Small Admissions is a story that weaves in and out of the cutthroat world of private school admissions in NYC (which is fascinating), but the true heart of this tale are the four women who are connected by blood, friendship and one bad boy (ex) boyfriend. Amy Poeppel has an incredible wit and she brings each character to life in a picture-perfect way. I found myself chuckling and cheering all the way through the book.

And I'm one of those people who says, "ciao," which, when I got to that part, made me burst out laughing in a public place, garnering many looks from the people around me! In my defense, I do speak Italian. ;p

Small Admissions is a fun and funny read which I greatly enjoyed.

I implore you, pour yourself a glass of wine and curl up with this book. Around 10% in is where I started snort laughing into my glass, and probably burned through hundreds of calories smiling and laughing throughout the book. The realizations of the cast of characters, as they each face their own drama, are done so well and each stream of consciousness is simply hysterical. And, my goodness does this book have rhythm. I found myself flying through the pages, reading passages aloud to my husband, who kept reminding me he was reading his own book. Definitely recommend!

The admission process to enter the best schools in Manhattan is hard for both the children and the parents as Kate Pearson soon finds out. After being dumped by her handsome French boyfriend, Robert, in a Paris airport right before she moved in with him, Kate has a breakdown and spends a year wallowing on her couch watching reruns of Sex and the City in the company of a cat. Thanks to her sister Angela, she gets a job interview for an assistant position in the admissions department of the prestigious Hudson School and, after a disastrous but hilarious interview in which she pours out all her problems to her future boss, she miraculously gets the job. And she is good at it. In the meantime, her best friend Chloe still feels guilty for introducing Kate to Robert and tries to make up for it by showering her with gifts and trying to find her a new boyfriend through online dating. Her other best friend, Vicky, is tired of Kate's depression and wants her to move on, although for selfish reasons, while her overprotective and controlling sister Angela tries to make sure that Kate doesn't make any more bad decisions. While her friends and sister try to run her life, Kate has to deal with ambitious and crazy parents who want their children to get into one of the top schools in Manhattan.
Although, it seems that Kate is just a weak and immature woman who can't deal with a break-up, she is a smart, funny and strong woman and simply a fantastic character. From parents who are too busy hating each other to notice how smart their son is to parents who refuse to accept that their child isn't that clever, this is an entertaining and refreshing novel perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella, with brilliant characters, hilarious scenes (the interviews between Kate and some of the parents made me laugh so much), and a captivating plot that will keep you glued to the page.

I wasn’t entirely sure what I was going in for when I decided to read and review Small Admissions. But I was pretty pleased and satisfied by the time I finished reading this book. Although it is centered around a school and the admissions process, it really is about family. Friendships, love, break ups, recovering from a funk… this book really covers it all.

What I had to like most about this novel was the brilliant character development we get to see from Kate. At the beginning, we really see her as someone who is hopeless and helpless. I have to admit – I criticized her a bit for wallowing so much when it came to a break up. A whole year is a really long time! But we steadily get to see a bit more of the bigger picture and what truly went on as we get further into the story. I started to blame Kate less and less. It helped that we were getting to see her beautiful transformation as well.

I also really liked how present the secondary characters were in this novel. We see things from all of their perspectives, and really get to see their story going in tandems with Kate, even though it might not really have to do with her story directly. I’m someone who really thinks minor characters all play their own role, and we really get to see this in the book. Because indirectly, things that the minor characters do, eventually end up effecting Kate’s journey and life in certain ways. So it was pretty nice to see that reflected in the story.

The style of writing was pretty nice and easy to read. At times some of the story is told through letters, emails and correspondence which was a nice change. I didn’t feel anything particular for that in either way. There was also quite a lot of point of view switching, which worked at times and didn’t work at others for me. I really liked to see all the different perspectives, but it was also a bit of brainwork trying to figure out whose perspective we were seeing things from after a chapter break.

I was expecting to not be able to appreciate any of the parts which had to do with the school. I know a bit about running a school because my mum is a head mistress, so I was prepared. But the author actually managed to make it interesting, and I found myself strangely invested in what was happening there. Yeah, it surprised me.

I have to admit though, in the middle the story dragged a bit. Not because it was boring, necessarily, but because I think Kate reached a plateau moment in her life and that slowed down the story. It’s the reason I couldn’t give the book five stars.

Most of all, this book make me think about what it means to leave things in life behind. Let go, move on. It made me think about rejection – in the sense of school admissions and from other people. And it also made me really think about whether there are really bad people in the world, or just bad mistakes or bad situations that some people can’t handle…

This review can be found at Olivia's Catastrophe.

This book made it onto my radar when it came through in my email and I immediately added it to my review pile. I took my time getting around to reading it but then Grace over at <a href="http://rebelmommybookblog.com/blog-tour-review-giveaway-small-admissions/">Rebel Mommy Book Blog</a> reviewed the book and I was super excited to start the book and I'm happy to report that I enjoyed it.

Kate Pearson is our main character and the story follows her and the people in her life from her family, her friends and the people she comes across every day at her new job as an admissions director for Hudson, a private school in New York City. After a disastrous relationship, Kate falls into a deep depression that takes her out of commission for a while and when her sister sets up a job interview for her to kick her out of her funk, Kate goes along with it and is surprised when she finds so much more than a new job. She finds a purpose. She finds a new circle of people that come to mean the world to her.

The book follows quite a few different people. There is Kate, of course, but there is also her sister, her friends, her boss and some of the parents that are trying to get their kids into Hudson. This book was fun and it was interesting but I have to note that in the beginning, it was confusing as hell. At least it was for me. I couldn't figure out why Chloe's bit was in first person, while everyone else was in third person, including Kate's bit since Kate is the main character. It was hard to keep everyone sorted in my head but I continued on and was glad for it because everything was sorted and the story really was a good time.

This book has a bit of everything to make it an enjoyable read. Crazy parents, bratty kids, bad friends, well meaning friends, supportive family members and a sister that thought she knew everything but made me want to smack her upside her head from time to time. Every time Victoria thought something bad about Kate, I wanted Kate to come out on top of something else that would drive Vicky crazy. Every time Silvia Blake came onto the scene, my eyes got bigger and bigger waiting to see what shenanigans she'd get herself into. Angela made me roll my eyes all over the place and Chloe frustrated me but I ended up really liking her. There was much to enjoy about this book. It made me laugh, it hurt my heart but in the end, everything worked out and I was entertained.

This was a good book and I definitely recommend it if you're in the mood for a fun chick lit book.

Small Admissions was a breath of fresh air. I have to admit I would usually grab a suspense/mystery off my shelf before I consider a Chick Lit book. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this book. When I read the introduction, I knew I was in for a ride. We are all aware how hard it is to deal with a break-up especially when it’s fresh.

Kate is dumped by her boyfriend and feels as though her life is coming to an end. Frustrated with her lack of zeal for life, Kate’s sister gets her a job in the Admissions office of at Hudson Day School. I won’t even spoil what went down in the interview. I guess that didn’t matter because Kate ended up with the job. That’s when she is introduced to a new array of characters that gives her a new zest for life.

This book was witty, full of humor, and well-written. There was more than a few laugh out loud moments for me. I can’t wait to read more from Author Amy Poeppel.

If you are looking for a book that will keep you smiling, then I recommend this fun read.

This book pulls the reader into the fascinating world of private schools for the young and ambitious in cutthroat New York City. They are the schools that almost guarantee an Ivy League path for college, thus promising a ton of other opportunities and possibilities as an adult. And I can only imagine that it is a vicious cycle, where the kids also become the future neurotic parents of their own children and fight to the death with these admission advisors to secure a spot.

The story is told from multiple perspectives which threw me off at first but which I started to like towards the 20% mark. And it may have changed in the finished copies, but my ARC did not have chapter headings. So, you'd have to read a few lines to know whose perspective the focus was on. But the author does an amazing job at distinguishing between all: including the voice, characterization, etc. that once I got to know the characters and their backstory, the non-headings no longer bothered me.

Kate is mourning the death of her relationship. And as much drama that exists in the prep school world, so the same exists in Kate's world. And the unique part of this story was that it's told from multiple points of view, including her sister, her two college friends, and a mother working on getting her son accepted into Hudson Day School, a school that hires Kate despite her horrendous interviewing skills. I laughed so much - especially at certain parts when you start to realize that everyone keeps their own blend of secrets for both self-preservation purposes and to keep the peace.

And what was also a breath of fresh air was that this story, at its core, is about female friendships. What makes us tick, what keeps us together, and what eventually tears us apart. Because it's like any other relationship and how we change with it is key. Yes, there's a romantic relationship but it is not the main focus of the book, a nice change of pace in a story that centers around a protagonist in her twenties.

And I know I said this already but this book is really, really funny and I can't say that for many books. I highly recommend Small Admissions to anyone looking for a fun, contemporary read, with women at the center experiencing the pangs and pains from graduating college, moving to the suburbs, suffering from heartaches, and just overall "real life issues." Amy Poeppel handled her debut quite nicely and I look forward to reading more from her! Thank you to Atria for letting us read, review, and offer an amazing giveaway.

Small Admissions was a great end of 2016 and start to 2017 for me. I had a difficult time getting through books in 2016 and Small Admissions was just the book I needed to get back in the game. Kate Pearson had a depressing loss of motivation, but with the help of the people around her who believed in her, she found herself. It’s a bit of a coming of age story and I only wish that I had that kind of direction to realize by the end of the book where I belong. (Although my story isn’t over yet. But Kate clearly found her right direction at a much younger age than me.)
Small Admissions is your classic chick lit variety book and I loved it. It was an easy read and did not require any more character development than was given. Although, there was a mix of characters sharing their point of view throughout which made it a bit confusing to latch onto in the beginning. However, it was simple enough to figure out. There was a mix of mediums which always intrigue me. Having the story told to me through story telling as well as through emails and letters is always a plus in my book. I found the crazy stories centered on the private school admissions process slightly voyeuristic and I wanted more! I enjoyed this book and hope that it’s the start of a good year of reading for me.

Hello 2017! Even though I read this book in 2016, it’s my first official book review of 2017 and I couldn’t be happier with this new year kick off!

Kate Pearson has turned into a major slacker. Even though she’s graduated at the top of her class from college and things seem positive in her life, everything takes a turn for the worst.

She was unceremoniously dumped by her “almost fiancé” she abandons her grad school plans and instead spends her days lolling on the couch, watching reruns of Sex and the City, and leaving her apartment only when a dog-walking gig demands it.

Her friends don’t know what to do other than pass tissues and hope for a comeback, while her practical sister, Angela, pushes every remedy she can think of, from trapeze class to therapy to job interviews.

Basically Kate is lost and has no idea what to do with her life. Then suddenly a job at the prestigious Hudson Day School lands in her lap and a whole new world opens for her.

Through every dishy, page-turning twist, it seems that one person’s happiness leads to another’s misfortune, and suddenly everyone, including Kate, is looking for a way to turn rejection on its head, using any means necessary—including the truly unexpected.


I don’t read a whole lot of chick lit but this book sounded so entertaining and funny that I had to give it a go. I work in education admissions so this book sounded like something I could relate to and I wasn’t wrong. It was cheeky and funny and I really enjoyed Kate as the lead character.

Even though it was told in the third person, I still felt like I could relate to Kate as well as the other characters and enjoy their story. I think what I loved about this story the most was how much I could relate to it because of my job. For teachers, school counselors, and others who have worked in education and had to deal with helicopter and high maintenance parents as well as entitlement issues with parents and students then this book will find a special place in your hearts! Working in a school environment made this book all the more endearing for me.

While I think I loved this book more because of it, I don’t think you need to be a school worker to find humor and charm in this book. Poeppel has a great wit and ability to bring humor to various situations and I loved that about this book. Not to mention it was an easy quick read, just what I needed coming off the holiday season.

There was also a romantic element in the book but it wasn’t overwhelmingly the focus of the book which was nice but on the other hand I kind of wanted it to be. Sometimes in chick lit it’s either all romance or all personal journey stories but this book had a nice mixture of both so I liked that a lot…..even if I did want the whole book to be romance, the way it was written was satisfying.

On the whole, this was a great book and I loved the humor and journey of the character. I loved Kate and wanted all the best for her in this novel! If you are looking for something entertaining to kick off the holiday season then this is the book for you!

Challenge/Book Summary:

Book: Small Admissions by Amy Poeppel

ebook, 368 pages
Published December 27th 2016 by Atria/Emily Bestler Books
ISBN 1501122541 (ISBN13: 9781501122545)
Review copy provided by: Author/Publisher in exchange for an honest review
This book counts toward: NA

Hosted by: NA
Books for Challenge Completed: NA
Recommendation: 4 out of 5

Genre: Romance, womens fiction, chick lit

Memorable lines/quotes: NA

Kate is reeling from the breakup from hell, left at the airport in Paris for a French boyfriend who "changed his mind" after she packed up and left her life and her graduate studies behind to pursue love.

Kate's decision and subsequent breakdown impact all of the women in her life. Her sister, and her two best friends have different ways of dealing with the changes in Kate that range from tolerance to fixing to phantom online dating in Kate's place.

Kate's sister helps her land a job as an admissions counselor at a prestigious private school, and slowly begins to come back to life. In the midst of her long hours, she starts chatting with the neighbor that lives downstairs.

This was a fun book to read, and I liked Kate's journey, along with her friends and sister. I did feel like her friend who began to date her ex was pretty disloyal - a real friend wouldn't do that, or be so spiteful about it in the beginning - but in the end she got what she deserved too.

The funny thing was, all of these women were running around worrying about Kate; where she should work, who she should date, and Kate never really seemed to return the interest. She didn't seem to care about them too much at all. In spite of all their hard work, they didn't realize that the only thing she needed was time - time to reflect on why she made the major life change she did, and acceptance of the real reason behind that decision.

I typically love a good chick lit book while on vacation and I rarely read them other than that, but Small Admissions had such an interesting synopsis, I felt like I had to read it right away. The beginning of the story starts in third person, and the character introduction is a little bit confusing, but after the first few chapters I started to get in the groove and really enjoyed it.

Kate begins as a character you just truly feel bad for. She doesn't know when to quit talking, she constantly feels bad for herself, and she makes a lot of bad choices (that left me rolling on the floor laughing), but with all of that being said... she is totally likable and I found myself unable to put the book down in hopes that Kate would do something else hilarious.

Unlike other chick lit books, Small Admissions isn't centered around a romance. There definitely is some romance mixed in, but I liked that it was more of a comedy than a romance story. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel and hope to read more from Amy Poeppel soon! I would highly recommend this book to friends.

Kate graduated top of her class and was headed to graduate school when something happens and sends her in a tail spin - this something is spoilerie so lets keep it vague! With the help of her sister, she finds a job that just may get her out of the funk. At the same time, her sister is pregnant with baby #2 and their parents have been galavanting around the world. And there are two other best friends who's love lives take center stage.

I love the job that took Kate out of the funk! She became the head of admissions at a private high school and she is out of her league! With her job, she interviews possible students and their parents and makes suggestions on whether to admit them or not. Not only does this book have typical chapters, within the chapters are fun emails, notes and interview logs - I love a book that seems like it has extras to add to the story.

What I thought would completely center around Kate and her climb from grace, really centered around the group of friends and their post college years and how friends have to morph from college friends to post college friends. I liked that it was a lot about Kate but more than just her. I would love another book, a companion perhaps that centers around another in this group of gals.