I absolutely loved this! Elin Hilderbrand and her daughter Shelby Cunningham have created a boarding school novel for the 21st century, complete with influencers, bougie dining hall food, and mysterious night-time shenanigans. This is such an enjoyable read, perhaps especially for adults young and old with fond memories of reading children's boarding school novels, because while the focus is on the students, we also see behind the staff's doors, into their private and professional lives.

The writers' tone is witty and in places ironic, but there's also a warmth and fondness for the characters and the school which made me want to go to Tiffin myself. There's also an underlying mystery, which is certainly not the novel's focus but does help shape our interest in and understanding of some of the characters.

I can't wait to read part 2!

Pacy, Immersive…
A prestigious New England boarding school, secrets, scandal, lies and dangerous relationships. Tiffin Academy, high ranking in the country, is about to have scandal invading its exquisite space. As the year stretches out, will the Academy ever be the same again? Pairing authorship with her daughter and with her trademark immersive narrative, Hilderbrand has penned another compelling and compulsive read. Pacy and immersive with a perfectly drawn cast of characters, an atmospheric and credible sense of place and authentic dialogue. What goes on behind the walls?

EXCERPT: Audre thinks of each new school year as a blank composition book, a fresh box of sharpened pencils - but this reveals her age. To these kids, it's . . . what? An empty Google doc, the cursor blinking at the top of a laptop screen?
Audre is also thinking, 'Nothing bad has happened . . . yet.' For example, no one has appeared at Audre's residence between breakfast and Chapel to say that the door to 111 South is jammed and Cinnamon Peters isn't responding to either knocks or FaceTimes.

ABOUT 'THE ACADEMY': It’s move-in day at Tiffin Academy and amidst the happy chaos of friends reuniting, selfies uploading, and cars unloading, shocking news America Today just ranked Tiffin the number two boarding school in the country. It’s a seventeen-spot jump – was there a typo? The dorms need to be renovated, their sports teams always come in last place, and let’s just say Tiffin students are known for being more social than academic. On the other hand, the campus is exquisite, class sizes are small, and the dining hall is run by an acclaimed New York chef. And they do have fun—lots of parties and school dances, and a piano man plays in the student lounge every Monday night.

But just as the rarefied air of Tiffin is suffused with self-congratulation, the wheels begin to turn – and then they fall off the bus. One by one, scandalous blind items begin to appear on phones across Tiffin’s campus, thanks to a new app called ZipZap, and nobody is safe. From Davi Banerjee, international influencer and resident queen bee, to Simone Bergeron, the new and surprisingly young history teacher, to Charley Hicks, a transfer student who seems determined not to fit in, to Cordelia Spooner, Admissions Director with a somewhat idiosyncratic methodology – everyone has something to hide.

As if high school wasn’t dramatic enough...As the year unfolds, bonds are forged and broken, secrets are shared and exposed, and the lives of Tiffin’s students and staff are changed forever.

MY THOUGHTS: I love it! I fell right into the pages of The Academy and never wanted to climb out! Dare I hope there may be a follow-up? Just one? I want, no, NEED to know what happens to these fifth-form students in their final year. AND just what is contained in the letter Dub can't open until Graduation morning.

This is the first book I have ever read which made me wish I had gone to boarding school. The closest I ever got was the nurses' home at our training hospital and, believe me, it was nothing like this!

The Academy is so much fun. I was absorbed by and entwined in the relationships and rivalries between the students and the teachers . . . the dynamics, the pecking orders, the romances and break-ups, and the disruption caused by just one student who is transferred in.

The map of the school and grounds and the character list were greatly appreciated.

The Academy is a stunning debut for mother and daughter writing team Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham. Five star fun! Devoured in just over 24 hours. It is a long time since I have been this EXCITED about a book!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#TheAcademy #NetGalley

MEET THE AUTHORS: ELIN HILDERBRAND is a proud 1991 graduate of Johns Hopkins University where she majored in Writing Seminars. After a short stint working in publishing and teaching in New York City, she moved to Nantucket permanently in 1994. She attended the University of Iowa writers workshop and earned her MFA in 1998.
She is the mother of three children and loves riding the Peloton, cooking, and going to the beach. She will retire with her summer of 2024 book and plans on becoming a book influencer.

SHELBY CUNNINGHAM was born and raised on Nantucket Island. She is a 2024 graduate of St. George's School in Middletown, Rhode Island, and is presently a student of the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Quercus Books via NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of The Academy written by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

The book takes place in the aftermath of Cinnamon’s death, a student at the school. A school where the official line is that they are all bruised but hopeful about the year ahead. That hope is a little misplaced. The school is a reflection of online life with the Queen and the minions, the sports star and the one with a pen attractive rich parent. Life is reflected back at the students through an online app called Zip Zap and things take a nasty tone and even banning it has limited impact. The app is driven by revenge for the death of a student and this brings out all the worst traits of teenagers with money and talent. A nasty book where I needed to go looking for kindness. It is an uncomfortable read however reflective of pockets of the world.

Scandal, secrets, and sabotage — The Academy is every bit as addictive as the boarding school dramas we all secretly crave.

From the very first page, Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham pull you behind the ivy-covered walls of Tiffin Academy, where glossy perfection masks messy truths. Move-in day sets the stage for cliques, crushes, and whispered rivalries — but when a mysterious new app begins spilling everyone’s secrets, no one on campus is safe. Not the influencers. Not the teachers. Not even the students who think they’re invisible.

This is dark academia with a modern, buzzy twist: sharp writing, layered characters, and that delicious mix of privilege and peril that keeps you turning pages late into the night. I loved the shifting perspectives, the tangled relationships, and the feeling that every character had something to hide.

If you love juicy campus drama, morally messy characters, and the thrill of watching secrets unravel one notification at a time, The Academy belongs at the very top of your TBR. A sharp, stylish, and compulsively readable peek behind the curtain of elite boarding school life.

Reading The Academy gave me the same feeling as when I enjoyed Prep, by Curtis Sittenfield, but with a splash of Gossip Girl. Despite the high school setting and lighter moments, the story carried some heft, touching on themes such a grief, mental health, substance use, and relationship difficulties.

I forgot this was a co-authored book as the writing was so seamless and consistent. I haven’t read many of Hilderbrand’s books, but found the style easy and engaging. The length and pacing of the story made for a more immersive read, and the gentle cadence and complex characterisation struck just the right balance.

I thoroughly enjoyed escaping into the Tiffin microcosm. While I found the ending of the story satisfying, there were a few threads left open, which I hope hints at a sequel, particularly focussing on the lives of the soon to be sixth years.

Thank you to the publisher for an advance copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

A fun read Great characters and a really interesting insight into American Boarding Schools Now at last I know what a Sophomore is!
Cant wait for the sequel

The Academy is written by mother and daughter duo @elinhilderbrand and @shelbykcunningham and is published by @quercusbooks on 16th September and for someone who loves books set in educational settings this was perfect for me. Made up of all of the type of characters that can be found in The Breakfast Club movie this was pure nostalgia for me even though it was set in the here and now. I raced through it and would love to see it on the big screen. I wonder who would play the main characters? Thanks @netgalley for the proof.

Firstly thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.

I’ve ever read an Elin Hilderbrand novel before but I have heard great things . I know this is different from her other novels but I have to say I was not disappointed. I ate this book up in just over a day. Loved the goings on at Tiffin Academy,loved the characters and the gossip girl style app where all the deepest darkest secrets were revealed. Brilliant, loads of unanswered questions so looking forward to a sequel.

The Academy is the perfect back-to-school read. It feels like a fun cousin of Sittenfeld's Prep (a 2025, less racist cousin) meets Dead Poets Society. The alternating point-of-views were a little overwhelming at times, but ultimately led to a very fun, unique plot. Two standout elements include Chef Haz's special culinary delights and the play-within-a-play of Mean Girls evocative of Euphoria Season 2 Episode 7 (the PG version), peppered with Davi's vocabulary words and Charley's book recommendations/reading list throughout. It felt like taking notes should have been in order while reading. The pairings of old-school references with new school brands and "influencer" lingo was indicative of the mother-daughter dynamic duo of authors. Not a bad academia debut for the queen of beach reads. It would be rewarding to read the sequel because senior year still awaits for Tiffin's secret crew--and who knows how their respective priorities will shift, with Priorities. The only request for the next one is perhaps a more harsh form of revenge (for a long read as this, it needs the reward of it).

i've never stepped away from loving these kind of books since i was little. when i read this title and saw the author i was exited to have her take on it. Elin knows how to write the good stuff. the goooood characters. the gooooooooooooooood stories.
the characters we come across are sometimes a delight, and sometimes a horrid time reading. and i mean that in the best way. because it really depicts the people we meet at that age. and sometimes sadly the people we are. so it was beautiful and painful to see that. to know now as an old fogie that these times dont last, but for some they do. and for some they really do shape everything going forward. it made me want to do better and be better in our world. especially the world we've become right now. i think the life of young people now must be horrific in many ways if what we all went through is only accelerated because of social culture nowadays.
we also see the teachers and staff we can all recognise. again some life changers there. but it was such a clever way Elin bought them all together and showed them so that we as adults can be totally gripped by this story. and not to overwhelmed with memories lol. i wonder how, with each of the categories us older folk fell into back then, how each of us were reading this book feeling.
its fun to watch and root for these kids. its fun to feel naughty with them.
there is also the deeper stuff. the stuff we perhaps understand more of. how levels and achievements are seen in wider context of schools tables and leagues.
now with the newness of social media and apps things are getting a bit dark in the school. a new app is making waves throughout the staff and student. this will effect everyone
i enjoyed this book, and the fact that Elin did this with her daughter made it all the more readable. you could see those points she might have contributed to.
this book felt smart, chaotic and messy. then deeper, darker and atmospheric. then it calmed and felt peaceful and connecting. which is exactly how i imagine life inside a boarding school would be.
this was a great book to explore. i liked being able to do so with an age that gave me a step back from it all too.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read The Academy here on NetGalley. I am a huge fan of Elin Hilderbrand’s novels and was mightily intrigued to see how this collaboration with her daughter would pan out. But no need to panic, I wasn’t disappointed at all; the fabulous Hilderbrand writing style is unchanged and as engaging as ever, and discovering the secret world of American boarding schools for both teaching staff and pupils was endlessly entertaining. I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to read the sequel!

I absolutely devoured this book, it was a wonderfully gossipy page turner set in a posh American boarding school. Like a mash up of gossip girl and Prep, both of which were referenced. I enjoyed the mix of student and staff characters, and whilst there were a fair few un likeable ones I found the book enjoyable and highly readable. My only gripe would be a couple of unresolved storylines.

So happy to be reunited with Elin Hilderbrand’s writing once more. As I read, I felt totally immersed in the world of Tiffin academy and was transfixed by all that happened one academic year. As soon as I finished I double checked that this was a series as I cannot wait for the next book.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a chance to review an advanced copy of the book, in exchange for an honest review. 4.5 ⭐️

A fabulous boarding school setting rife with both student and teacher drama. I loved the setting and couldn't stop turning the pages. There were some morally questionable behaviors, but each character was so intricately developed that I ended up rooting for someone I should probably been condemning. An entertaining read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

The Academy is a look at boarding school life for both students and teachers and too say I enjoyed it is the understatement of the century.. The characters have a lively banter that flows beautifully and they all seem to have different secrets. I loved the food and wish I could eat that well. The chef certainly doesn't let anyone go hungry at the academy. I basically just enjoyed getting to know everyone and how life worked at the school. I would hate for this to end so maybe it could become a series!

The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand co-written with her daughter Shelby Cunningham, published by Quercus Books.
One year in the existence of New England boarding school Tiffin Academy. A drama laden, action filled story its occupants. The students fresh from high school and now out in the wild so to speak.
A beautiful witty and fun read, 5 stars.