This book was really good! I like how Worley took a classic mystery writing style and plot line, and added in the Southern elements. I’ve never read a book with this type of setting and characters and it was very refreshing. The storyline really pulled me in and I felt like the characters were both relatable and unique. The plot did drag a little throughout the middle, I feel like there were quite a few filler chapters where not much happened, but overall I wasn’t disappointed in how the story ended. I’m excited to see more from this author!

The Debutantes by Olivia Worley
Dark secrets lurk beneath the glamour in The Debutantes, a thrilling mix of high society and high stakes. Olivia Worley expertly crafts a tale of privilege, ambition, and deception, where every character has something to hide. With its addictive drama and sharp twists, this novel is perfect for fans of Gossip Girl and One of Us is Lying.

The Debutantes has all the vibes of dark academia that pulls you into the NOLA elitist world, and doesn't let go until you get spit out on the other side wondering where the time went!

I loved how this had all the moody nuances of secret societies, society climbing teens and missing debutante queens. By writing in multiple POVs, there is a depth to the story and how it unfolds that would not be present otherwise. I really enjoyed how the teens decided to take their fates into their own hands and do some amateur sleuthing.

While the pacing was excellent, the ending was a bit lackluster for me. I was expecting a big reveal that would take me completely by surprise, but that didn't happen for me. Granted, I am a very hard reader to take by surprise so this is a personal critique. The only other thing I would mention is that if you are put off by stagatory rape or morally grey characters, then this might not be the book for you.

I loved the atmostphere of this book and how original the setting was. I could not put this down once I picked it up! I would definitely recommend this to any YA thriller lovers and will watch for anything else that this author releases.

I really wanted to love this but I couldn’t keep the characters straight. The girls all sounded the same to me. I’m not sure if this is due to the audiobook so maybe don’t try that format.

A fantastic read! I thoroughly enjoyed this book from beginning to end, and couldn't put it down. I highly recommend picking this up for a fun quick thrilling read!

I’m not typically a thriller girl but I figured a YA thriller would be more my speed and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this.

It was cool to get a POV of the three maids, and I enjoyed the journey to getting to the reveal. This felt darker than I thought a YA book would go. Still amazing.

This was a solid YA mystery/thiller that dipped a bit darker than I expected -- and that made me love it ever more.

Set in New Orleans the book opens when a debutante goes missing from the annual pageant -- made creepier by the fact that last year's Queen also went missing. Three unlikely friends are brought together to solve the crime.

We get multiple POVs, a past mystery and lots of clues to follow. There's a big of the "dark underside" which I enjoyed. It gave me some feels of Gossip Girl + Pretty Little Liars. I was wholly entertained and will certainly be interested in reading more from Olivia Worley.

4.5⭐️

The way I found myself addicted to this entire novel was insane!!!

It has been a minute since a book had me only getting 4 hours of sleep, skipping both breakfast and lunch, and ignoring the people around just so I could finish it in one sitting. And while I was unable to read the entire book in one sitting, I was able to read 28 chapters in 4 hours. Like ooohmgee!!!

This is yet another book that I wish I was able to buddy read. I want to literally spill EVERY aspect of this novel, from beginning to end, all over this review. But, that would be definition of a person being rude, disrespectful, inconsiderate, and unkind. And because I am not that type of person, I will simply say this:

“If you are a lover of YA novels, especially murder mysteries/thrillers then READ THIS!!! If you are looking for a palette cleanser then READ THIS!!! If you need a book to just take your mind off of everyday struggles or to just get lost in something then READ THIS!!!”

Yes… Certain elements are able to be predicted within a few minutes. But, a greater number of other elements will having you saying “What The Heck Just Happened”?!?! One might even scream “Ooohmgee. Is (insert character’s name here) even thinking straight?!?! What further makes The Debutantes an even better read is that it contains the points of view (POVs) from four interesting and slightly lovable characters (i.e., Lily LeBlanc, April Whitmore, Vivian Atkins, and Piper Johnson. It is Piper and Lily who might get on a lot of readers’ nerves). Given that I have become really addicted to reading Audiobooks alongside their Physical Book components, reading this with the help of the audiobook made it is easier for me to tell all four girls a part. If audiobooks are your thing then I can guarantee (95% at least) that you will enjoy every aspect of this novel.

And while I enjoyed the narrator’s ability to bring the characters to life as well as enhance the enjoyment of the story as a whole, I did find it a little hard to connect with the atmosphere that was both New Orleans and The Debutante vibe. This is where the 4.5 star rating comes in. Even though parts of New Orleans were described, the parts mostly focused on Mardi Gras and one had to view this festival from a 17-18 year character who was either obsessed with it, could careless about it, or suffered from social anxiety to the point that talking about the festival gave her hives (not literally but the girl constantly turned beet red when she was required to talk to anyone). Again, I enjoyed all four FMC but imagining New Orleans from their POVs sucked to a great degree.

And then we have The Debutante Ball atmosphere, which was even harder to enjoy. I know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about a Debutante Ball other than what I read occasionally from books, which is far and few between. Having to rely on four teenage girls to explain The Debutante concept was both off putting and interesting??? I mean, Piper was literally the only one who cared wholeheartedly about the Debutante situation. Vivian and April truly didn’t give too craps. And Lily made to whole experience sound like a birth right (can we say “entitlement”; insert eye rolling emoji here). I did manage to laugh hysterically a few time but, more than anything, I found myself constantly zoning out only to have to play catch up a few sentences later.

Regardless of how disconnected I felt from the world in which The Debutantes took place, I truly believe that the story itself more than made up for it. Words cannot explain how I proud of myself I am for requesting this book. Holding off until 2025 to read this (given that I was approved to read and review last year) may have made my review a little bit late but, I DO NOT REGRET IT ONE BIT!!!

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for granting me an Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for my honest and personal opinion!!!

Are there still debutante balls out there? Remember in 2003 on The OC when Marissa Cooper’s dad got punched in the face at her debutante ball? In this book a girl gets ‘Carrie-d’ at her Deb Ball. Wow! They must all be this exciting. Kinda mad I never had one.

THE DEBUTANTES by Olivia Worley was a fun little YA mystery-thriller. So, last year the debutante queen, Margo, was found dead of an overdose. This year, another debutante girl goes missing and it’s up to a bunch of teenagers in big poofy dresses to find her! But watch out ladies, who can they really trust?

The New Orleans vibes were immaculate. The story itself was FINE. To be honest, I probably would have DNF’d if I hadn’t done the audio. Oh well! On to the next. Maybe YA mysteries where teens solve crimes aren’t my thing anymore? It seems to be a pattern as of late.

PS. I did not drink this tea- it is actually a candle. 😆

Thank you @wednesdaybooks @netgalley for this copy of THE DEBUTANTES!

Q. Have you ever been to New Orleans?
I love NOLA and have been a few times. They have the best ghost tours.

🖤🖤🖤

This was like a New Orleans version of Pretty Little Liars. If you liked that series, this is probably something you’d like. However, the characters were shallow and the story was frustrating. There were so many issues touched on, like corruption and perversion, but nothing was really solved. A couple of bad guys got caught in the end, but so many more just went on with their lives.

The story kicks off with Lily LeBlanc, the perfect debutante, taking center stage—until she mysteriously disappears after the ball. When three very different girls—Vivian, Piper, and April—find themselves drawn into the mystery, it quickly becomes clear that nothing about Margot Landry’s death last year was an accident. And now, with the Jester threatening to expose their secrets, they have no choice but to dig deeper into the deadly world of Les Masques.

What I loved about this book was how every chapter left me breathless. Just when I thought I had a handle on things, another twist would knock me off course. The tension between the three girls—who all have their own hidden motives—kept me second-guessing their every move. And the Jester? The perfect, sinister antagonist, taunting them at every turn.

This book was so suspenseful that I was practically speed-reading to get to the next reveal. It had that same high-energy, jaw-dropping quality as A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and One of Us Is Lying, but with its own eerie, Mardi Gras-flavored twist. I can already tell this is one of those books I’ll want to reread, just to pick up on all the tiny clues I missed the first time.

This is a great book and I would compare to the other YA thrillers I have read. This is written a lot like Holly Jackson and I love her books so I was pleased with this one as well!

This is the book I needed when I read it. The idea of debutantes and a terrible past with the previous year's debutant was found dead the morning after her ball. Now we have Lily who is the picture-perfect debutant and when she sends a text to two people she knows, these three come together but Lily does not show up. The three unlikely friends now need to work together to figure out what is happening underneath the glamourous debutant ball.

Suspenseful story with lots of twists and turns. If you've spent any time in New Orleans around Mardi Gras and know anything about Mardi Gras Krewes, you'll love this book.

The Les Masques Ball is the most anticipated social event in New Orleans. The night is here, and everyone is trying to avoid a disaster like last year, when the reigning Queen Margot was found dead. When Lily LeBlanc is crowned this years Queen, she is doused in fake blood, by someone wearing a Jester costume. She acts as if nothing happened, but sends a cryptic message to three other Maids, asking them to meet her the following morning to discuss what actually happened to Margot. When Lily doesn't show up, they receive an email from her claiming something went wrong, so they decide to search for her.

I listened to this on audio, and thought that it was a lot of fun! I didn't go into it expecting to like it as much as I did, but I was pleasantly surprised by this. The group don't normally interact much with each other - Vivien is Lily's best friend, Piper is Lily's boyfriend's sister, and April was her frenemy and they all had to work together to try to figure out where Lily was and I thought that made for an interesting dynamic between the three. We got POVs from all the girls, which made it all the more intriguing. I felt that it helped understand the characters and their inner thoughts a lot better then only seeing from one girl's perspective. I loved all the secrets they were uncovering as the story went on, and I was hooked with discovering more along side them. There were some twists that were predictable, but others I didn't see coming, so there was a nice balance between the two.

Title: The Debutantes by Olivia Worley
Genre: YA Thriller
Pub Date: October 29, 2024
📖 352 pages

"𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘵."

⚜️ Set in NOLA
⚜️ Twisty Thriller
⚜️ Death @ Debutante Ball
⚜️ Secret Societies (Cult)
⚜️ Missing Person
⚜️ Multiple POV

My Review:

This was a fun YA thriller! Though it was a bit too YA for me and I feel like I would've connected to the story more if I read it at age 15-18, as opposed to being an adult, it was a worthwhile read and an interesting story set in NOLA with some dirty secrets and a culty twist! I liked the ending and didn't feel like it wrapped up too quickly but was left wanting a little more resolution for the build up. Overall, I enjoyed the book! ❤️

⭐️ 3.5/5

Thank you so much, NetGalley and Wednesday Books, for the digital review copy!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an eARC of The Debutantes in exchange for my honest review!

This YA tale boasts some nice old thrills that benefit greatly from the New Orleans backdrop. The characters add some more meat to the story, too, especially as we dig up more and more info about Lily and the relationships that the people in her circle had with her. I do think this could get predictable sometimes and the tropes can become too familiar compared to other YA mysteries I've read, but it's still a decent time that shines a spotlight on the confined and submissive boxes that our patriarchal society shoves girls and women into.

Overall, I'm officially eating The Debutantes 3.25 out of 5 stars, which I'm rounding down to 3 stars. I'll keep an eye out for more of Olivia Worley's books, especially as someone who'd greatly enjoyed her 2023 YA thriller People to Follow.

A YA thriller set in one of my favorite cities...NOLA?!?! yes please! I really thought this was going to be a cheesy overly dramatic flop but NOPE. I LOVED IT! I thought the execution of the storyline here was genius. The insane plot twists & mind blowing turns i didn't come seeing....countless. I loved the characters and how descriptive the author got about the ball & the scenery. From start to finish this was a grand slam for me.

There is just something I truly love about reading YA mysteries that I had to get my hands on an early release of “The Debutantes”

Glamorous Southern Belles are having the night they have been waiting for, their Debutant ball, when it gets ruined by a prank, or is it?

The next morning, a girl goes missing and it feels all to similar to what happened a year prior when another maid disappeared the night after being crowned at her debutant ball.

The story is told from three different perspectives and revolves around some of New Orleans wealthiest families. Families that you may not want to dig into their past. This book was full of so many secrets and I really enjoyed reading it and having it start to all unravel! I also really enjoyed the three main characters that the story was told from. Another hit YA read for me!

my rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Perfect for fans of Jennifer Lynn Barnes' Debutantes series, Worley creates a world of society girls trying to understand the old boys club they've become so enmeshed with. The New Orleans setting was fun and the suspense was well-maintained throughout for a perfectly acceptable ya thriller.