I have a massive soft spot for YA mysteries and thrillers and this was no exception. While it was t the best one I’ve read- it was an absolute blast from beginning to end.

I don’t really get around to reading YA that much anymore and I’d forgotten how much of that teen angst I’d missed! Especially with this book that quite honestly gives Pretty Little Liars a run for it’s money.

Secret societies, a group of wealthy kids, MIA parents, one girl on a scholarship who desperately wants the jerky rich kids to accept her, and a dead body?! I don’t know about you but that checks all the boxes and then some.

Overall this was a fun book that gave me all the gossip girl vibes. Fast paced and with a few twists thrown in.

It gives gossip girl meets pretty little liars but make it a thriller.
This was definitely one of my least favorite book by this author. The plot was interesting but if just didn't give, it wasn't executed properly but it had a lot of potential to be better.

Very Pretty Little Lairs meets Gossip Girl. Was a very standard Y A thriller. The twist were not shocking. I did like the end how the girls got passed everything and were able to be friends.

I'd rate this book between a 2.5 and a 3.

I think this style of story is always popular. The blend of Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars is always liked however, I found the structuring to be odd and clunky with almost three POVs. The characters are vibrant and intriguing though and I'd recommend this if you like character driven stories.

Thank you NetGalley and PGP for the review copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

Book Review

The Legacies by Jessica Goodman
@JessicaGoodman
Pub date: July 25, 2023

I’ve read all of Jessica Goodman’s books and they are always page turners for me. The Legacies is a thrilling look into the lives of students at an elite prep school in NYC, focusing on the uber wealthy and the not so privileged, and the lengths they (and their parents) will go to gain membership into the exclusive Legacy Club.
Mayhem and murder, conspiracy and lies all culminate in one night; a night that is supposed to be all about the glitz and glam and happy smiles of acceptance. What leads up to that night was a fun twist to untangle, as is all of Jessica’s twisty YA thrillers.

One thing that I think that Jessica does exceptionally well is the emotional aspect of being a teenager and all the stressors that come with this; specifically, substance abuse, sexual trauma, grief and loss along with economic and racial diversity. Incorporating these things into a young adult thriller while keeping these issues valid and in the forefront is noteworthy.

As usual, I’ll be looking forward to what Jessica writes next.

My thanks to @PenguinTeen for this gifted copy!

We picked around 60 pounds of blueberries on Monday! What’s your favorite summer fruit/veg? Any favorite recipes?

Stay bookish, my friends

#PenguinTeenPartner #TheLegacies #JessicaGoodman #ReaderOfTheWrittenWord #YAThrillers #July2023Release #IReadYA #YAMystery #BooksBooksBooks

These "rich people with dark secrets that span generations" books are an utter addiction for me and this one was a great example. Rich like dark chocolate and compulsively readable.

This was SUCH a fun thriller! I loved the split POVs and the deeper mystery happening with the family. Hoping for a sequel!

Entrance into The Legacy Club can pretty much guarantee you anything you want in life. But when prep school students are nominated alongside a scholarship student, keeping reputations intact becomes everyone’s number one goal.

The Legacies by Jessica Goodman is the book for you if you like:
🔑 multiple POV
🔑 Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars
🔑 teens behaving badly

I do enjoy this author but I didn't love this book as much as I expected. I don't know if it was the content, but for some reason I struggled through it. Some of my students will like this darker story, but it just didn't hit for me right now. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Legacies is sold as a glitzy glamorous thriller set in New York's most elite society. And it wouldn't be a Jessica Goodman novel without a little bit of murder. As a treat. Goodman once again delivers on the secrets, the betrayals, and the jaw dropping plot twists. Her books all need to be adapted into tv shows or movies. If you are looking for a book with similar vibes I absolutely love The Thousandth Floor by Katharine Mcgee.

Thank you to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, Razorbill for providing me with a review copy.

This book starts with a death and then goes back to give us background. The Legacies is an exclusive club that has generations of families and they raise money. Tori is a scholarship girl, nominated to the Legacies by an unknown someone.

Honestly, there were a lot of characters to keep track of and the only ones I did keep straight were Tori (as she's not from a family that has Legacies) and Bernie (as her mom is missing and a big part of the Legacies).

There are, as there always seems to be, tons of secrets, money and other things exchanged for silence and cover ups that come from rich people who think they can do what they want. I did read this in a day though as it's very riveting and a reason I love boarding school type stories!

I really enjoyed the glitz and glamour and the gossip girl vibe. The plot twists were unexpected which was nice. I did have a hard time having the motivation to finish. It was intriguing but nothing original or just was missing something that didn’t keep me fully invested. But it was an overall good read and if you’re a fan of this genre I would recommend it.

Thankyou to NetGalley for the review copy!

Content Warnings
- Death
- Drug Use
- Sexual content

The Legacies is a YA crime novel set in a world of an elite club called the Legacy Club. On the night of the annual legacy ball, someone is found dead and it’s up to the main characters to out why. Is

I was so excited when I received an early copy of this book! I love Jessica Good man’s books and like all others I really loved this one. I love the dual timeline in this book, it help me to solve the case in my own way as well. This book, read like gossip girl, but with a murder aspect, and I was here for it.

This book was a solid look at the world of elite schooling, and what Teens will do for popularity and the idea that wealth can protect you from punishment.
I’m

Thank you so much to Razorbill and Netgalley for letting me read an eARC of The Legacies!
The Legacies 5/5 Stars
Summary from Goodreads: Old money. New secrets. One killer party.

Scoring an invitation for membership to the exclusive Legacy Club in New York City is more than an honor. It gives you a lifetime of access to power and wealth beyond any prep school doors and guaranteed safety and security as Legacy Club members always look out for their own. That is, after you make it through a rigorous week of events and the extravagant gala, the Legacy Ball.

So it’s not surprising when Excelsior Prep seniors Bernie Kaplan, Isobel Rothcroft, and Skyler Hawkins are nominated as Legacies; their family pedigrees have assured their membership since birth—even if they're all keeping secrets that could destroy their reputations. But scholarship kid from Queens Tori Tasso? She’s a surprise nominee, someone no one saw coming. Tori’s never fit in this world of designer bags, penthouse apartments, and million-dollar donations. So what did she do to secure her place?

The night of the Legacy Ball is supposed to be the best night of these seniors’ lives, a night of haute couture, endless champagne, and plenty of hushed gossip.

Everyone expects a night of luxury and excess.
No one expects their secrets to come out.
Or for someone to die trying to keep them hidden.

The Legacies was such a cool book- I really enjoyed it! I liked how it was told in multiple timelines- the past and then the night of the ball, ending the book with post the ball. I also liked the multiple points of view and the fact that I didn’t know who had died until we got the full picture of that night near the end! I love books where the mystery is kept until the real reveal happens. The connections between Bernie, Isobel, and Tori were so surface level at the beginning, but as soon as more and more layers were peeled back, so many more connections came into play and so many intricacies- I never know how authors are able to make things like that happen and lay things out like that! There are so many things I want to talk about in this review, but every one of them is slightly to very spoiler-y, so that just means that y’all need to read The Legacies so I have someone to talk about this amazing book with!

I really liked Jessica Goodman's books so I was excited to give this one a try.

The Legacies is set in New York and follows four senior students from Excelsior Prep. Three are legacy students and the exact people that would expect to be selected to join a super exclusive club, the third is Tori, who is a scholarship student. Everyone is baffled about Tori being one of the chosen.

My favorite book by Jessica Goodman so far. She has really grown as a writer and it shows! I look forward to reading the next book by her. Would recommend for fans of YA Thrillers and for fans of the show Pretty Little Liars.

This was SO good!! My favorite Jessica Goodman yet.

6 students have been nominated to join the Legacy Club, an exclusive elite club made of NYC’s most privileged. The story starts the night of the Legacy Ball, where a someone has fallen from the roof and been killed. It then flashes back to the events leading up to the ball. We get the story from 3 POVs: Bernie, the wealthy privileged daughter of the chair of the Legacy Club, Isobel, the Brooklyn artist with substance abuse problems, and Tori, the scholarship student from Queens, and the only outsider.

There were so many twists and turns in this story, I could not stop reading to figure out who was dead, why, and who killed them. It was a satisfying conclusion, though I feel as though I have some more questions—possibly a sequel in the future?? I loved this world and would love to return to it! 5 ⭐️!

Oh my gosh this book brought me back to days of binging Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girl in my teens! It’s a prep school who dunnit and it was a fun read. The writing style was perfect for this type of book and kept me guessing until the end. I truly couldn’t guess who had died the night portrayed in the book and who killed them, and enjoyed the dual timeline. If you’re a fan of multiple POVs, dark academia and an elite who dunnit check this book out. Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group for providing this book in exchange for my honest review.

It has been a while since I read a good exclusive rich society type of story and I was not disappointed at all. Goodman is an incredible writer who had a killer plot in this book with the Pretty Little Liars meets Gossip Girl vibes. The setting was great and the conflicts kept me entertained in the story. Though I wish the pacing was faster especially with revealing the secrets at a timely manner instead of dumping them towards the end. This book is told from multiple povs which was fun but also too many characters to keep up with. The side characters were great and the romance was a perfect touch for the book. It does lean a bit towards romance than thriller but I it just went with the book. The ending was ok as the secrets were mostly told instead of spread out. This was a great book and I totally recommend checking this book out.