If you are looking for a YA mystery/drama that reads like a true YA book, this is the one for you. I just KNOW I would have eaten this up when I was late middle/early high school. So no, I’m not really the target audience now, but 15 years ago this would’ve been 5/5 stars.

New Orleans debutante culture is a world of its own. And for a particularly rich population in the city, it’s a family business that is an honor to be a part of. That is, until last year’s debutante queen ends up overdosing in her car, and this year’s goes missing the night of the big event. Although the group of debutante maids might not exactly be friends, they are all bound together by a will to find Lily, and to figure out if her disappearance had something to do with Margot’s death.

I love high school mysteries because reading them as an adult really has me thinking, “Wow. There is NO way this would happen in real life.” The hijinks of these girls is almost stressful, but at the same time incredibly entertaining.

While this may not be something I’m going to urge my own followers to read, if you have a younger mystery enthusiast in your life, I can totally see this being something that they would love!

Thank you Wednesday Books for the gifted copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this one. I liked all the twists and turns in this YA thriller, and I liked the three different POVs. I found the end to be incredibly fast-paced and exciting, but I struggled a bit to get into the beginning.

The premise of this one was set up well. Lily LeBlanc is missing and none of the adults seem concerned, but Vivian, Piper and April know there’s more going on. Something has happened, and is it connected to the death of Margot Landry? As the three girls poke around and investigate, their own secrets are exposed and there are lots of ups and downs. I liked the Jester aspect and the mystery of what happened to Margot.

I am a sucker for books set in New Orleans, and I loved this glimpse into the world of Krewes, Mardi Gras, and debutantes. It felt a little cult-y at times, and it added to the thriller factor of the book. I had guessed at parts of the mystery, but the end surprised me. I liked how everything kept going back to the Krew and the traditions that the girls had been brought up in.

This was a fun and twisty read, and I’d definitely recommend it.

I couldn't put this book down. The twists kept coming!

Olivia Worley delivers an irresistible blend of high society glamor and gripping suspense in The Debutantes. Set against the backdrop of New Orleans' most exclusive ball, the Les Masques, this thriller grabs you from the start with its dark twists, mysterious deaths, and a Jester wreaking havoc behind the scenes. The central trio of debutantes—Vivian, Piper, and April—are complex and intriguing, bound by secrets and high stakes that keep you guessing. Perfectly paced and packed with tension, this book is an absolute must-read for fans of dark, glamorous thrillers!

Thank you Olivia Worley, St. Martin's Press, and Netgalley for the advanced copy.

📖: The Debutantes-a standalone

✍️ By: Olivia Worley- Read People to Follow and gave 4 ⭐

📃 Page Count : 345 eBook

🗓️ Publication Date: 10-29-24 | Read 10-23-24


🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books, and Olivia Worley for this ARC❤️ ! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions expressed are my own.

🌎Setting: New Orleans

Genre: Mystery/Suspense, YA Contemporary

Tropes: secret society, female friendship, the wealthy

☝🏾POV: 1st person, multiple

⚠️TW: murder, blackmail, cheating, statutory rape, racism, sexism, overbearing parents

💭Summary: It's Mardi Gras debutante season and Lily LeBlanc is this year's queen. The Les Masques Ball is only for the elite who attend the exclusive private school Edward T. Beaumont. Last year's queen Margot Landry died of a drug overdose. When Lily takes her throne on stage, a video with pics of Margot appears along with a masked Jester who throws fake blood "Carrie-style" on Lily's beautiful white gown. After the sabotage, Lily texts her maids April, Vivian, and Piper to meet her to talk about Margot. When they arrive at the meeting place, Lily 's not there and they learn later she has disappeared. They investigate deep into Krewe of Deus' secret society filled with backstabbing and lies.

🚺🚺🚺🚺 Heroines: Lily LeBlanc, Piper Johnson, April Whitman, Vivian Atkins-The Queen and her 3 Maids

🎭Side cast:

• Aiden Ortiz, Jason Boone, Milford Wilcox, Wyatt Johnson(Lily's boyfriend of 2 years and Piper's twin brother)-The Dukes/the girls' escorts.

• Coach Reed Davis-the girls' soccer coach

• Detective Marty Rutherford-Lily's godfather

• Genevieve Johnson-Ladies Krewe Liaison and Piper &Wyatt's mother

🤔My Thoughts: Another nod to the movie The Skulls with a murder and secret society gone wrong. Lily, April, Vivian, and Piper had complicated relationships-some friendly, some not. No one was innocent, out for their self-interests or to ruin someone else. I related most to April as the anti-social girl behind the camera. She was thrust into a world foreign to her for her father's stake. She took on the challenge to delve into Margot's death and Lily's disappearance. Lily, Vivian, and Piper had secrets they didn't want exposed, so I questioned their truths. The boys were clueless at times and emotional which I liked. I rarely read about teenage boys being vulnerable, but Wyatt, Aiden, and Wilcox fit the bill. This was a great one sitting read!

Range of emotions: 😬🤔🙄
🌶️: Spice 1/5-kissing and a bad 1st time-off page
😭: Emotion 4/5
❤️: Couple 2/5 Lily and Wyatt
⭐️: Rating 4/5

Solid YA thriller that’s pretty mid tier. This was a super solid book that I enjoyed but I somehow wanted just a little bit more.

I always go into a YA thriller with a bit of hesitation. They can go either way for me. Sometimes, I think they are too over the top. Other times, they are the right mix of thrilling vibes without getting too out of touch with reality.

This book was definitely the latter. I loved the New Orleans setting. It was a great backdrop for mystery and intrigue. I also appreciated the rotating perspectives. I felt like each one had a distinct voice. It was such a quick read. The cliffhangers at the end of the chapters really helped propel the story forward. It was a little reminiscent of Pretty Little Liars which I also enjoyed.

3.5 stars
This YA read was pretty fun and entertaining overall. There are a large number of characters and moving parts to the book, but once you sort everything out, this is a twisty mystery featuring the upper crust of New Orleans.

Four main characters narrate the book--Lily, who is just crowned queen of the Les Masques ball, Vivian, Lily's best friend, Piper, her boyfriend's sister, and April, someone Lily used to be friends with but now isn't. After the ball, Lily disappears. She sends a text to the three others asking them to meet her the next day, but Lily doesn't show. As the three work together to try to figure out what happened to Lily, they discover some secrets that others definitely don't want to see uncovered.

There are some good twists here--some I saw coming, but others I didn't. The characters are well drawn and detailed, I got a good sense of their motivations and this fast moving story kept me intrigued and turning pages. If you're a fan of Pretty Little Liars or The Agathas, this book will really appeal.

Set against New Orleans and the fame of Marti Gras comes a new YA thriller from Olivia Worley. The night after the Les Masques Ball, the newly crowned Queen Lily LeBlanc goes missing. Still riveting from the murder of Margot Landry, last year's Queen, three girls get pulled into the mystery surrounding Lily, and the dark side of the elite social scene.

I've always loved the glitz and glamour of New Orleans, but add the backdrop of Marti Gras? Immediately sold.

The alternating perspectives of the three main girls were done so well, and I absolutely loved Worley's writing style. The blend of drama, romance, mystery, thriller, betrayal, and everything else inbetween is done flawlessly.

The Debutantes is Worley's sophomore novel, and one you don't want to miss. Definitely pick this up if you're a fan of Pretty Little Liars and <i>Gossip Girl.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books for this eARC.

<img src="http://i68.tinypic.com/2rpr7nl.jpg" alt="NetGalley Review" width="150">

Set against the backdrop of New Orleans, this thriller is packed with unexpected twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat. With its unique atmosphere and intricate plot, the story delves into the disappearance of one of the debutantes. If you were a fan of the TV series Pretty Little Liars, you'd find yourself drawn into this story, where every clue leads deeper into a web of intrigue and suspense.

This book was okay. Fast paced and easy to read. Didn't connect to the characters and it was a bit predictable.

Thank you to St Martin’s Press, NetGalley and the Author for sending me this eARC after I reviewed an ARC of her previous novel (People to Follow).

Another solid YA novel by Olivia Worley! Fast paced, twisty, with a solid story and excellent writing to tell it. I definitely liked this more than her previous novel. I also found all of the New Orleans traditions and history for debutantes, Mardi Gras, etc. very fascinating. The characters were fleshed out and none felt flat. Did I guess part of the ending by about half way? Yes. But I didn’t guess all of the twists, so that’s a win in my book. It’s a bit far fetched, but it’s the same as any story with high school characters being basically professional sleuths. A fun read with twists and good story is all I can ask for.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The lives of the young, rich southern belles that put on smiles and dresses and follow along with antiquated traditions set by old white men.

I was engrossed in this mystery and how as a society it could still be acceptable to pander to these traditions. The fierce, young women that continually came up against the patriarchy in a search for truth and justice were both charming and inspiring.

Sometimes death isn’t as simple as it seems.

Read if you enjoyed: Little White Lies, A Good Girls Guide to Murder or One of Us Is Lying

3.5 rounded up to 4 due to being YA. I think YA mystery/thriller readers will enjoy this book. The author did a really good job with the multiple points of view, while keeping the amount of characters manageable. Although I have Tom admit they all kind of blurred into 1 person as the book goes on.
The story follows this year‘s queen, Lily, and her maids, Piper, April, & Vivian. At the beginning we see the “Debs” at their coming out ball, but it is ruined when the power goes out and when it comes back on the maids are splattered with red paint, with a photo montage of Margot’s playing on repeat (This group of Debs are living in the shadow of the death of last year‘s queen, Margot, on the day she was crowned The next day Lily (the new queen) is reported missing. This book filled with private school, murder, a secret society, and intrigue. I didn’t care for the ending, which is why I took a full star off. It felt implausible.

Unfortunately, I did not finish this book as I found it to be pretty boring. I normally love YA and all the secrets and drama but the pacing was just off for me

3.5 rounded up to 4 due to being YA. I think YA readers will really enjoy this book. The author did a really good job with the multiple points of view. Sometimes too many characters can get confusing, but I didn’t find that in this book. Each character's story and personality came through. The ending was a surprise and that’s what you want in a mystery/thriller.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced reader’s copy.

A twisty YA thriller. Worley does a nice job with the atmospherics but it was a bit disappointing to me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Over to others.

Hey note to self maybe don't attempt to read 3 books at once while also starting a new job.
Even though this took over a month for me to finish, I still really enjoyed it. I loved Olivia's debut so I was so excited to see her new one and even more excited for her adult debut next year. If you like a southern drama setting with a little dark academia mixed in, mardi gras vibes then I think you will really like this!

3.5 rounded up to a 4 for the review.

I really enjoyed this book! It’s been awhile since I enjoyed a YA thriller and I think this one was really well written and a lot of fun. I loved the setting. I felt like I was physically there in New Orleans which is an amazing feat as a writer.

The only issues I had with the book were the three perspectives were sometimes a bit hard to remember who I was reading from. The three characters started to blend together in personality.

I also wasn’t the biggest fan of the ending. It was very drawn out and was a bit convoluted with all of the reveals. The ending would be the only thing that I would really change about the book. Otherwise it was a super quick and fun thriller!

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for an e-ARC.

I was so intrigued by the synopsis, but this wasn’t for me. It was okay, but I was fully engaged throughout reading and found my mind wandering a lot which does not typically happen with thrillers.

Thank you too, NetGalley and author Olivia Worley for allowing me the chance to read the Debutants in exchange for an honest review.
In New Orleans, Mardi Gras and debutant season go hand-in-hand to locals. It is all part of the same season. It’s been going on for generations. This year‘s group of Debs are living in the shadow of the death of last year‘s queen, Margot, on the day she was crowned . The story follows this year‘s queen, Lily, and her maids, Piper, April, & Vivian. At the beginning we see the Debs at their coming out ball, but it is ruined when the power goes out and when it comes back on the maids are splattered with red paint, with a photo montage of Margot’s playing on repeat.
The next day Lily is reported missing and the maids can’t let it happen again. This book filled with murder, secret society, and intrigue.
I rate this book 3⭐️’s