Published: May 25, 2021
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
Series: Standalone
Pages: 320 (Hardcover)
My Rating: 4.0/5.0
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis:
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.
The idea of a elite prep school murder mystery was highly appealing when I initially requested The Ivies. It was even appealing up until the point that it became clear that it was nothing but a bunch of nasty rich girls stabbing each other in the back. I mean, I did expect that but it had me flashing back to how petty teenage girls could be in high school. Then I kept reading for the sweet yet disturbing drama that unfolded.
The Ivies tells the story of a group of five girls at an elite college preparatory school in New England. They call themselves the Ivies, as each is gunning for a spot at one of five Ivy League schools and they’ll do anything to get in. The story is told from the perspective of Olivia Winters, the only girl in the group that doesn’t come from absurd wealth. She’s a scholarship student and it’s clear from the start that she doesn’t *quite* belong in the group. It’s a pretty standard catty school drama until Emma, one of the Ivies, is found murdered in the rowing house hours after a tremendous fight with the leader of their girl gang, Avery. Emma applied and was accepted to Harvard… but it wasn’t “her school” it was Avery’s, and she didn’t get accepted. Further madness ensues- secrets are revealed, red herrings abound, and it gets pretty crazy.
This was almost a hate read for me, except it was actually really good. I just hated the characters- the mystery aspect was much deeper than anticipated and the author deftly threw curveballs left and right. The Ivies was a surprisingly intense read and, well, I’m a little impressed. It would make prime mini-series material and I would probably watch it. Some aspects were a little annoying (but accurate) like the modern young kid lingo and the heavy use of pop culture/social media references. It makes me feel OLD AND OUT OF TOUCH. Amazing what a decade can do to a person! I do think that the heavy use of those references may not help this book age gratefully. It’ll be cool for a few years, but ultimately I don’t think it will end up a classic in its particular surgery. But that’s just my opinion of course!
Powder & Page 
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