This was so ridiculous and unrealistic. I kind of enjoyed the read when I suspended my disbelief but the characters were poorly written, the logic was nonexistent, and it was all so over the top, so I can't in my right mind give it a higher rating than this. It feels very amateur, more like a teen's first foray into writing an overexcitable boarding school mystery with little regard for how things actually work. The whole thing felt painfully underresearched and I found the protagonist to be quite infuriating.

While I would only recommend this novel for my mature readers, I think it would be a great addition to my library. I loved Dial A for Aunties and was not disappointed by The New Girl. I'm looking forward to sharing with my students!

I received an advanced copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

2.5 stars.

This novel returns us to the scandalous boarding type school Draycott Academy, with kids who are far too rich and everyone has their own secrets. This novel focuses on track star scholarship student, Lia Setiawan and the trials and tribulations with being the new girl at this elite school.

The novel overall was not bad, it was quasi entertaining enough that I finished it. Although, I only really finished it because of the Netgalley review or I likely would have set it aside. This novel started out okay and got REAL dark, real quickly and then got a bit ridiculous. Lia seems to be a very stupid girl and EVERYTHING is going wrong...and then magically goes right and she's never really caught or in trouble. It was just a bit too much suspension of reality for me. There is some pretty blatant racism that is only directed towards white people and apparently they are all evil and bullies. Then the ending with this person being the secret evil villain and has been under your nose the whole time was.....rather anti-climactic. We get ONE chapter that ties up all the evil deeds and then the novel is done. This was just disappointing compared to the awesome creep-fest that was Obsession. Most of this novel felt like Lia having her own mental diatribe of nonsense and not much of a story. Just a bit boring and disappointing overall. This novel felt a lot more rushed and not well thought out.

Lia gets in on a track scholarship to Draycott Academy, a prestigious private boarding school. She immediately feels out of place and it doesn't take long before she becomes the new target of bullying and harassment. She will do everything to keep her scholarship and to survive this toxic environment. She starts digging and uncovers some serious Draycott's dark secrets that can cause her her life.

I couldn't stop rooting for Lia despite of her poor decisions, She finds herself in unfortunate events and she's desperate. The beginning was quite slow. There were over the top drama and some ridiculous scenes but the characters and the plot were intriguing enough. Just like in Dial A for Aunties, we also get Chinese-Indonesian rep in this book which I really enjoyed especially the food descriptions. I wished we got more from Lia's relationship with her mother because she seems sweet and loving. The twists are quite predictable but still entertaining.

The New Girl was a fun, fast-paced read. I am a sucker for a good boarding school setting, and that is what drew me in to this one. While it required quite a bit of suspension of disbelief, it was still a fun and thrilling read.

The author did a really good job of being so descriptive of the bullying that was happening. i loved that it was a quick paced read that I would recommend. Although this did fall a bit flat for me compared to the other books this author has written.

Loved how fast-paced and easy to read this was! I think fans of They Wish They Were Us and Good Girls Lie will love this book. Excited to see more from this author!

I tried so hard to binge this book before my arc expired. I only got a part of the way through, but what I read was checking all of the boxes. A dark academia thriller set in a rich boarding school, with a non-rich MC. A Gossip Girl style app. A star athlete and petty teammates. The kids at that school are messy and I love it. I don't trust a single person, and I can't wait to purchase. I'm already emotionally preparing myself for all of the plot twists.

I really liked this book and I think my prospective YA students will too. It addresses a number of issues that are relevant and interesting to teens, but still features a compelling story. The author has a good ear for slang and other aspects of how teens talk. The main character is well developed and relatable.

The New Girl was sharp—I’ve read Dial A for Aunties, and while it’s similar it definitely isn’t the same. Super fast-paced, this book was gripping from the first page. Rife with teenager drama, it includes bullying, violence, and drug abuse, it was a wild ride.
I enjoyed the POV character, Lia, and the way she saw the world. The twist at the end wasn’t a surprise, but it was still a great read.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy this eARC. This is my honest review.

Woah!! This was such a great fast paced thriller! Right from the start I was intrigued with the whole “rich kid and rich school” plot. My favorite thing about this book was how many twist there were! There was more than one mystery to unfold and I loved that I didn’t know what to expect.

I also really enjoyed the main character and her development. She was a well rounded character and had to flaws. Most thrillers have their characters stay the same from start to finish, but not this book.

I will be recommending this book to everyone!!!

Someone wants her gone, and they'll do whatever it takes to make it happen...

Lia is grateful for the opportunity to join the track team at Draycott Academy, a private school that she would never be able to attend without a full scholarship. Her athletic abilities aren't enough to keep her scholarship, though. She also needs to maintain decent grades, which seems impossible when one of her teachers is corrupt. It's also difficult to stay out of trouble when Lia is targeted by several bullies who love to flip the script and make her look bad. Everywhere she turns, it seems like someone is out to get her, and her spot at Draycott Academy hangs by a quickly fraying thread. Can she keep it together when things couldn't possibly get any worse?
I was really excited to read this novel, as I really enjoyed The Obsession. I loved exploring the school some more and meeting new characters. I had strong suspicions throughout the story that panned out, but still left me holding my breath in anticipation of what would happen. Along with the eARC, I enjoyed the audiobook and felt the narrator was perfectly suited to Lia's character, and did a really amazing job of making me feel Lia's anxiety in stressful situations. She pulled me right in and it felt like I was experiencing everything with Lia! I recommend this novel to anyone who loves YA thrillers!

I loved it! Thrillers set in private or boarding schools are my jam and Sutanto hits it out of the park with this Creeptastic YA thriller. Another author you need to add to your must reads.
Any murderino that likes Heathers, Gossip Girl and Euphoria will love this novel. I read it in one sitting and can't wait for more from Sutanto. Make sure she is on your radar!

Thank you to the publisher for my copy. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you to both Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this ARC in return for an honest review!

Unfortunately this book just wasn't for me. While I did go into this book expecting it to be YA and feel young, it just felt a bit too young for me. I thought a lot of the story lines were very unrealistic, and really wasn't sure how our MC got away with half of the things she did. I also managed to predict the twist early on. However I did really enjoy the pacing of this book and I flew through it rather quickly. Im sure this book has its audience, it sadly just was not for me.

Ever been the new girl before 🙋🏻‍♀️

The New Girl 📖🎧
By: @jesseqsutanto
Narrated by: @eunicewongnarration
Publisher 📖: @sourcebooksfire
Publisher 🎧: @tantoraudio
Downloads: @netgalley

My Review
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you @sourcebooksfire @tantoraudio @netgalley for copies of the ARC and ALC.

This is the first time I flipped back and forth between reading an ebook and listening to an audiobook. It makes getting through a book much faster. For the audiobook, I loved the narration by Eunice Wong.

Lia Setiawan gets a scholarship to the prestigious Draycott Academy “school for the elite.” Lia knows from the start that she does not fit in. Lia despises many of the mean girls at her school, but at some point she actually becomes just like the rest of them. She has not made the best choices and things get complicated once people connected to the school start dying.

I did not even realize that there was a divide between native Indonesians and Chinese- Indonesians. I like that the Asian hierarchy is mentioned, referencing the class structure of Asians.

Much of the events that took place are not very realistic. This is a read I would have enjoyed more as a middle schooler.

Publisher's Summary

Lia Setiawan has never really fit in. And when she wins a full ride to the prestigious Draycott Academy on a track scholarship, she's determined to make it work even though she's never felt more out of place.
But on her first day there she witnesses a girl being forcefully carried away by campus security. Her new schoolmates and teachers seem unfazed, but it leaves her unsure of what she's gotten herself into.
And as she uncovers the secrets of Draycott, complete with a corrupt teacher, a golden boy who isn't what he seems, and a blackmailer determined to get her thrown out, she's not sure if she can trust anyone...especially when the threats against her take a deadly turn.
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#maeroxwanders #readingwithmaerox #listeningwithmaerox #NetGally #ARC #ALC #SourceBooksFire #TantorAudio #audiobookreview #bookreview

slick, youthful and fast paced. it's giving a touch of gossip girl, pretty little liars, with the sly sort of commentary one might imagine from a younger, more pop culture minded celeste ng. sutanto has one helluva range

This is a riveting story that will keep you fascinated all the way to the finish as I have now come to expect from Jess Sutanto's books. If you enjoy shows like Pretty Little Liars you will love this book, The characters are interesting enough to keep you interested in the plot. This was a quick read for me, which can only be a good thing! 4 out of 5 stars

This reminded me a little bit of Ace of Spades; prestigious school, themes of racism, a character with a target on her back etc. The story did a great job at adding twists and turns and making it so the reader doesn't know who to trust. I think the book started really strong with cheating scandals and things went a little wild at the end. Overall I was still entertained most of the book and liked the satire/humor the author added to the book. A little less crazy compared to Dial A for Aunties but still a fun, thriller of a story.

“She’s a liar. A cheater. A murder. And it’s only her first semester.”
🏃🏽‍♀️
Lia Setiawan has been offered the scholarship of a lifetime when she gets a full ride to Draycott Academy for track. But when she gets there everyone is anything but friendly. After installing a social media app on her phone that is for student gossip, it only gets worse. Lia soon realizes things at Draycott aren’t what they seem when she sees a girl being arrested and dragged off kicking and screaming—and that’s just the beginning of the dark and sinister secrets simmering below the school’s surface. Lia feels all alone, not knowing who to trust. When someone is murdered, Lia must decide who—if anyone—she can turn to.
🏃🏽‍♀️
I honestly believe Jesse Q. Sutanto can write anything. From Dial A For Aunties (which is adored) to The New Girl, she’s able to reach readers at the YA and adult levels. I can’t wait to see what she writes next because I was on the edge of my seat through this entire audiobook. The New Girl hits dark academia on the head! I read it in one day.

CW: drug use, alcohol, murder, physical assault, blood, vomit, racism, overdose resulting in death, cheating, bullying, cyberbullying

A strong 4.5 ⭐️

The New Girl, by Jesse Q. Sutanto, is a deadly game of cat and mouse set in the halls of a school that is hiding more than secrets within its walls. Lia Setiawan, who is 1/2 Indonesian, and 1/2 Chinese, has never really fit in, and now she's got a full ride track scholarship to the prestigious Draycott Academy where she's determined to make it work even though she's never felt more out of place. But on her first day there, she witnesses a girl being forcefully carried away by campus security. Her new schoolmates and teachers seem unphased, but it leaves her unsure of what she's gotten herself into.

This is a school that has an app called Draycott Dirt where the dirtiest of secrets is spilled for the entire school to read about. This is a school that has mandatory drug tests every two weeks, and you are required to keep your grades above board or you'll lose your place on a track team that is already competitive, and can't stand that a new girl is about to replace someone who has been here longer. As Lia uncovers the secrets of Draycott, complete with a corrupt teacher, a golden boy, Danny, who has a cultural background similar to her own.

There's a blackmailer determined to get her thrown out, and she's not sure if she can trust anyone, especially her new friends Beth and Stacey especially when the threats against her take a deadly turn. Through Draycott Dirt, Lia begins to be incessantly bullied by anonymous classmates who are offended by her scholarship and the fact that she's a really fast racer who deserves her place at the school. Lia makes some seriously stupid mistakes like taking on a corrupt teacher who allows rich students to get test answers while letting Lia and others founder badly.

Fortunately for Lia, there’s also a certain handsome Indo classmate, who seems to like her a lot. But he has some of his own secrets that end up loading even more stress on Lia's shoulders. There is rampant bullying, substance usage, and cheating going on in the school. Lia will find herself falling into the dark side of Draycott and if she isn't careful, she might end up just another statistic of the school. One of the reasons you should read this book is if you are interested in discovering new cultures, and new foods, and new dynamics which are rarely covered in the YA genre.