Anything by Tiffany Jackson is an auto-read for me and this one was no different!

Meet Jordyn, starting her first year at her prestigious, all-black college, finally feeling that she fits in. She instantly falls in love with her roommates and can't wait to see what college holds for her. When one of her roommates invites her brother to stay with them for a few weeks, everything seems cool...until it's not.

This one was a roller coaster and I could NOT put it down! Jackson's snappy pacing and wild ideas made for a wild ride and I loved everything about it! College, friends, betrayal, murder, cults...this one has it all. While I wanted to shake Jordyn every time she made a decision, but then I thought back to how easily I was influenced at 18-19 and found a lot of this, scarily, relatable. It had just the right tough of romance (and chemistry!!!) to make this interesting without taking away from the storyline, which isn't too easy to do! The end "twist" kind of felt like throwing as much craziness at the wall to see what stuck and didn't quite work for me, but that was it.

Thanks so much for this ARC - I know this is going to fly off the shelves!

My thoughts:

I’ve read two of Tiffany D. Jackson’s books and thoroughly enjoyed them. But this one I decided to DNF. I appreciate her story line, and all the research she put into this especially because she researched a real case. I just didn’t like the development of Devonte’s character. I could tell early on where his character was going to go. I know things like this do happen to young ones leaving home for the very first time especially if they haven’t been taught early on about the potential dangers waiting for them to arrive on campus. I don’t like books with cultish themes. While I wanted to finish this book, I just couldn’t! Maybe I’ll revisit later.

Thanks NetGalley and HarperCollins for my advance copy.

Synopsis:

Out from under her overprotective parents, Jordyn is ready to kill it in prelaw at a prestigious, historically Black university in Washington DC. When her new roommate’s brother is released from prison, the last thing Jordyn expects is to come home and find the ex-convict on their dorm room sofa. But Devonte needs a place to stay while he gets back on his feet—and how could she say no to one of her new best friends?

Devonte is older, as charming as he is intelligent, pushing every student he meets to make better choices about their young lives. But Jordyn senses something sinister beneath his friendly advice and growing group of followers. When one of Jordyn’s roommates goes missing, she must enlist the help of the university’s lone white student to uncover the mystery—or become trapped at the center of a web of lies more tangled than she can imagine.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

I quite literally couldn't put this book down. I read it in one sitting. Jordyn thwarts her parents' plans for her to go to Yale to attend an HBCU. At first things are wonderful and she and her roommates start creating a found family. Then, her roommate's brother shows up and everything changes.

I think this is the first Tiffany D. Jackson book I've read, but I will be reading them all. She hooks you immediately and holds you until the last words.

Oh my gosh. I love Tiffany D. Jackson books - period! This book was both easy to read (great pacing & engaging) but also tough (the concept of falling prey to a cult). I really connected with the characters (especially Jordan), and the twists along the way were incredible!

Thank you, Netgalley, for this incredible ARC!

4.5 stars and swooning over the intoxicating f*cked up story based on a story she had read about the real cult created by a dad at Sarah Lawrence College. Then Jackson does what she does best- she makes the story her own. She creates characters that you can immerse yourself with. She slaps on an electric cover. And she shares her creative talent in unlikeable characters, a strong narrative, and intense setting that suck you in.

Jordyn is going to her first year of college and instead of going to Yale and feeding into the expectations of her parents who now only have one child (and the secrecy to uncover of the trauma of losing the other one) she decides to go to an HBCU where she meets her three other charismatic suitemates. She keeps her story vague but there's a person who wants to see the real her-- Vanessa's brother Davonte who comes to visit (then never leaves) after getting out of prison after leading a captivating life that puts stars in the girls' eyes. Thus begins the epic brainwashing and slow shift in the girls' personalities and belief systems by using his convictions and strength of personality to weave in lies with bits of truth. Jordyn falls for it but uncovers a deeper plot as the book unfolds and she meets Nick, a white boy at the HBCU who wants to help her that she was skeptical of.

It's screwed up in all the best ways. It's a trainwreck you can't look away from. The characters are horrific but it's necessary to tell the story. It's traumatizing and of course, based on nuggets of a real story.

Can't wait to get it in the hands of readers!

At first I was really unsure if I was going to like this book. I didn't see how it fit into the genre but I trusted the process and boy am I glad. This is a def once it starts getting wild it's wilddddd. Great job to this author

Jordyn’s freshman year is one she won’t soon forget. New to HBCU life (almost like a deer caught in headlights) but wanting to find a new Black identity she becomes “sisters” with her dorm mates. But the sisterhood is taken literally when she’s caught up with a cult-like devotion to the “family”.

Jackson’s latest thriller is a twisty tale that overall covers so many topics well (e.g. Black identity development, HBCU culture, critical consciousness and classism). An older YA audience would enjoy taking up the questions that the novel posits and might excitedly argue for/against Jordyn’s decisions.

Thanks to NetGalley and Quill Tree for the e-arc. This book debuts Oct 2026.

I went into this blind, but I was quickly sucked in. Like Get Out, The Other Black Girl, and Black Buck, The Scammer amplifies the psychological effects of systemic racism but in a take that is fresh and unique. Tiffany D. Jackson does an incredible job of creating protagonists who are complex, flawed, and intriguing. I found myself wanting to yell at Jordyn over the choices she made while still rooting for her at every turn.

The Scammer provides a new perspective on what kinds of things meet young adults after leaving home for the first time. I appreciated this approach and even found similarities to personal stories I’ve heard from people I know. While I enjoyed what it became, it did take a while to get there and not everything felt cohesive throughout the entire book. However, once the story took off I couldn’t put it down.

Tiffany D. Jackson's upcoming YA thriller, The Scammer, had me hooked from the start. I was unfamiliar with the Sarah Lawrence cult, but after reading this book, I fell deep down the rabbit hole, listening to the podcasts, watching the documentaries.

What I enjoyed about this book:
- As mentioned above, this book was quite unputdownable. Tiffany D. Jackson drops you right into the drama, and it only escalates from there.
- I appreciated that the author took a real event and placed the events at an HBCU. The setting was such an important part of the story, as well as the protagonist's experience as a POC who was raised in a predominantly white community and then attends an HBCU. In this way, Jackson was able to take a well known story and put her own spin on it.

What didn't quite work for me:
- I had some unanswered questions at the end, and while that is sometimes to be expected with thrillers, I felt that the questions were important ones, and the lack of resolution left me feeling disappointed.
- The twist was unexpected, and while I could see some readers really enjoying the shock value of the ending, I also felt like it wasn't adequately supported by the events of the book.

I'm still quite glad that I read this one, and I would recommend it to readers who enjoy YA thrillers and cult stories.

The Scammer by Tiffany D. Jackson is so much more than just a good book. This is an enlightening, cautionary tale, that is also fast-paced, suspenseful, and the definition of a page turner. Jordyn is a college freshman, dealing with grief, and looking to start over. She defied her parents’ wishes for her to attend Yale, and instead looks for her new beginning at Frazier, a HBCU. She immediately loves her new roommates and experiences the belonging that she dreamed of achieving. Everything changes when a roommate’s brother, just released from prison, needs to crash in their dorm. Devonte is older, handsome, and incredibly charismatic. His charm, experience, and advice soon create an intense following. Jordyn finds herself smack in the middle of this new group. The vibe turns sinister, and Jordyn risks it being too late to leave.

This book is so good. The characters are all well-developed. The plot sounds wild, but while reading, it is easy to see how such a charming man could easily worm his way into the lives of four fresh into college young women. There are twists and some seriously scary situations. Our main character struggles with grief and belonging. The setting is vital to the story. It sets the stage for authentic discussion of the American black experience, including police brutality, lack of informed consent for scientific research, microaggressions, and casual racism, just to list a few. Along with the difficult, comes the beauty, such has belonging, family, and black joy. This book belongs in every high school library and shelves of teenagers.

Immediately preordering for my classroom library. A must have.

Jackson always captures the gritty reality of the stories ripped from the headlines. This time, the influence of how teens (or anyone) can be scammed and coerced by those around them. It felt so real and easy to fall for in a society where information and reality is always changing. For a generation that is so influenced by what they see and hear online and from "powerful" voices, this must be in all the classrooms.

Tiffany D. Jackson delivers another tense, socially sharp thriller in The Scammer, pulling readers into a chillingly realistic college campus nightmare. Jordyn is ready to start fresh and thrive at her dream school, but her plans quickly unravel when her roommate’s older brother Devonte moves into their dorm. At first, he seems like a well-meaning, if slightly overbearing, presence. But it doesn’t take long for the story to shift from uncomfortable to deeply unsettling.
Jackson has a real gift for writing characters that feel authentic, and Jordyn’s voice is especially strong. Her journey from eager freshman to someone questioning the very ground beneath her feet is gripping to watch unfold. Devonte is disturbingly charismatic, the kind of antagonist who makes your skin crawl in the best way. The layers of manipulation and control build steadily, and when things begin to spiral, the tension becomes almost impossible to put down. The themes of trust, power, and vulnerability are handled with nuance, and the college setting adds a unique pressure cooker atmosphere. While the final reveal could have gone a little deeper, the story as a whole feels timely and impactful.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read The Scammer in exchange for my honest review. If you enjoy thrillers that dig into real-world dangers with emotional depth and sharp commentary, this one absolutely delivers.

This was AMAZING! Not that I expected anything less. So we are following Jordyn's fresh start at a new college trying to fit in but is caught in the mix of a dangerous cult leader. With her family ignoring her and her grief from her deceased brother and the interest of another college student Jordyn is mentally at war with herself and how the world views her.

The twist at the end😱

10 out of 10 would recommend

Tiffany D. Jackson is on a roll! As someone who has spent lots of time in DC, I really enjoyed the references to Howard University and various places around the city. Jordyn was a compelling character, though I felt like shaking her at multiple points in the story--my poor partner was so confused by the shouting coming from the other room. I did not see the twist at the ending! Very compelling story overall, and I am eager to have students read it.

👩🏿‍🎓😈🍵Every time I start a book by Tiffany D. Jackson, my entire life gets paused because I NEED TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS. The Scammer definitely kept me wondering... Why are all these college freshmen so hush-hush about their backstories? What will it take shut down this cult? And mostly, how could so many smart, educated young people fall so hard for someone selling them a pack of lies?!

😶‍🌫️ Beyond the suspense, this book brings up some good questions about social dynamics. Characters are pressured into believing all-or-nothing, us-vs-them thinking to the point of putting themselves in medical danger. A white student holds positions of power and influence at an HBCU. People buy into baseless rumors about their classmates. Black parents measure their children by white-dominated standards of success and prestige.

🤐 I loved the first ~90% of the book, but the ending didn't really work for me. Everything wrapped up kind of suddenly, with some big surprises in the final pages. One big reveal was so clever I hadn't seen it coming at all, but another didn't really jive with the rest of the story in my opinion. I still really enjoyed the book, but might suggest other titles from this author first.

👍🏻 Would recommend to anyone looking for something suspenseful, twisted, addictive, and thought-provoking. There's also a little enemies-to-lovers subplot for folks who insist on romance. Will definitely be getting a copy for my high school library when it comes out.

✨ Thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review The Scammer. Pub day is October 7!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of The Scammer in exchange for an honest review.

I have genuinely loved every Tiffany D. Jackson book, so I was excited to dive in to her newest novel!

This book definitely grabbed my attention and didn’t let go. Much like her other novels I felt instantly connected to the story and characters. Jackson has a way of building a very realistic world and you can tell she did her research on cults, coercion, abuse, etc. to make us really feel what the characters are feeling.

She also did a great job of encapsulating how men specifically can manipulate, gaslight, and twist the world into a string of conspiracy theories, preying on younger women to coerce them into ideas and behaviors they normally wouldn’t have. Having watched the docuseries that inspired this novel, I appreciated the level of thought and research that went in to building the character of Devonte.

I think my main criticism would be that sometimes I felt frustrated by Jordyn (our mc - great name btw) and her constant flip flop on various different things throughout the novel. I know this was to make us really feel how she was manipulated, which I appreciate, but it didn’t quite fit with the ending of the novel or some other key plot moments in the book.

Speaking of the ending - I was actually surprised and caught off guard by it - so the overall “twist” wasn’t as predictable as it could’ve been. I appreciated that as someone who can easily guess endings of novels!

Overall - this is a great read that will definitely keep you up all night to finish it. Definitely recommend!

I Love the way Tiffany Jackson weaves a story. Fans of "Monday's Not Coming" will enjoy this story. I liked it, but I just couldn't get as into it as I wanted. Might have to give it a reread.

Jordyn is the typical college freshman--ready to make friends, ready to kill it in her classes, seemingly ready for anything. But when she's greeted with a potential cult leader, can she get out from under his grasp fast enough? Tiffany Jackson does a great job portraying all of the nuances of college dynamics and how people allow themselves to get swept up in a scam. Thoughtful, a fast read, and a twist ending. My students will definitely enjoy this one.

I’m honored to have had the opportunity to read and review this title ahead of its October release. Jackson is one of my favorite authors, and The Scammer is yet another standout in her already impressive catalog. Inspired by the 2010 Sarah Lawrence College cult case, this novel kept me on the edge of my seat and, in true TDJ fashion, it ends with a bang. If you're a fan of slow-burn suspense or already love Jackson’s work, The Scammer is one you won’t want to miss.