Thank you for the ARC!
I enjoyed this book and really loved the characters and the story ! Definitely recommend.

Ehh, typical YA "thriller". I really guessed most of the twists. It gave me Pretty Little Liars vibes. It was very predictable and I honestly just got tired of it by the end.

Murder and Masquerades? Yes, please. I enjoyed the atmosphere in this one all the way the NOLA vibes were so great and enhanced the story. I loved the storyline.

The writing is quite good. Unfortunately, I'm just not the right reader for this type of story.

DNF

I kinda expected a bit more. I wanted a little more thriller than horror in my opinion. Not saying it's horrible, I did enjoy reading this book. Just needed more.

The Debutantes is a beautifully crafted historical novel full of intrigue, ambition, and complex characters. Worley’s writing immerses you in a world of glamour and danger.

This was a really good YA thriller for me. Sometimes they can be hit or miss for me. Sometimes they aren’t thriller enough and more just YA, haha if that makes sense.

It was a bit of a struggle to get into the book because of all the characters being introduced within a small window and all being fairly similar. But after that it only went uphill. The twists were twisting and the ending was *chefs kiss*

Overall it definitely felt like a YA read - which is lovely because sometimes books can get muddled between New Adult and Young Adult.

The characters we neither loveable or unimpressive in my opinion, and they just simpler where there. It felt like a wrong place, wrong time plot, though it's more explained later in the book why it was these characters that we are focused on.

I do appreciate the different aspects of New Orleans / Mardi Gras were a main focal point in the book - I also snagged a copy of the audiobook and highly appreciate the proper accents for the area.

It's a decent, quick read if you're looking for something different to get your hands on. Highly recommend for the teens that enjoy thriller/mystery books, or for someone who wants to dip your toes into the genre for the first time.

Oops, I forgot to write a review for this one right away! I know that I did not love it, and it took me waaaay longer than it should have to finish. I would try the author again but this one didn't stand out for me.

This was a fun and quick read. I thought that for a YA, it had intrigue and developed characters. I was never bored.

In The Debutantes, Olivia Worley invites us to the glittering Les Masques Ball in New Orleans, where debutantes don their finest gowns and darkest secrets. Last year, wild child Margot Landry was found dead after her reign as Queen—a tragedy that left the elite reeling. This year, the poised Lily LeBlanc takes the throne, but the ball is thrown into chaos by a mysterious Jester, and Lily herself vanishes, leaving everyone whispering: Is history repeating itself?

Enter Vivian, Lily's best friend; Piper, her boyfriend's sister; and April, a former frenemy. On the surface, these debutantes have little in common beyond their ties to the exclusive Les Masques and their posh private school. But as they dig into Lily's disappearance, they uncover secrets that suggest Margot's death was no accident—and that Lily might be in grave danger. With the enigmatic Jester threatening to expose their own hidden truths, this unlikely trio must navigate the treacherous waters of high society to unmask the culprit before another Queen meets a grim fate.

I'm giving The Debutantes a sparkling 3.5 out of 5 stars! The New Orleans setting is as rich and vibrant as a king cake, and the plot twists keep you guessing like a game of masquerade. While some character dynamics feel a tad familiar, the suspense and Southern charm make this YA thriller a delightful read. If you're in the mood for a tale of secrets, sisterhood, and society scandals, this one's worth adding to your TBR pile.

This book was just okay to me. It felt kind of juvenile in my opinion. Im not sure I dont think this book was for me. I jsut didnt clique with it like I had wanted to.

This book was really entertaining and had an interesting plot. I enjoyed reading it, but I also felt like it had a slow-ish beginning and then the ending felt like it was wrapped up too soon. The characters were hard to like, but I also think they were written well! Overall, I had a fun time reading this and finished it pretty quickly, there were just a couple things that bumped it down to a 3 stars.

Rating: 4/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

This book was something else. I loved that it started out at a Ball for the Elites in New Orleans with the news of one of the older queens is death, and the newest queen is now missing after the ball, with a lot of unexplained things happening it’s up to Piper, Vivian and April to try to figure out what happened to their friends. You will be wiped away in this mystery/thriller.

I found this thriller/mystery to be fast-paced with a lot going on. I didn’t mind the dual POV’s in this book at all because it gave you more information about what each of the women were thinking about with all the drama going on. I loved getting to understand the plot better and trying to figure out all the pieces all lined up. I liked that the author made sure to give some twists and turns throughout the book. I found that the City of New Orleans was the perfect place to have the plot, it had the spooky vibes that you want. I loved the jaw dropping trues that came out, and all the tension that the author wrote. I thought the book wrapped up nicely, and I felt as if the ending was realistic.

This book is perfect for YA thriller/mystery lovers. I know for me I will be picking up another book from Worley.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin Press for the opportunity to review this book.

This book was FANTASTIC!!! I was unsure if it was going to live up to what I was expecting based on the synopsis and boy did it. The dedication page was the first thing that really made me think it was going to be something special. Olivia Worley dedicated to New Orleans and it seemed almost apologetic. My interest was piqued for sure.

***Potential Spoilers Ahead***

This is told from 4 different points of views. Each one a different debutante. Each one with their own dark secret to hide and each one trying to solve the mystery surrounding a previous Queen of the Les Masques Ball's tragic death. It opens with the disappearance of current debutante queen, Lily LeBlanc. Lily is the poster child of what everyone expects a perfect debutante to be so when she goes missing everyone seems to have a theory.

Piper Johnson is singularly focused on being the best at everything. She is also one of the "Maids of the Ball" and the twin to Lily's boyfriend Wyatt. She isn't sure what is going on but knows things are not as they seem.

Vivian Atkins is a star soccer player, natural beauty, Maid, and BFF to Lily. When Lily goes missing she is distraught and eager to find out what really happened.

April Whitmore is the last of the 4 Maids on a quest to find their missing Queen. She hates everything about the whole society scene in New Orleans but tolerates the spectacle out of love for her Dad. Her best friend Margot was the previous queen that everyone is convinced took her own life but she knows to her core that something more sinister took place. When Lily goes missing April knows they are connected.

The Maids form an unlikely bond as they begin putting together pieces to find Lily and maybe in the process figure out what happened to Margot the year before.

I literally could not put this book down. The twists & turns as all the details begin unfolding were always surprising me. The ending even surprised me! This would make a very good movie or series for sure. This was a no brainer 5/5 for me.

This YA thriller is an addictive mix of glamour, secrets, and danger, set against the glittering chaos of Mardi Gras in New Orleans. With mysterious disappearances, dark secrets, and a Jester costume that screams trouble, the tension doesn’t let up. The characters are flawed, layered, and impossible not to root for as they unravel the truth behind the masks. Perfect for fans of twisty plots and high-stakes drama—this one will keep you guessing! 🌟🌟🌟🌟

For the New Orleans elite Le Masque ball is a right of passage.
But something is not right, last years queen is dead and this years queen has gone missing and no one seems worried. 
Parents and police seem to be brushing everything off. Could it be because they all have something to hide?

This felt like Pretty Little Liars meets secret society cult, and I was all for it.

At first it was a little difficult to keep the characters straight, but their difference in personalities eventually helped me keep them all straight.
This is a YA book, so it's not super dark and twisty. But I still enjoyed it!

I don't real a whole lot of YA fiction anymore, but it's nice when I do that I stumble upon a fun read like this one.

First of all, I LOVED this novel taking place in New Orleans, a place I have always wanted to visit. I also really enjoyed the idea of a Debutante ball, however what really did it for me in the dark underbelly that this ball brings with it.

But I think what I've been missing the most lately is a group of women that come together to try to figure something out, and I really loved the main characters so much.

This book was a fun little read that I genuinely enjoyed, and the ending was totally worth it.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was a fantastic YA suspense novel that kept me turning the pages right until the end. I enjoyed how the chapters were told in alternative view points from the Maids. Many plot twists and the writer really helped me feel all of the emotions of the maids trying to solve a crime. The only thing I didn't like is how the jester knew all the dirt. Great read and would definitely read more by this author.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press / Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. A twisty turny novel with three narrators trading off to find out what happened to Lily LeBlanc and Margot Landry after the Les Masques Ball. This was a super quick read that never slowed down the action and kept up the drama until the very end. I was not sure who the perpetrator was until we did get to the reveal but some of it you could see coming. If you want a young adult mystery or something to while away a few hours, this is the ticket. 3.5 stars.