4.5 rounded down.

Premise - following the suicide of her friend, Tina, blue collar Lou enrolls in a prestigious high school to get to the dark story behind her friend’s premature demise. She soon finds herself in over her head. Can she overcome a system of wealth, power, and coverups?

This is an institutional tale, not a popcorn thriller, but the stakes are high, the character well written, and the plot tight, so it kept me turning pages as fast as I would with a lighter read.

I think this dealt with a lot of YA topics, though in adult tone so I enjoyed it all the same.

Definitely check this out if you like dark academia and underdog stories!

📚 Series or Standalone: standalone
📚 Genre: thriller
📚 Target Age Group: adult (though I think teens would enjoy it too, given setting)
📚 Cliffhanger: no

✨ Will I Reread: maybe

💕 Characters: 5/5
💕 Writing: 5/5
💕 Plot: 4/5
💕 Pacing: 5/5
💕 Unputdownability: 4/5
💕 Enjoyment: 4/5
💕 Book Cover: 4/5

Thanks, NetGalley and Flatiron, for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My thoughts ⬇️

On one hand I want to give this book a 5 star rating with its intense page turner story line, but other times I want to give this book a 3 star rating with how difficult it was to digest some of these pages. This is why I settled on a 4 star rating. Hear me out.

As Fiona goes back and forth between past and present I find myself it two different places. The past left me binging these chapters, page after page, but when it came to the present I found myself having a difficult time staying engaged and focused.

👉🏼 “In the end, we’re the ones who have to live with the stories we tell ourselves.”

•powerful•

This book is the combination of Ellie Eaton's "The Divines" and Rosemary Hennigan's "The Favorites" that I did not know I needed. (Also with some "St. Ambrose School for Girls" vibes. Highly recommend!

Excellent. This is not the typical academia thriller. There are dual timelines, but the majority of the book takes place in the past, which is helpful for readers who prefer something straightforward. There is depth in the plotline and character rationales. Even when I found myself disliking a character's actions, you are set up to empathize with them. A strong read for fans of Kate Alice Marshall and Kate Elizabeth Russell.