I absolutely adore Julie Buxbaum. I always love her YA voice. She’s funny and insightful and crafts wonderful stories about growing up. All of those things are true about the book Admission, but this one was a little harder for me to read. I’ll own that I’m used to Buxbaum writing romances and Admission does not fall in that category. It’s based on the recent college admissions scandal. The book starts with the FBI knocking on high school senior Chloe Berringer’s door to arrest her B-list actress mother for submitting a fraudulent college application. The story then unfolds in alternating then and now timelines where we undercover what Chloe knew and how the arrest affects her family.

It was hard for me to separate my own opinions about the real life celebrities and their children that inspired this book (this fictional family seems to fall closer to the Aunt Becky camp as the mom refuses early on to plead guilty). Chloe is not an Instagram influencer, so that helped me sympathize with her, but she was also pretty lazy. Throughout the book she is seen not doing the reading for class repeatedly, not having any idea how to write her college essay, not really having drive about anything. Which made her not the most likeable character. But probably a pretty real one.

Chloe grapples a lot with her own privilege. She comes to terms with how little she’s aware of it and tries to figure out how much responsibility she holds because of it. I think that’s a really important thing to be discussing, and I can’t think of another YA book that I’ve read that tackles this issue from this perspective. Ultimately, I’d recommend this book for that reason alone. Plus to make up for the lack of love story, the way the relationship between Chloe and her younger sister Isla changes after their world falls apart is probably better and more important than any teen romance. By the last page I was weeping just a little.

Would you be able to separate your real-life college admissions scandal feelings from this fictional account?

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Children's Books, and Goodreads for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really felt that Julie Buxbaum did a tremendous job explaining what the individuals in the well-known scandal might be feeling without making excuses for them. After I saw her at teen book fest and she talked about this book it made me want to read it. I think she did a good job of shedding light on this situation.

The characters didn't really stand out to me in any particular way, but they were interesting & it added levels of complexity to the story.

I enjoyed reading the Admission. And I think people will read it & have a good look into the admission scandal.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for the ARC copy of the book.

Admission is a can't miss read about a ripped from the headlines scandal. This book centers a teen who is at the heart of a college bribery scandal and asks tough questions that we all wish we could ask the real kids involved. Julie Buxbaum humanizes a headline that sucked so many people in. She uses dual timelines to tell the story and allows the reader to come to their own conclusion about who is at fault and what's at stake. You'll read this in one sitting.

This was a really enjoyable read. I know I, like many others, was fascinated by the college admission scandal awhile back. And the author of this book does a great job exploring what it could have been like for a family involved. We get to see how this fictional story unfolds by following two timelines--then and now. It explores how the privilege of wealth and collusion can play out in the high stakes of college admissions. "Admission" was thought provoking and well written. I was actually kind of sad when it was over. I wanted to know more about these characters--especially her little sister and Chloe's friends. Maybe someday we will get their stories.

***Advanced copy obtained from Delacorte Press via Netgalley***

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I think that kids would like this book and that it would help them understand the current situation.

Though I liked the book, I didn't love it -- as much as I wanted to. Julie Buxbaum did a tremendous job explaining what the individuals in the well-known scandal might be feeling without making excuses for them. She also brought up what I've been thinking all along -- parents donate buildings to get their children into Ivy League universities quite often; however, cheating on SATs is and should be illegal.

This being said, I had a hard time connecting with the characters in the book. I don't always have to love or even like the characters, however, in this case, I felt no emotions whatsoever. They all just seemed a bit flat.

In conclusion, I enjoyed reading the Admission. It wasn't the greatest book I've ever read, but it definitely wasn't the worst either.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for the ARC copy of the book.

This book was a tad too much for even a YA book. I expected big things after Tell me Three Things bit this book fell short for me. The characters were not believable but the main storyline is something we see more and more.

Wow! I have to admit, I was initially unsure about reading a novel about the entitled daughter of a B-list celebrity mom who's pulled every string to get her into a good college. But Buxbaum's protagonist, Chloe, defies the stereotype that I was expecting. She's a complex, nuanced, funny, and fragile character. A vigorously average student, Chloe is sure that her parents have hired tutors and a private college-admissions consultant because she's dumb, and they don't believe she can get in without help. It's Chloe's deep insecurity about her intelligence that makes her so likable, and that makes it entirely believable that she wouldn't question her parents' help: if she were to ask, she might find out that her worst fears are true--they really do think she's stupid.

The novel is put together in a clever way, too, moving back and forth between "then" (before Chloe's mom is arrested) and "after" (when Chloe faces the ensuing fallout). Eventually "then" becomes "now" at the climactic moment of the story, when Chloe finally acknowledges what her parents have done, and how she may have been complicit.

What really makes the book work is the ays in which Chloe, and her whole family, have to come to terms with their privilege. And this isn't just a simple "Yeah, we're rich and white, we get it" realization...it's a deep and painful excoriation, with real and permanent consequences and losses.

I will *definitely* be using this book in my young-adult literature class in the future! I'm just sad that the pub date has been pushed back so that it won't be available for my fall course.

“Money makes you weak because it tricks you into thinking you’re strong.”

This book poses some great questions. What is privilege and what is the best way to steward it? What is the right thing to do when the answer isn’t black and white? And while this book sparks some meaningful dialogue, I didn’t find myself attached. The protagonist, Chloe, is extremely difficult to connect with. Some conclusions she arrives at in her predicament leave me scratching my head. I never really found myself rooting for her or any of the characters.

It was an interesting take on a current predicament, but it left me feeling like there could have been more development.

Ripped from the headlines!! and I'm here for it. Buxbaum was fascinated by the Varsity Blues scandal and sting and approached the story from the POV of the teen involved which really did present a new way of thinking about the cheating. Chloe is a sympathetic character despite being totally entitled and not as much of a victim of her parents' manipulation as it seems at first. She actually comes across as an average teen: thinking about dating, not too interested in school, and bickering with her sister. It was a nice change of pace from the books with super-driven exceptional teens destined for greatness through their hard work. In this book, those are Chloe's best friends and her sister, not Chloe herself. Since she has been able to get through school without too much effort and her parents have provided her with a cushy home life, she finds herself behind when it comes time to apply for college. Her grades are average, her SAT score is low, and she has no hardship to write about for her essay. Thanks to a college application consultant hired by her parents, Chloe is diagnosed with ADHD and is able to take extra time on her next SAT attempt. Although she feels like she did even worse this time her score goes up by 240 points and she is now on the path to more unethical and illegal actions. Switching between then and now chapters Buxbaum does a great job showing both Chloe's life before the bust and the consequences of her family's actions, some of which are quite painful and appear to be irreparable.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an advanced copy of Admission in exchange for my honest review.

I don't usually read a lot of YA, but I really enjoyed reading Admission. Seeing the college admission scandal from the view of a high school senior that was was caught up in everything was an interesting read. While Chloe comes off as entitled and a little naive, you see her grow as she faces being thrust into the spotlight.

I loved the going back and forth between the describing her life post scandal and earlier in her senior year. This book was extremely well written and it doesn't necessarily come off as a YA novel.

Admission by Julie Buxbaum is a YA book that is now being released in December 2020. Thanks to Netgalley for an early review copy. I have a been a fan of Julie Buxbaum's since I read What To Say Next a few years ago. I then read all of her other books. In this newest book, it is a fictional book based on the college admission scandal. It is a timely read and took the perspective of the high school girl that was applying for college when her parents became involved in the admission scandal. Also, who can resist this cover?

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy. This book is “ripped from the headlines.” I felt like this was slow moving. The main character seemed pretty selfish and into herself I had a hard time feeling bad for her. Not my favorite book, but I didn’t hate it either.

Is there a difference between knowing something and knowing-knowing something? Chloe is a mediocre student and as a high school senior at Wood Valley, it seems all anyone can think about is college. Her mother’s celebrity status has gotten her plenty of handouts jn life, but Chloe is certain that college will not be one of them due to her place in the bottom half of her grade. Alternating between now and then, Chloe’s journey through a college admissions scandal takes you on a heart wrenching journey as the scandal evolves from beginning to end as the reader constantly questions what Chloe knows or doesn’t know, and the fate of her post-high school status.

This was such a genius book on so many levels! Using current events this author created a truly compelling YA Fiction novel! As many of us followed this story closely it was so interesting to see the College Admissions Scandal in a more emotional way, Often we only see these stories told through the cold hard facts and we can sometimes forget there are real people being dealt with! This book really was very enjoyable and I would recommend it to any fans of YA Fiction and anyone who is interested in the College Admissions Scandal! Enjoy!

Although this story is ripped right from the headlines, it is really the coming of "privilege awareness".

The college scandal is now well known and the characters, locations and outcomes are largely identical to the real thing. I think the author could have taken a bit more fictional liberty to make this story more interesting. For those of us who followed the story, the repetitive nature was not as engaging as it could have been.

I did enjoy the daughter's perspective and the self discovery that emerged from the trauma of her story. A fun read for a high school age student.

#NetGalley #Admission

Chloe Berringer is the daughter of a celebrity and the FBI is at her door accusing her of cheating her way into college. This ripped from the headlines story was entertaining and thought provoking. Chloe isn't a studious student, but her parents are set on her going to a prestigious college. The entitlement and privileged attitude Chloe has is not surprising from her background. Her younger sister, Isla, is much more in touch with how the world works and tries to get her family to wake up to reality. I enjoyed the story of how complicit Chloe was in her college application process. I wish more of the disparity between Chloe and her best friend, Shola had been explored. Overall, this was a quick, engaging read.

I was definitely intrigued by the premise of this book. I thought it would be a great narrative about the college admissions scandal. I was slightly disappointed when I noticed the similarities between the family in the book and one of the most infamous families in the real scandal. I wanted pure fiction and not an imagined reality.

However, I did enjoy the characters and the book was fast paced enough that I finished it in just a few hours. There were a few topics discussed that I wished were explored more deeply, but I was pleased to see they were at least touched upon.

I loved the premise of Admission right off the bat. I was intrigued by the real-life college admissions scandal, and the fictional one Julie Buxbaum creates does not disappoint. I felt more sympathy than I was expecting to for Chloe's parents, and although Chloe herself was sometimes frustrating and naive, that was the point the author was trying to make. Isla, Chloe's sister, was easily my favorite character in the entire book, and I loved how the story ended with her going off to Yale. Overall, this was a very solid and relevant read that I couldn't put down.

I love everything Julie Buxbaum has written, and this novel is no exception. She did an excellent job of showing both the pure villainy and the shades of grey in this admissions scandal, all while highlighting the poisons of privilege. I didn't always like Chloe - and that was the point. It's a shame its publication is going to be delayed, but in these times, it makes sense.