The Debutantes centers around the social event of the season for the New Orleans elite, the Les Masques Ball. Last year debutante queen Margot was found dead the morning after the ball. This year everyone wants to forget about what happened last year. Lily is the debutante queen this year. Everything seems to be going fine until the ball is hijacked by a mysterious figure in a Jester costume. That night Lily sends a test to a few of her friends asking them to meet up the next morning. Everyone shows up but Lily. Now people think Lily going missing might be connected to what happened to Margot. But as they dig further into the truth the Jester starts threatening to expose their secrets. Will they be able to figure out what happened?

This was a typical YA thriller. I enjoyed this one for the most part. I did not like that it had multiple POV's in this book. I think that made it a little hard to keep up with what was happening. I did think this book was good and I was hooked. I will say I have read a lot of books with a very similar plot. I did think this writing felt a bit young ( which makes sense because it is a YA book) so that made me like this book less. But it is worth the read.

Thank you Olivia Worley, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

I loved the premise of The Debutantes, and I can see it making a fun limited TV series or a movie, but reading it was not quite as enjoyable. The story is told in 3 alternating POVs, and was a bit confusing as the characters didn't have clear, distinct voices. A fun and thrilling mystery culminated in a tired trope of an ending, which was disappointing.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book really makes me want to watch Pretty Little Liars again. A group of “friends” band together to find a their missing queen while running through the streets of NOLA in ball gowns and bare feet. This was a great YA read and I suggest it to anyone who likes a little drama.

One star docked because I wish the epilogue was different or from a different POV.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Olivia Worley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so much fun to read!! It reminded me of Pretty Little Liars in the best way possible. The plot moved on the faster side, especially with all of the twists and turns!! I highly recommend!!

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this title!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, & St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book had a lot of promise at the start. But as it went on, I struggled to keep the narrators separated because they were very similar. There wasn't a lot of character development, and then it all became predicatible. Still a good book and will definitely recommend to my students. Had a Pretty Little Liars vibe with a good amount of thriller/mystery.
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Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this title. This books like like Pretty Little Liars meets I Kissed Shara Wheeler. Lots of games and twists and turns and head scratching going on throughout.

The New Orlean's Debutante ball is disrupted with a macabre display bringing up the previous year's Queen, who died tragically. When this year's Queen disappears the following morning, an unlikely trio of Debutantes team up to investigate - which leads them into a dark world of traditions, secret groups, and coverups.

This was a fun YA read. The New Orleans setting was a lot of fun, as was the connections between past traditions in current times. Element of the plot had a very "Pretty Little Liars" feel in a good way - so if you enjoyed the latter, you'd probably enjoy this one.

I loved this book's New Orleans backdrop, as well as the inside peek into an elitist social scene that was fully corrupt and intriguing. I thought this novel did an excellent job of keeping a thrilling mystery plausible, while also adding lots of twists and turns that kept me guessing throughout. This was a great read for anyone who loves to peek behind the curtain and see that what's on the surface doesn't always match the chaos going on behind the scenes.

The Debutantes by Olivia Worley is at first glance not something that I would enjoy. But once I began the novel, I needed to know what was going to happen next. Each page was simultaneously filled with suspense and terror, making me wonder who was the real killer because none of the characters were who they appeared to be with every turn of the page.

I honestly had a hard time getting thru this book.
It did give me a bit of a pretty little liars feel. But I found it was very slow and hard to get into any of the characters. It’s definitely not a book that stands out to me. I did enjoy learning about the New Orleans debutant side. But honestly this was not a book that I really enjoyed. Maybe I’m just a bit old for it. It might be better for a younger audience. Yes I know it is a YA novel but it was just way to slow and drawn out for my liking

This book was absolutely amazing!! I was a fan of “People to Follow” and could not wait to see what Olivia Worley did next! “The Debutantes” did not disappoint! Twists and turns, characters you root for and characters that STRESS. YOU. OUT. But all in all they compile well in this book! I was on the edge of my seat and could not put it down! Definitely a must read!

This was honestly such a fun YA book. It felt nostalgic in a way I can’t quite explain. Very reminiscent of Pretty Little Liars. The plot was intriguing and the execution was amazing. Their were twists and turns, some predictable and some not even slightly.

The Debutantes by Olivia Worley was messed up. Southern traditions as dark and twisted as they come. So many issues with the Good Old Boys Club in this way. Olivia Worley dug in deep highlighting the New Orleans elite and their Les Masques Ball, the social event of the season. Unfortunately, last year ended with a dead Queen and this year it's not off to such a good start, when someone throws "blood" on Lily LeBlanc as she's about to take the throne. Lily has sent three texts to other debutantes that kick in motion a domino effect of events and boy do things really get messy.

This is YA and it has some YA attributes in the wording and actions of the main characters at times that I found a bit grinding, but ultimately the plot is great. The darkness in this book was captivating and the determination of these young women to uncover what happened was impressive. I mean, let's be real, F the Patriarchy. I was all about the takedown in this book!

"Pretty Little Liars" fans, get your "intrepid teens searching for the Queen Bee before the clock runs out" fix from this YA thriller set in the most mysterious location of all - the secret clubs, exclusive societies, and masquerade balls of New Orleans.

Three debutantes are on the case when their friend / nemesis Lily Leblanc disappears from the Les Masques ball, shortly after being crowned queen. This ball came to a sudden end when Lily was splashed with red paint, "Carrie"-style, but last year's ended with the death of the queen - "troubled teen" Margot Landry. Our intrepid sleuths think there must be a link between the two - but will they find Lily in time, and can they keep their own secrets (and selves) safe from their mysterious foe, The Jester?

Twists and turns abound - the Big Bad is not the biggest surprise, but the Bigger Bad, on the other hand...

This was a good young adult murder mystery full of suspense and mystery. The storyline was intriguing and kept me guessing until the end.

The Debutantes
By: Olivia Worley

Judge me if you must, but I find that I get on really well with YA mystery/thriller offerings. The Debutantes was no exception. I had a really good time with this one. Olivia Worley drops us right in the middle New Orleans Mardi Gras culture and walks us through some of the history as the story progresses. If you are a lover of the city, as I am, I think you will especially enjoy having it as the backdrop to the story. The mystery element takes a little while to gain its shape,but once it does the twists and reveals fall into place nicely. I enjoyed that Worley gave us smart, capable characters which can sometimes be hard to come by in a story like this, as the character’s’ dimensions are often sacrificed for the sake of plot progression. In this case, the stakes start out minimal, but get gradually higher and more serious the further into the story we get. My one real critique is that I believe Worley takes the easy way out when creating some of the tension by leaning in on the, “I hope no one finds out this terrible secret that I’m holding,” plot point for the protagonists. I didn’t think that it was necessary and the payoff was nil.

For those that are into mystery/thriller and don’t mind teenage protagonists, I would say to pick this one up. It’s a quick, easy, fun read that would be great for a plane ride, a beach read, or just a slow Saturday.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

This was a thrilling YA novel that kept me wanting to know what happened next. I read it in only a few sittings and it held my interest the entire time. However, once I finished the novel, I can't say that I thought about it again. The story and the characters were not ones that stuck with me. I don't know that I could provide a thorough and accurate synopsis for someone if I tried.

Though entertaining, it fell short of being a "great" thriller for me.

Ugh this book!! Such a thrilling edge of your seat read from start to finish. I thoroughly enjoyed playing the guessing game with this one. It felt like PLL meets Scream Queens. I love a well written whodunnit book!!

The main characters are so well written and their stories really fascinated me in relation to the murder of their friend. Absolutely loved the setting and time the story took place. It added to the spookiness. I did find it a bit predictable but the twists to get there blew my mind each time. I found myself talking out loud to make sense of what I was reading. A big hit for Olivia Worley.

I will say this is my second by Olivia Worley and she’s become an auto read for me! Her books keep me invested and on the edge of my seat from start to finish each time.

Thanks so much NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC.

Title: The Debutantes
Author: Olivia Worley
Genre: YA Thriller
Format: eARC
Series: NA
Star Rating: 4 stars

tw: fake blood, alcohol, teen death, underage drinking, racism, real blood, assault, misogyny, infidelity, underage relationship

A special thank you goes to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for providing me with a copy of this book. Please know that this does not influence my rating or thoughts on the book itself.

I wasn’t too sure about this book when I first started. There were quite a bit of characters, both main and side characters, to keep up with and only one of them had a somewhat original voice. I’m also not familiar with New Orleans or a lot of the traditions they have. And while the book does explain the traditions, it was a little hard to keep up with.

While I did end up giving this book four stars, it took a little bit for me to get there. One of the problems that I had was the plot itself. It wasn’t presented right away so I wasn’t sure where it was going to go. I wasn’t sure if the girls were trying to find out who killed a debutante and their friend, who kidnapped their other friend, or both. After a bit, the smoke cleared and I was able to figure things out and enjoy the book more.

Let me talk about the characters. There were four POVs but there were three main ones. We had April, Vivan, and Piper with Lily having a POV at the beginning and end of the book. While I didn’t mind these characters, I was not in love with them. Piper and Vivan were pretty similar and if their names hadn't been on the top of the chapter pages, I wouldn’t have known who they were. April was the POV who I recognized but that was because she had a camera and an “I am better than everything who participates in this” attitude.

Overall, despite my complaints, this was a great book. It has made me pretty terrified of teenagers. Maybe My Chemical Romance was on to something. They can be so terrifying! But besides that, I think this was great. The twists and turns kept me guessing until the very end. I highly recommend this book.

This is a book that fans of Pretty little Liars may well enjoy. it had a lot of promise, but it failed in its delivery. Characters weren't distinct. They were quite stereotypical, and it was hard to stay engaged with or care about what happened to them. The pacing was very uneven. The mystery angle was okay. Overall, this was quite predictable, and the ending felt rushed.