My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Title: The Ivies
Author: Alexa Donne
Format: Hardcover (borrowed)
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 5/25/21
Publisher: Crown
Categories: Prep School, Murder Mystery, Young Adult
Everyone knows the Ivies: the most coveted universities in the United States. Far more important are the Ivies. The Ivies at Claflin Academy, that is. Five girls with the same mission: to get into the Ivy League by any means necessary. I would know. I’m one of them. We disrupt class ranks, club leaderships, and academic competitions…among other things. We improve our own odds by decreasing the fortunes of others. Because hyper-elite competitive college admissions is serious business. And in some cases, it’s deadly.
Alexa Donne delivers a nail-biting and timely thriller about teens who will stop at nothing to get into the college of their dreams. Too bad no one told them murder isn’t an extracurricular.
I like a good murder mystery and this one is fairly interesting. It’s about a group of girls at a prep school who call themselves the Ivies because they will do ANYTHING to get into the Ivy School of their dreams. The group has the typical head mean girl, her cronies and then the weakest link who is Olivia, because she’s the poor scholarship girl. Something happens to Emma, one of the girls in the group – she is murdered and Olivia wants to find out who did it.
Olivia’s investigation takes us into the world of the Ivies and all the stuff they did to other students at Claflin to put themselves ahead. I think the story did a good enough job keeping me on my toes trying to figure who the killer could be, but my suspicions were pretty on point.
It’s a quick read and has lots of prep school drama. If you like scandals then you will enjoy this one.
Content Warnings: bullying, death, toxic relationships
I didn’t connect to any of the characters because I couldn’t relate to their situations. I don’t know anyone who would do all the things they did to get into an Ivy league school – so it was a bit too dramatic for me.
I didn’t really feel the romance building between Olivia and Ethan.
Why you should read it?
- you like a drama filled prep school story
- you like ya murder mysteries
Why you might not want to read it?
- can’t relate
- predictable
My Thoughts:
This was an okay read. The story was a bit predictable but I guess the fake friendship of the Ivies was entertaining enough for me to finish the book. Sometimes it’s interesting to see how far a character would go to get what they want!
📚 ~ Yolanda
Past Midnight 