The New Girl was a quick and entertaining read.
I liked the pacing and I was invested in the murder mystery but I had a hard time connecting with the characters.

I normally don’t read books about school aged people but this one was a wonderful exception! Just when you think it has to end, you get hit with more drama and suspense. It was very well written and you really go through so many emotions with the characters. There was also never once a dull moment and it’s very easy to get into.

The New Girl is somewhat similar to Ace of Spades, but not as good, in my opinion. It is the story of Leah, an Indonesian-American girl who attends a prep school in California where her classmates are all wealthy, and most are East Asian and see her as inferior. As the outcast, she is an excellent student and on a track scholarship, but her success is short-lived as she becomes embroiled in a cheating ring as well as in a drug ring. Not knowing who to trust, Leah is left to fend for herself as she strings together the events that scare and torment her.

This story is somewhat of a thriller, and may be enjoyed by teens. As an older person, I found the events to be implausible and far fetched. I liked, however, to see an Indonesian youth featured in a book.

Interesting but not really my cup of tea. Well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. A new girl at a super elite school caught in a cheating ring where everyone is against her. Predictable and honestly it was a struggle to keep my interest. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

✒️ B O O K • R E V I E W ✒️
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Title: The New Girl
Author: Jesse Q. Sutanto
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (rounded up to 4 on goodreads, netgalley and amazon)
•
Lia Setiawan has never really fit in. And when she wins a full ride to the prestigious Draycott Academy on a track scholarship, she's determined to make it work. On her first day there she witnesses a girl being forcefully carried away by campus security, while her schoolmates and teachers seem unphased. And as she uncovers the secrets of Draycott, complete with a corrupt teacher, a golden boy who isn't what he seems, and a blackmailer determined to get her thrown out, she's not sure if she can trust anyone...especially when the threats against her take a deadly turn.
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I fell in love with Jesse Q. Sutanto’s way of writing a story after I read Dial A For Aunties, so as soon as I saw that this was available on Netgalley I had to request it.
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This is definitely different than what I expected, but I am presently surprised by how much I enjoyed this story. This is a YA thriller. The setting is Draycott academy where we see the day to day struggles of boarding school kids, you get a taste of your typical gossip apps, mean girls and even a corrupt teacher. Jesse Q. Sutatnto did a phenomenal job to depict a bunch of privileged high school kids.
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This was more of a psychological thriller, as you see the pure narcissism of privileged rich kids who honestly do not think that anything will every come of their actions. I enjoyed Lia’s character, even through everything that she got herself into, I found her to be a bit comical. True to Sutanto’s writing style - she finds the best way to lighten the mood of dark situations at points throughout her novel. I also need to mention that I really liked that she kept the dialogue of a teenager very close to how I remember, not so completely innocent, but not over the top either.
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There were definitely parts of this book that I felt lagged a bit, or that I didn’t deem necessary but I really enjoyed the ending of this one. I didn’t see it coming and it wrapped up nicely.
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I was able to listen to this via audio and it was incredible. The narrator - Eunice Wong was able to keep my attention. Her way of narrating this story had my heart racing and me panting right along side her through some of the most intense parts. Huge thanks to @Netgalley and @tantoraudio for the early release of this audio in exchange for my unbiased review! The audiobook was released yesterday 2/1.
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Was your high school competitive?
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#darkacademianovel #YAthriller #priviledgedstudents #gossipapps #meangirls #audiobook #netgalleyaudio #tantoraudio #thenewgirl #jesseqsutanto

My Rate: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5

This book was very riveting, I couldn’t stop listening and thinking “what’s going to happen next?”, but it was also full of me shouting “DON’T DO THAT” up until the very end. There was not one down moment, we had surprise after surprise and you could never guess where the story was going next. So it was awesome in terms of writing. And in terms of subjects, this story brings up very important topics, that need to be talked about but rarely are.

Racism and classicism.
It was very eye-opening, being that I had never even imagined there was racism between Asian cultures. There is an amazing quote (that I could not find, since I listened to this and didn’t make any notes) where Lia talks about how the rest of the world doesn’t see the difference between different Asian cultures, and as a Brazilian, I’m very sad and disappointed to admit it’s true, I didn’t know anything about these cultures, much less the problems and racism between them.

Drug use, abuse, and sale between teenagers.
Bullying and cyberbullying
The pressure and desperation teens go through to get into colleges, and at such a young age
Homophobia
It was very satisfying to me, for a book to show that girls with different sexual orientations can be friends

Teacher and adult responsibility
One of the most impactful phrases in this book, to me, was Lia talking about how her teachers and principals were supposed to be there for these teens, to protect them, teach them, help them, but they were not doing that, their biggest concern was money and that is just honestly sad and revolting, however a very real fact.

So this book gives us space for lots of reflection while being incredibly entertaining, fun, sweet but very heavy most of the time.

If you want to read my complete review, visit my blog: https://anaennoir.com/2022/02/01/the-new-girl-by-jesse-q-sutanto-review/

I was actually approved for both version of this so I review just the audio portion in this one. I thought the reader did a pretty good job with the content of this book and I was engaged for the parts I listened too instead of read.

I'm a fan of Jesse Q. Sutanto after reading her adult novel, Dial A for Aunties. I was excited to receive the ARC for her newest YA mystery. This one was a fun and thrilling ride - finished in 1 day! When Lia Setiawan arrives at her new school as a scholarship student with big hopes for a spot on the varsity track team, she realizes from day one that she doesn't fit in and wonders what she got herself into. As she begins to uncover secrets at the school, she's not sure who to trust but she is determined not to get kicked out. Then things get more serious when the danger becomes deadly. I really enjoyed this book, especially the cultural insights that Jesse Sutanto's book give us, especially the food references, the family references and the racism against native Indonesians from Chinese Indonesians.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.


Email: DaniReadsTooMuch@comcast.net
https://www.instagram.com/dani.reads.too.much/
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4725184-daniela-arena

I thought this was okay, but nothing special. It wasn’t unique and didn’t keep my attention as much as I had hoped

I really enjoyed the twists that happened in the storyline. But I think there was maybe too many. As the story went on I started to feel a bit overwhelmed by everything that Lia was doing. I just wanted her to take a small step back, take a breath, and just think through everything that was happening. Obviously it all kind of worked out for her in the end but I think it could have been a bit more enjoyable for the reader if she didn't spend the whole novel jumping from one crazy situation to another, often making things worse for her and her friends. The book did keep me hooked and I wasn't expected the way that it ended at all.

I listened to this audiobook last week and overall, I did like it! This is a YA thriller that caught my eye because I loved Sutanto’s other book, Dial A for Aunties.

What I liked:
🏃🏽‍♀️ Explored themes of colorism, classism, and privilege
🏃🏽‍♀️ The gossip app was unique even though I was feeling absolutely disgusted by what the students were saying about each other

What I didn’t like:
🏃🏽‍♀️There was a lot going on and it all felt a tad excessive even for a
🏃🏽‍♀️ It was hard to wrap my head around the extent of the wealth and excess, but I think that was also intentional with this setting
🏃🏽‍♀️ End twist came fast and then ended a little too quick for me

Read if you are a fan of YA thrillers like:
🏃🏽‍♀️ Ace of Spades
🏃🏽‍♀️ One of Us is Lying
🏃🏽‍♀️ Not technically a thriller but very Gossip Girl vibes too

Thank you @netgalley and RB media for the advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review!

A big thank you to @tantoraudio for the opportunity to read and review this audiobook!

Note: spoilers ahead.

Reeling from her rough move to a new school, Lia Setiawan finds herself determined to make friends and fit in. Her new school, the prestigious Draycott Academy, appears to be only for the elite she is learning but Lia is there on her track scholarship. Very early earns a spot on the bad side of her English language professor, who unbeknownst to her has an underground pay to play for grade program. Lia rapidly gets in over her head with the professors, mean girls at the school, and school administrators and it becomes an intensely high stakes fight for survival.

This book felt to me like a meeting of Scream meets Gossip Girl, in a fun way. The audio by Eunice Wong was incredible and I loved the way she brought Lia’s story to life. I could listen to her read to me all day every day. I felt like this book laid down a nice groundwork but ultimately didn’t build up to my initially built expectations. Once Lia finds herself in hellish turmoil of wasting away and trying to find a way to live with what she did while carrying on with her boyfriend it felt like the story hit a point where it was being drug out and fluffed. It’s almost like the main action, the murder, took place too early in the story and then some of the action after was added to pad the story. I loved the aspect of then also making the boyfriend bad and turning him vindictive but I wanted commitment there. I wanted him truly bad to the core – a cracked mask she finally sees. Not a conflicted guy who “is trying to get help” and you see is going to get off without issue. I don’t know a few pieces of that just didn’t work for me. I’ve got Dial A for Aunties on my TBR and I’m excited to check out a different piece by Sutanto!

2.5 stars

I think the first half was really solid and such a great start for a YA mystery/thriller set at a boarding school. Unfortunately, the last half was quite a disappointment. The twists at the end were really predictable, the main character kept repeating herself so the novel ended up dragging and I don't think I would've finished it if it hadn't been an audiobook.

One positive thing I will say is that the narrator does an amazing job at incarnating the main character and it was such a pleasure to listeng to her narrate the whole book. Otherwise, for the story, I don't think I could recommend it. It tried to do too much and it ended up feeling a little bit plane.

This book was super fast paced and kept me invested, but I just don’t think it was for me. I didn’t really like any of the characters and found the twists to be really obvious. I like the whole rich people school thing, but the ending felt a little rushed and I just felt like there wasn’t a ton of resolution at the end. I know a lot of other people loved it so it could’ve just been me!

📚 Review

The New Girl by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Release Date: Today 🎉 (February 1)

Thank you @netgalley and @tantoraudio for the opportunity to listen to this ARC!

The story follows athletic Lia Setiawan as she begins her education at Draycott Academy. She switched schools for a chance to pursue a career running track. In contrast to her, most classmates are wealthy and the culture at the Academy is competitive and hostile. While making both friends and enemies, Lia stumbles upon shady and dark secrets with devastating consequences...

I loved listening to this YA thriller! The story moved fast and kept me engaged, wanting to know what would happen next. The characters are diverse, well-rounded & complex, and I was rooting for Lia from the beginning. The book also made me want to try Indonesian food as Lia and her love interest both have Indonesian-Chinese heritage and share a love for food.

This book has similar vibes as Ace of Spades and the Good Girl's Guide to Murder series (both of which I loved). Also, the audiobook was fantastic! The narrator Eunice Wong conveyed all of Lia's emotions really well.

#TheNewGirl #NetGalley
#JesseQSutanto #YAThriller #YABookstagram #ARC #YANovel #YAReview #Bookstagram #AudioBookstagram

More like 4.5 stars

First of all, huge thanks to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for providing me with an audiobook copy of the book in exchange of a honest review. All thoughts are on my own.

I haven't read Sutanto's debut novel, The Obsession, before, even though I know The New Girl is a kinda sequel to that book, I've read tiny bits of Dial A for Aunties and I really liked them, but I enjoyed this book more.

It's a YA thriller that has a murder mystery and you don't know who to trust, and I, personally, felt very identified with Lia, since I am too an average girl (speaking in economic terms, basically, I am a broke college student with a scolarship) attending to a school that has rich classist and racist people everywhere.

I think this book it's pretty realist (that word exists, right?), like, I think Lia's actions, consequences and trauma were pretty real, I mean, I haven't (SPOILER ALER, skip to next paragraph if you don't want to be spoiled) accidentally killed my asshole teacher that is also my boyfriend's uncle, but if I picture myself in that situation, probably I would do a lot of things that Lia did.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys thrillers and wants to get angry over some priviledged racist teens.

Btw, as final comment, I have to say that we could have saved so much trouble if Lia fell for Stacey instead of Danny.

Lia Setiawan is a misfit at Draycott School. While the school is extremely prestigious and takes in only the richest students, Lia gets in because of a track scholarship. She knows she is very lucky but that is before she steps inside the world of Draycott.

There is rampant bullying, substance usage, and cheating going on in the school. Even the track, where Lia is the fastest, is not safe for her. Her teachers seem to look the other way just like the other students. Plus, there is an app called Draycott Dirt or DD where all the rumours about everyone in the school are posted. Lia's personal hashtag becomes 'Parasite' and she hates everyone.

Luckily, she has her little group of friends and a boy she fancies to keep her spirits up. But there are things in the school that might pull out the ground under Lia's feet. Or much worse.

This is the second Jesse Q. Sutanto book I have read (the first was the brilliant, laugh-a-minute "Dial A for Aunties") and even though they are both completely different genres, I liked this book.

The teenage angst and struggles are well-written. The characters are real and the author touches upon serious topics and shows how debilitating they can be to a person, both physically and mentally.

The mystery is good too, for a YA book. I guessed the ending around the midway point but wanted to obsessively finish the book to see if I was right.

The narrator, Eunice Wong, was pretty good too, though she tended to overdramatize everything. That jarred at some points.

4 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

The New Girl
4/5 ⭐️

Thank you @netgalley & RB Media for this advanced listening copy in exchange for a review! This one releases today. Look at me being up to date on an ARC.

I did not realize when I first requested this one that the author wrote Dial A For Aunties which I’ve seen all over bookstagram and now cannot wait to read.

The description for this book made me request it immediately, get denied, then immediately request the audio because I needed it, now 😂

The drama was start to finish. Drugs, private school, extreme wealth and scandalous teachers, what could go wrong? Obviously everything. As someone who lived off the Pretty Little Liars series (ew, no not the tv series) throughout my teen years this was similarly amazing.


#theNewGirl #JesseQSutanto #YA #mystery #thriller #netgalley #ARC #audiobook #books #booksofig #bookworm #bibliophile #goodreads #newrelease #readinggoals #readingnow #nsbookstagrammer #canadianbookstagrammer

The plot really intrigued me and I loved the fact that it was by an Indo-Chinese author and the main character was also and it was rich in the culture - the food references really reminded me to try it.

Looking back on it - I am not the target audience for this book. I really did not like the main character and the narration just didn't do it for me - it was too over the top.

I can see that this would be great for certain people but not for me.

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

Wow what a ride. Although the author was heavy handed on the hints to the ending, and I figured it out pretty quickly, it still was a thrilling and exciting story to read. I had anxiety the entire time! Content warning for bullying, drug and alcohol abuse, overdosing, apparent suicide, family trauma, classism, racism, some gore.