This one is a solid YA read that delivers without overselling itself.

The setting of New Orleans works for some of the antiquated events that occur; there's believability there. The reliance on phones, social media, and social circles are also instrumental both for the plot and for the realism of the story. It takes a minute to grasp who each MC is which as the narration jumps around, but the POVs add more interest to the story as it allows simultaneous plot lines to run. While I wasn't particularly drawn to any character, there was enough depth to differentiate them and allow their strengths to develop. Pacing was quick and kept everything moving. Per usual, the "twists" were really twists; it's easy for an avid reader to figure out 90% of the ending, but it was still a satisfying read.

Overall: 4 stars (I really liked it)

**Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for the free ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.**

After a heavy last read, The Debutantes was exactly what I needed. This is my second Olivia Worley novel and I liked it as much as the first. It’s a young adult psychological thriller that is fast-paced, and while twisted, easy reading.

The Debutantes takes place in New Orleans, amidst the deep southern tradition of (you guessed it) teenage debutantes. Last year, the Mardi Gras debutante queen was Margot Landry. She’s dead now, of a reported overdose. But when this year’s celebrations take a twisted turn, a group of this year’s debutantes get suspicious. The story alternates between perspectives of each of the young women, with hints of lies and scandals in each. Things get dicey, dangerous, and twisty. There’s also some feminist undertones, which I appreciated. I had a sense of where things were headed through most of the story, but there were surprises and it moves quickly enough that I was eager to find out exactly how things would turn out. As you might expect with this type of book, there are some triggers, particularly violence against women.

Recommend. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Southern culture is unique, especially the rich and white sort. They all gather in New Orleans to celebrate Les Masques Ball. The crowned queen goes missing and a mischevious, elusive jester starts stalking about and threatening to reveal secrets and lies.

This was an excellent YA thriller. Twisted and wicked. Every character holds motive and secrets behind their millions dollar smiles.

Worley has written a great YA thriller for a new generation. She heightens the suspense to unreasonable level of tension into a release during the denouement. Wholly satisfying. Buy a copy for then teen in your life.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

Olivia Worley's "The Debutantes" is a riveting thriller set against the glamorous yet perilous backdrop of New Orleans' elite social scene. The Les Masques Ball, the crown jewel of the debutante season, takes a dark turn when the newly crowned Queen, Lily LeBlanc, mysteriously vanishes after the event. This disappearance stirs up haunting memories of Margot Landry, last year's Queen, whose untimely death was shrouded in whispers and scandal.

Worley masterfully intertwines the lives of three debutantes—Vivian, Piper, and April—who, despite their different backgrounds and histories, must unite to unravel the sinister secrets lurking beneath their polished exteriors. As they dig deeper, the specter of Margot's death looms large, suggesting that her end was no mere accident. The narrative is intensified by the presence of a menacing figure in a Jester costume, whose threats to expose the girls' own secrets add an extra layer of tension and urgency.

"The Debutantes" is a deftly crafted tale of mystery and intrigue, where every polished smile hides a potential motive, and every socialite has something to lose. Worley's characters are complex and compelling, their secrets as intricate as the masks they wear. The suspense builds to a fever pitch as the trio races against time to uncover the truth and prevent another tragedy.

This novel is a must-read for fans of thrillers and anyone fascinated by the dark undercurrents of high society. "The Debutantes" keeps readers on the edge of their seats, guessing until the very end. It’s a captivating blend of elegance and danger, proving that in the world of debutantes, the most dangerous monsters are often the ones hiding in plain sight.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for an advanced copy to review for my honest opinion.

This book had me invested! Absolutely amazing from the plot to the twist. I could not put this book down. Chefs kiss highly recommend this book!

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

First off - I am a huge fan of YA, if it is well written, & I love a good thriller. Olivia Worley delivered both in The Debutantes. This is an extremely well written YA book, complete with a very vivid setting in New Orleans, multiple POVs, mystery, suspense, & a very engaging storyline. Worley writes in such a way that you feel as if you are immersed in the deb scene in New Orleans. This book is very reminiscent of Gossip Girl or Pretty Little Liars. Now I’m on the search for more books like this one- I loved it!

Thank you NetGalley & St.Martin’s Press|Wednesday Books for an ARC copy of this book.

It took a bit to get into this one. I didn’t find any of the characters particularly likable and the alternating POVs made it hard to follow (it took me awhile to even tell the difference between the girls). I did like the setting and the NOLA scenery/history sprinkled in.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I devoured The Debutantes in one sitting! It’s what you’d get if Pretty Little Liars was set amongst southern debutante culture. It’s also very reminiscent of Ashley Winstead’s The Last Housewife, with all the seediness of patriarchal culture rotting in the systems of our society that feed issues like classism, racism, corruption, and sexism.

I loved the different perspectives of each of the Maids and felt they were very well developed characters. Their tentative but enduring bonds of sisterhood showcase the strength of women and girls. As a sophomore novel, this book is an absolute triumph. It’s engaging, relevant, and doesn’t shy away from the hard truths of our world. I cannot recommend it enough!

Please note, this book and its themes are intended for a mature, upper YA audience. Be sure to check content warnings before reading or recommending. Thank you to Netgalley, Wednesday Books, and St. Martin’s Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, I had a fun time with The Debutantes by Olivia Worley and consider it a 3.5 star read. The setting was on point with the whole New Orleans / Mardi Gras / Southern Belle aspects, but the plot dragged a little bit. If the pacing were quicker, it would be a 4 star+ read.

In The Debutantes, we follow the stories (multiple POVs) of a few 17 year old girls that are a part of a debutante ball sponsored by one of the largest, oldest, and richest Krewes of New Orleans (the social organizations that build the floats and have the parades and parties for the Mardi Gras season.) They are, of course, the elites, which gives it great Gossip Girl vibes. At last year's event, the Queen, or head debutante, was found dead. This year, the new Queen is splashed with fake blood at the event and disappears the morning after, leaving her fellow debutantes to search for her and uncover the mysteries around the previous queen's death as well.

Although I didn't connect with the characters much, I'm not sure it was necessary in this mystery thriller, as I was invested enough in the plot to finish it quickly. There really were some great twists that made it not completely predictable, which is always appreciated. I think it will be enjoyed by the YA thriller audience.

Thank you, Olivia Worley and NetGalley, for the ARC. I leave this review voluntarily and happily. Also, thank you publishers for your hard work!

This was definitely different. I loved that it was told in multiple points of view. When a book has multiple points of view, I'm immediately interested. This is a who done it. There's murder, mystery, suspense, and a lot of emotions going on through this book. It does go between fast and medium paced, which is nice. The chapters weren't too long, so it didn't drag on. It leaves you satisfied in the end, but I was wondering if something else could have happened. The drama is definitely real, and you can only hope the main characters get through this book safely.

A queen goes missing the year before the queen died, and now things are just not right. Is this all due to a prank going horribly wrong, or is there more to it? What does all it mean, and will they uncover secrets they shouldn't? New Orleans is definitely a place to have fun and enjoy oneself, but it also holds dark secrets, and soon they may be spilling out, and what's our main Characters to do?

All in all, I definitely enjoyed this book. I had no idea who the culprit was all the way to the end. It was shocking, to say the least. You'll definitely love the main characters and root for them all the way till the end. Expect twists and turns and the end! Ahhh! So good!

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!
This is the first book I’ve read by Olivia Worley, I wasn’t sure what to expect and was basing my interest in the synopsis. Overall, this was just ok for me. I had a hard time staying 100% invested in the story, and felt like it dragged at times. There was a lot going on with several characters that got a little confusing at times. While it wasn’t a hit for me, it wasn’t a total dud either.

"I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.

3.5-3.7 stars.

This book is set in New Orleans in late December/early January, right at the end of deb season and the beginning of Carnival. It is told from three different perspectives, those of Piper, Vivian, and April, three debutante "Maids" who get tangled up in the mystery of two debutante queens, Margot (who died mysteriously the year before) and their fellow deb Lily, who goes missing the night of their ball.

I'm really struggling with what to rate this book, because there are so many elements that I love and yet also some things that I struggled with. For one, I love the setting! I can feel New Orleans in this piece and I enjoyed that a lot, especially as someone who loves the city. I also really like the way that all of the characters, even Margot, express their feelings about New Orleans, whether they love it or loathe it, because that element really helped me to understand the characters. I learned a lot about Mardi Gras culture and Krewes, as well as a lot about Mardi Gras debutante culture, which I had no idea about, so it was interesting (and at times, unsettling, though I'm sure that's the point). I enjoyed this setting as the back drop for the mystery and thought it was the perfect combination of serious, fun, interesting, and spooky. I think this setting choice also allowed the author to discuss important topics such as the toxic elements of debutante culture, toxic masculinity, and feminism (especially how women are exploited or forced to operate within environments like the Krewe of Deus and debutante culture). I also liked the three main characters and enjoyed getting to know them and watching and their friendship grow.

But, I did struggle at times to understand the characters. I felt as though there weren't many details grounding them, especially Vivian, who felt less well-rounded than the other two and less like a true individual. I also thought that the author struggled with side characters. For example, we meet the parents of all three debs early on, but only Piper's come to play a significant role, which is confusing. Or Savannah or Aiden, who are really interesting side characters, but who aren't very well-rounded and aren't mentioned enough, except for when they need to move the plot forward or make one of the main three seem more interesting, which was a bit hard to follow. It also seems that some plot elements didn't quite line up, and I struggled to follow some details. There were just many small contradictory details that did not seem all the way thought out, given the way that the mystery resolved itself. I also felt a little bit unsatisfied with the ending, given that nothing really changes with the toxic culture of the Krewe of Deus after everything that the three FMCs go through in order to expose the corruption and misogyny at the heart of the organization, even though the Pierrot is destroyed.

All of that said, this book fits in so well with other YA mysteries, like Karen McManus or Jessica Goodman, and I did really enjoy it! The mystery is taut and compelling and the setting was so eerie and vivid!

Thanks to NetGalley and to Wednesday Books for the advanced copy!

This was a great read! I was hooked from the beginning and just couldn't put it down. The twists and turns kept me on my toes wondering what would happen next. And just when I thought I had it figured out, I didn't!

The overall plot was awesome! I enjoyed the characters and I loved the secret society and all of the drama that went along with it!

If you like fast paced YA thriller books with lots of twists and turns then this book is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this book ahead of release in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is a fascinating look at privilege and class as Lily is crowned Queen of Les Masques Ball, a yearly tradition that the entire community attends. But unexpected events occur that send attendees fleeing and the crowd into chaos. And suddenly we also learn about The Den and a "secret gentleman's club" that seems sinister in its "members only" inclusion and "Royal Feasts." Told from several of the girls' perspectives, the novel focusses on the earlier death of Margot and the sudden disappearance of Lily. As Lily's friends rally to figure out if she's just run away or is in danger, we witness the dark underbelly of this gentleman's club and its rituals and exclusivity. It's dark and chilling as we see no one is immune to ridicule, torture, and threats that keep people quiet in the face of exposure!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

3.5 stars rounded up -- after enjoying "People to Follow" I was excited to receive an advance copy of Olivia Worley's sophomore novel, The Debutantes.

This felt like Gossip Girl at a Mardi Gras debutante ball, and the vibes were great! I felt like I got a good gasp of the characters and motivations of our "maids" -- Vivian, Piper, and April, the unlikely trio trying to solve the disappearance of "The Queen", Lily Leblanc.

If you're looking for entitled rich people who are used to getting away with everything finally having to face consequences for their actions, this won't disappoint. Some interesting twists and overall a fun YA thriller!

This book was cute. I was pretty excited to get the chance to read this since I'm a sucker for a good New Orleans based book. The book is in multiple POVs but it's only like 3 I think. I normally don't like multiple POVs but I didn't mind this since they were pretty different characters

I read and very much enjoyed Olivia Worley's debut novel "People to Follow" and was very excited when I was approved to review her follow up, "The Debutantes." Generally, I don't know much about the debutante culture in the South, but it's still a fascinating trope I am familiar with at the lowest level, so I was intrigued by the plot hook from the beginning.

On the whole, I enjoyed this book, but I did feel like it lost its footing and fell a little flat at times. I didn't really feel connected to any of its characters, and I did see the main whodunnit twist coming (though not the one from the final pages, that one was a surprise). However, I did really enjoy the elements of the secret society and the familial drama. It felt like Pretty Little Liars meets the video game Life Is Strange (especially with the mildly present photography element)

It was definitely twisty and had some surprising elements, so I would recommend it for people who enjoy a fast paced chase full of questions and answers!

Thanks to NetGalley, Olivia Worley, and the publisher for the ARC! The Debutantes debuts (haha) on October 29th, 2024!