Set in 2009, presumably to remove the complication of widespread social media and smart phones, this story is still timely and feels relevant. The events in the latter half of the story are especially delightful on two fronts: emotional catharsis and narrative satisfaction. You can practically hear the war drums play as you close in on the ending and anticipate the last big punch.

On a less satisfying note, it was surprisingly difficult to keep the characters straight due to the shifting viewpoints, but not shifting tone. And I didn't understand why this boarding school existed. Definitely not academically prestigious and also not for social advancement nor name recognition? You could plop the plot in a regular high school and the story wouldn't need revision at all.

There are a few things that need improvement, but man, I was really hooked at the end and found the conclusion enjoyable.

I received a free e-copy of this title - thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

Rounded up from 2.5 stars

I wanted to like this way more than I did. There was SO much potential, but it felt like the author wasn't totally convinced that she was committed to the crazy, and held back. It resulted in a story that felt both unrealistic and yet not unrealistic enough.

There are several voices we hear from through the novel, and they were not different enough for me to differentiate them too easily. There were several times when I had to go back to the beginning of the chapter to remember who I was "listening" to. There were at least two teachers and two students... I don't think more than that. Alex Witt and Finn Ford (teachers), and Gemma Russo and Norman ? (students).

The premise of the novel - a semi-secret "society" at a boarding school - is nothing particularly new. I think that Ms. Lutz felt that her plot line was quite shocking, but compared to other YA stories and real life.. it was really a little ho-hum. We were TOLD the students were diabolical and awful people; and there were certainly a few situations that were tragic and unpleasant. But I don't like being told how awful people are; I want you to give me reasons to draw that conclusion on my own. As the novel draws to a close, several revelations are made that felt forced and a little desperate. There are several storylines and plot points that are never concluded/not concluded satisfactorily (why is Primm such a PITA? What's up with Keith? Is the headmaster creepy weird or just weird? <spoiler>Why does the author think there would have been no investigation into the fire at the boys' house, when it would have proven that the kid who they blamed it on was actually in the room when it started?</spoiler>)

Also - I couldn't figure out WHERE this was supposed to be happening. At first I thought somewhere in England, but then Witt went to another state to visit a former teacher, but the language and phrases seemed very English compared to American... It was confusing. Other than that, the writing was actually pretty good - it was a readable story, and I enjoyed it fairly well other than the issues mentioned above.

Good story, just wasn't for me. Very good writing, but felt this would appeal more to a younger audience. Well written story.

This was a complicated book with a range of flawed characters. I did enjoy the book but found the chapters a bit hard to follow after a bit. It's written in the first person which is not my favorite. A few pages into each chapter I had to go back and see who was narrating said chapter. I did love the board school setting. It certainly is a book for the times. I will give this a 3.5. Thank you Netgalley for the copy.

“Memory and reality are like cousins. Best-case scenario, they’re like first cousins. But sometimes they’re the kind of cousins who can marry.”

Yes, friends! That’s a direct quote. Please feel free to laugh out loud like I did. The Swallows, is filled with tons of wittiest, wildness and it even speaks of a few ok- busted many “B.J.’s” but it has no BS.

The Swallows was light, fluffy, youthful read to which you gladly “swallow” rather than spit. But being an adult and a parent it is one that I find difficult to accurately give a rating to. Oh, if I could only be one of the “editors” from this tale, perhaps I could give a better synopsis/rating of the humorous tale told within this read. 4 stars❤️

Anti-hero teacher brings to light secrets kept by boarding school boys and empowers the girls to fight back. Sometimes doing the right thing is the wrong thing. The girls get so mad they have to chop down trees.

Let me start this little spiel by praising Lisa Lutz. I've loved her talent for quite some time. Shoot, I am even one of the few who genuinely loved Heads You Lose. Which I still suggest for a fun read on Reddit all the time. And the Spellman series permanently bonded me to Lisa Lutz as a fan. So I went into The Swallows with my hopes so high that your kiss book might kill me like the wise men of Dashboard Confessional once sang. So I guess we can consider me dead because my hopes were butchered up and buried. Headless hope or not, The Swallows, will not deter me from reading more from Liza Lutz. But let the rambling and murder comparisons come to a halt and I'll spill the tea.

The Swallows is told from many points of views (...strike one!). Some of those views include Ms. Witt, the new, mysterious and angsty creative writing teacher. Basically Ms. Witt stumbles upon a dark school secret that really riles up the school's female population. Enters Gemma, the popular girl, who doesn't even have to try yet she is trying harder than anyone. Gemma is a take no shit kind of gal, so she wants to take matters into her own hands on matters regarding this secret. But as the plot unfolds, it all goes incredibly wonky resulting in an epic men are from Mars, Women are from Venus show down.

What didn't I like? - No One Asks....

Well I shall tell you anyways. First, there are about two hundred characters minimum. Yes, I am slightly exaggerating. But there are so many students, parents and teachers that it was almost impossible to know who was who. There were so many times I had no clue and simply could not tell one from the other. So I just read it and was like "Oh, remember that thing that happened to one of the 16 bazillion character with unrecognizable names I will never remember? ...." It basically was a headache to try and keep up with this storyline while simultaneously trying to remember 50 angsty characters. So there goes a star. And then there were 4....

Next! This story is being marketed as a Mystery & Thriller, Women's Fiction novel. I got this information from NetGalley and confirmed this genre through the Goodreads genre tags. And I have to admit, it is not being marketed correctly. I don't know who thought this would best target women, but the teenage point of view and high school setting outweigh the annoying, teenage like adults. In my opinion, the focus of the book was far more appropriate for a YA (later teens) aged reader. I think whomever decided to label it with the Women's Fiction book did this novel a disservice. It will resonate with older teenagers much better than grown women. More on this genre classification. It is called a Mystery & Thriller. I would not call this novel a thriller at all. And does a not so secret secret make a novel a mystery? There was no big mysterious revelation or major twist reveal. My personal opinion is this classification will do more harm than good for this book. And then there were 3....

On to the next! There were honestly so many pointless plots in this story. The example I am about to give is not a spoiler. Ms. Witt has a father who is an Author and randomly shows up all the time. All her co-workers and students ask if she is related to said author. And it honestly amounts to a whole lot of nothing. Like I really just either missed the point or my other theory is there was no point. Maybe this is a whole men need women lesson. No clue. But if someone went through and deleted all those paragraphs the story would be no better or worse. Pointless. Also, Ms. Witt comes to school on some more than suspicious circumstances. But there is a little invention called the internet. So obviously someone seeks it out. The "big" secret was kind of underwhelming. This was really built up too. I was essentially promised a real pony for my birthday and I got a fricken stuffed horse! There is more point than the famous author dad, but don't get carried away with credit there. These aren't the only plots that I found no use in there were a few others. But who knows maybe I am being hyper critical. I will just say that I am looking forward to more reviews on this one to see if others had similar feelings. And then there were 2.....

And there you have it, a two star story. Which I truly hate to give to Lisa Lutz just because she is an author that I associate with reverence. But this story was not for me. And I really think they should reconsider who they think the target audience for this novel truly is. But I will say, I totally love the punny title. That is the Lisa Lutz we know and love!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for a copy of The Swallows.

A dark, twisted tale of betrayal, revenge and long kept secrets. When Alexandra Witt accepts a teaching job at Stonebridge, she was hoping to escape a terrible past, but soon becomes entangled in a gender war that turns fatal. When Gemma, the shy loner but also a part of "The Ten" discovers the truth of The Darkroom, she builds an army to fight back. When silence can no longer be tolerated, the consequences turn deadly.
I loved the characters. The plot was original and well written. A page turning and thought provoking thriller.

<blockquote>In a perfect world, they wouldn’t need to fight. That’s not the world I live in. You can keep telling girls to be polite, to keep a level head and it’ll all work out in the end. But don’t be surprised when they figure out that you’ve been feeding them lies. Don’t be alarmed when they grow tired of using their voices and playing by your rules. And don’t be shocked when they decide that if they can’t win a fair fight, they’ll just have to find another way.</blockquote>
I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I find myself reading more and more fiction by women and POC about topics such as feminism and racism. Call it my personal reaction to recent political events. Some of these works have been better than others, of course. The Swallows has been one of the best I’ve read.

As I was reading the story, I was already trying to think about how it’d summarize it in this review when, in a rather meta moment, one of the characters did it for me:
<blockquote>“Son, you’ll never get anywhere if you can’t do a proper elevator pitch. You’re burying the lead. It’s a twisted noir about a bizarre sexual competition that has become the backbone of the social hierarchy at a long-standing boarding school.”</blockquote>
That quote really sums things up quite nicely. The new teacher, Alex Witt, immediately senses that there’s something deeply wrong at Stonebridge Academy. Alex is a wonderfully written character; trying so hard not to care this time, she’s sarcastic, wry, and damaged. Alex inspires a group of girls, led by Gemma Russo—another sharply written character—to try to change the social order in the school once and for all. The plot builds nicely, well-paced and believable, until events begin to spiral beyond any of the characters’ control.

The Sparrows is a gem, turning the #metoo movement into a thriller. A must read!

P.S. The blowchart is so perfect Ballantine should print it on posters and give them to every high school on earth.

This book was a really interesting game dive into the gender dynamics of a microcosmic society. I really wish it had been about 20% shorter though because it felt like the build up was taking FOREVER but the ending was satisfying. I also didn’t care for some of the peripheral characters.

Alex Witt takes a teaching job at a boarding school and through anonymous creative writing assignments finds out about the "darkroom" and a demeaning sexual contest that many of the girls are unknowing participants in. So far, anyone that's tried to stop it, has been run out of the school.

Lutz is brilliant as always at creating quirky, original, engaging, and yes maybe a little over the top characters. I could not put this book down!

I love love love Lisa Lutz's writing. She can make any storyline compelling and has a knack for getting you to truly care about her characters. While this was not my favorite of Lutz's work, this was still a thrilling and gripping read that went by fast. The book gave me a lot to think about in terms of complicity, responsibility, and appropriate actions for retaliation. I'm not sure I entirely agree with the message the ending seemed to propagate (i.e. sometimes lives must be taken for the sake of progress or to advance a movement), but I think mulling over this message and the book, with all its complexities, is an important part of the conversation surrounding advocacy and social justice. I appreciate that this book, which I feel is accessible to both YA readers and adults, put forth these considerations and I hope that other readers will join me in thinking about and responding to the message the book puts forth.

I absolutely loved this story from start to finish! What a fun ride through a fancy school with an awesome teacher. Thank you NetGally!

I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from netgalley Lisa Lutz’ novel “The Swallows” aims to be this year’s Big Little Lies, and it is equally as gripping. While I do wish some of the characters were a bit more thoroughly developed. This is a fantastic novel and the pacing is breathtaking. I loved the female characters and Lutz does a terrific job writing from the teen perspective. As a teacher, I was disappointed by the portrayal of male teachers and the trope of teachers sleeping with students but Lutz deftly ties all of the plot points together and does not stray into this topic without purpose. This is a great summer novel and it is aching for the Netflix treatment. Well done!

In Lisa Lutz's The Swallows, newly hired teacher Alex Witt is going through some hazing at Stonebridge Academy, a private school in Vermont. As she begins to deal with the bordering on nasty harassment, a student named Gemma informs her of a website where the boys of Stonebridge brag about their sexual conquests, complete with a ranking of their female classmates.

Not wanting to make waves yet unable to ignore the issue, Alex becomes an unofficial advisor to Gemma, who is forming a group of her peers that are planning to take the boys on, especially since they know the patriarchal power system that runs the school certainly won't. As remote as she hopes to be from all of this, Alex finds herself caught up in the maelstrom that eventually ignites but is not unhappy about which side she's on.

Lutz is known for her sharp satire mixed with savvy storytelling and while this novel is set several years before the rise of the push back movement against misogynistic behavior that we see today, this vivid tale of payback rings strongly to our times.

Gripping from the start, this book takes you on a wild ride with unexpected twists and turns and believable characters. Very much enjoyed this one, recomend it to readers and can't wait to see what this talented author comes up with next!

It took me a while to get into this book by Lisa Lutz. I loved the Passenger which kept me on the edge of my chair. This book seemed to slowly gather steam, but once it did, I could not put it down. Campus sex isn’t steamy in this book, it’s downright evil and disgusting, but no spoilers here. Ms. Lutz writes in a prolific style, and I loved the short chapters. Get yourself a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, not mulled, and dig in to this story. Thank you to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the perusal. I thought this book was interesting, frightening, and realistic regarding this very real subject. #metoo

Alex Witt has come to Stonebridge Academy to teach creative writing. And maybe fencing. Her fathers' relationship to the Dean has secured her position and she isn't exactly happy.

The daughter of a somewhat successful author and a Russian no-nonsense mother, Alex has perhaps inherited some qualities from both sides. Stubborn, single and not looking and very to the point!

Her first look at some of her students is a simple enough assignment. 

What do you love? What do you hate? What do you want? Don't sign your paper.

Some of the answers are easy to assign to the authors. Some look like a code of some type and Alex gets the impression not everything is kosher at this odd school.

My take:

Adults and children behaving very, very badly. Hundreds of students and only a few teachers? And there were maybe 2 redeeming characters and the rest were horrible.

It's not an original tale. There have been cliques in schools for decades. Adam has taken it to a whole new level. Find the dirt on everyone and use it to leverage things in his favor. Apparently, this system and his band of merry men who love blow jobs have been around awhile. These guys have just elevated it. And they would still be getting away with treating girls as sexual objects, grading their partners without their knowledge.

All it takes is one warrior. One person willing to stand up and say, "Enough!" And with the Blow Job Chart, it should be easy to decide. Genius! What happens is a full-on war between the sexes. These girls were scary good! In the end, all I could think was, "Girls will be Girls". And laugh.

This isn't my favorite book by Lutz. Some of the characters were a bit cliche'. All in all, I was cheering for Gemma!

NetGalley/ Ballentine August 13, 2019

This is my first time reading a book by Lisa Lutz and I will say that I enjoyed the writing style more than the book premise. The author was able to interweave different characters seamlessly. Now I like boarding school books and thought I would enjoy this one but I found the boys in this book despicable in their "rating". I guess that was the authors point since it felt it was written to purposely have a discourse on the topic. That is what literature can do so I will say she did a great job depicting things that actually do happen in our society.

The Swallows was ridiculous and over-the-top and I loved it. If you're looking for Sex Education (Netflix) in book form for the #MeToo generation, this is your book. Just make sure you go in wanting a bit of a romp, because I think if taken too seriously, The Swallows won't land. It's a fun book.

It's multi-POV, 1st person with helpful chapter headings to let you know whose POV you're in. I only had to go back to remind myself who I was with once or twice--honestly it's a case where it could have easily been in third limited and felt the same; the whole book has a punchy adult literary tone that really works. Alex Witt is our primary main character, the daughter of a famous crime fiction writer who fled her last teaching job in scandal and has landed at Stonebridge, a middling boarding school with a dark secret.

The secret is sex. The boys are garbage and treat the girls like sex objects. There's this whole not-so-secret society thing where the boys have a digital locker room of sorts where they rate girls on their blowjob skills, and the girls who find out don't like it one bit. Our primary teen character is Gemma Russo, rebel with connections to the popular set (called The Ten) who is out to dismantle the whole system. We also get POV chapters from Finn Ford, douchebag teacher/novelist, and Norman Crowley, techny nerd kid who helps fuel The Darkroom but feels bad about it.

Both the female protagonists read like Manic Pixie Dream Girls if you only concentrate on the top level details. Alex is brusque but sexy, witty, doesn't care about trivial bullshit, etc. She's the ultimate Cool Teacher, like Dead Poets Society but a 30-something-woman who gives no fucks. Finn immediately sexually objectifies her, thanks. (his POV is there in large part to contrast to the actually-fleshed-out women and demonstrate gender bullshit; it works.) Gemma is pretty but actively hides it by styling herself punk/emo, she's smart and badass, always has a quip. She's honestly a carbon copy of Maeve from Sex Education, and I even pictured her looking like her, hence why I drew that comparison. Alex and Gemma are stereotypical "strong female protagonists," who in a different book by a different author with a different POV character (male, like Finn) would come across as very different characters--thin, shallow. But they really work in Lutz's hands. Both women are complex, vulnerable, and, for me, relatable. Even though I have almost nothing in common with either of them--I related to their spirits, and their palpable anger.

This is really a book, wrapped up in a hooky commercial and slightly ridiculous plot, about anger. About rape culture, #MeToo, modern feminism. It presents everything mostly without explicit commentary, which I appreciated it. It was there on the page--female characters Witt's age or older who enabled the rape culture at the school, even blamed the girls. The men who participated and the men who did not. The spread of girls and their varying reactions to the sex games going on. One woman Witt's age (approximately 40) comments that they had it worse as teen girls. Witt responds that, no, she thinks these girls have it worse. It was straightforward, just there on the page to chew on. I liked it.

But then, okay, as I mentioned the boarding school stuff is RIDICULOUS. And I love a good ridiculous boarding school book (so I liked this one). I almost rolled my eyes a few times though. From "The Ten," which posits the popular crowd in each grade was comprised of the "top ten" students, but not based in academics--just at any given time in each grade there were ten kids who appointed themselves the most popular and they all hung out? Really a stretch for me. And then the Darkroom and the editors and the Dulcinea. Well, ok. The Darkroom I believe. But every time they referred to themselves as the editors I just deep sighed. The Dulcinea had a great payoff--I mean it's the crux of the whole book.

But I'd just like to remind everyone that 60% of teens are not having sex. Today teens have LESS sex than in the past. So this is why you have to kind if disengage your reality filter and read this as a fun romp, because the sexual antics are a bit over-the-top. A LOT of these girls are having sex from age 14 or 15, which I think is meant to be sex positive but just feels statistically ridiculous? Every single girl depicted in this book is having sex. No one is queer. Many students sleep with teachers. I mean, it's fine, but just something I thought of a lot reading it. In that sense, it definitely feels properly like an adult book (which it is), rather than a YA.

Anyway, I loved reading it. Highly recommend!