kids too rich to be believable—the blackmail, murder, and evil teacher aside. But then, drugs, f-words, and clubbing make their way into the story, so I can’t even recommend this for younger YA readers.

On the whole, the mix of both made the story sadly unbelievable. Hopefully some of these issues will be addressed before the publication date. But like I said, I’d totally be open to reading something else by this author.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

-A

Jesse Sutanto is a must-buy regardless of genre. This latest is a recommended purchase for YA and HS collections where thrillers are popular.

Another dark academic thriller with a few twists but nothing really memorable to set it apart from the rest.