After They Wish They Were Us, I was looking forward to another solid mystery/thriller from this author, but I found I wasn’t quite as attached to this one. Perhaps it was because of the slightly one-note motivations of each morally grey narrator—who weren’t quite ashamed of their actions but also weren’t willing to own them and enter their villain eras, either—or perhaps it was down to the plot itself. I really enjoyed the split narrative that jumped back and forth between the night of the ball and the events leading up to it, but after such a long build up, I found the night itself a little anticlimactic. Nevertheless, the Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girl vibes really made this book what it is and resulted in a fun but slow read.

The Legacies by Jessica Goodman
⭐⭐⭐.5/5
🌶️/4
TW: drugs, alcohol, death, absent parent, sex, cheating

Only the privileged, richest, and children of the most recognized and famous families get nominated to join the Legacy Club. For Bernie and Isobel, the nominations were almost guaranteed. Tori on the other hand, is a nobody. Her family is struggling financially after her mother's death, and nothing about her stands out. For the last 4 years, she's felt like an outsider. At the week long Legacy club initiation, she feels it even more so. How did someone like her manage to get one of the six nominations from her school. What secrets is Isobel hiding from her best friend? Where did Bernie's mother disappear to? And most importantly, how did one of society's most important children end up dead?

This story is told through three different perspectives: Bernie, Isobel, and Tori. Jessica Goodman did a good job of giving them each their own unique voice, so it was easy to distinguish who was who. That being said, none of the characters were particularly good. I'm sorry, but I have a hard time sympathizing with a bunch of rich kids who have had everything handed to them. Tori isn't like most of the characters we see throughout the novel, but she also has her downfalls, which I won't spoil. Drugs, alcohol, and teen sex is all prominent in this book, and when it comes to the big scandal and reveal, it was all just a little disappointing. The ending also felt rushed, like maybe there could be a sequel, but I have no idea what it would even be about. Anyways, it was a fun read and it definitely kept you guessing, but it's just not my sort of novel.

4.5⭐️ | 📖 The Legacies by: Jessica Goodman | 📅 Pub Day: Tuesday July 25, 2023

The Legacies takes place in NYC, among the children of the wealthy elite as they set out to celebrate Legacy Ball Week. Becoming a Legacy member is highest honor for these teens, as it get you into the “IT” club and lays out a life of luxury and privilege for the rest of your life!

In this book we follow the four points of view Bernie and Isobel (two best friends and children of the wealthy elite), and Tori (a scholarship kid from Queens) as well as the “After The Ball” viewpoint where we receive limited information piece by piece of WHO was killed, WHO was the killer, and WHY were they killed!

Jessica Goodman always does such a fantastic job of making books that are my taste to a T! Fast paced, pages turners, with spoiled rich kids, and dark academia with some fun twists and this book was no different!

The vibes are definitely Gossip Girl (the original series) meets Gossip Girl (the new series) meets Pretty Little Liars!!!! So if you like that combo this book is definitely for you!

Special thanks to Netgalley, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group/Razorbill for the eARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

I liked this book but I didn’t think it was that great. Just didn’t love the time jumps and some other things but overall it was a fun read just was middle road for me.

thank you netgalley and penguin young readers group for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!!!

ok so. overall i enjoyed this a lot. it took me a while to really get into, which had been the case for another book by this author as well. however, about 1/3 of the way through, was when i started to really get invested and excited in what was happening next. i think the flash forward chapters helped add a lot of excitement and anticipation, and i love that they were primarily a third person sort of omniscient POV, as opposed to the regular chapters which were the POVs of the characters. the characters weren't exactly LIKABLE, apart from tori, but that isn't a bad thing. i think it would have been extremely unrealistic to have teenagers who grow up with that immense amount of privilege and wealth and ignorance to be likable. i do think the plot was pretty predictable overall, but thats also not necessarily a bad thing either. the reveals were satisfying BECAUSE i had been able to predict them and they aligned with the hints and foreshadowing.

honestly overall? this book just reminded me how much i hate rich people

digital ARC was provided by Netgalley and Razorbill

Synopsis
Bernadette, or Bernie, Isobel, and Tori were three nominees among others to join an exclusive club that could boost their social and academical standing. However, a missing mother, a lawsuit gone wrong, a cheating scene, and a past secret resurfaced before the ball. Someone died, but who? And the most important part: who did it?

Like and dislike
Not gonna lie, it was hard to connect with the three main characters simply because they were one too many povs, the writing was also quite similar which hinder the process. But once I got to the meaty part, boy, it was addicting! There are layers on the book where you thought you already peeled something, turned out, there were still more!
I was glad that the book could get me out of my reading slump. A good one.

This was a juicy read, filled with betrayal, secrets and powerful people doing devilish things… and I loved it!

We follow a group of elite prep school kids on track for the coveted spots as prestigious Legacies, a society of well connected individuals with money and power. But, at the ball, the event that concludes the festivities, someone winds up dead and we get to maneuver through all the twists and turns to uncover the truth.

Through an ensemble cast, we get the days leading up to the events through narrators, queen bee Bernie, her best friend Isobel, the artist, and Tori, the scholarship student nobody suspected.

These kids and the things they got up to were wildly entertaining. With so many things going on, it did take me a little while to get my bearings. But once I got a feel for the characters and the different relationships and dynamics between everyone, you couldn’t have pried this book from my hands.

I love a good dark academia setting, and this one didn’t disappoint.

This book is very much gossip girl but with murder, but that wasn't enough to keep me hooked. I was less intrigued by the glam of the setting and more annoyed by the characters before long.

Just once I'd like a book about teens in society to really surprise me. This was not that book.

An old secret club in New York annually admits a number of high school seniors who attend certain elite schools in NYC (note: including a Quaker school was a definite false note - the families might be part of that world, but the school definitely wouldn't be). There's mystery about who will be nominated and by whom, and All Will Be Revealed at a luncheon the day before the Ball. Annnnnnd.... yawn.

No surprises about what happens next: secrets revealed, relationships torn, etc.. Still, if you're interested in teen angst and generational secrets, this is your summer read.

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

I chose to read this book because I saw it was like a combination of pretty little liars and gossip girl and I was not disappointed. I loved the drama, the suspense, the build up and everything else about this book!

Once I started this book I couldn't stop thinking about it and wanting to read it! I would not mad of this book became a series!

As expected, a solid YA mystery from one of the most consistent newer voices! Quick chapters and multiple perspectives, and a clever way of making it so readers don't have all the information (but can make a lot of different guesses).

this was just as twisty as I would expect from Goodman. The elite are full of secrets and I enjoyed watching them unravel here. The multiple twists and turns made this an enjoyable read

Nothing sucks me in more than a bunch of rich fools that hoard secrets more than a squirel and its nuts.

I'll take rich people drama with a side of tea any day please. I find that books with upperclass secret societies is so interesting. I love finding out about all the terrible things these people do. It's addicting.

Jessica Goodman's "The Legacies" sucked me right in. The pages are riddled with everything that I love when it comes to teen mystery novels. An extravigant prep school. Unreliable characters everywhere. Secrets kept. Relationships at their brink. Shocking reveals around every corner. Lots of money on the line (duh, fictional rich people throw their royalties around like candy)

I feel that its super important to note that even though this is classified as a "young adult" novel there are some heavy topics including drug and alcohol abuse, divorce, suicide, murder and sex. I would say this is only appropriate for teens that are in their sophomore to senior year of high school but what do I know, I am just basing it on what tiny Dani's experienced and what would have made me uncomfortable while growing up.

This is one of the biggest reasons why I felt that I could thouroughly enjoy "The Legaies." This book is pretty close to being adult fiction. The topics are heavy. The characters are all really messed up. The mystery is shocking.

Pick up Jessica Goodman's latest to be transported to a rich and elaborate prep school you never knew you wanted to attend.

Wealth. Mystery. Murder.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who loved the books:
- Pretty Little Liars
- Gossip Girl
- The Inheritance Games
- One of Us is Lying
- We Were Liars

Thank you Penguin Teen for the advanced copy of this book!

You can get a copy next Tuesday, July 25. Be sure to support Jessica Goodman and Penguin Teen by following her on all social platforms!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

Being a Legacy is all that Bernie Kaplan has ever wanted. It is a sure way to achieve all of her lofty goals. Only 6 students per school are admitted, and she's thrilled when her best friend Isobel and her boyfriend Skyler are nominated with her. The only shocker is that scholarship kid Tori is also nominated. Just as things seem like they are going to her way, Bernie's mother disappears. As she and the rest of the nominees work through the week of the Legacy Ball and their chance to win $25000, secrets begin to come to light that will rock them all.

i thought this was a fun read. It's very Gossip Girl and teen drama, but I don't mind that. I will say that I knew very early on what was going on, so there weren't any shocking moments, but it was still a fun read that kept me enthralled.

The Legacies is a YA thriller following several students of Excelsior Prep who are nominated for the elite Legacies club during their senior year of high school. All of the members have ties to those already inducted, except for one. No one can figure out how Tori, a scholarship student from Queens, managed to score a nomination. We get the perspectives of Bernie, our queen bee and perfect student, (think Blair Waldorf but nicer), Isobel, the drug addicted artist and Tori, our enigma. On the night of induction, it’s customary for the club to hold the Legacy Ball but this year, one of the attendees dies at the party and the police have questions. The Legacies alternates between the past and present and allows the reader to relive the events leading up to the death. Each of our students has secrets they’re hiding and the gradual reveals will keep you hooked. I really enjoyed The Legacies and I couldn’t put the book down! As always with multiple perspectives, there were some that I enjoyed more than others, namely, Bernie’s chapters and the glimpses into the night of the Legacy Ball. The Legacies definitely falls into the genre of rich people behaving badly, and I liked how we saw the consequences of the parents’ actions affect their offspring. There’s no question that Jessica Goodman is one of the best YA thriller writers currently publishing stories and The Legacies is her best book yet. Personally, I will continue to pick up anything she puts out. If you’re a fan of Gossip Girl, and/or Karen M. McManus, you’ll definitely enjoy this book.

The Legacies is such a fun, twisty mystery that kept me reading from the very first page! If you like high school drama, a la Karen McManus' work, you will love The Legacies. I love how the mysteries kept coming -- there wasn't just one mystery or one thread. The story was also told back and forth in time and through multiple perspectives -- keeping you guessing and reading. Though fun and twisty it also dealt with serious topics in an engaging way from healthy relationships to drug and alcohol abuse to privilege and power. This was the perfect summer mystery and one I'd highly recommend if you like YA, mystery, social drama, Karen McManus' books, or want a good, fast summer read.

I really enjoyed this! I read another book of hers, They Wish They Were Us, a while back and enjoyed it too, so I’m not surprised I liked this one a lot.

I loved the concept and I think it was executed very well. I was engrossed in the story and didn’t want to put it down!

I mean rich kids at a fancy ball and then a scholarship kid?? Mystery and intrigue and thrilling moments? What more could you want?

I will admit it took me a little bit to get into the story, I think in large part because none of the characters were particularly likable. I found this to be a pretty quick and fun read in general. I can't wait to read more of Jessica Goodman's books. I will be recommending this book!


Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, Razorbill for allowing me to read this ARC in advance for my honest opinion.

The Legacies peels back the gilded curtain of wealth and privilege to expose the sickening belly of secrets and scandal lying beneath. It is a delectably dark and bingeable read, perfect for summer.

Jessica Goodman just hits the spot for me with her mysteries – they’re slick, salacious beasts that I just race through. Yet again, the intrigue and pacing were perfect and the characters were deliciously flawed. There is such a gloss of perfection over all of them initially, enshrined in positions of wealth and luxury. They have everything you could ever dream of, or so it seems? As to be expected with Goodman, she breaks down that veneer and every layer beneath it to show them as the complex, charismatic and often cruel people they are beneath. There is so much manipulation and deception going on, with games within games that only become fully transparent by the end of the book. These are people set on destructive paths, with secrets ready to blow up at any given point. However, they are still vulnerable and often relatable, with Goodman allowing them fallibility and nuance. After all, they are still teenagers trying to fully find their place in the world.

The central mystery is also well-crafted and tantalising. You cut between different viewpoints and timelines, trying to establish what has actually happened and slowly uncovering clues from each side of the story. Goodman often contrasts a shocking reveal from the present with some information from the past, which suddenly takes on a whole new significance. In a split second, everything changes. I love books that keep you on your toes like this and Goodman constantly keeps you guessing.

The Legacies breaks down the ivory towers to show a messed up bubble of gilded cages and perfect veneers that mask a world of pain and pretty complicated people.

I so loved this book. Made me think of Gossip Girl with the private school and club. There is a death. The author does a good job disguising who it is until almost the end. There are a couple of bombs that get dropped that are surprises. A fun book to read.