This book took me way, way too long to get through. Although I was technically only reading it for three days, it shouldn't have taken me that long. I really didn't like this book nearly as much as I have liked Lutz's other books. It didn't have the snarky humor I've come to expect from her writing in The Spellman Files, and the plot just didn't grip me like The Passenger.
I think if the girls would have had a steady plan of getting their revenge for the boys' sexual grading system and manipulation, I would have liked it better, but for me, it just came too little, too late. Yes, the girls ultimately come out on top, I guess, but not without some collateral damage.
I liked Alex as a character, and she was basically the only person I connected with in any way. Yet even her character wasn't immune to the wandering plot. I ultimately just wasn't sure where Lutz was going with the tale. A #metoo story? A feminist story? It just didn't go far enough or show enough power, and since it was set before the whole #metoo era, I just didn't know what she was trying to convey.
And don't get me started on the irresponsible adults in this book. They are so clueless (other than Alex...kind of) and they are never around when needed, even in dire situations. They were basically caricatures of adults that were seemingly hiding the abhorrent behavior of these boys for years and years.
I will still seek out Lutz's books because I have generally liked them, but this one was a miss for me.

Unfortunately I really didn’t connect with this book at all. It had a lot of elements that I enjoy - an author whose work I’ve read and enjoyed before, an interesting plot concept, a sense of humor I enjoy. However they didn’t come together in a way that worked for me.

It was too many characters/points of view - felt very choppy and hard to connect to any of them. The book was told through what felt like hundreds of very short chapters - but not in a way that made me want to keep reading.

I’m having a hard time articulating even to myself why this book was such a big miss for me. I will still try another book by the author in the future but I wouldn’t recommend this one.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

Welcome to Stonebridge Academy where boys will be boys and the girls will not sit down and take it anymore. Alex Witt comes to academy fresh from a scandal at another school to teach (what she thinks will be English) writing. Her first assignment is a questionnaire asking “Who are you”? Something doesn’t sit right with Alex as she gets to know the kids and gets to know the big secret (not -so-secret) thing going on at the school. The boys are rating a certain sex act among the girls and the girls are finally realizing that they don’t have to do what they don’t want to. Cue the fireworks!

I loved the characters in this book. Alex was such a snarky, fun person. I would want her on my side. If you love the Spellman books, and who doesn’t, you will find that witty sarcasm that is so wonderful in them. This is not all comedy though. It is a serious look at gaining back your rights and it is very relevant to the times. I liked how it didn’t make all the men and boys bad or all the girls righteous or good. There was one big twist I didn’t see coming and some subtle things that I did see. I enjoyed the tug of war with her parents because behind it all, you could see how much they loved each other. I loved Gemma and her ferociousness. I loved sweet Linny and that fire she had in her. She was also the character that made me cry.

Some readers might be offended with the storyline so be forewarned but for me, it was hard to put down and something I will think about for a while.

I think Ms. Lutz said it best:

“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.”

Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for a copy of this wonderful book. The review is my own humble opinion.

Lutz touches on the concerns of the #MeToo movement with The Swallows, a darkly humorous exploration of the power of sex. Alex Witt takes a position as English teacher at Stonebridge, a private boarding school in Vermont, after a hasty exit from her previous teaching job. She soon discovers the school is ruled by The Ten, five girls and five boys that represent the top one percent of the student body. Even more disturbing is the existence of the Darkroom, a web site run by the all male "editors" in The Ten. As Alex uncovers a web of deceit, sex, and blackmail, she recruits female students to the cause of bringing down the Darkroom, leading to an increasingly violent battle of the sexes. Alex does not know who she can trust on the faculty and school staff, let alone among the students. Readers will devour this enthralling cautionary tale of the monstrous results of the marriage between technology and sex - in the hands of the wrong people. #TheSwallows #NetGalley

"Stonebridge May look like Green Gables, but it’s the Bada Bing Club for the preppy set."

I LOVE BOARDING SCHOOL DRAMA. The Swallows is a very modern story - set in 2009. Private school, everyone has a secret, including the teachers. From the beginning, Alex Witt was fun narrator - but breaking up the chapters with other narrators - including students, was a nice touch. Alex wanted the truth. She didn't want to be there any more than the students.

After their first writing assignment, Alex is curious about many of the responses so she investigates. There is a typical - teenage boys are trash theme and frankly - these boys were. Just...terrible boys. It's a private school full of kids on their own so sex and drugs are sure to be involved.

The Swallows is a good book, but maybe a bit YA for me. I think it WOULD and SHOULD be added to jr. high and high school libraries as a cautionary tale.

This book is set over a very eventful year at a private boarding school, told from the perspective of several different faculty members and students. During the year, in part due to the inspiration of a new teacher at the school, the girls at the school become fed up with the gross sexist quasi-secret website the popular male students maintain (including rating the female students on their oral sex prowess), and decide to stand up for themselves and take revenge. For some reason, even though I went to public school, I love novels set at boarding schools, and this was definitely a good one. It combines the snarky quality of Lisa Lutz's Spellman Files series with some of the darker aspects of her thriller "The Passenger" for a very interesting combination of light and dark, and the teenage spin on the "me too" era was fascinating, both dispiriting at times as well as inspiring. The last paragraph of the book seriously gave me goosebumps. 4.25 stars.

I liked the characters but the blow job premise was a bit heavy handed and not my most favorite plot point.

Very different subject line in this novel. Many different characters and personalities at this boarding school, both students as well as staff. What the girls discover is quite unbelievable. How they go about to rectify this situation makes for an interesting read. You will certainly want to read to the end to discover how this situation works out for all concerned parties.

Tensions are high in Lisa Lutz's new novel. Alex Witt takes a job teaching creative writing at an expensive Vermont boarding school because her family's friendship with the Headmaster means her recent past won't be looked into, but finds that her secrets pale in comparison to the ones the boys are keeping. And once the girls start to figure things out, it might just take down the entire school.

This is the kind of book where it's important to start reading early enough in the day that you won't end up losing a night's sleep while you race to finish it. It's a novel filled with rage that runs head first towards catastrophe. It has characters that are believable and who breathe and live and make amazingly poor choices. This novel is what would be written if Curtis Sittenfield and Gillian Flynn collaborated. It's just a lot of hard-edged fun.

The Swallows takes on gender roles and tackles them in a prep school setting. New teacher Ms. Witt realizes something unsavory is going on and wants to help put an end to it. The Swallows starts out incredibly strong and had me hooked instantly. Unfortunately, around the middle my interest started to wane and the plot started to lose me. There a few different perspectives in this one which keep the pages turning but could have probably done with 100 less pages somewhere in the middle.

The Swallows by Lisa Lutz is a recommended social drama set in 2009 at a New England prep school.

Alexandra Witt joins the faculty as an English teacher at Stonebridge Academy. When Alex is assigned creative writing classes, she bulks, but takes it on after getting a few concessions she wants. In an assignment she asks students to answer several simple questions and turn then in anonymously. She knows this will mean some insight into her students and she also knows she will be able to figure out who turn in the papers. The papers result in some disturbing responses and Alex is determined to figure out how deeply entrenched the "boys will be boys" attitude is, who knows about it, and how long it has been going on at the school. As she points out, "Stonebridge may look like Green Gables, but it’s the Bada Bing Club for the preppy set." Starting at a new school is never easy, but Alex seems to be facing an unknown nemesis... or two.

A student, Gemma Russo, is determined to fight back against the boys, and the online Darkroom where they humiliate the girls, rate them, and score a secret competition between them. She's been planning her attack for years, but now she's gaining allies, including a first-year student named Linny, and discreet help from Alex. Gemma and her allies are planning to end the misogynistic culture prevalent at Stonebridge.

This is a well written social drama that captures the long pervasive attitude that sparked the "MeToo" movement. It really isn't a mystery, as the mystery part of the drama isn't really a mystery at all. It is easy to figure out where the plot is going and what the end game will likely entail. The narrative is told through multiple points-of-view, both teachers and students. The boarding school setting and the narrative through several students point-of-view, gives The Swallows a YA feel, although perhaps targeting an older YA audience. There is a chart Alex writes, and then her mom edits, that is a wonderful addition to the book and should be shared.

The main female characters are complex and well developed, however many of the male characters are more simplistic caricatures of badly-behaving males and thus less realistic. There is also a small handful of students and teachers in the novel when there are surely more teachers and students around. It was also stretching believably that the secret would be kept by so many students and that the teachers would be allowing the boys to do what they were doing. The Swallows isn't quite as good as Lutz's The Passenger, but would be better enjoyed by an older YA audience.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Penguin Random House.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2019/08/the-swallows.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2942327872
https://www.librarything.com/work/23163052/book/172299185

I loved The Spellman series and because of it requested this book. It’s so different from that. The description seemed like young adult mystery, however it definitely was not young adult. Overall, the story played out like I thought it would. It wasn’t the best book by the author, but I might wait for more reviews next time before requesting something from her.

At first I thought this was going to be a "school" story, but it became something so much more. It had some Lysistrata overtones, but in reverse, which I thought would be exciting. But in the ending was very simplistic and in trying to tie up all the loose ends, I think the lessons were lost. While the idea of using different narrators for different perspectives was interesting, even after finishing the book, I don't know who the winners and losers were...

The Swallows is Lisa Lutz latest book. It is set at an elite boarding school and is about the female students resistance to the old school boys will be boys happenings on campus that have been overlooked and swept under the rug for many years.. For some reason I was thinking this was going to be a thriller but I can't really say what the genre actually is. This book was a bit of a struggle for me to finish although I did finish it. I thank the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book but i'm sorry - i just can't recommend it.

I have been a huge fan of Lisa Lutz's books since the Spellman Files series and I was excited to have received an eARC of her newest novel The Swallows. Again she writes an engaging story with many varied types of characters, this time set in a boarding school for high school age children
Eventhough the story revolves around a high school, it is a book that can be enjoyed by various age groups and transcends various genders.
Everyone needs to read at least one of Lisa Lutz's books, and The Swallows is a great place to begin.

This book sucked me in from the first chapter, although I feel like some of the plot doesn't hold up to close scrutiny. A great book for the #metoo era.

5/5 Stars.
The boys at Stoneridge prep school have created their own discussion board, the Darkroom, and they have a "contest" that the girls are unwitting (mostly) participants in. One of the girls has figured it out and she's furious about it. It isn't until Alex Witt arrives to teach at the school that something changes and the girls go from fuming to acting, with dangerous, destructive consequences for everyone involved.
There was just enough dark humor in this book to keep me from becoming completely enraged while reading it. The boys' behavior is beyond disgusting, dehumanizing the girls with their sick game of sexual conquest. But in the end the girls, in their fury, lose a measure of their humanity as their rage consumes them. I went from cheering them on to being afraid of how they'd handle the consequences of their actions. All in all a very timely read. Lutz handles a difficult subject very well, with just the right amount of dark humor to keep you going but not to trivialize the subject.

I absolutely could not get into this book. I couldn't connect with the characters or get into the storyline. Because I didn't finish it, I won't post reviews online. Thank you for the opportunity.

Set in a boarding school in New England, The Swallows gives Lord of the Flies a real run for the money. While the boys run a secret sexual competition, scoring the girls who unknowingly participate, the girls plot to take the whole thing down and get revenge. None of this is going to end well.....

I struggled with this book. A very serious topic was dealt with in such a quirky fashion that it felt like it was belittling the problem it was trying to address. Characters were very one dimensional and there was minimal growth through the course of the book. The lackadaisical attitudes of many of the staff members and absence of serious fall-out after everything came to light made it even more unbelievable and farcical. To top it off, I am not sure what the target audience was. I wouldn't let a tween or young teen read this, yet the writing was too juvenile for a grown up. I fear Ms. Lutz wasn't sure where to take this one.