This was a fun book! But I am so glad I do not live in New Orleans or any place this debutante crap goes on! I loved the different POVs from the Maids. I thought the story played out well, but it was a little on the juvenile side for me (yes, I know it’s YA, but still.) Overall, I enjoyed it and would read Olivia Worley again.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC of The Debutantes by Olivia Worley. Fans of Pretty Little Liars will find much to love in this book! It's a twisty, gripping mystery set against the vibrant backdrop of New Orleans during Mardi Gras. The story follows three debutantes—Piper, Vivian, and April—who are not friends but find themselves intricately connected by a series of dark secrets involving a missing queen, a dead queen, and their own hidden pasts.

Initially, I rated this book a solid 3.5 stars. The plot was engaging, and the setting of New Orleans during Mardi Gras added a layer of excitement and authenticity. However, it was the ending that truly elevated the book for me, bumping my rating up to a 4. The conclusion was both surprising and satisfying, tying up loose ends in a way that felt both unexpected and earned.

One area where the book could have improved is in character development. While the plot was compelling, I felt that the characters could have been more deeply explored. A bit more background and depth would have made their motivations and actions more relatable and impactful. I believe that expanding on the characters' histories and relationships would have added an extra layer of emotional resonance to the story. I did however love the social and political commentary throughout the book.

Overall, The Debutantes is a worthwhile read, especially for those who enjoy a good mystery with plenty of twists and turns. Olivia Worley has crafted a tale that keeps you guessing until the very end, and I look forward to seeing what she writes next.

The Debutantes by Olivia Worley is an excellent read for lovers of young adult mystery thrillers. The pacing was wonderfully done and character development was well-balanced. I had a really good time reading this story but would advise that readers be aware that it includes intense elements some of which veer into the horror genre.

The Debutantes is a horror/mystery book set in New Orleans. It is centered around three debutantes who are looking into the disappearance of their friend and, by default, into the murder of another friend the past year. I was a little "meh" about this book for most of it. I did enjoy the storyline (the girls looking into Lily's disappearance and Margot's murder). But once it turned down the path of a powerful, secret, woman-hating society that controls everything, I started to turn down the "meh" path. The ending was a very typical ending for this genre. But there was a neat twist that did take me by surprise.

I was immediately hooked by comps for this book, comparing it to Jessica Goodman meets The Agathas. It greatly exceeded my already high expectations! I especially loved the setting of this book in New Orleans. Mardi Gras was such a unique angle and provided such a vibrant background for all the twists and turns this book had in store. I felt truly immersed in this story and feverishly read to uncover the truth along with the trio of characters.

The story was fairly decent. As someone who doesn't read thriller/mystery often I even felt it to be a tad bit too predictable. I read it and enjoyed it none-the-less.

This book had a lot of promise but it failed to deliver for me. The characters were hard to tell apart and then fell more into stereotyped behavior. It was quick at times and then dragged at others. I didn't hate it but I did make myself push through to the end

This book has a little bit of everything, a missing girl, friends searching for her, spookiness, New Orleans, a pretty little liars vibe which is popular with my students and I think this will capture their attention and keep it. Sometimes getting them to finish a book is an issue, they want everything so fast and easy

Thank you st. Martens press and netgalley for this arc!

Set in New Orleans. Love the vibes of this book in spooky haunted Orleans but it did not live up to the hype. I do love the southern aspect of the whole debutante thing. As someone who lives in the Midwest I know nothing about this life but think it's interesting. One of the reasons I wanted to read this was New Orleans.

I thought the beginning had pretty little liars vibes, I love all things PLL , the books, shows. EVERYTHING. But I'm pretty disappointed and bored throughout this book. Very predictable.

What a fun book. I could almost imagine myself being a fly on the wall, because of how the author weaves the story and the ladies in the plot. I love that it reminded me of the Gossip Girl episodes with the debutantes and how high society it is but also with its own issues. Murder being one of them. Also I love that it was in nola that was so much fun and always a place I wanted to go to. The suspect named jester really came to lay out all their dirty laundry and it was perfection. Also the cover is amazing.

I absolutely love this author and everything she writes. This book....I devoured like all of her others. Thank you so much for the ARC!

This was a fast read that I really enjoyed. Pretty sure I finished it in a day. I needed to find out what was happening next and struggled to put it down.

Since this is a mystery/thriller, this will be short. The Debutantes takes place in New Orleans with old traditions. So pretty much white and rich. There is a court every year with a queen and her maids. Margot was queen the previous year and was found dead. Now Lily is queen and she goes missing that night. There is a message left for three girls that aren't friends. They all believe something bad happened to Lily but the adults think she just ran away. They started getting little clues and start looking into things themselves. They find a society with power and what they're doing is dangerous. None of them are safe.

The book has chapters from all the main characters. I wouldn't say that anything was shocking, but there were little twists here and there. I thought the pacing was good and enjoyed pretty much everything in the book.

I gave this 4 1/2 stars. Thank you to Netgalley for my earc.

i didn't get far into this one, unfortunately I had to DNF.

I felt that the pacing was a little weird and the writing isn't my cup of tea. I did like the mystery of what was happening but it didn't hold my attention.

This was a fun read. Every other review keeps referencing Pretty Little Liars... I've never read it (I'm not a huge "problems of rich kids" YA reader, to be honest), but feel like I might have to look into it now, given how fun I found this one to be. There is a darkness here that I found perfectly suited to the setting, and the weight of the issues these girls (and their families) faced added to that darkness.

By rights, it should have felt completely over-the-top and lost me several times, but it never did somehow. I found the writing engaging and the story easy to fall into. It's a world I know nothing at all about, and the history and majesty of the balls and krewes was cool to explore (although it's not a world I'd want to spend time in outside of the pages of a book). It was a fun and quick story that was entertaining if not enlightening, and I quite enjoyed it.

Things in this city never stay buried. New Orleans a home that is slowly sinking into the water. This story follows a dead debutante queen and her replacement. Margo is a an addict and a dead queen, lily is the new reigning queen and with her maids April, piper and Vivian the court is complete until a cruel prank causes another queen to go missing. I like piper’s perspective most and the alternating chapters with all the girls narrating. The end left me just staring in shock. Overall a quick thrilling read

. 4.5 Stars! The Debutantes is a fast paced YA thriller focusing on 4 teenage girls in New Orleans. When their Queen Debutante goes missing the other 3 Debutante Maids take it upon themselves to find her. While the girls are uncovering this New Orleans Krewe’s secrets, you’ll find yourself on the edge of your seat waiting to see what they find next. I found the glimpses into both New Orleans folklore and New Orleans social history to be fascinating. I deducted half a star because I figured out some of the mystery about halfway through, but the twist that came along with it was a good one!

3.5 ⭐️- I really was hoping I’d love this one! A murder in NOLA?! Debutante Balls?! A secret society?! All ingredients for a perfect thriller. However, between the switching of first person POV (confusing as hell) and jumping around in the story so it didn’t seem at all in succession, it fell a little flat.

I read the first three chapters totally thinking it was the same person talking- yes I know the name of the person is at the top but why was it all in first person? Just make it third person if you’re going to do that! I will die on this hill.

If you don’t get as whacky as I do about POVs and narration and love thrillers with a YA feel, this is for you!

Interesting young adult book with intriguing twists. I throughly enjoyed reading this book. It was definitely different from others I’ve read before

I absolutely loved the New Orleans setting and the seedy Mardi Gras Krews in this book!!

Read if you like:
Cults
Mystery
Mardi Gras
Growing Friendships
Secrets

This was such a great read!

I really liked how it was written, the tidbits you got out of each character, broken and growing friendships, the cult-like male dominated groups, and the young females fighting back.

It did get confusing with all the girls point-of-views, but as the reader learns more about each character, it’s easier to follow along.

The end climax was the last 25 % of the book and it didn’t leave me at all disappointed with the resolution, like some mystery build-ups can!

4.25 ⭐️ (rounded up)

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC of The Debutantes! YA lovers, this book is for you! A mysterious disappearance triggers a group of girls to come together to fight against dated traditions and get to the bottom of things. There are new revelations at each turn all set with the back drop of New Orleans. I enjoyed the alternating perspectives and the references to the unique traditions and culture of New Orleans.