One of my favorite genres is y a mystery / thriller, so I figured this would be right up my alley and I was right. The book is about the cutthroat competition to get into good colleges, and while the book might be a little extreme, it is a very real thing and just keeps getting harder for kids every year. But there are a lot of twists and turns in this book, the character development is decent, I would definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Dark academia may be my favorite YA trope, so when I saw that I was approved to get this ARC, I was so excited! I felt like jumping up and down. Thank you again to the publisher! First off, the description for this book is amazing. I remember when I was in high school, I experienced the cutthroat competition of applying to Ivy League colleges, and I remember holding my breath on decision day to see if I got accepted. A lot of the culture around elite college admissions mentioned in the book is familiar to me. Although I did a lot of things to get into my dream college, I would never have murdered anyone. And... that is the premise of The Ivies.

The Ivies by Alexa Donne is a fun, exciting YA thriller with the humor of the canceled Heathers reboot (which was seriously underrated) and the drama of Pretty Little Liars (which changed the landscape of YA thrillers, so I'm not surprised that I saw its influence here). The Ivies revolves around a clique of five girls, each of whom is designated their own Ivy League college, since everyone knows Harvard never accepts more than 3 students from one high school. They are the most popular, smart, beautiful, and talented girls at their private high school, Claflin Academy. Also, they are ruthless in getting what they want - admission to the college of their choice. They will do whatever it takes... but does what it takes include murder?

Here is an excerpt from Chapter One, when they discuss the pressure around early decision day:

"Today, half of the seniors at Claflin Academy will die.
On the inside, that is.
A hundred kids will obsessively refresh their emails and portals so a dancing bulldog, or a tiger, or whatever mascot represents all their hopes and dreams for the future can tell them:
Welcome to Harvard, class of 2025!
Or:
We regret to inform you that we must crush all your hopes and dreams...
Or at least that's what we interpreter. It's early decision day, and hearts are going to break. Then, heads will roll."

The narrator of this story is Olivia, a member of the clique who is also a scholarship student, letting us see the private school world from the outside. She wants to get into Harvard, but the queen bee of their five-member clique, Avery, has already chosen Harvard for herself and has assigned Olivia to Penn (the University of Pennsylvania). Knowing that Harvard will not accept more than 3 students from the same high school, what will these girls do to ensure they get into their dream school? When a fellow student is discovered dead, the mystery afoot, and Olivia has to find out what happened, or she may be the next to be killed.

The Ivies is written with the insider humor that only someone who has gone through the nerve-wracking college admission process could have written. It makes sense that Alexa Donne is a college admissions counselor. I recognized references to College Confidential and ways to boost your application, and it added a touch of reality to this book. I also greatly enjoyed the murder mystery aspect of this book. I don't think I've read such an enjoyable YA thriller since I was reading the Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard, the queen of YA thrillers. Once the murder happened, I had to keep reading to find out what happened next.

Overall, the Ivies is a smart, unputdownable YA thriller that will appeal to anyone who has ever been through the elite college admissions process. If you've ever experienced trying to change yourself, be more, and do more to get into your dream college, you will be able to relate to this book. In addition, I highly recommend this book for fans of the Pretty Little Liars series. If anything in the description sounds interesting to you, you should check out The Ivies when it comes out at the end of June! I guarantee you won't regret it!

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review – thanks so much to Netgalley and Turn the Page Book Tours for sending this to me! **Video review to come, May 23rd**

The Ivies is a dark, twisted and deeply compelling look into the cut-throat world of elite college admissions. It’s a little bit Heathers, a little bit The Secret History, maybe even a little Mean Girls, and every corner hides a sinister twist.

Our main character, Olivia Winters, is one of five members of the Ivies, a group of girls hell bent on getting into their chosen universities – no matter the cost. Only a certain number of students from each school will make it, and they intend to make the cut, even if it means blackmailing, catfishing, sabotaging the competition. Except when one of the Ivies winds up dead, Olivia starts to wonder exactly how far her friends might be willing to go to get into the school of their dreams.

I went into this book not knowing quite what to expect. As a Brit this was a whole new world to me. My university application experience was entirely different – I had no extra-curriculars, applied to uni after two years out of education, since I had assumed it wouldn’t be for me, and I certainly never would’ve dreamed of applying to a Russell Group university (our equivalent of the Ivy League.) I was fascinated by this insight into what it’s like for Americans applying to go to college, especially in an elite boarding school where who’s going where seems like life or death. I loved the backdrop of the school, stuffed to the brim with rich kids who throw money at all their problems, and this experience of watching Olivia – who’s from a far less affluent background – struggle to stay afloat amidst it all.

The book is brilliantly paced, a total page turner. It’s fast and twisty and it keeps throwing things at you, never giving you a chance to catch your breath. Alongside the main mystery, you have a few extra bits and pieces, like the examination of the complicated female friendships and a budding romance that kept me guessing and absolutely threw me for a loop. It was definitely a nice twist from Alexa’s other books – she seems to specialise in sweet, gentlemanly love interests, so I enjoyed that this book’s romantic interest had an unexpected edge. The whole time I was reading this book, I felt caught off-guard in the best way. All the twists were well-planted and foreshadowed enough that I was able to figure them out ahead of time, but only just, so that something would click and I’d be left reeling from the realisation just enough to catch my breath before the characters were hit by the same shock. It was a really nice feeling; I’m one of those people that gets a great sense of smug satisfaction out of being ‘smart enough’ to suss out twists ahead of time, so that made it all extra fun for me.

The plot was bolstered by a complex cast of characters, and while few were likeable (even the ones who were later turned out to have devious hidden depths) they were all extremely interesting. I’m not someone who needs characters to be sympathetic, though if you are then this book might not be for you, because I can’t honestly say I liked any of them by the end. All I need is for them to catch my attention, and these characters definitely did. I was with them from beginning to bitter end, personal feelings be damned.
The build-up of the book was absolutely brilliant, and kept me totally hooked. Unfortunately, I did feel a tiny bit let down by the climax. The real enemy here turns out to be rich white entitlement, a message that felt maybe a little bit ham-fisted; the book absolutely whacked me over the head with this point, so hard that my eyes watered. And although it made sense, I was also a little bit frustrated with the identity of the killer. I also must confess to feeling more than a little bit frustrated with the ending. My sense of fairness left me feeling almightily cheesed off with how things turned out – that’s not a critique of the book itself in any way; I absolutely think it made sense and was the only ending that could’ve really occurred without being cheesy and taking away from the message that the book had perpetuated throughout. My beef is more with the justice system and the way rich white people can get away with basically anything with no consequences. Grr!

Overall, I really enjoyed reading The Ivies. It was a great, pacy thriller, very different from Alexa’s previous books. Where her sci-fi Austen romance retellings are soft and kind, this one has teeth, and I thought it was an awesome read. 4/5 stars.

Academic intrigues will always hook me to read them and this book was no exception. And let me describe this book in one word: Insane! My mind was reeling with how things were happening within the book. Nothing felt off and things progressed the way I liked them. Alexa Donne did such a wonderful job writing these unlikeable heroes. They each had their motives as to why they did what they did. The portrayal of how cutthroat college admissions are is nothing short of alarming. There is clearly extensive research done into writing this book.

There were a lot of twists and turns that, at times, I was not able to catch up. I kept trying to guess what happens but for the majority I was wrong. This book is unpredictable--something most YA thrillers failed to do.

I am just completely in awe of this book. Thank you Alexa Donne for putting it into life. A solid 5 stars for this one!

Contemporary young adult fiction is very hit or miss with me these days. But let's be real... I'm a twenty nine year old lady! I'm not exactly the target audience for these kinds of reads. I guess the reason why I keep checking them out are because they're the kinds of books that I loved to read when I was younger and I want to stay fresh and relevant in the book world.

So in my opinion, The Ivies is a hit! I was very impressed by this story.

I think the reason why I enjoyed this story so much are because there are a lot of fun elements in this story.
It takes place at a boarding school, there are female friendships and lots of secrets (that's why people adored Pretty Little Liars, right?), and there also happens to be a murder mystery that needs to be solved before all of the students go home for winter break.

Plus, everyone in the story is finding out if they got into college Early Admission, so to say these students are busy is a bit of an understatement.

I liked the main character (and narrator) Olivia right off the bat. She's the most relatable because she's a hard worker and her mother struggles to give her what she needs. In other words, everything isn't handed to her on a silver platter like the rest of her group.

The main issue in this story is pressure. At Claflin Academy, the students are under an intense amount of pressure to do well and get into the colleges of their dreams. In the case of Avery, the leader of Olivia's friend group aka The Ivies, she's pressured to get into Harvard because that's where other people in her family went, so she's a legacy.

It's a lot for a teenager to handle.

The mystery in this story is one that keeps you guessing. It's a sad situation, and people's true colors begin to show as Olivia plays detective to try to figure out what really happened on the night of party, where everything changed.

I'll be honest. I mentioned before that I am a twenty nine year old lady so I figured I would be able to solve this mystery. But I did not. Lol. I thought I knew who the culprit was, but I was so very wrong.

Sigh. Once of these days I will read enough thrillers to be able to figure out a mystery on my own. Mark my words.

Anyway, this is my first time reading a book by Alexa Donne. I watch her youtube channel and so I know she's published other books, but this one really grabbed my attention because of the topic.

I would recommend this book if you like young adult fiction filled with drama, secrets, and lots of twists and turns. In a way, it kind of reminded me of the college admission scandal that happened. I guess because of the fact that everyone was fighting to get into colleges.

The difference is that the character Olivia in this book DID ACTUALLY row crew, while Olivia Jade did not.

(on my blog, there is a gif here)

I'm hilarious. I know. No need to tell me!

That's all for today. Thank you to Netgalley for an eArc of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts. I really enjoyed it and I hope Alexa writes more thrillers in the future. She has a writing style that I really enjoyed and seems very knowledgable about the college admissions process.

xo Marian

I really enjoyed this book and I think my students will as well! Lots of twists and turns alongside a very realistic portrayal of the pressure high school students feel today as they look toward college.

This was a super enjoyable YA mystery! I can be pretty harsh on books in this genre if I feel like it’s way too unbelievable that a teen is the person who solves the mystery instead of seasoned professionals. In The Ivies it felt like the ways that Olivia was investigating weren’t so out of the realm of possibility for a determined high school journalist.

The world of elite boarding schools and high pressure Ivy League admissions provided an interesting setting for this story. A ruthless group of friends who sabotage others so they can come out on top, secrets upon secrets, and a murder made this a fun and quick read. In addition to the engaging mystery plot there was some nice commentary about the college admissions process and how messed up it can be.

While I didn’t guess the final outcome of the story, there were a few reveals along the way that were super predictable. But that didn’t really hinder my enjoyment much. Sometimes the way Olivia was written didn’t quite feel authentic to being a modern teenager. This is kinda called out in the text by having another character call her a grandma, but sometimes the weird word choices took me out of the story for a bit.

I think people who enjoy books with similar vibes to Veronica Mars, Gossip Girl or the Private series by Kate Brian would like The Ivies.

This book was so good! I was never one if the Ivy type of people in school but Mean Girls with college pressure really hooked me. The characters were easy to hate and love at the same time and I found myself using and spare moment to read.

The Ivies at Claflin Academy have one common goal: get into the Ivy of their choosing at all costs. They will do whatever they have to do to ensure their spot, knowing each Ivy will only take one or two students from each school. But will they even kill for their spot?

"Because hyperelite, competitive college admissions is some serious f*cking shit."

Well, this was fun! Being a high-school teacher, I see how much pressure some of the kids place on themselves to get the grades to put them in the top rank and get them, hopefully, into the school of their choosing. While I wish them the best, I also wish they didn't put so much pressure on themselves and actually allowed themselves to enjoy their four years. But, alas, the cycle continues. This book will definitely be a hit among that particular group of high-school students, who will recognize the ambition the Ivies had. I guessed one part of the story line and didn't guess the other, and I read the book in one day. Overall, this was a fresh but relatable topic and a fun murder mystery.

A book about a group of prep school elites who would literally kill to get into the college of their dreams? Nothing attracts me more than murderous students obsessed with academia. I love some mean girls that are more than mean girls. I ate this up. I could FEEL the ambition and sheer desire of these characters. Man, I loved this so much.

This book was everything I wanted it to be. Backstabbing! Lies! Private school shenanigans! Murder! I could not put it down once I started! The characters were compelling and not too over the top like in some YA mystery/thrillers. The story had all the twists and turns and little hints throughout. Loved it!

★★★☆☆ 2.5/5

this was alright. it was entertaining, but a lot of ya contemporary murder-mysteries blur together, and unfortunately, this will probably be one of them. everything was pretty predictable. the characters, other than avery, were very underdeveloped and had no depth; they were basically interchangeable. one of the only characters who did have any development had all of it completely thrown out the window for no reason other than shock factor.
the ending was frustrating. definitely very rushed. the things that weren’t wrapped up were quickly thrown together in the last few pages, and a lot of things are left unanswered. not sure who decided to compare this to holly jackson’s works, but the comparison is... questionable.

(arc provided by netgallery and Crown. all thoughts and opinions are my own)

I've watched so many YouTube videos from this author and I was so excited to get this on netgalley but I expected more. I still recommend especially if you love YAs. It still had so many good things: a lot of it was realistic and tied up and I lied the way the detective didn't just have dumb luck but actual skills and cool tricks to find things out and work the case.

However, this book does miss for a lot of other things. It drags and lacks and isn't the best whodunnit.

Olivia is a tough character to connect with. She isn't exactly inconsistent and that'll make a you bit crazy. She was also more bland than anything else to me.

But to go back to what I did like. The red herrings. I do have to applaud those over all. I feel like this would be a good mini series or something on tv. And i liked some things but not enough to really love this book at the end of it.

3.25-3.5/5
*thank you NetGallery for giving me an eARC*
SLIGHT SPOILERS
okay....
this book was certainly a ride. i did enjoy it, I enjoyed it quite a bit actually. however, it was weird. i connected with none of the characters, and was pretty confused the entire time. none of what was revealed was surprising in the least, and there was literally no good motive for the killer, and it seemed kinda ridiculous. there were some random words thrown in as well as random phrases that were so...interesting??
this gives me serious “a good girl’s guide to murder” vibes, but not as good.
i did like the ending though, and even though i didn’t like the characters that much, it was obvious nobody was a good person. kinda like “mean girls” how everyone was a mean girl and that was the whole point.
im usually able to guess who the murderer is in most books, but i didn’t until the end in this one. i usually think of the characters you would not think of, but here it’s the boyfriend, who is always the first suspect, and the most obvious choice. but it was done in a way where i suspected it was him, but ruled him out later.

Althought this book is categized as Young Adult, it was such a great read that all people of any age will enjoy it. Thankful to NetGalley for this title.

The Ivies is a total blast. It’s got everything you’d want. It’s full of drama, backstabbing and murder. I really enjoyed this story. I liked the characters and their stories. It kept me guessing which doesn’t happen often in YA mysteries. I also really enjoyed that we got to see where the characters went I. The future. I hate when I’m invested and the book just ends. I appreciated getting see what happened to the ivies in year or so after the events. Overall, I really loved this one!

4.5 stars

Getting into an Ivy League school can be a killer ... literally, in the case of this story about a group of student at an elite school. When one of their own turns up dead, everything begins to unravel, with one (Olivia) playing amateur detective in hopes of clearing her own name, even if it means pointing the finger at someone she believed was her friend.

I really enjoyed this book! I've struggled a bit with fully engaging with stories over the past year, but that wasn't the case here. It quickly grabbed my attention and pulled me in. The active pace kept me turning the pages, not wanting to put it aside. And there were enough twists to keep me guessing throughout - which is just how I like it!

As far as YA thrillers go, this one was quite realistic with its characters and scenarios. It's obvious the author did her research (or has experience in college admissions). There is a well-rounded cast of characters, which will make it more relatable to readers (even those who don't have their eyes on an Ivy-league education).

This is currently one of my top picks for 2021!

I received an e-ARC of this book for a review via Netgalley.

I'll start by saying that I did enjoy reading this book. It's a quick read and a great topic. That being said, I wished for more from The Ivies.

If you are reading this hoping for dark academia, you should know that you'll get the "academia", and I guess you get the "dark"from the murder, but there are no dark vibes, scenery, or imagery. No darkly decorative libraries or candle-lit nights. It wasn't a problem for me, but just so others know.

My main issue with this book was the lazy writing on a sentence/word level. I don't want to read sentences like "I LOB my things on the bed," or "stop KOWTOWING to the police." I think if the author had cracked open a thesaurus and just spend a few more seconds on word choice, this would have been a much more pleasant read for me. The VERY lax language even undermines the fact that the main character is supposed to be smart enough to get into the school she did. I don't expect thirteen syllable words. everywhere, but just some a BIT more impressive ones.

Secondly, none of the revelations are very surprising. I didn't know who was the murderer until it was revealed, but I wasn't like, surprised about it, or anything else. On that note, without giving anything away, the killer acted a bit silly and without motivation for some of the things they did and said in the third act. Why would they just tell the MC... what they told her?? Why did they think murder was the solution to their problem?? I guess you could answer this last question with the fact that the author intended this to be satire, but it just didn't work for me.

While I don't consider The Ivies to have wasted my time, I do think there are better YA murder mysteries out there.

Such a good and suspenseful read! I finished it in a day. It brought new and creative views to the typical teen mystery novel. Overall, I recommend this book if you like to be on the edge of your seat! There were a lot of plot twists, so I feel like it could’ve been resolved differently, which is why I gave 4 stars. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me the opportunity to read.

3.5 STARS

I was very excited to read The Ivies. I have heard so many good things about Alexa Donne and I've been wanting to read a good thriller and mystery book. I was a bit disappointed, but I overall still liked this book. I really enjoyed the whole premise of the book. It was intriguing and drew me in right away. The characters felt a bit bland, but I liked the setting of the book. There was nothing wrong with this book, but maybe I just wasn't the right person this book was targeted at. Still, I really liked the writing style, and I'll probably check out more books by Alexa Donne in the future.