Tiffany Jackson never misses! This was a fun, fast paced read, and that cover is STUNNING. 10/10 recommend, she’s definitely one to have on your autobuy list!

I flew through this book even faster than I was anticipating. I had never heard of the Sarah Lawrence case this story is based on before now but plan on watching the documentary soon. It’s hard to believe that the events that unfold throughout this story could really happen but as they say, real life is stranger than fiction. This book is fast paced and the intensity and danger ratchet up quickly making it so you just have to keep reading. I appreciate that everything isn’t wrapped up perfectly at the end and truthfully I didn’t see the twist coming. I would add this to any YA collection serving high school aged teens.

I have really enjoyed Tiffany D. Jackson’s books, especially The Weight of Blood, and I fell down the rabbit hole with the Stolen Youth docuseries on Hulu. Needless to say, I was SO excited for this one. It was interesting, twisty, and suspenseful. I read this in a day because I seriously couldn’t put it down.

College freshman Jordyn decides to go to the premier HBCU campus of Frazier U instead of the Ivy League education that her parents always envisioned. Once there, she immediately clicks with her suite mates (Vanessa, Kammy, and Loren), becoming close as they acclimate to college together. When Vanessa’s brother, Devonte, stays with the suite mates after his release from jail, Jordyn doesn’t think twice about letting him into their lives. Devonte is charismatic, intelligent, and worldly, so each of the girls welcomes his advice and wisdom. However, Devonte’s help turns more sinister, as he begins to control the girls’ lives and spread his wisdom across campus. When Jordyn’s suite mate goes missing, she has to figure out what happened and how to stop the sinister forces gaining momentum on campus.

I loved how this one helped shed light on how cults gain a foothold and how easy it is for them to spread across universities. I loved seeing how the events of the story unfolded over time; it’s definitely slower at the start but rapidly builds momentum through the second half of the book. I loved the anticipation and suspense throughout; I was very much on the edge of my seat while reading! I don’t want to spoil it, but I am very conflicted about the ending and not quite sure where I land.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books - Quill Tree Books for the ARC!

I really appreciate the preface, it changed the way I went into reading this book. It really made me reflect back on my college experience. I think this is the perfect read for incoming freshman. This book creeped me out

This book was amazing. Tiffany D. Jackson expertly builds the campus of Frazier and the Greater D.C. area. She creates such lively characters and tugs on those heartstrings. The feelings of being otherized, ostracized and resentful are perfectly written. I enjoy the frequent references to religion and Greek life in this novel as well. This novel expertly showcases the bones of cults, groupthink and the need to belong. It will leave you questioning if we really are "too smart" to fall into cults and schemes. The twist at the end was perfect, I was not expecting that AT ALL. Yet another five star read from Ms. Jackson.

The weight of blood is one of my all time favorite YA Horror books so when I got approved for this I gasped!

As per usual, Jackson gives us an incredible set up. I could basically feel the breeze coming off the Quad on campus. The set up is based on real events but in classic Tiffany D. Jackson style, it’s made all the more real. Jordyn is a college freshmen and she just wants to fit in with her new college roomies. When one of their roommates asks if her brother, recently out of prison, can stay a few days the other girls don’t hesitate. Except Jordyn’s defense are up, but the need to fit in is an all too real so she agrees.

Okay 40% check-in and I am hooked! I love how the author gives Devonte depth by making him makes some good points. That is typically how it starts, no one who is wanting followers or acolytes comes out and says the crazy stuff straight out the gate. They start by making really good points that have some fact to them that are hard to fully dispute. It’s insidious! It’s incredibly done so far and I am on pins and needles to keep going!

Jordyn pls you are too smart for this I know you aren’t falling for it! GET OUT!!

55% update and no one has gone missing? I feel like that might need to be removed from the plot summary because I have been waiting for it to happen and it has not.

I do appreciate the depth of TDJ characters and the feeling of isolation Jordyn is facing while trying to navigate such a difficult situation. This is absolutely something a college age student would be facing (though hopefully never this EXACT situation, since this did already happen on a college campus) but this particular piece of growing up where everything is new and you are mostly on your own for the first time is so difficult to navigate.

OKAY PHEW THAT WAS A RIDE! While the ending could be polished up (what was that last 20 pages???) I still think this is ABSOLUTELY worth your time! Real life horror is sometimes the scariest and TDJ nails that every time!

Thank you to the publisher HarperCollins and NetGalley for an eARC for my honest review!

Tiffany D. Jackson spins an intense web of manipulation and deceit in this YA novel. Still navigating a personal loss, Jordyn enters her first year of college seeking closure and a fresh start. What she discovers instead is a terrifying scheme that positions her and her new friends in danger of losing everything.

Tiffany D. Jackson — that’s it. That’s the post. 👏🔥

The Scammer is chilling, has a cult-like vibe, and is emotionally intense. Think grief, identity, the desperate need to belong—all wrapped in a fast-paced, addictive story that had me second-guessing EVERYTHING and EVERYBODY. 😵‍💫

The story centers on Jordyn, a pre-law student at an HBCU, who finds herself pulled into a chilling web of manipulation and danger when her roommate’s charismatic brother Devonte shows up— bringing with him unsettling, cult-like beliefs and influence.

This isn’t your typical mystery—it leans more into psychological suspense with many heavy issues layered in. Themes like family pressure, emotional manipulation, and what it means when home isn’t a safe or supportive place.

The ending? Jaw. On. Floor. This one messed with my head in the best way.

📚 Read it in one sitting. My chest hurt by the end. The tension I felt while reading…. 🚑

This is a delightfully messy, twisted, and disturbing novel. The author's note about how this was inspired by an actual event made every single page completely captivating. The layers on layers of plot and misdirection make this story a challenge you can't help but want to puzzle through.

The multiple twists in the novel are interesting and for the most part well done. I wasn't quite sure I believed the first person narrator was keeping secrets from the reader (so her own mind) for the whole novel. I love an unreliable narrator, but the way this was set up made it feel like she was being unreliable to herself despite being absolutely lucid and clear in her big reveal moment. But the truth is, I was so on her team by the end of the novel, I didn't really mind.

First, thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for the ARC!

There’s something about Tiffany’s writing that just sucks me in, and once I start reading, I can’t put it down!

This book was a wild ride, and definitely not what I was expecting, but I loved it either way. I really love that she touches on topics that need to be talked about.

I really enjoyed that Nick was always there for Jordyn, and I’m really happy with how they played out. Some of the characters in this book were really GRINDING MY GEARSSSSS!

If you like cult stuff, you’ll like this.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-arc.

I was legit into this book for the first 250 pages-- riveted and loved the different perspectives. But for some reason, the last 7 pages just fell flat. So much was left unfinished, and it just felt rushed. I hope there will be some sort of sequel or something because I was a little disappointed.

Tiffany D. Jackson does it again! Known for her skill at taking newsworthy events and digging deeper, giving teen readers a chance to see the (fictionalized versions of the) people behind the "ripped from the headlines" stories that inspire many of her books, she continues to excel here. This time, she's clear from the start (via a forward at the beginning of the novel) that exposure of the Sarah Lawrence cult led by Larry Ray was what inspired her.

But though that story itself was already horrific enough, Jackson's choice to set it on the campus of a (fictional) HBCU instead of a generic women's college makes the cult leader's motivations seem even more atrocious and insidious, as he attacks and manipulates his own community from the inside, feeding on deeply ingrained vulnerabilities and generational trauma in a way that Larry Ray never could have.

Jordyn is a college freshman with pain of her own and yet still holds on to some of that fresh-faced hope of starting out on her own in what college brochures advertised to her as a better version of the world. She's the kind of character teen readers will likely be able to relate to as they follow along with her on this confusing, twisty, and frightening journey into what college shouldn't be at all.

The author's note discusses how much Tiffany Jackson struggled during post partum. Whatever struggles might have been felt are not obvious in the reading of this book. There is strong character development and a solid plot line. And the ending! It was twist upon twist upon twist. Another great book by Jackson. Would recommend for readers of thrillers, realistic fiction, and YA with strong female leads.

Tiffany D. Jackson is a master of her craft in Young Adult fiction, and The Scammers hit with a solid landing!

Jordyn was such an ambiguous character that gripped me from the start. I just needed to know more about her as the plot developed. Following her to college (much to the disdain of her parents) and watching a cult form before my eyes, I could not stop reading to figure out where this story would go. Not only was the story quick paced, but the ending was a twist that I never saw coming. Another great read by Jackson! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

I want to keep this review as vague as possible because I don’t want to do anything at all to spoil anything. Just know that Tiffany D. Jackson has an impressive catalog of thrillers, and The Scammer does NOT disappoint. Similar to some of her other books, I immediately went back to reread the beginning after finishing the book, and I could very easily get sucked into doing an entire reread.

The author’s note at the beginning sets the stage, so please don’t skip that! I love how Jackson captures the simultaneous comfort and vulnerability of being a young adult living on a college campus for the first time. The setting is so central to the novel as well. Though Frazier is a fictional HBCU, I imagine that a lot of influence was drawn from Howard University (Jackson’s alma mater). Jackson may set something absolutely chilling at this school, but this book still is part love letter to HBCUs.

This is a book that I will be adding to my classroom library, though I see it being more appealing to high schoolers than middle schoolers given the age of the characters. This past year many of my students read Nic Stone’s Dear Martin during an author study leading up to an author visit. They loved Dear Martin and Dear Justyce, but less of them were as enthusiastic about Dear Manny, and I think the college age characters were a little harder for them to conceptualize (according to middle schoolers, college students are apparently “unc”). I can picture doing a read-aloud book preview of The Scammer to get students interested in thriller novels and as an opening for talking about HBCU history, significance, and options.

Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced review copy. It’s my second Tiffany D. Jackson ARC this month, and I feel beyond lucky to have experienced reading both of them. They both ended up being books I finished in a single siting because I could. Not. Do. Anything. Until. I. Finished. Reading. Now I just need them to all come out so that I can get my students reading them!!

I love Tiffany D. Jackson books. Her latest, The Scammer was a five star read for me. Pick this one up on publication day.

Thank you to Harper Collin’s Children’s books and NetGalley for this arc.

Tiffany D. Jackson does it again! I swear there hasn’t been a book of hers that I haven’t liked! But this one is pretty close to the top!

The main characters life is flipped upside down with her roommates ex con family member moves in with them and starts controlling them! It’s a crazy book!! I couldn’t stop reading.

That ending???! Tiffany D. Jackson does not miss!!!! 🤏🏾🤏🏾🤏🏾🤏🏾

Think about the advice you were given before going to college (if you chose to go). What did your family tell you or warn you about? What didn’t they tell you that you wish you could’ve known before learning the hard way? Did they even prepare you to go out into the world? That’s the heart of this story; thinking about how Black girls’ innocence can be targeted when they’re looking for guidance and belonging in new collegiate settings. And it’s scary!!!!

Inspired by a true story, this book follows Jordyn, a first year student at an HBCU, who, along with her roommates, quickly become engulfed with one of the girl’s bother, a man named Deante. I won’t spoil it, but this book makes you think about how the need to belong or feel connected to a community can overpower/make you question your own instincts for safety and survival. This story is also really a cautionary tale that makes me want to grab every Black girl I see getting ready for college and hold them real tight. It’s wild out here!!!!!

This was 100% all the best parts of Tiffany D. Jackson and that plot twist had me audibly gasping and closing the book. Add this book to your TBR right now!!!!

As a huge Tiffany D. Jackson fan, and also as someone who got really into learning about the Larry Ray cult, I was so excited to read this, and for the most part, it met my expectations! Loved how Jackson showed Devonte weeding his way into the lives of the college students, and honestly, was stressed out for the majority of the book because of the precarious situation Jordyn was in.

The only criticism I have is that I'm not sure about the plot twist. It didn't hit for me because it felt a little out of left field, and I'd just wished the bread crumbs were spread a little more intentionally. HOWEVER, I still thoroughly enjoyed reading this title, and I will FOR SURE be purchasing for my teen collection upon its release.

WHEW. Tiffany D. Jackson really said “stress y’all out” and meant it 😭🔥

From the second Jordyn stepped on campus, I was suspicious of everyone—and I was right to be 👀 That plot twist?? CRAZY 😫 (but in the best way 🤪)

Through all the drama, Tiffany explores powerful themes like:

🔍 race
😢 grief
💔 vulnerability
🕵🏽‍♀️ deception
🔪 betrayal
⚔️ survival
⚖️ morality
🎭 identity
⚡️power & exploitation

Tiffany’s pen game will forever be top tier!!! 🙌🏾 I always feel like I know everything at the beginning of her books and then BOOM, twist after twist after twist. Woooo, I can’t wait to see what kind of mental/emotional rollercoaster she takes us on next 👏🏾📚