The Scammmers follows Jordyn, a freshman looking to fit in at a 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? Things get messy fast, and soon they're all captivated by his charm. When one of Jordyn’s roommates goes missing, she enlist the help of Nick uncover the mystery. I didn't see the ending coming, I was shocker by the end. It had some interesting twist and I did like the main character. Tiffany roped in different themes like social pressure parents can put on their kids, manipulation, violence, and how easy you can lose sight of yourselves and get back up.

This was an amazing read Tiffany D. Jackson is that girl when it comes to thriller. Every theory I had was wrong lol when it came down to it. I was not expecting that plot twist at all at the end. Reminded me how shocked I was at the end of Monday not coming and Allegedly. But trust and believe Jordyn got her get back by any means necessary.

Hey, hey, my favorites 😀💚

Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)

OMG… This book was insane in the BEST way possible! Tiffany D. Jackson does it again, and I mean that literally—the plot twist had me clutching my pearls! 🫰🏾🫰🏾🫰🏾

Set at an HBCU, The Scammer follows Jordyn, a freshman just trying to keep her head down and survive college life. But when her roommate’s older brother Devonte—a charming ex-convict—moves into their dorm, things get messy FAST. He’s smooth-talking and seems helpful at first… until one of the girls goes missing, and Jordyn starts questioning everything.

This story had me hooked from chapter one—dark, twisty, and completely unexpected. Tiffany layered in so many social dynamics, manipulation, and raw tension that I couldn’t stop flipping pages. It felt like Gossip Girl meets You with a chilling twist.

Hands down one of the best books I’ve read this year.
Highly recommend if you love thrillers with bold female leads, unexpected turns, and smart commentary.

Oh—and shoutout to NetGalley for the gifted copy! I’m still recovering from that ending!

I’ve accepted that Tiffany D. Jackson will never write another book on the same level as Allegedly or Monday’s Not Coming. But this was just a complete mess.

First of all, Jordyn just isn’t a compelling character. Neither are her roommates. I could barely keep them straight and honestly, I’m not sure it matters.

Then, there’s Devonte. An ex-convict and the (much) older brother of Vanessa, one of Jordyn’s roommates. He’s charming, well-spoken, and talks to the girls “like adults,” impressing them with his extensive knowledge of black history, particularly things they were never taught in school.

But it doesn’t take long for a more sinister side of Devonte to show itself. He is a covert misogynist, dispensing old-fashioned views about women under the guise of female empowerment. He’s also a conspiracy theorist to the extreme.

Over the course of the book, Devonte manages, or at least tries, to convince the girls that he personally knows Beyonce and Jay-Z; that he helped produce one of Kanye’s albums; that radiation from cell phones causes cancer; that women are drugged and scalped to make wigs, and that pigs are genetically modified creatures made of dog, cat, and rat flesh.

Devonte also subjects the girls to intense “therapy” sessions, breaking them down emotionally to keep them pliant and disoriented. Jordyn grows more uncomfortable around him, but she struggles to share her concerns with her roommates, who all believe that Devonte is pushing them to make healthier life choices.

The only person Jordyn is able to confide in is Nick Chandler, the university’s sole white student and a particular target of Devonte’s. According to the synopsis, Jordyn must enlist Nick’s help to find a missing roommate, but it isn’t until over halfway through the book that the disappearance actually happens. Many of their interactions at this point are just Nick trying to talk about Devonte and Jordyn panicking and running away.

Seriously, this book could not have been more unsatisfying. The plot twists were so contrived that I actually stared at my digital ARC in disbelief. Jackson goes so far as to employ a twist she’s used before in another book and let me tell you- It worked a lot better the first time around.

I also can’t believe that Jordyn was supposed to be this cunning, clever mastermind who was working her own angle the whole time. What a pathetic cop-out.

i could not put this book down. i simply couldnt believe what i was reading, like i was actually in disbelief. every time devonte spoke i felt like i was going to rip my hair out.

the description of this book made it seem that jordyn's missing roommate would be a big plot point in the story and it just... wasnt? and nick, even though he was an okay character, didnt help much with the "uncovering the mystery" aspect. the plot didnt start really picking up until the last few chapters, and everything was happening really fast. i feel like the buildup could've been a lot better.

i really enjoyed jackson's previous books, so this one was a bit of a letdown imo