Book Title: The Ivies
Author: Alexa Donne
Published by: Crown
Published on: May 25th, 2021
Genre: Dark Academia/Murder Mystery/YA
**I purchased this book with my own money.There was no obligation to post/give this book a certain rating.
Enroll in this boarding school thriller about a group of prep school elites who would kill to get into the college of their dreams…literally.
Everyone knows the Ivies: the most coveted university 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.
Murder and mystery set in high schools and colleges have become the IT thing in recent years. I mean, in books 🙂 It used to pique my interest, after all, thrillers come under my favourite reading forte. But did this book let me down? Read on to find out more.
🔥🔥🔥“Keep your enemies close.”
This is a high school drama about rich kids who would go to any extent to get whatever they want.
Set in a posh and elite school, Claflin Academy, Avery, Emma, Olivia, Margot, and Sierra are the group of popular teen girls collectively known as the Ivies. These ruthless yet pretty girls have one goal in common: that is to get into on of the Ivy League colleges. They have mutually agreed to apply to different Ivy schools, obviously to up their chances of acceptance and thus, having their dreams come true.
But on the early decision day, it is revealed that Emma had secretly applied to Harvard and gotten accepted wherein, she was supposed to apply to a different school according to their pact. Avery, the Regina of the group was to get into Harvard, and knowing this, she blames Emma and confronts at a party.
Olivia watches this in the sidelines and is equally worried because she too had applied for Harvard and had got in. The next day morning, Emma is found dead.
Who would have murdered Emma? Can Avery go to the extent of murdering someone to get into an Ivy school?
🔥🔥🔥”I guess I’m a bitch, too. It’s an unfortunate side effect of being an Ivy.”
I expected a lot of drama, given that this was a YA murder mystery, that too set in a boarding school. And it didn’t disappoint me in that way because it gave me a mix of Gossip Girls and Mean Girls vibe. The gang gives a whole bitchy aesthetic.
The best part is that each of the girls had their own unique characters and through the police investigation their personality is revealed. As they say, it is like an onion. The more layers you peel, the more it stinks.
The story moves at a steady pace and the characters are quite interesting. There are a bunch of twists and turns in every other chapter or so and it will keep you engrossed. Having said that, if you are into thrillers like me, you will be able to figure out each of these twists and the whodunnit. So, for me, it fell flat.
Also, the reason for the murder? Utterly ridiculous!
I just wish it was crispier because there were a lot of red herrings which was not required. Maybe, if the book is converted into a Netflix series, it has more scope.
Just an okay forgettable book!
🌟If you still want to get the Book, you can find it here:
In a gist, here’s what you can expect from this book.
💫Rich Girls Drama 💫Murder mystery 💫Forgettable plot
If you are into rich people drama and a twisty mystery, then this book is for you. Sadly, I think I have outgrown this troupe.
Have you read The Ivies? I’d love to know your thoughts.
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This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’
hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla
in collaboration with Monidipa Dutta.
That said, I quite enjoyed another Dark Academia Thriller. Check out the Book Review here:
Read | Book Review of For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing
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When I saw the cover, I thought wow, that’s great creativity. However, as I reached the end of the review, I changed my view. It’s probably just good packaging. These make for good web series scripts, but not good reading. They need more indepth narrative, I guess. I read some books by new authors, all ripping plots off web series and not a writer’s stream.
Your review of Ivies resonates with a Spanish series I recently watched. Set in a prestigious school, the storyline revolves around a shocking murder involving privileged and ambitious teenagers. It’s a gripping portrayal of how young individuals, driven by their desires and influenced by peer pressure, can go to extreme lengths. This fictional narrative mirrors the present state of affairs in the real world.
The pressure to get into an Ivy League school is literally Cutthroat (pun intended). I just finished one such bleh mystery, if only this one had a good plot! Thanks for sparing the pain of reading another lukewarm mystery that leaves you high and dry.
High school murder mysteries/thrillers have been done to death now. Even the series are jaded. I thought this one was worth reading. But after checking out your review, I will probably pass. Thanks for sharing it though.
Ritu Bindra recently posted…Silver Lining – The Story of NephroPlus by Kamal Shah Book Review
After reading the review I was little confused about the structuring and progress map of the book. I didn’t find is something that I will love to read even when I am a absolute murder mystery lover. There are countless short movies on similar pattern but does that mean its good for reading? well in some cases it is and in few perhaps not and this book as per me falls in category 2. Thanks for sharing your opinion with us.
I love reading mysteries but not high school dramas. I see stories like these are very popular these days even on OTT. Thanks for sharing your review.
Madhu Bindra recently posted…Achari Lauki Chana Dal
I feel like I’ve watched something similar Shalini… I know there are such series or movies out there. The story line is too familiar. I definitely havent read the book cuz I am not much into this kinda teens or young adult type mysteries n thrillers and I won’t be too keen to read it either. I prefer kids’ adventures more than this genre😀.
Murder for the college of choice sounds interesting as a concept but don’t really like the idea. I feel like on a realistic thought its grades smartness that needs to be outnumbered to get into a college of your choice and yea now a days its donations 🤦♀️
This book seems incredibly thrilling and full of suspense! The competitive environment of Claflin Academy and the extreme measures taken by ambitious students immediately captivate me. The mix of ambition, betrayal, and dark secrets creates a compelling plot that I was eager to delve into. However, after reading your review, I’ve decided it may not be the right fit for me. Nevertheless, I appreciate you sharing your thoughts on it. Thank you!
I love the VERY honest review and the way you’ve ended it…”if you still want the book….”
Thanks for the warning.
college thrillers are a hit as books or as books. Detailed review and it was good to read thanks for the write-up. After all, thrillers are the books that keep us hooked till the final page.
There are lots of this drama floating around on OTT. When I just want to watch something just for the sake.ot it i shift to these 🙂
Definitely not my genre of reading as I am more choosy with the books I pick.
Liked your honest review.
I loved the picture but after review the review the book cover doesn’t call much to me anymore
Thanks for the tip – I’ll avoid this one!