The Swallows by Lisa Lutz was more of a literary thriller than a mystery. I enjoyed the first part and the ending. The middle lagged a bit and not much happened. The payoff at the end was worth the read though. I think most of Lutz's readers will definitely like this book! Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not quite sure what I was expecting but it wasn't what I got. There are several different viewpoints and I hated them all. Yes, even the kids. The teachers were all assholes, the boys are all douchebags, and the girls are ridiculously overdone. The story wasn't that interesting and nothing super major happened until the end and by then there had been a whole lot of buildup for not much of an explosion.

2 out of 5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Utterly timely, Lisa Lutz's THE SWALLOWS is a solid choice for most general fiction collections and also crossover appeal for high school collections.

This book was such an interesting commentary on sexism and how young women are treated by young men. I also thought it was clever to tell the story through multiple viewpoints, including adults at the school. All in all, worth the read but I wouldn’t consider it groundbreaking.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and had a hard time putting it town. I loved the story as it became more intertwined and I felt like it wonderfully written. The only thing I have that I did enjoy with the abrupt ending. I was left wanting more because the story was so complex. I was wanting a more detailed ending because the entire plot itself was so detailed. I still loved all the twist and turns and all the secrets. I also enjoyed the characters and girls coming together to show their worth.

This is my first Lisa Lutz book and I really enjoyed the read. This was so off the wall that I didn't take any of it seriously and just went with it - I don't think the book was meant to be serious although there are some deep-seated male/female issues shining through. You can read the intro to find out what the book it about, but let me tell you what I liked.

I thought the character Alex Witt was badass - her mother was as well so she got it honest. Gemma was a true leader and her decisiveness helped move the story along. Most of the males were immature jerks. The headmaster was totally clueless! I thought the "blowchart" was a nice touch.
The writing, the characters, and the plot all kept me interested. I will probably pick up another of Lisa Lutz's books soon because I enjoyed the writing.

The only thing I didn't really like was the number of points of view the story was told from. Sometimes it was hard to remember whose head you were in while reading what they were thinking/doing.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine through Netgalley for an advance copy.

This was a skillfully constructed story and masterfully written. At first I did not like the fact that there were so many characters, but as the story unfolded I came to accept that they were necessary. Each chapter builds for the ending and sweet revenge.
Many thanks to Random House and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine and Net Galley for providing me with a copy of The Swallows by Lisa Lutz in exchange for my honest review.

Let’s start with the description/genre of this book. Mystery/Thriller, Women’s Fiction. NO!!! That is HORRIBLE branding for this story. It’s not a mystery; there was no big reveal. It is not a thriller. It is not for women; this is for teens – older teens. It should be a YA.

Next, let’s talk about the number of characters and POV. The story takes place at a boarding school. First we meet the new teacher, Alex Witt, and then we add in Gemma (one of the female students), then Mr. Finn (one of the male teachers) and another student, Norman (a male). On top of that, we meet at least 30ish students and only 6, maybe 8 adults. The adults introduced are all messed up, so messed up they seem like teenagers themselves. All of these adults know what’s going on at their school but ignore it, except for the Dean, who knows nothing…no!

The changing of POV was frustrating. Ms. Witt is our first POV, and she comes to the school from another boarding school where there was a scandal. The scandal is so bad that we don’t talk about it until finally, it’s out. It’s a huge letdown. I’m not saying it wasn’t a disturbing event, but the buildup makes you think it’s much worse. Then we have Gemma’s POV as the ringleader of the revolution, she tells us what’s going on at the school. Honestly, we just needed her POV. I maybe get having Ms. Witt’s. Then the male teacher, who is a pervert, is added to the mix. Sometimes he’s teaching and but Ms. Witt ends up taking on most of his classes so he can write a novel, which we learn is a boarding school with a naughty secret. Then we add in one of the male students, who admits he’s a coward. Although he tried to make up for his mistakes as the book goes on, it’s an unnecessary added POV.

The Plot! There was so much going on in this story that didn’t help it along. Ms. Witt’s parents are all over the place. Her dad is an author and womanizer who kept showing up for no apparent reason. And her mother, who I actually liked, she was strong, independent, smart, and brave. But were they necessary to push the story forward? No. If you cut them out the book, nothing would change.

The story is about a boarding school whose students are terrible to each other. Moreover, the boys treat the girls like toys. Then you have a student sleeping with a teacher and blackmailing them, and you have inappropriate pictures of girls (some underage) being shared with the students, you have a teacher sleeping with just about everyone. The boys have a website that was created to track the girl's ability to perform certain sexual acts. The main act they focus on is blowjobs, and the only part of this book that I liked was the Blow Chart that was created to help girls decide if they should be doing them.

I read The Swallows much faster than I have been reading lately, but it wasn’t a good thing. I found myself skipping full paragraphs because I just didn’t care what the character had to say or was thinking. I wanted this to be a female empowerment story. I wanted to see the girls stand up for themselves and fight back and they do, but their retaliation ends in tragedy. Is it tragic if no one cares? I don’t know, the book wasn’t what I hoped it would be and it just made me want to get it over with as quickly as possible.

I did not finish it.....a little over the top for me. As a former secondary teacher, I found the characters to be black and white.....no grey! They were not believable.

I like Lisa Lutz. I thought the Spellman books were very entertaining. This one is a whole different animal and it flows pretty well. I never like it when the chapters are named after the people they feature in them, it is always a little tricky to follow, but we do have a very interesting cast of characters here that almost makes it work. This is a quirky (what a surprise), well written book with a very contemporary theme. It keeps you engaged almost the whole way. Good stuff.

I've been thinking about doing a display in my library in a fancy private high school on books set in fancy private high schools. Such recent novels as Mary McCoy's I, Claudia, Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson, and even Tana French's The Secret Place would all fit in well with the theme. And The Swallows looked like an excellent addition (thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine for the digital review copy).

However, though the themes of power manipulation, male dominance and female acquiescence, the role of social media, and teacher complicity are appealing if not exactly true of my school, at least not to this degree : ), the raunchiness of it makes it a no go for our library.

On a personal basis, though, I enjoyed it very much and would highly recommend it to adults who are interested in the goings on of teenagers in fancy private schools.

This compelling read has you wondering how often things like this happen. Some may feel it is unrealistic, but in this day and age I have no doubt that some readers will relate. The characters are complex and the different points of view in each chapter add depth to the plot. Female empowerment as a result of a horrible game is a nice change of pace for a story. There were a lot of twists and surprises. While we know at the beginning that people die, the ending is shocking and brilliant. The snarky humor and wit that I have always enjoyed about this author's books is present here and keeps the story from being too dark. A highly recommended read!

4.5 stars, rounded up

I was a huge fan of Lutz’s The Passenger and the entire Spellman series. While the Spellman books were all just great fun, The Passenger showed she had the chops to do an intriguing, serious mystery.

With The Swallows, we get something different again. Alex Witt arrives at a New England boarding school thinking she’s going to teach English Lit, but gets handed creative writing instead. This isn't some posh school, it seems to be more half baked than serious. And what a cast of characters! We hear not only from Alex, but a variety of teachers and students. The students run the gamut of teenage personalities, but the adults (other than Alex) are off the chart weird (as you would expect of anyone teaching at a third rate boarding school).

Lutz retains her wicked turn of phrase ability - “Stonebridge May look like Green Gables, but it’s the Bada Bing Club for the preppy set.”

Normally this subject matter wouldn’t enthrall me. Pissy, entitled teenager boys lord it over the girls in the school. But, it just kept me engrossed. I wanted to see if/how the boys got their comeuppance. It’s sad to think that in 2009, the girls are still seen as objects, things to be manipulated. And the ending, well, I couldn’t read that ending fast enough. Wow, wow, wow.

I had one minor quibble with the book. Admittedly, we only see a microcosm of the entire school population, but I can’t believe that a majority of the school officials and teachers would have been willing to turn a blind eye to the goings on.

My thanks to netgalley and Random House- Ballantine for an advance copy of this book.

The Swallows
by Lisa Lutz
due 8-13-2019
Random House/ Ballantine
4.5 / 5.0
#netgalley. #TheSwallows

When Alex Witt accepts a teaching assignment for a creative writing course ( a course he never taught before ) at Stonebridge Academy in Lowland, Vermont. He didnt realize just how much there was to learn at this elite boarding school. The dark secrets of the group of The Ten, the top students who oversee the Darkroom and give the award to one female student, deemed most beautiful, and given the title of Dulcinea. But there are rules and conditions to being given this status. To be eligible you had to give blow jobs to one of the Ten- many girls saw it as an easy trade off. However, it's worse than it seems- these girls don't realize the Ten have a code system, using numbers and names of birds to grade the girls on their performance. How far they will go...
Things heat up when a group is formed to fight Dulcinea and the Darkroom. Lutz shows excellent timing and a plot that feeds the reader. I became invested in the plot, and had to find out what would happen, if these boys would be found and outed....
Witty, well-written and engaging.
Thanks to netgalley, Random House, and Lisa Lutz for sending this e-book ARC for review.

This is an excellent read,. Funny and provocative, the plot builds with each page. Told from the point of view of the participants, students and staff at an elite private academy, Lisa Lutz mixes humor and intrigue in each chapter. Sexual content prevents me from recommending on a wide scale, but for me specifically, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

This is a twisted, darkly humorous, and somewhat disturbing addition to all of the #metoo books popping up. We find ourselves at a boarding school where the few faculty members that seem to exist don't do a whole lot of actual work. The students are allowed to take three hours of creative writing or P.E. as an individual study course where spear fishing in a pond is not seen as too weird of an activity. The boys (or at least the 5 popular ones) are somehow able to convince a large population of the girls to give them blow jobs on the regular and the girls don't seem to know how to get themselves out of this pickle. So then the story becomes, can the girls drop their issues with each other long enough to join together and put an end to the status quo?

At face value, the plot is over the top and unrealistic, but if you start substituting the characters and their actions for the real people that seem to almost pop up daily in the news and their crimes, then it doesn't sound all that far fetched. And the takeaway is the same- will women be able to put a stop to all of this nonsense? I guess only time will tell.

This was a creepy good book. The story centers on Stonebridge Academy, a private prep school in Vermont. The arrival of Alex Witt, the new English literature (and much too her chagrin, creative writing) teacher coincides with efforts by senior Gemma Russo and fellow students to expose the incredibly exploitative and abusive behavior of a select group of male students towards the female students. Ms. Witt soon discovers that something inappropriate is going on and that most of the faculty have some knowledge, except for the clueless headmaster, Gregory Stinson. She attempts to assist Gemma, but she is limited in what she can discover and she has her own unpleasant history, strange occurrences, and visits from her parents (her father is a semi-famous author and her mother is the secret behind her father's success, but they are divorced and their relationship is contentious) to contend with.

I don't want to discuss the plot too much, because the fun of the book is going along with the characters as they try to gain a full understanding of what the influential boys are doing (Gemma and some of the other female students, Ms. Witt), try to secretly assist the girls (Norman and Jonah), navigate the school dynamics (everyone), and exact revenge. The chapters alternate between the perspectives of Ms. Witt, Gemma Russo, Norman Crowley, and Finn Ford (another professor). The characters are creative and well-developed, all with flaws that impact the final tragic outcome. My favorite character is Linny; once you get to know her, it will not be hard to figure out why she is such an appealing character.

This book is well worth the read.

I received an uncorrected proof via NetGalley.

Thanks to Netgalley, for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book was a "can't put it down." A group of girls in a boarding school, who have passively allowed themselves to be exploited by the group of boys who basically run things, finally get fed up. Since the catalyst for the action is their new teacher, our protagonist, we aren't restricted to a teenage point of view, but instead see what's going on from the perspective of several adults at the school well as the teenagers.

The book shifts perspective with each chapter, and I think this device gave a lot of depth to the plot - it allowed us to see things that just one character wouldn't necessarily be aware of, and allowed more exploration of how people felt about what was going on.

While I thought it was going to be predictable, there were definitely twists and turns that deepened the plot and changed the plot from what I had expected.

Terrific book - well worth reading.

This book.... wow. Incredibly topical and thought-provoking, a perfect companion to the #MeToo world we currently live in. I was deeply engaged in the story and found the ending to be utterly satisfying. My only criticism is the sheer number of characters to keep track of- at times it was overwhelming and confusing, but didn't detract from the ultimate story. Thank you for the advance copy!

I lived the storyline. I thought it was unique. The writing was well developed as well as the characters. Great job!