Set amidst the glitz and secrets of New Orleans' elite, The Debutantes plunges readers into a world of intrigue, betrayal, and high society drama. The story follows Vivian, Piper, and April—three debutantes whose lives take a dark turn when Lily LeBlanc, the reigning Queen of the Les Masques Ball, vanishes during Mardi Gras. Each of the girls harbors secrets of their own, and as they dig deeper into Lily’s disappearance, they uncover chilling connections to the death of Margot Landry, last year’s Queen.

Olivia Worley masterfully blends mystery with atmospheric details, capturing the tension and allure of New Orleans' debutante culture. Vivian’s bold determination, Piper’s quiet cunning, and April’s moral dilemmas create a dynamic trio that will keep readers hooked as they navigate this tangled web of lies. The vivid setting, combined with shocking twists, makes The Debutantes a thrilling and satisfying read for fans of high-stakes dramas. If you love fast-paced thrillers with layered characters.

This book gave off Pretty Little Liar vibes and I am here for it! When a fellow Deb goes missing, three debutantes band together to solve the mystery of The Jester. Just like "A", this was spooky and I couldn't put it down! Thanks to St Martin's Press for the early access, even though this is really late! And to NetGalley for the chance to read it.

A fun read! I don't love the culture around debutante balls, so I like that this book hit on the racism and sexism that makes up the balls. I also thought the mystery was a solid one.

YA mystery/thrillers will forever be my jam, and this seasonal New Orleans themed plot was a fun, quick read. The Debutantes features a group of girls who are not friends looking into the disappearance of their friend, who went missing the night of her debutante ball, as did the Queen from last year’s ball. As the girls dig deeper and investigate the city’s most exclusive and secretive private clubs in search of clues, the more obvious it becomes that the two disappearances are connected. In addition to the pacing of the plot along with the twists and turns, I enjoyed the descriptions of the city and its sights.

Teens will enjoy this look into the debutantes ball in New Orleans, secret societies, and class/culture wars. The story is told from multiple voices, which gives a look from the eyes of those who grew up with privilege, as well as the viewpoint of April, a girl who grew up on the outside. The mystery deepened when we learned of a previous death that isn't as cut and dry as expected.

The twists were really good in this, especially as more youth novels acknowledge that they should get a grown up involved for help. But what if the grown ups aren't there to help?

Really fun, suspenseful and easy to read! I enjoyed the plot and ambiance of the book a lot, i feel like the murder mystery was really well done and it was a gripping read.

This was an okay, fairly solid YA thriller. It moved along quickly and I was never completely sure where it was going. None of the characters really stood out to me though, which made it hard for me to really feel invested in the story. It was pretty fun to read though and I could see the story working well as a Pretty Little Liars-like show.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

The Debutantes is a mysterious thriller set in New Orleans and steeped in the Debutante culture of the South. This book kept me interested from the very beginning. There are so many twists and turns that I did not see the ending coming.

What happens when this year's queen goes missing after last year's queen was found dead? This is my first Olivia Worley book and I enjoyed it. While it was told from many (maybe too many?) points of view, it read like a juicy CW series and I was here for it. Who did it? Who's guilty? Who cheated on who? All the teenage tropes. Recommended. I will be buying it for my high school library.

This was my first book by Olivia Worley and i devoured it! All readers will want to put this on their TBR. I will be reading more books by this author.

This was such a good YA mystery/thriller. There was so much suspense and twists in this story. There was even twists within the twists and I was glued to the story! I absolutely loved the New Orleans setting and learning more about the debutante life. I adored this book!

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy of this book. Book was fine, really good if you like the genre! I would read more from this author.

It’s no secret I enjoy an addictive YA thriller. Add in an amazing setting like New Orleans and a mysterious secret society and there is no way I’m saying no! Bonus: I fell in love with Olivia Worley’s storytelling in her 2023 release, People to Follow, so I knew I would be in good hands.

The Debutantes follows a group of girls whose parents are all part of the wealthy side of New Orleans. These families are deeply invested into the traditions of the city, from debutante balls to parades to secret societies. Each new details builds towards readers and our main characters being about to solve a missing person’s situation.

I loved getting to know each of the girls and investing myself in their theories for what happened to both Margot and Lily. In addition to great characters, the pacing of the story is fast and tense, which really sucks readers into the plot. I was hooked all the way until the exciting grand reveal!

I loved this debutante twist that Olivia did.

She brought us into a great mystery, with diverse characters, and a good plot.

The cover is what made me request this one, but then I see NOLA, a masquerade ball and Murder? This book was fun, wild, and super twisty--completely recommend!

Thanks for the gifted copy of this one!

Wow, just wow! The Debutantes by Olivia Worley is an absolute must-read for fans of twisty YA thrillers. Think Karen McManus meets the glittering, dark world of New Orleans Mardi Gras. This book hooked me from the very first page and didn’t let go until the jaw-dropping ending—I honestly did NOT see it coming!

The story immerses you in the opulence and intrigue of the Les Masques Ball, where secrets, scandals, and murder lurk behind every mask. The setting is so atmospheric, you can practically hear the jazz and feel the tension in the humid New Orleans air. The characters—Vivian, Piper, and April—are richly drawn and wonderfully flawed, each with secrets that keep you guessing about their motives.

I loved how the mystery unraveled in layers, with clues sprinkled throughout that made you think you’d figured it out, only to be thrown by another twist. The Jester’s eerie threats and the sinister connections to Margot’s death added such a chilling element to the story. And the ending? Absolutely explosive!

This book is a perfect blend of glamour, danger, and suspense. If you love stories where nothing—and no one—is as it seems, The Debutantes is for you. I’m already hoping for more books from Olivia Worley. Five glittering stars!

If this book was posted on Reddit's "AITA," I have zero doubt that the consensus would be that "everyone sucks here (ESH)." Because there are seriously no redeemable characters in this book. The basic story is fairly interesting, even if some of the plot twists were fairly obvious, but I was ultimately left feeling a little bit hollow and a little bit icky, as few people - whether kids or parents - faced consequences for some truly despicable actions/choices. Nor did anyone seem to learn much from the experiences they had within this book. And perhaps that is Morley's point - that too much money leads to too much power and too few repercussions. But that feels like an overly dark and cynical takeaway for a book aimed at a YA audience (and I am a pretty cynical person myself) and is a message that might not be fully understood by the book's intended audience. It was hard to care about the four main debutantes' s0-called problems in the face of the girls' entitlement and inability to get out of their own ways. I did enjoy the book's setting of New Orleans, which is one of my favorite cities, and the various factoids and observations about the city and its history that are sprinkled throughout the book.

3 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book. These opinions are my own.

This was a good story kept me engaged and interested in the whole time. I was so surprised at the end for who was behind it!
One of the debutantes goes missing and she sends a cryptic message to her friends. They are trying to figure out what happened to lily and if this connects with a previous debutante that died.
3.5-4 stars

The Debutantes is a perfect blend of mystery, suspense, and a touch of high-society drama that I couldn’t put down! If you’re a fan of YA mysteries with twists and turns that keep you guessing, this book hits all the right notes! The world of New Orleans debutantes, Mardi Gras masks, and a chilling disappearance is just the kind of setting that pulls you in and makes you want to know what’s lurking beneath the surface!

The story kicks off with the disappearance of Lily LeBlanc, the debutante queen of the season, who mysteriously vanishes after a wild night at the Les Masques Ball. Three girls—Vivian, Piper, and April—are all connected to Lily and are brought together to uncover what really happened. The mystery of Lily’s disappearance quickly becomes entwined with the unresolved death of a previous debutante, Margot Landry, whose death was initially deemed an accident but might not be as simple as it seemed. There’s a dark, twisted side to the world these girls live in, and as they dig deeper, secrets, lies, and even threats from a sinister Jester figure add to the suspense.

What I loved most about this book was how it kept me on my toes! There were moments where I thought I had it all figured out, only to be blindsided by a new twist. It wasn’t too gruesome, but the tension was still high, and the stakes felt real! The characters—especially Vivian, Piper, and April—are complex and developed, and I really enjoyed seeing how their relationships evolve as they uncover the truth...

While the story is grounded in the world of debutantes and fancy balls, it’s clear that Olivia Worley uses that glamorous backdrop to explore darker themes and unravel a mystery that’s both thrilling and surprisingly emotional. The way the book delves into the secrets these girls are hiding, and the dangers that come with trying to protect those secrets, adds a great depth to the plot!

The ending was satisfying without being too predictable, and it wrapped things up nicely while leaving me with just enough to think about. If you enjoy YA mysteries with strong characters, a gripping plot, and a little bit of intrigue, The Debutantes is definitely worth the read. It checked all the boxes for me: engaging, surprising, and just the right amount of suspense. Highly recommend!

This was definitely a struggle for me to get through. I know a lot of YA books are trying to get the same attention and love as AGGGTM, but this is far from that. I did a bit on audio too and did NOT like the narrators at all.