An interesting teen drama, perfect for anyone who likes an inside look into the world of the too rich but not famous. Perfect mixture of drama and mystery, will keep you turning the pages. I think most teens would enjoy this interesting book. I wouldn't teach a novel study on it but would recommend to students.

There were a lot of characters and it was hard to track, couldn't really get into it or stay interested so did not finish.

This book was just okay. I was drawn in by the beautiful cover but the story didn't grab my attention as much. I thought this was going to be more of a murder mystery but it ended up being more about politics, society and the lives of the white privileged characters; so privileged that they ended up unlikeable. It started to ramp up towards the end but the ending doesn't payoff.

This is an interesting story about power, and white privilege in Washington. I didn’t really care for the characters but I think this was done on purpose by the author. None of these people were really likeable, and I find it difficult sometimes to finish a book when I really don’t like anyone in it. I really enjoyed the beginning of the book, I think it really had a good start and the story has really good potential.

I had difficulty getting into this book and once I did I was rather confused by where the store was meant to go. Only one character seemed to have a completed story line

The Cave Dwellers offered a glimpse into the world of the rich and entitled, peeling back the shiny layers and revealing the rot underneath.

I did not love this one. I was hoping for something like Gossip Girl and I found this one just overwhelming with drama that only the rich can find themselves in. It was maybe just too much overlapping story with too many characters for me to keep up with and I found myself losing track of who was who and why I was reading.

The Cave Dwellers by Christina McDowell takes the reader to Washington, DC for a close-up look at the so-called elite denizens who populate a city always in transition. The politicians may come and go but the upper-crust just keep on living their self-involved little lives, as they always have. We observe several families living life in their bubble, looking down on anyone who is not one of them. Their children are growing up with the same arrogance, in their private schools. The author knows of which she writes about as she grew up in the rarified air of Washington. As I read this book, I realized that this high society is made up of selfish, unkind and despicable people whose sole purpose is to pursue the same tired existence, generation after generation. The characters are the driving force in The Cave Dwellers, most of them being as horrible people as they can be. The more you read, the less you like them. There seems to be a lack of a storyline though, making this a somewhat difficult read. Thank you to Simon & Schuster, NetGalley and the author for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Cave Dwellers is a novel about rich white people in Washington doing rich white people things. It definitely played out like a gossip-y and salacious TV show, which was fun. I feel like the ending didn’t quite tie everything with a pretty bow to make room for a second novel.

I had a couple of issues with the book: there were way too many characters to keep up with, they were all very similar, and most of them I didn’t really care about. One of the main characters, Bunny, had a few names/nicknames which confused me at first because of the large cast of characters. I feel like if I would have read the physical copy of the book I could have easily flipped back to figure them all out, but with the ebook it was tougher to.

The theme of white privilege is a huge part of the book. I feel like a lot of these people didn’t quite have the comeuppance they deserved, though. Overall, it was a good beach read and I enjoyed it.

I wish the 'Author's Note' had been at the beginning of Cave Dwellers, so that I could have had a peek inside author Christina McDowell's life before actually reading the book. McDowell's personal background adds a layer of intriguing context to the backdrop of Cave Dwellers and provides such an extra and definitive layer to the story that the novel became that much more poignant once I understood that she had walked the path of the varied characters in the novel.
When McDowell was in college, her father, an associate of Jordan Belfort, (otherwise known as the infamous 'Wolf of Wall Street'), was arrested for securities fraud, convicted and sentenced to five years in federal prison. In fact, McDowell's father had stolen her social security number and left her in $100,000 worth of debt.
Let me repeat that...her father stole her social security number and left his own daughter in mammoth debt.
Armed with this knowledge and (albeit) unwanted experience, McDowell brings a lot to the table in the writing of Cave Dwellers. (The author details these experiences in her memoir, After Perfect).
Set in Washington, D. C., Cave Dwellers is centred on the machinations of the reality, (and unreality), that exists in the Capitol: old money families thirsting for not only more power but also enhanced positioning at the top of the social ladder; powerful senators having affairs with young and aspiring assistants, (think Bill Clinton and the Oval Office); white supremacists meeting in secret and enjoying the pleasures of the flesh behind the nonchalant doors of the Alibi Club; and the materialistic and envious posturing and shenanigans of the pseudo/nouveau rich who are nowhere near as rich as they want to be. Throw in their entitled but troubled kids and you end up with one hell of a read.
Oh... and did I mention the neighbours who were murdered and everyone is scrambling to cover their tracks?
I can hardly wait to pick up Christina McDowell's memoir to make the experience of reading the Cave Dwellers full-circle complete.
#NetGalley #Cave Dwellers #Christina McDowell @cecemscott cecescott.com

The Cave Dwellers is a hard-hitting look at the seedy underbelly of Washington's beautiful people. Told through the stories of a handful of graduating students of an exclusive private school and their families it takes a frank and honest look at white supremacy, racism, drugs, sex, entitlement and the lengths to which people will go to maintain their lives as green book families.
McDowell, a former Washington insider tells a tale that will at once tug at your heartstrings and chill your blood. Her characters are spoiled, petulant, vindictive and ruthless but so many of them, especially the teenage friends, are painfully naive and vulnerable and, without exception, they are deeply emotionally scared by the world they live in.
Although the president is mentioned only in passing and never by name, the "former guy"s Washington lurks as a powerful influence in the background of the events that drive the book. BLM, Me Too, political spin and the power of the press all play their role in the plot.
The Cave Dwellers is a book that will make you think while it entertains, and really, what more can you ask of a novel?

A behind-the-scenes look at Washington D.C., The Cave Dwellers made me feel as though I was over-hearing private conversations between the elite members of society. I loved the layers woven within this book; the different story lines of both the “children” and their parents. The privileged mindset of these characters is so expected, and yet so deplorable at the same time. I couldn’t get through this book fast enough.

3.5 stars

The Cave Dwellers is an interesting book that made me want to read to the end but I to had a hard time with so many characters.

Having said that The Cave Dwellers drew me in to keep reading as I found it fascinating if not illuminating about the powerful and wealthy families in Washington D.C.

It's hard to fathom their power and disdain that they have . That is why I loved Bunny who questioned everything from her family to racism and how can she break that cycle.

I would definitely recommend this book , its worth the read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada, Gallery/Scout Press for an intriguing read.

I will not be finishing this book. There are so many characters who are all quite similar to one another, and all equally unlikeable. I found the writing style strange - if the third-person narration was meant to be satirical or self-aware, the author didn't do a good job of this, because it just sounded gossipy. The thing that bothered me most about this book was the outright mention of race and class and how the two intersect. The main characters are taken to all be white while those who serve them (i.e. waiters, etc.) are all people of colour. If this book was meant to be a comment on racism, the author did not succeed and instead sounds like they are condoning or promoting negative racial stereotypes. I was very disappointed in this book.

This book could not keep me captivated and therefore I dnf it. I tried multiple times but it was just a little silly for me

An interesting story about power and wealth in Washington. I didn’t much care for any of the characters and perhaps that was the author’s point in writing the book. None of these people are very likeable, except perhaps for Bunny who is trying to break out of the mold. I knew such a class system existed in the U.K. but I naively thought such a thing did not exist in the States - secret clubs and all. I could feel the author’s distain for these people throughout the book and after reading the Author’s Note I can understand why. This is a well written book. Recommended for people who like to read about the ultra rich and powerful.
Thanks to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review

I thought that this would be a good book but it started with some over the top violence and then became predictable with how blatantly self centred the people of Washington can be ...meaning the obnoxiously rich. I couldn’t get into the story nor could I keep track of the characters. I found there were way to many characters then were needed to make the point of the book. It was over just as it seemed it might be interesting.

The Cave Dwellers by Christina McDowell

Thank you to @netgalley for my advanced copy, I really appreciate the chance to try new authors and reach out of my usual genres.

I was drawn to the story based on the description, sounded to me like Gossip Girl meets Washington, DC. The story revolves around white families that are generations deep into this powerful society. This is what it’s like to have no morals, privilege and more money than you know what to do with.

Unfortunately between more points of view than I could keep track of and the lack of anyone likeable, I had a hard time enjoying this book. I felt like the author wanted to shock the reader, and continued to throw in outrageous events and horrifying descriptions when it wasn’t necessary.

I’m excited to start something new and I’m finishing up The Escape Room on audio! What are you reading this weekend?

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If House of Cards met Gossip Girl, you would get Cave Dwellers.
Washington DC is a world unto itself, and the power, politics, and social aspects are not just for the adults. Their kids are groomed to 'carry on the family legacy' even if that legacy is problematic. They are not free to follow their passions, study what they are passionate about - no. They follow in their parent's footsteps and go to the schools that have been pre-selected for them. Good grades matter, of course, but ::wink wink:: there are other ways of getting into a good college - Daddy can make a call/donation and all will be right with the world.

It looks so perfect from the outside - but what secrets are being hidden in the 'no phones allowed' parties of the teens? What dirty deed has the family business covered up by throwing money at it? Discreetly, of course.

Political, racial, elitist and charged with unrest, Cave Dwellers is tense and engaging, and somewhat satisfying in the lack of complete resolution.

This was a new author to me, I did enjoy the book, I generally read thrillers and this was a step out of my comfort zone!

Behind the scenes with the rich and famous, this story focused on old money, secrets and lies. The characters are not able to readily adapt as quickly as needed when one of their own is taken, and held hostage.

The story didn't hold my attention.

I didnt love this book