I liked the serious subject of this book. Students in an elite school get into trouble and the parents want to buy their way out of it. Some of the students take responsibility for their actions on their own and prove that sometimes our children have a better moral compass then the adults. Well written as all of Danielle Steels books are. You must read this book.

Since I work with college students, I found this book especially timely. This is the story of an elite male prep school that has admitted women for the first time. As predicted, this did cause a tremendous change and turmoil Sadly, this change was brought into focus when a bottle of tequila fueled a drunken night which ended in a brutal rape.

The author focused her lens on the students who would ultimately be involved. Though this made it predictable, it also brought clarity to the fact that everyone swept into the madness was not evil. What happens when a group goes wild? Should lives be ended after this scurrilous incident? How should the legal system handle those who were indirect participants?

Yes, lots of discussion in seminars and book clubs. Plenty of research to be done to see how courts have reacted to rape allegations.

Thanks Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this thoughtful and provocative novel.

Saint Ambrose school has just gone co-ed after years of deliberation. While most of the staff and students are excited about the upcoming year, at least one thinks it spells trouble. The first two months of school go smoothly with both boys and girls settling into their routines and learning to live in harmony. One night, Halloween, will change that forever.
The Saint Ambrose Six, as they come to be called, decide they want to sneak away after the schools big haunted house party and have a little party of their own. LA transient Vivienne is walking by and decides to join them. After several rounds of tequila and vodka shots, all are stumbling drunk. Vivienne and Jamie share a kiss, the seeming start of a new relationship, but that too will change in a matter of moments. Pretty rich boy Rick Russo violently rapes Vivienne and then leaves her for dead. Meanwhile, shy geeky student Adrian Stone is passing by and sees Vivienne lying on the ground motionless and apparently not breathing. He panics and runs away from the scene.
The next day no one is talking. When Viv regains consciousness, she too will not speak about the incident, citing only she was 'with the girls' drinking and does not know who raped her.
As the story unfolds, each of the boys (minus Rick) come forward and tell their recollection of the night. Vivienne also does the same, pointing the finger at Rick. Meanwhile the prints off the tequila bottle are ran and also come to match the 6 boys plus Viv. Many of the parents feel their kids are being unfairly targeted, and start trying to throw around money and power to get them off scott free. Their efforts fail. In the end, justice is served and Vivienne is able to return to a somewhat normal life, away from Saint Ambrose.
I haven't seen something like this from Danielle before so it was refreshing to have a different type of genre from her! Great book!

This book tackles the social topic of teenage drinking and rape. Students are back to their boarding school for the year, and for the first time, the school has opened its enrollment to girls. The students quickly adjust and all is going well until Halloween when a bottle of tequila is shared among friends, a girl ends up raped, and the boys scatter with fear of being caught.. This story captures the emotions of all involved in the event, the charges and legal proceedings, the struggle of doing what is morally right, and the impact choices can have on the rest of someones life. Good read, very relevant to our world today.

I have always loved Danielle’s Steele’s books, even though her typical third-person point of view is always hard for me to initially get into the mindset . This book deals with a rape on a private school (rich) campus, and what each character goes through as all the accusations/ trial happen. It was interesting to see which parents supported their kids (or not), and which kids stepped up into adulthood or still blamed others for their mistakes. Overall, a great thoughtful book, but if you have triggers (rape), steer clear!