This book was such a fun, drama filled read! Set at Tiffin Academy, a New England boarding school that suddenly gets ranked number two in the country, it quickly becomes clear that not everything is as perfect as it seems. Between students, teachers, and administrators, everyone has secrets, and when an anonymous gossip app starts exposing them, the drama explodes.
I loved the multiple POVs and how the story captured both the chaos of teenage life and the hidden flaws of the adults in charge. It really reminded me of Gossip Girl drama . The mix of privilege, rivalry, and scandal kept me entertained the entire time.
Elin Hilderbrand’s collaboration with her daughter Shelby brings a fresh, buzzy energy, and I flew through this book in just a couple of hours. I really hope there’s a sequel because I need more of this dramatic setting .
Very grateful to the publisher for my copy through NetGalley, opinions are my own

As a self-proclaimed Elin superfan, I absolutely had to pick The Academy up! The idea of her writing it with her daughter was super intriguing. I also love a good juicy, boarding school tale. The Academy definitely delivered. I did have a hard time immediately getting sucked in but once characters and groundwork had been laid, I ATE it up. Tiffin Academy is the stuff every gossip girl dreams of. So much drama, with students, teachers and administration. Overall, a really fun read and I look forward to more juicy tales from Tifffin!

School is back in session for so many of you. Fall is starting to settle in and our favorite beach read author is back with the start of a new series taking us from the beaches of Nantucket to New England boarding school life.

The Academy takes place at a prestigious New England boarding school called Tiffin Academy. I love the drama, rumors and secrets in this story. This is told with several characters including students and teachers. I found the story to be a page turner and really enjoyed this setting of this book. Perfect fall read

This is a must-read for fans of Gossip Girl. Secrets, scandals, and an anonymous gossip app blow through the prestigious New England Boarding School, Tiffin Academy. I love this jump for Elin Hilderbrand. Thank you for the advanced copy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Elin Hilderbrand and her daughter, Shelby Cunningham. The students and staff at Tiffin Academy are all keeping secrets, and you don’t really have to wonder what could possibly go wrong! This book had me hooked right from the start with the stories of all the characters and their ups and downs. A super read!

“The Academy” is a glossy, twisty prep school drama that pulls you into the privileged, and deeply flawed, world of Tiffin Academy. When the elite boarding school unexpectedly rockets up the national rankings, rumors start swirling, secrets unravel, and an anonymous gossip app called ZipZap starts spilling the tea on students and staff alike.

Told through multiple POVs, including new student Charley, social media queen Davi, a teacher with something to hide, and the head of admissions, it’s a fast-paced story packed with scandal, ambition, betrayal, and a dash of romance. Think Big Little Lies meets Gossip Girl, but in a New England boarding school.

The tone is fun and sharp, though a few plotlines don’t dig as deep as they could. Still, it’s a juicy, bingeable read that’s hard to put down.

Every boarding school has its secrets and Tiffin is no different. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I liked how you follow a variety of perspectives from various students to teachers to even the school chef. Some of the characters I really loved and others I absolutely despised, looking at you Simone! Overall, the story was really captivating and I found I couldn't put it down. I could definitely read more mother/daughter author duo Hilderbrand and Cunningham. Thank you to Net Galley and Little Brown for the advanced copy.

I love this book and hope that Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham write more together!!!!!!!!!!!!! Maybe a Tiffin series!!! I never attended boarding school, but I've always thought it might have been fun. This novel really shows how much fun it could have been and the friendships you can unexpectedly make. Love love love!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wasn’t expecting to be obsessed with a gossip girl esque boarding school book but here we are. Happy pub day - go get this one immediately! Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Great boarding school story!

I love Elin Hildegard's books, the ones set in Nantucket, the ones set in the Caribbean, and, especially, this one set in a New England (US) boarding school. The antics of the students and the teachers are diverse, interesting, and amusing. There are so many stereotypical teenagers and young teachers -- the athletes, the smart scholarship students, and, above all, the privileged. I hope that there's a sequel in our future!!!

Thank you to the publisher who lent me a time-constrained e-arc via netgalley with no obligation. This review is optional and my own opinion.

Finally! An Elin Hilderbrand novel that is NOT set in Nantucket. This novel is set at an elite boarding school over the course of the school year. The main characters feature a bunch of 5th formers (ahem. Juniors), 2 new teachers and some administrators.
What really goes on behind the high walls of an elite New England boarding school? SO.MUCH.DRAMA. And honestly, it's not the students!
If you're a fan of Elin Hilderbrand, please pick this up and treat yourself. It reads like her other novels, featuring multiple POVs and loads of name-dropping. Here for all of it.
I only have one teeny issue; one of the main characters is from Towson, MD and as a MD girl myself, I enjoyed hearing about places I know. However, Owings Mills Mall was mentioned and there hasn't been a mall in Owings Mills for quite some time. So I hope this tiny detail is fixed before print. Also, hoping this gets a sequel because there were a few loose threads that were not tied up. Otherwise, stellar story as always!

*Special thanks to NetGalley & Little, Brown & Company for this digital e-arc.*

When Elin Hilderbrand announced her retirement from writing Nantucket novels and announced that she was writing a boarding school, adult novel series with her daughter, I was intrigued. And I’m just here to say — this series struck a nostalgic cord in the best way.

When I was in high school, I gobbled up Gossip Girl and the Private series by Kate Brian. THE ACADEMY hits all the right notes; adults and students alike have their fair of drama. This was nearly impossible to put down. I blew through it over two lake days and a short train ride home. I probably wouldn’t have put it down at all except I wanted to spend time with my family 😂

Tiffin Academy is, surprisingly, ranked number 2 in the country, which throws its head of school and the attending families for a loop. At the end of a prior year, the sudden death of a beloved student had lasting impacts on the faculty and students. Enter two, single new teachers, a quirky, bookish new student, and you have the makings for a heartfelt, dramatic novel with plenty of juicy indiscretions.

I cannot wait for the follow up to this. It comes out tomorrow and all I can say is you should run out and buy it! This would be an excellent book club pick!

Thank you to NetGalley; authors Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham; and publisher Little, Brown, and Company for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

I don't know what it is about her books, but anytime I read an Elin Hilderbrand book, I can't seem to put it down. Are they good?? Not necessarily lmao but they are JUICY and drama-filled and always leave me wanting more!! This is her first book written with her daughter, and I did really enjoy the boarding school setting. With all the teenage characters, this read like a young adult book but more explicit with inappropriate relationships, gambling addictions, secret bars, and more. Everything was so over the top, it was almost comical, but I couldn't look away-- a la Gossip Girl or Pretty Little Liars. As with other Hilderbrand books, there is a HUGE cast of characters, and I do wish at times, it would have been paired back some, so that it could focus more on a select few. I would have loved to see even more about Davi because I think she was really interesting and complex, but it felt like we didn't get her full storyline fleshed out. There were also several other characters and plot lines that were totally left hanging by the end of the book and never got resolved either. The first half of the book dragged a little bit, but overall, I was invested the entire time and anxious to see what was happening. I could easily see this book having a sequel, and I would read it if it did! Ultimately, The Academy is like a bingeable tv show that you can't tell if you're hate-watching or actually obsessed with.

Although I was very disappointed when I heard that Elin Hilderbrand was retiring from writing her Nantucket novels I can now say that she is back! I know she co-wrote this story with her daughter, and if this novel is any indication she has a following very closely in her mother’s footsteps. I very quickly fell into the flow of this novel, just like when I read her previous novels. This story takes place at Tiffin Academy, a prestigious boarding school in Massachusetts. Of course there are queen bees and wannabes and the jocks and academics. The part I really did not expect was that the stories about the faculty were just as entertaining, if not more so, than the student stories! So much fun to read. I will read the next whenever it is published!
Thank you Netgalley and Little, Brown and Company for the digital ARC!

I really like Elin Hilderbrand, so I was excited to read this new novel. I don’t mind that she was writing with her daughter. I have many authors that I love who write with their children. What I didn’t like was there were too many voices going on in this book. The flow was disconnected quite a bit because we would jump from one perspective to the next very quickly. Especially at the start of the book. Sometimes too many perspectives is not a good thing. Were they all necessary yes, because they all tied together in the end but as a reader just trying to keep the characters straight at times became a challenge. I also wasn’t as excited as I wanted to be by the secrets revealed. This book I think had some challenges at least for me as a reader. I am sure others will love it.
Thank you so much to Little Brown and Company and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

This book is a fun, drama-filled read set at a fancy New England boarding school. There’s a lot going on—secrets, scandals, and a gossip app stirring everything up.

It switches between different characters (students and teachers), which keeps things interesting. Some plotlines aren’t fully wrapped up, so it feels like there might be a sequel coming.

If you like books with drama, secrets, and rich-kid chaos, you’ll probably enjoy this. It’s a little Gossip Girl, a little Pretty Little Liars, but with its own twist.

Easy to read, hard to put down.

I love Elin Hilderbrand and was sad when she said she was retiring. It was so exciting to find out she had published a new novel with her daughter! The Academy was pretty much a good YA read. It was suspenseful enough to keep me reading but did leave me hanging. What was in that letter? Will there be a sequel? (I would love to go to the speakeasy! It sounds beautiful!) Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This is Classic Elin Hilderbrand but in a cozy boarding school setting. Elin and Shelby Cunningham have written the most fun book that gives all the Rory Gilmore and Dead Poet’s Society vibes. This is the perfect fall read.

A great read for academia fiction lovers. I binged this book over a long weekend and I’m ready for the next installment. Lots of drama at the right pace, this book was a welcomed escape. Lots of characters (hoping more of them will get developed in the next book). Lots of plot twists that only Elin Hilderbrand can do. It makes me miss her Nantucket books just a little less. Thank you to NetGalley, Little, Brown and Company and Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham for this ARC read.

This book was kinda blah for me. Nothing really happens in the first half, but when the plot picks up in the second half, I was flying through it. But then it just sorta ends, which killed the momentum for me. Still, if you’re craving something with back-to-school vibes, this is probably worth picking up.

Thank you to NG for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!